Month: August 2017

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August 2017 Petone Winter Market – part 3

A photographic tour

​​When you walk around a busy craft market, you don’t often get the chance to take everything in. There are so many amazing things to see that it can be a sort of sensory overload. This feeling is why I always recommend that people take one walk all the way around first, then come back for a second, more detailed look. If you only go around once, there’s so much you can miss!

Filling in the gaps

​We’re going to break up our visit into manageable chunks. This post will cover the last 13 stalls in  the hall (in yellow).
Continuing from the last post, we will finish working around the walls, then go back around the stalls in the centre of the room.

Eildon Rocks Jewellery

The first stall belongs to Sandra, owner and designer of Eildon Rocks Jewellery. ​Eildon Rocks creates and sells handmade gemstone jewellery. All pieces are unique, showcasing nature’s beauty.
“I’ve always had a love for natural gemstones, intrigued by their history and the variety of colours, texture and patterns created by nature over time. I created Eildon Rocks about 5 years ago when I realised that I could make these beautiful stones part of every day life. All my pieces are unique, as often I let the stones take on a life of their own. Quite often the pieces I make end up very different to what I had in mind. Come and see for yourself!“
We also do commissions and are always interested in creating something special to meet our customers’ needs.
You can find out more about me and my creations here:
www.facebook.com/eildonrocks

Heysmartypants

Next, we visit Helene’s stall – Heysmartypants.
​All products are designed and printed in New Zealand using vivid, archival quality inks for longevity and papers made from sustainable forests.
“I’m a graphic designer by day – graphic artist by night. I LOVE all things connected with paper, and being able to illustrate and design my own range of paper goods – is just the best!”
“New Zealand’s unique native flora and fauna has always been a great source of inspiration for my illustrations and designs. I usually work in sets of 6 or 12 designs per series, that is then made into a range of posters, cards, calendars, colouring books and flash cards. I’m always looking to add new and fresh ideas to the range.”
Want to find out more? 
www.facebook.com/heysmartypants
www.heysmartypants.co.nz
https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/heysmartypants

Fuxicos

The last stall along the walls is Naya’s Fuxicos – on the right as you enter the hall, on your left as you leave. 
“I handmake mainly Fuxicos (pron. “foo-she-kos” Brazilian word) or Yo-yo flower accessories and other felt & fabric crafts. All my products are hand-made and sewn using the best quality products in a smoke & pet free home.”

Into the centre

​We’ve completed our first circuit of the room! We will now reverse our clockwise loop, going back anti-clockwise, facing inwards towards the stalls in the centre.

​O Sew Crafty

Our first stall in the central block is O Sew Crafty with Toni and her fun, practical creations.
“I love the New Zealand fabrics and they form the basis of most of my products. I make hand towels, ‘tubes’ , bunting, tea pot cosies, needle books, stitching tidies, ‘sc’ats’ tooth fairy boxes, bookmarks etc. I’m always trying new products – some work and some don’t!“
“I did my first craft market in the UK when I was pregnant with my son who turns 30 this year. I am married to Tony and we have 2 children and 4 grandchildren whom we love spending time with. We also enjoy travelling and I like to walk most days – this is my ME time!“

jinglebugs and ​Make it

Jann, with jinglebugs and ​Make it, is the next stall. 

​Jinglebugs are felted wool goodies for children and home: needle-felted New Zealand bird ornaments; nests; hedgehog and ladybird pincushions; brooches; felt envelope and stamp play sets; felt and button hairclips.

Make it! are craft kits for cool kids: rolled candles; felted pictures and geodes; stamps; bunting.

You can find out more here:

www.facebook.com/jinglebugsnz
www.facebook.com/makeitactivities

Cotton & Clay

Michelle is next, with Cotton & Clay. 
“I have an online business selling handcrafted homewares, decor and lifestyle products sourced from small artisans in New Zealand and South Africa.”
Find me online here:
www.cottonandclay.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/CottonandClayHandcrafted/ ​

L:uminous Distinctive Indulgent Soy Candles

Next to Michelle is… Michelle! from L:uminous Distinctive Indulgent Soy Candles. 
“I make hand-poured, distinctive Indulgent Soy candles and melts.”
You can find my Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/LuminousSoyCandles/

Scarlett and Grace

The last stall on this side of the centre block belongs to Kylie with Scarlett and Grace.
“I started Scarlett&Grace just over a year ago in order to be a stay at home mum to my two girls and to also make my super skinny eldest daughter clothes that actually fit her properly. I love creating fun and funky clothes that stand out from all the other clothing in stores.”
I make funky harem pants, t-shirts, sweatshirts, dresses and underwear for kids. I’m also starting to make jogger pants for women, too.

