News

Best Made Company

 

I've died and gone to heaven! I discovered Best Made Company last month and have been obsessed with everything in their shop since.  Their products are practical, perfectly designed, and stylish.

Their History The company was founded in 2009 by Peter Buchanan-Smith who saw a need for a better axe: an evocative tool that played an indispensable role in his life working on cattle farms and paddling and portaging the lakes of Northern Canada. Peter knew that a well made axe — the oldest and most invaluable tool known to mankind — could not only function as a lifeline in the wilderness, but at home it could be a magnificent window into that wilderness and inspire people to reconnect with their hands, craft, and nature.

Beyond The Axe In the Fall of 2010, with the axe as their perch, they embarked on a new line of products, which included wearable goods, bags, a first aid kit, and the popular limited edition map series: the foundations were thus laid to a more ambitious and sustainable mission. Working closely with esteemed designers and manufacturers the world over they continue to expand our catalog with the same care and precision that goes into the making of every new product they offer.

Like what you see (how could you not?!) visit their site to see more and purchase some of this goodness.

 

Custom Furniture

 

Since moving into our new house in December my partner and I have been on the lookout for THE dinning table. After doing some research we've decided that we want to support a local artist and design our own to fit our dining room perfectly! We're basing our table of this design, which my partner found via Pinterest due to someone in the US wanting to do something just like us!

Since deciding we want our own custom table we've found so many local New Zealand talented furniture designers. Here are just a few of the ones we've found thus far.

George and Willy make fun, functional, robust products. Taking very careful consideration not to over design our products, we engineer them based on their primary function.

Hanlon & Howe was founded out of respect for quality craftsmanship and simple design. Built to be used, loved, cherished, and kept, all of my pieces have an old-world sturdiness that you rarely see in today’s all to frequent buy-destroy-repurchase cycle.

We are a Husband and Wife team based in Canterbury. Lilyjane Boutique has been a dream of ours for a very long time. We love what we do and put so much of ourselves into each piece, so we are very excited to be sharing them with you. We hope you appreciate them as much as we do.

Here at Trestle Union we believe that good design can be affordable, and with our range of trestle products, we have created no-frills products that don’t compromise on style.

WRW & Co. was established in Dec 2012, priding itself on New Zealand made, customised furniture which is thoughtfully crafted and repurposed from locally sourced materials.  WRW & Co is a young company, but is maturing and constantly honing the craft. Will continues to grow and stay true to the company's beginnings - making high quality, unique products primarily out of repurposed and sustainable materials.

 

Weekly Roundup 8 November

Happy Friday everyone! I've had a fun week starting with attending The School's Photography 101 class on Monday and meeting some lovely ladies apart from learning some great photography tips! And to keep with the learning this week I'm attending my first cooking class tomorrow to learn how to make Gnocchi from scratch - should be super fun. A bit of business news - we have 2 new stockists joining our family - endemicworld in Ponsonby now stocks our 2014 Wall calendars, and The Parenting Place in Greenlane are stocking some gift tags. If you're looking for something to do this weekend I'll be at the Michael Park School Fair from 9:30-3:00 this Saturday. It's official, Christmas is less than 2 months away! With that in mind I've put together a fun collection full of great gift wrapping ideas.

1. Black ribbon instantly lifts the classiness of any gift.
2. You know I love gold and sparkles, PerrodinSupplyCo gift tags will make your gifts shine.
3.  Have some Secret Santa gifts to give? knotandbow's kraft starburst seals may come in handy!
4. Be Merry & Bright gift tags are sure to bring a smile.
5. Looking for something a little different? Why not dress up that gift with a mini peg?
6. Our bah bah black sheep are sure to make that Kiwi grin.
7. No matter if the gift is small or large, AnastasiaMarieShop has something for you.

Have a great weekend everyone! x

Weekly Roundup 25 October

Happy Friday everyone! Who can believe October is almost over - this month has truly flown by! This week we've been working on some really cool branding projects for a few clients and have received 2 new products for our stores (to be revealed next week)! We also introduced a new 'pick and mix' gift wrap option on both our Etsy and Felt stores. Simply pick any of the nine designs to make up your order of 3 sheets. A wee reminder that we will be in Tauranga next Saturday for The Little Big Markets and the following Saturday at Michael Park School Fair in Auckland - come on by and say hello! Today we're off to Wanaka for a few days of R&R and family time. I hope you all have a lovely long Labour Day weekend full of fun and sun!

1. Beautifully packaged skin care from Herbivore Botanicals based in the USA.
2. Have a wee one on the way or know of someone who is expecting? Pop on over to Needle & I for some lovely products.
3. Super in-love with these cute porcelain cloud trinket dishes by urban cartel based in Melbourne.
4.  Stunning colours in this handmade necklace by Danidot Designs based in Brisbane.
5.  Beautiful handmade felt accessories and home goods hand stitched by Ordinary Mommy in her Pennsylvania home.
6. Ceramic brooches handmade in Singapore by Fresh from the Kiln.
7. Know a cat lover? Then you'll love everything in Julia Wine's shop, handmade in Ukraine.

