SOLD!

I am very excited as I have now officially made my first ever esty sale!

I must admit, I was becoming a little despondent, a lot of people seemed to look at my things but no one wanted to buy. I was kind of wondering was there even any point to it?

But then yesterday when I logged into my e-mail I found that I had made my first ever esty sale and sold the lovely "everlasting flower brooch" you see above for $7 US.

It's not like I sold everything I have on there or anything but it's a good start and in the next few days this lovely wee brooch will be off to it's new home in Miami!

Tiptoe through the tulips

Although it feels like a distant memory now - given the shocking weather today - yesterday was an absolute stunner of a day in Wellington.

So we thought it was time to bask in some of that long forgotten sunshine down at the botanical gardens seen as it was the opening day of the Spring Festival for 2008.

However - it seems that most of the city had decided to join us down at the gardens! But it was still worth a look about to see the tulips in full bloom, as well as the band and the organ grinder with his two little monkeys (which are of the soft toy variety) .

Roller Derby Girls

So maybe a week or two ago my friend Jaimee e-mailed me about an article she had seen in the Capital Times about the Wellington Roller Derby League known as the Richter City Rollers and asked if I would be interested in giving it a go.

I had heard of Roller Derby before, but I didn't know too much about it, other than it was a women's only sport involving roller skates and pushing people over - I figured it sounded like fun and I did need more exercise and I knew it was a sport you could do in a skirt which held real appeal to me so I figured I would give it a go.

So on Saturday Jaimee and I headed out to a skating rink in the Hutt with some of the Richter City Rollers to give this whole skating thing a go - I have to admit to start with I was pretty worried, I hadn't skated since I was a kid and even then I wasn't very good, I didn't skate regulary or anything.

But with some help from the derby girls both Jaimee and I were able to go from holding onto the side of the rink to avoid falling to actually doing something which resembled skating! It was amazing how much we improved in two hours in skating.

Yesterday we went to see an official derby practice with the team, and whilst it seems like it will be a few months until we get our speed and other skills up the practice was really amazing and the roller derby girls were really cool.

I can hardly wait to get better at skating so I can really get into the skating scene.

Stitch'd Ink

So it's been a wee while since I have done much cross-stitch - mainly because it's been a while since I've come across any patterns that have caught my eye.

I'm not the kind to undertake cross-stitching kittens or bunnies or something saying "bless this mess".

I do love subversive cross-stitch http://www.subversivecrossstitch.com/ and I have completed a LOT of these patterns but I felt like it was time for something new.

This is where Stitch'd Ink comes in - this is a New Zealand company (yah!) which produces cross-stitch patterns in the style of old school style tattoos. They also sell the kits as a whole so you don't have to worry about getting the right colours sorted and what not.

I'm hoping to pick up my very first Stitch'd Ink pattern today from Swonderful - how exciting - only question now is...which one to pick?

http://www.stitchdink.com/

An American Werewolf in London

So yesterday when I was at the library looking for something for Rich and I to watch on Friday night I came across "An American Werewolf in London" - now I am a huge horror fan but the whole werewolf thing has never been my scene. Maybe it's because when I think of werewolves all I can think about is "Teenwolf" - not that Teenwolf isn't without it's charm but it's just not horror.


However, I had heard of "An American Werewolf in London" before and I knew it was a bit of a horror classic so I figured that it was worth checking this movie out.


I have to say, for the first time in a while I was not disappointed with a film, I don't know too much about the myths associated with werewolves (I'm a zombie kind of girl) but this film had some pretty amazing effects - particulary the werewolf transformation and the general werewolf eating people carnage.


Not to mention tha guy who becomes a werewolf during the movie being haunted by "undead" werewolf victims who are stuck in "limbo" until the last of the werewolf bloodline is dead - so whilst in human form he has zombie type people trying to tell him why he must kill himself and the best way to do it - including his best friend. Nice.

I see that you've met my friend PAIN!

So as many of you know - I've been one of those gym types for many years now. After a few half arsed attempts at joining a gym I finally got serious about it when my friend Sue joined the Waikato Uni gym with me just after I got my first job and it was great! It meant Sue and I got to hang out everyday after work and with Sue there I always had someone to go with.

But since I moved to Wellington the gym is less fun - firstly there is no Sue - which makes it kind of boring and I haven't found a Sue replacement as she is irreplaceable!

I've been to two gym's since living in Wellington the Victoria University Gym and Sportswide on the Terrace but I think I just got to the stage where I was over it. I was still going to the gym, but I was only putting in half the effort I really should have and I felt it was kind of pointless. Just like when you're kind of sick of your job so you spend half you day looking on the Internet and going and getting cups of tea because you don't want to do real work.

But the problem for me is I'm not one of those types who can get away with no exercise - I mean I do walk everywhere seen as I can't drive but it's not really enough - I need something else!

