Thursday, April 28, 2011

New teacup candles, just in time for Mother's day

I have been busy making some new teacup candles, which I have began uploading into my Felt store today. I'm hoping to get some more up in the next few days.

Mother's day is gettting closer, and if you're still deciding what to get her, a teacup candle might be just the ticket. Of course if you have children, you might want to start dropping some subtle hints! Mothers do so much for us, so it's nice to say thank you now and then. My mother shared her love of crafting with me, something I'll always be grateful for.

Mother's day is on the 8th May, so there is still time left to get orders in the post.

Last week I was privileged enough to be featured in Mel from Wildflower's "Have you seen this" feature, where she interviews a crafter that has caught her eye. You can read the post here.

I hope you all had a nice break over the long weekend. We went to Nelson to visit my family, and were lucky enough the experience the fringes of a 4.3 earthquake near French Pass. I swear they must be following me around, when we got home on Sunday we were greeted by another 4.3.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Essential oil soy candles now available

I have been working on creating a range of essential oil scented soy candles. I wanted to offer a candle that is as natural and sustainable as I can make it. Soy wax is made from pure soybean oil, and is a natural, chemical free, biodegradable renewable resource. I use tins that are fully recyclable, and glass jars made from recyled bottles which are also recyclable, and they are also both refillable. I embellish them with paper which can either be recycled or composted – or reused in your next craft project.

Essential oils are a natural fragrance option which can also have aromatherapy benefits. Although I don't proclaim to be an expert on this subject, I will continue to research the therapeutic properties of the essential oils I use.

The fragrances I currently have available in my Felt store include:

Citronella – great for keeping bugs at bay outdoors
Cinnamon – helps to dispel tension, and improves wellbeing
Patchouli – calming in low doses, yet refreshing in higher doses
Geranium – refreshing, and improves stamina

Just introduced this week are:

Rose – calming and comforting, aids with sleeping
Lavender – calming and soothing, aids with sleeping
Manuka – calming, with antiseptic properties
Ylang Ylang – generally soothing, with a sensuous aroma

Some precautions to note, if you would are having trouble sleeping, light the candle in the room you are in before you go to bed, and make sure you put it out before going to sleep. It is also recommended that pregnant women avoid use of essential oils.

These candles would make a great mother's day gift, or a practical addition to your emergency kit. I would recommend one with calming properties for your emergency kit.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Red Cross Earthquake Appeal Fundraiser

In March I decided to donate 10% of my Felt shop sales and also a portion of selected items to the Red Cross 2011 Earthquake appeal. I raised a total of $17.00, which has been donated to the Red Cross. Thank you to everyone who made a purchase during this period, and helped with the fundraiser.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Ruins, and shining gems


I watched Eat, Pray, Love for the first time on Thursday evening. There was a scene in it which struck a chord with me, when Elizabeth Gilbert was at the Augusteum.

"We all want things to stay the same. Settle for living in misery, because we're afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins.

Then I looked around in this place, at the chaos it's endured, the way it's been adapted, burned, pillaged, then found a way to build itself back up again, and I was reassured. Maybe my life hasn't been so chaotic, it's just the world that is, and the only real trap is getting attached to any of it.

Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation."

Those words seem so fitting to what Christchurch is going through at the moment. Particularly when the following day, a list was released of buildings approved to be demolished. The problem is, I had got rather attached to having those buildings around. I moved to Christchurch when I was 18, and lived within the CBD for the first five years I lived here. Many of the buildings have memories attached, along with being lovely to look at.

There were many buildings on the list that were rather obviously going to be there, that had already suffered extensive damage, and were in no way salvagable. (*EDIT* In my original post, I wrote that the building my old work was in was published on the demolition list. It turns out this was a mistake on the list, and they meant a building a couple of doors down the street, which was the building I initially thought they were referring too. The building my old work was in is still safe, and I apologise for any confusion this may have caused.)

Last year I wrote this post, with images of some of the buildings that were still standing after the first quake. Sadly, quite a number of these have suffered much more significant damage this time. I hope to do another post in the same vein, and find the real fighters that have withstood the most recent shocks. However it will be some time before I can get back into the city and find them.

Here are two rather significant heritage buildings which appear to have survived relatively unscathed. The first being the Isaac Theatre Royal, a gorgeous old theatre in Gloucester Street. The second being McLeans Mansion in Manchester Street, a stately old home that I have always admired through the trees, which is now used by a vocational training organisation. So all is not lost, Christchurch still has some gems in it's crown.

As a final note, this footage of the February 22nd earthquake has just been released. It taken was only a block or so away from where I was at the time.