Thursday, December 17, 2009

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. 


The Devonport Craft Market wants to wish you and yours a very Merry and safe Christmas break. 


We will be back with our first market on February 14th 2010 and you can look forward to a wonderful year of Crafty goodness!


Applications for tables /spaces for the Feb 14th Market will open on 11-15th  January on the blog so make you get your application in. If you are a new stall holder you will need to use the New Stallholder application form!


All the best 
The Sarahs (Bird and McLeod) 

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Summer Craft Social

As can be expected at this time of year, we had a rather small gathering for the last Craft Social of the year. With just the three of us, we had a lot of mince pies to get through and we had a great time discussing plans for Christmas. Of course, I set up the table with the lovely swap items and completely forgot to take a picture. There were scrummy pastel flower earrings from Kimberly of Adamar, an amazing wrap top (which I was lucky enough to take home) by Pam Bestwick of Colorme who we are hoping will be a seller at next year's market and I made a soft sculpture beach house. Just a reminder that Craft Social is open to everyone, not just market people, so please do come along in the New Year. The next social will be 7.30pm Sunday 14th March. We'll let you know the theme of the swap closer to the time. If you have any suggestions for a them, please do post them in the comments section!

In the meantime, here are some long overdue photos from the Devonport Christmas Festival and Lions Santa Parade.











Sarah B acquired some particularly attractive headwear for the day courtesy of the Community co-ordinator Maire.






Saturday, December 12, 2009

Craft Social Tonight




Theme is: Summer Holidays
This is the last Craft Social for the year.

See you at the Devonport Community Centre
32 Clarence St, Devonport
7.30pm
$3pp which includes coffee and cake!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Rain rain stay away

We've got far too much fun planned for tomorrow for it to rain!

Tomorrow is the last Devonport Craft Market of the year and it's chockfull of crafty goodness. We have a mini version of our usual market out on the Windsor Reserve, 10-3 tomorrow. You can see who will be there in the sidebar over to the right. Just scroll down and you'll see it.



We're part of the very first Devonport Christmas Festival and its going to be a fantastic day. There's a brilliant Santa Parade at 11am organised by the wonderful people from the local Lions Club. Dance in the Park kicks off on Windsor Reserve shortly afterwards (lots of amazing professional and amateur dance performances) and there's a kids rummage sale, food, bouncy castle, fire engine, masseuse and even a flypast by the Westpac Helicopter.


Come on down and join the fun (and get some Christmas shopping done at the same time!)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Devonport Christmas Festival on this weekend and we are there!


It is only a week until the next Devonport Craft Market. This one is a little different in that it is being held on Windsor Reserve. We are part of the Devonport Christmas Festival, which incorporates the Lions Santa Parade, Just Workout Dance in the Park, a Children’s rummage sale, food stalls, bouncy castles and more!

Due to the market being held in the park there will be a mini Devonport Craft Market consisting of 20 of our wonderful stallholders for you to buy from. There will really be something for everyone and it is a great time to get some of those presents ticked off your to-do list whilst the kids are being entertained.

The Devonport Craft Market will be back in the Community House for the first market of the year on February 14th.

For all you stallholders, applications will open for the market on January 11th.




Craft Social will be on the 13th December 7.30pm at the Community House. All welcome. Cost is $3pp and the theme for the Craft Swap is “Summer Holidays”
Hope to see you for a fun filled, exciting day on Sunday!

The Sarah’s Bird and McLeod

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Extra Curricular - it has arrived

A wonderful idea developed by a wonderful crafter. Miss Ellie Smith is launching her new crafting companion "Extra Curricular" which is dedicated in essence to the crafter who does it all. Work, family and craft.

The launch party is to be held Thursday night and promises to be a fun filled event with cupcakes and crafters (what a good combination) and a bit of good cheer thrown in. If the blogosphere is anything to go by, there is really going to be standing room only.

DCM has an advert in the first mag - we are excited to share in this wonderful adventure with Extra Curricular and wish it and Ellie Smith all the best.

Extra Curricular will be on sale at the Songbird Designs stall at the next Devonport Craft Market 6th December, but if you can't wait till then, check it out at Kraftbomb 29th November or buy online at Felt (although it appears that it is going like hotcakes on there...)

Monday, November 16, 2009

It was..... SPECTACULAR




What a day we had at the Devonport Craft Market! What a wonderful turnout! What a great day for Christmas Shopping!

We estimated over 1000 shoppers were out in force and they were treated to spectacular goodies from the 52 spectacularly talented stallholders.


