purrsie

Shrewsburys.

2012-02-21T21:46:00.000+13:00

I forgot to show you these earlier. I made Plum Shrewsburys! They were absolutely scrumptious. Not bad for a first attempt.

Here is the recipe...

Shrewsbury Biscuits - Edmonds Classics Cookbook

125 g butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 cups Champion standard grade flour
1 teaspoon Edmonds baking powder
raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 180 deg celsius. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and lemon zest and beat well. Sift flour and baking power together. Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well. On a lightly floured board, roll out to 4mm thickness. Cut out rounds using a 7cm cutter. Cut a 1cm hole in the centre of half the biscuits. Place on greased oven trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes. When cold, spread whole biscuits with jam and top with biscuits with holes in them. Makes 22.

*I used plum jam instead of raspberry which was delicious and had no seeds. And instead of a round cutter you could use any shape. My heart cutters are from Daiso.

Happy baking!

greetings.

2012-02-18T07:24:00.002+13:00

I purchased a whole bunch of greeting cards from Lagom last night; a site I happened to stumble upon somehow. Funny, wonderful Internet! My order has already been shipped too so I can't wait to see. Actually, I can't remember all of the designs I have ordered so it will be a nice surprise in the mail.
And ha! I wonder how many will be written in and lovingly gifted. I can imagine I'll want to keep them all to myself to secretly admire.

Screenshots from Lagom.

birthday.

2012-02-04T14:56:00.001+13:00

I celebrated a rather scary milestone birthday a short while ago. No real reason for the silly feelings as the day was super with surprise dress shopping and a picnic at the park with friends. We had a few little people join us too. So lovely to share food & laughs!

Merry Wishes.

2011-12-25T21:33:00.000+13:00

Happy Christmas everyone! I hope all you Kiwis have enjoyed the company of loved ones, have stuffed yourselves with delicious homemade food, napped a little then have filled up on the leftovers. Presents are a bonus! To everyone on the the other side of the world, I hope you wake to a beautiful day. Merry Chrismas!

Pretty presents.

2011-11-26T11:02:00.001+13:00

Eek, Christmas is nearly upon us! Aren't these pressies the sweetest? Simple and cute wrapping paper.

Via Darling Things

Fisheye, NYC

2011-11-06T21:17:00.000+13:00

Hope you're not getting sick of all the travel photos! Just say the word and I'll stop, promise. Here are some taken with our toy fisheye camera.

Central Park, NYC

2011-10-26T21:38:00.000+13:00

Central Park is a sanctuary from the craziness of the NYC. It's easy to forget you entered from a concrete jungle. We sat ourselves down with a lunch from Whole Foods. I had a delicious egg salad and a spinach, feta orzo salad which I am still obsessed with to this day. If you're interested, I found this recipe which comes pretty darn close. Also took a few too many photos of squirrels. Cheeky little buggers and certainly not shy!

Doing some kind of munted pirouette under a bridge :)

Disneyland.

2011-10-12T21:01:00.000+13:00

Before our big trip to NYC we spent 2 nights at the happiest place on earth. And oh boy, they weren't kidding! We stayed at a Disneyland Resort Hotel (this one) and had a fantastic view of the park. Lots of walking (I used up all of my NYC bandaids - ouch!), AMAZING rides, Disney shopping and lots of photos. So much fun, I didn't want to leave. Definitely going back one day!

home again.

2011-10-07T17:27:00.000+13:00

I have just returned from a trip to the craziest city in the world! So many photos to sift through so here are just a few for now. More to come!

manhattan in motion.

2011-09-13T21:02:00.001+12:00

Have you seen this? I got a bit teary when I first watched this. Just so beautiful.
Watch it larger on the youtube site :)

opshop cushions.

2011-08-30T21:28:00.000+12:00

I paid a long overdue visit to a good friend recently and she took me to all her local opshops. I found these cute cushion covers which have been lovingly handmade. One pumpkin orange with patchwork and the other woven baby blue. They are unusual sizes so I haven't found any inners for them yet. Just for you I have temporarily stuffed them with singlets and t-shirts from my drawers, which I guess I will need to refold after this is done (never thought of that...) 

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

thank you.

2011-08-27T11:20:00.001+12:00

To everyone who purchased a par avion paper kit via Felt or directly from me. I will be putting through the donations to the Red Cross this weekend. I am sure Christchurch will appreciate the help!

Image: via Pinterest

closet visit.

2011-08-04T19:57:00.000+12:00

Here's a little site I have been visiting for the last few months or so. I quite like a peek into other peoples lives and wardrobes. Makes up for the lack of interest in my own clothing dept. There are a few of my faves below. Hope you are all still out there and keeping well!

All photos from closetvisit.com

The Stylist's Guide to NYC.

2011-06-19T21:50:00.002+12:00

My first Book Depository order arrived yesterday. The Stylist's Guide to NYC by Sibella Court! The book is hardcover and has a small pull-out map in the front. It also has a handy pocket in the back, kind of like a Moleskine where you can put those bus tickets & fancy named serviettes (I know you keep those!). It has small, handy sections on Scents & Flower Merchants, Oddities & Curiosities, Jewellery & Hardware, Haberdashery & Handmade, Drapers & Upholstery, Art & Objects, Paper & Art Supplies (my fave), Kitchen & Table Paraphernalia and Furniture & Interiors.

Sibella gives tips and suggested itineraries with 'loops of interest'. A pretty little guide that will have you oohing and ahhing at all the fascinating pictures. Mmm love the smell of the manila/recycled pages too. A must for any adventure to the Big Apple!

india block printing.

2011-05-17T22:12:00.000+12:00

This is amazing for anyone interested in printmaking. Such skill! Watch it here.

afternoon tea.

