citrus daisy

Hurray for Millie, Lucy and Handmade Nation

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:33:00 +0000

Wow and Ohmigosh and Yippee!

Fabulous Millie of Miss Millie fame and the Lovely Lucy from Felt are joining forces to bring the much lauded and celebrated Handmade Nation to Christchurch.

Thursday March 4th from 7pm at the Hollywood Cinema in Sumner. Tickets are $20 and there will be wine and nibbles served prior to the screening.

I, for one, am intrigued and delighted that this is coming Christchurch. Be quick to get your tickets. It is a one time only screening. So are you gonna join me? Go on.....

The Night Market

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:56:00 +0000

So the next major event for all things handmade is The Night Market, a Christmas shopping event on Thursday 3 December from 6pm till 10pm, for those who like something different. Featuring some of the best and brightest of the Christchurch craft community, The Night Market is a treasure trove of beautiful handmade products, including jewellery, accessories, candles, books and all manner of gorgeous Christmas decorations and gift ideas. Head along after work or make a night of it! This fantastic event is being put together by Lucy of Felt.

So come join me and the other fantabulous Christchurch designers and crafters and pick up something fabulously different for Christmas this year.

Are you Stash reHash-ing it?

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:19:00 +0000

I am - as a stall holder and no doubt as a shopper.

Sorting through my fabrics in preparation for tomorrows market, I have come to realise that sometimes, when it comes to fabric, I get carried away. Yes I know. Hard to believe, but truly that happens. There are things in my stash that I have no idea how they got there. So some of that will be (hopefully) finding a new home with a happy creator tomorrow.

Anyway. Come join us at the Scottish Society Hall. Cnr Edgeware and Caledonian Rds Edgeware. From 11am to 2pm. Tomorrow. Sunday 8th November

Check out the Stash reHash blog for an idea of the super cool stuff that will be there.

Bolt of Cloth

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:53:00 +0000

So, um, you know how I love fabric.

Well the other day I was hooning (yes hooning) through town. Driving down Madras St towards my next destination, when I glanced across the road and screeched to a halt. A NEW FABRIC SHOP!!! With a real cool name - Bolt of Cloth. So after I safely found a place to park and dragged Master 1 out of the car I sped across the road to investigate. Lots of colour. Lots of gorgeous bolts of cloth lined up against the wall. Lots of big space. Lots of big cutting table. Whirring machines down the end of the building. My idea of heaven.

Heaven gets better when you walk inside. They have great designer fabrics that I haven't seen in Christchurch before.

One of the first things I saw when I walked in was a bolt of this!

I did a double take coz I recognised it as a Lara Cameron fabric from Ink & Spindle. And on my twice yearly trips back to Geelong for the last year I have been wanting to visit Ink & Spindle to purchase some of their gorgeous fabrics and never gotten there (joys of small children) and always regretted it. And now it doesn't matter coz here they are here in Christchurch. Excellent.

Then I also found some oh so beautiful oil cloth. I think the designer is called Naomi Ito from Japan - or so I was told.

It is the most devine Oil Cloth ever. I left telling the lovely lady who I think was called Susan that I was going away to figure out what to make with the oil cloth before I come back to buy some.

Well I have figured it out. Recently I purchased a new notebook. And it needs a new home and I bought a lovely pattern for a laptop bag from Nicole Mallalieu Design and have been mulling over which fabric I would use to make it. And now I know.

Yay for Bolt of Cloth!

A must visit for all Christchurch fabric lovers.

Crafty Business and Me

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:56:00 +0000

Oh I nearly forgot to say.....

You know Crafty Business - the one stop blog spot to get all your crafty business questions answered - run by the lovely Lucy of Felt and the lovely Millie of Miss Millie.

It is always marked on my calendar as a must attend event. A great night to network and catch up with other Fab Christchurch crafters and an opportunity to find out things about business that you might have been wondering or worrying about.

Anyhow - I am the speaker on Monday night at October's Crafty Business. I am talking about the Money Stuff. I will try to put it all in the plainest English for all you non-finance gurus.

I will be speaking about keeping accounts, structuring your business, gst and other things you may not necessarily have extensive knowledge about. If there is something that has particularly been bugging you please leave a comment on the Crafty Business Money Stuff Blogpost and I will endeavour to cover that off on Monday night too.

So see you there at Churchills in Sydenham on Monday from 7pm.....

PS - The crafty business money stuff blogpost also tells you about why I am qualified to speak about Money Stuff - In case you were wondering.

Anything better??

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:05:00 +0000

I am eating some of this and I seriously don't think there is anything better!!

Have you heard about......

