prairie girl musings

Category: Christchurch Creatives

What Fable Brings To The Table

Fable is a local store with a purpose. The carefully curated second-hand shop offers a vintage shopping experience not found anywhere else in Christchurch (or even New Zealand). Owners Sarah Gunn and Meagan Veitch saw a gap in the market for affordable, good quality second-hand items after seeing the incredible level of vintage shopping in America. Rather than simply creating more landfill – the girls wanted to repurpose existing clothing, giving it a new lease on life.

South Town is quickly evolving into the coolest place in town and Fable plays an integral role in that transformation. The pop-up shop won’t be around forever, though there may be plans to relocate to a super cool spot in Sydenham. Fable sells second-hand clothing (including handmade baby knits) and homeware, gifts, and books.

There’s a big focus on giving back to the organisations and charities they buy from: the Salvation Army, Red Cross, St. Vincent De Paul, St John, SPCA, and Lyttelton Community Project to name a few. When selecting items for Fable, Meagan and Sarah shop exclusively at organisations that help the community – where the profits are invested back into what they support.

Pop into Fable on 24 Welles Street to say hi to the girls (they are the loveliest!) And stay tuned for our upcoming collaboration.

All photos by Nancy Zhou

October 18, 2017
Bunch Floral Workshop

With a passion for wild and locally grown fauna, Alicia Erceg launched Bunch Floral in November 2016.

I’ve followed the company since its beginnings, intrigued by Alicia’s unconventional approach to floristry. Bunch strives to use seasonal produce and reduce waste. Alicia regularly goes foraging to find native plants and weeds not commonly used in traditional floristry. Each of Alicia’s creations is striking in its simplicity. Her arrangements can be seen throughout Christchurch as centrepieces at local cafés and businesses, weddings and events. She was responsible for the beautiful and highly photographed floral pagoda archway at Nostalgia Festival. Alicia’s pared down ethos is refreshingly unique, so I was thrilled when she announced she’d be hosting her first ever floral workshop.

Held at XCHC, Christchurch’s coolest café/bar/event/showcase/performance space, the workshop kicked off with wine, platters and beautiful melodies by Holly Arrowsmith. The setting was perfect for an evening workshop, spacious yet cosy with fairy lights draped from the ceiling.

We watched attentively as Alicia demonstrated how to create the base for a front-facing floral masterpiece, slowly adding pieces to add balance and fill out empty spaces. The session was relaxed, accentuated by Holly’s timeless vocals. Alicia encouraged us to create something that appealed to us, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical, there was zero pressure for perfection.

Photo by Rachel Laine

For your next event, I encourage you to check out Bunch Floral for eye-catching pieces that are full of personalty. Perfect for any occasion, Alicia incorporates seasonal flora and fauna, so arrangements are seasonally appropriate and last as long as possible! It’s refreshing to see something a little wild and different in an industry so often governed by cookie-cutter arrangements.

If you’re interested in creating your very own arrangement, Bunch workshops will soon become a regular occurrence. Alicia plans to host a few workshops later this year. She’s even planning on holding a Christmas wreath course in December!

Photo by Rachel Laine

Photo by Rachel Laine

July 1, 2017
Calling All Christchurch Bloggers

Are you a Christchurch-based blogger? I’d love to meet you.

My friends over at Mooch Style and I would like to invite you to The Bloggers Collective on Sunday, 23rd July at 10AM. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it for ages, T.B.C. aims to get everyone together to chat about the trials and triumphs of blogging in Christchurch. There will be plenty of discussion and advice on collaborating with other bloggers, photographers and how to score partnerships. No topic is off-limits

Send me an email (vanessaortynsky@gmail.com) with the subject: The Bloggers Collective along with your name and your blog name.

Once we’ve confirmed numbers, we’ll let you know the venue. All I will say now is that it’s going to be fab and flat lays will be encouraged.

I look forward to seeing you there. x

Photography by Jillian Miller

June 18, 2017
Christchurch Creatives: Radler Tours

One of the things I harp on about constantly is cycling. I’ve never particularly enjoyed cycling as a sport or a rigorous form of exercise. For me, it’s a practical way to get around. In cities like Toronto and Stockholm, residents cycle almost year-round. Even a little bit of snow on the ground isn’t much of a deterrent. When my sister spent a semester in Umeå, she immediately purchased a second-hand bike and along with the other students, regularly fell into snowbanks on her way to class. When it snows in Christchurch, it melts almost immediately, so winter cycling is all the more appealing.

