Seedling in cultural Christchurch for Winter Gift Fair

We travelled down to Christchurch to exhibit at the trade only Winter Gift Fair last week. Our trip was marked by a number of surprises. The first was that we arrived in Christchurch on time, thanks to Jetstar (I think even the staff were surprised!). The second was the biting cold, we were definitely not prepared and I now see why Christchurch sells so much Merino.

Then there was the food, it was fantastic! We dined on fantastic Indian at the food court, amazing Japanese at a little restaurant in the middle of nowhere, quaint Mexican, sol square, the strip and an amazing collection of outdoor food stalls at the arts market.

Then there was the unrivalled support of the arts. The magnificent art gallery, the charming arts centre, great public works and the we were fortunate enough to be in town during the winter arts festival. Although we didn't have the time to see any shows, it was delightful to see ice skating in Cathedral Square, the array of street performers and the faces of excited children everywhere.

The trade show itself was an eclectic mix of designer home wares, toys, jewellery, gourmet foods, ceramics and more.

We were lucky enough to be across from the lovely boys of Cocoa, who's designer home wares are exceptional (look out for their cameo on Shorty street) and all though the hall was cold, laughter was often echoing around our hall.

I enjoyed catching up with many of the great stores that stock our range and also meeting many new faces who will soon have the seedling range in store. We showed our new card range to inspire kids based on vintage illustrations.

All in all a great trip that has inspired me to return to Christchurch with the kiddies and more time to explore!