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:59:00 +0000

This is a fab new event for Christchurch. Set for Sunday November 8th from 11 - 2.

See www.stash-rehash.blogspot.com for more information.

This will be a fantastic place for you to forage for that elusive piece of just right fabric you have been trying to find forever.

Entry is free for buyers and stall holders are agreed upon on a first come first paid basis. So if you want to make some room in your stash for some other delicious goodies contact the lovely Deidre at stashrehash@clear.net.nz. But if you are just looking for a little piece of gorgeousness rock up and join in the fun at 11am on the 8th of Nov.

So right - I am off to assess. To see if I can part with some of the severely oversized stash. I bet you I can....

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:21:00 +0000

So sometimes life tries to thwart you.

Welcome to : -
*** One son taken to the doctor with conjunctivitis. Only to be told he has a raging ear infection - one that is nearly bursting. One that I didn't even know about.
*** One mum who has to defer work (aka... relief from children) for the week to stay home and look after son with conjunctivitis and raging ear infection - suddenly hit with flu symptoms and resultantly feeling like death warmed up.
*** One 3 year old daughter who is JEALOUS yes JEALOUS because her brother is sick and is getting medicine and special attention.
*** Meals deteriorating into combinations of begging said conjunctivitis ear infection son to eat anything, just a little bit of something, just anything at all - resulting in point blank refusal and of frustratingly reassuring said 3 yr old daughter that no she wasn't sick and yes she could eat her dinner like normal and no her sore leg didn't need cream and actually wasn't sore and didn't BLOODY make her sick.

Urgh! and to top it all off I was due to fly to Auckland on Friday for a much anticipated weekend away with a friend. So mid week saw me fending off all the above issues and struggling to keep the house ticking along whilst at the same time swilling copious amounts of echinecea and nurofen in a desperate attempt to stave off the full blown flu so that I could still make my trip to Auckland.

Did it work? YES YES YES.

I made it to Auckland to catch up with my friend. I had a fabulous break. Fully recharged my - me as my own person batteries. Seriously enjoyed not worrying about washing, meals, taking masses of stuff with me everywhere, walking by myself, hearing myself think, talking about things other than crayon colours or toilet manners, having to only say things ONCE, having wine before 7pm, having a pedicure, going shopping, out for dinner, out for brunch.

Before the onset of the mini-flu, conjunctivitis and the ear infection I embarked on making myself a new travel bag realising that I only had back packing days - day pack for carry-on, short trip luggage. I was fortunate enough to get a heap of vintage(?) upholstery fabrics recently, so I transformed some of them into this....

What do you think... I love it.

Have you heard Gin Wigmore?

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:59:00 +0000

Fun and distinctive voice.

A Kiwi chick making it big...

If you haven't - check her out I think she's a breath-o-fresh air.

From Drab to Fab in 7 easy Steps

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:48:00 +0000

What do you think of the transformation...
From Drab....

To fab....

I love it and you.?

Step 1 - Discover gorgeous fabric and buy it simply so that you don't miss out.
Step 2 - Mull over what to do with gorgeous fabric whilst it languishes all lonely and neglected in the cupboard.
Step 3 - Find a sensational chair in the Salvo's for $15. Agonise over whether or not to buy said sensational chair even though this is exactly what you have been looking for, it will be great for the fabric and it is a bargain even for the salvo's.
Step 4 - Buy said sensational chair hoping that your husband won't think you've lost your marbles.
Step 5 - Enlist help from fabulous crafty/vintage types in finding someone to reupholster said sensational chair in absolutely gorgeous fabric.
Step 6 - Take to re-upholsterer and wait until completed.
Step 7 - Pick it up and find the perfect spot in the house for it.

Thanks to Viona of Hotch Potch in Christchurch for the reupholstering, Emma Stapleton from re:novare for helping me find Viona and Melanie from Madam Butterfly's for the fabric.

Thinking things through

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:44:00 +0000

So have you noticed a change on this blog. Less frequent posts maybe? Have you decided what that could mean? Possibly, just maybe, a waning of interest, a lack of motivation, a certain level of frustration with the whole crafting to sell - to make a living business. If you picked D all of the above you would be right.

You see I am busy. And ok, I know I am not the lone ranger here but being busy eventually means you have to prioritise. Like most, I am busy with many things, 2 young kids, the household, the activities, family, friends, craft, business, exercise and the numerous other things life throws at me. And with Citrus Daisy I have taken a journey. I started about a year ago. It will be a year at the beginning of August. I rediscovered my sewing skills when I decided to make merino jammies for my daughter to save some pennies. These rediscovered skills combined with an inability to leave a fabric shop empty handed led me to start to make my bags. Now of course I knew going into it that I wasn't going to make gazzillions of money but I believed in my product and thought that I would get some decent pocket money.