Check out my Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/scarlettandgracenz/

Solly + Moss

The first stall on the way back around the central block is Solly + Moss. ​Emma gained her degree in Textiles back in the Cretaceous period and her children Solly and Moss don’t mind giving her time to sew as long as it’s dino-related.
Emma makes:
Hand stitched dinosaur tees/sweatshirts (baby – 6 years mainly, but orders taken for the grown ups.)
Number tees, also in te reo.
NZ map tees.
100% cotton baby bibs.
Wall decals.
​She has spent the last two years perfecting the art of hand stitching and patience, and loves seeing her work adorning little bodies out and about in Wellington.
Visit Solly + Moss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sollyandmoss/

Little Duck Gifts

Next to Emma is Vicky with Little Duck Gifts.
“​At the moment, my passion is knitting! Somehow I have acquired quite a stash of gorgeous fibres, including super snugly merino wool and even a merino/possum blend. With a little patience something special emerges! I make beautiful bootees and hats for beautiful babies, plus a few other funky fashionables!“
​You can find out more about me here:
www.facebook.com/littleduckgifts

The Clean Collective

Next is Kylee from The Clean Collective, with her ​delicious gluten- & dairy-free food.
“I lead a gluten & diary free lifestyle due to intolerances, and I know first-hand how hard it is to find suitable snacks & treats – so I decided to start making my own. About 18 months ago I decided to share my products and knowledge of gf/df foods by starting The Clean Collective.”
“I make a variety of gluten & diary free treats including bliss balls, flavoured popcorn, flavoured almonds and baked items such as chocolate brownie, banana & coconut mini loaves and granola.
I can assure you that although they are gluten & dairy free, all products are very tasty!”

Visit The Clean Collective on Facebook for more delicious ideas:
https://www.facebook.com/thecleancollective/

Take A Moment Designs

Next to Kylee is Lora and Take A Moment Designs. Lora ​designs and makes graphic prints, greeting cards, notebooks, candles and keyrings.
“I am a graphic designer who is currently at home with her little man. I had always wanted to create a small business where I designed and made great gifts and stationery, and so that’s what I did.”
​You can find out more about what I make here:
​https://www.facebook.com/Take-A-Moment-Design-889817571125335/

Made Up Shop

We finish our second circuit with Jill and Made Up Shop. ​Made in a small home studio in Wellington, the Made Up wool wrap jackets can be bought off the rack or made to your specific requirements.
“Every woman should have a beautiful piece of clothing that makes them feel good. I’m constantly told how many compliments people get for their jackets, usually when a customer comes back for a jacket in another colour.”
“In an effort to help battle the disposable fashion culture, I also make toys and ottomans from recycled jeans. The ottomans are filled with fabric scraps from my own work and other local creators.“
I make:
Wool wrap jackets
Upcycled demin toys and ottomans
Vintage style head bands
and more 🙂

Find out about me here:
https://www.facebook.com/Shopmadeup/

The Outpawed Raffle

One very lucky lady won the raffle, filled with amazing prizes donated by many of our stallholders, and other wonderful people in the community, including:

And many other donations on the day.

Thank you for visiting! 

Feel like taking a second wander around? Click on an image to visit that part of the hall.
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August 2017 Petone Winter Market – part 2

A photographic tour

​When you walk around a busy craft market, you don’t often get the chance to take everything in. There are so many amazing things to see that it can be a sort of sensory overload. This feeling is why I always recommend that people take one walk all the way around first, then come back for a second, more detailed look. If you only go around once, there’s so much you can miss!

Round the outside

We’re going to break up our visit into manageable chunks. This post will cover the first 13 stalls around the outside walls of the hall (in yellow).

