Christmas Market Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the Devonport Craft Market - Christmas Market.
It is the last market to be held in the Community House for the year - the last market of the year will be held on the Windsor Reserve in Devonport as part of the Devonport Christmas Festival (note: there will be a smaller number of sellers at this market).
If you want to secure some quality HANDMADE gifts for the ones you like and love for Christmas.


Check out some of our gift guides below:

Gifts for Her

Gifts for Him

Gifts for Kids

Gifts for Teachers

Homewares

Secret Santa Gifts

Christmas Themed Gifts

See you Sunday with plenty of Christmas Cheer! There will be Jingles!!!

Meet the Seller - Renee from The Little White Box

Meet Renee from The Little White Box. I am a major fan of her stunning work and am building up a collection as we speak. I know you will love her work as you will love hearing about where it all began and some insights into Renee and her process!

What is your craft?

Ceramics and I’m a Ceramist who makes tableware from materials by the process of pottery. I’m not a ‘potter’ as they are craftspeople who shape clay on a wheel and then fire it. My pieces are made from moulds using a slip casting process so multiple can be made keeping the shape consistent. Once they come out of the mould, the ‘greenware’ is then fired to turn it into a porous bisque that is painted using a stamping process to ensure the uniformity of each design. They are then dipped into glaze and fired for a final time at 1160 degrees which ensure they become water tight vessels ready to use.

How did you get started creating?
I studied a bachelor of creative industries/visual arts and have been a secondary art and photography teacher for the past 10 years. When my little boy arrived I thought it was time to get back to being creative and threw caution to the wind and started The Little White Box last December so we are nearly one year old!

Where did your original inspiration come from?
I was 5 and drew a picture of  'Bambi' from a Walt Disney book and took it to show my Nana. I will never forget she said that I was an artist and I got that from my great grandmother. She showed me three oil paintings of stags hanging on her wall and from that day on I knew I was going to be creative. I think living in the UK for 10 years I was truly inspired by the the Victorian Potters of Stoke-on-Trent. I supposed I got caught up in this romantic notion of hand made craftsmanship, of skills that were learnt in yesteryear and set about crafting those skills myself.

What are you reading at the moment?
At the moment it would be my Yates Garden Guide for New Zealand was given to me as a birthday present. I’m new to gardening and it is just brilliant.

And what is your favourite food?
My mum’s homemade Monte Carlos - they are to die for a with a perfectly brewed cup of tea I’m in heaven (obviously drunk out of one of my country mugs)!!!!

Where do you get your online inspiration from?
Too hard to just mention a few. I had a look at my bookmarks and I have a folder called NZ Craft and a separate one called Inspiration. Between the two I have over 150 bookmarks. It goes without saying the internet is amazing and is an open source for inspiration (but then the library is too and there is nothing like thumbing through books and magazines!!)

Where did you come up with your business name?
The Little White Box is all about the notion of giving a gift, something unique and one-of-a-kind. Our logo is an optical illusion - you either see a hexagon or you see a box. That parallels the whole idea when you receive a gift and those first few seconds you open it - it’s what ever you want it to be.  I also like the idea that a little white box is a blank canvas to do what ever you want. I hand paint each item so it means no two pieces are exactly the same, creating little artworks in themselves.

When you are not at the Devonport Craft Market, where can people buy your wares?
My website and also in my FELT store

To celebrate this Meet the Seller Interview, The Little White Box have created a special offer for shoppers at the Devonport Craft Market. 


For the October 16th market The Little White box will be offering  20% of their website prices for that one day and if you spend over $30 you will receive a free Red Heart Ceramic Ornament valued at $6.

Thanks Renee for your generous offer.

Meet the Seller - Susanne from Rose Rouge

Meet Susanne from Rose Rouge. Susanne has been making, well, forever! Find out more about her and her special craftwork below.


Tell us what you do?
I combine my knowledge of sewing and embriodery to make a range of exquisite handmade gifts, for that very special someone in your life, that are uniquely crafted and cannot be purchased in stores.
I make silk ribbon and organza hand embriodered cushions.  Rose and Lavender hand embriodered fragrance bags that soothe the senses and smell fantastic.
Lovingly decorated lavender hearts, designer aprons, minature embroidered velvet bags and jewellery pouches are some of my most popular gift selections.

How did you get started creating?
I have always had a passion to create something beautiful.  When I was a child I would wait until the family went to bed and get mums sewing machine out and in the morning I had completed a fabulous garment to wear.  My mother always gave me alot of support and was amazed at what I had created.
After returning from travelling in the US I gave up corporate life to have a family.  My husband bought me a terrific sewing machine and an overlocker and I went to night sewing classes tolearn how to make the best use of them.
I found a real joy in the craft and love multi-tasking.  I found watching TV was just idol time and therefore, I often work on my embriodery at night.
Instead of spending hours shopping for generic mass produced items that everyone has or can get, I spent my time inventing and creating one-off uniquely special gifts for the people close to me and my friends.  As a hobby, I discovered that there was more joy in making these gifts for other people, who wished to delight their own friends with special gifts of love.