So I decided to try vibration training - basically doing exercises on a pad that vibrates like crazy. I had my first session last night and it was NOT easy! It was extreme! But it was really fun too. I was a little anxious at first, the trainer lady had what sounded like a German accent so you all know the kind of picture that conjured up in my head. But she was firm but fair and the day after I have realised just how much I needed it - I hurt all over - but in a good way.

So next Monday morning is time for more of the vibration training - I guess it will take a few weeks to work out if it's making any significant difference but if nothing else it's totally entertaining!

I am a licorice allsort

So as many of you know - I do love retro and vintage styling and I also do really love dresses. So buying retro and vintage dresses is one of my most favourite things in the world.

It's also why I shouldn't get too carried away of trade me with it's bevvy of vintage pretties.

Anyways last week I picked up an absolutely amazing vintage dress on trade me for the grand total of $20 (I love how vintage seems to be so cheap here too - when I compare vintage clothes of sites overseas - they seem to be pricey).

In real life - it looks even more amazing than this photo and it's pink with white poka dots. Too cute!
So clearly this is a summer dress - but I don't let this stop me from wearing my cute summer dress now in the months of spring! Instead I worn it to work with black opaques and a black cardy.

Which prompted on of the guys to tell me I was a "licorice allsort" because I was sweet...aww...(although I think it's more likely the colour combination reminds him of the lollies but good save!).

Adelaide Markets

So the Adelaide isn't what I would consider a "good" pub, in fact, I'm not entirely sure I would even call it a safe pub or a particularly clean put but where there's a market I am there, so when Hiliare told me about a market at the Adelaide I figured that I would give it a go - perhaps this wasn't the best idea.

When I e-mailed and asked for a stall the person at the Adelaide made mention of places they would publish the event and even asked if I had any ideas where else they could put some advertising to get the word out - but leading up to the market I couldn't help but notice NO advertising for the event around town and it didn't even seem to get a mention in the local community newspapers.

But on Sunday, Grace and I headed off to the markets to sell our wares but I have to admit that deep down I knew things wouldn't end well.

Basically no one turned up to these markets, except for the "regulars" who weren't really the type to buy our stuff.

The only other people that turned up were friends of the stall holders - and we did manage to sell a couple of things to friends and other stall holders.

But even though the market was a bit of a no show - I still think that our stall was pretty awesome.

I also managed to swap with Grace to get one of her amazing rosette brooches - in return she received a pair of fluro pink ninja earrings and a pair of barbie heels.

Finally - I did make a new friend at the markets - a new friend of the sock description. Meet the newest edition to my family of strange soft toys. Currently I am calling her "sock monster" which is not very imaginative so any name ideas are very welcome. I know she's ugly but she's also so lovable (to me at least).

Swonderful

So it was another long hard week last week and by Saturday all I really wanted to do was chill out.

But I thought maybe a walk would help me to feel a bit better, so Rich and I decided to go up to Brooklyn for a walk. I've wanted to go up there and visit for a while because I knew there is a cool store up there called "Swonderful" and I really wanted to check it out.

The store was really whimsical - the kind of store I would like to own one day.

It had all sorts of cutie cutie things that I wanted to buy - but I was restrained and only bought this little owl necklace. But how cute is he?

It's so 90's lamp shade

So here's a wee project I've been wanting to share for a while but I've just taken a while to get around to taking a photo.

Basically I bought one of those cheap and choice Chinese style lantern's from Mr Thank You and decided to have some fun with finger paints. I have to admit this may be one of the messiest projects I've ever undertaken and it too quite a while to dry in a Wellington winter (even with the help of the dehumidifier) but it's been sitting in the spare room for a while now looking just dandy.

I decided to call it "that nineties lampshade" as Rich said it looked pretty nineties and to be honest I really could see it on the set of Reality Bites or some other indie movie like that.

I was a teenager in the nineties so maybe I am just reliving my youth?

Visit to Makara

So last weekend my mum and little brother where here and amongst other things we decided to head out to Makara and enjoy the views and the sunshine, along with half the city, including people swimming! It's not swimming time in Wellington yet (in fact - I question if that time will ever come).Here's some of the photo's I took on the day of the amazing views from Makara.

Vivia la lolly revolution!!

So I know for a fact, I live in a pretty apathetic country. Whilst people tend to vote in "relatively" high numbers in New Zealand for a western country, overall, people don't take too much interest in politics unless it's scandal.

I think the main reason for this is that things are never really that bad - as much as people complain about petrol prices or whatever the simple fact is you can say what you want and do what you want which seems to breed an apathy towards politics.

However, it's a whole different matter when a company tries to take some traditional lollies off the market.