Wheat Bag Buddy

​The first stall on the left as you enter the hall is Monique’s Wheat Bag Buddy.
“Six years ago, I redesigned the wheat bag into the Wheat Bag Buddy. 

I have loved wheat bags for years. We all know how great they feel! There was just this one thing about them – you would get them in just the right spot, then you would move, and you had to start again. I thought there had to be a better way. And there is!!”

“Wheat Bag Buddy is so popular that I have had children & adults argue over who is going to use it next. I have friends in homes that love it when they go to sit outside in the cold. Animals love them as well! It has given so many friends & family enjoyment. 

All Wheat Bag Buddies are double thickness to help contain the heat, and I like to use new updated theme materials.” ​​

​Shop Nikkis

Next is Shop Nikkis, with fun, geeky crochet creations.
“I do hand made crochet- not your usual blankets and booties, though. Anything from science fiction and fantasy.”

Picture

“A geek hobby was born when I made my boss a crochet dalek in an attempt to get a pay rise ! Now my creation is only limited by my imagination- and the space I have in the spare room. Dr Who, Star Wars. Pokemon. Guardians of the Galaxy and much more crochet loveliness. I can also make things to order.”
You can find me on Facebook, here:
​https://www.facebook.com/ShopNikkis/

​The Sewphist

Working our way along the lefthand wall, the third stall is The Sewphist. Elisabeth loves to play with fabric, creating original stitched accessories to brighten your day!
​”I developed a love of fabric at a young age, and I’ve never quite stopped playing with it. When we bought our house, it came with a workroom, and suddenly my hobby turned into a business.
For the first few years I obsessively acquired fabric to use in my products, but gradually realised that I needed to be using fabrics that no-one else had. So I revived my long abandoned drawing skills, and relaunched my products using my own fabric designs. These days my business is a celebration of the beautiful environment we have here in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Facebook Fan Page: facebook.com/thesewphist
Instagram: @the_sewphist
Website: thesewphist.com
Blog: http://www.thesewphist.com/blog/
Twitter ID: @thesewphist

In the Den

Next, we have Candice from ​In the Den. 
“In a nutshell, I’m a Graphic Designer by day and illustrator and printmaker every other waking hour, in Wellington.”
“I work predominately in monochrome, using bold lines and negative space to create custom illustrations that are used across mediums, including tattoo work. My style and compositions are inspired by flora and fauna and tradition print making methods.
My work includes custom Illustrations for prints, cards, colouring books, notebooks and tote bags.“​​
​To see more of my work and what I get up to, visit my Instagram profile @inthedennz or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/inthedennz/

​Button + me

Our fifth stall along the wall belongs to Jemma from ​Button + me. Button + Me is an online boutique where you can find something for yourself and something for the little ones. ​​
“I sell a range of products catered for both mums and little ones including silicone nursing/teething necklaces, bunny comforters, home decor, hand crafted wooden toy cameras, personalised birthday invitations and hand painted plates to name a few.”

Ickle tings

The last stall against the left-hand wall is Leah’s Ickle tings – baby toys made from high quality cotton – their point of difference is the crinkle in their ears! Wabbits, meece and pusscats in a wide range of fabrics including some exclusive designs. Toys without noise – superwabbits, hobby horses, hobby unicorns and stick-o-saurus; Tooth fairy bags and receipts designed by a local illustrator; Kickmats/car seat protectors to save seats from muddy feet – all oilcloth; Bookbags in durable oilcloth.
“As a mum of 2, I left the full-time world and pursued my passion to make things. As my kids have grown, my product range has evolved. I handmake cotton toys for babies and beyond; I’ve introduced hobby horses (and unicorns and dinosaurs), tooth fairy bags and super heroes. I’ve also developed a ‘spin off’ product line with tinga-me-bobs. I make kickmats (car seat protectors) and book bags from sturdy oilcloth. I frequent various markets over the year and I supply a couple of retailers.”
Check out my website and find out more about me and my products, below:
​www.ickletings.co.nz

