Kill for a kool bike? Kill for some retro?

I headed off with some friends to the lovely Salvation Kitchen after Kraftbomb on Sunday because I don't just love retro and craft, I LOVE bikes too! The special annual BicyKill event was on all day starting with a ride to Salvation K from T.Whites Bikes in the morn - that woulda been oodles of fun to dust off my old Raleigh and stretch her legs a bit. Although I missed out on the group ride, in the arvo we got to see plenty of tricksterz and plenty of cool rides parked up on the forecourt of the cafe in all their vinty splendour.

Red retro  //  Red bike!

Giant meringue  //   Giant tricks!

New Retro friends  //  New biker friends!

Love everything retro, everything bike?

This was def the place for you.

I'll leave you with something sweet, and not so sweet...teehee

~ Hope you all had a fab w/e ~

Thank you friendys

Thank you to everyone who came to say hello at Kraftbomb today!

all bundled up in the early hours of sunday am.

It was pretty amazing to be in a room (almost) side by side with my crafty idols. 

So thank you! Without the smiles and support of you lot - Helen, Britt, Debs, Rach, Leigh (with her delish cupcake fuel xx), Sarrah, Mr Oratia (who IS 'hipster' enough to man my stall for a mo), & Mr Bigge (who is cool enough to add captions to my cards) - It just wouldn't be as fun now would it? 

And thanks to the kraftybombers who loved my goodies I have some $ to buy some groceries - yay! and I squeezed in a lil treat, I pretty much live in my 1st pair so, another pair of these from Zippity 

snazzy & I love

Popping my Kraftbomb Cherry

It's probably our city's most largest and funkiest monthly crafty cool mercardo..

and finally Trinity Street Loft is cool enough to be there :)

I am pretty nervous to set up space alongside some of my crafty idols so I been madly working hard to flesh out my colourful goodies to include a few new things:

  A4 kids activity gift bags, and some recycled envelopes to inspire some snail mailing.

Some nerdy encyclopedia magnets, and I made some cute new swing tags for my totes.

These are the new totes especially made for the local shoppers of the Grey Lynn community. 

All recycled fabrics, and hand sewn designs

And I made some more driftwood necklaces - these are from Tairua, Sailors Grave Beach.

A special gracias to my crafty amigas of this weeks craft night - Great laughs and inspiration!

Im feeling all fingers and thumbs, and the room is a bit of an extra special mess...

 

...but hey, bring on my first ever Kraftbomb! - Come say hello :)

Love Nature :Upendo wa asili

This week has been a lot about loving nature. I am a bit of a tree hugger in the usual life but this week it has been heightened a bit. Probs due to the midweek public holiday and tramping activities, and also because I have started as an intern at Miranda Brown, conscious cloth. MB is such an enormous inspiration, and I am like a sponge in her gorgeous studio full of colour, earth, natural fibers, and utmost respect and love for the land, sea and all that is mother nature. Her greater thinking is remarkable, and she feels more like an environmentalist rather than just a fashion designer.

So in this weeks Creative Space, I have taken my usual cards of Love Adventure! to Love Nature! 

 I found a very very old, spineless book on leaf rubbings and thought what a shame this would be to stay tucked away gathering more dust on somebodies bookshelf.

They are like all the rest of my cards, you can save a tree and re-use them 

& they will be with me at Kraftbomb this weekend too - yipee!

I have strengthened their veins with some machine sewing, but I would like to experiment further with some other mixed media ideas ANY IDEAS/RECOMMENDATIONS?- the structures of these leaf prints speak so strongly on their own, yet in another light they appear more fragile and needing support of some further (colouful?) attention.

Watch this space. 

Pop over here to see what other creative antics have been happening in the world.

and remember:

LOVE NATURE, UPENDO WA ASILI

Y AMANTEZ DE LA NATURALEZA

Those Dam Tramps

Never one for getting up at dawn, I still like to take some time to be a proud kiwi, and to remember those who fought before us so heroically. The ANZACS!

How did you spend this years ANZAC day?

We gathered some of our own friendly troops to walk 3.5hrs (mostly uphill) to here:

 The Dam Tramps (our new found name) found a grand picnicing spot, toasted the troops who fought for our country, and dug into our kiwi vogels sandwiches (and pies).

 We are pretty lucky to have such beautiful bush on our doorstep.

 Whether its a 4 day, or 4 hour tramp there is plenty to discover out west.

 Just remember to scrub and spray your shoes to not walk in the germs that are eating away at our great Kauri. I saw on the news only 60% of trampers actually do this! Unbelievable! Some tracks are being closed because of this.

So please please scrub and spray, scrub and spray, then we all can have a wonderful day.

Happy ANZAC day everyone!

Mishing at Mission Bay

photo via

Somehow I have untangled myself from the sewing machine cord to get out to the pool, and hit the streets a bit over the last wee while. And thanks to the wonderful supporters of Trinity St Loft goodies, I have been able to save some $ and upgrade my commuter bike to a...get up at 5.30am on a Sunday & do a triathalon kinda bike. 