In the beginning I just made plain large bags. Of course I have evolved over time to primarily using vintage and recycled fabrics, broadened the range to include headbands, zippy purses, clutch purses, a smaller handbag, travel wallets and scarves. I have also ventured into the structured and supported world and dallied with different closure types. I actually love my range of goods. I think they are excellent. I love the fabrics. I love coming up with a new product designs or features. I love the creative process. I love seeking out materials. But and here it is the big but - I don't think anyone else does. Or at least not enough to pay for all that is involved in producing them. Let alone the design, the sourcing, the packaging, the point of sale.

I overheard a conversation the other day in a workplace tea room that went something like this.

"Oh you will never guess what I saw in the shops in High St in Auckland"

"What"

"You know those colourful crochet blankets like what your Grandma made. Those, many of them. They were beautiful. But the price. $300 plus. I mean they can't be serious. I should get my crochet hook out".

"Yeah I know what you mean. The other day I saw plain t-shirts with vintage fabric overlocked onto them and they were selling for $60. How hard would it be to make those?"

Seriously it took all my willpower not to challenge them to have a go. To see if they could actually find a way to make something so beautiful and so much a piece of them and see if they could retail it for the lesser amount that they thought constituted a more reasonable price. To see if then they felt they could eek a living from it.

Now none of this is profound or new. This of course is the age old problem that artisans and crafters have faced. But over recent months I have been pondering the question of why? Why is it that the time spent creating your products is not valued highly. Because let's face it - it isn't? Is it simply because of globalisation? Or is it because people truly believe they could do it themselves? I am leaning towards the latter. People think "Oh that is nice, but not so nice that I need it now and anyway if I did decide I wanted one I could do it myself" and then inevitably they never do. Which is ok. It perplexes me though that many people are willing to pay A LOT of money for professional services such as Financial or Legal advice and in many cases people don't comprehend the advice or the reasoning behind the instruction and yet they (in some cases) blindly follow that advice and pay for these not very transparent services.

In contrast they see a product in front of them that they can feel. They can fall in love with it, its sight, its feel, its shape. They can obviously see the finish, the workmanship. They can reasonably assess whether or not something is in fact what it is claimed to be - unique, one of a kind, vintage, recycled. They can in many cases talk to the maker/designer/artisan or at the very least find out more about them from the retailer. And yet still with all these tangible, transparent things they can literally see/feel/hear about the product they are holding in their hands they are still reluctant to adequately value the workmanship in the product.

Anyway to bring this back into perspective for me, it is all about prioritisation. If my workmanship will not be fairly valued in this form, fortunatley for me I have other avenues I can pursue where it will be. But subsequently my priorities will have to change as there are - as we all lament - only so many hours in the day. And my craft, though I love it takes a lot of time - not just the making - the selling also which is why my shops don't have much in them. In recent weeks it has been less of the crafting and more of the clothes making for the family.

Is this a blip on the Citrus Daisy journey or is it the end of the line? Only time will tell but I know that again, I am not the lone ranger on this one and I hope that others facing these dilemmas or loss of mojo or whatever you want to term it are able to reach a conclusion that is satisfactory to them.

As I said I have been tossing these thoughts around for a while and in the meantime have still been glued to all the wonderful crafty blogs I read daily from around the globe. My Citrus Daisy experience has led me to meet great people that I otherwise wouldn't have both here in Christchruch and in cyber space. There is a little part of me thinks perhaps this journey was for reasons other than my craft. Anyhow, this post has come about because of some other thought provoking posts here and this excellent podcast here about crafting for money or passion - check them out.

And if you have any energy left after this lengthy post - let me know what you think.......

Some great new things....

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:48:00 +0000

So I think I might have mentioned once before that I am new to the whole op-shopping thing. That some of my friends would keel over in shock. But, you know, becoming a little bit enamoured with vintage fabrics means ya kinda have to embrace it. So I thought I'd show you some of my recent op-shop scores..

Aren't they great? A couple of vintage vintage vintage Vogue patterns. I love the suit one. It looks very Audrey Hepburn. Do you think I will if I make it up? I will need a hat to go with it though.... I got 4 of these and they are fantastic. They seem to date back to the late 60's. Hmmm exciting. I can't wait to figure something out for me from these.

A bag full of vintage J & P Coats, Made in Great Britain cottons - on wooden reels. These are fantastic for top stitching with and some beautiful colours.

