Wanda Harland

Bullets!

2009-12-01T19:54:00.002+13:00

Time for some bullet points, I reckon:

It is my birthday soon, I'm cool with that. I'll be quite old but I have done quite a lot, so I deserve it.
Lucinda Audrey Mae is almost 1. I KNOW. What happened to this year? She is absolutely adorable. She had an awful gastro thing, and it didn't stop her being adorable at all, which is a true sign of being ultra-adorable. I can't really be arsed with making this bullet point have fewer adorables.
If you haven't watched it, I urge you to watch The Wire, mos def. We watched 4 seasons in very quick succession, which was a challenge, because strictly speaking we don't actually have any time, it was well worth it.
The shops are a joy, I just love them. This time of year is what it is all about, lots of lovely customers, lots of extremely gorgeous new goodies and a nice little timeframe which culminates in da da! A holiday!
We never stop working. The kids go to bed and I'm doing accounts and printing shirts, and Glen is packing up Dishy orders, the lure of a break after Christmas is wicked powerful.
I am slightly biased (read: very), but I must say, our gallery and our inaugural exhibition is fricking great. Come and see it.

Gallery opening invite!

2009-11-17T19:35:00.001+13:00

Gallery opening invite!
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

Please come and check out our little, but-perfectly-formed gallery. Our first exhibition includes some very terrific, Wellington artists. Items are perfect for a treat for yourself, or a Christmas gift, and you can take them home with you on the day, if you so desire.

Goodbye darling Jenny

2009-10-28T19:45:00.002+13:00

Jenny, aka the Editter, was one of the first bloggers I met. She was a hilarious, wonderful woman. She would leave lovely comments on my blog, and subtly correct my horrendous grammar. Actually, I'm finding it a bit difficult to spell anything with her in my mind! I'd find little links she'd left all over the internet to Babylicious, in many different forums, and I was always grateful for her support.

Jenny died today, after a battle with cancer that stole her away far too quickly. Having followed her pregnancy and before that her efforts to get pregnant, things seemed to be so great. She loved being a mum, and adored her baby and family.

I'm so sad. I know my loss is the teeniest fraction of what her family must be feeling, they must be absolutely wrecked.

Bloody hell. Too sad.

Project Jamie Oliver is go

2009-10-19T11:25:00.003+13:00

Jamie Oliver can thank me, I have purchased his app for the iphone. All the recipes look very simple, so it is a long stretch from being the Julie/Julia project. I have in a past incarnation actually been a caterer, not that this means much, but I should be able to come up with some dinner ideas without the aid of a phone app. However, it is very cute and a fun way to not think about what to make for tea. So far I've made the pea soup with ciabatta and feta croutons (delicious), papadelle with bacon and asparagus (also delicious) and last night we had crispy fried chicken (extremely delicious).

I would like to acknowledge that I know I've spelled the above Italian words wrong. I would like to acknowledge that they will remain that way.

Tonight I'm going to make cauliflower cheese risotto, because that sounds like it will be delicious, and I'm a bit over all the bread and pasta stuff.

And for the 3 people who may not have seen this clip, some dining advice from the NZ Police:

In slightly police related news, we've watched the first season of The Wire. It was brilliant, and now we roll with a slight gansta swagger and try and slip a "mos def", "Balmor" and "aiiright" into our conversation. Middle-aged, white people from Petone should probably avoid this sort of behaviour.

Hmm

2009-10-14T10:40:00.003+13:00

Guess what, that was a month of silence, which conveniently coincided with new shop, school holidays and so on. YAWN.

Life turned into a complete freaking blur for a while there, but now I'm happily ensconced at home with the lovely Lucinda, and today with the lovely (vomiting) Finn, who remains lovely despite the lurgy.

It turns out it is much, much harder setting up a new business than running it. I have brilliant, capable people working in the shops, and all I need to do is look anxiously at the teetering pile of paperwork at home, do a bit of printing for Babylicious, package up Dishy orders and do the website stuff. Occasionally I get a turn in the Petone shop, which I enjoy a truckload. I've only "manned" the Mt Vic store for a couple of hours, which is a bit surreal. I think over the next months/years I'll get to spend plenty more time, but as long as I'm still feeding the babe, I'll be in and out like, um, something not-rude that goes in and out.

