1 Felt Fantail Embellishment by Fix Design | 2 Piwakawaka (Fantail) Copper Brooch
by HKerrigan | 3 Fabric Drum Shade by MyDesign | 4 Fantail wall clock by Laserline
5 “F is for Fantail” Long-sleeved Onesie by Miss Ellie May | 6 Fantail Brooch by
Muzroom | 7 Black fantail brooch by Black Swan Designs | 8 Fantail Card by Furchin
9 Fly Little Fantail: Victorian Rose Wall Decal by Bam Bam Creative
It is with sorrow that we say goodbye to World Sweet World. Hannah and Thomas have made this their final issue, as they prepare for a new arrival later this year. They’ve done an amazing job producing a beautiful magazine for the last two years and we’ll miss it heaps! Luckily they won’t be disappearing completely – long live the World Sweet World blog!
The final issue is packed full of cool projects and stories, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations of Devon Smith and Sarah McNeil. Shelley Gardner of Sweet William shares tips and advice on the craft of iron-on transfers, Johanna Knox literally spins a yarn with treadle power, Anton Berndt casts light with a repurposed fishing rod, there’s a Crafty Business article on how to sell your crafts online, by Miss Millie and yours truly, and heaps more.
Make sure you get your copy of the last ever issue of World Sweet World – it’s available now on Felt. Thank you Hannah and Thomas for creating an awesome mag, and all the best for your new adventure!
Tickets are no longer available on Felt, but door sales will be available from 7pm at Hollywood Cinema Sumner tonight – the movie screens at 7.30pm. Hope to see you there!
1 Smoky Blue Journal Set by Bibliographica | 2 Cushion by April May | 3 Owl
Doorstop – Little Blue by Zippity Doodah | 4 Blue Floral Oven Cloth by Juli
Hunter | 5 Crown Lynn Plate Clock by Plateclocks | 6 Fabric Drum Shade by
MyDesign | 7 Listen – original 4 x 12″ painting by Erin Carver | 8 Black & White
Designer Rug by Design & SKC | 9 Little Blossom Cup by The Busy Finch
Click here to check out more suggestions in the Felt Wedding Gift Guide.
Please note that this video contains a tiny amount of coarse language – watch at your peril!
We use over a billion plastic bags a year here in New Zealand, which results in 40,000 bags ending up in landfill an hour. Supermarkets in New Zealand have been particularly slack about reducing their use of plastic bags, and we haven’t seen a lot of action from our Government either, so it’s down to us to make the change.
Luckily there’s some really clever crafters out there making great alternatives to plastic bags which are not only reusable, durable, and often made from recycled or upcycled materials, but they’re also really stylish – social responsibility aside, these bags are gorgeous!
Featured above is a small selection from the Bags & Purses section on Felt: Eco Girl tote by Rosa-Mayde, Three Cats tote bag by In My Backyard, Beanbags Clean Coffee Tote Bag, Long Lean Tote with leather detail by Annie Dry, Tote-tastic! by Emma McCleary and Paisley Tote Bag by SoChic.
Feel like you need to do more? As well as making a statement by taking your canvas bags to the supermarket, you can support campaigns like noplasticbags.org.nz and GetReal to help reduce plastic bag use in New Zealand.
In the words of Tim Minchin in his awesome environmental anthem: “Just think about the world and how the world would be fantastic if we could get rid of all the plastic!”
Crafty fingers around the country are poised over the mouse this weekend as they await the much anticipated launch of limited edition Blendy’s NZ Yarn Sampler Boxes. A treasure trove of goodies for knitters and crafters, the sampler boxes are co-ordinated by Auckland crafter Belinda Hope-Too (also known as Blendy) and contain around 15 artisan yarns, patterns, accessories and other knitting-related items in sample quantities.
Like having a mini craft fair in your living room, you get a little bit of everything that knitters would enjoy, such as yarn, fibre, stitch markers, buttons and embellishments made by fantastic New Zealand makers, including Sabine of Curiouser & Curiouser (whose amazing Firefly yarn is pictured above), Songbird Designs, DKNZ and of course Blendy, with a few delectable international samples thrown in too.
