PUPPY POWER!

If you're anything like my darling Emma, the mere utterance of the word puppy will reduce you to a soppy, mushy, dribbling pool of goo on the floor. She frequently shows me - with a big dumb grin on her face - cutesy photos from the internet of baby bunnies cuddling up to puppies on sheepskins, and other things similarly warm fuzzy inducing. The founders of Brooklyn NY business Found My Animal also seem to be gaga about dogs, which I guess is part of the reason why Emma wanted to stock their wares at the shop.

 

 

                                                This is a collapsable water bowl.

                                                I know dogs don't skip.

The hard facts: Found my animal make accessories for dogs and their humans such as leashes and collars. The rope and hardware are marine grade and will age gracefully and pretty much last forever. The materials and labour are all from within the US, and Found My Animal are also a B-corp, which means they are certified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Orange rope has become somewhat of a trademark of Found My Animal products. Not only will orange ensure you are rescued if swept away by the ocean when walking Rex on the beach, but it's also the color of animal protection awareness. Founders Bethany and Anna are born animal nuts and have been into their welfare most of their lives. They've combined this passion with their design backgrounds to create a brand focused on rescuing animals. They are strong promoters of animal adoption, spray and neuter programs and donation to, and volunteering at animal shelters. 

                                FMA Founder Bethany Obrecht.

Shameless celeb plug: Jessica Biel, Drew Barrymore, Bradley Cooper, Martha Stewart, Amanda Seyfried, Erykah Badu amongst others all own animals that wear Found My Animal.

Come and visit us at The Flock, or look online if you want to give yourself and your dog the ultimate bonding gift that will last for life.

NEW CITY BARBERS CHRISTCHURCH

Okay boys, here's a post for you.

My new barber is Chris Terry at New City Barbers. At The Flock I need to look as amazing as the stock we sell and Chris is a very important part of the equation. If you're like me then the barber shop model of hairdressing (can I say hairdressing?) is perfect as no booking is required, there is no fuss, and cuts are a good price for cheap asses. My problem has always been that the experience itself has never been cool. I'm sorry, I need cool. The conventional surroundings are usually either sterile or faux 'ye olde', neither of which are my style, and the haircuts are often a bit iffy. Never fear guys, now we have New City Barbers - Problem solved.

                                Barbers Chris Terry and Cut Throat Jim.

                               Hang up your coat - at your own risk wahaahaaaa.

                                       Sit here with beer.

                                The waiting room coffee table. You'll be talking, not reading.

    Or you might be killing it on the board.

                            

                       I can't repeat this topic of conversation.

Located in the formerly bustling central city of Christchurch, New City Barbers is a word-of-mouth business budged out the back of the NG building in an impossibly low foot traffic area that faces onto a wasteland where buildings once stood proud pre-quake. 

    The NG Building on Madras - New City's home

Chris takes a more traditional angle on the barber shop experience. He wants New City Barbers to be a place where men can come and just Be. Conversation is encouraged between everyone in the shop, and judging from my experience today any topics are a go. He offers a hot shave with a real cut throat razor, about which he seems to know a hell of a lot. You may even be lucky to have a Wigrim Breweries Pilsner, or choose a whiskey from the selection to sip as you get the once over.

All of this happens in a renovated workshop that has been effortlessly styled. Let the photos speak for themselves.

 

                                            Cut Throat Jim has a lot of ladies.

  

   

                                      Boris the Banzai gets cut for free.

Go and see Chris or Jim today. Don't tell them I sent you.

http://newcitybarbers.co.nz/ 
https://www.facebook.com/NewCityBarbers?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/CutThroatJims

 FREDERICKS & MAE

 

As I write this our new shipment of Fredericks and Mae is swooping across the globe, safely lashed with horse hair to a bamboo and rice paper kite emblazoned with dried flowers. We always look forward to this delivery from Brooklyn NY, and so do our patrons, as whatever we get always leaves the shop before it goes on the wall. 

Up until now we have only stocked their Worry Beads, which are clearly made for those with big worries, as they knock out just over a meter of wall space. Traditionally worry beads or kombolói, are a string of beads manipulated with one or two hands and used to pass time in Greek and Cypriot culture. Your hands would have to be freakishly large to use these beads in this way. These ones are made from wood, pigment, thread and horse hair and are just for show.

This time around we have got them to send some ceremonial kites (not for flying) that they make from bamboo, rice paper, pressed flowers, waxed cord, and gold thread. These are going to look amazing on the wall and like the Worry Beads provide a great alternative to the square or rectangular picture.

   They have also sent us a few games for in and out of doors. 

Fredericks & Mae is the art/design team of Jolie Mae Signorile and Gabriel Fredericks Cohen. The two met through a shared love for materials - Fredericks & Mae started in the piles of feathers, thread, gold and paper that decorated their first studio in 2007. Their collaborative practice has since evolved into a series of objects for the home, garden and sky.  Fredericks & Mae is a material anthropology of objects with confused origins.  

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for news of when the shipment is here. Sometime this week!