Such is my feeling of liberation, after what was frankly some pretty shit school holidays (weather and healthwise), that yesterday I read Julie and Julia (or whatever it is called, I can't be bothered leaning over to look). I really liked it, and suggested to Glen he could do the Ladies a Plate challenge, and cook something from it every day. Except really what we need is someone to cook dinner, so if you can recommend a decent dinner type cookbook, perhaps he could do that. Maybe Jamie Oliver? Anyway, ramble ramble, I really loved Julie, the author, and now I'm going to be a very good and regular blogger, and think of things to say other than "business is good, baby is cute".

Watch this space.

Update from the land of crazy

2009-09-12T19:54:00.002+12:00

We all trotted off to the big gift fair in Auckland at the beginning of September, hauling all 5 of us and about 7 billion pieces of luggage (portacot, carseats, buggy la la la). We had a stand at the gift fair, so we all spent 4 days doing "relay parenting" and "relay selling shizz". It was a fantastic fair, we gained many awesome new stockists for Dishy and Babylicious, and I also ran around buying up large for both shops.

We spent a fairly hectic couple of days after Auckland in Whangarei on family duty. For some reason, after being pretty good in Auckland, the baby decided she couldn't sleep unless I was in permanent physical contact with her. I was veeeeeeeery tired by the end of it. Fortunately (dare I say it?) she has slept through since we got home. Dammit. I shouldn't have said it, it is bound to screw things up, but 8 months without a decent night's sleep, I feel I deserve a break.

When we got back we were delighted to find that my mother has painted the bulk of the new shop, and since then has pretty much finished the job. It looks amazing, and we feel very lucky to have her do it, especially as we hadn't figured on being so busy with the wholesale orders. Each night has seen one of us in the workshop packing orders, and one of us in the house writing up invoices and emailing customers. Our ritzy new offices and storage behind the new shop is going to make the business of being in business so much easier. The working from home thing is somewhat overrated.

And now we're on a crazy countdown to opening on Saturday the 19th. We hope to have a bit of a shindig in there on the 18th, so the deadline is tick tocking ever nearer. I've been spending a lot of time hoofing around feeling frazzled and then repeating my personal mantra for the moment "chill out, we're doing this because it is fun", and lo, it is so.

New shop new shop!

2009-08-24T09:32:00.002+12:00

On Friday we signed a lease for a shop in Mt Victoria. It is a very beautiful space, and has loads of storage space and an office out the back. I also have visions of a bit of a gallery, but baby steps Martha, baby steps.

The whole process was as crazy as these things invariably are. Turns out I don't muck around much these days, just cut to the chase. I'm being tactful, because there was some crazy shizz going down with the negotiations, but I'll tell you that in person ;-)

We take over on the 1st of September, which happens to be the week we're at the Trade Fair in Auckland. Hopefully we'll be open by the 18th. I'm in the midst of ordering shelving, trying to suss out a counter, getting a phone, power, eftpos...

I love it!

You see junk, I see an exquisite art gallery (delusion is a necessity)

It has mountains of windows, these present a slight challenge when trying to put up lots of shelving.

It has lots of hand basins, I've toyed with having a brothel component, will maybe opt for coffee instead.

2009-08-20T15:31:00.003+12:00

I love blogs and bloggers and real friends and new friends and online friends. I am thrilled to follow so many charming and interesting people. Just like in real life, people online face some serious challenges. Earlier this year I read with great sadness as Gorillabuns lost her beautiful boy, Thalon.

One of my first blog reads and real life encounters with a blogger was the Editter, and now she is facing her own challenge with cancer. She is a brilliant writer and a terrific person, and I want to send her all the love and support I can, via wifi and the voodoo of the internet.

Glen had a car crash last night, from which he walked away unscathed. The car is written off. Of course I got right onto Twitter, and people were so kind. Honestly, I didn't feel in the slightest bit hard done by. Just very lucky that my lovely husband is fine, and nobody was in the car with him. I know I sound a bit moony and trippy, compared to my usual hardarse self, but really, we do need to be grateful for all the good shizz. Especially gin.

Pleasantville

2009-08-16T14:29:00.002+12:00

Yesterday morning soccer was cancelled, because it started raining, and then the rain stopped. It was like a gift, a damn fine gift of not having to herd the cats that are my children to a misty field. I enjoy soccer, chatting to other parents, but the particular brand that Finn plays (Little Dribblers) goes ALL YEAR NO HOLIDAYS EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND.

