Meanwhile, I have a few of these Fish Table Runners available on sale - only 2 black and 3 white at time of writing. So if you like them, sail on over here and catch a bargain!
I'm proud to introduce this week's Friday Follower to you as she has also been my studio assistant for the last month. Pam, also known as Bayside Rose within the blogging community, is very creative and fun to work with and we share similar interests such as a love of French Style, vintage finds and of course beautiful fabrics.
Bayside Rose is passionate about all things in life and also enjoys art, travel, sailing, and shopping for vintage. The combining of vintage and handmade is another focus for me and it is something I love to share.
You recently started writing a blog. What inspired you to start writing?
My Bayside Rose blog is my creative persona that allows me to share my passions of travel, handmade and my love of vintage collecting. Writing a blog has given me the opportunity to delve into my creativity, who knows where it is going to lead.
Tell us about your products?
I source the best quality oils I can for my soap, this includes extra virgin olive oils, coconut and sunflower oil. I love this combination of oils as it results in a lathery, moisturizing soap. The top of the range essential oils I use add their intoxicating but gentle scent while invoking their own individual properties.
Do you think you will be expanding the range? I really want to keep the uniquely one-person operation because I do not want to lose this unique product that I am creating. To me, handmade is just that - handcrafting a product with the essence of ownership and control from beginning to end. I have 100% control of what goes into my soaps and how it is made and I want it to stay that way as I do not want to compromise on quality.
I don’t want my soaps to ‘look’ like everyone else’s but I have planned for some expansion of these healthy products because I believe they are good for you. This is just the beginning.
Would you share something interesting about you that isn't common knowledge? I am a qualified Interior Decorator and whilst I have not used this qualification in a professional sense I have used it to renovate and redecorate many homes that I have owned in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The last home renovated was a beach shack at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island which was about 10 years ago now.
Why is it that everything just looks better when it's painted white?
It's not a large piece so will do nicely and perfectly suits our Modern French Country theme and is such a nice backdrop for showing off our natural linen wares. Here's a peek of the Butterfly Placemats (coming soon) that we thought we would try yesterday as a new product.
The creamy white colour looks pretty good displaying our Cottage Garden table runner too. Our props are all coming together nicely so I will keep showing you as we finish them.
You can write on the back and send it just as you would any postcard. Although I like mine too much to part with it and will probably frame it to hang onto my office wall.
Another lovely and clever idea are these fabric gift cards - can you guess that Linda is Dutch?
The clever part are the chalk fabric backs that can be written on with chalk and reused by the recipient. You've got to love anything that can be recycled and passed on.
Be prepared to be very jealous as this is Emma's studio located in her backyard. It's a child/husband/pet-free zone. Yes, that is an TV antenna on the roof. It's the ultimate cubby house for mums.
I wanted to have a Thea & Sami sign made for my stand that I would be able to use over again. That is our logo with our new colours on Emma's laptop. The design was then scaled to the size we wanted it cut and sent to the laser cutter.
This is the laser cutter that is doing a test trace of the design over the MDF to check that it all fits.
Watching this next step was quite exciting: the actual laser cutting of our logo.
Here are all the pieces laid out ready to be painted and mounted. I will keep you posted and show you the finished results.
Judging by my lovely flea-market finds this week, letter writing is a dying art. In this age of fast living, who doesn't use emails, mobiles and social network sites to connect quickly to friends and family?
Will electronic messaging ever really replace the personal joy of receiving a hand-written letter or thank-you note? I like to write little notes of thanks to new clients and friends and how much nicer to do so on pretty stationery instead of scrawling on scrap or computer paper. I certainly don't have an excuse when I was lucky enough to pick up 3 unopened stationery sets for a mere $2 each from my local thrift store last week.
And I was thrilled to find this unopened packet of Gardenia perfumed drawer liners for $1.50. I use liners in all my clothing drawers and the aroma lasts for years. Well, I'm happy with my flea market finds and am now popping over to see what other people found. To do the same, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures.
Hand-printed table runners in both linen and hemp/organic cotton are in limited stock so grab a bargain or start planning your Christmas gifts. Keep checking our SALES page as I will be updating it as time permits and as items sell-out.
Our Fretwork design is always popular and available as table runners or tea-towels. On sale while stocks last!
I've had the most exhausting week but I did take time out yesterday to visit Emma Gascoyne's new Indie Laser studio. She is doing some work for Thea & Sami that I will reveal next week once it's finished but in the meantime I will show you these pictures that I could not resist taking of the laser-cut vintage beauties lying in her desk drawer. Yes, I was snooping.
I just wanted to pick them all up and start playing with them. These images bring back happy childhood memories of playing with paper dolls. They will be transformed into stylish brooches. 
Here are some of the original designs that Emma has been cutting from plywood for her own label Up in Annie's Room.
What a talented bunch you lovely readers are. I love finding out more about you so allow me introduce you to Roseanne of Canberra, this week's blog follower who creates a variety of gorgeous products from paper and fabric. Read on to find out more. 
What products do you make and sell? 
Do you have any professional training or are you self-taught? 
I often hear young mothers complain over the lack of designs for boys' rooms but I think you will like these.
And something pretty for us mums too. 
Available in sets of 2 so you can buy as many as you need. Ideal for gift-giving and easy to post. Only $35.50 (AUD) per set including free shipping in Australia. Choose from Cottage Blue
Creme
Or Red. Which one do you like?
It was back to school for me yesterday and it was fun! I was the special guest (that's me in the grey top) at the All Hallows' School in Brisbane for Morning Tea as mentioned in my previous post. The other special guest was fellow designer KT Doyle who I blogged about here.
Yum!
You may be asking why I was invited? Well, let me tell you. A few weeks ago, the Year 11/12 Visual Art Studies class along with their lovely teacher Christine Gauci and teacher aide Maun visited the Thea & Sami studio and were given a quick lesson in textile & product design. They were eager to show me the screen-printing projects that transpired and I was excited to see them!
The girls created their own film positives, screens and hand-printed all their own work. I managed to snap only a few photos of the amazing work at yesterday's Show and Tell but you will agree that these girls are super-talented. Watch out designers because there is some serious competition coming soon!
The standard of the finished projects was very professional with special consideration given to the end product and presentation. I love this hand-printed stationery boxed set by Lara Anderson.
What details! Do you like the pink pom-pom trim in Cassy Carlino's Eiffel Towel printed bean bag?
Georgie Walvin and her chic shopping bag.
The bird tails were all hand-beaded. No short-cuts here.
Courtney Moore designed, printed AND made dresses from her deer print.
The girls experimented with a variety of specialty inks including metallics and the fluroscent ink used on this t-shirt. Alex Thompson's little cousin was so happy with the t-shirts that Alex printed for her that she wore all three at once. Cute!
