Photography courtesy of Tarin Calmeyer
My gorgeous and talented friend Kloie Vanhooft, designer of LifeandLilly Handmadedesigns, is now stocking her amazing one-off pieces of jewellery in Tiger Maze (Phillips Arcade)-Shop 2, 39 Puckle st Moonee Ponds, Victoria!! I recently sat down with Kloie amidst the hype and craziness to chat a bit about her inspirations for her work.
LJG: How long have you been hiding this talent Kloie?
KV: I started making jewellery and little trinkets from about the age of 8 or 9. Just like most kids that age, I liked to draw and loved creating things. Obviously back then I never realised that it would grow into the career that it has. I started out making one-off pieces for friends birthday's and christmas presents, which through word of mouth and positive feedback from people wanting to buy my pieces, has enabled things to grow from there.
LJG: Where did the name LifeandLilly come from?
KV: Back when I was 12 yrs old, I formed a wonderful relationship with our next door neighbour Lilly, who was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). At the time she was bedridden, so after school and on weekends I would spend time sitting by her side telling stories of hopes and dreams, and what I wanted to be when I grew up. She taught me how to read the time on a gold watch that I still have and cherish dearly. She had made a great impact on my life growing up, so it made perfect sense for LifeandLilly to be born. (5% of every sale is donated to MS research)
LJG: Where do you source your materials from?
KV: I pretty much use everything I can get my hands on, from odd tools and pieces from my dad's plumbing trailer, to natural fibres (rope), and chains. I have a few hidden secrets in the city I like to go to, as well as sourcing from overseas. Markets and op-shops are also a great place to find treasures, and many of my friends find charms and trinkets for me to use....Each of my designs are different and unique and not mass produced, allowing the perfect gift or purchase to be exclusively made and worn by the individual. I can't wait for my new jewels to be ready, I'm having a mini obsession with skulls atm.
LJG: Where does your inspiration for your work come from?
KV: My inspiration comes from everyday life....Travel, Music, Fashion. I love reading fashion blogs to see what's new and exciting, and I also find my mood on any any given day can affect my creativity in different ways; happy, sad, moody. I'm also surrounded by many creative friends such as photographer's, designers, stylists and bloggers- Tarin Calmeyer's photography folio and images, Leah Hills designer of desmondonline.com.au, Angela Sterchele (stylist) and of course Wendy Grace of Little Jimmy's Girl (plug) lol.....
Kloie can be contacted for special orders:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlilly
Email- lifeandlilly@hotmail.com
WEBSITE COMING SOON!!! www.lifenlilly.com.au
Get down to the store, check it out and support local talent. Watch this space for more of LifeandLilly to come xx
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