Grace Lee

Designer & illustrator Grace Lee did a couple of delightful illustrations for the latest issue, but because she came on board quite last-minute, we didn't include a contributor piece on her. Originally from Sydney, Grace lives in Tokyo, and you can see this influence coming through in her depictions of everyday objects. She has such a talented hand and I wanted to share some more of her charming illustrations – the top two were done for the pieces 'Summer Daze' and 'Please Mr. Postman' in Issue 7. You can see more here.

 

Trash to treasure

Ben Galloway reminds me of the Wombles – 'Making good use of the things that they find, things that the everyday folk leave behind'. It's just him though – collecting old conveyor belts, lino samples and the like and turning these materials, once destined for landfill, into some pretty amazing-looking jandals, sandals and shoes. I really enjoyed talking to Ben about how Trash Footwear came about and where he's going with it. It's a pretty interesting story which you can read about on page 44 of Issue 7. Photographer Charlotte Ashton took photos for the piece – here's a selection of them including a few we couldn't fit onto the pages. 

p.s. Trash Footwear and Extra Curricular are both part of Artifice - a contemporary craft exhibition in Hamilton. Go along if you're in the area. It runs until this Saturday December 3rd at 27 Collingwood Street.

O frabjous day!

After being printed, bound and trimmed this week, issue 7 will be winging its way to a store or mailbox near you. Pre-order at Felt or Big Cartel to get yours first (or you could always subscribe). Devon Smith painted the jewel-inspired cover image, and we've interviewed several makers of jewellery this issue. There's also a special bonus since it's nearly Christmas and you'll (hopefully) have a stack of holiday reading to delve into – an illustrated bookmark.

The Jewellery Apothecary

It sounds wonderful doesn't it? The Jewellery Apothecary is getting ready to dispense some precious remedies to Wellingtonians that might not fix what ails you, but will at least help with Christmas present shopping. Open just for the four weeks before Christmas, the pop-up shop in Torrens Terrace will have limited release collections from local Wellington talent; Murder of Crows, The Wild, Buster Collins and Vaune Mason. 

After Christmas The Jewellery Apothecary will live on at www.thejewelleryapothecary.com.  

The first 3 images are from The Wild; the 4th is Buster Collins; and the last from Murder of Crows.

The Jewellery Apothecary

28 Torrens Terrace

26 November - 24 December

Open 10am - 6pm weekdays

10am – 4pm weekends

Stockist series: emma

Hidden away in the suburb of Berhampore in Wellington, emma boutique has always been a loyal supporter of Extra Curricular, as well as selling beautiful locally made clothing and other stylish things. Now you can get your fix of emma's pretty and practical style in the city too - designer Emma Wallace answered some questions about her new store for us...

What will customers discover at emma on Cuba Street?

A boutique that stocks my clothing label ‘emma’ which is designed and made in New Zealand. I love to create garments that are easy to wear, feminine, inspired by vintage detailing and shapes and most importantly great quality and made to last. Alongside our clothing racks we stock select ranges of New Zealand (and the occasional extra special Australian) made jewellery, accessories, swimwear and gifts. There’s a shared love for all things vintage at ‘emma’ with our ex-butcher shop fitted out with pre-loved furniture given a new lease on life and a bit of love. We like to share with our customers a giggle or two over whimsical thoughts and if you like humming along to Fleetwood Mac tracks whilst browsing the racks you’re in the right place. Not only will you find Extra Curricular magazine here but also treasures straight out of its pages!

What's the best thing about coming to work each day?

Having ‘emma’ garments tried on by all sorts of different stylish women everyday, finding which style best suits them and then seeing them wearing it on the street. It’s always a buzz! I also love when one of our crafty makers pops in with some of their latest creations to share, I’m always blown away with their new ideas, creativity and expertise.

What is one thing you learnt from opening your shop?

That there’s just so many lovely people out there, I’m always so chuffed they make it through my door and so grateful for their support. It’s genuinely humbling. I used to wholesale my label and work from home, so missed out on that connection. I’m really glad I made the decision to put my business out there and open my first shop in Berhampore. 

What's the best-kept secret in your local area?