The Kokedama Hutt

The first stall against the far wall, below the stage, is The Kokedama Hutt with Denise.
“I started making kokedamas as a hobby about 18 months ago. From there it became bigger with friends etc wanting to purchase the kokedamas so I started making more and trying a wide variety of plants. I now sell the kokedamas at several markets throughout the year.”
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, below:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Kokedama-Hutt-459037810964639/
https://www.instagram.com/the.kokedama.hutt/

​Libbydid

“I love to play with fabric and colour. Out of that passion came hair accessories, funky badges, balloon balls (the best toy for all age groups) and beeswax foodwraps (reusable cotton fabric treated with food grade beeswax to replace your plastic wrap).“
You can find out more about me on my Facebook page, here: 
www.facebook.com/libbydid

Lynne Campbell

“Hi, I’m Lynne, and you can find me and my stall at all three Petone Winter Markets.”
“I’m a nana who likes to knit but my grand-babies are all grown up… So this gives me an excuse to keep knitting!“

Serene Naturals

Next is Serene Naturals. Serene Naturals products are lovingly hand poured in New Plymouth, New Zealand. Using 100% natural soy wax and recycled cotton wicks making any environment feel cozy and relaxed. ​
“I make 100% natural soy scented candles. My mum is now joining my small business and we would be very keen to share our product with you. We sell soy candles, oil diffusers, soy melts, tealights and bath bombs – all natural products, and they smell divine.”
Find out more about me on Facebook!
https://m.facebook.com/serenenaturals/

SilverCircus Clothing

In the corner, by the window, we have Ange from SilverCircus Clothing. ​“SilverCircus started 12 years ago with making clothes for my daughter and friends at playcentre and is now my full time job.
I design, draft patterns, screenprint and sew mainly children’s wear.”
SilverCircus clothing specialises in Natural fibres, cotton, organic cottons, merino, wools, bamboo, linen and retro and vintage fabrics.

Creating wearable, comfy, practical children’s wear in Petone, Wellington NZ
2017 range includes
merino beanies and singlets, bandana bibs, sunhats, undies, leggings, phat pants, trousers, skirts, dresses, wool Paddington coats, pea coats, wool vests, rompers, cordorouy overalls, and more…
SilverCircus collaborates with local illustrator/artists Kieran Rynhart and Ruth Carr and screenprints their work on tees and hoodies.

Stockists- the Dowse Art Museum, MatchBox Gallery Cuba St, Wellington and K’Rd Auckland, Cool Store Gallery, Mapua Nelson.

Find out more about me here:
www.facebook.com/Silvercircusclothing

​Maria’s stained glass

Maria is next, with her beautiful glass creations.
“​I make ​ferns, koru, birds and custom pieces made to order.“
Find me on Facebook – Maria’s Glass Art.

Burnt Offerings

In the last corner for this leg of our tour, doing some live burning – decorating a rolling pin – is Ngaire from Burnt Offerings.
“I create unique, practical art pieces for everyday living, by etching glass, mirror, stone and burning onto wood. Most of my items are second-hand finds that I either etch or burn to give them a new lease on life. This also means you won’t find them elsewhere – they are unique, one-off pieces.”
Visit my website for more information:
​​www.burntofferingsnz.com

Carry on the tour!

​Continue your visit by clicking one of the images below to see more of August’s stallholders.
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The Saga of the Mudskippers

In the beginning

I spend a great deal of my time on Facebook. That’s an established fact. Memes fascinate me. I like to stay up-to-date with the latest lingo, the music, the things people are into. It’s fun, and it keeps me connected. So when the fascination with mudskippers came about, I was right there in the forefront, keen as mustard. This was just one of many mudskipper photos being shared and re-shared, but it stuck in my head.
And then, of course, there was this funny clip – put the sound on, and try not to laugh. I dare you.

Mudskippers are kind of a big deal

I decided that I needed to know more about them. How big were they? What sound did they make? What kind of creature were they? What was their bone structure? And then, I decided to draw them.
I was still enjoying the shape of them, and I needed a motif for the bronze casting class that I was attending. I decided to make a model in plasticine, and see if it would work as a bronze sculpture.
It turned out to be far too ambitious, so it got shelved – there was no way I was going to be able to carve that out of wax, with my rudimentary sculpting skills! Not in a way that would satisfy my own standards…

Mudskipper soft toys, v.1

I had just got into sewing again, so I decided to try making soft toys. I made the Sneaker Shark, and it went fairly averagely, and I made several others (a jellyfish, and an octopus with cat ears). And I also had a go at making mudskippers!
The mock-ups of the triangular body design were encouraging, so I went ahead and made a couple.

