Drumroll please....

THE SIGNS ARE UP!

It's taken six months, but we finally found the perfect sign writer and look what he made for us!

Alex Burnett from Mapua made them, and his specialty is 3D sign designs.  He has made the train and necklace out of a special lightweight foam made from compressed plastic bags.

So they're recycled, handmade and fun - just perfect for us!

What do you think of the name?  It was the Toy Boy's idea and is a play on the Indiana Jones movie title "Raiders of the Lost Ark".  We had to come up with a name of our combined work, and this seemed like a bit of a chuckle.

He also made the Golden Bay Toys sign for the side of the building - it has the 3D train on the top, and sits out a little from the building in a shallow "V" shape.

And this is a shot of the little courtyard in front of the shop - I love the little fernery and tables - it gives us a little distance from the street and invites people to linger.

We even had a soiree last week to celebrate the fact that we're (almost) organised.

It was a glittering affair, with the guests wearing their finest (beads) with a number of local celebrities in attendance.  The hostess forgot to organise photos...so you will just have to take my word for it.

Shop Update

Things have been moving along happily in the little shop in Takaka - we are still yet to build some storage and work units, but we are thoroughly enjoying being in the main street.

I'm enjoying having the torch, jewellers bench and office in the same place and often swing from one to the other and feel like I'm getting more work done.

I'm looking forward to hanging some favourite local artists work around the room.
We have lovely big windows along the side of the building and will build units to make enticing  displays there.  Do you see the sweet little French candelabra?  I bought it to embellish, but I think I love it just the way it is.

The toy shelf is slowly filling up for the winter - we will need to have lots more made by the time August rolls around and we have the Dunkley's Great New Zealand Craft Show South Island run.

The space isn't huge, and we occasionally struggle with sharing, but generally we manage to get along pretty well.  You can just see the Toy Boy working at his painting bench in this photo.  I often work opposite him swinging a paintbrush on the toys.
The whole move into the village has been good, and we feel much more social - even if we do drink way too much coffee these days!

Making Progress

A lot of you will be familiar with the clutter in the foreground that is my workbench, but look beyond...yes, we hung lots of busts, pictures and posters on the walls this week, and at least my side of the shop and workroom is filling up nicely.
You can see the little courtyard outside in this photo - we are set slightly back off the street, and right on a side-road/alley which goes through to the library and a little park-like space where a market is held every weekend.
AND...you can see my latest project piece which arrived this week - an old French provincial candelabra. I can't wait to embellish it! I can see it buzzing with bugs and flowers.

Creating our Space

The Toy Boy and I have been as busy as bees for the past month creating a space to work in in Takaka - the little village in the area we live in.
I'm calling it a workroom, but it has a small retail area in the front for displaying our wares, and we are on the main street in what we jokingly call the CBD of Takaka.
Because my needs are greatest...in terms of space, that is (!), I seem to have cornered the largest share of the area, and have my torch, kiln and jewellers bench there, while I have kindly given the Toy Boy a corner and a large cupboard. My generosity overwhelms me sometimes! The toys will be painted and finished there, so we will both be there most of the time.
We are taking baby steps at the moment, and things are very empty and unformed, but we have opened our doors to the public, so I will share a little with you, too.
The colours are the same as they are in my studio at home - I still love them after living with them for eight years.
It's all so exciting - we are really enjoying putting everything together!