A new phase

Are you starting something new this year, creative-wise? We'd love to hear about it! If you've had something brewing in the back of your mind for a good long while, maybe this is the year you finally make it happen – it might be a renovation project, a new business venture, or even just making something you've been meaning to. Time to get that idea off the ground!

Tell us about your pet project in the comments or drop us a line at extracurricularnz@gmail.com. 

p.s. Work has begun on the new issue, and we're looking at a few changes ourselves...

Contributor series: Anissa Ljanta

One of Extra Curricular magazine’s regular contributors, Anissa Ljanta can often be found beavering away in her home studio perched on a hilltop overlooking the ocean on NZ’s wild West Coast. In the latest issue she writes about something close to her heart, Plant Medicine. Her feature article, The Kitchen Sink School of Medicine also includes two tutorials alongside beautiful illustrations by Melissa Wastney of tinyhappy. 

Anissa does it all: she designs, makes, writes, gardens, gives workshops, consults and walks the mama path, and somehow finds time to homeschool her 5 year old boy. A familiar sight selling her wares at Auckland’s Kraftbomb market, she is also famous amongst sewing circles as the co-organiser of the Sew Fun monthly sewing retreats and workshops in West Auckland.

Her blog, GrowMama, is a simple, heartfelt endeavour, as much a part of her life’s everyday landscape as mealtimes for the past three years. She is currently working on re-designing and taking it a step further. You can find her lovingly crafted creations here on Felt. Anissa is running a plant medicine workshop very soon, and places are filling fast. You’d best be in touch pronto if you live in the Auckland area and want to attend.

Whole Larder Love giveaway

Another giveaway closing at the end of the month – you can win this beautiful book by Rohan Anderson, who was interviewed for the issue. Whole larder Love follows his journey to eat more sustainably and self sufficiently. He told us about the process of putting the book together.

"I wrote that book working six days a week – I used to photograph weddings on Saturdays too. I really have no idea how I did it! You know, if you want to get something done, you go ahead and do it. You just put all your energy into it. There were a lot of late nights and weekends; I had no social life. But the most enjoyable thing for me was learning how to acquire my own food – how to grow it, how to hunt it, new fishing techniques. That was such an amazing journey – and I'm still on that journey now, I'm still learning so much." 

Rohan was such an interesting guy to talk to – read the full interview in issue 10 (where you'll also find details on how to win the book).

Happy Summer!

If you're currently under a pohutukawa reading issue 10, don't forget to enter our summer giveaways when you get back, drawn at the end of the month! Details on how to enter are in the mag and up for grabs are:

1. KESTER BLACK nail varnish in Paradise Punch, Blueberry Tart & Bubblegum www.kesterblack.com 

2. THUNDERPANTS 'Sky Owls' print www.thunderpants.co.nz  

3. HARVEST TEXTILES 'Lucky Dip' pouches (3 to win!) www.harvesttextiles.com.au  

4. LOVEHATE Rainbow Shapes necklace www.lovehate.com.au

Fun of the fair

Lazy holiday posting... some photos from the December Auckland Art & Craft Fair that haven't yet made it to the blog. It was a great day and lovely to meet so many of you in person! These photos were taken by Sonya Nagels who also helped out behind the desk and of course did a lot of work behind the scenes in the magazine (including the creation of our wonderful terrariums).