Mudskipper soft toys, v.2

Fast-forward a couple of years, and I have just started selling fat quarters at the Shelly Bay market. I decide to bring my soft toys as examples of things that can be made with my fabrics. After many requests, I have a shot at making a sewing pattern for them. 
​It’s not the best, but some people manage to create some adorably derpy toys.

Colourable Mudskipper Bags

People also keep asking me to make colouring books – I promise, they’re in the works! My style of line drawing lends itself well to being coloured in, so I thought – why not combine colouring with sewing mudskippers? So I made these!

And finally, of course, Mudskipper fabric.

I took the same drawings, and the mudskipper food artwork that I used as filler for the colour-and sew bags, and I made a series of fabrics and jewellery, on their own, and combined with the stars of the Underwater Unexpected series.
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Tahitian Water Lilies

So many of my designs are inspired by photographs or comments that people make, and this one is no exception. My step-father is an amazing amateur photographer; combined with the fact that he and my mother do a great deal of travelling, this means that my feed is often filled with beautiful photographs of amazing places. These water lillies were in a small body of water outside Le Meridien hotel in Tahiti in August 2016.

The reflection of the sky in some of them, and the red wall in others, meant that I could easily see the opportunity to make a while range of colourways for the design.

Once I sat down and got into it, it didn’t take long to distill the essence of the water lilies from these photos.
After that, it was simply a matter of colouring them, and finding the right backgrounds. I made several new stripes and plaids in the process, which was useful!
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My love affair with Ligne Claire

I love MS Paint. There, I said it.

​I spend a lot of time and energy defending my preference for MS Paint to edit and colour my images. I know, I know – I could get much greater depth of colour and realism with other applications that are designed to reduce the labour and simplify the process. But the thing is, the process is part of the pleasure – and I am already a really fast worker. The MS Paint stage of my drawing is my form of meditation – I can’t distract myself enough any other way than by focusing on those pesky pixels.
​
This guy gets it!

​I suppose part of my liking for Paint is the way I get the nice, flat colours, reminiscent of gouache. And the reason that those effects appeal to me lies in my upbringing.

Bandes dessinées

I grew up in Switzerland, New Zealand, and Belgium. As a result, I speak fluent French – and I have a passion for BDs (Bandes dessinées, or ‘drawn strips’). They’re not quite the same as ‘comics’ – which by their very name imply a humourous subject matter – and they have been treated as a much more serious art form. Many of the stories contained more layers than their translations, too, so it’s very hard to explain the cleverness of, for example, Astérix, to someone who has only read it in the dumbed-down English translation.

Ligne Claire

As expected, my style was strongly influenced by the BDs that surrounded me as I grew up, particularly Hergé and his ligne claire or ‘clear line’ drawing style. My standard drawing technique is to sketch in pencil then finalise and refine the design in pen, which is a very common sketch artist’s technique. I then use flat colour to give my images life. I rarely use shading of any sort, and I strongly object to cross-hatching.

Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau

Picture

One of my draft wedding invitation ideas
Another great influence on my style is the advertising artwork of Mucha. His strong, clear linework, and effective use of colour lends itself really well to stained glass – and the bold lines and organic shapes appealed to my ‘ligne claire’-influenced brain. Art Nouveau’s simple, beautiful complexity has meant that the style is still very much current today – people are still working in their own versions of the Art Nouveau style, and its enduring popularity suggests they are likely to continue to do so. 

Functional Graphics

Picture

An artwork that I did for the Felt Aid fundraiser after the first Christchurch Earthquake

I have trouble categorising myself as an ‘artist’, because what I create isn’t truly art for its own sake. I draw because the drawing will be useful – just as Alphonse Mucha drew to make posters, and BD illustrators draw to support a storyline, I draw because my images will become something more than lines on a page. They will be made into fabric designs, and printed to be sewn into all manner of useful and decorative things; they will be made into jewellery, to gladden hearts and add quirks to any outfit; they can be printed onto clothing and accessories to make a statement or bring a smile to a stranger’s face. I draw for practical reasons, and my drawings are always intended to be used. I suppose, rather than ‘art’, I would call what I do ‘functional graphics’.

