Fashion as art....

Last week my sister Linda and I went into Auckland to have a look around and to reminisce about the places where we hung out when we were in our twenties. Quite honestly we were not expecting to see a lot of places still in business, but it was nice to look at the buildings where we worked, the fact that they are still standing was pretty amazing.

And of course, it was a good opportunity to window shop, we had a great time looking at the latest in Summer fashion and in particular the shoes and handbags, a particular favourite of mine. One of the things that struck me was how the window displays in the stores are works of art, and how fashion just keeps on going around in circles...

At the Louis Vuitton store there was a window display by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, she is famous for her artwork with dots..

Isn't that little handbag just the cutest.....  I was too scared to go in and check out the price

A few shops away from the Louis Vuitton store is this cute little shoe shop, a well known New Zealand brand , Andrea Bianni, their window display reminded me of the 60's and 70's, but with a bit more bling. Check out the heels on these babies...

 The shoes below were all the rage in the 70's, not too much of a difference is there? How about you, did you have a pair of these in your wardrobe?

Angela xx

Saturday Beach Find..

This morning we decided to take a walk along the beach, not unusual for us for a Saturday morning, I like to take the camera and see what is going on. The weather overnight has been very windy, coming in from the west blowing on shore and making for a cold and blustery walk.

We had only been walking  a few minutes when we came across a Seal pup, lying on the water's edge, not looking very well at all. When we got home we called the Department of Conservation and they told us that there had been numerous calls from the public along the west coast stretch of beaches of Auckland reporting sightings of stranded Seal pups. They were doing their best to get to them all, but realistically they said they were unsure if the pup would survive.  Poor wee thing, Mother Nature sucks sometimes.

The wind was moving the sand down the beach making sand waves ..

Angela xx

Quilt & Craft Show..

My sister Linda is visiting us this week from Brisbane, Australia. Linda is a fantastic hand knitter, as well as being the co-owner of Threads and More in Brisbane. She was very keen to go down to Hamilton to catch up with some suppliers who were exhibiting at the Quilt  & Craft Show.

 I am a lover of fabrics, and do a bit of sewing myself. But I'm afraid that the thought of all those quilts was a daunting prospect. I am in total 'awe' of quilters, or for that matter any form of fabric work.

The quilts on display were true works of art, and some were more like paintings. Here are a few pics I took of some of them I'm sure that you'll agree they are amazing...

This is a small section of a quilt  by an Australian quilter. The theme of this quilt was Aboriginal art, all of the dots are hand stitched, the colours are stunning.

Looking more like a painting than a quilt, this is just gorgeous..

This quilt is based on a Japanese theme..

The subject for this is The World, I love the black & white effect, the photo does not do this justice, there are words of peace and a dove embroidered onto the quilt..... 

All I have to say to all of you out there in blogland who are quilters, a big 'hats off' to you all, what a talented , patient bunch of people you are.

Angela xx 

Reflections...

Spring in New Zealand is usually a very wet season, and over the past few weeks it has been no different. Not far from our house there is this property that has a large field in the front with a lovely stand of trees. Through the Spring the field becomes a bit of a lake, and on a nice day the reflections are just lovely.

Last Saturday on the way home from the beach we stopped so that I could take some shots....
Enjoy.

Angela xx