What inspires you?
My young daughter over the years has inspired me to make a lot of items that I never thought I could actually do.  As a child, she does not see any boundaries and has challenged me to make all sorts of unusual things and in a very short timeframe.  Mermaid tails, countless fancy dresses, teddy bears, ragdolls, wedding dresses made out of trash and so the list goes on.
Beautiful fabric has always inspired me and when I found that material was lacking something special, I started embriodering on it. Beautiful flowers also inspire me.  And of course being surrounded by a lot of very talented people at the Devonport Craft Market is really inspiring and rewarding.

What is your favorite reading material?
Your Home and Garden, Vogue, and Creative Embriodery.  Actually any craft books I can get my hands on at the Library.


Your favorite food?
High tea at The Brookview Tea House is one of my favourites. And summer fruits including mouthwatering strawberries.


What is your favorite online inspiration site, online shop or blog?
Trelise Cooper Fabric and Pretty Things has to be my favourite fabric store. www.trelisecooper.com
The Ribbon Rose  is a treasure trove I regularly visit.
and Etsy of course!

Where did the name Rose Rouge come from?
The name RoSe RouGe came from the fact that I just adore Roses and love all shades of the colour red. Coincidentally, the name contains both of my own initials - SG :)
As a result, you will find a lot of my gift range is embroidered with roses.


When you are not at the Devonport Craft Market, where can people buy your lovely products?
You can find me every Fortnight at The Orewa Craft Market  and The Kingsway Designer Evening www.shop4christmas.co.nz

Offer for Readers
Susanne has a wonderful offer for all readers of this profile - Mention you have read this RoSe RouGe interview and purchase two hand-embroidered fragrance bags of your choice in rose or lavender, for a very special price of just $16 (for both).   These will make an ideal gift or a special treat.  Great to stock up on now for Christmas.  Available while stocks last.

Meet the Seller - Jacqui from Ernie and Pears

A newcomer to the market scene, we have been so impressed with the stylings and offerings from Ernie and Pears.


Tell us about what makes up the Ernie and Pears range?
It is a range of bits and bobs. I think I am still trying to find my way in the crafting world but my direction lends itself towards bespoke home decor. I use British inspired fabrics and driftwood Ernie and I collect.


How did you get started creating?
It was all thanks to Judith from Ruby Jude and Vicki from Petit Bebe Creations. I would religiously  go to all the craft markets each weekend and have a lookie and dream of being a stall holder and each week they would encourage me to apply and just do it! So I did! Thanks ladies!

What inspires you?
I love the British crafting community, beach combing with Ernie, beautiful fabrics and linens, domestic blogs and the fact that if I try I can achieve.


So something about you.... tells us about your favorite book and favorite food?
My favorite book would be "Ten Sorry Tales by Mick Jackson - it is AMAZING! Short and outrageously sweet stories. It's in the Auckland Library.
And my favorite food.... well....Anything naughty!




Where on the internet do you find inspiration?
I love the following blogs:
Mousehouse 
No Big Dill 
M.e 
Charlotte Macey Textiles 


How did you come up with the name Ernie and Pears?
I have a little sausage dog called Ernie and I love him to bits so I decided to name it after him. And the Pears.... it's a secret. 

When you are not at the Devonport Craft Market, where can people buy your lovely wares?
I am lucky enough to have the support from Christina down at Port Rd Gallery in Whangamata. She has a fleet of my bespoke driftwood boats.

Meet the Seller - Saskia from Saskia.N Designs

 

Meet the lovely Saskia from saskia.n Designs.

Saskia has been creating hand cast crafted resin jewelry since 2005. See some of her lovely work and find out where it all began.

Where did you learn your craft?
I was introduced to the process at Art School in 2005, and then picked it up again last year for an exhibition, where I made jewellery that featured images from my paintings/prints on show.  The jewellery was a hit, and I had a lot of spare resin so decided to make some more and it just expanded from there!
What inspires you?
Paper, colour, illustrations, papercraft, Hayao Miyazaki- Studio Ghibli films, Andy Warhol, Rosalie Gascoigne, design, flowers, stamps, coins and anything exciting I can stick in resin!

Tell us about your favorite book and food?
For the book - Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. (I just couldn't decide...) and for the food: Ginger Crunch, Sushi and mandarins mmmmmm

Where do you go for online inspiration?
Etsy - I Love browsing all the amazing art, clothing, vintage products and designs other amazing people are making!

Where did you come up with the name for your stall?
I wanted something simple that I could use to separate jewellery design from my other art work, but still keeping my name in the mix.

When you are not at the Devonport Craft Market, where can people buy your goodies?
In my FELT store, my Facebook Page and also on www.heartscollective.com
You can also find me at some other markets in Auckland (Crafternoon Tea and The Mt Eden Craft Market)

Special Offer:
Saskia has a special offer for all readers of this profile. Mention that you read the profile and receive 15% discount off total spend price - WOW - Alsoevery purchase comes in a cute wee box with a baby origami crane! Thanks Saskia - very generous!