Good Bye 2010

And so we come to the end of another year. 2010 - you were a big one for me and one filled with many challenges. I have listed some of the highs and lows of my year:

We purchased a new house in March but at the time of the move, my husband was hospitalised with a nasty staph infection in his leg. It took months for him to fully recover and I was left to deal with the move by myself, along with everything else. I have only just finished unpacking and decluttering the house this last week.

The Sad: My dear Uncle Mick died. My mum had to have her badly healed leg - rebroken and reset (making that a total of 3 breaks). My poor dad was diagnosed with macular degeneration and has since lost much of his sight.

Business-wise, many challenges were overcome. Much time and money was spent on a home-studio application that was never to be approved. On a positive note, my hard work to redirect the business away from fashion late last year was a wise one with wonderful new stockists buying our linen homewares and fabrics this year.

I calculated that we bought 800 metres of fabrics for screen-printing this year! Thus, the decision was made to import our own and we are now waiting for new European linens to clear customs as we speak. It's all a little scarey as we have had to buy a LOT of fabric but we have to keep the faith in what we are doing to move forward.

My best purchase of the year was my sweet and economical Volkswagen Polo after I sold the old Holden Commodore (a family hand-me-down) to the car wreckers.

I am looking forward to the New Year and wish you all a great 2011 with Love, Health and Happiness. I want to thank you all for reading my blog, supporting my business and for the wonderful friendships that have developed.

My big New's Year resolution is to get organised and to work smarter with weekends off. What's yours?

Season's Greetings

I really meant to wish you all a Happy Christmas before the big day but time did not permit it. I do hope you all had a lovely holiday.

This week was a very hectic one for me with deadlines due before business holiday closures, an overseas guest staying with us, decluttering the house and hosting Christmas lunch for 15 family members.

This is what we've been doing since yesterday! I am still aching all over from sheer exhaustion. I think the husband and I will go away and hide next Christmas.

We have wisely decided not to move the studio until next month so I look forward to a little down time before the madness begins again.

I wish you all Happy and Safe Holidays with your loved ones. I am taking a few days off from work and from the blog world but will have lots of new things to share with you soon. x

Olive and Joy

Olive & Joy is a new on-line store that brings together the creative vision of Julie Palmer and her love of interior design. Many of you may already be following Julie's blog. I just adore Julie's style!

Here's Julie from the time she attended one of my screen-printing classes (more images here). We stayed in touch ever since, having developed a wonderful friendship and business relationship.

Let's find out more about Olive & Joy. Here is the story in Julie's own words:

We named Olive & Joy after our two maternal grandmothers who never met but whose grandchildren (Andrew and I) fell in love. Olive was my grandmother's middle name, also my great-grandmother's middle name and my mother's middle name. Joy is short for Joyce, Andrew's grandmother's middle name.

It was important to me for the name of my blog and now business had some special meaning to me. I also love the fact that the names also represent other elements such as colour (olive) and happiness (joy) so our customers can create their own interpretation on what he name means.

I hope that our business can bring some colour and joy into the homes of our customers through the items we stock. It's a lovely thought :)

Olive & Joy is inspired by handcrafted and vintage items with a ton of style thrown in! Whether it be an actual vintage item such as a refurbished chair or vintage vase or using an old method of printing such as the letterpress posters we stock in our store.

Hand printed fabric is utilised for most of our cushions from beautiful designs by Thea Samios (Julie's words) to the amazing vintage patterns of Florence Broadhurst. The quality and heart of hand printed fabric has made a great impression on me and is something that I would love to develop in terms of our own range in the future.

At the moment Olive & Joy stocks a great range of cushions, prints and upholstered ottomans. The range will expand to include lampshades, hand printed tea towels and carefully selected vintage items early next year. I enjoy the variety from screen printing fabric to sanding back an old chair and hunting down vintage items to stock in the store.

We are quite flexible on where Olive & Joy will take us in the future so we are going to go with the flow and see where this creative journey takes us.

Thanks Julie! I have no doubt that you will do very well. And I know that all you lovely readers support local and independent businesses, so off you go. Shop at Olive & Joy.

Rectangular cushion featuring Thea & Sami Marguerite design; hand-printed in black on natural linen for Olive & Joy.

