Franz Tormers

16 Bedford Row,
Christchurch

www.franztormers.com

Designers sarah, manolis and jo are so cool. Look at their beautifully sweet website. And the ever so lovely things they sell. Now if only we could buy online…

According to them ChCh is the new Berlin.
From their little corner it certainly looks that way.

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Nature baby

www.naturebaby.co.nz

Our favourite shop for all the kids basics – merino tops, body suits and pyjamas, Nature Baby is one of the best things to ever come out of New Zealand. Thank goodness they’ve got an online shop because we probably couldn’t manage without them when offshore.

Their organic cotton and merino clothes are made to last (by a collective in India) – our daughter has had oodles of wear from everything we’ve ever bought from there. They’ve been handed down and will be handed back for our next one – all with plenty of life left in them yet.

If you can pay a visit their Grey Lynn and Newmarket shops are a delight to visit. There are lots of toys that aren’t on their web site and they’ve got play areas full of fun distractions so you can shop and browse to your heart’s content. Everything in Nature Baby; cotton, babyfood, nappies – it’s all organic by default.

Just released – their new Kid Nature label. Everything we know and love about Nature Baby, now for big kids too!

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Felt

www.felt.co.nz

How did the idea of Felt come about?
I make merino armwarmers which I had been selling on Etsy in America and I found it quite frustrating that there was nothing similar set up locally. So I thought about it for a while, talked about it to anyone who would listen, did some research and eventually decided it would bug me forever if I didn’t do something about it.

When did you set up felt.co.nz?
Felt was launched in June this year, so it’s been up and running for about five months.

What do you enjoy most about running Felt?
At the moment it’s so exciting to see people signing up and new listings
appearing – it’ll be a while before that novelty wears off!

In a more general sense, I love the philosophy of Felt. Buying handmade is about being human and connected to the people around you. Shopping on a site like Felt is a completely different experience to buying mass-produced goods in a soul-less mall. Anything that you buy on Felt has a story, a personality, a philosophy behind it and you can talk to the person who created it.

I’m really enjoying talking to people about their crafts and seeing the passion and creativity and energy that goes into their work. It’s great to be able to support artists, craftspeople and designers by providing them with a tool to promote and sell their work.

Are you involved much in the Crafting community in your area / NZ?
Not so much at the moment, but I plan to get more involved. And I hope that Felt will become a significant resource and networking tool for the crafting community.

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Nut and Bee

www.nutandbee.com

We caught up with Annette of Nut and Bee last week to find out all about her very cool online shop that’s been making waves internationally for a wee while now.

Nut and Bee sells things with Annette’s sweet, whimsical (and sometimes laugh-out-loud) illustrations on them; including t-shirts, stickers, bookplates, stationery, button badges, magnets and art prints.

Annette is amazingly prolific. She produces three new illustrations a week, and people can vote on the ones they’d like to see on a product. The unicorn gets my vote :)

How did the idea of Nut and Bee come about?
A couple of years ago I was at university, and doodling on my lecture notes every day. When I drew something I really liked I would post it online, and other people seemed to enjoy my little creatures too. I already had a website to sell my crochet toys, which I enjoyed running, so I decided to do something with the drawings as well. I’ve been very keen on cute Japanese stationery and stickers for many years, so a range of paper goods was the natural choice!

When did you set up Nut and Bee online?
Nut and Bee (in its current form) opened for business on December 24th 2005 with three lettersets, one bookplate set and one sticker set. Of course Christmas Eve wasn’t the ideal time, but I had everything ready to go and couldn’t wait any longer!

What do you enjoy most about running Nut and Bee?
It’s really satisfying to create things, and then get awesome feedback about them - it makes my day when someone takes the time to email me about how much they enjoyed their order. I’m also really pleased and proud with how the business is growing. I’ve gone from five products to over 150, I put new drawings online three days a week, and Nut and Bee is well on its way to supporting me.

Are you involved much in the Crafting community in Auckland / NZ ?
I have some crafting friends, and I vend regularly at the Craftwerk and Artisan Craft markets, but not beyond that. I’m really busy at the moment because I still have a day job and I’m doing some postgrad study as well, so I can’t get involved with the community as much as I would like to.

Any little interesting stories you would like to share?
I have a field in my checkout that asks my customers what their favourite animal is. I get some very cute answers in there - lots of people are really specific, like “cats that are small and white”, but others say things that aren’t actually animals, like “ghosts” or types of fruit! That’s OK though, I don’t mind if your favourite animal is the banana :)

Thanks Annette!

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The Cream of Matakana

30 Matakana Valley Road
Old Dairy Factory, Matakana
Tel. 09-422 7657 / Mob. 021-486 128

Next to the Farmers Market there’s a sign that points down to the old dairy factory, telling us that yonder lie local crafts, jewellery, art and fashion.

We were more than pleasantly surprised when we came in here. Two gorgeous women behind the counter both came out to greet Baby Lovely and admire her hand-made clothes. We had friends in common and lots to talk about.

They’ve been there since easter and are finding their kids area is just taking off.

They’ve got some very cool stock including a rack of hand-knits at very good prices. This one is $20.

There are also some cute little baby-grows, t-shirts for wee ones and adults alike, stylie toys from Europe and yummy local soaps and bathtime treats.

There was a good sampling of art - this lovely painting in the kids area; toys the kids will go ga-ga over; and… hand crocheted blankets - now you simply must have a look at those.

The building is old, wooden and airy; do make sure you look up!

It’s certainly a lovely shop - and a definite to-visit when in Matakana. And if you’re a crafty girl or boy who makes cool stuff, give them a call - they want to hear from you!

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Toggle

www.toggle.co.nz

Toggle was set up by friends Esther and Shelley following the birth of Esther’s third child. She’d stopped working full time and wanted to find an outlet for her felt bags.

When Shelley suggested the idea of having an online shop they both thought it could be a good outlet for other crafters - and so Toggle was born.

They have found themselves creating an “edited highlights” of modern kiwi craft. And in just under a year they most certainly have.

Their website stocks a wide range of craft including kids gear, jewellery, photographic prints, hand-knits, original artworks, aprons, hats, teatowels and celebrity finger puppets.

Based in Auckland Toggle’s founders are discovering and enjoying a great sense of community; Esther tells us how they’ve met most of the local contributors and there’s a great deal of support building up amongst them - they regularly keep an eye out for each other when op-shopping and often buy ‘ingredients’ they know others need for their products.

Toggle is an excellent showcase of Kiwi contemporary craft so do go and have a good old browse. What’s more, if you join their mailing list at the moment you’ll go into a draw to win a pair of cool silver coin earrings. Can’t argue with that.

You can also find them on Etsy.

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