Although I started out a little sleepy eyed, I soon warmed up and somehow placed 1st in my age group for the swim, and also had the 2nd fastest run time...ending up 5th overall. Now if only I had actually trained on the bike, and not relied on its amazingness to pull me through... oops :p 

Yay go us!

I had been training with my darling friend Hells, and although she needed a bit of convincing that YES she could actually do it, Hells completed the entire 500swim, 20k bike and 5k run with such a huge smile. Look at her zoom with the hardcores!

photo via

Such a beautiful day out at Mish Bay, and it was all over and done by 9am wow. 

I headed straight to get a pie, on strict instruction and donation from my #1 supporter Squid xx Thanks ma hunny, twas homemade, and twas steak n cheese. mmmm

This is Bert & Ernie the two bestest of bikey friends who really stepped it up on the day

Thanx guys xxx 

Cunningham Delight

Friday. The day I pop back into my office job, and proceed to rearrange my oversized handbag with 2 giant woollen blankets stuffed in...I happen to leave my camera on the desk. Locked up for the weekend at least. The worst thing to do after this realisation is to go watch this:

photo via

Finally, after about a year of trying to pin down a time at a random suburban cinema, I got my Cunningham fix down amongst the colourful lights, circusy tents, and stumpys pizzas of Silo Park.

Hilarious & colouful, a true inspiration Bill so much love! AAHH I miss my camera! 

photo via

Just words

In amidst a week of great productivity in the creative world, the edible world, and the go get social world, i've been feeling a bit fed up with technology and trying to figure out my frustrations of not being able to share such joys on the blog and with you lot.

For some reason my camera doesn't like batteries in his nostrils anymore. Rejecting even the finer 'longer lasting' energizers and not just my usual rechargables. Leaving me griping at having to pop out and then back in the batteries for nearly every shot. Que pasa!?!

Secondly, Blogger Snr Authority of the Uploading area tells me I cannot upload photos anymore to my blog as my max has been reached in picassa web albums (sorry I didnt even know I was using it). A purchase of more data is required... and it has now been a week since I kindly gave google (yes gave the one of the most freakeshly powerful beings of the world) my cc details... and still no "purchase" of more photo data has been made, so no uploading allowed.

And so I am left a writing mere words on the page, instead of giving you lovelies some pretty colours and shapes to peruse.

Lo siento! Sorry!

Westie Creative Space

In this weeks creative space I have been putting a lot of needle n thread to hand and working on some special west is best westie tote bags (no black or leopard print in site)... Just plenty of op shop pillowcases and fabrics, and a little book that taught me some new handstitches.

I have specially made these for Handmade Titirangi market on this Saturday!

Come along and have a looksy 10 -2 Kaurilands School, Atkinson Rd, Titirangi

 Happy friday everyone!

Happy Birthday & Happy Easter

 It's pretty darn splendid when your birthday falls on the edge of a weekend, you can somehow milk the glory and treats for the entire weekend. Think how great it is to have your birthday on a looong w/e :) Other than the cheap charlies who get you easter eggs for your birthday... It is usually rather fantastico!

So this year we started with a grand ol get together at Canton in Kingsland with:

This table of gorgeous smiles to my left

and this table of gorgeous smiles on my right

of course you do not come to Canton with Mr Oratia & I and not expect some cheeky Thai Buckeys.

Next on the cards was the roadie home to Thames for some well earned R&R - With a house to ourselves, sunshine & what felt like all the time in the world, Mr Oratia & I indulged in lotsa chocolate, beer, & fresh picked lettuce (not all at once) we had a few ventures around the Coro too.

 

We hung out with some lovely pals in Tairua, and picnic'd with fish n chups & played with cutie pie Ri. Mr Oratia put in the hard yards sweeping up the long yards of tiny plastic balls washed ashore from the Rena - a never ending ordeal really.

More sun & more LONG W/E meant more venturing around on the Thames side, and what better way to live life than on a bicycle! Especially if the ground is flat and the sun is shiinnninngg!!

Picnic'd at Kuranui Bay

Cruised up the coast a bit

Swam at Tararu Creek

Even found the recycling centre

Driving home from Coro to Aux after a long w/e is not at all fun, but any grimmise soon melts away when you walk in the door to these delicious morsels of magic 

My darling delightful cup cake queen out done herself with these vanilla dreams with glitter sherbert. And a smashing happy birthday collage inside! So crafty - I Love!

& my lovely classmates at school whipped this up:

That's me, making sure I get the whole cake to myself

Thank you my sweet class !! U Rock !!

Of course some special beer was shared on my actual birthday yesterday 

& I even got to unwrap long awaited pressies!!!!

Can you see it there on my wrist all pink and techy! 

...yes even the most crafty, oppy lovin' gals love a good techy pressie!

Spoilt rotten.

 I love u all so much dear pals who enjoyed this lavish SUNNY long weekend with me :)

Thanks for all the facebook love & the many phonecalls too xx