Dear all readers,
It’s two years ago this month that we published the first issue of World Sweet World, and the speed at which our little mag for makers and doers was embraced by the creative, crafty community of New Zealand (and beyond!) just blew our minds.
We wanted to make World Sweet World an inclusive, sharing sort of publication, and that baton has been taken up and run with by so many of you. Since the third or fourth issue, we’ve had a constant flow of new content pour in, supplied almost entirely by people we’ve never met. It’s been incredibly exciting to open our inbox each morning to read messages from people wanting to share their ideas with our readers.
Big changes are ahead here at World Sweet World HQ, and we’ve been having a big think about the future of our mag over the last couple of months. We’re excited to announce: we’re having a baby in July! So this really made us re-evaluate what we’ll be able to manage over the next years. While we utterly enjoy putting World Sweet World together, the magazine has been a labour of love (and not money) for the last couple of years. We don’t see ourselves being able to put nearly the amount of time and energy into it once we have another little project to pour our time into. It’s been an absolute pleasure, lots of fun, and a great learning curve, but we have decided to put the mag to rest, with this being our last issue.
We’re keeping the blog ticking over, so if you have projects or articles you’re still busting to share, do get in touch. We’ll also be adding projects and articles from past issues, plus, due to popular demand, we’re working on enabling you to buy digital copies of sold out back issues. One of our favourite parts of putting each new issue together has been commissioning new artwork by such incredibly talented illustrators. We’ve drooled over Devon Smith’s work in Swonderful here in Welly, and were a couple of excited children when she got in touch two months ago to say she’d like to contribute. We’re thrilled with the work she’s done for the cover, and also the adorable illustrations by Sarah McNeil for the Crafty Business article. Hopefully you’ll enjoy them too, along with all the other content we’ve rounded up in this issue.
We’ve been truly proud of each new issue we put out, and we hope we have been able to inspire the makery scene in New Zealand and to make a positive difference to the world we live in. Thanks once again for the overwhelming support you’ve shown us over the course of this adventure.
Thank you, and goodnight – Hannah & Thomas
Surely there isn’t someone out there to take it over:-(
I agree with Liz… can’t someone take it over for you?!? I would LOVE to see it continue!
Awww. congrats Hannah and Thomas!!! Sad to see the end of your wonderful project, but all the best for the new and exciting times ahead. xox
Dear Hannah and Thomas
Thank you so much for investing so much of yourselves into Worldsweetworld. It is a top quality mag (and I say ‘is rather than ‘was’ because it has a serious shelf life – I keep all my copies and refer to them often!) and it has made New Zealand richer – I think the attitude of the mag has given form to a emerging identity for young kiwis as makers and crafters and jolly good sharers.
Well done the both of you. Congratulations – I salute you. And I look forward to meeting your new exciting project
Megan
Hey Megan,
thanks for your kind words! We’re so happy we could contribute to inspiring people to make New Zealand a better place.
Thomas
Absolutely delighted and gutted to hear your news. Congratulations on your pregnancy, hope all goes well for the three of you.
Really sorry to hear that World, Sweet World will be no more. It really is a great little mag. What will you be doing for those of us that have recently purchased subscriptions?
Thanks
Lovely and sad news at the same time! I’ve only just discovered the magazine and subscribed just after the last issue came out, was looking forward to many more!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but i love you so much! WSW was my world.
Was a pleasure reading your magazine. Sad to hear it’s not continuing.
When I moved to Wellington two years ago I kept seeing posters for WSW around and about and it took me ages to quench my curiosity and find out that it was a magazine.
And what a great magazine. I enjoyed it so much that I felt tangible regret that I hadn’t picked it up sooner, although thanks to the library I did get to gorge on several issues.
I love noodling around making things but until I read WSW it never really occurred to me that they were craft projects, and I’d never before really appreciated how much of this noodling was down to the activities my parents used to do with me as a kid.
It sounds strange, but because of WSW I feel a lot better connected with myself now.
Many, many thanks!
Jon, what a pleasure to read your comment – thanks so much! We’re happy we could make a change in peoples’ lives, and loved that you remembered/ revived activities you shared with your parents.
Thanks, Thomas
Further to my last post – how did I manage to spell my own christian name wrong!
oh no this is terrible news! We’ll miss you guys…and the mag. It is one of a kind.
I’ll miss my little WSW magazing arriving in my mail box… when I received it, it felt like I hadn’t quite left Wellington behind!
But I’ll keep up with the blog/website to get my fix now
Congrats so much on the news of the little one!! xoxoxox
Well done, guys – that’s awesome news! I’ll be checking the blog to keep up with projects and cool ideas – glad to see you’ll be keeping your hand in.
