reflections

as this year comes to an end, I've been reflecting on my 2010 plans that I blogged about here. Here's a quick sum up of how I went this year:

• Frequent blogging - I only just managed to keep it up this year. The cyber stalkers threw me off my stride and almost killed my blogging mojo.
• Improve knitting skills - no progress this year. I didn't knit a thing.
• Etsy shop 100% - I sold direct to customers so the etsy shop is quiet.
• Gocco printing - no progress at all. I recycled and repurposed used cards & stationery.
• More personal sewing - this was a successful year for 'me' sewing. Hope to do more in 2011.
• No unfinished projects - successfully achieved.
• Crafting for charity - achieved.

huge thanks and big hugs to all of you who've visited me here this year. See you next year 2011...

holidays

Christmas was lovely. We spent the day with family - enjoyed a fabulous lunch - then snoozed in the shade while the children played with their new toys and gadgets.

Now that the holidays are here, like most Kiwi families, we'll be making trips to the beach most days for  swimming and fishing. All great summer fun!

  

2011

like most people, at the beginning of each new year, I like to look back and review what I have or haven't achieved. It's my personal 'reality check' time. Here's my 2010 plans and my thoughts on how I did...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. I'm frequent blogging. I kept it up this year. A mid year crisis with cyber stalkers changed my approach to blogging. The stalking hasn't stopped so I'm more conscious of what I blog about.
2. improve knitting  
3. improve knitting skills goes onto 2010 list.
4.  
5. etsy & felt shops at 100% I'm ditching the felt shop & keeping the etsy store. This year I'm doing a lot more sewing for ball jointed dolls.
7.  
8. try gocco printing this stays on the list. I'd like to produce my own stationary, notecards and even christmas cards this year.
10.  
11. try scrapbooking again this gets kicked off the list. I'm not that into scrapbooking so I'll stick with my plan to only scrapbook christmas photos.
13.  
14. more personal sewing this one is a real biggie and needs to stay on the 2010 list. 2009 started off well and then my sewing inspiration fizzled leaving me completely unmotivated to sew. On the plus side, I lost a total of 18.5 kgs ( thats about 40 lbs) which added more sewing challenges to the mix. Later in the year, my sewing mojo returned and I sewed clothing for my growing 13 year old daughter.
15.  
16. no unfinished projects another to stay on the list. I'm embarassed to admit that I still have some 2008 ufo's in my sewing basket to complete. Getting them done is a priority.
18.  
19. reduce wool & fabric stash done! about 3 big boxes of wool was donated to the Middlemore hospital charity knitters and several black bags of fabric to the local hospice shop.
21.  
22. continue charity knitting another for the 2010 list. Although I didn't knit a great deal last year, I did contribute 4 christmas shoeboxes and 9 christmas gifts to the K-Mart wishing tree appeal. So this years plan is to continue crafting for charity.

 

 

and there you have it, my 2010 plans.

 

 

 

christmas

take care and happy holidays to you all!

retro kiwi bach

the traditional kiwi bach is a wonderful thing to behold. It's very existence is precious to so many New Zealanders who look forward to escaping the rat race and being able to relax during the holidays with family. Time & structured daily routines have no place. Mismatching seems to be the orders of the day with a hodge podge of architecture, furniture, crockery and bed linen that evokes a deliberate anti style feeling. Sadly, although the well worn family baches still exist, they are gradually being removed and replaced by holiday homes that boast style and comfort just like home. Recognising the importance of the iconic kiwi bach, the local regional council have taken steps to preserve some baches for the enjoyment of all. The Graham bach based at the Scandrett Bay Regional Park is one of them. Step inside and the retro decor has you immediately transported back to the 70s. A very groovy way to get into a holidaying frame of mind.

matakana market

the Matakana street market can fill a person with loads of shopping madness. Here's a look at what I bought...

 fab retro clock in great working order.

 complete vintage sewing kit

vintage faux tortoise shell dressing table set

vintage Kader dolls x 2

and then there's the Matakana Farmers market where there's yummy things galore...

