News

Weekly Roundup 19 September

Happy Friday everyone! It's been exciting month for us here at TN with lots of lovely mentions in magazines and blogs! You can read more about how Toodles came about in this issue of Nourish magazine, our cheerful 'love you sunshine' print is on display in Your Home & Garden, it's pineapples galore in this issue of JOT magazine and we have an amazing feature and exclusive design up with Holly from Decor8. We've also been busy filling up our market schedule for the next few months. You can find us this Saturday at the General Collective Market in Ellerslie. If you have a market near you that you'd like us to attend, just drop us a line and we'll try to attend! Our full market schedule will be up soon. Have a great (and dry) weekend everyone!

1. Vegas Boneyard Letters
2. Pop Factory A3 print
3. Fiona Walker UK animal heads
4. Berg print
5. + wall decals
6. I like nice things poster
7. Think less, live more vinyl sticker
8. Stripe bow cushion

Weekly Roundup 18 April

Even though I've lived in New Zealand almost seven years, April to me still means spring time. I think of bright colours, flowers blooming, and the warmth returning to the sun. Today we're off to the Little Big Markets in Tauranga where you can find us: Saturday 19th April - 9am until 2pm - Mount Maunganui Sunday 20th April - 12pm until 5pm - Tauranga Waterfront in collaboration with Tauranga National Jazz Festival Along with our regular items for sale we're be having a massive 'all items must go' sale! There will be lots of old cards and gift wrap for just $2 and some other bigger pieces going for $5! You sure won't want to miss that! Hope you all had a fantastic week!

1. Vintage seaweeds canvas poster, from Portugal.
2. Thanks card designed in Nebraska, USA.
3. Rope necklace made in Belgium.
4. Leather wrap watch made in Ukraine.
5. Printable succulent envelope liner.
6. Clay necklace made in Lithuania.
7. Floral high waisted panties designed in Latvia.
8. Leather sunglass case from the USA.

In the Spotlight - Mixt

Time to introduce a stockist that is close to our hearts: Mixt. Miranda and Marc know all about selling NZ made products and own two beautiful shops in Kingsland. The only danger when stepping into the store to hand deliver their orders is leaving empty handed. Their stores are beautifully curated and are full of fantastic treasures. Store Name: MIXT Your Name: Miranda Pritchard and Marc Knott Job Title: Owners Location: Kingsland, Auckland How did the idea of the store come about? We opened the original MIXT store in February 2004. We decided to combine our joint interests in vintage, mid-century furniture and collectables (Marc) and contemporary New Zealand made craft and design (Miranda). The result was MIXT - the store continued with this combination in the same premises until November  2012 when we expanded to two stores side by side. Why the name? After much brainstorming we settled on MIXT - the name reflects the original combination of new NZ made and retro that we sell. What kind of products do you sell?  Vintage collectables and furniture, contemporary NZ made gifts, jewellery, ceramics and prints on paper. What are the best and worst things about owning your shop? We love owning MIXT - it is a great job! We have a lot of wonderful, loyal customers and suppliers who we have become good friends with over the years. We get to sell beautiful vintage and NZ made objects and support local designers - what is not to love? Worst things... Probably the scale of commitment required - we both work every day on the business, both in the shop and behind-the-scenes. What's your favourite creative outlet? Arranging the shop displays! Gardening, cooking and crafting with our beautiful daughter Violet (aka the 'Craft Queen') - Miranda

How do you find new designers / products to stock? This is one of the surprisingly difficult and time-consuming parts of the job - finding unique NZ made products that make our store stand out. We visit fairs, look online and increasingly new suppliers are contacting us directly as we have been around for so long and are well-known for supporting local makers. What song or album are you currently playing in the shop? We sell a range of CDs from NZ distributor Ode Records and have purchased a number to play in the shop - current faves are Ladi 6 and The Eastern and Waves. Where can people find you physical shop and on the web? MIXT is at 502-504 New North Road in Kingsland, Auckland. Best contact online is our Facebook page   All photographs taken by Liora, Toodles Noodles

Headquarter Dreams 2.0

Oh to dream a little dream. One day I'll have a lovely little studio located in a cottage in my backyard full of beautiful, fun, functional (and maybe not so functional but more pretty) elements. I do love my current studio but it's still fun to dream! Here are some of the latest treasures I've found. Stool from Cast and Crew, USA // Trestle desk from Seven Hands High, Australia //  DIY lights from Light Cookie, Greece // Metal baskets from Story Tellers Vintage, USA // Metal cabinet from Love in Vintage Finds, USA // Metal cash drawer from Oh, Albatross, USA // Vintage magazine display from Love in Vintage Finds, USA

In the spotlight - The Bread and Butter Letter

We have some pretty amazing stockists and we wanted to share them with you! What better way then turning the tables around and asking them some questions. First up in the new "store interview" series is the adorable shop The Bread and Butter Letter. Started by two friends who met each other through their boyfriends (who played together in a band) and a shared love for vintage and handmade. Store Name: The Bread and Butter Letter Your Name: Rose Howcroft Job Title: Co-owner / Buyer Location: 225 Karangahape Road, Auckland, New Zealand How did the idea of the store come about? My business partner, Sarah "da babe" Firmston, found a rad place that was really cost effective, and she wanted to turn it into something special. Once she got the idea for the shop, she asked me to be involved and I quickly agreed as it was such a neat and unique idea - and a fantastic way to flex my creative muscles! Why the name? Sarah read the phrase in an antique etiquette book! It is the name of what someone would send to the host of a party as a note of thanks. It's weird, and everyone thinks we are a cafe, but we like that it is really unique and fun to say! What kind of products do you sell? We sell vintage clothing, locally made tea, and gifts! Beautiful hand-made, local gifts that have a 'crafty' feel to them. It is a cool mix of items, and there is definitely something for everyone! What are the best and worst things about owning your shop? We love hearing people laugh and gush over products in the store! It is so neat to make people happy! If there was a down side, it could be that there is so much we want to do and never as much time and money to do them. You'll get that with any labour of love though, I suppose. What's your favourite creative outlet? For me, it would be anything that makes something from nothing. Sewing and knitting is great for this! What a thrill it is to create and be able to boast of it. There is no feeling like it, I think! I also make music. What are your top 5 websites/blogs at the moment and what makes them stand out? There are 5 blogs I enjoy for the same reason; that they stimulate my creativity in a massive way, as well as that they are a great way to find out about what is new from designers and artisans alike that I may have never been able to hear about otherwise. Oh, how I love you, The Internet. - The Frankie blog - A Beautiful Mess blog - Pinterest (follow me!) - The Man Repeller blog - Fancy! New Zealand Design Blog How do you find new designers / products to stock? We either find people online or at craft markets, or our suppliers find us and present their stock to us in an email. The latter has happened a lot and is really neat as we now stock such a variety of peoples products because of it. From grannies to graphic designers! What song or album are you currently playing in the shop? Real Estate - Green Aisles (lucky it wasn't Katy Perry this time! Phewf!) Where can people find you? Please come and say hi to us at 225 Karangahape Road, or check us out at www.breadandbutterletter.co.nz. We sell most of our goods online if you can't get to us in R.L (real life)