Here are some old fabrics I found last week. At the top is a very old kimono silk in a narrow strip- I bought it from here (Wellington people- they are moving to Auckland after Christmas so you might want to visit before then.) I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet. I offered…

Here we have a stack of Scandinavian-style woven hearts- some are tied with ribbon to the Christmas tree and others are strung into a garland with baker's twine. They kept Keira and I busy after school today. We used old pages from a book, brown card and some wallpaper scraps.  Next up (probably tomorrow after…

The Christmas sweet-making has begun: first off we have the tried and true chocolate fudge (this recipe) and these favourite apricot truffles (from here.) Not a Christmas seems to go by without a batch of these packaged up and gifted to teachers, etc. This year, they're for the other journalists in my office as a…

I love old things. Especially household items. Here are two of my most recent finds, mostly acquired for their labels, if I'm being perfectly honest.  – an old Fanta bottle. It's made from really thick, heavy glass and I found it last night walking home along our road. Council workers had cut back a lot…

– Honey-scented South African flowers on the windowsill, for this amazing man. Also, a link to this beautiful song, with some sweet N.M dancing.  – Colourful vintage fabrics that I sewed into pouches and bags over the weekend. I'm having a renewed interest in old prints.  – Happy new week, dear readers.

A place for fairies and magic potions: a small shelf in our garden wall which is otherwise covered in ferns and ivy. We have some paua-shells holding tea light candles for now, tucked away and waiting for a summer's evening party. It's the season for making Christmassy stuff. The kids and I decorated our tree…

– here are some juicy feijoa pops, made for the kids as an afterschool treat (I used this iceblock mould from last summer, and a bottle of feijoa smoothie from the shop- easy as!) – got some photos of my favourite things made into postcards. They're printed on matte, lightweight card and proving very handy…

    Thank you to Leslie for this beautiful housewarming pressie- it's a linen cushion cover in her 'grass seeds' print. I love the organic, natural feel of her work- it's very calming. It makes me think of a day we spent at the river last summer: walking, swimming and watching the kids build 'dams'…

One of the best things about The Craft Sessions was the people and I was so pleased to finally meet Leslie from Maze and Vale in the flesh. We have been 'blog friends' for years, so it was pretty special to be able to have a glass of wine together. And for me to see…

In our kitchen we have a low wooden countertop built under one of the windows, which is the perfect place to display these cool pieces of furniture. Our dear friend and ex-neighbour Mike, who is a talented furniture designer/maker in Nelson, gifted us one of these mint-green plywood chairs as a goodbye present when we…