All images are courtesy of Olive & Joy.

Kids & Teens Sewing Class

Brisbane kids and teens can now take sewing lessons during the school holidays. Small Things Made are offering them throughout January at the Ithaca Hall.

The classes are being taught by super-creative Kirstin Burrowes who you may remember from my September screen-printing class.

To view the complete Sewing Classes timetable, click here. Let's train the next generation of crafters!

The Winner Is...

It hasn't stopped raining, actually pouring, here in Brisbane in weeks. I'm so over it, aren't you?

To distract me from the crappy weather, I thought it would be nice to announce the winner of my blog giveaway. Congratulations Kylie! You had the winning comment (no. 32) randomly selected by Random.org.

Thank you to all who entered, your comments are much appreciated. If you really like the products, you can order Red Marguerite placemats here or the fabric here.

A Prayer for Jane

Christmas is usually a time of joy but sometimes life doesn't coorperate. Along with other blogging sisters within our wonderful community, I would like to pause and say a prayer for Jane over at My Pear Tree House who is embarking on a difficult journey.

While I don't personally know Jane, my family has been touched by cancer (my husband is a survivor) and I'm sure you all know somebody who has been affected too. So do send Jane your positive thoughts.

Thank you to Just Martha for spreading the Girl Power.

I Faked It

Have you missed me? I've been working like a madwoman this last week trying to meet deadlines before Christmas.

As you may know, we will be exhibiting at the Life Instyle Sydney trade show in February and I am seriously stressed. I am still waiting for new linen fabrics to arrive from Europe (they had to be woven and preshrunk for us) and I am frantically trying to get new fabric screens ready before all of my suppliers shut down for 2-3 weeks.

First deadline - Monday morning: my images were due for the Life Instyle catalogue that includes all of the exhibitors' details. The montage of images above is pretty much what the Thea & Sami page will look like. It was a last minute decision last week to reintroduce our "Iron Flowers" design (thanks Leisa) and to print it onto the Duckegg Blue linen since I didn't have anything else ready.


I quickly printed up one panel. I can print just one large screen myself, if need be, by screen-printing sideways at the end of the table. This is the only way that one person can reach across the entire width of fabric unless you have this system.

I then pinned the panel around the cushion insert as shown above (no time for sewing). That was the first time I faked it.

The new blue rose design you see above has not even been exposed onto a screen yet. It was a last minute decision on Monday morning to include it for the catalogue.

The design was printed on paper and taped it over the lampshade. That was the second time I faked it. Desperate measures from a desperate woman but I really wanted to have 3 new designs for the catalogue and by the time we exhibit - they will be real! Fake it til you make it....

Design No. 3 is the lovely Doily Clock from Red Revival. I am happy to announce that Emma and I will be collaborating with some of our designs and will be exhibiting together at Life Instyle. We will be at booth No. 78 so please visit us if you are attending.

Reminder - today is the last day to enter my blog giveaway and Missy Mao Mao's giveaway here. Good luck!

More... Bags & Giveaway

I've told you about Marilyn Cardinal and her Missy Mao Mao bags before and I could be accused of being biased since the new range incorporates Thea & Sami's hand-printed linens but really, are these not superb?





I love that the lady thinks outside the box and has used our Hydrangea print sideways for this wrist purse with leather trim.

This small Red Marguerite pouch has a leather back and is being offered as a blog giveaway prize over at Dannielle Cresp. Entries remain open until Monday, December 20th. Please note that the image on that blog makes the print look pinker than it is but it should be the same colour as the this bag.

Thea & Sami blog followers can also enter my giveaway here.

Wish me luck! I'm going to brave the crowds at Ikea today to buy a second white sofa. Our lounge room is really shaping up after painting the walls white last week. It should provide the perfect back drop for product photography. Will share when it's all in place...

December Printers

Warning! There is cuteness overload in this blog post. So inspiring were my screen-printers last weekend that I couldn't wait to share the images with you.

Seriously, how cute are these mice by Vanita Snell?

Here is the super-creative and good-looking class of December 2010 busily cutting their stencils. From L-R, Vanita Snell, Catherine Demack, Angela Martin and Victoria Gibson (unfortunately our 5th participant was sick on the day).