Earlier this week I was reading an article on stuff which said that Sparkles, Snifters and Tangy Fruits were being taken off the market due to poor sales. To start with I was horrified "HOW DARE THEY TAKE OUR LOLLIES AWAY" but then when I thought about it some more and actually considered when I had last bought any of the above (and I in fact can never remember buying tangy fruits) I kind of figured well if I'm not buying them then other can't be either so fair enough.

But apparently others do not agree with what I thought was a pretty logical stance - in fact people are all up in arms in a way they would never get about politics. In fact I saw an article on www.stuff.co.nz with more than 600 comments on the demise of the lollies...I have never seem an article with that many comments before.

This is typical of the sort of comment which appeared on the news article:

Very sad to see another NZ Icon disappear, due to the so called number crunching!(no pun intended) Shame on you CadburySchweppes! Instead of just scrapping out right why not ask the NZ People what they would like to see sent down the Gobbler!

I just find this really hard to understand, at the end of the day, they are just lollies!

Imagine how New Zealand would be if people became this passionate about things that actually mattered rather than just sugary treat?

Effective Job Advertising

So if you spend you working day sitting behind a desk like me (oh you lucky thing you) you will know that during the course of an average working day you're likely to receive at least one e-mail joke from a friend, colleague or your boss.

Some are funny - some are so removed from funny you wonder how anyone could have forwarded it onto you and did they do so more out of habit or duty than an actual need to share.

A couple of days ago I was having a bit of a "bleh" day at the office, wishing I was outside basking in a rare sunny day instead of sitting behind my computer when an e-mail came in from my friend Jess with the below attached.

You may need to click on it to enlarge it to read it in full - I really think you should read it word for word. It is truly worth forwarding on to friends and colleague's.

If I was still a student and living in Auckland I would totally apply for this job - and I did do a humanities degree, but I did major in politics and history - and politics is on the "black" list so they may not want my type.

[REC]

So last Friday Night Rich and I finally went to see [REC] I'd been waiting to see this film for a while, it was at the film festival but we ran out of both time and money to go along (I guess it I saw EVERY film I wanted to see I wouldn't work for about 2 weeks) so I was pretty happy when I saw it was going to general release.

Leading up to the release of the movie though, there was a lot of media hype, something about the Ministry of Health banning "blood" cocktails that were being sold to promote the movie (I mean seriously, who wants to drink a blood cocktail anyway, what sort of moron are you?) and also there was something in the media about someone being so scared when they watched the movie they actually soiled themselves.

I did think much of the media was total hype - I just couldn't imagine that anyone could be so scared as to soil themselves at a movie, the whole think kind of reminded me of those 50's horror movie posters which advised "this movie is not suitable for pregnant women or those with heart conditions".

But I did have to check it out regardless and see what all the fuss is about.

It's a pretty simple premise, some sort of disease (that turns you into a flesh eating zombie) is let loose in an office block due to some scientist conducting experiments in there back in the day. A film crew happen to end up in the building as they are accompanying a fire crew on their nightly duties and they have been called to the apartments to investigate some strange noises.

Much blood, guts and eating of human flesh to follow - it's kind of like Blair Witch meets zombies, and it's actually fairly entertaining. For a seasoned zombie queen like me it was nothing new but it was a good little film.

Although, I do think the person that soiled themselves maybe ate a dodgy curry before they went to see the film - it's simply not THAT scary.

Ange's Hen's Weekend in Martinborough

So a couple of weekend's ago was my friend Ange's hen's weekend in Martinborough - to be honest - I don't think I have ever actually been away on a "girls weekend" before. My friend Fiona and I headed over there together in her car, unfortunatly, the weather wasn't so good and when we arrived no one else was at the house we were staying at so we decided it was time for some hot drinks and some lunch.

We went to an amazing little cafe and I was very excited to get a real chai latte when I ordered one - rather than the usual frothy milk and syrup you usually get in cafe's!
On first glace the house that had been booked was pretty cool - although these photo's were actually taken the next day in the beautiful sunshine, not when we first turned up.

The original plan for the day was to head out to do some golf cross - but the bad weather soon put a stop to that idea and instead we decided on a self guided winery tour. Here's some photo's from some of the wineries - some of them have some amazing art!

After the winery tour madness was over, it was time to return to the house, firstly for Fiona's nutriemetics demo and secondly to hand over to Ange her stunning outfit for the evening...



Next it was out to town for dinner at a Thai Restaurant, it's a pretty tiny town, so a huge bunch of girls going out for dinner with one dressed as a circa 1950's bride was in all likihood a site to behold for the locals!
Later on...back at the house...it was time for Kat's birthday cake - seen as her birthday was the same day as Ange's hen's night.
Then it was time for a few more drinks...


Followed by some chocolate game madness...



...and more drinks..

Then it was pinata time! I decided that as my hen's night present for Ange I would make her a Pinata (I like to make things anyways so it seemed like an obvious choice). Although small, Ange proved to be rather deadly with a golf club - the pinata didn't stand a chance!