Happy Monday: Links to love

 Crate sofa's
Old fruit crates are so easy to find around these parts, and there are so many clever things you can do with them!  I just never thought to use them as sofa bases until I saw this.  So simple yet beautiful!

 When to quite your 9 - 5 job
I love this post, in fact I love so much of the advice on this blog.  It's a hard decision to give up the comforts of a steady 9 - 5 job in order to pursue your dreams.  This is a really great one to read if you're on the fence about it and are unsure if you're ready or not.

 

Wolf whistle studio

Have you checked out Wolf Whistle Studio yet??  This is the blog/ website of my friend Brooke who designed and drew all the amazing pictures for my blog layout.  She makes the most beautiful prints and creates personalised wedding invites etc.

A Beautiful Mess on time management
More valuable advice from the ladies at A Beautiful Mess.  They seem to have so much going on and I think we've all wondered at some point how they ever have time to do it all and have a personal life!  Seems the key is to be very organised and write plenty of 'to do' lists!

Freelancer's Fashion Home
This week Ulrika gave us a sneak peek of a magazine article about her beautiful home.  I love this vintage/ retro inspiration that runs through out it, and the bright clean lines and colours.

Andrew, Carissa and Rinah
I just discovered this blog today and thought it was so beautiful that it almost had me in tears!  It documents the journey of a couple in their mission to adopt their daughter from Uganda.  The photos and the way it has been written is so sweet and lovely that you can't help but fall in love with this little family!

Vintage style at The Sartorialist
I forget about The Sartoralist for months at a time and then end up spending a whole afternoon browsing through it and getting inspired!  This time I came across this beautiful photo of somebodies grandparents in Eastern Europe.  Don't they look amazing!

ModCloth's Show and Tell: Susan's Closet
You absolutely have to check this out... trust me you are going to be drooling with envy by the end of it!

I hope you all have a great week.  Mine is shaping up to be busy, busy which is just how I like it!
x
P.S I will be covering some shifts at Little & Friday this week so pop by for a sweet treat!

Christchurch: Lyttelton (part three)

I always thought that if I had to move to Christchurch, then Lyttelton would be the place for me.  They seem like my kind of people, with my kind of idea on life.  Plus it's just ridiculously cute!  So late in the afternoon on my last full day in Christchurch I borrowed the car and braved my way through the white tiled Lyttelton tunnel.  I know that surprisingly it stayed in tact during the earthquake, but driving through a mountain while the ground still regularly rumbles below you is somewhat daunting.  Once I came out the other side  I was immediately struck by the bizarre contrast between the glass like water with its pretty little ships and the utterly depressing ramshackle harbor side buildings.  I was so shocked that I had to text a friend to make sure I hadn't taken a wrong turn somewhere.   This wasn't the Lyttelton I remembered!

As I wandered up the hill it really dawned on me how resourceful and clever people can be.  I saw a fish and chips shop in an old shipping container,  caravans with beautiful outside area's that had become cafes and a gravel pit that now doubled as the community park where some lucky child was having a birthday party.  I really had to take a deep breath or risk bursting into tears with a combination of pride and sorrow.  I have a good feeling about this place though and really think that the people living here are going to build an even better Lyttelton.

As soon as the sun started dropping away so did the temperature.  It was too late for a coffee and too early for a real drink so I snapped a few photos and headed back to my dark tiled tunnel.

***

And that concludes my little trip to Christchurch.  I hope it wasn't too doom and gloom, and earthquake influenced for you.  Truth be told that just kind of IS Christchurch at the moment, it's what you see and it's what everybody still talks about all the time.  When I got back somebody asked me if people down there are used to earthquakes now and just shrug them off, the answer is most definitely no!  People are still seriously on edge and every small rumble is as nerve wrecking as the last.  So having said that, would I recommend going there on holiday? Hmmm, I would say that if you are going to visit somebody then go for it, if you're wanting the tourist experience then maybe hold off for a while.
x

Christchurch: Akaroa (part two)

 

 

 Akaroa is the kind of place that I wish I could just put into a little snow globe and tuck away in my pocket, that's how cute it is!  This little peninsula about an hours drive out of Christchurch is actually a French settlement and therefore feels like you're not quite in New Zealand anymore.  In summer this place is buzzing with tourists and holiday makers, but as we quickly learned... in winter you can pretty much watch icy tumble weed blowing down the main street.  Shops are closed, houses are shut up and the few people left in town look like they are ready to hibernate for winter.  To be fair I would do the same!  The wind slaps at you from all angles coming straight from the sea.  In fact I could hardly hold my camera straight to take a few pictures.  