Sewing mums and friends Vanita and Catherine showing off their printed tea-towels.

Detail of Vanita's Happy Bird.

Close up of Catherine's linear floral print.

Angela was lucky to fill in for sister-in-law at last moment's notice (hope you're feeling better Jo!)

Tick Tock!

One colour...

Two colours.

Not a bad effort from nurse Victoria who had no idea what she would be printing earlier in the day.

I don't usually show my demonstration print but I really liked how this turned out considering it was something I decided to do on the spur of the moment. It makes me wish that we had printed Christmas tea-towels. Maybe next year when I'm more organised as I keep telling you all.

New classes? Not until March 2011 since I have decided to be realistic about my growing workload. We have already had a couple of bookings so do plan ahead if you wish to attend. Please book directly on-line.

Time for Tea

I'm currently working on new fabric & product designs that we will be introducing at the next Life Instyle trade show in February.

This is the time to evaluate which products are viable to keep producing and which are not. So sorry tea cosies - you guys are history.


However, this is good news for those who are still looking for Christmas presents as the Tea Cosies that remain in stock are now on sale! (I'm keeping one for my mum).

They are all hand-printed and quilted with eco-friendly bamboo wadding.

The linen Tea Cosies also coordinate with our sweet Hydrangea placemats, tea-towels and table runners.

Go shopping and check out more sale items here.

Thank You Madison & Blog Followers!

Last week, another high school student spent some time doing hands-on work experience in our studio.

Madison was such delightful company and very eager to learn as much as possible during her short stay. On her last day, I let her choose some screens to play with.

She printed two of my old t-shirt designs. Pretty good, hey?

And chances are that if you buy one of our white Butterfly tea-towels, it was also printed by Madison. You can have a job with Thea & Sami anytime Madison!

And yes, I still have to post images from our printing workshop last Saturday. That will have to wait until tomorrow as I really should keep working on my new fabric designs but I did want to post the Blog Giveaway I promised you. This is in celebration of 500 wonderful blog followers. Yay!

The prize is a one-of-a-kind "Marguerite" linen tea-towel and a set of Marguerite linen placemats, all hand-printed in red.

To be in the running, simply leave a comment on this post. It can be feedback on my blog, website, products or just to say hello! As this giveaway is a thank you to my blog followers, it's only fair that you are one.

* Please make sure that I have a way of contacting you so leave an email address if you don't have a blog.

The winner will be randomly selected on Sunday,19th December (Aussie date). Yes, yes, I will ship anywhere. Now go away as I must get back to work.

This giveaway has now closed. Thank you to all who commented. The winner was announced here.

Our New Studio

I really do have a hectic life. I'm not sure when it started being so but I am exhausted!

One of the things that was taking up my time of late was the search for a new studio. I'm happy to announce that after looking at many less-than-desirable spaces, we have finally found the right one. For me, it was love at first sight.

Look at how much room there is! I will be able to have my 7 metre printing table as well as another 12 metre table plus much more.

Our new landlord is happy to install skylights as we are used to having them. This means we never have to turn on the lights and we can accurately see what ink colours we are using and mixing.


How sweet is the little garden at the front? The large windows will allow us to create a lovely product display.


And what's this? An air-conditioned office space so I can sit and do my administrative duties during normal working hours. Hopefully, I can then go home and not work a second night shift.

I am especially loving the office window. I can already imagine myself poking my head through it to yell out "Work faster people!"

We will be moving by the end of the month but will still be located in Capalaba.

Friday Follower - Tristan

I'm delighted to present eco-entrepreneur Tristan Bauer as this week's Friday Follower. At age 24, Tristan has already achieved so much and I'm certain it's only the beginning. I thought it would be interesting to find out more about his business so do read on.

What is the name of your business and where did it come from?

The business is called Innergreen (see my previous post). I chose this name because I feel as though it most accurately represents the business and what we do... I wanted a name that said "we fill with green stuff"... so Innergreen seemed perfect!

What do you sell?

Our current product range consists of 4 products:

1. Cushion Inserts

2. Reusable Shopping Bags

3. Toy Filling

4. Quilting Wadding

All of our products are made from 100% corn fibre and are Australian firsts.

It's amazing that you are using corn fibre. This must have taken some research, how did you come up with the concept?