designer fabrics galore

after posting my ornaments for the kiwi christmas swap last week, I couldn't resist popping into the Designer Fabrics shop next to the post office for a quick look. Much to my delight, I had timed my visit perfectly. Pete had just got in some gorgeous printed cotton voiles, which I bought to make up into summer dresses. As new stock comes in fortnightly, it looks like I'll be visiting Designer Fabrics more often.

ornaments on the way

inspired by a vintage community cookbook, I made these retro styled mini aprons for my kiwi ornament swap. They were a lot of fun to make!

catching up

this week I celebrated a birthday, my true love gardenias are starting to flower in abundance, struggled with a awful head cold, starting work on the bach and

finished my kiwi ornament swap items. Here's a hint for those who can't wait (although I've refined the finished product since the one pictured was made). All my ornaments were made from 100% recycled & repurposed materials. I'll be posting my ornaments on Monday and then sharing photos of what I made on Wednesday next week.  

building 101

this is the type of house that we're wanting to build in Samoa. It's styled along the lines of the traditional Kiwi bach. It would be constructed as much as possible from demolition and salvaged materials which would be shipped from New Zealand. I'm a beginner when it comes to the construction and building of houses. So I ask a lot of questions. In some ways the process is a lot like the construction of a garment. Only on a much bigger scale. All interesting stuff!

ornaments on the go

the challenge of doing the kiwi ornament swap is to make sure that I produce 5 identical things. I can't tell you what I'm making yet (that would spoil the fun for those in my group who might be peeking).
Here's a hint - it's red, rockabilly retro.

more roses

this morning I took the time to smell the roses as well as photograph them. This year we hired a rose specialist to prune and tend to our garden roses. They were a little neglected and in need of TLC. We've stuck to the schedule of feeding etc and now they're looking spectacular!

samoan fale

this is our Samoan fale - the first building to be built on our family property in Samoa. It's a modern version of a faleo'o (traditional house) and is found just meters from the waters edge and the swimming rock pool.

plastic fanstastic

Miss 3 came home from kindergarden today with the most gorgeous necklace, that she had made for me to wear. She called it the 'plastic fanstastic' necklace. So I put it on straight away and we went out grocery shopping. I received some really nice compliments that made my little Miss feel as pleased as punch. Now she thinks that I should have some earrings and a bracelet to match. Which I'll of course wear with pride!

divine dresses

I've just discovered Eley Kishimoto dresses (featured in NZ Herald Viva 10/11/2010). They're stocked here in New Zealand at the Children of Vision boutique in Karangahape Road, Auckland. I love the idea of dresses in bold prints and this London based label is well known for it's lavish use of pattern and colour. My favourite is this geometric chevron print dress (pictured) in a bold red and white silk with black yoke and sleeves. A very bold contrast statement indeed! At $665, this dress is set to challenge my dress allowance so I'm going to have to consider making an inspired version of my own. The best thing about this style dress is that it still looks good with a cardi when it gets cooler and can be worn as a tunic too.

vintage roses

this year the vintage roses in our garden are making a brilliant debut of soft pinks. I love their large blooms and sweetly scented petals. Reminds me of everything whimsical.

the 'undie cover' nightie

I had to take a break from my caftan sewing as the slippery, slidey chiffon was wearing my sewing nerves thin. So I thought I'd make something fun instead and digging through the fabric collection I came across this cotton voile print. I can't honestly remember buying it and I obviously didn't look too closely at the print. Let's face it, where would one wear such a fabric? In a moment of inspiration I thought I'd make a long length nightie. I've nickednamed this the "undie cover nightie" in honour of the undergarments printed on the fabric.

european masters

(Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Fernande Olivier, 1909)

European Masters, is coming to New Zealand. It's a rare chance for us downunder to see 98 stunning works by 70 artists including Matisse, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Monet and Manetare. The collection comes from the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt, Germany and focuses on the 19th century and early 20th century period of European art. I'm particularly interested in viewing Picasso's "very significant" Portrait of Fernande Olivier, which signalled the start of Cubism.

