I hope you had an amazing Xmas. We sure did! it was a scaled back xmas from times before but what was truly lovely for our family was all the thought that went into our gifts. We took turns unwrapping and making the moment last as long as we could. Our meal was divine and I am proud to say I outdid myself from years past. I channeled every great cook i knew and also a couple grandmothers for good measure. We had a Lemon white wine and Sage Butter basted free range turkey with gravy, Cranberry and cashew stuffing, new potatoes, Summer corn on the cob, garden fresh green beans. Xmas pudding was spiced stone fruit pie with caramel ice cream. My son had 3 helpings! The best was the SUN and i mean the most beautiful sunny day i have ever seen in Wellington. The day was amazing and dare i say perfect. Perfectly happy, perfectly simple, perfectly delicious.

What lovely lovely bits and pieces we have from local mother hen of craft Sue Tyler.
New Susan Victoria range. Allie already beat me to my favourite. you gotta be quick around here. All styles only $37.50 yep you heard me. see you soon.

Lots of lovely bits and pieces coming in today!

So much fun opening all the packages! weeeeeee. Just remember kids we are open up until Dec 23rd. So don't freak out if you need something just pop down to juniper. We are open late weekdays till 6pm. Also we will gift wrap EVERYTHING for you in record time. Literally we can make your shopping for xmas enjoyable and more importantly save you money and time. See you soon!

Disaster UK mini satchel $80

owl ring (gold or silver colour) $5.50 ea

cat rings (gold or silver colour) $5.50 ea

So You have ordered the turkey and the pantry is stocking up and you are planning the pudding...Now comes the table. Whether its family & friends or just you and that special someone it is so important to have a special glow of a candle. My pick for candles is

Ester & Erik self extinguishing candles are created in such a way that they look beautiful, even as they burn. The traditional Danish dipping method creates perfectly shaped candles, which burn for up to 25 hours - always with a clean, steady flame. No dripping, no odours, no soot. Simply stunning.

Availble in store now. $20 for a set of 2

And check out our great range of marimekko paper napkins.

A very special thanks to all my friends, Facebook and Blog. From now till Dec 22 we have tiny thank you goodie bags in store under our tree for you. Just simply come in and pick one. A very merry xmas to you all. You make this job a lot of fun and so very worth it. xox Mindy & Family

This week we have been thrilled to receive box after little box of beautiful and interesting little treasures. Quirky and fine. Surprisingly all have this theme running through, bright blue, warm brown and vivid yellow. These are the colours of summer sky, sand and sun. I was really inspired by them and in a matter of minutes this display was born. I love it when that happens. it sometimes takes a lot of time staring at the boxes and putting up and taking down. But every so often it's like the items do it themselves :) and I'm just along for the ride.

Japanese masking tape $6 each or 3 for $17

Flora Waycott Tea towels $25

Coral Resort Necklace $32


Chalk plates! $20 comes with chalk.





perfect gift for the foodie kitchen dweller.





made by little ol' me.

Yes my heart is full. With the delivery of a half a dozen bits of heaven that are Amy Butler handbags. UH! Simply one of the most influential fabric designers of the last 10 years her new handbags are no exception. The last two shipments we received sold out in a matter of days. Don't miss these.
As a gift for yourself or for someone that LOVES beautiful things any of these will be perfect. from simply perfect clutches to Gorgeous Large travel bags.

Ohhhhhhhh yes. We have them. The wonderful the most useful, the extremely cute, Washi tape!!! (Japanese Masking Tape) I am obsessed and i think i have used these babies in every way imaginable. If you are an avid sketcher, artist, designer or writer, than these are so very useful for you.
$6 each or a pack of 3 for $17 Come on in before they get snapped up by all the savvy uni students.

Have a lovely week.

x mindy

Our last Lucy Dip Craft Night of the year was this last Thursday. I decided on three mini projects with a xmas theme. The first project was decopage ornaments using vintage maps, music sheets or text. (time 45 minutes) The second was wee gift boxes (time 20 minutes) and the third paper lanters for votives. (time 10 minutes for a set of 4) Thank you to everyone who joined our Lucky Dip craft evenings this year! I have had a blast and you all have made it so rewarding for me. To see the joy and excitment you all have had for my projects gives me heaps of inspiration for next year.