Actually, the concept came first; eco-friendly cushion inserts. It wasn’t until later that I became aware of the possibilities of corn fibre. Before we started using corn fibre, I used to take my van out to the Dunlop flooring factory in Western Sydney and buy their left-over recycled foam. This would usually end up in landfill, so I thought why not use it to fill cushions…

After a while, I realized that people didn’t really like the texture, so I started looking around for an alternate filling. I can't giveaway my top secret but after a lot of research, I eventually found out about a new range of bio-fibres that were coming into the market. I then partnered up with a bio-tech company off-shore and signed a few contracts, shook a few hands, and hoped for the best…

Do you think you will be expanding the business to include other materials?

I don’t plan to include any new materials, but I do plan to introduce more and more corn-based products. We have some new lines coming out in March 2011 that will include fabrics, bedding and packaging.

What is your professional background?

As I struggle with dyslexia and ADHD, school was never for me, so I left during year 10 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. This was really when I started my first business called Vienna People. The business was involved in event management, band management and venue bookings. After the first year of operations, we expanded the business and built a recording studio in Sydney. A few years passed, all was going so well that I put the business on the market and sold it to a competitor.

Soon after, I started getting involved with organic textiles and design and this is when I came up with the idea for eco-cushion inserts… I then re-invested the money from my first business into this new venture and so far so good!

Would you share something interesting about you that isn't common knowledge?

Sure, why not. Here’s 3 things I find interesting about myself.

1. I always sneeze when I get out of the shower.

2. I’m addicted to chicken schnitzels.

3. I can’t leave the house without making my bed.

Very impressive! Thank you Tristan for answering my questions on very short notice. It will be interesting to see your range develop further.

This will be the last Friday Follower post for this year and I am teaching my last screen-printing class for 2010 tomorrow so stayed tuned for those images.

Images are courtesy of Innergreen.

All Natural Cushion Inserts

At last! We have an all natural alternative to the less-than-desirable polyester cushion inserts. I hope you're excited because I am.

Corn fibre cushion photographed on "Fretwork" Hemp/Organic Cotton Fabric in Olive print.

The new 100% corn fibre cushions are now available from our on-line store and complement our all-natural hand-printed cushion covers. Both the inner filling and outer cover is made of the eco-friendly corn fibre.

If you purchase the cushion inserts together with any of our cushion covers, you will have them at a 25% discount - only $15 (AUD) each with free shipping within Australia.

Our Rouge Cottage Garden Organic Cotton/Hemp Cushion is filled with Corn Fibre insert.

I have looked for natural cushion alternatives before but found that previous options were quite expensive. Enter young entrepreneur Tristan Bauer who recognised a niche in the market and now operates Innergreen for corn fibre cushion fillings, toy fillings and natural corn wadding.

Innergreen Fire Video from Innergreen on Vimeo.

Some of the advantages of the corn fibre are: environmentally-friendly, non-allergenic, sustainable, biodegradable, flame retardant (see video) and washable. Stay tuned for my up-coming interview with Tristan and find out how he started his business.

Some of you must enjoy reading my blog and my ramblings as I now have 500 followers. This is cause for celebration so this week I will be putting together a nice prize for a blog giveaway.

Local & International Press

Being featured in one of my favourite local magazines is exciting enough but to see our products in more international press just makes me want to do a happy dance!

You will find a one-page feature of Thea & Sami on page 18 of the current and Summer issue of Queensland Homes. Yep, that's me inking up in my most glamorous of attires. The page is part of an "Australian Style" feature.

The other magazine is the 30th Anniversary issue of Hong Kong Home Journal (October issue) that was kindly shipped to me by Tamsin Bradshaw.

Tamsin was visiting Life Instyle in August and did a lovely feature on the homewares trends in Australia. I had to smile at the idea that I may be a trendsetter.

Our products can be seen on pages 246 & 250. You will notice many of the same images are in both publications as we were asked to submit them.

Next year when I am super-organised (notice postive thinking), my goal is to be proactive with sending out media releases. Any press that I received this year was from magazines kindly approaching us.

I would like to send a big thank you to Natalie Bannister from QLD Homes and Tamsin Bradshaw (HK Home Journal) for featuring Thea & Sami!