New Tea Towels

We are super excited to announce our latest edition to the Toodles Noodles range - tea towels!  Offered in four different designs, these 100% natural unbleached cotton towels will bring sunshine into any kitchen. All towels are bundled in sets of two - perfect to give one away as a gift and keep the other for yourself! These towels will only be available for this summer season and will be available on the shop as of next week! As always if you have any questions regarding our products or would like to request a custom order, you can email us at hello(at)toodlesnoodles.com

Weekly Roundup - 13 September

It's no secret to anyone who follows my instagram feed - I love coffee. I love the warmth and comfort drinking coffee in the morning brings everyday. Great stories are told over a cup of coffee. Business deals, plots and plans - all get done over a cup of coffee. This weekend Cafe L'affare is teaming up with the City Mission. Locals is a pop-up espresso bar supported by Caffe L'affare, where your love for coffee can be "paid" for with a can of food. Just trade a can for a coffee and they’ll donate all cans to the Auckland City Mission. WHEN: 9am to 11am this Friday 13th and Saturday 14th of September WHERE: 13 Rose Road, Ponsonby (just off Williamson Ave) Have a great weekend everyone and to those fellow coffee lovers out there, cheers!

1. I would be lying if I said I didn't like a little danish with my coffee.
2. Ice cold coffee by Eighthirty is delicious on a hot day.
3. One can never have too many coffee mugs.
4. A relaxing coffee in a quiet spot can be a perfect mini mental vacation.
5. Need to take that coffee on the go? How about in a trendy Mason Jar!
6. I am seriously contemplating purchasing this sign. Love it!

All grown up

Just a wee post to let everyone know that this has been a monumental month for this little company. We have secured another 15 lovely stockists, had our largest orders to date, and most importantly have gone from being a sole trader to a limited company. Now unless you own your business you may not know what that means, and to be honest, we're learning a lot right now as well. We now have a little certificate with our name on it, our own GST number, and a fancy Limited after our name. Just like humans, when a company grows up there is more stress and more responsibility but we are determined and excited about the road ahead. Thank you everyone for being apart of this fun journey and to quote a great Disney character, Buzz Lightyear, "To Infinity and Beyond!".

2013 Summer Preview Collection

We are very excited to finally reveal our new season range which is launching this coming month! This year we are offering not one, not two, but four different calendars! The newest edition to the calendar family is the daily planner. With over 140 pages, this great planner will make those dauntingly busy days a bit easier. The 2014 desk calendar has some of our favourite illustrations plus a few new ones. It fits perfectly on your desk, wall, or countertop. Our wall calendar got a bit of a makeover this year emphasising more on the illustrations, still providing room to write notes on each day of the month, and a new notes column on each page. Our last preview for this post (yes, that's right more to come in later this week!) is the new 'stay awesome' tote printed in metallic gold on black 100% cotton bags. This print run will be limited so get one while you can! We hope you enjoy all the vibrant colours and fun graphics. It just makes us wish Summer was here already!  

More new products

A couple weekends ago I had the great pleasure of meeting up with the talented Natalie from Natalie Morgan Photography for yet another amazing photo shoot. I always love working with Natalie - she has such an amazing eye for detail and she knows exactly what I want without having to say a word. Here are some of her delightful images from our latest shoot for you to enjoy!  Also make sure to pop by her website and see what other incredible work she's done. If you wish to purchase any of these items - click here (with free shipping throughout NZ)!

In the Spotlight - Gifted Design Store

This past week I was lucky enough to go back to my favourite New Zealand town - Wanaka! I positively love this lakeside town. It has an enormous charm, stunning scenery, great eateries, strong coffee - what's not to love!? While there I popped into one of my favourite stockists Gifted Design Store. I met Rachael and Caz at the last NZ Gift Fair and knew we would hit it off right away! If you're ever down south and in the area, make sure to pop into their store! Though beware you will want to purchase everything inside! Store Name: Gifted Design Your Names: Rachael Bowering and Caz Cruden Job Title: Co-owners Location: 19 Helwick st Wanaka How did the idea of the store come about? There was a real gap in the market when I started it 8 years ago. I use to go the city and covet the beautiful Design Stores wishing there was something like it in Wanaka!! Why the name? The designers we stock are Gifted! What kind of products do you sell? Homeware, Jewellery, Leather bags and wallets, Art, Stationery, Occasional furniture. What are the best and worst things about owning your shop? Best things are....Loving your job, talking to people who love what you’re doing. Finding exciting new product/designers. Worst things Wanaka’s shoulder seasons are a little slow.... need to be careful when ordering and staffing at these times. What's your favourite creative outlet? Changing displays....constantly. Also when new stock comes in. What are your top 5 websites/blogs at the moment and what makes them stand out?

1. Studio Home - We love Studio Home, Julia is constantly sourcing new designers and ideas to keep her blog fresh and addictive!!
2. Design Sponge
3. The design files
4. Fancy
5. Finders Keepers
6. Etsy

How do you find new designers / products to stock? New Zealand and Australian fairs, Magazines, blogs etc and they often find us – which is nice. What song or album are you currently playing in the shop? Nadia Reid – Letters I wrote and never sent. She played here in Wanaka last week. Where can people find you physical shop and on the web? 19 Helwick St Wanaka, Also our facebook page – Gifted Design Store