99 problems? week end country stomping ness

loving this cover of  99 problems by hugo...new thoughts now i need to learn banjo, i'm gonna make it my mid life ambition, cause it'll take me that long to learn.

gotye - somebody i used to know

love this band...

Handmade Upcycled Bags

Handmade Upcycled Bags

Repurposed plastic bags art

too great

Repurposed plastic bags art

willy bobs baby dreadies

My bf has decided its time to go down the dreaded road again! Everybody does :) i am admittedly taking my time with them but its so much fun...here are the first pics of his new baby dreadlocks. He has opted for the matchstick thin natural look with minimal hooking. So they have just been backcombed and palm rolled. This means they will take longer to look solid but will appear like they have just formed naturally. So many choices of locks and looks...will keep you posted on their progress and post full head shot when they are done :)

Green beat - awesome local music!

i'd just like to give a heads up about some awesome local music if you're into unique blends of melty  reggae/rock with a great vocals and rhythm. Green beat, a local christchurch band, that i've been to see twice now as well as being lucky enough to hear a couple of live acoustic numbers from the lead guitarist, shaun and his beautiful  fiancée yvette. There has been a serious lack of music venues in christchurch of late but they have still been managing to get their music out at the woodend gateway restaurant. Trust me these guys are tight! And they kick off live...definately time to get your grove on plus they have their own dancer who appears at every show without fail and has an undying energy. He goes by the name of jacob! He brings to mind bez from happy mondays without the crackhead image, the nobby english attitude and with actual crazy dance moves. So really nothing like bez.


But heres a bit of kiwiana anyways, check them out cause they are sweet as!

http://www.myspace.com/greenbeatrhythms

click this crazy play button below to hear one of their knee bending tunes or click the auspicious link above to read and hear more! This song inparticular is the epitome of NZ music, its chill, its happy, its upbeat without being cheesy. Definately motivational monday or anyday music...drives you dancing to the weekend. What i love about NZ music is that its all about being you, being happy, nz being great and opening your mind...real basic essentials all wrapped up in the essence of reggae and soulful dub. Choice!

Own Drum by Green Bea     own drum

Free Up Your Mind by Green Beat    free up your mind

quake update

the quakes have been really quiet here recently, except you're not allowed to say that incase you jinx it. I havent been woken up by one in at least 2weeks, and i havent felt any during the day for ages. Does leave you wondering if we are home and dry yet or not.  It looks like they have some great ideas for the new city as well, though it is a long way off. Lots of greenery, sporting complex, new central library and even a light rail to connect withthe universityare in the plan. I was thinking how exciting it would be to be able to design your own city from scratch, the ultimate in creating!!




Here is the draft plan...if you feel like some reading http://www.centralcityplan.org.nz/resources/Draft-Central-City-Plan.pdf

We have had some major snow fall recently instead. Some more snow on the beach. i would have been out to play in it if it wasn't for those nasty south westerlies driving through at near on gale force. Now the snow has melted, the state of a lot of Christchurch's roads have reverted. More giant pot holes to stuff your suspension and drainage is a problem too...so roll on spring-time i say.   


I found this site not long after the feb earthquake when i was doing a lot of research on quakes. Its hard to believe that quakes go on as often as they do and hardly ever make it to the news. There's heaps of other random stuff on there too, bits of news, world events...

http://thecomingcrisis.blogspot.com/search/label/QUAKES%2BEXPLOSIONS

more fashionably functional upcycling

before-big baggy jumper

I've been hacking up old jumpers again, i cant help it! and i am loving cheeky tanks at the minute so keep tuned for  more!

first step arms off an several inches off at sides

after

after-funky off shoulder jumper

sunday sessions

It seems i've been so involved in projects recently i've not had time to post them. Here's some of my photos from the past few weekends. Its been a crazy time, it doesn't normally snow in Christchurch but it did last week and there was heaps! What really amused me was how the whole city shut down, which meant no work, woo hoo. 

A lot of these city folk really didnt like it either...i'm very glad now i wasn't brought up in a city. I feel like city folk (and i mean the type who never leave) experience less and when it comes to a couple weeks without power and water for whatever reason(as in during the earthquake)all hell breaks loose, there was serious displacement from comfort zones, grumble grumble grumble. When really what I experienced was a real sense of community for the first time in Christchurch. People spoke to/met their neighbours, everybody helped everybody made sure everyone was ok and had food and water. We sat out each night around a fire and cooked on it, played music, talked about impending doom and the like. If it wasn't for the devastation that caused it all it would have been idyllic (for me).

Anyways, digression complete, hope you enjoy my photos

snowed on the beach

paragliding at little river

will snow kiting on the beach-obviously!

upcycled alterations

the pants were the same as these but different fabric

they've got a little button clasp at the side

So its taken me about a year or more to actually get around to doing this project but i'm super happy now. These pants were acquired somewhere a while back but they were just a bit too high waisted and too tight around the old mid drift. Originally i took the zip out and tried to play around with the poppers they had on them and it just didnt work, eventually this is what i came up with. So excited to wear them. The awesome batik fabric came from a japanese style robe.

beautiful imagery

its great when you actually stumble on a really great website for a change that really gets you inspired and leaves you moved. These images are stunning and they have given me something to aspire to in more ways than one! http://www.behance.net/gallery/Rainbow-Gathering/1193675?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=ALL&utm_campaign=MIH+May+9+2011&sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4dca9b8a25028e97,0 time to get the camera cranking and the soul back to the earth.

ironic freeganism

I find it funny that someone pays to have their house cleaned whilst their cupboards are full of hotel/motel freebies. I also found my strick freegan vegan raw foodist friends amusing when they ate meat and basically anything because it was free. rock on freeganism! say no to padlocked bins!