Well as we’re new to the revamped upper Cuba Street neighbourhood I think we’re still quite a secret! Best-kept may be that there’s still 1 hour free parking outside our boutique door (bonus in the central city!) perhaps tied with the massage chairs at our wonderful next door neighbour ‘The Powder Room’, sink into one of these beauties and relax while getting your hair shampooed - bliss! Oh and of course there’s ‘Martha’s Pantry’ just around the corner for lady-like tea and cake so this part of town is turning into a great girlie hang-out.

emma

new boutique

268 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington

ph. 04 8024179

www.emmacollections.com

Cardboard toys

Flatout Frankie is the product of Sarah Gardner's amazing imagination. A graphic designer and mother, she's been working away on prototypes and testing these for a year now, combining her love of design and cardboard to bring us these awesome flatpack toys that encourage play and creativity. A step up from playing inside the washing machine box, which I remember fighting over as a child! Love the white on brown.

A wearable magazine?

T-post is for lovers of T-shirts, who also love magazines, and news, and mail, and innovative extra curricular projects. It was started in 2004 when Peter Lundgren and his colleagues at an ad-agency in Stockholm came up with the idea to make a news magazine that drew attention to certain topics they thought needed to be further discussed. As a subscriber, you get an awesome T-shirt in the mail each month – with a news story printed on the inside, and a graphic interpretation of it on the outside. It's interesting to see the artists's interpretation and then look at what news story it relates to. A pretty great idea – and they send 'em anywhere in the world! 

This one's about companies who are promoting 'green' products - not to join the environmental movement, but to get a slice of the green money pie. Designed by Ville Morkki

One about how thieves are using social media to find out where you live and when you're not home. Designed by David S. Blanco

Stockist series: Follow

Follow is a delicious new design concept store in Surry Hills, Sydney. Brooke & Sarah are the genius minds behind the Finders Keepers Markets which kicked off in 2007, and have been staunch supporters of emerging design from the get-go. They have created their dream store in a beautiful heritage listed building, featuring a curated selection of over 40 independent designers from around Australia.

What will customers discover at Follow?
The store features a wonderful range of products from art prints, contemporary jewellery, clothing, textiles, homewares and now magazines! For those not in Sydney, we sell and ship worldwide on our online shoppe!

What's the best thing about coming to work each day?
Knowing this is our little curated space with all our favourite things. Being surrounded by daily inspiration and meeting people who appreciate what you do and get just as excited. It really is such a lovely feeling.

What is one thing you learnt from opening your shop?

We've learnt many things! the most important being that you have to put 110% into it and don't give up! Times can be tough, but if you believe in yourself and others do, every day brings a new success.

What's the best-kept secret in your local area?
We're pretty lucky to be surrounded by some pretty great places in Surry Hills, unfortunately they aren't really secrets for long! A good thing in this area is always discovered by others pretty quickly. We're loving the little hidden galleries, like Friends of Leon just near us on Marlborough Street and coffee shops in tiny corners of the area like Nookie on Cleveland Street.

Follow Store

380 Cleveland Street, 

Surry Hills, NSW

Wednesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm

Sunday 11am – 4pm

Stockist Series: Holland Road Yarn Company

Tash Barneveld at Holland Road Yarn Company has been a firm supporter of the magazine from the beginning, and if you visit, you'll find Extra Curricular nestled in amongst beautiful hand-dyed yarns - her cosy shop in Petone is a knitter's haven. At the moment, with the Hutt Knitters Group she is part of, she is organising the making of a beekeeper's quilt to be auctioned off for KidsCan - head over here if you are a knitter and you'd like to join in the fun - all the stitching together is happening at Craft 2.0 in Wellington on 29 October and there are even prizes (you get an entry for each hexipuff contributed to the quilt). 

What waits to be discovered at Holland Road Yarn?

Beautiful yarns, fabrics, haberdashery and crafty items. I wanted the shop to be a home for the best hand-dyed and commercially produced yarns sourced both locally and internationally. Now we're heading into warmer weather I can indulge my other great love - beautiful fabric. 

What's the best thing about coming to work each day?

It's like hanging out in my lounge! And being surrounded by bright colours and beautiful wool is pretty ace. Also, my customers are the most wonderful people. When they bring in finished products to show me, it's the best thing ever. 

What is one thing you learnt from opening your shop?

You won't get everything right, and that's ok. As the saying goes, you need to learn from it and move on. Oh, and taking days off from work is important, otherwise you get stuck in a creative rut! That's two things, but they're both very important!