The boxes go on sale on Felt on Saturday. You can sign up here to receive email notifications when they become available. Get in quick, they won’t last long!
1 Ruby Russian Doll by Miss Firefly | 2 Russian Dolls by The Busy Finch | 3 Russian
Doll Fridge Magnets by Poppetto | 4 Russian Doll Pendant (Brown & Green) by Art
Divine | 5 Matryoshka/Babushka Pendant by A.P.T. Creationz | 6 Matryoshka Card –
White Recycled by Furchin | 7 Crochet Russian Dolls by Shirley | 8 Matryoshka Doll
Bookmark by The Paper Leaf | 9 Purple Russian Doll Necklace by Hope-Anchor
From year to year, my New Year’s resolutions almost always include something about being more organised – I aspire against the odds to be the sort of person who always knows what day it is, remembers every birthday and never double-books. With that in mind, I’ve been scoping out what Felt sellers have to offer for such chronologically challenged people as myself.
If you’re a frequent visitor on Felt, you will no doubt be familiar with the lovely work of Sweet William. Now 12 gorgeous illustrations by Paula Mills (one half of the creative talent that comprises Sweet William) are compiled into a beautiful limited edition 2010 calendar (pictured above).
Also available in calendar form for the new year is the work of the talented Erin Carver, with 12 prints of Erin’s original mixed media paintings from her Beautiful Words series presented in a jewel CD case as a desktop calendar. Boocraft has three different calendars currently on sale featuring illustrated critters (both real and imaginary) and birds of New Zealand, and Hotchpotch & Gruelboy has the perfect accompaniment to 2010 for owl enthusiasts – a parliament of owls! (Now there’s a collective noun you don’t get to use often.)
bakadesign has these gorgeous customised 2010 diaries available in 10 different colours – you can choose your favourite colour and have your name inscribed. If it’s a gift, you can even customise the belly band with your own message for the recipient! And last but not least, Eyecatchers has several calendars listed including The Nostalgic South Island 2010 Calendar, featuring a selection of fine-line pen and ink drawings of character houses and sights around the South Island.
1 Russian Doll Fridge Magnets by Poppetto | 2 Mini Doll in her House by Sweet
William | 3 Hair Tie Set by Songbird Designs | 4 Reversible Headband, 100%
Upcycled by Redflax | 5 Disco Diva Charm Bracelet by Little Piggy | 6 Phone
Charm by Beadle | 7 A Basket of Ninjas by Jojobooster | 8 2.25″ War Plane Button
by Badgeosaurus | 9 Harry Potter Handknitted Finger Puppets by Lovely Things
~ Click here for more handmade stockings and stocking filler ideas ~
Threaded is a local publication that explores the expanding field of creative practices and celebrates creative enterprises in New Zealand.
With a collection of informed and inspirational features, Threaded will appeal to readers throughout the design and visual arts community. Subtle use of different papers throughout this edition give it that lovely tactile quality of an object-of-desire, adding to its value as a collectors’ item and making it a great gift for the artist or designer on your Christmas list.
Each edition of Threaded has a theme – previous issues include hope and glory, for the love of it, method in the madness and arrivals and departures. Edition 8 is ‘the home front’ issue, which looks at the experience of looking in before looking out and challenges us to consider the nature of our ‘uniqueness’ whilst recognising the external factors that influence, challenge and connect the home front.
“Threaded Edition 8 is a call to make visible the creative geography of ‘the Antipodes and the contemporary Antipodean’, and instates the mantra that we are here because we want to be here.”
Since its launch 3 years ago, Threaded has been committed to strengthening the relationship between art and design education and the wider creative community. Each edition profiles ten students or recent graduates, featuring work selected from portfolio submissions and accompanied by a position statement to give context to their concepts.
Threaded recently launched in Australia and last month received a bronze award at the BeST Design Awards – now you can get your very own copy here on Felt!
