Whether something is created here on the spot or is simply brought over to be shown off, we can never get enough of seeing the love that goes into some of our guests' crafty projects.
The most popular form of artistic expression we witness is drawing and painting. Sitting down in the grass with a notepad or a canvas enveloped by nature is certainly a therapeutic experience. And the results of these sessions are always breathtaking.
A local painting club even comes over from time to time to sit down, take in the surroundings and let their creativity flow.
We were prompted to think about all the ways nature inspires people here when a couple of visitors recently shared impressive works of art featuring the farm. These included an adorable alpaca fella made out of egg carton and a poem about colours and nature by 10 year old Francesca...
Francesca muses "Yellow is the taste of melting butter on a piece of hot toast, it smells like fresh honey from the lavender farm," and "Purple smells like lavender in the wild wind and feels like a kiss from my grandma," talk about conjuring sweet memories with words!
One person who takes more inspiration than anyone else from the farm, and who in turn inspires developments on the farm, is none other than Corry Zeestraten. Mum of Stef and Tim, owners of Wānaka Lavender Farm, Corry spends her free time coming up with incredible projects to create using what nature provides. You might even spot some of Corry's creations in the farm shop, many made out of our resident alpacas' wool and eco-dyed using fresh herbs and flowers from the garden.
Learn more about Corry and her love of all things gardening and crafting in our Mum's Herb Garden Farm Story.
A couple that finds inspiration in nature and their travels is Marce and Lea. Below is one of the duo's first illustrations of our farm from 2015, and their work has since become an integral part of our branding!
Marce and Lea have their own business, Drawing the Way, that sells colourful maps and prints of locations and landmarks from all over New Zealand. And lucky for us, they continue to work with Wānaka Lavender Farm to create our own maps and stunning graphics. You may have seen these all over our website, as prints on our greeting cards or as signs within the farm shop and tearoom as well as dotted around the gardens outside.
They reminisce, "Stef and Tim were just starting with the Lavender Farm, and when Stef saw our watercolours, he immediately asked if we wanted to make a map for the farm. Of course, we said yes, and that marked the beginning of our collaboration.
This project was life-changing for us. It was our first illustration project, our first client, and the first person who saw our potential. Thanks to this initial project, we continued doing what we love.
Sometimes, when we think about it, we remember how excited we were working on it. It was, and still is, a dream job."
See Marce and Lea's original map of the farm from years ago (left) and the current map after some changes and expansion (right).
Another creative superstar that we have a lot of love for at Wānaka Lavender Farm is Joan from Kaiapoi. Joan has been making delightful knitted lavender dolls for us for years, and they are a huge hit with our guests. When they arrive at our shop, these dolls are stuffed with our lavender flowers so that they may be hung anywhere and diffuse a sweet smell.
Occasionally, Joan will let the farm or nature inspire her further and come up with other ideas for her knitting projects, such as changing the design of the doll into a dog or a bear, or making adorable baby booties to go with our baby oil and soap.
We're always blown away by the ideas we see or hear of, so don't be shy if you create a masterpiece and want to show it off!
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