2011-05-09T16:11:00.001+12:00

I invited my mum, sister, sister-in-law (all mums) and my three nieces to a special mother's day afternoon tea at my house. We had mini cupcakes with lemon icing, macarons, asparagus rolls, sammies, sausage rolls, chicken nibbles, pinwheels and cups of tea. Just the ladies, although a sneaky uncle and cute lil two-month old nephew turned up later to eat some leftovers. Hope all the mums out there had a fantastic day of hugs & treats!

the weekend.

2011-04-18T22:35:00.001+12:00

Do you sometimes feel like you need another weekend to get over the weekend just been? This weekend was sort of a write off. I stayed out till 3.30am on a girls night out and didn't quite recover from it. Yep. Getting older. Oh, and I went to karaoke at the R.S.A the next night too. Ha! Wow, talk about party animal.

More excitedly I did catch a lot of cool music on the Coachella livestream on Youtube. I watched Interpol late on Saturday night and Arcade Fire last night. Uh, how cool was Arcade Fire?! Pretty fantastic I say.

Image: Google. 

bill cunningham ny.

2011-04-05T22:56:00.000+12:00

I totally missed this last year at the International Film Festival. Fortunately, we were able to catch it on Sunday as part of the World Cinema Showcase 2011. It was such a heartfelt documentary. Bill is such an enthusiastic, honest character with seemingly endless amounts of energy for a man his age. He has such a good eye for fashion and individual style. So inspiring. It made me laugh and in other moments it made me cry. If you're in Auckland you still have time to catch it this Thursday and again on April 12. It will also be showing later in the month in Wellington and Dunedin, in May. Info here.

Images: Google.

help Japan.

2011-03-18T16:43:00.002+13:00

I finally purchased the Hello Sandwich Gift Wrapping Zine from Uguisu about a month ago. It's filled with adorable packaging ideas and lots of pretty pictures to satisfy a gift wrapping nut like myself. Thankfully both ladies are alive and well following the huge earthquake in Japan last week. My heart is breaking for everyone there. To help, you can buy a digital copy of the zine for only $5 and all proceeds go to the Red Cross. Uguisu is also donating 80% of all sales to the Red Cross Japan.

i do.

2011-03-10T21:50:00.000+13:00

Last weekend we attended our friends wedding at Piha. The ceremony was on the beach and then just when it began to rain we escaped under the marquee for food, music & dancing. Below my lovely new vintage sandals from the cute The Bread & Butter Letter. Although truth be told I was walking around in bare feet most of the day. My cheeks were kinda sore afterwards from all the smiles. What a beautiful day.

par avion.

2011-03-08T21:54:00.009+13:00

I have a new kit for sale, inspired by all things airmail and other miscellaneous paper things and labels. Just a bunch of cute stuff really, including airmail twine!

It will be on sale Thursday in my Felt shop. I will be donating $10 from every kit to the NZ Red Cross Christchurch Appeal in wake of the February 22 earthquake. Each kit will also come with a used vintage Red Cross postage stamp as a little 'thank you' to donating to such a worthy cause.

We <3 you Christchurch! Wishing you hope and happier days ahead.

30.

2011-02-06T09:57:00.001+13:00

There's been lots of birthday celebrating (and teasing) this past week as the husby turned the big 30. I'm not a big cake baker partly due inheriting a useless oven so I had to run down to my Mums to make this. Kind of made me laugh as I sandwiched the two cakes together as it sort of resembled a giant macaron. I topped it off with some washi tape bunting in boy friendly colours with black & white bakers twine.

neëst.

2011-01-23T00:10:00.000+13:00

Neëst is a cute french online store with pretty homewares. They also have a wee blog with beautiful pictures of day-to-day stuff, gorgeous home AND! Pompon, their adorable cat! I mean seriously, look at this one. Cuuutest thing ever, non?

Images: The Stir

hello 2011.

2011-01-05T22:06:00.000+13:00

Hello and a happy new year to everyone! How is 2011 treating you so far? I am in the last week of my holidays so trying to make the best of it. You know what it's like, frantically cramming all your summer holiday projects into 2 or 3 days because you left it so long. Also slowly retraining yourself to wake up earlier each day. Groan :)

It's new year resolution time! I thought I'd keep my 2011 list simple. I'll probably fail at each but God loves a trier.

Eat better. Less cheeseburgers. I may have already failed at this one, but I can't remember so it doesn't count.

Exercise more. I am returning to the gym! I haven't officially signed on... but I will. Might need some nagging on this one.

Get into the garden. I grow herbs in our kitchen window and lettuce in pots. There are a few weedy spots though that I need to suss out. This year I will take command of my garden!

Spend more time with people I love & appreciate them more. Visit my friends. Play with my nieces and nephew(s). Totally cliche but life is short. And my loved ones are the closest thing to my heart.

There are some other exciting happenings on the horizon but I'll keep them a surprise for later :)

Image: Jellicoe Park Christmas tree, Onehunga.

plus one.

2010-12-29T20:35:00.003+13:00

My birthday came and went earlier this month. A year older, I'm on the verge of the big three-zero, eeek! Will be purposely keeping birthdays hush hush from now. Ha! I'm sure it isn't as devastating as it sounds (apologies to any wonderful thirty year old readers.) I'm kinda succeeding at keeping the wrinkles at bay so I don't I'm doing too badly. No one would believe it. Right?? :)

Anyway on the day itself I worked, something I haven't done for the last 4 or 5 years. But the 8 hours suffered during the day was quickly redeemed with a hilarious night at Tanuki's Cave, which more than made up for it.

A pic from the night (love this sign at the entrance of Aotea Square) and just a few of the beautiful pressies I received. The Karen Walker Wooden Acorn & Leaf pendant was a beautiful replacement for all the other necklaces I lost in our recent burglary. Adore the wooden acorn!

samoa.

