Serendipity, Denise & Nanna's Closet

I just love serendipity!.."the faculty of discovering pleasing things by chance"

I think God must have made her up.

This week I had an unexpected txt from an old & very dear friend Denise who was in Hawke's Bay this week doing a course in biodynamic gardening.

Denise & our friends Jane & Shelley were living in a wee house in Hawera a long time ago. Here she is outside 27 High Street

 

Rob & I fell in love with this wee place & went about tracking down the owner Mrs Barley

We bought the house for $14,000 & spent the next 9 years living there.

Mmm the garden when we first moved in

Anyway it was so lovely to catch up with Denise & since we were in Napier we had a browse in the coolest shop: OOMA (Objects of my affection) that sells fabulous jewelery, bags, scarves & the most divine slippers that come from California

  I bought mine a few years ago now & I am so glad that it is nearly slipper

time again.

 Denise outside OOMA

There is a lot of reflection from the glass but isn't this the most fab window dressing!

I so fell in love with the little heart shaped rose brooches..on the slippers & on the bodice

What a perfect space for a florist..love the Art Deco lead light windows

                            

I just had to pop this in here..the dearest child's winter coat from the 60s..seen in the Antique centre in Tennyson Street

On my way home (& no I wasn't gone for hours & hours) I stumbled upon a little vintage shop at 181 Hastings Street, awaiting a sign, but aptly named "Nanna's Closet". A lovely lady with a life long passion for vintage "stuff" has set up a little business stocking her shop with as much New Zealand made vintage bits & pieces as she can lay her hands on. Very reasonably priced, there are certainly treasures to be found & it is always so nice to support lovely people having ago : )

Isn't this snuggly!

I adore these clip ons

How "Happy" is this apron!

And for the last serendipitous encounter of the week..I went to the door to find a lady wondering if I had any more pears for sale & also found this...comfy as you like!

And they had come with a car full of children!

The birds name: "Teddy bear pom pom"

Martha's Pantry

Well..Martha's Pantry..a wee ray of sunshine in the windy city. A dear little tea shop sitting by the motorway where the three "girls" serve high tea in the loveliest surroundings. By three girls I mean: mother Mary & her two daughters Ondine & Anita. The old brick building, did in fact once belong to Mary's cousin's grandmother Martha..now there's a mouthful : )

I love that the inspiration for Martha's Pantry came from the "The Buttery" the iconic old high tea rooms once gracing Woodward Street in Wellington. 

Sweet soaps & other gift ideas.

Love this!

 Actually a lot more work than you might imagine running a place like Martha's. Apparently the girls will quite often find themselves putting in a 12 hour day! No doubt that's how the food fight broke out one full high tea day..the sisters just stepping on each others toes..it is said that sandwiches were thrown & mooshed & Mary had to just keep calm & carry on! A bit of swearing, the lights snapped off & all over in 10 minutes..forgotten!.. well I don't know about the customers!

My delicious Earl Grey

My dear wee neighbour : )

Sparkly star biscuits (from the cabinet not my plate!)

Ziggurat: 144 Cuba Street

Walking into Ziggurat last week while in Wellington was a really peculiar experience for me. Amidst the racks & racks of vintage dresses, coats, blouses & other gorgeousness I was quite suddenly lost to another world. Reminded of Saturdays long ago at the Victoria Street Market & hunting for vintage stuff when I was 17. I now realize, it was the fabrics that most enchanted me & they still do. It's not about acquisition but expression, experiencing the stories & textures of another time & era through the beauty of fabric..& many times the romance of the the dress, the coat, the colour, the cut... 

 delightful vintage satin 

Style is what this shop is all about. All stock sold on commission

 from very old 1900's to boutique designer labels.

Truly a treasure trove, a haven for the glories of the past..a fresh chance for each piece.. each coat, hat,  handbag, pair of shoes, brooch, necklace or dress to find a new home, entreat love & admiration once more...to bring in turn delight, panache & romance...

oh how much we need this in our boring mass produced modern world!

Thank you Kate for your inspired & glorious shop & the photos.

Goodness & beauty in the city: Wellington

This year I have been trying really hard to focus on all that is: "true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious- the best not the worst, the beautiful not the ugly!" 

There has been sooo much hard stuff in the past in my life I have never been successful at hanging on to this before.. but this year is different. I have found my sense of place in the world & I am indeed finding beauty & goodness wherever I go.. 

Right beside this lovely shop in College Street is Madder & Rouge
where I found this gorgeous oil cloth "fabric"

Up & around the corner is Magnolia a delightful little shop, the owner having worked for Victoria Bliss magazine in New York as I recall.

I  just adore the formica table!

Speaking of which, I just have to include here one of my favourite magazines..the one I mentioned above:

 Victoria..not always easy to find in New Zealand but really worth hunting down.

I had a lovely time (as I do) making our room look beautiful. One of the girls kept saying she'd never seen it look like that before it looked so lovely!

I found this fab bag at Crabtree & Evelyn & the African bag I found for Rob at David Whites now so stuffed full of..well junk really that you have to stand there a few seconds & contemplate quite where you might step to next & hope that it doesn't all come tumbling down on top of you in the process!

 I found these sweet serviettes in Moore Wilson & when I went to open the packet discovered that they are Cath Kidston : )

We are a bit skinny on fabric shops these days but Wellington still has an Arthur Toy

so nice.. they have jazz playing in the shop..Billie Holiday & co.

And oooh I did fall in love with this very Sanderson cotton!

I found these dear little pink gloves in a quaint shop at the very top of Cuba St for $10.

The friendly, resourceful owner makes her living selling vintage clothes & doing alterations & repairs..good on her!

On the journey homeward we called in to Levin Traders in Queen St & I was so overwhelmed to find a whole stash of vintage fabrics, old curtains, crochet, & a Sanderson valance with little green dots & roses all over it ($3!) I feel overwhelming blessed!!!!

An April Vintage & First Aid Adventure: Wellington

Our new adventure took us to Wellington & back. Rob had two first aid courses to do & I got to tag along. Mannekins, muffins, flowers & pretty tablecloths & we were all set to go.

We decided to head down through the Waiarapa but first the Saly army shop in Dannevirke & a coffee at the Regent Theatre Cafe a few doors along. Our favourite Woodville Mart could easily be missed fortunately they have a great street facing picture window.

We managed to find the new premises of Country Charm in Carterton..so beautifully displayed.

Clothes, china, kitchenalia, ephemera..

We have been staying at Halswell Lodge for nearly a decade now & always feel right at home. The "Lodge" is the old grand home up the very steep driveway & has 7 delightful rooms available...old oak furniture, plastered ceilings, lead light windows & floral carpet! All quite different, each with access to a shared kitchen & a courtyard out the back.

Halswell Lodge is just right there in Courtney Place so no parking fees & a quick fly down the hill to Deluxe my favourite zany cafe. Great coffee, fantastic vegetarian really "whole"

food.

My wee friend... 

My yummy lunch: quinoa, kumara & artichoke ball with beetroot & almond pesto & chutney.

 

The naughty chair!? ; )..well if the child fits...