The paintings will only be exhibited at Te Papa, Wellington from 6 November 2010 to 27 February 2011.  So I have to go! Now, it's working out when. I'm so excited!

kiwi christmas swap

Yes it's that time of the year again to start thinking about christmas and the annual kiwi christmas ornament swap. There's still time to take part, just check out sew funky's blog for details. Here's the list of kiwi bloggers taking part. Now I just have to decide on what to make.

caftan

Canvas Weekend Herald 23 October 2010

                                Burda 07/2010                                          Burda 06/2010

McCalls 6037

the first item in my 'me, me, ME!' sewing plan is a caftan. I was inspired by the fashion page in the weekend newspaper liftout and the June & July 2010 Burda magazines. My caftan must-haves are a deep v neckline (not plunging), airy sleeves and a flamboyant chiffon print.

McCalls 6037 will be a good basic pattern to go with. It has the desired neckline and would look great in a bold print. I'm undecided about the sleeves. I'd love to have full fluttery sleeves and I'm not convinced that the pattern sleeves will meet that ideal. I've decided to stick with this pattern for now.

In case you're wondering where such a garment could be worn? at the beach and around the pool (over a swimsuit) of course!

christmas shoe boxes

this is our 3rd year of putting together christmas shoe boxes for  Operation Christmas Child. This year, I wasn't nearly as organised as usual, so there was a lot of last minute shopping for bits and pieces to fill the boxes.

Each shoe box is filled with: something to love, something for school, something to wear, something for play, something for personal hygiene, something special. 

building

(1 acre building site is beyond the mango tree on the right of the photo)

  

(another view of the section beyond the mango tree sloping down to the ocean)

(the section slopes down with easy access to the ocean)

we're undertaking a building project in Samoa of a holiday home by the sea. Work had commenced before we left with the site being cleared and made ready for building. We're building an open plan house, with a small Samoan fale and subsidiary buildings nearby. A new build is always going to be a big challenge and our project will be made even more so as all our materials etc are being sourced from New Zealand and then being sent on to Samoa. Exciting times ahead!

designer fabrics

a designer fabrics shop has just opened up nearby and this morning I popped in for the first time to have a look around. With bolts of fabric all over the place, it was like going on a treasure hunt to find these retro inspired prints plus the large floral chiffon print. All these fabrics are destined to be sewn up for me, me, ME!

what's next hands?

busy, busy hands...

I'm always asking myself this question and then making a list of things I want to achieve. Sometimes I'll even have several lists on the go. Anyway, here's whats next on my sewing & crafting list:

1) a gift for a new baby

2) at least 2 more sundresses for Miss 3

3) sarouel pants for Miss 14

4) lots of sewing for me, me, ME.

netball tournament

the netball players representing Samoa at the tournament had to wear a puletasi for the opening ceremony. 

I made my daughter's puletasi top using New Look 6808 and a white & black stencil ink print cotton from Samoa. This was a very quick pattern to make up and resulted in a nicely fitted top which was then teamed up with a plain black lavalava. What a great sight to see all the Samoa players dressed in their puletasi. When moving as a group they looked both elegantly colourful.

A day of spectacular netball, with the mens games being a crowd favourite. My daughters team did really well, taking out their division winning all their games. Now that the tournament is over, it's time to get a break from netball until next season.

john poynton

one of the highlights of my Samoa trip was meeting John Poynton, well known artist in Samoa. I met him completely by chance at a local cafe and I got the opportunity to view his portfolio of current work. I bought 3 works: 2 watercolours and a pen drawing and got them framed as soon as I got back home. Here they are on display.

nothing new

( a great place to swim on our family land in Samoa )

no completed projects to talk about. The school holidays are ending and there's been mending, laundering and ironing of uniforms. The summer uniforms come out and the winter ones get put away. Then there's the mammoth task of sorting out all the photos that I took in Samoa. Thought I'd share a photo of a great swimming spot on our family land in Samoa.

My daughter has been selected to play netball for Samoa in her age group team for the Pacifc Challenge Tournament. That means that I'll have to make her a puletasi. I'll post a photo of her outfit when I'm done.

wearable art

without giving away too much, here's a peek at what my daughter is working on for her wearable art entry in the College competitions. My job has been to cut out a gazillion pieces of fabric and other things for her to work with. It's got to be finished by the weekend, so I'd better get back to work.

more from Samoa

dogs and pigs snooze in the quiet shade on a very hot day.

each village has at least one tremedous church structure - strong and proud

palms, breadfruit, papaya trees grow everywhere

an average Samoan village house

a view of the sea from our family land