In the afternoon we walked down to the shop to meet Glen, it was a spooky, still, warm day and felt like we were in the tropics. We decided to take the 3 children to the pub and have a Guinness. CLASS ACT. Not only that, I actually fed the baby, in said pub, drinking said beer (very good for our iron levels dontcha know). I'm reminded of that movie, where Reese Witherspoon acts completely unlikeable, and the gorgeous bloke still gets her, and she squawks at Melanie Lynsky "you have a baby, a baby in a bar". I sent out an urgent missive to our pals from Espresso Rescue to join us, and we all had a lovely time plotting world domination.

We mooched home for a dinner of toast and pesto and apple schnapps (not the children, silly). I have this thing, whereby of a Saturday night, at 6pm, I feel the need to watch Ready to Roll, and then at 7pm I feel the need to watch the Muppets. Talk about bloody hardwiring of my brain, how long ago did RTR finish? So I usually hit up YouTube and give the kids a show. Last night I found this piece of brilliance.

Then Top Gun, cups of tea and ginger kisses. All up, a great day, which was followed by today, an even betterer one. I nipped out this morning, sans enfants, and bought a couple of pretty frocks for wearing at Gift Fair in Auckers in a couple of weeks, tidied, and now the baby is asleep without having cried when put down and the boys are out shooting at each other at Laser Strike (giving up good parenting/no guns was remarkably easy).

7 months

2009-08-03T21:09:00.002+12:00

The baby is 7 months. Malo was 7 months when I started this blog. This means I fully expect to have a brain freeing experience and begin writing daily this very minute.

Well, later than this very minute, because I have important chandelier cleaning (seriously!) work to do. Then I'm going to paint it. What colour chandelier do we feel like today? I imagine this is how the Queen has to go about her days.

My boys on telly!

2009-07-27T13:41:00.000+12:00

Chairs!

2009-07-27T13:22:00.004+12:00

Sometime ago I committed, via blog, to doing up a hideous chair I got on Trade Me. As these things go, it hasn't happened, in fact we grew sort of fond of the mint leather and the mahogany wood.

Then we slapped ourselves around our faces and said NO. We are not going to slide into middle age with mint coloured leather and mahogany wood. We are going to try and do something like this:
from the very talented Jimmie Martin. Just need to learn about upholstery, leather painting, gilding... this project may be some time.

Random shit

2009-07-16T20:59:00.002+12:00

Oldest child is 7 now. Middle child is starting school soon. Baby is gorgeous.
I feel like this is a confessional. I read all the Twilight books. They were shit, but I don't regret reading them, I don't watch rubbish telly, so clearly I read rubbish books to fill that bit of my brain.
I now suspect quite a few people of being vampires.
There are fireworks in Petone on Saturday, they're really worth coming to see.
I finally got an iphone. My descent into rampant consumerism is complete.
I need to be really productive now, to justify aforementioned phone. I feel a new business brewing, after all, it has been over a year since the last one. Someone stop me now.

Better late than never... presenting da da! The apples and pears

2009-06-29T22:13:00.003+12:00

'sup dawgs?

2009-06-29T20:57:00.005+12:00

Yeah, so it has been a coupla weeks, and I've gone completely gangsta. It is awesome, now I walk with a swagger and I have lots of hos and dogs and I wear bling. What is that? 1999? Oh.

Well, fact is I haven't actually gone gangsta, I've more gone work/couch/work. And on Saturday mornings the riverside market in Lower Hutt owns me. I hate to be bossy, but y'all must go there. The fruit and veges are good, great really, however, the best thing is the bread. Holy crap. There is a stall that has the most amazing array of delicious bread I have ever had the pleasure to taste. This week we got focaccia, 6 grain loaf, raisin and caraway loaf (my favourite), turkish bread, apple danishes and some gorgeous italian bap things. I will never deign to touch a loaf of bread from the supermarket again (that was an outright lie, I am the market's fair weather friend). Grab a coffee while you're there from Espresso Rescue, it is to die for (I say things like this, since rather than be gangsta perhaps I'll go for being drama queen).

My baby is splendid. She is 6 months soon, and possibly the most delectable little piece of gorgeousness in the world. I'm feeling great, and would like another 10 babies now, but I think I'll have to get one of those Indian surrogates, because I can't really be fagged with all the pregnancy shizz again.

Business is booming. I'm touching wood as I write that though, 'cos I'm sure the recession will make it out to Petone at some stage and I'll be eating my words, or perhaps it won't and Petone will be a lovely little bubble of recession-denial.

