Dael and I are very excited to be launching our very first boutique shopping tour in a month's time - Friday 30th October. We’re fiercely proud of the amazing creative talent we have here in Hawke's Bay, as well as our beautiful scenery, and exceptional food and wine. Bibby + Brady Shopping Tours are a way for us to share 'our' Hawke’s Bay with you.
We will host a group of 8-10 guests on a tour of our favourite shopping destinations for incredible art, furniture and homewares. The ticket price is inclusive of transportation for the day, and morning tea and lunch at two delicious eateries (as well as interior tips and advice from us). You will be treated like V.I.P's receiving special offers and/or the chance to meet and talk with the artists and store owners. Enjoy all of this while taking in our beautiful countryside along the way. This will be an experience to remember! You will come away feeling inspired and (hopefully) the proud new owner of some amazing pieces for your home. Why not get a group of your girlfriends together and make a day of it. We also have some fantastic accommodation options we can recommend to you, so email us for details. Tickets normally $245 per person, but as a special offer to our lovely Cush & Nooks readers, if you book before October 16th, you can purchase yours for $195. To find out more click here.
I love hearing how businesses are born and the Tinkered by story is an especially inspiring one. Australian sisters, Rachael Steadman and Kate Boston, had a vision to create a business together that was both fulfilling to them, as well as being a 'force for good'. With Rachael living in Western Australia and Kate in Kenya, the pair created a sustainable brand that brings superior handmade products to consumers, while having a positive impact on the artisans behind the products.
Artisan businesses in the developing world struggle to gain access to a global market where they can sell their goods. Tinkered by is committed to helping their artisans in East Africa to grow their businesses. They source all of the handmade products and work directly with the beautiful people that create them.
This is positive in so many ways... providing work and growing businesses, empowering women, helping families, cultural sustainability, connecting communities, and brighter futures for many. There's a wide range of products available, all beautiful and you know that each piece is unique. The jewellery is lovingly crafted using raw or recycled materials and each piece comes with a 'story of note'.
You can shop for beautiful homewares and accessories and know that you're not only receiving an amazing product, but also giving back to a community at the same time.
The rugs are also works of art. Raw wool is spun by hand and then dyed in barrels of boiling water over a fire. Dried in the sun it is then woven into beautiful thick woollen carpets with a gorgeous thick texture. The rugs are durable, hard wearing and naturally stain resistant due to the lanolin in the raw wool. Custom-made you can choose your design, colours, and size to suit your home and create a wonderful story that you are very much a part of. You will be guided through the process and have plenty of input.
I am completely taken with the range of Tinkered by toys. My favourites are the beautiful dolls, but the motorbikes and tractors made from wire and bottle tops are so clever!
If this business model has inspired you, Tinkered by has recently launched an extension to their business - the opportunity to become an Ambassador. You can create your own flexible business by marketing and selling the Tinkered by collection at in-home "Trunk Shows". These are parties where you can share the background stories and sell the quality products in a fun, no-pressure setting. As an ambassador you can choose when and where to sell and how much time you want to invest, so it is completely flexible with your lifestyle. This opportunity is currently open to Australian women, but Tinkered by hope to extend it to include New Zealanders in the near future. If you're interested to know more check out the website or drop them an email.
I'm excited to say (and when I say "excited", I mean back flips and fist pump kinda excited) that our new kitchen is 90% done. It's so close, but I don't want to reveal it until all the finishing touches have been completed. Over the weekend as I was putting things away in cupboards, I decided my shiny, new kitchen deserves some new accessories - the holey old tea towels just won't do! So I ordered one of the gorgeous new Skandi tea towels from Izzy & Jean.
They're part of a new collection of home textiles that are designed by a boutique designer in Denmark and produced in Morocco and India. The tea towels and throws (which can also be used as bedspreads or tablecloths) are made in a small family weaving workshop in Kerala, India.
Also part of the range, the black and white wool floor runners and pom pom throws are handwoven in Morocco by a cooperative of Berber women, using traditional weaving techniques. The pom pom throw is made from thick cotton with wool pom poms, and the runners are woven from thick sheep's wool.
While exploring all the new arrivals in the Izzy & Jean shop I found some other treats. Isn't the packaging cool on this Cedarwood Soap?! When you're shopping for yourself, pop one of these in your basket too, for the man in your life. He'll appreciate that the word "cedras" means power, and it's great for his skin and hair.
How about the Swedish Dream collection... a new range of ocean inspired soap and candles with fragrances fresh from the sea. Again the packaging is gorgeous, and will look great on display in your bathroom - almost too good to use!
One of my favourite luxuries at home are my linen sheets. They are so beautiful to sleep in - cool in summer and warm in winter - and get better with each wash. I need to get another set and have been keen to find some inky blue linen sheets, so was thrilled to see Izzy & Jean's range made in Lithuania, comes in four beautiful shades.
So if you're looking for something for your home, or as a gift, everything at Izzy & Jean is beautiful quality and I can highly recommend them. Go forth and shop! And look out for my tea towel soon in my kitchen reveal.