After a quick wander up and down the main street to look for a warm place to eat, we realised the L'Escargot was probably going to be our only option.  Strange little place that was.  Apparently the women at the counter were drained of all their friendliness to tourists over the summer, and by now everything was an effort.  Unfortunately I turn into an absolute witch if I don't eat, and my friend is a breast feeding mama who needs food every 5 minutes so we settled in for a french onion soup.   Turns out that onion soup didn't agree with any of us so well as we found out later that evening... but that's another story!

The town itself is just how I remembered it.  Speckled along the coast and up the side of the hill are enough tiny little workers cottages to make me melt inside!  You can just imagine how the first settlers might have lived here, and I very much envy the people that live there now.  The attention to detail in these little places makes you wonder why in today's society, with all our fancy technology, we can't manage to create something half this beautiful.  

I don't think you can really visit Christchurch without heading to Akaroa for a day, but please do it summer!  I for one never get tired of its frenchy goodness and quaint old school ways.  Next time I just plan to be sitting at a side walk table in my pretty vintage dress, sipping an espresso and nibbling on a rich buttery pan au chocolat.

x

Christchurch (part one)

As our plane rapidly dropped in altitude and neared Christchurch airport everybody strained to peer out of the window.  I'm not sure exactly what we were hoping to see, big gashes in the landscape and an otherwise barren wasteland I guess.  And we couldn't help but step off the plane with caution, as though the ground might wriggle away from under our feet the minute we tread on it.  Not exactly a relaxing place to have a holiday and take some time out!  As it turns out though it was the nicest trip to Christchurch that I've ever had.  Admittedly this had more to do with the company than anything else.  It was exactly the kind of detox week I needed!  Because I was down to visit my best friend and her adorable baby daughter my whole week was set on baby time.  Excessive TV watching, wasteful hours online and an over indulgence of alcohol was swapped with nap times, feeding times, baby entertaining and nappy changing... and you know what, I kind of loved it!  We were out and about everyday exploring the city and doing fun things but when it was time to nap, we napped and when it was time to eat, we ate.  Which is really the way life should be isn't it?!

The city itself had an eery, strange feeling to it though.  In fact it looks and feels a lot like what I imagine post WWII Germany might have been like.  We passed by whole streets of empty houses, dodged potholes on the road (one friend described it as needing to wear a sports bra just to drive to the store!), plots of rubble where there had once been a building, white crosses tied to fences and a horizon speckled with giant cranes.  The inner city just isn't there, and as a tourist that leaves you wondering where to go.  And what affected me most is that everybody is still so shaken up (sorry no pun intended) with shopping malls, tunnels and movie cinema's seem to be avoided whenever possible.  All these things that we normally take for granted suddenly seem like a risk.

But I don't want this  post to be all about the doom and gloom of the city because out of the mess people are creating some amazing things!  I'm a huge fan of the new shops and cafes that have sprung up in old shipping containers or quirky little caravans.  I also love the random art work that is filling up the now empty spaces.  Out of nowhere you suddenly come across a brightly painted piano sitting there and you have to double take to make sure you weren't just imagining things.  There is also an abundance of the most amazing vintage/ retro furniture in places like the eco store.  I very nearly shed tears and cursed myself for not having driven down so that I could fill my car with all those beautiful old wooden school chairs!  Other than that I was sad to see that most of my favourite second hand stores had perished, Christchurch was always where I found my finest loots!  Oh and then there was the utterly amazing Riccarton Markets.  They were heavenly I tell you, just heavenly!  Imagine if you could, rows and rows of antique/ vintage/ retro stalls with all sorts of exciting treasures.  Once again I couldn't bring anything home with me and wept a little inside!  I also sadly (no thanks to a dodgy soup I ate that made me rather ill) didn't get a chance to catch up with the lovely Miss Helga or any of the other vintage enthusiasts I was going to meet.  Next time I will be more organised though!