Right, I appear to still have the ability to write more than 140 characters together, but I don't seem to have the power to make it cohesive or meaningful. Welcome to my world.

48 Hours

2009-06-16T20:33:00.003+12:00

My clever friend Tinks entered the 48 hour film thingymajig, here is his film. I think it is very, very funny. Very dry.

It is 7 minutes long.

Puddle Finishing School, Part IV Church Protocol from Momentum Studios on Vimeo.

Total Eclipse - literally

2009-06-15T21:14:00.001+12:00

My project of bringing back "literally" just got some strong support, from Bonnie Tyler.

I know most of the world has seen this, but it still makes me giggle, a lot. A lot. Please leave a note with your favourite line. Mine is near the end.

Time for some random lovin'

2009-06-13T20:25:00.002+12:00

I am an apple and pear printing machine. The shop will shortly be full of items bearing apple and pear images. Sorry owls, I still likes ya, but my heart now belongs with the fruits. I will post photos tomorrow (setting myself a deadline).
We have rearranged the menu at Babylicious. I still want to move the scroll bar and banner, but sometimes Glen takes 10 years to convince. I think it is much better, and it will make adding extra products much easier (we've decided to add 5 products a day before we can watch and Green Wing).
The chiddlers and I went to a splendid birthday party in the land that time forgot, today. Well, Whiteman's Valley is the official name. It was all misty and felt about 7000 miles from home. I felt very slightly claustrophobic driving there, because of all the mysticalness. Mind you, I felt quite claustrophobic after we got the underfloor insulation this week, so I'm not to be trusted.
Thanks to everyone who voted for my frock in the challenge. We won! I'm expecting a knock on the door any minute from Vogue for assistance in their layouts.

Voting time!

2009-06-08T13:02:00.006+12:00

The lovely Megan has challenged readers to come up with an outfit:

If a dashing young(ish) man approached you on the street, and wanted to whisk you off for a romantic and unexpected date, featuring dinner and dancing and assorted fun times. What would you wear?

I had some fun in the middle of the night, feeding the mostbeautifulbabyintheworld, playing on Polyvore (first timer), and came up with this:

Yellow by Wandaharland

Go on, vote for me! Or don't if you prefer someone else's choice, but go on! Or if you don't feel inclined to vote, perhaps buy me the outfit?

Also, suggestions for who the young(ish) bloke might be are welcome. There was one in mind who certainly isn't in the twilight of his years. Ohmigod, biggest clue ever.

Mememememe with unfortunate spacing issues...

2009-05-29T19:29:00.004+12:00

What is your current obsession?
Red Kenwood hand blender, the latest in a bizarre appliance obsession. The appliances themselves are not bizarre, but suddenly wanting them?

What is your weirdest obsession?
The shop allows many obsessions. Things with swear words on them, things made of teatowels, owls, pigs, horses with hair-dos...

What are you wearing today?
Chalky Digits merino top (love selling clothes!), old shitty black merino under, skirt from um..Gregory? Completely impractical white-ish suede boots, because I like to challenge practicality with things that will become ruined in two wears, and a foxy pendant from Meadowlark. I'm not all about pimping the shop, but you did ask.

What's for dinner?

Quesadillas, salad, Stone's Green Ginger Wine (totally medicinal, to treat alcoholism).

What would you eat for your last meal?
Gusto's premium Angus rib-eye w Manchego butter, hand-cut fries & jus followed by one of their cheese plates.

What's the last thing you bought?
Inside Out magazine and Lego Pirate SomethingorothertotallyabribeforMalo from Moore Wilson's. Or if you really want to know, lots of stuff for the shop (today I ordered Envirosax, Longest Drink cups, Nature Baby, pinboards...).

What are you listening to right now?
Swish of the washing machine, hum of the heater.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
I only met Sas once, before she buggered off overseas. She is a hilarious writer, and I suspect a completely fabulous person. If she ever returns to our shores I'd definitely like to go out on the razz with her.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
New York, although I've never been there, so I'm completely basing it on tv shows. Probably, if I were sensible and went for somewhere I have been, then Barcelona.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
To Tokyo, to see my lovely sister and her family.

Which language do you want to learn?
LOL speak.

What is your favorite colour?
At the moment yellow, but I'm very faddy and disloyal to colours.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
Pink, 70s, swirly halter dress I wore when I was about 19.

