The Black Swan blog has a new home!

It's been a few months in the making, but finally it's time to announce the arrival of my fancy new Black Swan Designs website! Hooray!
So fancy in fact, that this blog is now redundant due to the new site being integrated with its very own blog... smarty pants eh!
So head on over to blackswandesigns.co.nz and check it out... : D

Quite possibly the best belated Birthday present ever...

It may have been a couple of weeks late, but it was well worth the wait... I'm now the proud owner of a gorgeous new travel case for my ukulele!
Handmade by the lovely and talented Lucy, (including 6 hours worth of hand embroidery on the intricate pattern that matches with the inside lining!) ...just beautiful!
Thanks Lucy and Mark xx

Bird's the word...

Hooray, another Etsy treasury feature! Again with fellow crafters inmybackyard and BamBamCreative

Etsy treasury feature...

It's always a nice surprise to find that one of your creations has been picked for an Etsy treasury, and even better when the creator lets you know so you can snaffle a look before it vanishes off into the depths of the internet!
This one also features the lovely work of fellow crafty friends inmybackyard and BamBamCreative

Slip yo...

The black swan has recently picked up another addiction, to sit alongside coffee, ping pong and playing the ukulele... crocheting flowers!

Lucy from felt.co.nz is organising slip, a crochet project as part of the Winter Garden that will be installed in the Square for the Christchurch Arts Festival, running from 23 July – 9 August, to which I'm donating the fruits (or flowers as the case may be) of my labour.

After initally feeling a little retarded with a crochet hook I've now got flowers down to a fine art, and have made 30 flowers to date! They are easy to pick up, and a fun way to spend a night infront on the fire. For all those crocheters and knitters out there, and keen learners, head on over to the slip blog for more details... crochetchristchurch.blogspot.com

Crafty goodness

Well, another Craft 2.0 is done and dusted... it was an amazing day down at Our City last Saturday, with the forecast snow nowhere in sight. As predicted, the keen punters were queued up well before 11am for the free goodie bags for a whole block down the road, and the people kept streaming through all day! A big thanks goes out to everyone who came along on the day, and to my helper Amy for making it possible for me to flit about all day talking to people and taking photos... roll on the next Craft 2.0 in Wellington, July 25th!

So, without further adue, here's a little Craft 2.0 montage from the day...


Mmmm... cupcakes...


The lovely Deidre from Shaky Isles truly upped the anti with her beautifully merchandised display... (top left)


My display on the left... thanks to Lucy and Briar for helping with my new table runner.

Craft 2.0 Sat June 6th!

Well, it's almost here... the second Craft 2.0 in Christchurch, Sat June 6th, 11am–3pm at Our City Otautahi on Worcester Blvd. There'll be free goodies bags for the first 50 adults and 50 kids through the door (which I helped stuff today with many exciting goodies), which had people lining up out the door and over the bridge last year, so get in quick!



I've also been working on a few new designs of my pendants necklaces...



My stall will be upstairs in the gorgeous old debating chamber on the day. Hope to see you all there!