My kind of paradise (the new Junk and Disorderly)!

Yesterday was one of those rainy, miserable days when all you want to do is go treasure hunting!  Now you might remember that I wrote about the old Junk and Disorderly store quite a while back, it was my favourite place to lurk.  Well a while back they opened an even bigger shop down the road and let me tell you, it's AMAZING!  You could spend hours walking through the little gaps between the piles of treasure, pulling back boxes that reveal other hidden goodies and back tracking a million times because you know your always going to find something you hadn't seen before.  I, of course came out with the dirtiest old shelf (which I didn't realise was actually white until I  brushed some dirt off) that came from a mechanics shed, and a handful of other small bits and pieces.
So there you have it, if you're ever in Auckland go and check out this store!!
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The Studio

Let me tell you, that mother of mine is one talented lady!  I am constantly in awe of what she achieves and how no task ever seems too daunting for her.  I'm especially proud of her amazing pottery.  She began learning pottery over 30 years ago (just before I came along and put a halt to everything).  She then went on to raise five children, run a small farm, keep a huge vege garden and generally get on with life.  Then when my youngest sister started school my mum finally had time to pursue her own interests again.  Pottery crept back into the picture and she's never looked back.  Not only is she always selling in galleries, exhibiting in some pretty impressive places and winning awards, she also seems to constantly get invited to the most exotic corners of the world because of her work.

Every year before Christmas she holds an open day.  The benches a scrubbed, pottery is pulled out from the furthest reaches, cakes are baked, flowers picked from the garden and the studio doors flung open for all to come and see the workspace.  This year was a particularly big success and it was so nice to see how excited people were when they walked in.  To us she's just our mum, but to others she's clearly somewhat of an inspiration.  You might even say she has a fan following!

Anyway I just wanted to share a bit of her studio and what has become my absolute favourite place to go and hang out!
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About town: The Selby in Auckland

Sometimes you need to see your town from an outsiders point of view to really appreciate it.  I've never been a fan of Auckland.  I've always thought that it was too spread out, too uncultured, it had no real heart, no creativity, agh I couldn't wait to leave!  And in my defence, when I was 17 years old I packed my bags and moved to Germany swearing I would never return.  Ermmm but a year later there I was standing at Auckland airport feeling a little defeated.  A few years later I moved back to Europe (yeah, yeah never to return... you know how it is) and yet once again I was drawn back a year later.  Only this time I was in Auckland for a mere two weeks before packing the old family wagon full of my belongings and hitting the road for Wellington.  I managed to stay there for a few years (having the time of my life) before the big city sucked me back again.  Even then I never intended to stay, I always saw it as a transit town for me, a place to lay low until the next adventure presented itself.  Then I met a boy who I quite fancied, he had just committed himself to a 4 years degree here and I wasn't about to take off without him again.  We made so many plans to move to Wellington, Melbourne, France, Asia... anywhere but here! Naturally life had other ideas though, in perfect timing with him finishing his degree, we're going to be first time parents.  Okay, okay we get, we're supposed to stay put.  At least for a while!  Having finally (reluctantly) accepted that made me start to look at this city with more openness and you know what I discovered??  There are some really talented, interesting people and places tucked away around here.
I remembered that Todd Selby was in Auckland earlier this year and worked his magic on photographing some of these people and places.  Wow how different it all looks through the eye of an outsider...

The Cafe - Coffee Supreme
I've only been here once about a couple of years ago.  We intended to meet friends there for breakfast which alas they didn't do.  But we still had a great cup of coffee and you're so busy being entertained by all the interesting decor that you forget to have conversations with your friends!

The Restaurant/ bar - Coco's Cantina
I'm embarrassed to say that I've never been here before but I've sure heard a lot about it.  This place is supposed to be amazing for both food and as a bar later in the evening.  Really need to head in and check it out!

The home - Charlotte Rust
Agh I just love this beautiful home!  Charlotte used to own one of THE vintage stores in town called Fast and Loose which sadly closed down a year or two ago.  She has this awesome kind of rock n roll vintage style.  You know, it was one of those shops that you couldn't help but feel cool in!

The studio - Gidon Bing
I have never heard of this artist before but I love his style.  Have you ever seen such a clean, beautiful studio space??