So, what is my process?

I start with a piece of blank A4 and a pencil, and I scribble the basic outline. If I like it, I go over it in detail with the pencil, then again with my black marker. I rub out the pencil lines, then scan the image in crisp black and white. 
Once the image is scanned, I take it down to monochrome bitmap, to be sure to clean out any residual mess, and then save it as a full-colour bmp file, and start colouring. Once I have the individual elements of a design finished and coloured, I combine them into a single layout. I manually create and test the repeat until I am happy with it, then paste it over a variety of backgrounds, to create additional designs in the series. These designs are then uploaded to Spoonflower and printed as fabrics. I also make variations on each design to be printed as clothing and accessories on Redbubble (depending on the design, this can required up to 5 different versions of the same illustration per design page), and to print and use for jewellery.

Once the designs are finished, I release them into the world, and they hopefully give others the pleasure that they have given me to create. You can pop over to my design collection homepage to see which of my designs are available to brighten up your home.
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Copper Catkin has labels!

With the move towards making more fabric items, we also need some fancy branding – and care labels! Luckily, Labels by Shelley was there to help!
Not only did Shelley work with me to make sure I was happy with the end result, but she also helped me to custom-print some ribbon with my Manuka print on it! I’m looking forward to finding just the right project for it!
And now it’s time to start attaching them to new fabric products!
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New Infinity Scarves

What’s an infinity scarf?

Put simply, it’s a continuous, or ‘infinite’, loop of fabric, designed to be looped around your neck twice. 

What are Copper Catkin scarves made of?

We currently offer jersey and chiffon scarves. 

What designs are available?

Every scarf features a quirky combination of two custom-printed Copper Catkin designs, carefully chosen to work together without being too matchy-matchy. Here are some examples:

Why are Copper Catkin infinity scarves so expensive?

The fabrics are custom-printed via Spoonflower in the USA, so they’re expensive to bring into the country, plus there is the cost of making them.

If you prefer, you can choose to buy the infinity scarf fill-a-yard project directly from Spoonflower and make your own combinations. They offer a selection of fabrics! You will then receive two yards of fabric with two scarf designs, ready to sew.

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New Bow Bags

A few months ago, I started making small bags and other items to show what can be done with a single fat quarter. In the process, I developed this simple little design – it fastens in the middle into an adorable little bow, and opens out into a trinket bag.
I developed the design into a larger bow purse, and arranged it so that the smaller bags can even clip onto the larger ones.
The bags can also clip onto a wrist band, which is cute. I’m experimenting with other ideas for using the bags as cute, practical ornaments.
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Rockpool Fabric Design

​I’ve always been a big fan of tentacular creatures – so much so that we used them as inspiration for our wedding table centrepiece.
I also used tentacles to add quirky, steampunky interest to my bouquet.
As with many of my designs, some of the inspiration for this design is the impending birth of a child. One of my (pregnant) friends has always been a big fan of cephalopods, so as research (and entertainment), I began following the regular posts of Octomum, a recently-delivered mother of many at the Island Bay Marine Education Centre.
I used their amazing photographs as inspiration for the range, and gradually, a design came together. 
These pieces will be part of my upcoming colouring books. I continued to use the same images to come up with a couple of fabric designs, too.
The new fabrics have just arrived – we’re pressing, cutting, and folding them this week, and look forward to having them for sale as fat quarters, infinity scarves, and fabric crafts in the near future.
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Meadow

Many of my designs are inspired by our beautiful home up here in the Western Hills, in our own micro-climate, away from the rest of the Hutt Valley. The idea for the ‘meadow’ theme came from all the lovely flora and fauna with which we are surrounded. I also keep being asked to incorporate more reds into my designs, so that drove the inclusion of the amanitae muscariae and the ladybirds. I wandered around the property for some more inspiration, and it came together really nicely.
Meadow is available in all of my product lines – click the link below to shop by this new design!