Yarn dyers and mamas Vicky and Nicola of Rosewood Wool have been friends for quite a long time. “We met when our eldest sons were toddlers, but our friendship is bound together with handcraft. We live and breathe it [though] one of us works full time and the other home-schools – we have six children between us and we plan family camping trips together with the intention of sitting and knitting for days.”
People who know Pip Pottage of Empire Eco Designs would probably describe her as a pursuer of happiness, as Pip tries to live each moment with a little joy and contemplation…
Louann Sidon of Lulu Rose strives to find the ultimate balance between creativity and work. Alongside working three days a week in an art supply shop, she runs her small business from home creating original handmade goods. She sells online, in selected stores through out New Zealand and at the occasional market. One day she hopes to create from home full time, or open her own studio/store – and maybe even offer screen-printing classes!
For John Jepson of Kanuka Glen, using upcycled timber as the canvas for his beautiful native bird art meets an urgent need to reduce our waste as a society…
James Anderson of Hemi Homewares makes beautiful upcycled wooden homewares with the philosophy of helping people with no home. With a strongly held belief in everyone’s right to food, shelter and warmth, James donates 5% of the purchase price of all his products to the Auckland City Mission.
For Kat Rowlands, her Felt shop The Quirky Kat is part of a bigger picture: part of the plan of renovating and living in her over-100 year-old house, “Olive-Tree Cottage” with her husband, growing organic fruits, vegetable and nuts, keeping chooks, preparing delicious, nutritious foods, home-schooling her son – and running a business from home that utilises her creative abilities.
Designing and making jewellery is Julia Marin’s passion. The themes of her jewellery incorperate traditional techniques and styles learned in her homeland of Argentina with the experiences of her New Zealand life and the inspiration of New Zealand flora and fauna…
I Feel Natty is a collaboration between friends Fiona Gibb and Cat Mckay, and this year they have taken the leap and are dedicating themselves full time to the business! Although it sometimes feels a little scary, they say it has been a gradual process and they really appreciate how lucky they are that they can work for themselves, doing something they love.
Jenni Shah’s love for yarn came about as a result of sitting at her Nan’s knitting machine as a child – and the absolute certainty that she needed a football scarf made by her own hand. A lot goes into her Wrapt Weaving creations: there is more than half a kilometre of yarn in a scarf or runner, a blanket has 800 metres, and a whole kilometre of yarn goes into one of her gorgeous wraps!
Coffee-fuelled late nights, an off-beat sense of humour and a talent for spreading joy are the driving forces behind Andy Heyward’s diverse Fat Spatula range of quirky art and novelty products.