Black Swan Blog

A magazine called “Shop til you drop” you say… sounds dangerous! And that’s precisely where my wee upcycled teaspoons have been featured, in the latest August 2010 issue (pg 163). I’m a little reluctant to flip through the rest of the mag at the mo, seeing as how I’ve already been on a little crafty purchasing bender as of late. Check out my recent acquisitions…

From left to right: “I’ve got the skills…” tote bag from Dear Colleen, a gorgeous hand stitched felt monarch brooch from Undercover, limited edition merino arm warmers from Kate Watts, and a “pugs not drugs” tote bag from Gemma Correll.

Holy moly, there are some talented local crafters about at the moment! A Craft Affair was a great success, and I think it was probably a good thing I was stuck behind my stall most of the day, otherwise I suspect all the Black Swan profits would have been re-invested rather quickly!
Thanks to everyone who came along on the day. One of the things I love about about selling in your home town is getting to chat to all the lovely people you know while technically still being at work!
My highlight of the day, other than catching up with a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in ages, was explaining to two young Japanese girls what “spooning” meant when they were looking at my “wanna spoon?” teaspoons… it took a while (much to the amusement of other passers by) but we got there in the end!

This is just a small sampling of the crafty wares that were available on the day. From top left: Ceramics by The Busy Finch, Fancy brooches by In My Backyard, Pee Wee Designs’ gorgeous stall, ridiculously intricate hand-stitched boxes by Undercover, and of course one of my favourite sellers Dear Colleen with her lemon print and rosettes. More pics can be viewed over on my flickr page.
And of course, last but not least, a massive thank you is in order to the lovely Lucy from felt for organising such a great event!

The countdown is on to Christchurch’s very own craft market,
A Craft Affair! Not only will there be a whole host of amazing local talent, but we’ve attracted a few out-of-towners from Dunedin, Wellington and as far afield as Auckland! Our City O-Tautahi will definitely be the place to be Sun 11th July! And of course I’ll be there too, selling my Black Swan goodies. You’ll find me upstairs in the debating chamber between Miss Millie (sock monkey maker) and The Sewphist (all the way down from Wellington). Hope to see you there!

I had a lovely little surprise on the weekend when my flatmate spotted one of my Mt Cook Lily brooches in the May issue of New Zealand Gardener magazine! There’s nothing like a little bit of unexpected press to brighten a rainy Winter day!

Hot off the press! Two new necklace designs made from kauri and recycled vintage wallpaper, just in time for Mothers Day on May 9th!
If you’re stuck for ideas on what to get for Mum there are some great gift guides over on felt too…

Yes, that’s right, it’s Stash reHash time again! This Sunday from 11am to 2pm in the Scottish Society Hall in St Albans, Christchurch.
A perfect opportunity to add to your crafty store for all those cold winter nights ahead. Come along with your best fossicking skills
and a purse full of stash cash…