2010-12-01T19:49:00.000+13:00

As promised, here are some snaps from my recent trip to Samoa. The five days there flew by; our time was spent eating fresh mango and pineapple for breakfast, shopping at the markets, swimming in beautiful tropical waters, sipping from fresh coconuts, relaxing body scrubs and massages and bumpy tour rides. It also included food poisoning but I'm well recovered and food is my friend again! Where to next?

christmas gift tags.

2010-11-14T09:16:00.001+13:00

For me, wrapping a gift is as enjoyable as picking out the perfect something. Even if it's just brown paper and string. I have new Christmas Gift Tags in my Felt shop, to help pretty up your packages! 

espadrilles.

2010-10-25T12:05:00.001+13:00

When it comes to shoes I'm pretty much a casual kind of gal. I wear ballet flats or mid-heels to the office and Keds on the weekend. I don't think I have amassed nearly as many shoes as some women have my age. Probably because I am uber selective/fussy and find most are too overpriced for what they are, especially here in NZ. So anyway, I've been a little bit obsessed with espadrilles lately. As a wedge or a flat I think they are cute, practical and still girly. Fitting for the imminent Summer. 

Clockwise 1. 2. 3. 4. 

melbourne, part two.

2010-10-19T20:59:00.000+13:00

Here's some more Melbourne for you! The mobile phone edition.

Sunrise Auckland. Early morning flight.


My first macaron. The cupcake, not so nice.

Trams.

Graffiti covered laneways.

The best cupcakes in my so far discovered world.

My IKEA purchases. And pencil (or two).

IKEA wrapping table. Tempted to wrap EVERYTHING.

A view from the Eureka Skydeck.

In a few weeks time I'll be flying to Samoa! Looking forward to warm sand, bumpy bus rides and sipping from fresh coconuts. I'll be sure to share pictures from my first island escape.

melbourne.

2010-09-23T22:42:00.009+12:00

Earlier this month we popped over to Melbourne for quick getaway. It's been on our hit list for quite some time now so it was very exciting to spend a weekend there exploring the city.

We stayed in a hotel in Southbank which turned out to be a handy spot. We pretty much walked everywhere, except for a train ride to Prahran. Oh, and half a taxi ride to IKEA (it was a bit further than we thought). Next time we'll research the trams.

A few things we did ...
+ Had a delicious and well priced Eggs Bene from The Quarter on Degraves Street.
+ Got lost in The Chapel Street Bazaar in Prahran. That place is nuts! My goodness.
+ Devoured cupcakes from Little Cupcakes. I tried the Carrot Cake and Passionfruit. Possibly the best cupcakes I have ever eaten. DIVINE!
+ Visited ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)
+ Admired all the street art and graffiti
+ Wandered around IKEA. Picked up some grey Bertil Chair pads, Molger storage boxes and Flata storage rack for our bills and letters
+ Breakfast with friends at the very hip Journal in Flinders Lane
+ Picked up a writing set from paper heaven Il Papiro.

The low point of our holiday was returning to a burgled home. If you have been a victim of a break in you'll know the feeling. Still, trying to stay positive and not let it ruin such a great time away.

Have a lovely weekend!

delicious.

2010-08-22T21:46:00.001+12:00

like most people I adore food. whilst googling for yum cha restaurants i stumbled across baking = love , a cute & relatively new little Auckland foodie blog. i am definitely going to attempt the eggs bene & dumplings recipes. mm mm mm!

makes me feel like.

2010-08-08T21:10:00.001+12:00

Hope you all had a restful weekend. It was perfect rainy stay at home weather in Auckland. The lawn is all mushy and I didn't get any laundry dry.

I've been listening to this new album on my headphones. I've liked this band for awhile now. Something about their music resonates with my soul.

Goodnight.

Image: here.

so sew.

2010-08-01T15:22:00.001+12:00

Sew I'm (heh, see that?) a newbie at sewing. I see a lot of cute zipper purses & pencil cases at craft markets and on blogs and thought I'd try my hand at making one. Here is my first proper attempt. I'm not gonna lie, this took me nearly a whole afternoon. I had trouble figuring out what to sew where and which side was what. Stitches were ripped out and redone on more than one occasion. But I got there in the end and it doesn't look half bad. The lining is slightly bulky inside, probably because I was too lazy to measure properly. But it's passable. I even put some buttons on it before sewing up the lining which cleverly hid the stitching. Ha! Chuffed.

To you experienced ladies (or gentlemen), does it ever get easier? Will I get better at sewing in a straight line?

Thanks to twelve 22 for the tutorial, found here.

the envelope project.

2010-07-23T17:36:00.001+12:00

I read about The Envelope Project atleast 4 or more weeks ago on the Meet Me At Mikes blog. The idea is to send in a cute envelope filled with anything small and sweet - stickers, clippings from magazines, ribbon, paper goods etc etc. The lovely envelopes will be displayed in their shop front and at the end of the project one lucky person will win all the contents of each package. WOW! How exciting. I guess that's why they asked to keep it light, since they have to forward the whole lot on!

I only just got my A into G and posted mine off the other day. I found it hard to close my little envelope so had to double tape it shut. Let's hope it doesn't bust open in transit. And fingers crossed it gets there in time. Please be kind (and speedy!) Mr. Postman.

nearly complete...

contents.


xx

foxes.

2010-07-22T12:43:00.002+12:00

foxes, a new online shop filled with the best local art, craft and design opens this weekend! i am super excited to log on come Sunday and check out what's on offer.

check out their site here.

l-r: bam bam creative, ethel & harriet, victoria n' bird, cara c, dear colleen.

photos: foxes facebook page

knick knacks.

