Little late night sewing pop-quiz for you. Can you spot what’s wrong in this photo?

Did you know that it's Buy NZ Made Week? At Bird and Beach, we're committed to local. We do as much of our manufacturing processes as we can in our own workshop, we use local printers for our cards, calendars and art, and we're licensed to use the Buy NZ Made logos on many of our products.

It needs to be sewing o'clock, but my workroom is still all packed into the garage for the renovations (the floor is done now, but we're getting a fancy ceiling and there's painting still to happen). So, who wants to send me to my bedroom and tell me I'm not allowed out until I've finished?

This is a trickier one, unless you count needlessly stressful situations, empty skincare bottles and abandoned to-do lists? I do collect fabric, but have more than a reasonable life-time's worth of stash already. I do like recipe books and mid-century design books (I have 2 copies of GH already).

Whoops, I'm a couple of days behind. Absolute faves would be turquoise and red. Someone took me literally on this once, and sent me some beautiful buttons with both colours! In general, anything bright and primary or jewel-toned will make me feel happy. #SecretSantaAoNZ

And it begins. Messages sent through the "Contact Us" form offering a proposal to improve our brand new website's visibility. From someone who can't even fill in the form correctly and uses gmail addresses (yes, 2 addresses; see above re filling in the form) instead of mail from their own domain.

Starting to think about shopping small and local for presents? I make all my products myself, mostly from fabrics I've designed myself. You can find my homewares at birdandbeach.co.nz, which is the business I run with my husband. (You can also follow us here at @birdandbeach.bsky.social.)

Any must see/do things happening in Wellington this weekend? There Friday afternoon till Monday midday.

Tahetoka Limited (my very small business) is expanding. Our team is now offering Bookkeeping services with a focus on Māori Pakihi and Charitable Trusts. Ensuring we get mahi done quickly with pricing that works for you. Interested? Let us know. tahetoka.nz/bookkeeping

I can’t remember if it was WINZ or IRD, but I do remember being very surprised by the irony of hearing Simply Red’s “Money’s too tight to mention” as their hold music.

I have questions about whether this article was written by a human who gardens. Some parts seem rather unusual with regards to asparagus (but exactly right for the spring onions I grow on my windowsill). www.evergreenseeds.com/how-to-grow-...

#Kai Dinner.

Glad I thought to check the garden for strawberries today. This was all I found.

Just dropped a bunch of calendar orders off at the courier depot. 😊

I hadn't heard our ruru for a while, but he's out there telling the world that this is definitely his patch tonight.

This, right now... except the skies that cleared earlier have clouded over again. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Good thing I just opened a Publisher file to update our with compliments slips... apparently it's being retired next year, and you'll no longer be able to even open the files...

Here's your reminder that the Bird and Beach 2026 Calendar is a great option for easy to post presents, and Ryan's illustrations of his favourite spots across the motu will bring the recipient joy throughout the year! $29 + postage from birdandbeach.co.nz/product/2026...

Kia ora #kikorangi! A while back I started a starter pack for working artists/creative businesses. It could really do with an update. Who should I be adding? (Because others have done starter packs for NZ literature, I haven't been including authors in this list, but focused on visual/tangible)

It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas, With sign up going live!🎶🎵 So here's the Bluesky Secret Santa AoNZ, with some friends from Mastodon along for the ride. We hope you are looking forward to some fun, and that we can bring it to you 🎄 Official hashtag: #SecretSantaAoNZ App: secretsanta.nz

I mostly like most foods, and am willing to try new things. I abhor coffee, and mostly stick away from anything with caffeine (except 🍫). Intolerance = 🫑 and 🐐🥛. I will be travelling with my parcel, so probably best to steer away from anything that wouldn’t survive a long, maybe hot, car trip.

🧵Hey lovely people. I know some Nelson Tasman people follow me here, so this is for you.❤️ If you live in the region. We're having a celebration for the launch of Tiny Moments of Joy at Quiet Dog Gallery on the 27th of November at 5:30pm, and we'd love you to come. (1)

Lying on the beach watching the Aurora dancing fast & pulsing vertically above me, like Scandinavian Aurora. Insane, New Zealand.

Someone tell me I don't need this? www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=...

