Junkie Couture at Reverse Garbage

If you're interested in fashion and accessories handmade from salvaged materials, the Reverse Garbage 'Junkie Couture' exhibition is for you!

Featuring diverse works from emerging artists, designers and crafters from right around Australia this exhibition showcases all the latest in handmade 'eco' fashion.

BrisStyle members, Chrissy Foreman C, Kellie Christie and Samantha Gilkes will have their work on display during the 'Junkie Couture' exhibition and we've got a sneaky peek right here just for you.....

(fabric ring - Chrissy Foreman C - make art hug trees)

Chrissy will be exhibiting her fabulous new Moon Wedge Necklaces, fabric brooches, fabric rings, fabric hair combs, fabric earrings and upcycled fabric handbags. Featuring glorious fabrics and designs with a true tree huggin' feel these pieces are sure to catch your eye.

(Moon Wedge Necklace - Chrissy Foreman C - make art hug trees)

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(Kimono Flower Headband - Kellie Christie)

Kellie will have a range of upcycled accessories on display including her Kimono Flower Headbands and Interconnected Circle necklaces guaranteed to stand-out with Kellie's great eye for colour and design.

(Interconnected Circles - Kellie Christie)

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(Doily Cloud and Rain Brooches - Samantha Gilkes - Jetta's Nest)

Samantha will be showing new works from her Timber Doily range, handmade brooches made from salvaged Pecan wood and featuring hand-drawn details. There'll also be a few old favourites on display including the salvaged Silky-Oak, Wise Old Owl Brooch and the salvaged Pecan Wood Fruit series.

(Wise Old Owl Brooch - Samantha Gilkes - Jetta's Nest)

Opening night is this Saturday 18 September from 6pm - 8pm and will feature live music, nibblies, drinks and a henna tattooist as well as a light night shopping opportunity in the Reverse Garbage warehouse. Everyone's welcome to come along, just head over the Junkie Couture event page on facebook to RSVP.

Shop Handmade: Reverse Garbage

This week the BrisStyle Shop Handmade series focuses on the Reverse Garbage Gift Shop.


The Reverse Garbage gift shop was started in 2001, and was a pioneer venue for Brisbane crafters to showcase and sell their handmade wares. For the past 9 years the Reverse Garbage gift shop has aimed to promote the creative re-use of high quality discards that would have otherwise gone to land fill. Materials such as fabrics, timbers, metal, paper and card and also salvaged embellishments like buttons and beads have been transformed into fantastic handmade items ranging from clothing and kids toys to jewellery, artworks, sculptures and gorgeous items for the home. It is Brisbane's best kept secret for the most beautiful eco handmade gifts and treasures!


Anyone can become an RG gift shop stockist, we are always on the lookout for fresh talent to stock the shelves and help us promote sustainability and creative reuse through arts and crafts. The criteria for items stocked in the gift shop is that they must be handmade by the artist and made up of at least 75% salvaged, reused, pre-loved or recycled materials.


We have had a few Bristylers stock the shelves over the years! Currently we are stocking lovely cards and prints on salvaged paper by Sally Flynn of Flight Industries and lavender birds by Rebecca Cason of Edward and Lilly. We love catching up with our artists and also meeting new ones! We have recently started hosting "Artists afternoon tea At RG" a relaxing informal gathering of makers and crafters with lovely teas, organic wines and cakes. Guests mingle and network with other crafters using salvaged materials in their arts and crafts practice.


Every three months we hold a themed exhibition of handmade wares in the gift shop space which is a lot of fun to plan and be involved in. Opening night draws a crowd of about 200, we have a bar, live entertainment and of course late night shopping in the RG warehouse! Our most recent exhibition was "Plastic Fantastic" an exhibition showcasing funky jewellery, bags and home wares made from plastic. The next one, scheduled for September 18th is "Junky Couture" which will be a spring fashion wearable art extravaganza with performance models, a henna body artist and of course live entertainment. We are currently taking submissions for "Junky Couture" So if you would like to be involved please get in touch via our website!