The garden - Stephen and Lucy Marr
I just know the name Stephen Marr because a friend used to work at his hair salon in Ponsonby.  His brand has quite a hip, up market feel to it so I was a little surprised to find that they have such a beautiful down to earth style.  I love it when people surprise me like that ;).

You can check out more kiwi homes on the Selby here.  What do you think about your hometown?  Is it full of hidden treasures and interesting people?
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About town: Ahoy Cutie

You know how sometimes you come across those little shops where every direction you look, you can't help but go 'awww'?!  Yeah, Ahoy Cutie is one of those stores!  It's kind of like Dia de Los Muertos dipped in candy floss.  There are beautiful old Crown Lynn plates like your grandmother had, decorated in skulls, sailing ships and Mexican religious images hanging on one wall.  On another are bone necklaces in pastel colours that look good enough to eat, and beside them hang a rack of equally cute latex underwear.  Best of all everything in store is handmade by some seriously crafty local talents. 
Ahoy Cutie is basically the new permanent home for the pop up shop we did a little while back.  I can't recommend going to check out this little store enough because there actually isn't a better place in town to stock up on Christmas presents AND support local artists at the same time!
Oh and make sure you check out this up coming market while you're at.

SHOP INFO:
Currently stocking:
MissTiki
Rosie Squish
Bedrock Bones
Cheek.Pinch
Amy Trouble
Juano
Bang Cosmetics
Say Hello
Erika Ware
Brigette Boop Couture
Elliquiant

Opening hours:
Wed & Thurs:  11am - 6pm
Friday              11am - 5pm
Saturday          11am - 4pm

Address: 
214 Karangahape Rd, Auckland. (Okay this place can  be a little tricky to find because it is hidden away down an arcade. The easiest way to find it is to look out for the big Instant Finance office, you'll see a long corridor beside it.  That's where you need to wander down.  Don't be frightened, there is a whole lot of cuteness waiting for you at the end of the rabbit hole!).

Contact:
ahoycutie@gmail.com

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Junk & Disorderly: A little slice of heaven

Welcome to one of my favourite places in Auckland!  Naturally it's a junk shop filled to the brim with everything from vintage furniture, so surfboards, books, tools, clothes and an awful lot of unidentifiable objects!  Junk and Disorderly isn't one of those places that you'll simple stumble upon in your travels because it's rather well hidden.  It's tucked away in an industrial area of Birkenhead, down a long suburban street and inside a huge warehouse.  Once you're inside you truly understand that it lives up to its name!  It is so packed full of stuff that there are only narrow walkways between piles that you have to squeeze your way through.  What I really love about this place is that they have a high turnover of stock.  This means that you are likely to come across new and amazing pieces no matter how often you frequent the shop (ermmm rather often in my case).  The pricing is also very reasonable and sits somewhere between second hand and antique shop $$.  Let's just say that this is my rainy day hangout!  Oh and be prepared to give yourself an hour or so because you're going to want to walk around this place at least ten times to make sure you've seen everything.
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Just like at Grandma's

 Would you look at that sister of mine!  Sure she arrived nearly 20 minutes too late for our tea date... but I'll excuse her for that because she walked in looking like a stunning 1940s bella!  After our disappointing trip to the Tea Lady last week  (because they were closed even though their website said otherwise) we decided not to give up and headed back again on Monday.  I'm so glad we did!  This place is so freaking cute!  It is every bit what our grandparents used to do (I don't know about you but afternoon tea seemed to always be the most important part of my grandmothers day!).  There was a huge tea menu to choose from, I had a Geisha tea and Saba's was something delicious smelling with Hibiscus flower, everything was served on old china and mine came complete with a spoon celebrating Queen Elizabeth.  We also ate some adorable little club sandwiches (ermm okay I actually ate four of them, much to the surprise of the poor lady who then had to make another batch) and sweet little tarts with whipped cream.  Oh and my favourite was the Lucky Lady spinning wheel!  It still works!!  Except instead of putting the recommended 2 cents in, you now pay 20 cents.  My turn landed me on something depressing like 'Don't worry, things are yet to get worse'.  Let's hope she's wrong!
After our tea we wandered around and hit up some of our favourite second hand shops, I had no luck but Saba did quite nicely for herself.  I did however get the fright of my life when I glanced over at a truck and saw this poor guy gazing up at the clouds...

Anyway so there you have it.  If you're ever in Auckland and you're wondering where you could go to have a good old fashioned afternoon tea then head to The Tea Lady!
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