A couple of pairs of vintage mint condition pillow cases courtesy of the fabulous Vanessa at Retro Age Vintage Fabrics. I won a Sunday giveaway. And we have recently figured out we are part of that scary 6 degrees of separation that exists with everyone in the world.

So pretty good going hey?

A long time between drinks....

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:29:00 +0000

Ok. So it has been ages. I know.

I have been busy.

You know how it is.

Anyway. The 6th June saw me at Our City O-Tautahi with heaps of other lovely Christchurch based crafters for only the second Christchurch Craft 2.

And ok - so it is ages ago and it has past but I thought you might like to see how gorgeous my stall looked.

Something Beady

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:04:00 +0000

Well a while back our group of mums decided to have a night a month that was a chicks night out. We set it up so that it was a roster as to who organised the event each month and then whoever could and wanted to would just join in the frivolities so to speak. So this month was the lovely Jacqui's turn and she decided to have a Jewellery Making Party. Now truth be told I wasn't particularly keen on the idea - I wasn't 100% well and I have never been a jewellery maker but I went along anyway. And guess what? Had a fabulous time. See what I made..... And the other girls made gorgeous stuff too.

So if you are looking for a fun way to spend an evening catch up with the girls do this. Helena Dinnissen was great at helping you decide on the design and colour combos. She has a shop in the Bishopdale Mall. And a website. And it was only $20 per person.....

Sunday Stash

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:24:00 +0000

The fabulous piece was an op shop score on Friday. It is a heavy linen type fabric called Augusta by Anthony Fraser... Great autumnal colour way don't you think?

See some clutches

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:38:00 +0000

Pictured above are some clutch purses I have been playing around with.

I am so excited to say that these little beauties are now stocked at Dusk.

Dusk can be found at 18 Poplar Street, Christchurch. Hurry before you miss out on your most favourite.

Post Craft 2.0 Wrap up

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:05:00 +0000

So it was a fantastic day. Lots of people through the door. At first not many people were pausing at my stall and I was worried that it was gonna be a shocker of a day. But I needn't have worried. I made sales. I didn't sell out, which is actually what I wanted to do but it was a good fun day.

I met some great people, lovely creaters but because I didn't have loads of time I didn't get a chance to get around to everyone at the end of the day. Pictured above are the goodies I purchased (absent is a pair of button hair bobbles that my daughter is wearing constantly). Clockwise from the T-shirt we have.... CrocBoy t-shirt for my son from "wgk" - yay for a nice boys t-shirt. Then a 4" tile and a 2" magnet of Crystal from the talented Anmea from Little Ladies. I really was bursting to meet her and see her things coz I had seen them on the net and really wanted one. Crystal is who I loved right from the start but I needed a gift too - which is the little magnet and decided that she would like her too. Then the Mills and Boon book. No its not just a book. It is a repurposed, recycled & upcycled note book, complete with a few of the more juicy mills and boon pages intact. These are made by casablanca loves rodriguez. I know just the person for this...

Cool stuff don't you think. I really enjoyed my day. Thank you to the lovely Sue who did a great job of making a fantastic day and roll on Christchurch.....

Craft 2.0

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:36:00 +0000

Stella Bag - Turquoise Delight

Normally I appeal to all those in Christchurch to come and visit me where-ever I will be. But not this weekend. No, the cry goes out to all you Wellingtonians, come and visit me at Craft 2.0 on Saturday at the New Dowse in Lower Hutt from 10am - 3pm. Come and see me - of course but also the fabulous, Shaky Isles, Black Swan, Wyrcan and Felt amongst the Christchurch sellers that are making the journey up to Wellington. I am sorry if I have left anyone out. Also come and see all the other wonderful designers and crafts people that will be there on Saturday. I can't wait to meet people I only read about and am looking forward to seeing their wares - though my wallet is not.....

So see you there.

Guess who we saw on the weekend...

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Do you know who they are? Well there was a time when I wouldn't have. Now I know for sure. Maybe "know" is not the right word for the nights when I wake at 3am with the tune and words to Rock-a-bye Your Bear running though my head. Anyway, it was a hit with Master 1 and Miss almost 3. The look of pure joy and delight, especially on the face of Miss almost 3 was priceless. People with small children I would recommend them.
The Wiggles.

How the Market was...

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Saturday was the Everything Vintage market. The very first one. It was held at the Windsor School Hall on Burwood Road. And it was fantastic.

I rocked up there at about 8.55am, ready to set up and get everything organised on our stand. Deidre from Shaky Isles and I were sharing a stand. Unfortunately I forgot the camera and my phone so I don’t have a photo of how gorgeous our stand look and how well our products mingled together.