And then just as I was beginning to forget where I was... the ground began to rumble!  Not once, but five times.  Thanks for keeping me on my toes Christchurch!
x
P.S There are three posts dedicated to my Christchurch trip because I didn't want to overload you with images!  Stay tuned for Akaroa and Lyttelton.

Bon Voyage

Yay tomorrow morning I'm heading off to the airport to finally make my way down to Christchurch again!  I'm looking forward to snuggling up warm around the fire place, visiting old friends, meeting new ones, hanging out with friends babies and hitting up as many markets and op shops as possible!  The only thing I'm not so keen on is the temperature drop (because it is considered sub-tropical where I live, and not in Christchurch!) and the small threat of earthquakes of course.  But I'm sure it'll be just fine!
I won't be doing any blog posts while I'm away but will attempt to do some warm, snugly Trade Me listings tonight before I leave.  I'm sure there will be plenty to share when I get back though!  Isn't it funny how life goes from slow to insanely busy in such a short space of time!  I definitely prefer the crazy, busy times!
So my dears, have a great week and we shall catch up again next week.
x
P.S How do you like my latest addition of suitcases??

Bridal shoots & creepy caravans

Firstly I just wanted to thank you guys very, very much for your lovely comments.  I hugely appreciate them and find them a big source of encouragement.  I think that by documenting my progress I have no choice but to push through the scary, difficult hurdles and keep going!

So yesterday I worked on a shoot for a bridal magazine, which as you might imagine was an entirely different experience again!  For this spread we drove about an hour north of Auckland to a breath taking beach called Pakiri.  I was too busy to take many photos of my own but if you could imagine white sand dunes stretching almost as far as the eye can see, and a wild bright blue ocean to match.  This stretch of beach  is particularly special because it is sacred Maori land (it was once a Pa site) and you can only enter with their permission (and paying them a small fee).  After a bit of confusion as to where we were supposed to be going we eventually headed down a long gravel road and onto a narrow path through the tussock before finally reaching a tiny, adorable cabin.  This would double as our wardrobe/ office/ lunchroom for the day.  It certainly proved to be a bit of a squeeze when you have a team of 5 all trying to work in there, in fact the photographer had to set up her computer and work over the bathroom sink!

Once again I was dead nervous to begin with.  I always had this awful feeling like I was in the way of everybody and had no clue what the hell I was supposed to be doing!  We had about 12 weddings dresses to shoot though so after a while I think I got the hang of things.  My job basically included helping the model change outfits, hanging all the dresses up again, pulling leaves out of them, shaking off sand, pinning the dresses to make them look right and noting down which designers we had used in which shoot.  So nothing terribly difficult, but still stressful when you're not exactly sure what to do but still want to leave a good impression.

I think the most important thing I got out of the day though was the invaluable advice I received from the  photo assistant.
1. Don't work for free (unless it's something you want for your portfolio)!
In New Zealand it seems to have become the norm that people expect you to work for free.  Everything is considered 'work experience'  and therefore not considered worth paying for.  This is incredibly frustrating when you are starting out, and it really doesn't do much for your sense of self worth.  Somebody once told me that if you wouldn't work at Mac Donalds for free, then you shouldn't do any other job for free either.  A job is a job, if it's called WORK then you should be paid.

2. Don't under charge because you are not as experienced as others.
This isn't doing anybody in the industry any favours.  Sure those people that charge a lot less do tend to get more work, however the quality is usually not up to scratch and you're lowering the bar for everybody.  If somebody likes your work enough to want to hire you then they should pay the going rate.

