I am entirely made of hobbies

[padding] [If you are unable to view this message correctly, click here]( [padding] [stuff header] [spacer] [padding] Hi {NAME}, A few years ago, a mate of mine joked that I was “entirely made of hobbies”. It’s true, my home is bursting with them, but I’m slowly starting to whittle them down to my two favourites: Ceramics and punch needle tapestry. They couldn’t be more different from one another. One requires huge kilns, 20 kilo bags of clay, 30 gallon buckets of glaze, and [acres of shelf space]( the other [a small needle and a few balls of wool]( but together they fulfil all my creative needs. Making-type hobbies are essential to our wellbeing. Human beings are intrinsically creative: One of the defining things about our species is that we make stuff. [Hobbies can help us reach the flow state]( which is like meditating but less boring, and you get a cool cushion or vase out of it at the end. Choose them carefully, and they might even save you money on your decor - look online, I bet there’s an upholstery, roman blind or lampshade-making class near you. This weekend, I’ll be getting stuck into my ceramics - I’m making a tea set - and planning a new tapestry. Let us know what you’ll be crafting! Have a good one. PS There are still a few tickets available for the inspirational 2023 NZ House & Garden Tours, running this year in Wānaka, Nelson, ManawatÅ« and Clevedon. [Grab yours here](. [padding] [user profile pic] [padding] Kylie Klein-Nixon [padding] Homed Reporter [padding] [spacer] [padding] Enjoying this email? [Check out Stuff's other daily and weekly newsletters.]( [spacer] # [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][separator] [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][Homed]( [spacer] Two countries, one great life [spacer] Saskia Thornton, and her partner, Mike Eastwood, are living their best life – part of the year in an apartment in central Amsterdam, and part of the year in New Plymouth - in a caravan. [spacer] [read more]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][Homed]( [spacer] A capital dream come true [spacer] Restaurateur Badal Pal bought a little cottage in Wellington’s Strathmore Park about eight years ago because it seemed like the perfect spot to raise his young family. [spacer] [read more]( [padding] [spacer] [Privacy Info]( [spacer] [padding] [spacer][Homed]( [spacer] Kitchen of the half century [spacer] Everything was wrong with the kitchen in this 1970s refitted Hastings villa mash-up, now it’s everything a modern kitchen should be. [spacer] [read more]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][hot take]( [spacer] A gem in need of polish [spacer] It was once part of the Barbadoes Cemetery reserve, but there’s nothing spooky about the classic Queen Anne villa on the corner in central Christchurch. Instead, it’s all about the romance. [spacer] [read more]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [Privacy Info]( [spacer] [Privacy Info]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][hot take]( [spacer] Hitting the high notes [spacer] The sale of the property at 591 Mount Barker Rd, Wānaka, topped all previous records for homes on non-development sites there - and it’s easy to see why. [spacer] [read more]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][Homed]( [spacer] Magic bus miss makes magic [spacer] You could say it was meant-to-be: Kate Hawkins was taking a gap year from home in Dorset, England, when she hopped off the Magic Bus one day on the West Coast, and failed to get back on it. [spacer] [read more]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [Privacy Info]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [padding] [spacer][Support Stuff]( [Discover more at Homed]( [padding] [spacer] You are receiving this email because you are a opted in to receive the Stuff Homed newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( [Manage your profile]( [Privacy Policy]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up to get the Stuff Homed newsletter in your inbox]( Stuff, 4 Williamson Ave, Ponsonby, Auckland, 1021, New Zealand [spacer] [padding]