2010-07-18T16:33:00.002+12:00

I picked these up at the Mt Eden Antique Fair last month. Tiny packaged food stuffs and a little Native American in a frame. Love the little bottle of sesame seeds and the apple box really opens!

losing streak.

2010-06-29T21:18:00.000+12:00

I've been feeling a bit sad face these last few weeks. I'm normally very optimistic but I've been feeling a little bummed out for no good reason. So tonight I turned on my electric blanket, put on my Mickey Mouse jumper and reassured myself that I wouldn't be swallowed up by a whale.

Images: Things We Forget

drexels.

2010-06-28T20:31:00.001+12:00

Drexel's is an American style breakfast restaurant in Christchurch. It is always must visit for our stomachs when we are in town! You are seated in tall, black leather booths, very American diner style. All meals are served with toast, whipped butter and jam, which is a delight in itself. The handmade hash browns are my absolute favourite, which they make daily from scratch. The service is also very pleasant. Just remember to book ahead as it's insanely popular on the weekends.

robin's egg.

2010-06-10T21:46:00.000+12:00

yep, torturing myself again on the Urban Outfitters website. here we have the jet set storage bench in robin's egg tweed. i'd buy it purely for the colour name (robin's egg, cute!)imagine it in velvet... i'll take one please!

winter sale.

2010-06-08T21:15:00.000+12:00

i'm having a little winter clearance sale of my pretend postcards! i'll be listing them here and there during the next week so come along and visit my etsy store. each is one of a kind and handmade. the link is other there, down a bit, to the right!

lucky.

2010-06-08T21:08:00.002+12:00

i have been fortunate lately to win these lovely creations from fellow crafty friends. thanks to jess (bam bam creative) & bronwyn (r.w. scissors) for my "little birdie told me" brooch & hair badge. they are prettying up my notice board for the time being.

rainy long weekend.

2010-06-06T18:28:00.005+12:00

It has been a pretty miserable day weather wise. This morning I attempted to tidy up my work space. Here are a few snaps of my desk & the view from my window.

kraftbomb time.

2010-05-29T20:18:00.005+12:00

If you are in Auckland tomorrow, be sure to swing by Kraftbomb.

I will be there with some of my paper goodies. Be nice to see you there! Hope you all are having a lovely weekend and aren't getting too rained on.

mega doily.

2010-05-21T21:37:00.006+12:00

I bet your nanna didn't have a doily as big as this one. Pretty cool huh?

For a cool $600 USD this rug could be sitting pretty in your living room. From Ladies & Gentlemen, their etsy shop here.

oh, snap!

2010-05-16T16:54:00.000+12:00

I bought these adorable SNAP playing cards online.   

No idea what I am going to do with them.  Maybe put them into a kit?

Charming don't ya think?

crafty kiwis.

2010-05-14T18:53:00.001+12:00

wowee, my typewriter print along with other fellow crafty folk made it onto the Frankie blog! The pic was plucked from the Auckland Craft Collective homepage so a big thanks to Jess & Kylie for including me. You can read the Frankie post here. Also be sure to check out the Auckland Art & Craft Fair site and sign up for the inaugural event happening July 24th, 2010 at the Auckland Art Gallery. A second round of applications has just come on offer so don't miss out! It's going to be HUGE!

Image: Auckland Art & Craft Fair Facebook Page.

kraft paper couture.

2010-05-13T21:26:00.005+12:00

I'm not a super make-up girl but I do appreciate a clever ad campaign. M.A.C Cosmetics recently launched their Prêt-à-Papier range; nudes & beiges inspired by kraft paper. Hello! love the stuff. Paper bows & buttons. Paper perfection! I really do wish the products came in the paper-like packaging though...

Images: Google

my Hipsta life.

2010-04-28T21:02:00.002+12:00

Click to view without your glasses

This is inspired by Linzi's cute Hunter Valley post. I jumped on the bandwagon and downloaded the Hipstamatic app. straight away.

Instant Lomo-like satisfaction! Sorta like using my Holga, except the poor film isn't waiting for weeks to be developed. Oh dear.

happy anzac day.

2010-04-25T19:59:00.000+12:00

May we not forget the brave Knights of Gallipoli and the sacrifice of those who die serving our country.

Image: Flickr

buy handmade.

2010-04-25T10:04:00.002+12:00

Morning! Just letting you know I opened a felt shop the other day. You can find it here.

inspiration kit :: garden party

2010-04-17T16:44:00.009+12:00

You may have visited Random Kits & Pieces before. My sister is the brains behind this operation and to be completely honest I don't really lift a finger.

So I thought I'd try my hand at compiling some of my own kits (little sister copies big sister) with items I've collected from various places here and there. These kits are hand assembled by myself, with only the use of my unpredictable typewriter and trusty sewing machine. Oh, and computer to blog about this of course.

Garden party. A mix of vintage book pages, paper, stickers, postage stamps, buttons and more.

Here is a quick example of what you might whip up with the contents of your kit, or you could use the items for other projects you might be working on.

A simple notecard.

For sale somewhere online very soon!

the garden city.

2010-04-07T21:40:00.000+12:00

more photos from christchurch...

1. Dining at The Fish & Chip Shop
2. Twizel
3. View from The Fish & Chip Shop
4. Alpine flowers at Lake Tekapo
5. Mackenzie Country
6. Lake Tekapo, from inside The Church of the Good Shepherd

happy easter.

2010-04-04T11:53:00.004+12:00

Whether easter to you means chocolate eggs, long sleep-ins or celebrating the death & resurrection of christ; I hope you are having a happy easter.

Image: weheartit.com

smallest zine in the world

2010-04-02T03:36:00.005+13:00

I'm not normally up at 3am but I somehow found myself out of bed and on the internets. I was cruising the Felt website (as I am inclined to shop at any hour) and this made me chuckle. In a good way of course.