What is your dream job?
Shopkeeper (fortunately).

What's your favourite magazine?
Inside Out, it is the only decor mag that makes me like my house when I read it.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
This, I realise I'd have to supplement it with approximately $20000.

Describe your personal style?
Erm, buy something quite boring and wear it for way too long - WITH A NECKLACE. Edgy.

What are you going to do after this?

Try and stay awake to watch Rove.

What are your favourite films?
God, I dunno. I really want to see the new Transformers movie, but that is because the children have been messing with my brain, clearly.

What's your favourite fruit?
Raspberries.

What inspires you?
People who quit what they're doing and do something they want to do, no matter what it is.

Do you collect anything?
Art, piles of paper, receipts.

Your favourite books?

I am so handsome. This book is fricking brilliant, and makes me laugh every time I read it.

What are you currently reading?
Twitter.

Go to your book shelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line:
"Massage & Bath topless". I really wanted to cheat, since it is a book of photos, fortunately the photo had some dead classy words.

By what criteria do you judge a person?
Whether they shudder at the paraphernalia in the shop with rude words, or the irreverent Jesus stuff.

What skill would you like to acquire immediately?

I'd like to be able to bash out tunes on a guitar or piano for singalongs.

The rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag eight other people. Tagging, with love:Make Tea Not War, Hana, Wendy, Rose, Oy Vey, Lara, Harvest Bird, the Pretties, Emma (even though she has something brewing), Styler

Oops, I just kept on tagging. I wanted to tag more people, but since 10 is excessive enough, please consider yourself tagged if you're at all interested. I may or may not have fulfilled the criteria for finishing this meme.

The Queen of Vague Proclaims and Decrees

2009-05-23T20:28:00.002+12:00

Pantyhose companies, please brand your product, so that when a pair of tights is brilliant the owner can replace it with another pair, and not risk the crap-tights-of-doom scenario which so often afflicts one.

You may have this idea for free. Might I suggest somehow embroidering it onto the waist band.

Yours etc.

Queen of Vague Notification

2009-05-21T21:48:00.002+12:00

I'm far to lazy and vague to check whether I've recommended Fuck You Penguin here before, so I'll recommend it now.

I recommend Fuck You Penguin. It is hilarious.

Toodles.

It has been 10 days since my last confession

2009-05-21T21:33:00.002+12:00

We bought a very Design*Sponge project chair on Trademe. I'm saying it here to force us to actually tart the thing up, otherwise you could call it a total Nana chair, and in our tiny house exploding with furniture, this is not such a smart move.
The red-headed child is a terrible, terrible sleeper. I don't feel wretched with it, like my experience with previous babies I have known, but I have had to let go of being brainy at all. I am now the Queen of Vague.
Today I have committed our Babylicious and Dishy businesses to a selling trip to the big gift fair in Auckland in August/September. I'm doubting my sanity, we did it last year and it was hard work, but you know, snooze you lose.
I'm going to put a pig themed window display in the shop tomorrow. Snappy ideas for words welcome. Upon thinking about it we realised we have a lot of pig paraphenalia, so Viva la Pork! Free le bacon! Crate Miss Piggy!
Have an irrational desire to read Twilight books. Send help.

Very Serious and Important Reviews of Important Things

2009-05-11T10:45:00.002+12:00

Banoffie Pie Toffee Pops:
In a moment of online shopping weakness you may find yourself adding Banoffie Pie flavoured Toffee Pops to your order. Might I suggest you pause, and decide for yourself whether or not you really think banana flavoured bickies are going to be yummy or a bit creepy. I'll leave it there.
Twilight
Worth watching twice, if only to see it knowing why Edward looked so, erm, constipated all the time (the answer is angst). I enjoyed it, I think maybe it is the modern equivalent of Dirty Dancing, without being as totally awesome, and with an appropriately aged teen heart throb, as opposed to Patrick Swayze. Since seeing it I have spent too much time thinking about whether Bella and Edward should hook up, and I totally think that Edward should have gone for someone older, maybe about 36ish, because someone that age is a lot less flighty, and may already have a family and have all that stuff out of her system. Just saying.

If you can't laugh, what can you do?

2009-05-01T22:32:00.001+12:00

From the fabulous Mike, my favourite piggie joke, I'll be yelling it when they cart me out of here:

I have Swine Flu, call a hambulance and make sure there's plenty of oinkment.