Designex Trade show Auckland June 2009

My fabric baby has been born: 'Cows and Couches' by Hemptech has been printed in 3 colour ways...

Designex 2009 in Auckland. You might think heck another tradeshow. For me, it's the launching of my fabric design career, a chance again to catch up with my friend Beverley, and to scout around for avenues for my woman accesories as an add on bonus. Above picture's design will be plastered over the Hemptech stand for all to see. Of course I'm proud of that. Really because I'm still amazed it all actually happened. It's the greatest fun and Lynne and Colin have been so lovely and supportive. I am flying up to check the fair out for myself. As you know there's always tons to see and you need coffee breakes in between even though there's not really time for it. It's been ages since I have been to a big trade show and this will be excellent!

As I have told you I'm also keen to get into the woman accesories and otherwise designery niche market. I have designed a few by now and am waiting to receive my first batch of my design attempts. Nailbiting stuff! Ah back to the glory days of nerve wracking anticipation.... Anyhoo: the aim is to have fun with design and to share this with others. Once I have received my first results and done some photo shoots etc I will share that with you too. For now I'm bouncy balling about the Cows and Couches with likely more designs to follow. Woohoo! Marvellous. (Ok I better have a coffee now before I will prematurely collapse in exitement.)

Shoe philosophy

I seem to be getting a fettish for shoes. I guess it’s been coming on for a while. I never thought of myself as a shoe mad woman though. Nor a handbag frenzied female. Since I’ve started working in Auckland I acquired very snazzy outfits and along with that came a few handbags and… a few shoes.

Recently I came into the possession of a pair of white ones. Truth is they are lovely but the strap starts to hurt after a while. Why do I keep wearing them? Because I like the look and feel of them even though they end up probably killing me and I hope they will become more comfortable wearing them. I like my legs (would the fact I’ve been wearing heels pretty much daily for 6 years have anything to do with chiseled calves?) and I like showing them off. Yes go ahead, sue me. There. I confessed.

The shoes talk to me. The white ones go beautifully with white skirts, pants and jeans. I recently also got very sexy red ones. They lured me, they whispered to my dancy feet and before I know it I was entranced. Red shoes! Never had nice ones like that with slinky heels. Anyway.

You’ll probably remember seeing http://kinkyboots-movie.com/ I can wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed there even though the target market is cross dressers and transvestites. The story is in the heel. Literally. I tell you what, you couldn’t sell me a flat heel in a million years. Those things are for grannies with bad hips and nuns. I’m neither. They give me the shudders, the itchies, the run-for-the-hills-syndrome and wanting to shout aaaahhhh very loudly.

So back to the heels. I decided after writing this piece I had to go home and count my shoes. Would the amount of them really be that silly? Considering I arrived in the country with none but hiking boots and a pair of jandals, the collection to date is pretty impressive. My Canadian born cousin recently confided to me she had 6 pairs. I admired her restraint. How can a gorgeous woman like that ONLY have 6 pair of shoes? How does she do it?

Ok I went back and counted. Guess what: 13 pair of heels, 3 pairs of jandals, 2 pair of gum boots (live on a farm after all) and 3 oddballs which include 1 pair of new hiking boots. Teresa the cousin said I should send her a photo of them all. Maybe that will help explain to her husband that in fact there ARE women out there with so many shoes. I just never imagined it would be me… Staggering! Please get me a coffee… oh dear…