"...since the zine is so small I need to make a little bit of packaging for it, otherwise it is far too easily lost. I lost this one several times while trying to stitch the binding!"

Love it! Makes me want to make my own zine... but maybe one not so little.

Smallest Zine in the world by Skulluxus, found here on Felt.

typewriter necklace

2010-03-31T22:18:00.002+13:00

It's no secret that I love typewriters. How charming is this little necklace?

Available here in ReneeLoughlin's etsy store.

furniture lust.

2010-03-28T22:41:00.009+13:00

I am busily torturing myself by perusing the Urban Outfitters website. It's bad enough we don't have IKEA in New Zealand. How's a girl supposed to furnish her pad on a modest budget? Especially when everyone outbids her on Trademe (damn you other fellow lovers of mid-century design).

Here are a few of my Apartment section faves from UO. I dare not browse the Women's clothing pages. My heart cannot take anymore.

sharing is caring.

2010-03-28T15:30:00.003+13:00

I very much enjoy taking a trip to the bakery on the weekend to pick up a little sweet or savoury something.

Sometimes I like to surprise myself and pick something out of the usual. I had a french tuna bun the other weekend. It was a little round bun with tuna and mayonnaise inside it, sorta closed at the top like it had been baked in. My companion gave me odd stares but when I bit into it I was amazed at how delicious it was! Sorry no pics, but take my word, it was deeeelicious.

We went to the bakery this morning and there was only one fresh cream roll left. So we had to half it. It actually tasted nicer that way.

See.

2010-03-21T18:17:00.002+13:00

On Thursday I had iLASIK surgery so I am still adjusting to my new eyes. Everything appears a little cloudy or misty at the moment but I hear this is normal and it may take days if not weeks for everything to settle into place. But WOW, I can see! I find myself constantly touching my face to re-adjust my glasses or before bed attempt to remove my contacts. Silly me! It is rather strange that I'll have to shake these habits. The whole procedure was painless and over in a jiffy and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone considering it.

Image: Gemma Correll

Beautiful Break

2010-03-16T21:38:00.005+13:00

We just returned from a 4-day break in beautiful Christchurch. I picked up a few things over the course of our trip. And I really do mean A FEW. I had planned a weekend of crazy-mad shopping but it didn't really eventuate due to lack of time and largely due to my general fussiness (is that even a word?)

I found a perfectly yellowed copy of "The Swiss Family Robinson"

Only .99c from SaveMart.

A floral cotton duvet cover in as new condition.

$2 from a huge Recycled Clothing Warehouse in Ferrymead, which I have visited once before. I'm pretty sure every item there is only $2.

Cute badges from DUSK. The lovely lady that served me told me who the creator was but I have since forgotten. Would be interested to know if anyone out there recognises these. The little store is adorable and the vintage wood cash register was too cute for words!

Thanks to Freedom Creative for recommending the visit!

Tweet, Tweet

2010-02-28T22:32:00.004+13:00

Just a few pics I have "tweeted" in the last few days. I have a few stock piled up so I mustn't forget to share them with you blog readers. And if we aren't already Twitter friends please join me here.

Left: Some thrifty finds. The Marvellous Matches by Friedrich Feld 1951 and Vintage Hankerchiefs, only .10c each. What's .10c these days?!

Right: Quick lunchtime picnic with my Mum. Sante biscuits I made packaged in kraft window bags. Available to purchase here.

Art & Cupcakes

2010-02-28T20:36:00.001+13:00

Earlier in the month I attended the Tigerbuttah opening night at the High Seas.

The art was amazing! If you haven't already visited the site of the extremely talented Becky & Frank you can find it here. Can't wait to see the Tigerbuttah book!

I also had my first red velvet cupcake. I had heard about these before and this mini-version lived up to the hype. So good! Loved the light blue frosting too. I sometimes find that cupcakes look too pretty (or sweet) to eat, as crazy as that sounds but this little portion was just perfect.

Typewriter Gocco Print for sale!

2010-02-16T16:10:00.001+13:00

I have finally listed my Typewriter Gocco print. Check it out in my etsy store, here!

Everyone having a good week? I have just returned from the dentist. Ouch teeth. Ouch bank account.

be my valentine...

2010-02-13T23:24:00.004+13:00

Food treats are a completely acceptable gift of love in our household. They don't break the bank but they fill up our tums. Perfect, no?

So I have baked him chocolate brownies and I will get breakfast in bed.

Happy Valentines lovers.

Pic from weheartit.com

Auckland Craft Collective

2010-02-13T19:21:00.002+13:00

The Auckland Craft Collective website went live last month. I've been following the progress on Twitter and it's so very exciting to see everything finally taking shape!

Starting in March the lovely ladies (Jess & Kylie) are organizing monthly meetings designed to help grow and nurture your crafting business. There will be guest speakers with lots of expert advice so definitely worth signing up for!

The first evening is on the 18th of March 2010 at the Ponsonby Community Centre, Auckland, 7.30-9.30pm. 

Check out the Auckland Craft Collective website for more info. I think they've done a rad job on the website, don't you?

Peachy Keen

2010-02-08T19:41:00.001+13:00

I signed up to do a fresh flower arranging evening course at our local college. I love fresh flowers but am clueless at how to arrange them properly. Aren't these so pretty and inspiring? I love peach and blush tones.

Flowers by Joy Thigpen

via Design*Sponge

O-CHECK DESIGN

2010-02-01T16:32:00.003+13:00

I was browsing through Mag Nation in Sylvia Park the other day when I came across some beautiful stationery by O-CHECK DESIGN GRAPHICS.

I love the simple nature of their product shots and how generous they are with the number of each. They have an online shop which is mainly in Korean but there are plenty of pretty pictures to keep you satisfied. 

The rabbit sticker sheets remind me of some printed envelopes I had as a child and I am in much need of that kraft note pad!