Reverse Garbage will also be at the BrisStyle Indie Eco Market on this Saturday 10 July, 9am-2pm (click here for details), their stall will feature a range of salvaged materials for sale as well as examples from the gift shop showcasing the type of things that can be created by these materials. You can also purchase subscriptions to Reverse Garbage on the day.


If you would like to know more about becoming a stockist in the Reverse Garbage gift shop please email Brooke at info@reversegarbage.com.au or come say hello at the BrisStyle Indie Eco Market Sat July 10th!

All the details about how to be part of "Junky Couture" can be found on our website or email Brooke at info@reversegarbage.com.au. You can also become a fan of Reverse Garbage on Facebook for updates on events, an invitation to the next "Artist's afternoon tea at RG", warehouse specials and new stock!

Party Pics, Renaissance, & more FREE stuff!

Here are some pics taken at the BrisStyle Team meet-up at The Book Café in Mt Gravatt last Saturday. It was a fun morning, with our Secret Santa swap, the drawing of the blog giveaway and enthusiastic planning for the upcoming BrisStyle Christmas Market happening on Saturday 13th December.




I don’t recall that festive frog being in attendance. Frog face must have crashed the party after I left. Luckily another BrisStyler had left by then also. Would have been embarrassing because they were both wearing exactly the same outfits! Thanks so much to Em and Bel from EmBelISH for making the awesome Ferrero Rocher Christmas trees and for organising the meet-up! A great time was had by all!

Now onto a few things that BrisStylers are currently up to. The Renaissance Exhibition at Reverse Garbage opened last Friday and included in the exhibit are lovely handcrafted eco-friendly pieces by Ali (jellygnite), Bec (beckybean) and Helen (ruby red studios and ruby 2 go-go). I visited on Monday and took a few photos while there.


I am a Brisbane crafter and Art teacher and my work celebrates and is inspired by paper ephemera, vintage designs, memories, thriftiness and simplicity.

A big component of my making process is the use of salvaged and recycled materials: most of my work features at least 75% salvaged materials. I enjoy collecting and salvaging abandoned, old materials and transforming them, giving them a new and different life. I enjoy the extra ‘history’ salvaged materials bring to a piece as well as supporting the idea of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. So many wonderful materials can be found on the ‘scrap pile’! - Ali Chisholm

My inspiration comes from the materials themselves, and the story behind them. I love the idea that a soft floral linen used in a handbag may have once been a girl’s first tablecloth, stored in her glory box until her wedding day. Or maybe the big sparkly button on a bookmark once glittered under the lights of a blue light disco in the 80s.

My pieces say a lot about who I am. And who am I? My name is Bec, and I am a mum, a wife, a daughter and a sister. I sew and I sing and I walk and I play. And I really like tea and chocolate. - Bec Hollis

Helen is a local Brisbane Artist whose passion for nostalgia inspires her work. A part time air hostess, she is also heavily influenced by her intrepid travel adventures and surrounds. Viva the “re-purposed revolution”! Recycle, repurpose, reclaim, remodel, revamp, redesign, rediscover, recraft, rework, renovate, rescue, rekindle, reduce and revolutionise! - Helen Berthold
(info sourced from the Renaissance Exhibition artist bio booklet)
These photos don’t do the pieces justice, so you’d best head on over to see how truly amazing everything is. The exhibition is on in the Echoes Gift Shop during regular Reverse Garbage trading hours. This is one not to be missed! Fanflipintastic!


More giveaways! The big BrisStyle giveaway may be over, but four very generous and talented BrisStyle members are currently offering super giveaways on their blogs.

Teneale (wickedchilddesigns) is giving away a cool Gothic Gretel doll.

To enter click here. Quick! Ends Thursday 27th November.
Hayley (Re-Read) is giving away a fab Fruity Goose brooch.

To enter click here. Ends Sunday 30th November.
Cat (madebymaisie) is giving away a sweet Christmas Maisie doll.

To enter click here. Ends Wednesday 3rd December.
Eliza (ElizasArt) is giving away a print of your choice from her new website.

To enter click here. Ends Tuesday 9th December.
And a big bunch of BrisStylers are busy preparing for this…

To enter click…umm, nope. Just turn up! No clicking required. Phew! One more link and my head may explode!