Next to the pleasantly plump red suited guy there is nothing more christmasy than a gingerbread house. And one turned into MAAAAAANY houses. Our very own wintery village. All 9 kgs of icing sugar, 18 egg whites and 10 kgs of lollies of it. I know it is NOT winter on this end of the world but no matter how long i have been here in this lovely country, come xmas time my mind is transported to what i grew up knowing xmas to be. So many of my expat Brits, Canadian and fellow American customers and friends have a real soft spot for that sort of thing so this years xmas window is dedicated to you all. Young and old. To your inner child with wintry north pole endeavours. It took three days to complete. And I treasured everyone of them. Doing this with my kids was truly something i will never forget. Memories and hysterical laughs (most possibly from sugar inhalation).

I hope you'll come over to have a look and if you are driving by at night...its all lit up then too.

Lastly, I looked up from my desk this afternoon to spot an old man with a cane stopped in his tracks. he gingerly hung his walking cane on his arm while he searched in his pocket pulled out an old school snap camera and took a picture of the window display. Then he slowly walked away with a smile. I don't think i have ever been so proud of a display. It really touched me.

GLORIOSA LILY

One of my all time favourite summer flowers. It is a Native to Zambia. Every single bit of this flower is exotic. Long lasting and definite WOW factor. They are in store now pick some up for the house.

We have gorgeous paper flowers, angels and lanters by Dutch stationery designer, Jurianne Matter. The kits come with a selection of different flowers in various colour combinations and have all sorts of uses. Stop in and we'll show ya how you can use these lil beauties. Perfect for xmas!!!

Sew NICE!
After a year in our little fixer-upper of a house I have finally got myself a space carved out for a sewing room. We decided that there were enough beds in the house to accommodate extra guest without using the spare bedroom so it has been reborn as MINDY'S LADY CAVE! It is so lovely to have all my things organised and in one location that i don't have to pack away when i need to cook dinner. I was so happy at the end of the day when i hung the last item that i sat there at the desk and just smiled. I don't for one second assume its going to remain this tidy as anyone who knows me knows that when i create and go all at it. Materials flying everywhere. I like to tidy at the end. It's just how i roll. I wish i could be like friends of mine that tidy as they work. Funny i cook the same way. So here's to many happy weekends spent in my little room. I can't wait to paint it! but that will have to wait. We have more pressing matters around the house.

PLUNKET UPDATE: A massive Thank You to everyone who came out in support of our 4th Annual Charity Fabric Auction for Plunket Rongatai. It was a lovely evening filled to the brim with textile delights and many happy faces. I would also like to say a special thank you to the 15 designers and interior houses who gave so generously and to the cafes and restaurants that donated food. And to Dusty & Lulu the graphic artists that created our stunning poster.
On a sad note recently Plunket Rongatai lost it's Newtown Clinic this year to the new building codes for earthquake safety. As it was deemed unsafe and could not be fixed without great expense. Much strain and hardship has been put on our nurses and committee to try to keep in touch with the community without a Newtown base. They will be working out of the Kilbirne Plunket offices for the foreseeable future. We hope the money raised will help them in their biggest time of need. If you would like to make a donation to Rongatai Plunket please contact them at their Kilbirnie office 387 7047

Need some ispiration as to what to make with your fabric you score at the fabric auction? Here's some i have collected. We'll see you there :)

* All above Images were obtained from google images under fabric craft projects.

THIS SUNDAY Its our Newtown Plunket Charity Fabric Auction. This is the place to be for fast good scores of amazing fabric that is top shelf stuff. It is the 4th year and we are so excited to see what we can raise for our plunket. So like this, facebook it, tweet it, open up your window and shout it to your neighbors if you have to. Just get the word out there! We need your help. I do hope you can make it!

*A huge thank you to Mike and Lindie of Dusty and Lulu for this years super cute Poster they designed for us. You can find their clever products and prints at Juniper.

Lovely Lucky Dip Craft Night! this months project was embellishing ceramic white plates with sayings that have personal meaning. Everyone did such an amazing job i was highly impressed with the finished projects. I did however underestimate the skill level of this group as they powered though the project in record time but due to last minute no shows we had enough extra plates for some of the ladies to do two! There's always a silver lining :)
If you'd like to have a go at this project stop by the shop sometime and I'll fill you in on the process and where you can buy the materials. But for a demo you have to come to a craft night for those. And we only have two more Lucky Dip nights of the year. October is fully booked but November is open. So book now.