Pretty Paper

2010-01-31T18:43:00.008+13:00

// uppercasemagazine //

If you love vintage luggage tags, carnival tickets, library cards, obsessively amass pretty swing tags or are just paper mad in general, this is little photo is just for you.

freedom creative giveaway

2010-01-08T22:10:00.008+13:00

I was very fortunate to win a sweet giveaway by Freedom Creative just before Christmas.

The beautiful handmade goodies included a Japanese Inspired Scrabble Tile Necklace, a Wooden Brooch and three Japanese Fabric Hair Ties, valued at over $40.

Visit Freedom Creative's Felt store here, Facebook Fan page here and blog here.

Thanks again Emma!

My prize pack, top right

All pictures from Freedom Creative

iceream!

2010-01-06T23:03:00.005+13:00

Still on holiday and consuming way too much icecream at Ollie's.
Life is pretty much fantastic.

new year.

2010-01-03T21:03:00.004+13:00

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a beautiful Christmas and enjoyed (or are still enjoying) some well deserved rest & relaxation.

If you are obsessed with sweet packaging like I am you should head over here as my sister just updated the shop.

And sssh don't tell but I plan to steal her scallop punch one day.

holiday greetings.

2009-12-25T17:50:00.005+13:00

Merry Christmas!

Beautiful Christmas Ornaments from victoria n' bird

...to all my blog readers, how many or how few of you there might be, I really love and appreciate all your comments. Hope you all have a fun and safe holiday season and enjoy spending time with those dearest to you.

Bee xo

gocco party.

2009-12-16T21:48:00.006+13:00

We were very lucky to be invited by our good friend Richard AKA Podgypanda for a little Gocco Party in his new studio space. I'd never seen a Gocco in action before so I was extremely interested. I whipped up some cupcakes that morning and quickly drew my print...

Food treats consisted of fresh out of the oven choc chip cookies, cocktail sausages, fairy bread, cupcakes, crackers & dip. Mmm.

Becky & Frank's print (left) very cute in a forest green, the Gocco (right)

My print - my new typewriter, drawn on a tablet in Photoshop

We tried gold for the little heart but it didn't come out that good.
But I still think it looks ok, do you?

getting older.

2009-12-13T09:40:00.008+13:00

It was my birthday last Thursday! Yes one year older. Actually, once you embrace the fact that growing old is inevitable birthdays can be quite enjoyable. Minus the whole getting wrinkly and saggy part.

A super sneaky surprise gift. A beautifully framed painting of Pinwheel by Becky of Tiny Kitten Teeth. Adorable!

A gift I chose for myself...

It was a toss up between this and a Karen Walker dress. I've been wanting a sewing machine for yonks so this won. Plus I can't justify spending nearly a weeks pay on one dress, as pretty as it may be! Who knows, I might be able to sew myself a fancy frock one day? I am free to dream.
Ps. Sewing Machine World in Onehunga is the place to go!

And we ended the day with a delicious dinner at my favourite, Tanuki's Cave.

mt eden antiques fair.

2009-12-11T16:28:00.010+13:00

I went along to the Mt Eden Antiques Fair last Sunday, the sort of thing that's right up my alley! I am more than happy to pay $3 to fossick through treasures of all kinds - antique toys, linen, books, china, ornaments and jewellery to name a few.

I was pretty chuffed to pick up this old manual Brother typewriter for $20. I saw a very similar one in the window display of Iko Iko on K'Rd which I so lovingly longed for. It's in top condition and only needed a ribbon change. This takes my total collection of typewriters to 3 (I have an electronic Brother and old Consul), although one may get the boot very soon as storage at our house is at a minimum.

Great for sending in requests to the North Pole

Previous owners assignment on dinosaurs found tucked in the case pocket. Ha!

And these pretty cats, the set $2!

kraftbomb november.

2009-12-05T16:33:00.003+13:00

Kraftbomb was crazy busy last weekend. So good to see such a fantastic turnout and lots of people buying handmade.

Picked up some goods from Podgypanda, Sprout (my stall neighbour), R.W. Scissors, Luxford St and Bunny Party. All but one are presents so no show I'm afraid! I also picked up a copy of Extra Curricular magazine which I will look through again this afternoon. Love the card stock and rounded corners. Can't wait to devour it!

Pic from the Extra Curricular blog

And I just had to post this darling Christmas card by Fred. Isn't it the coolest?

Thanks to Karla & City for another wonderful Kraftbomb and to all the visitors who stopped by my table.

Be sure to pop along again on the 20th for another dose. Your last chance before Christmas!

Have Yourself A Handmade Christmas.

2009-11-27T16:50:00.003+13:00

I have a stall at Kraftbomb this Sunday the 29th November 2009. There will be an assorted of talented crafters so hope that you'll be able to drop by and pick up some handmade presents for Christmas. I plan to buy handmade this year and I have been real successful in my shopping so far, picking up things from various markets and even the Trade Aid store.

Here's a sampling of what I'll have on the day.

+ Button cards. I have lots of buttons and am not much of a sewer so thought I'd sell them for others to enjoy. Bows, owls, flowers... something for everyone.

+ Pretend postcards. These debuted many moons ago at the last Kraftbomb I attended. I say "pretend" because the postage stamps on them are already used, but they come with a cream coloured envelope to pop them in. I have slowly amassed a collection of vintage stamps from around the world and I have put some of the prettiest on these cards.

+ Hanging Owlies, a Purrsie staple. Hand stitched with love, great for the Christmas tree or any where you want to hang a little cute. This is the last of the bunch as I have run out of their large vintage button eyes. These little lovers will be there with some of their mates and then you might see them no more!

See you Sunday! x

Early Surprises

2009-11-23T19:37:00.009+13:00

I have been opening quite a few Christmas presents lately, but not because I have been busting to, but because the person giving them could not keep them a secret!