The Devonport Craft Market Calendars (downloadable version to be uploaded shortly!) went down a treat, as did the Prize Draws. We need to send a massive thanks to the sellers who contributed product to the Prize Draws, without you this wouldn’t have happened and we had lots of very hopeful and very excited buyers wishing their’s was the golden ticket.
The winners of the draws were:
Prize One: Renee from Takapuna
Prize 2: Sharon from Ellerslie
Prize 3: Jane from Devonport.
Congratulations and enjoy your handmade products!


Plunket held court in the Fundraising Kitchen and they were really pleased with their day too. We were really happy to support such a worthy cause, and that spiced apple cake with custard…. YUM

The Devonport Craft Market takes a different tack for December. We are part of the Devonport Christmas Festival and we will be running a mini market on Windsor Reserve, which will start at 10 and finish at 3pm. The Lions Santa Parade which is the main event, kicks off at 11am down Victoria Road and  Dance in the Park starts shortly afterwards on Windsor Reserve. There will be lots of other food, fun and entertainment to enjoy so make sure you put the date in your diary and come on down. We will bring you more information before the day.

Thank you again to everyone who came along to the Christmas Spectacular Market and supported your local handmade crafty makers and sellers.

Thanks
The Sarah's Bird & McLeod










Friday, November 13, 2009

Christmas Spectacular - The big shout out

Well it is nearly time for the Devonport Craft Market Christmas Spectacular. This market is set to be huge with over 50 stall holders (see list on right hand side of the blog), giveaways, prize draws (x3), buskers, food.  What more could you want??

This is the place to do all of your Christmas Shopping - there is truly something for everyone - check out the Christmas Gift Show case (links on the right hand side) to see some of the buying options! 

To help you with your shopping, we have created a shopping list so you can note down all of the things that you find that you want to buy for people - this way you won't forget what you have seen. You can download the shopping list here or grab one from the Devonport Craft Market Stall (just inside the main doors to the Community House) on Sunday.

We will also be offering you the option of joining the Devonport Craft Market so we can get you information on Market news and seller info. If you want to join now please email your name and email address to thedevonportcraftmarket{at}hotmail{dot)com. We won't bombard you with emails but we will get you all the hot market info you need!

This really is going to be the place to be tomorrow!! Hope to see you all there!

All the best
The Sarah's (Bird and McLeod)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Craft Social Sunday 8th November



It was a cold night but 5 brave crafters ventured out to the Devonport Community House for Craft Social. There were a mixture of new and regular Craft Socialers but a good time was had by all.

The theme for the Craft Swap was Christmas. Check out the lovely wares that were made and swapped.









Details for the next Craft Social to be posted soon.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

The Devonport Craft Market Shopping List

We have created, for your shopping pleasure, a shopping list that you can print and download. Bring it along to the Market on Saturday and keep track of all of the presents you want to buy for your special people.

You know how you walk around the market and find something you like but want to look around the whole of the market before buying? Well this way you can keep track of the things that you like and never forget again!

Copies of this shopping list will be available at the Devonport Craft Market Stall and we will also be handing them out at the Ferry building on Friday night.

You can also download the document by clicking here

Don't forget to check out the Christmas Spectacular Showcase by clicking on the gift guides on the right hand side of the blog! New items added to the showcase and the prize draw hamper over the weekend!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Craft Social Tonight

Just a quick reminder that Craft Social is on tonight at the Devonport Community House, Clarence Street (the market venue) from 7.30pm. The swap theme is "Christmas". All welcome. Cake and coffee provided. The cost is $3. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Meet the Seller - Olivia Coote from Lily's Make Believe


Meet Olivia Coote from Lily's Make Believe. A Devonport Craft Market regular, traveller extraordinaire and a very creative gal.

How long have you been involved in your craft?
At least 5 years.

What is your craft?
Almost anything, I have always stuck with jewellery making as a base but at the moment am working with paper a lot, paper cuts and prints. I love to sew and knit too. I like to work with anything really, except macaroni and gold spray paint, I drew a line there at 6, but it's something my friends like to tease me with!

How did you get started creating?
I started making jewellery for family and friends when I was about 15, it's been a small addiction since then that grows each year. My friend, Rosemary, and I had so many ideas and would spend hours together knee deep in beads, pliers, wire etc.


What inspires you?
Right now I am overwhelmed with ideas that have stemmed from my trip overseas, hence all the bits and pieces with maps. So that is a major source of inspiration at the moment, I hope to keep travelling in the years to come! But I think what inspires me and drives me most is the work of others, everyday I see something that makes me think 'Genius, I wish I thought of that', it makes me work harder.

What is your favourite book?
The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

What is your favourite food?
It's a dead even tie between sfogliatelle and frittatine. One sweet and one savoury but both so good!