TIMELESS DESIGN IS NOT A CLICHE

First of all, we apologise in advance for sounding overly obvious, simplistic, and idealistic in what we are about to write, but we will say it anyway as the topic is very much in The Flock inbox at the moment. This morning we got to work to an email that had a link to a video by French designer Phillipe Stark in which he talks about timeless design. The video is called 'Timeless Design is not a Cliche', which is interesting - that a word such as 'timeless' could be a cliche. His basic point is that purchasing decisions are increasingly based on short terms needs, influenced by fashion and cashflow, a model that the world's resources cannot sustain. What he is encouraging is a change in attitude that looks at a well considered purchase lasting for life, and being handed on to generations to come. Over the years of running The Flock we have discussed this idea quite a bit. A good quality object made of sustainable materials in a responsible manner may have a higher price on it, but while you can get less expensive mass produced versions, the good quality object will last you many times longer, while the cheaper will need to be replaced sooner. Of course you will need the money up front to pay for the quality so planning and forethought are needed, skills that are becoming less important as things become more and more readily available. Sometimes we feel like we are holding on to an ideal that is in danger of very soon becoming eclipsed by the consumer industry that surrounds us.  It is very difficult balancing the sourcing and selling of quality goods with the realities of small business and often we wonder if we are winning.  And then, we see talks like the one this morning by Phillipe Stark, and we look at blogs containing the most amazing innovative and considerate things going on in the world, and we realise again that there is a huge complementary sway.  We feel that the things we choose are timeless, and we do not wish to compromise this.  We really appreciate the people who come to The Flock and actually get what we are trying to do, and support it.

Thanks to you all

Emma and Billy

http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/17/timeless-design-is-not-a-cliche-philippe-starck/

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

We have had quite a few people asking about our collection of paintings hanging in the shop, so I thought I would take a bit of time to talk about them. 

Over my many years of rooting around in Salvation Army op-shops I've always browsed the small stacks of 'artworks' of various shapes and sizes. We've all seen them, the motley crews of faded prints and discarded originals, some hanging half out of their frames, others without frames at all, their tattered edges giving away their history of abuse. Sadly 95% of these washed-out Monet reproductions and pictures of fruit bowls embossed on copper are only good for the fire or the bin, but occasionally I come across an original that I feel deserves a better chance at life. 

These candidates always seem to be original paintings produced by amateur hobbiests or perhaps by someone during a one-off dabbling at a weekend workshop. Just because these artists lack the kind of technical finesse only gained through years of dedication, it doesn't necessarily mean that their paintings lack merit. In fact, through my years of thinking about this I have concluded that amateurishness has its own appeal, but enabling that appeal to really shine involves a few essential steps.  

1) Free the painting from the shackles of it's frame

These frames are usually hideous. They are often either tacky and ancient, or tacky and new. The only successful thing they do is to literally hang the work on the wall. The rest is all bad. Also remember that when the painter paints a painting, they are selecting colours and composing their work as a system. When a frame goes on at the end it becomes part of that system, and must work with it. This does not mean that the frame must be the same colour as a colour in the work itself. Nine times out of ten this diminishes the impact of the work. Sorry professional picture framers, I disagree with your advice.

2) Clean the painting

It will usually be filthy from years of nicotine staining, fire soot and dust buildup. You would be surprised at the transformation. The paintings often look like they've just been painted.

3) Re Frame the painting 

This step is not easy. The wrong choice of frame will simply re-imprison the painting. I find that there will only be one option at the picture framers that will work for a particular painting. I always go for white as this will not interfere with the work much. Part of the problem of choosing is that the framers only have a little sample of wood to hold up to the work to get an idea, and you have to use your imagination to see how the finished result will look. I don't apply a formula here, I just use my eye until I feel I've found the right match.

So there you have it, a bit of show and tell about out Artists in Residence. Thanks Hazel Mauger, H.M.D, Grace Julian, L Thompson and H.M Aris, we love your work.  

We plan to grow the collection over time as we find the right work so come in and take a look.

GIDON BING

Hang flowers on your wall, invite birds to nest in your garden, create mood with a ceramic light shade, or simply make your lunch on some classic earthenware plates.

It is possible to do all of the above in style thanks to Auckland based artist Gidon Bing.

Gidon has made a name for himself in sculpture, and he also makes beautifully hand-crafted ceramics. He works with the traditional pottery techniques of master craftsmen, that have been around practically forever.

We love his simple, slighty wonky forms and his limited palette of whites and muted colours.

Get your bird one of these houses, hang it under a tree and hear him tweet with happiness!

THE OYSTER INN

Oh my god can I please just live here. This Waiheke accomodation has hit the nail on the head with every aspect of their experience. Ok, so I haven't actually been there yet, but when I close my eyes and visualise snapshots of paradise, they pretty much match these photos bang on.  

Our attention was drawn to the existence of Oyster Inn because the super talented Katie Lockhart was snagged for the interior design work . The rooms all have furniture by British design geniuses Another Country, check out their site it should make you drool.  

The restaurant menu showcases the freshest seafood from the area, and there are a few free-range pork options that I would find it hard to say no to. I could go on and on but you may as well just check out their site for yourself to see the rest. I'm just going to sit back and close my eyes....