Even so, when Nick pitched his idea for a bicycle and beer tour, I was initially skeptical. While cycling in Christchurch is relatively accessible, it’s by no means the preferred way of getting around. But with designated cycleways a top priority for the city, more and more people are taking to cycling. It’s also a great way to enjoy a night out. Cycling after a few beers is 100% legal and a lot safer than driving.

And so, it’s with much excitement, that we announce the launch of Radler Tours. Radler is the German word for cyclist, and like the Bavarians before us, our tour will encompass, in equal measure, bicycles and beer. Our aim is to cater to both locals and tourists, as a fun way to see and experience Christchurch. Oh, and we’re excited to be regularly visiting some of our favourite Christchurch bars and restaurants:

Radler Tours was founded with the aim to provide a fun, healthy, and sustainable way to experience Christchurch’s best hospitality. Following the devastating earthquakes in 2011, Christchurch lost over 130 unique bars, restaurants, clubs, and cafes. Many have re-opened in and around the CBD, but are no longer closely clustered together. Consequently, there is no focal point for the city’s entertainment and hospitality scene. Both tourists and residents are unaware that new and vibrant establishments have emerged on the fringes of the CBD, all within a leisurely biking distance of one another.

At the moment, we’ve been testing out the tours with our friends and planning an inaugural tour with a few Christchurch locals. We’ll keep you posted as to the launch of Radler Tours, but for the meantime, please visit our website for updates!

Follow @radlertours on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

February 28, 2016
Christchurch Creatives: SPECTRUM

While graffiti and street art have a bad reputation, they also have the power to transform cities and neighbourhoods, expose social woes, start important discussions, and bring art to the masses. The likes of Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Shepard Fairey have challenged our idea of what constitutes street art. Why should art be reserved for galleries and why can’t it exist in our daily lives as we’re walking to work?

Christchurch is filled with bewildering street art. Within the city, there’s a dichotomy between graffiti vandalism, which the city aims to remove, and commissioned street art, which has been an integral artistic element of the rebuild. In fact, the city has commissioned many pieces to either beautify the rubble.

A few Saturdays ago, Nick and I were out on our usual post-market bicycle trip when we remembered that the street art festival, SPECTRUM was on at the YCMA until April. We were both seriously impressed with the exhibition and extensive information about graffiti in New Zealand. I know a little bit about street art in North America and the UK, so it was cool to see how New Zealand

The coolest thing about the festival is that you don’t even have to visit the gallery on Hereford Street (but you should!) because all the artists have been working across the city streets transforming blank walls into works of art.

Over the past two years, 25 huge murals have been produced as a part of Oi YOU! shows.

February 2, 2016
Christchurch Creatives: Green Roots Organics

The city I experienced as a tourist in 2009/2010 is vastly different from the Christchurch that exists today. The old Christchurch was beautiful and Victorian, and a wee bit stuffy. The city today is more intriguing because it’s anyone and everyone’s city. While many urban centres are oversaturated, Christchurch is still in need of fresh ideas and residents are taking notice. New businesses are constantly sprouting up and creative ideas are being implemented. As a new resident, the sense of opportunity is unmistakable.

In an effort to highlight local entrepreneurs, events, worthy causes, art installations, etc., I’m kicking off a series called Christchurch Creatives.

As we near the end of January, many of us are in the process of implementing healthy habits. Green Roots Organics is a local gem that has helped me with my resolutions. The company is helmed by Kate, who makes and distributes cold press juices, superfood smoothies and açai bowls. I’ve yet to find another place in town that uses this Brazilian superfood berry. Available at the Christchurch Farmers Market every Saturday, açai bowls are a wonderful (not to mention, delicious) way to ingest some much-needed nutrients. I went through a bit of a phase in Toronto where I made açai bowls for breakfast almost every day and couldn’t believe that Christchurch hadn’t caught onto the fad.

Needless to say, Green Roots fills the void and I’ll be back every Saturday for my fix.

Be sure to check out Green Roots Organics at the Christchurch Farmers Market or grab one of their cold pressed juices at The Collective.

January 23, 2016