Tiny Showcase

Left: Adam Hancher Right: Susie Ghahremani

I've been following Tiny Showcase for years, but this is the first time I've thought to blog about them! If you haven't heard of it, Tiny Showcase is a small print shop in Rhode Island that sells high quality,  limited edition prints from talented artists on a smaller scale, so you don't have to be rich to collect some great art. In addition to this, a portion of each sale goes to the charity of the artist's choosing, so everybody wins!

Souvenirs from New Zealand

Retro Funk Vintage shop in Oamaru

New Zealand and Australia are loaded with souvenir shops. There are good ones and there are bad ones, and my least favorite ones are the ones packed with cheesy, cheaply made imported junk. If I could only bring back one thing from New Zealand, why would it be made somewhere else? Because someone stamped New Zealand on it? Because it's in the shape of a kiwifruit?

My idea of a good souvenir is something made in the country, preferably by an artisan or a local factory. In New Zealand, all sorts of things used to be made domestically, before it was easier and cheaper to import. During many of my thrift store wanderings, I have come across many vintage garments, homewares and toys made in New Zealand. Here are a few of the great things Sam and I have collected in New Zealand.

Pumpkin Banana Muffin Recipe

When I came across this recipe via Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. However, I made a little change to cut out some of the fat. Instead of using a whole stick of butter, I used half butter, half applesauce. I also kept my liquids separate until the very end.

Family Reunion, Covington edition

Despite my woeful absence of late, I have not abandoned the blog! This post is extra long to make up for lost time. We just returned to Texas after nearly a month long visit to the east coast. This was my longest visit to Charleston so far, and we had a wonderful time catching up with Sam's family.

Neil Dawson's Large Scale Sculptures

Horizons appears as a giant, Lichtenstein-esque falling sheet on a green hillside in New Zealand.
Photo: David Hartley, from Neil Dawson's website

Thanks to my friend Jane, I recently came across this photo of Neil Dawson's sculpture Horizons, but as it turns out I've been admiring his work in situ for quite a while.

Lover's Eye Brooches

1. For sale at rubylane.com 2. Sold by georgianjewelry.com 3. Sold by georgianjewelry.com 4. Sold by georgianjewelry.com

As a teenager, I had a large section of one bedroom wall collaged with single, vignetted eyes, of all shapes and sizes, cut from various magazines. Some visitors to my abode found the display cool, others creepy, but I always liked the way it looked. Eyes can convey so much, and each one is as different as their owners. Therefore, when I saw these "lover's eye" brooches, I was smitten.

Family Reunion

Our first week back has been all about family. We arrived home on the same day my brother Jordan arrived home from Germany, where he's been living for the last couple years. Needless to say, my parents were thrilled. Our journey involved 30 hours in 4 airports and 3 airplanes, a 6 hour road trip, and 2 sunrises, but with the time change we arrived on the same "day" we left. It was definitely the longest day of my life.

Farewell, Nelson!

Nelson has become a second home, and with it we found a second family. The long-termers and fellow workers we met at Tasman Bay Backpackers were great, and we ended our time with them by having a rowdy and joyful party full of hugs, music, funkyball, late night breakfast and a little bit of braiding each other's hair.

Nelson Lakes Day Trip

We took a spontaneous day trip to the Nelson Lakes National Park with a few friends this week. The views were typical New Zealand stunners, and the sunshine made the chilly winter breeze very pleasant.

The Three Amigos (+ many more)

Sam has been playing a lot of music lately with Jeremias and Teppo, our fellow guests at Tasman Bay Backpackers. After serenading the hostel guests all week, the guys decided to try their hand at busking at the Nelson Market.