I received two books from my Amazon wishlist, Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design and The Boss of You: Everything A Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business.

But my favourite by far, "Stormfront" a 5 colour screen print by my all time favourite cool dude Jim Houser. I blogged about him a while back. And print number 12/100! Woo! Fresh from the framers it is now sitting pretty in the lounge.

Craft Market Mad

2009-11-15T18:07:00.006+13:00

Craft markets have been popping up all over Auckland and I just can't keep up.

Marc and I went along to the very first Love Handmade market this weekend at the Rose Centre, Belmont. We saw our good (and very sleepy) friend Richard of Podgypanda and it was so nice to finally meet Jess of BamBamCreative and Kylie of Skipapple and see their crafts in person. I purchased up some lovely items from both but can't share as they are potential Christmas presents.

I also picked up some neat hand cut stickers from Ferrit for $1 each. I adore kraft paper and bows so this was a win win for me.

The next Love Handmade market is on the 12th of December.

And if you are on Twitter, lets be friends.

it's kraftbomb time again kids!

2009-10-21T21:58:00.003+13:00

Yep, it comes around fast huh? I will try my best to get there and check it out. You should too!

Oh and it also happens to be on Armageddon weekend. But I reckon Kraftbomb is soo much better ;-) Heh.

ActionMan Adam: Hot off The Press!

2009-10-16T18:31:00.007+13:00

If you are into comics and cartooning you might like to head along to Comics on K this weekend, 12 Beresford Square, Karangahape Rd, Auckland.

My lovely hubby will be there with his hot off the press ActionMan Adam book as well as other NZ artists and guest speakers.

He will also be at the Armageddon Expo, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane on October 24-26th (Labour weekend). Our friend Podgypanda will also be there so pop by their table and say hi to the boys!

ActionMan Adam books are $9, pick one up from either event or through the website!

happy weekend!

2009-10-10T19:00:00.005+13:00

What are you up to this weekend? I suspect that summer may be skipping Auckland this year as it is flippin' cold! Where for art thou sunshine?

I:
+ Am currently trying to keep warm. Slippers and borrowing boy hoodies help.
+ Have this album on my headphones
+ Am thinking of chicken burritos for dinner
+ Am feeling thankful for life & loved ones

Enjoy your weekend x

lovely package exchange: update!

2009-10-08T21:24:00.008+13:00

My lovely package exchange partner Katie received her parcel a wee while ago. Thought I would post a few pics of the goodies I sent her. These small packages were sent within a larger brown box that I packaged in red candy stripe wrapping paper, then covered again in brown packaging wrap and string.

- - handmade cards - -

- - Tim Tams - -

- - NZ Fashion Quarterly Mag - -

I really enjoyed taking part. I'll keep you posted if I get word of another exchange. Hey, maybe we should do a little NZ package swap? What do you think?

500 days of summer

2009-09-30T19:37:00.004+13:00

Yipee! This comes out in NZ on the 1st October 2009. That's tomorrow!
I have watched the trailer like a zillion times. Come on, who can resist Zooey? I want to be her best friend. And I must say that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is looking rather cute these days too...

If you see it, pop a review in the comments! x

Here's the youtube link to the trailer

Ch-check it out!

2009-09-16T17:09:00.003+12:00

Just added a few new items to my etsy shop.

lovely package exchange

2009-09-11T21:06:00.010+12:00

I recently took part in the lovely package exchange hosted by oh, hello friend.

I was paired up with a lovely girl named Katie from Washington State, who I must say has been very patient. With all that has been going on lately I only just managed to get her lovely package away earlier this week. It's on its way Katie!

Well, the other day I returned from work and found this little candy striped box sitting in my letterbox. How exciting! Looks like MAF got excited too and inspected it before me.

Luckily I remembered to document the unwrapping as we are to post pics of our lovely packages on a flickr page dedicated to the exchange.

Here are just some of the items I received in my lovely package. Thanks so much Katie! I adore every single item.

moving places, new spaces

2009-09-01T19:34:00.008+12:00

We purchased our first home less than a month ago and we just completed the mighty move. Living out of boxes for the last couple of days has been a right nuisance and I wish everything could just magically find its correct place! Oh dear, all in good time I suppose.

An exciting part of owning your own space is that you get to do it up however your heart desires. Our new place is in need of a serious makeover so I have been working on designing our new bathroom. I decided on a light oak woodgrain vanity because well, I am nuts on woodgrain! A quick flip through the Ikea site confirmed my decision. My bathroom won't be as fancy pants as these but I can certainly try, right?

all screen grabs from ikea.com

misery + james jean

2009-08-16T16:43:00.004+12:00

A few pics from NZ artist Misery's "The Heart of Misery" show & the James Jean book launch we attended last Thursday night. We picked up a copy of Kindling and had it signed by James himself.

"The Heart of Misery" is at Plaything gallery, 21 Dacre St, Eden Terrace, Auckland until the 29th August.

night time baking

2009-08-03T21:30:00.004+12:00

Can you believe before tonight I had never made chocolate brownies in my life? Crazy I know!

I made my first batch thanks to Sarah over at bobbyrobin. Her post on dairy-free brownies was just the chocolately goodness I needed. I raided my kitchen cupboards and found the recipe on the back of a tin of cocoa, not dairy-free but delicious nonetheless. It turned out I didn't have enough cocoa so I halved the recipe and made a batch of 8 muffin tin sized brownies which came out just perfect! Chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. This is definately one to put in the recipe book.

little me aprons

2009-07-28T20:56:00.002+12:00

When I found these cotton aprons tucked away at my Mums I just had to steal them. I love the darling prints and how the fabric is feathery thin from being well worn.