Favourite inspiration site; blog or online shop
Favourite. Singular! Far too hard to call. Can I do a top 3? In no particular order, flickr, I could spend hours on there, and of course etsy too, a visit to etsy is lethal, and no. 3, would have to be a new addiction, 'What I wore today, drawings only' It's a flickr pool where you draw your days outfit and upload it, a mix of fashion and illustration, two things I love, perfect for the shy amongst us, there are so many talented people contributing it's a delight to 'flick' through.

How did you come up with your stall / shop name?
Well, it was all a bit of a mess really that just stuck. I soon hope to shorten it to be just 'Make believe'. It's attempting to be a play on the whimsy of childrens make believe and to 'make' and to 'believe' in yourself and your things.

Apart from The Devonport Craft Market, Where can people buy your work?
I do some other markets around Auckland, Kraftbomb in Greylynn, the new Crafternoon Tea in Kingsland, and I'm doing some small pre-christmas pop up markets this year. I also stock my wee owls in Swonderful in Wellington, Texan Art Schools here in Auckland as well as Pauanesia and Queenies Lunchroom.

See Olivia and her world of make believe at the Devonport Craft Market Christmas Spectacular, 15th November. She has also kindly donated a "Take me Here" artpiece to the Christmas prize draw!

Prize Hamper for Christmas Spectacular & Craft Social




At the 15th November Christmas Spectacular there will be 3 prize draws made! Every customer who purchases product over $15 will be furnished with an entry form to the draw!

To check out the loot that will make up the prize draws click HERE. Thank you to all our wonderful sellers who have contributed their special handmade beauties to the draw.

We will also have special Devonport Craft Market Giveaway, available from the Devonport Craft Market Stall (just inside the main doorway) So make sure you stop by and get one.

As a reminder, CRAFT SOCIAL is on this week.
  • Cost is $3pp
  • 7.30pm Sunday
  • Devonport Community Centre
If you come along you may even get a sneak peak at the Christmas Decorations being prepared for the Christmas Spectacular.

Two more things!
1) Don't forget to check out the Christmas Gift Showcase (links on the right hand side)
2) look out for a new Meet the Seller post this afternoon

Thats all for now folks
Have a good day!
S&S

Monday, November 2, 2009

Christmas Spectacular Showcase

We are really proud of the sellers that we have at the Devonport Craft Markets and of the extremely creative and high quality wares they produce.

A record number of sellers will be out in force at the Nov 15 Christmas Spectacular market.

If you want to plan in advance and check out some of the wonderful wares that will be available. Check out the photo sets we have created below.

We have asked our sellers to indicate whom they feel would be a worthy recipient of their products.
Keep coming back as we will be updating this photo showcase Daily.
There is also a set on links on the right hand side!

Enjoy

Sunday, November 1, 2009

If there was a Crafting Olympics...

... we'd have some winners at the DCM.
As many of you know, it was the Auckland Marathon yesterday as well as our first of the month Devonport Craft Market. One of our amazing regular stallholders, Hayley (Blankies), managed to not only run the full marathon but she made it down to the market to take over from her husband selling her wares. She's pictured here a little tired but still smiling, holding her rather impressive medal.


I wish we had thought ahead enough to make her a special market medal too. You definately deserve a Gold medal for Determination in Crafting when you run a marathon and then turn up at the market afterwards. Congratulations Hayley!
Another impressive feat of crafting determination was performed by Roslyn of Beinzstalk who was at the venue around 4.30am so that she could avoid the road closures and be set up in time. Thanks so much for making such an effort Roslyn!
And lastly but not leastly... thank you to the two wonderful ladies from Felt and Black Swan Designs, who flew up from Christchurch to exhibit at yesterdays market. It was great to have you there.


There's another Devonport Craft Market just around the corner. The next one is our big Christmas Spectacular on Sunday 15th November 10am-3pm. Its a fantastic place to come along to do your Christmas shopping. We'll have a prize draw and giveaways too so well worth the trip. We'll be posting photos of the contents of the hamper soon so watch this space.
See you soon!
Sarah B and Sarah M

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Sneaky peek


Here's a quick sneaky peek of a few of the types of goodies that will be on sale at the market this Sunday. Hope to see you there (10am-3pm Devonport Community House)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Meet the Seller - Jess Whiting of Bam Bam Creative



Meet Jessica Whiting of Bam Bam Creative, A name very familiar in Auckland Craft circles. Learn a little about what makes this crafter tick! 

How long have you been involved in your craft?
my whole life! But in this avenue, about a year

What is your craft?
I make fabric covered wall art, magnets, brooches, cards and special one of a kind fabric works on canvas. My work is definitely vintage inspired and I guess you could say it's a little bit Kitsch — in all the right ways.


Each piece is hand drawn, hand cut then covered in meticulously selected fabrics from a HUGE stash that I have collected over the years from markets and 2nd hand stores — some of them are new however, it depends what catches my eye really.