Opening time was 10am and at about 9.45, there was a queue outside. I was a bit worried when I saw the queue. There were a lot of old men in the queue. I was worried because I thought oh no everyone thinks it’s a fair for finding a bargain and tools and coins and stuff. I needn’t have worried when the doors actually opened and the people started coming through there was a mix of allsorts of people, looking for all sorts of things and really that is exactly the type of people you want to come to a vintage market.

The first couple of hours were bedlam. People everywhere and they just kept on coming, I was amazed. My experience at the New Brighton and Merivale markets certainly didn’t prepare me for the volume of people the day brought.

Fortunately I had loads of stock. I also sold quite a few things. Stella bags and headbands were the order of the day. Yay!! I managed to spend a little bit too on some fantastic fabric from the lovely Helen of Forget-Me-Not.

A big thank you to Emma Stapleton of Lifestyle Markets for putting on a fantastic, well run, well thought out event complete with eats and coffee. Loved the wine at closing time. I will be back next time.

PS. You can find Emma's own fantastic vintage products, labelled re: novare, on trademe under "off white".

Sunday Stash

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:52:00 +0000

A recent thrifted find. This is surely vintage due to its design and colour combinations. However, it's not 90cm wide. It's heaps wider. Is this coz its a synthetic fabric and synthetics were made wider? Any clues?

My Creative Space

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:05:00 +0000

This photo shows the fruits of the labour from my creative space. I have been busily beavering away on my sewing machine and my cutting floor getting stock ready for the forthcoming fairs and markets I have this weekend and next weekend.

You can see belts, headbands, fabric wallets, zippy purses, hairclip keepers, AAA bags, Stella Bags and clutch purses.................

For more creative spaces go here

Everything Vintage Market - Come along

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Don't forget to come and see me at the Everything Vintage Market this Saturday 4/4/09 at Windsor School Community Hall, 170 Burwood Road, Christchurch. I have new goodies for you to browse and buy.....

Sunday Stash

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:43:00 +0000

Well I have missed a couple of weeks so I thought I'd show off one of my opshop finds this week. This was a lucky find as its not very big and I was op shopping with two small kids. I thought it was excellent. I call it Fishing Gnomes. What do you think?

Words and Pictures - Little Things

citrusdaisy@xtra.co.nz (citrus daisy) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:57:00 +0000

This past week I have seen: -

Master just 1 start to feed himself with a spoon.
Master just 1 learning to climb the ladders for the slides and loving getting to the top so that he can slide so very fast to the bottom.
Master just 1 so confident now on his feet that he can stamp them when he is cross.
Master just 1 so happy to have a toothbrush that he cries in anger when it is taken away from him so that he can go to bed.
Master just 1 loving his shoes so much that he brings them to me to put them on and shows me where they go by pulling up his trousers and shaking his foot in the air.
Master just 1 beginning to understand and act on conversation and instructions.
Master just 1 discovering the joys of cars.
Master just 1 discovering his ball (not those ones) handling skills.
Miss 2 ¾ telling me when I grow down she will be my mum. As opposed to her who grows up.
Miss 2 ¾ making me gifts from lego, puzzles pieces, thread the thread toys, pencil drawings.
Miss 2 ¾ telling her cousins and friends that she loves them and they are her best friends.
Miss 2 ¾ discovering the true joy of riding a trike. And being so proud of her ability to steer and pedal at the same time.
Miss 2 ¾ constantly saying Mum ……………I love you.
Miss 2 ¾ using her manners for the simplest things. Please dad may I stick these stickers on my singlet.

Before I plunged headfirst into the great big wide and scary world of parenthood I was on a quest for an explanation as to what was so good about being a parent. Though I wasn’t single, the space where I was, was such that I could only see the drawbacks of parenthood. It annoyed me greatly that though I pestered people for an explanation they couldn’t really give me anything that seemed quite as substantial and huge as to offset the well known and spoken about drawbacks. You know disrupted sleep, sacrificed career, lifestyle turned upside down and a constant lack of funds. It has been slow in coming but I have realised that it is the sum of the wonderful little things, similar to those listed above, that make parenthood great, fabulous, delightful, magical, a treat, an education, a source of amusement and enjoyment, a revelation and a challenge.

Truth be told those things on their own don’t quite have the substance to rival such a thing as life as we know it being turned upside down. Of course, now I understand why I never got a satisfactory answer before. How do you explain to a curious non yearner that it is the sum of the little things that make parenthood so great and truly, although you will have bad days, you will never look back.

Thanks Pip!