Cosy Custom Knits

john's rasta beanie

Last year I knitted my head off...and I was accused of being a knit-aholic. But like everything I do I got a little bit restless and moved onto new projects. Now I rarely pick up the pins unless someone makes a special request. This is purposeful knitting. I love making 'personalised hand-made especially for you with your colours' beanies. You cant buy them at warehouse! and there's nothing better than to wear one either. And oddly its something I end up doing when i've been too busy and just want to chill. So this is the product of my chill. John's rasta hat.

The Dreadlock Journey

I thought it important to share my dreadlock experience (bit of a long one but bear with me!). Many people have misconceptions of people with dreadlocks referring to them as stinky hippies, rope heads and the like.This doesn't really bother me, it's a personal preference like dying your hair plum. Not everyone likes it but if it makes you feel more you then its a good thing.

My locks began 4 years ago in a national park on the east coast of Australia. It was a spontaneous decision, sometimes the best ones are, and I've never regretted them. I was not aware at this point how they would change my life or of the journey that had just begun.

It sounds a bit spiritual and to be honest hair is spiritual, it always has been and dreadlocks have a long history dating back to ancient Egypt. Everyone feels better after a new do, like a rebirth. with the simple action of a different hairstyle you can transform yourself, and the way people view you. Its like stepping into someone else's shoes. I believe it is something everybody should experience once in their life. Completely ditching their self as they know it and taking on  a whole new one. And it is not that once you have dreads you actively change, the change comes to you because of the way people view you. Opportunities open up that never would have. People who probably wouldn't notice you in the street have an urge to talk to you, you look interesting, your hair hold stories.

Of course certain doors also close, like the majority of corporate jobs, a lot of hospitality jobs and the like. This was one of my main reasons to have them, i wanted out of hospitality, i wanted to change my life and didn't know how but i knew if i excluded certain jobs i'd be forced into different areas. As it happened two years later i'd gained enough knowledge on dreads to start my own company to make and maintain locks, Dread fixations and creations http://www.facebook.com/pages/dread-fixations-and-creations/169637358278 Which was a much better way to earn money, working with interesting people with good stories rather than  spoilt rich holiday makers wanting their dinner NOW!

I felt better in my own skin with my dreads, i stopped wearing make-up (shock) still don't wear it on a daily basis, i suppose my dreads are my make-up. Everybody has something to hide behind. My dreads speak for themselves and people read them how they wish to read them. It does bring up with some funny comments like do you take them out before bed every night? and how do you wash them? Well people, it is still hair it can still be washed the same way, believe it or not, they are not all stinky. In fact i have seen some of the healthiest hair in dreads. The hair has to be healthy to have life and character and to be strong.

Its an emotional journey as well, for the first 6 months to a year you deal with fluff ans fuzz whilst they take their form. It requires patience and perseverance. And so 4 years on nearly, I have beaded and unbeaded, wrapped and unwrapped, extended, dyed, truncated and multipied them. I have gone through some fluffy times, times i've wanted to chop them and start again but right now i love my dreadies more than ever. It's not about being a hippie it's about having an identity.

Peace out!

free shopping...what its all about?

Welcome to my world of fabric, paint, hats and all. My first post! and i'm wondering whether the world is ready for what's in my mind. 

So every week i make a trip to the free shop...what's the free shop i hear you ask eagerly. Here in Christchurch there are a whole load of free shops all over town, otherwise known as mary's meals or the charity barn, called so because they have a certain section you can take stuff absolutely free of charge! And the rest of it is so cheap it may as well be free. Bargain hunters paradise it is! It began as a paint exchange a few years back where people could take half tubs of paint and exchange them for different colours and the like in a bid to keep more out of landfill and it has grown to be several giant warehouses full of 'stuff' from clothes to furniture, crockery and mattress's. It's the big wad of clothes that keeps me going back every week to find my bargains. Fill a black bag for a fiver!! the catch you ask is that you literally have to climb on top of the giant pile of clothing and mine it! like mining for gold but also like 'mine', 'mine', 'mine', 'mine'. Once i saw a lady sitting in a giant hollow, she'd actually reached the bottom of the pile, which was now looming above her, while her partner was sitting unhurried on the sideline where she was throwing all her finds out to. I counted 5 black liners full, that would be her whole family clothed for winter i'd guess. I dont know how long she'd been there but she was still there when i left.

Now the trick is patience and time because within this pile there are undoubtedly at first glance some hideous pieces of fabric and some nasty polyester pieces that should never have been allowed to be worn! however with a bit of foresight, a creative license and some effort it is indeed a gold mine! I've found retro hippy waistcoats, vintage dresses, perfect fitting (unbelievably) new jeans from maya never worn, beautiful batiks, jackets, coats, woollens the lot. Chuck them in the machine and there we have some stuff to get busy with or simply a new wardrobe.