Ohhh, what disappointment. This was a magazine to my liking, ideas over ideas and contributions by people who don’t follow the mainstream. As expressed before, it is great that you will get to be creative around your new family member soon. What does it take to make a magazine? How many hours of computer work? Does it leave time to be creative yourself? Did you get enough contributions or did you have to make up too many of your own? How many copies were distributed per issue? Would you have expected to eventually make some money? There must be someone or a group of people who really liked WSW to continue!!!
What a wonderful news! No doubt this will make your world even sweeter. I will regret the magazine but I fully understand your decision (I stopped working when my son was born a couple of years ago and wouldn’t change a thing). Kids are our future, they deserve to be looked after! And if you put as much quality time into your baby as you have into your magazine, he/she will turn out amazing!
Xx Natacha
Happy Howdy from Texas in the USA.
I just found out about you magazine via some issues in ISSUU.com.
My kiwi Aunt would be so proud of me
I love it and wish you well on your new adventure in a special WSW…parenthood!
Congratulations on your upcoming production, very exciting and scary times ahead.
Am gutted about the magazine
Loved it when I got home and there it was in the letterbox.
All the best for the three of you.
Hi Guys
I feel very fortunate to have discovered your first mag on a quick trip through Wellington and it was great to introduce it to all my crafty friends in Westport. Now I’ve left NZ but left behind some WSW subscriptions for friends who have all enjoyed them and I hoped one day to be able to go through all their old copies. It’s sad to hear you’re bowing out, all good reasons though, as your mag was such a great mix of interesting and useful stuff that really pushed my buttons. Now in the UK and I am really interested in being able to buy digital copies of the back issues and get crafty kitting out a new flat. Let us know when these will be available as I’ll be first on the list!
All the best.
Oh its my favourite magazine – if you start up again I’m in!!
Buts that cool, you guys need a break and your bubba will need all your love and attention! You can keep my sub money and maybe you should put up a postal address for knitted hats and things, i’m sure they’ll be streaming in!!
Thanks for all the awesome inspiration
Cheers
Joanna
i’ll be sorry to see you go… your magazine is lovely.
all the best for the future and new baby (so exciting!)
I’m gutted. I live in Scotland and my friend used to send me a copy every birthday and Christmas and it was my favourite present!
Hi guys, really sorry to hear about the printed mag wrapping up, we have enjoyed it thoroughly here in London. It’s very inspirational and was always a treat to get. All the best for baby!
Hey Hannah and Thomas,
Congratulations on becoming pregnant! How exciting. That child is going to have a joyful, crafty and well type-set-life full of lots of love, I’m sure. You can definitely see how much your magazine will be missed by so many around the world!
Thanks for letting me be part of it – I got a lot out of corresponding with you, and then seeing it all in deliciously matte print.
Once again, congrats!
Ben
What wonderful news that you’re having a baby, But sad to hear the Mag no longer going to be. I have only just moved here and discovered your wonderful publication and wish there were more like it. Someone to take it over would be a fantastic. But if not I will treasure the few editions I have. Thanks trish
Ciao Hannah and Thomas,
First of all congratulations for the great news of you having a baby! Shame you guys have to let WSW end like this, there must be someone out there interested in such a great publication! But I guess the blog will have to do for now!
Was a great pleasure to meet you and thanks again for all the brilliant ideas and creations from your sweet world!
A presto, Marco
Cheers Hannah and Thomas with a nice lullaby for the print version! Ich wünsche Euch viel Inspiration und Glück und Spaß mit Eurem Baby! Liebe, liebe Grüße aus Berlin von Andrea
Have to agree with every1 else. Very sad news, cos I’ve only just found you as well. Glad though that the blog will continue.
Congrats to you both on your expected little package. All the best to you.
I think it must be serendipity I found your magazine last week…just in time or else I may have never known it existed!! As with those above, I absolutely love it and really look forward to following your blog. There’s a few of us out there in a race to source back issues before they are all snapped up:).
i only discovered WSW mag in whitcoulls at Auck airport when I was LEAVING to go home to Ireland with my kiwi hubby after our holiday with his family for xmas. i had never read anything like it before. when I got home I ordered 2 copies online and was thrilled with them wihen they arrived. it was a little piece of all the good ingenious things i love about kiwis and their country.
It is such an enjoyable read and leaves me feeling all warm and inspired everytime i pick the mags up.
thank u for your hard work and i regret there won’t be anymore copies. but i will be keeping the blog on my favourites tab.
best wishes for ur exciting future that lies ahead.
OH i am so sad! I had only just discovered WSW the second last issue. I have just bought the last issue today and was hanging to sign up to receive WSW by mail, dreaming of the excitement I would feel to receive such wonderful mail….
Well I do wish you all the best and will be scouring everywhere to find past issues to add to my collection ( of a mere 2). Thankyou for your insight.
Oh no! THis is such sad news (Well, beautiful about your baby) can you not just charge more? I will pay DOUBLE for my fave mag in the world! Congratulations!