3.  There is only so much you can learn from assisting.
At some point you have to own what you do and start working for yourself!  Proving that you're a good assistant doesn't show clients that you're actually a good stylist/ photographer/ whatever.  If you want to make it, you have to take the plunge and do it yourself.

4. Contacts are everything!
I think that this is probably the biggest reason for assisting.  On one shoot you meet photographers, editors, make up artists, models, other assistants and it's through these people that you will probably get future jobs.  It's all about making sure people don't forget your name!  I am beginning to notice that particularly in New Zealand this is a very tight knit industry.  Editors have the same people working on shoots every month and so everybody seems to have worked together a million times over.  This can be quite daunting as a new comer, it's like starting a brand new school and having to make friends!

Phew well I can't have made too much of a bad impression because I have another job on Monday, followed by another two in the week that I get back from Chirstchurch.  I admit that some are unpaid, but I feel like I am a total newcomer to this job and have already learned so much. 
x
P.S Totally forgot to talk about the photos above.  Hidden away amongst the tree's was this super creepy caravan. I don't know what happened here but it looks like the oven blew up or something!  Anyway everything has been left just as it is.  I just had to race back down with my camera at sunset just before we left and snap some photos of it!

Styling 101: my first job

To be fair this wasn't my very first taste of styling because I have had previous experience in both costume and wardrobe, visual merchandising and have worked with magazines before as a writer where I got to part take in photoshoots.  But this was my first experience in being there purely for styling.  I knew that it wasn't going to be easy getting a foot in the door, especially in little old New Zealand where budgets are tight and job circles even tighter!  So the first thing I did was head to the store and buy a stack of relevant magazines, I noted down editors, stylists and art directors... and started emailing like a mad woman!  The magazines that did respond either gave me a direct NO, a 'we'll keep you on our books but are not currently looking', or just didn't bother to reply at all.  Knowing how easily I get discouraged from things, I really had to take a deep breath and tell myself not to give up!  Then one morning (after having contacted them about a stylist they use) I turned on my computer to find a YES!  I was so excited, but desperately trying to sound calm and professional.  As it turns out it was a magazine that we already subscribed to and who take a strong stance on only using vintage and hand/ ethically made products in their magazine. Perfect!  Right down my alley!

I met up with the sub editor/ stylist one rainy afternoon in town.  She was incredibly sweet and helpful, really taking the time to explain things to me as we whizzed around the stores collecting props for the shoot.  This was going to be for a feature story on cosy homes, so we looked for dark rich colours, cute but warm clothes from local designers and other little pieces that might come in handy.  We filled that little car with as much as we could before heading back to the office.

On the morning on the shoot I was running late!  I sat there in bumper to bumper traffic cursing every car that inched past me.  I had finally been given a break and now I was going to bloody miss it because of a small accident on the bridge!  Bad start for frazzled nerves!  When I finally pulled up to the amazing 1960s house belonging to a well known New Zealand photographer, everybody was sitting around chatting amongst themselves.  I nervously introduced myself to the editor, the photographer and the 'model' (also a photographer).  They had all been in the game for a long time and I felt very much like a new kid on the block.  Once we got started I played my roll of assistant by making everybody coffee's, picking up cakes for the photo and only offering some tiny suggestions here and there.  I wondered afterward whether I hadn't been a little bit too quiet, but then again this was my first job so I really felt that it was important to stand back and observe.

About a month later I got an email with a sneak preview of the cover, followed by a copy of the magazine in the mail.  It was really interesting to see how different it turned out in the end.  It was a lot darker than I imagined but I suppose that was in order to create a winter feel.  Ha ha at least I can look at the cover and say 'Hey I went out and found those cakes'!

Most importantly this job gave me a taste of what it is to be a stylist.  So often you have ideas about what you think a job is going to be like, and it can turn out to be a lot different (and usually a hell of a lot less glamorous).  I can honestly say that I loved the taste I got though, and a lot of that is thanks to my work on Dashfield.  This little job has already led onto other things, as well as another shoot in a couple of weeks so I will let you know how it goes.  The hardest part is trying to convince somebody to give you a chance!
x