Month: December 2016

If you’ve ever been to Wellington, NZ, you will know why the thought of outdoor markets gives so many stallholders anxiety. I have certainly done my share – trying to catch flying stock, hanging onto gazebos and umbrellas, worrying about rain, dealing with mud, watching the sky constantly… It can be calm and sunny when you leave the house, and by the time you pull over to start setting up, it’s like a totally different season. We have had gale force winds, snow, floods, electrical storms, weatherbomb lows… 

​And then there are the proper summer days. They say that you can’t beat #Wellingtononagoodday, and I have to agree – my city is simply stunning, when she feels like it. Thing is, here in NZ, we’re also dealing with something else – the ozone layer is thinner here, so we have a higher risk of sunburn and, of course, skin cancer. So whether the weather is foul or fair, we stallholders need a decent roof over our heads.

​The thing is, a cheap gazebo is more hindrance than help – and anyone who has ever seen a gazebo cartwheeling down a busy street can confirm that you need the sturdiest frame and fabric, as well as some serious leg-weights, to survive the Wellington winds.
I asked around other Wellington stallholders, listened to their horror stories and lessons learnt, and made my decision – I was going to get a Hercules gazebo.

I knew that I wanted a 3x3m, and I knew that I wanted it to be mainly white, so that the colour of the canopy didn’t  affect the colour of my wares. I decided to spend the extra to get a custom-printed gazebo – why miss out on that opportunity? Luckily, Hercules have a very helpful set of packages on their site, which really helped guide my decisions:
http://www.herculesstore.co.nz/index.php?route=product/category&path=64
What frame? What sort of bag? What printing package?
With their advice, I chose the Pro 37 frame, and it was excellent at its first market yesterday – easy to set up, reassuringly sturdy, and it looked amazing. I can’t stop looking at the photos, and I want to share them with everyone – I’m like a proud new parent 🙂

​It seems like just the other day, I was thinking about getting back into making things for craft markets – but that was waaaay back in April! And here we are, with Copper Catkin getting nicely established, back into the swing of things!

It’s been quite a year – the world has seen a lot of major changes, we’ve lost many treasured celebrities, we’ve had earthquakes and floods, and it’s sometimes seemed a little like the End of Days was come at last. As well as launching Copper Catkin, I’ve also taken on a full-time contract working in IT, and we have done evening courses in jewellery making and welding, I have started holding French conversation classes, and working at the Craft Central pop-up shop on Thursday evenings. As well as also working full-time in IT, and helping with the markets, George has been working on restoring motorbikes, and we have both been trying to fit in caring for our pets and our property. It’s been, frankly, hectic, and we’re both looking forward to the compulsory holiday shut-down with a great deal of anticipation. 
I have gone from around 10 to 229 published fabric designs on Spoonflower, and several dozen more awaiting some final touches before printing. I’ve been so busy that I’ve almost run out of earrings and pendants, and the ideas won’t stop coming – not  a bad thing at all 🙂

Next year, we will have more product lines, more OOAK (one-of-a-kind) artworks, more designs in fabric, and generally, more depth and breadth in our range of quirks for you to work. 

In order to pull that off, we’re taking a break – today was our last craft market for 2016. We will be back on deck and raring to go, starting with a bang at our first outdoor market as Copper Catkin – Eat, Drink, and be Crafty, a  Mana Lions Fundraiser for Wellington Free Ambulance, combining the best of hand-made crafts, artisan food and drink, and family entertainment in a rural setting.

The fair is being held on Saturday 28 January 2017, from 10-4pm at Battlehill Farm on Paekakariki Hill Rd. It’s been running for six years and attracts thousands of visitors from across the Wellington Region.

We attended the first couple of years as Phersu Dancing, and it was an absolute blast – we can’t wait to get back into it. 

To all our customers, and fellow stallholders, if we didn’t manage to catch you in person – we wish a very merry Xmas, a happy New Year, and the very best holiday season to every one of you <3
#CopperCatkin #WorkYourQuirk
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