I forgot to add the hashtag! #SecretSantaAoNZ

I hate doing the hints thing for #SecretSantaAoNZ, but I also don't want you to stress over what to get me if my name comes out of the hat for you. • I like handmade, locally made, and op-shopped gifts • I like food and cooking (but not tea, coffee or capsicum) • Smelly things don't like me.

We do! Pīata is very much a part of our family. (Please don't tell her the Companies Office wouldn't let us add her as a shareholder to the family business though. We do compensate her generously in kitty bikkies and temptations.)

I have done the thing! I am signed up. And yes, there is a story behind this. It's almost #SecretSantaAoNZ lore... Never trust the agapanthus.

OU Press is re-issuing some Robin Hyde including "Wednesday's Children" attn @nzdodo.bsky.social

my backyard-substenance vege garden, in the world's windiest city

Is it wrong that I’m just a little bit chuffed with myself with the way these are turning out? I really like the round birds and the pōhutukawa in particular. Investing in the equipment to print these ourselves was a good decision. 🤩

Anyone need a moment of calm? #SoundUp (Unfortunately I stopped recording about 1 second before a kākā swooped through.)

Good thing I didn't wait until after midnight to do that one... Wordle 1,606 5/6 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I've been out and about today, so just checking my emails and there is lots of happy dancing going on around here tonight! Thank you to people who've been ordering :D

Look, I know I’m supposed to be Bird, and Ryan is Beach, but I really, really love a good colour gradient so this monotone shading in the sky over Pito One is very pleasing to my eye.

Whanau, I did it. Unbelievably, I was born between 1968 and 2004. I couldn’t be sure I’d had 2 measles vaccinations (I definitely had one, it’s in my plunket book). So, I had an MMR booster last week. If you, like me, aren’t sure, go and get one. They’re free and you can book via bookmyvaccine.

Seeing as I’ve been asked about my sleeve 3 times this weekend.. If you see someone wearing a stocking-like sleeve on just one arm, and they’re not an athlete, it’s likely for a medical condition called lymphoedema. It can be primary (it just is) or secondary, usually a sequela of cancer treatment.

Builder nephew is very happy because today we decided that we should open up the boxed off space in my workroom and make it one big open space. So he’s downstairs smashing a wall down.

Very conveniently, my entire market set up except for the gazebo was already in the car because while my workroom floor is being refinished, there is no room for it anywhere else!

Y'all ok? #EQNZ

Me: realising that I have everything I need for an order NOT packed away into my garage while my workroom gets its new floor 🙌 Me: realising that I carefully stowed my hammer, which I need to apply the snap to the wallet, into the tool drawer in the workroom, where the floor is currently curing 😖

Give this one a spin too youtu.be/6OoDq7JNgF0

Sitting here, with my view over the valley, the night filled with pops and bangs, glimpses of sparks shimmer in the corner of my eye. I feel so disconnected to the reason for setting them off tonight. Instead, in my head: The spirit of nonviolence, Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka.

Ok it's finally happening. My Calendar 2026 is now available for pre-order. Printing by end of the month to allow for international shipping. (sorry no international orders just yet, still setting that up). So happy I could cry. paullecomtephoto.nz/products/202...

When I ordered the heat presses for our new business, I got a new cutting machine bundled in with them. Today I spent about 5 hours trying to get it to cut a box accurately for me. In the end I hauled out my old cutter and somehow that took another hour, despite having the files already set up.

To do list: • fulfill orders • order supplies • have fun playing with 50 of these… Native birds on Christmas ornaments. Please tell me this is something you want for your tree this year?

textile nerds into embroidery should definitely take a look at this thread, showcasing trellis stitch. Hémiole's embroidery is always really cool!

Reminder: the real way to be a disrupter in 2025 is to check out the big travel sites to find the local gems, but then you seek out their own website or contact details and call them directly to book. I’ve never been disappointed when I do it this way. Support local however you can.

Trying to decide if I should get out of bed. Love doing markets, wish they didn’t take so much out of me. Also trying to work out if I should try and do a few more over the next 6 weeks. Only have one more booked in. There’s the FOMO of missing out on the busy season sales, or wearing myself out.

Any NZ Women’s cricket nerds out there who might be interested in my latest opshop find?