Vibrations art exhibition opening

The opening of the annual exhibition of the painting group I attend was held on Saturday at the Bryce Gallery, 122 Riccarton Road. This is my third year exhibiting, and it's a great way to exhibit your work without the pressure of doing a whole exhibition by yourself. As always there are lots of great paintings, in a variety of styles – something for everyone!

Our usual venue, Gallery O in the Arts Centre was damaged in the earthquake, so Maree had to find a new venue. The Bryce Gallery came to the party, and kindly offered us a space in their gallery. There are some other great exhibitions on there at the moment as well, so it's well worht a visit. Vibrations runs until Friday 3rd December.

The black and white wall ran with the earthquake theme, and before all the pictures were straightened, it was decided they fitted the theme better if left that way!

Above is my work for the black and white themed wall, titled 'Mists of Maruia'.

Below on the left is my other painting of Lyttelton Harbour.

Upcoming Markets and Events

I have a few events planned over the next few weeks, so I thought it would be helpful to put them all up now, and blog about them in more detail closer to each event. You may notice there is one missing. Some of Christchurch's wonderful historic venues have been damaged in the earthquake, and will take time to repair. This means that the Night Market has been cancelled this year, which is very sad. It will be back again next year though, once the building has been repaired. The annual exhibition of my painting class has also been relocated, as Gallery O in the Arts Centre was also damaged. Fortunately the owners of the Bryce Gallery in Riccarton very kindly offered to help out, and have provided a space for us.

27th November – 3rd December: Vibrations

A collection of works from Art and Company

Bryce Gallery, 122 Riccarton Road, Christchurch

28th November: Rolleston Community Market

10am – 1pm, Rolleston Community Centre, Rolleston

4th December: A Craft Christmas Market

10am – 4pm, Goodbye Blue Monday, Poplar Lane, Christchurch

12th December: Rolleston Community Market

(updated time) 2pm – 6pm, Rolleston Community Centre, Rolleston

15th December: Kiwi Christmas Market

5pm – 9pm, Carnegie Gallery, Hokitika

18th December: A Craft Christmas Market

10am – 4pm, Goodbye Blue Monday, Poplar Lane, Christchurch

19th December: Methven Christmas Craft Market

9:30am – 12:30pm, Venue TBC, Methven

1st January: Nelson Market

8am – 1pm, Montgomery Square, Nelson

High Tea

Tea was drunk from the prettiest of teacups, scones were piled high with jam and cream, and a good time was had by all. A big thank you to everyone that came, it's the great company that really makes an event like this a success! I think I may have even found myself a good gluten free scone recipe. I will post it up later in the week for any who is interested.

I launched an improved version of one of my most popular candles, which I will post more detail about when I finally do my way overdue Felt shop update later in the week. I will also post a list of my upcoming markets and events for the rest of the year sometime tomorrow. I hope you're all having a good week!

Sumner: The perfect summer spot

After the gorgeous hot sunny day we've had today, there's no doubt in my mind that summer is here. All good kiwi summers involve some time at the beach, and Christchurch is no exception. Sumner is a popular spot, and I popped over for a visit today to drop off some more teacup candles to my newest stockist, Flock.

Flock is a new design store in Sumner, featuring local design and found objects. It's your source of beautiful NZ design with a focus on quality, innovation and sustainability. It's well worth a visit on your next trip to the beach! It can be found at: shop 2 / 43 Nayland Road in Sumner.

Outdoor market equipment available for hire

Since my foray into outdoor markets this year, I have been investing in various things to make it a bit more fun. Like a heavy duty 3m x3m gazebo, which is really good for keeping the sun and the rain off. So, if you've thought about doing outdoor markets, but aren't so keen to invest in one yourself, I am happy to hire it out to any crafter that may like to use it. Of course I get first dibs, so it won't be available if I have a market on that day! It's also quite heavy, and wouldn't be very economic to post, so you'd need to be able to pick it up from Christchurch.

If you would like to use it, you can email me on rose [at] roseinthorns [dot] co [dot] nz. It will cost $50 for a one day hire, or $70 for the weekend. I will give you instructions on how to put it up. It is quite heavy, but I am not very strong and I can almost put it up by myself, I just need to ask someone to help clip it in near the end. It is a heavy duty gazebo, and is designed to withstand wind gusts of up to 50km/h, but it is not recommend for use in strong winds. So if the forecast is for a gusty nor'wester, it may not be suitable. I also have a couple of trestle tables available as well, one solid one and one that folds in half, which may also be available for hire.

Tea Party – The Summer Edition

After the success of my first tea party in June, I have decided to hold them twice a year. The next one will be on the 20th November, from 3pm–5pm, at my house in Richmond, Christchurch. Once again there will be vintage teacups, cupcakes, candles and great company. Come along to do some early Christmas shopping, treat yourself, or just enjoy the tea, baking and company. I have lots of new candles, including some outdoor citronella candles, perfect for summer bbqs. I will have my full range of candles, with some great specials, espeically on the older candles! There will also be a selection of lit candles, as they really come alive once they are lit up.

Please RSVP by the 17th November if you wish to attend. This is so I can confirm numbers, and send guests my address. You can RSVP via the facebook event, or by emailing me on rose [at] roseinthorns [dot] co [nz]. Feel free to bring a friend – invite them via facebook, or let me know when RSVPing.

Northwood Village Fair

This weekend I will be attending the Northwood Village Fair. It's the closest one I've done for a while! It is on Sunday, November 7th from 10:30am – 2pm, at Northwood Park. It's an annual event with arts and crafts, music, activities, kids games, and displays. All in all, a great family day out! It is also a fundraising event for Belfast School. Hope to see you there!

Craft 2.0 roundup

After what felt like a manic week, Craft 2.0 rolled around, and what a fabulous day it was! The Wellington weather even played it's part, which I understand is a bit of a coup...

I enjoyed the chance to show my wares to the crafty connoiseurs of Wellington, and they seemed to like what they saw, with lots of candles finding new homes. I got the chance to catch up with some stallholders I've met before, and meet some new people too! I did a spot of shopping as well, and made a start on my christmas present list, so I won't disclose those items here. I also bought a gorgeous necklace from my neighbour Emma of Freedom Creative – I've been wanting one for ages!

Thanks to Sue and her helpers for organising a great day. Hopefully I'll be back again next year!