Winner of the Source Home + Object Instagram challenge

There have been some beautiful entries to #theknifeseries challenge on Instagram.

Source Home + Object, the sponsor of the leather bound Barbara Wiggins  notebook prize,  has made a choice. And a wonderful one at that.

The winner is @traceyc1968 with this rusted vintage knife and these succulent looking figs. The composition and colours are perfectly well balanced. Well done Tracey! 

It must have been so hard to choose, so a Big Thank You Source Home + Object for sponsoring and making the final decision. Not an easy job at all.

 

Of course there are some other beauties too and below are some of my favourites. The neutral colours and vintage feel of the photographs, definitely rings my bell :)

From top left and clockwise: @kraig_at_the_warehouse @petiteharvest @ondioco @barbarcarrollaz

See you next month for another fun challenge!

An invitation.

On Instagram the hashtag #paintme_traceypotter is used by the artist Tracey Potter for her IG followers to leave a pic for her  to paint. She delivers a wonderful water colour likeness to the original. This inspirational lady has given me an idea to get back into more creative pursuits and to invite those of you along who would like to stretch your creative muscles.

So here's a new challenge. It's called The Insta Project1x12.

Using one of your own Instagram photos, try to draw, paint, collage or use any form of art you like, to recreate it. Then post your developing art work  to #theinstaproject1x12 .

Here is my January attempt. This pic was taken as part of the Interiors Addict #7vignettes monthly challenge with the theme '7 things starting with the letter S'. The print was made by origrami which is an Australian company specialising in printing Instagram photographs.

 

The idea is to work on only one piece of art per month, which hopefully isn't too onerous. I would love to share your endeavours and from time to time regram favourites. You don't have to be an artist, I certainly am not. It's all about developing your creativity and sharing your journey with an interested community. Hope you'll join in the challenge.

- Claudia x

InstaComp - Collab fun and a beautiful prize

This month I am collaborating with the business team at Source Home + Object to run an InstaComp to win a beautiful Barbara Wiggins, London leather-covered notebook.

The theme this month is a continuation of the cutlery theme I started in November. The first competition was called #the spoonseries, then in December #theforkseries and now in January #theknifeseries.

Hope you'll join in. It's simple - to be in to win all you need to do before 30 January 2015 is:

1. Post a photo including a knife as a theme to the Instagram hashtag  #theknifeseries,
2. Follow @sourcehomeobject and @adiandbert
3. Tag a friend to enter the comp 

Winners will be judged by Source Home + Object and the winner posted on this blog.

I'll feature favourites during the competition on my Insta feed . Looking forward to your amazing creative posts!

- Claudia x

 

Eating out to help others

I was blown away today by an amazing little restaurant on Anzac Drive in Auckland called 'ngopi'. This little gem of a place is staffed by volunteers so that profits can go to charities that make a difference to people's lives - Habitat for humanity and the A21 Campaign. How charitable is that!

'ngopi' [ ngo-pee, ngo-pi ] as the website says, can mean:

1. an Indonesian term for drinking coffee
2. an invitation to get together, catch up and chat ("ngopi yuk!")
3. an informal meeting place either for business and/or with friends

Well all of the above, works for me.

The atmosphere is simple and upcycled, but done cleverly and with style and the Indonesian food is tasty, fresh and affordable. I wish them every success.

 

2015 - Dream big

The end of the year is a time for reflection and renewal. Experience tells me that no one is immune to life's difficulties so I know your year will not have been easy and that new challenges in the future lie before you.

So gentle wishes from me to you and hopes that you will have the courage to face your difficulties and the strength to keep trying.

From the pen of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a little inspiration.

'What if you slept
 And what if
 In your sleep
 You dreamed
 And what if
 In your dream
 You went to heaven
 And there plucked a strange and beautiful flower
 And what if
 When you awoke
 You had that flower in your hand
Ah, what then?'

Happy New Year!

 

Collab fun

In early December I collaborated with The General Trading Co to run a competition on Instagram continuing with a cutlery theme following my first successful #thespoonseries challenge. The challenge was called #theforkseries and the prize was 5m of beautiful seed lights - a perfect prize for Christmas and supplied by The General Trading Co.

The General Trading Co had the difficult job of selecting a winner and in the end chose the talented @24cherrys. Visit her creative IG feed at http://instagram.com/24cherrys.

 

So many other creative and lovely images were entered which made the choice so difficult, but TGT Co did a great job selecting the winner. Big thanks to The General Trading Co for providing the prize and selecting the winning entry.

Instagram #thespoonseries challenge winners

I am so excited to announce the winners of my first Instagram  giveaway #thespoonseries

Congratulations to Nadia @my_eclectic_loves and  Ainslee @mysuburbanfarm - the simplicity and moodiness of these photographs epitomise the challenge.

 

Special mentions are for these lovely captures by @claireb_photography @juliabesidethesea @ofheartandhome @sarahshanahan_lifestyle  

 

I am so grateful to all of those wonderful contributors to #thespoonseries challenge -  I wish I could give you all prizes - Claudia xo 

This is what lovely Kim Klassen, who judged the challenge, said about the winning entries:

"So many gorgeous spoon photos. It’s difficult to explain why I choose the images that I choose. I was immediately drawn to both images. You know, that instant sigh of … YES… so beautiful!

I love the rustic tabletop Ainslee chose - the perfect sway of lavender, the creative spoon staging and the light, is just so right - beautiful!

Nadia’s image immediately drew me in. The dark background, the light on the tattered textile, the simple placement of the cutlery - so right. And that spoon - be still my heart!

What a fun series……so much to love. Thank you Claudia for inviting me to be a part of this…… xo"

Thank you so much to Kim for accepting the role of being the judge.

It is such a difficult job.  But who better than Kim, whom I met through Instagram and who is an inspirational and talented creative and thinker.  Her website hums with creativity. Visit her site KimKlassen.com to discover more about her work initiatives, what courses she offers and the free knowledge and tips Kim generously gives away.