My designs are based on animal silhouette's with Fawns, Rabbits, Mice and Squirrels. I also make New Zealand native bird shapes of Fantails, Tui's, Kereru and Nga Huia Birds. I try and come up with a new design every couple of months, so there is always something new to look at.

How did you get started creating?

It all came about out of necessity really (as the best ideas often are!) — I was re-decorating my daughters bedroom and wanted something a little different to put on the walls. I found that normal decals were quite destructive and expensive, so I came up with this idea after a bit of mucking around (and plenty of prototypes later...) I posted some of the 'before' and 'after' room make-over photo's on my facebook, had loads of positive comments from my friends — the spark that started the fire!

What inspires you?
the fabric! I love to buy fabric and am often inspired to create a silhouette by the pattern. For example, my first design was the 'Babe in the Wood' fawn, and that was inspired by the 'Birds and Butterflies' print, and has been the most popular so far and has received quite a bit of attention.                      
                     
What is your favourite book?

The Danish Girl' by David Ebershoff — such a beautiful book, and really inspirational, I always want to paint again after I read it.                       
                     
What is your favourite food?
Japanese! Kura on Queen St is my absolute favourite restaurant, I could eat there everyday for the rest of my life quite happily.                       
                     
Favourite inspiration site, blog or online shop?
I have so many it was hard to narrow them down!
                                       

How did you come up with your shop / stall name?
ah ha! This is actually a question that I get asked a lot and it can be really hard to answer! The 'Bam Bam' part was a bit of a joke between myself and a friend of mine, so when it came to creating my own business name it was the natural first choice. I chose it because it can mean lots of different things to different people, it's also a name that is hard to forget and makes quite a cute personality — and it gets a bit of a laugh which is always good! I combined it with 'Creative' so that I can use the name for my Graphic Design work, along with my other creative works and not just limit myself to craft.

Apart from the Devonport Craft Market, Where can people buy you work?
Each month I endeavour to be at Kraftbomb (last Sunday of the month, Grey Lynn Community Centre)


Jess is also one of the brains behind Auckland Craft Collective (go Jess!)
See Jess and her Bam Bam Creative wares at the next Devonport Craft Market (1st November 10-3pm, Devonport Community House, Clarence St, Devonport)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

1st November Market gearing up to be a good one!

The next Devonport Craft Market is just over a week away. A list of our fabulous sellers will be uploaded to the blog over the weekend so you can check out who will be there.

Check out the lovely poster for the 1st November Market. Designed by Cat Taylor of Cat Taylor Designs - Thanks Cat.



and lastly but not leastley, we have a monthly advert going in NZ House and Garden Magazine-Directory section. The first one is in this month and we are very excited! Check it out for yourself below!

 

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Meet the Seller- Porcelain Rove




Say Hello to one of The Devonport Craft Market & Craft Social's regulars - Jaime Young of Porcelain Rove



How long have you been involved in your craft?
All of my life in some way I have always loved creating things and making gifts for friends and family.


What is your craft?
At the moment I work primarily in the medium of clay, slip-casting vessels curios and whatever else I can imagine. My cups are cast from disposable coffee cups that I have decorated. I shape them after they have left the mould changing the surface contour, colour and size so every piece is unique.

How did you get started creating?
When I was little we had a brilliant make and do book  that I spent many rainy days making things from the articles, I became quite addicted to creating with clay while completing a bachelor of design.

What inspires you?

So many things, nature, urban landscapes, new things, old things. I love tactility and connecting with an object through the experience of using it. I find clay very inspirational, the way it changes from a soft mouldable lump to a finely finished smooth functional and durable creation that many of us as an everyday part of our lives. 

What is your favourite book?
I also adore curious stories like Alice in Wonderland, a twisting of reality, the somewhat unusual. I want to share this through the items I create something surprising and unexpected, objects that are not readily available elsewhere.

What is your favourite food?
I’m a slightly obsessive baker… so muffins, scones and biscuits preferably with chocolate.           

Favourite inspiration site; blog or online shop


How did you come up with your stall / shop name?
Fate mixed with practicality, I chose the name as my email address about 8 years ago and after discovering a love of ceramics it stuck.

Apart from The Devonport Craft Market, Where can people buy your work?
Kraftbomb
Direct from me by email porcelain_rove@hotmail.com or Blog: jamieyoung.wordpress.com


You can see Jaime and her beautiful work at the next Devonport Craft Market (1st November 2009, 10-3, Devonport Community House, 32 Clarence St, Devonport)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Craft Social - This Sunday Night



Come along - Be Crafty and Social!

Theme for the Craft Swap this month is Pink or Breast Cancer Awareness.

Details:
Sunday 11th October
7.30pm
Devonport Community House
$3 per person

Hope to see you all there!