What's the best-kept secret in your local area?

Cultured, the most amazing cheese shop down the road. Wendy has become a bit of a knitter and keeps me in cheese melts and coffee when the hunger pangs bite.

Holland Road Yarn Company
281 Jackson Street, Petone
Wellington

Mon - Fri 10 - 6
Sat 10 - 4
Sun 11 - 3

Knit Night: Thursday 7pm - 9pm

Stockist series: Nook

This is the first in a series of meet & greets showcasing some of our lovely stockists, with Michelle Gillies who owns Nook. Whether or not you live in Brisbane, you probably know about this charming little store already. I must admit I'm a tiny bit jealous of the copies of Extra Curricular that are lucky enough to take the trip there each time. Michelle sent some pictures and answered a few questions for us about the shop she opened in 2009.

What will customers discover at Nook? 

Firstly, if you're lucky, you'll be welcomed out front by Pedro (the resident cat). He spends most of the day waiting for and receiving pats by the gate. Inside we stock a range of colourful and creative pieces ranging from plant markers to t-shirts, ceramics, stationery and unique homewares. The majority of goods are sourced from small and local independent business and a few from overseas. We also have twines and washi masking tapes and other necessities.

What's the best thing about coming to work each day? 

I'm very fortunate to have a house and shop in one (and yet I still somehow manage to be late some days). I love receiving parcels. I can't imagine that will ever lose its appeal. I get to chat with lovely and inspiring people every day, both customers and designers. What more could you ask for?

What's the best-kept secret in your local area?

Hanasho florists. Their arrangements are stunning and often feature long fronds folded and held in place with bamboo pins.

Nook

19 Browning St

West End, Brisbane

Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm

Saturday 10am - 4pm

Overdue apology

In issue 5, when I interviewed Abby & Kate of Golden Ink Collaborative and asked them what they were listening to, I'm embarrassed to say I misheard when Kate said 'Holly Throsby' and instead printed 'Polly Crosby'. I know. Ignorant as I was back then, I have since discovered her dreamy music (long after everyone else) and also have a more thorough proofreading system. This is one of my favourites - and I hope that this post will go some way toward an apology for my silly faux pas.


What I Thought of You - Holly Throsby (Official Video) from Yanni Kronenberg on Vimeo.
p.s. This one is great too.

Outtakes

We interviewed and photographed Anissa Ljanta - a.k.a. Grow Mama, for the latest issue. A skilled sewer, she lives and creates on the west coast - there must be something in that salty sea air. Her upcycled items are not only practical and well made, but evoke a bit of nostalgia in folks of various ages when they recognise fabrics from their childhood (Anissa also wrote the piece on upcycling for the issue). She is hosting The Creative Mama Series on her blog at the moment, with guest posts every weekend by other creative and inspiring mothers. Here are some photos that didn't quite fit in the magazine, taken by Rosa-May Rutherford, and an excerpt from the interview.

"I look out from my crafting table to an expanse of sea, native bush and sky. I feel so blessed to be here. Living on the wild west coast keeps me grounded in practical, everyday beautiful designs. Vintage pencil skirts and heels just don’t cut it out here."

Fashion-flavoured art

This looks delicious...

dream workshop

Wish I could attend this workshop run by Abby Seymour from Golden Ink... you'll have seen Golden Ink Collaborative's distinctive porcelain creations bouncing around the internet like wildfire, as well as an interview in Issue 5 of Extra Curricular and Abby's beautiful cover illustration. If you're in Melbourne, you'll certainly want to get in quick for this and several other tempting workshops coming up at Harvest Workroom. You can also learn the art of mini teepee construction, watercolour painting, and one-piece printing – and that's just the beginning.

Photos are from the workshop series that's just been and are copyright Harvest Workroom 

Crafty as a fox

It is a complete coincidence that just as I was sending the latest Extra Curricular off to print, I found out that Nyssa Skorji, of A Wilderness for You and Me was going to be stocked online by Foxes. Funny especially as we titled her interview 'Crafty as a Fox'. Although not all that surprising really, since she makes lovely and sometimes foxy things! There were many gasps of excitement when I got this shoot back from the photographer, Olga Bennett, so I wanted to share with you some of the pictures we couldn't fit into the magazine.  I love how organised Nyssa is with her little containers labelled with 'deer eyes' and 'fox eyes'!