Hard to believe I wore these around twenty-seven years ago!

little bee doll

2009-07-04T13:23:00.008+12:00

My very first felt purchase arrived in the post today. A custom "Little Bee" doll by poppetto! I am stoked. I chose the fabrics and hair colour (which had to be brown of course!)

The wee doll is very cute. I was going to give it as a gift to a little someone but I like it so much I might have to keep it for myself! Hee hee.

Free little birdie brooch. Love it.
Thanks poppetto!

hiding inside

2009-06-28T14:38:00.006+12:00

It is a cold, miserable and rainy Sunday. The day started off with Michael Jackson music videos on youtube and a quick trip to the mall. Now I have no desire to venture back outside. I feel like rolling myself up in some cuddly blankets and having a wee nap! The result of too many sausage rolls and cups of tea I think.

Normally grey days aren't the best for photo taking, but here are a few from around my house. Hop over here to create your own. Hope you are keeping warm and healthy x

postage stamp crazy

2009-06-20T12:45:00.017+12:00

My latest obsession is postage stamps (nerd!) and in particular the bird variety. It all started a year or so ago when I designed and made our wedding stationery, which had sort of a bird theme (I must have a picture somewhere so will dig it out if you wanna see). I used the old NZ 1991 45c Rock Wren and 5c Spotless Crake on the RSVP envelopes and couldn't get enough of them. I was obsessed with bird stamps! Recently I started using them on some postcards I have been making.

Now I have been on the hunt for these Haiti bird stamps ever since I received one in a mixed lot of used stamps I bought so imagine my joy when I found this wee collection of 56 on eBay. What a find! I had no idea they would be in mint condition too so now I am hesitant to use them. They are sooo pretty!

These came all the way from India and cost me 175 Rupees which is around $6 NZ. Bargain!

vintage childrens' illustration art blocks

2009-06-14T14:01:00.017+12:00

Are you all having a nice weekend? The sun is peering out through the rainclouds and streaming in through my living room blinds, so I am enjoying it while it lasts! Yesterday I made this for my little niece who turns one in August.
I purchased the art block below by Cheek Pinchy* about a year ago at Craftwerk Auckland and was instantly inspired to make my own. I am totally in love with illustrations by Richard Scarry so I started tearing up a 1970's copy of his Best Story Book Ever that I picked up for $3. I normally would treasure a find like this but it was already falling apart and had come loose at the spine!

artwork by Cheek Pinchy

It is really fun and such a cute, fast way to make art. All you need are some old childrens books, an X-acto knife (best ever for fine cutting!), cutting mat, stretched canvas blocks (I used a small 4"x4" black canvas by Das from Geoffs Emporium. They aren't the best quality so I'll probably look elsewhere next time) and glue (I used Mod Podge Gloss Lustre to stick the cut-outs down and as a seal all over the canvas).

putting it all together...

the finished product

Might get started on another one for a certain other little cutie named Jorja ...

*Couldn't find a website or blog for Cheek Pinchy but you can find Kirsten's work on toggle

* Updated Note: I know artists & craftsters are sensitive about their creations and I do not want people to think I am stealing an idea. Just wanted to make it clear that I was merely inspired by my lovely purchase and that by no means do I intend to produce and sell these! Thanks *

postcard giveaway - winner

2009-06-08T21:02:00.003+12:00

Lianne it is your lucky day! Email me so I can snail mail you your postcards.
Thanks to everyone who entered! x

printing by hand

2009-06-06T12:30:00.009+12:00

Look what the mailman brought me today. Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin! I have been waiting ever so patiently for this book to arrive. For a long time now I have been fascinated by all the hand printed cards, stationery, cushions, fabrics and totes (to name a few) seen on etsy and at craft fairs. It is something I have always admired but have never really given a go. I even tried to win myself a Gocco on Trade Me once, but my humble bid got trampled in a wild last minute bidding frenzy. And I couldn't justify spending so much money on a new one. So I am hoping this little book will teach me a thing or two about printing DIY style, with handmade rubber stamps and stencils. And I may even try to whip up a few designs for a silk screen. We'll see.

Here are a few pics from the lovely book...

I purchased my copy through GoodBooks.

Hope you are having a happy weekend!

Ps. Don't forget about my postcard giveaway! You still have a few days to enter. And don't forget to leave your email address incase you are the lucky winner!

giveaway!

2009-05-31T16:26:00.009+12:00

As promised, I am giving away a few paper goodies! Never done this before so here goes nothing...

These are some blank postcard sheets. All you need is a postage stamp, a pen and some imagination. I have 5 sheets of white and 5 sheets of lime to giveaway to one lucky blog reader.

Simply leave a comment with an answer to this question.

Which do you prefer: snail mail or e-mail?

Stay tuned as I will be listing some of my own postcards on etsy very soon!

Will draw one lucky reader this time next week xx

back from the dead

2009-05-28T20:25:00.003+12:00

Long time no blog! Would love to give an insanely great reason as to why I have been absent to make you all jealous but the truth is there is none! Boring huh?

Will blog again this long weekend! Plus, some paper goodies to giveaway from the overflowing RK&P cupboards. Stay tuned!

Ps. I am now on twitter! If you are too, lets be friends. You can find me here.

bowowchikabowowchikabowow

2009-05-13T12:25:00.004+12:00

You have probably seen this before, but I couldn't resist. Too cute!

rainy day survival items

2009-05-09T15:09:00.004+12:00

For all you Aucklanders out there, what a wacky weather day huh?
Nothing new.. nothing new... I hear you say.
Wish I had a pair of these boots...

...and umbrella. Have you ever seen a heart shaped umbrella?!

there's no place like home

2009-05-03T20:36:00.003+12:00

Home sweet home! We had a fantastic trip with lots to see and do. Hope you have had a pleasant weekend.