Welcome to me and my page. Kal Creations is a shortened version of Kaleidoscope Creations which is the creative arm of Kaleidoscope Interiors. Claire Lee is my name and I am a real small town girl, born in Milton, South Otago and I went to high school in Balclutha. Even though I didn’t excel in Geography as a subject at school, I loved to draw maps, so when an opportunity came up to join the Lands and Survey Department in Dunedin, to train as a Cartographer, I was up for it. After 5 years there, I left to work in Auckland for Surveyors and Architects and from there went on to draw maps for mining companies in Australia and then for the Oil industry in the UK. While on my overseas experience, I met and married an Englishman - I was lucky to be able to stay on in England for a further 27 years, where I raised my two boys.

While my children were growing up in the UK, I retrained as a curtain maker after enrolling on a City and Guilds course. For 13 years, I successfully managed my own business in Winchester called “Furnishing Touches”.

During this time, I also taught soft furnishings to City and Guild standards, in adult education centres in the Winchester area. Many of my students went on to run successful small businesses of their own. These were some of my happiest times. It was extremely rewarding to see my students enjoying the experience of creating.

In 2001 I returned to New Zealand and now have my own soft furnishing workroom here in Coopers Beach, Northland and am inspired daily by the wonderful views that I have of Doubtless Bay from my studio window..

I have an intense and spiritual relationship with fabrics and am really enthusiastic about passing on my wealth of knowledge to others. One of my interests is retro fabrics, mainly the world renowned Marimekko. This interest first surfaced in the 70’s when I was working for a very innovative store in Auckland’s High Street called Zarach. They sold beautiful Scandanavian style product from furniture, glassware and accessories through to highly sought after Finnish fabrics. I have many vintage pieces of this fabric made up into wall art which are adorning the walls in my home.

When I get the chance I am fashioning bags, cushions, clothes, anything at all really out of the fabrics I love.

I hope you enjoy looking at what I have here in my small shop.