Organic Cushions Now Available

We have been so busy! I'm happy that all the invitations and mail out for the Life In Style trade show has now been organized and I managed to upload all the photos and information for the catalogue yesterday with 15 minutes to spare before the deadline. Relief!

We are really getting excited about the show now and especially since I discovered that I will neighbouring quite a few friends. I will let you know who they are very soon.

This week we have new cushions and table runners being made up so will be adding those to the website as they become available.

Available to order now are the VERY limited-edition Cottage Garden cushions hand-printed on a beautiful organic cotton/hemp jacquard that is exclusive to Thea & Sami. Once we exhaust our stock of this fabric - that is it. It will not be available ever again!

Go to our website to order and choose from Rouge, Teal or Sage covers. Cushion inserts are available to order separately from drop-down menu on the page.

New Blogger Page

Have you tried out Blogger's "Create new page" feature? It's a really useful tool and you can add up to 10 new pages such as an "About Me" page. I tried it out this morning to create a Friday Followers page and it was very easy to do.

You can now easily access and read about my previously featured blog followers. The link is in my side bar at the top of the page. I think that I have listed everybody but let me know if I've forgotten anyone.

To create your own additional pages:
Go to the "Posting" tab. You will see there, the new option "Edit Pages." Click on "Edit Pages" and you will see the button "New Page" and before creating your first page, there is a link "Create a Page"


Thanks to Nic of Yardage Design who let me know that our "Loads of Fishes" tea-towel was featured on the Bloesem blog yesterday. The tea towel is also available through Udessi and the photo is courtesy of them.

Speaking of tea-towels, we have 2 new designs coming next week that will coordinate with our fabric range. Now, I must get ready to visit the Finders Keepers markets.

I Love Orange

I must love orange more than I ever realised. Looking around my new house, it's everywhere and has been dominating our fabric prints.

Allow me to share the orange love with you.

My collection of vintage ceramic vases. I only buy orange ones and they must be in perfect condition.

How beautiful are these textures?

More ceramics. I had previously blogged about the plate here and the owl here.

Another great op shop find; read the details here.

A vintage tablecloth purchased from eBay a few years ago. It had never been used but the fibres must have weakened over time as small holes and fraying occured after the first laundering.

Orange tones dominate this Cuban painting purchased on holiday in 2001. The scene depicts workers on a tobacco farm.

Citrus shades from my colour diary. See previous pages here and here.

Our Cottage Garden print in a lovely Marigold colour. It's just one of our hand-printed eco fabrics printed in a orange tone. See others here.

Is there a colour that has sneaked up on you?

Friday Follower - Melinda

Many of my blog followers are local girls. It makes my heart sing to keep discovering talent right here in Brisbane. So, today we will meet fellow Brisbanite Melinda Hume of Moose & Bird who makes the loveliest products from vintage fabrics and doilies.

1. Who is Moose & Bird?
At the beginning of 2010, I decided to venture into the exciting world of handmade. After months of procrastinating and contemplating a business name to no avail, my somewhat frustrated husband suggested the name ‘Moose & Bird’. ‘Moose’ is the name I fondly called my Mum when I was growing up (I have no idea why??) and 'Bird' is in reference to me (as I may or may not have a slight obsession with these sweet feathered creatures). Moose & Bird is my creative outlet and I love being involved in all aspects of the business from design and patternmaking through to sewing and marketing. It makes for a very interesting and busy life!

2. What inspires you?
The feeling of being inspired is priceless. My greatest sources of inspiration are patterned vintage fabrics, mis-matched and clashing colours, design and craft books, magazines and crafty blogs. Decor8 design blog is a daily source of inspiration and I pour over issues of Peppermint, Frankie and Real Living magazines. I also love reading about other creative people who are making a living out of their ‘craft’, to me this is the ultimate source of inspiration and motivation.

3. How long have you been crafting for?
I feel like I have been crafting forever! My Great Nana, Grandmother and Mum were and still are avid crafters so you could say it is in my blood. Crafting is my destiny... it’s my way of living a fulfilling life. When I was growing up I dabbled in lots of different crafty pursuits including cross-stitch, ceramics, quilling and folk art but nothing sparked my passion quite the same way that whipping up a cushion on my Janome (sewing machine) does!

After I got married, my nesting instincts kicked in and I started making all sorts of bits and bobs for our house. This is where my obsession with cushions began. My husband thinks our couch and bed have far too many cushions on them but I say a girl can never have too many cushions!

4. Is Moose and Bird your full-time occupation?
Unfortunately not but I’m working on it! Since completing my Diploma of Textiles almost 5 years ago I have worked as a machinist, a clothing quality control assistant and most recently as a children’s wear designer. I have made a few big decisions over the past few weeks and will be finishing up in my design role at the beginning of July to pursue a more ‘low key’ job which will hopefully allow me a little more time to focus on growing moose & bird. Exciting times are ahead... I’ll keep you updated!

5. What can we expect from Moose and Bird in the near future?

The future is looking very very bright in the land of moose & bird! I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the support of the handmade community since starting moose & bird a mere 6 months ago. Over the coming months I'm hoping to add a few new designs to my cushion range and am also hoping to attend more handmade markets and really get involved in the crafting community in and around Brisbane. I love nothing more than ‘setting up shop’ at a market, meeting lovely customers and talking ‘craft’ with like minded people.

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

Questions like this are always tough as I wouldn’t say I was an outrageously interesting person. But I can’t leave it blank so... prior to studying textile design and entering into the wild world of fashion I dabbled in a number of university degrees including Oral Health, Health Science and Business. To this day, I still don’t know what I was thinking but I’m so glad I finally decided to head down a creative path.

We're glad too Melinda! Thank you for sharing your story and being an inspiration for just following your dream. I look forward to meeting you in person and seeing your lovely wares at the upcoming BrisStyle Indie Eco Markets on July 10th.

Melinda's vintage sweetness is also available through the Moose & Bird Etsy shop. Say hello to Melinda over at the Moose & Bird blog.

For more local and Australian crafty goodness, don't forget to visit the Finders Keepers markets in Brisbane this weekend.

Photos are courtesy of Melinda Hume.

Fabric Giveaway

For your chance to win a 1/4 metre of our fabulous Peacock Party hand-printed linen, head on over to Beach Vintage and leave a comment here before June 30th.

For a 2nd chance, I will be randomly selecting (using random.org) one of my own followers as a way of saying thank you for reading my blog!

The giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Kerris Hangups.

Eating off the Floor

Anybody who reads my blog knows that I love the hand-made and the recycled so you can only imagine how much I love our new dining room table that has been hand-crafted right here in Australia from old floor boards.

Our Ravenswood table was purchased from Jimmy Possum, a company that is committed to having a positive impact on the enviroment. Timber used is sourced from demolished building sites in the Central Victorian Goldfields area.

Nothing is mass-produced at Jimmy Possum. In fact, you have to order and wait patiently for your furniture to be especially crafted for you so no two pieces are the same. Now we need to decide what dining chairs to buy. I will definitely keep you posted.

Ah, the joys of good old-fashioned service. We received this adorable recycled timber care pack with the delivery of our table. Even the rag is recycled. It looks like it may have been somebody's underwear. Waste not, want not.

Closer to home, I discovered that Stuart Bywater also designs and crafts furniture in Brisbane from recycled timber. You can find Stuart's designs at Lace and Bark and he also teaches woodworking classes. And my own man upcycled a wooden pallet here.

For more recycled timber, salvaged windows and other reclaimed materials, try The Big Red Shed with locations at Kelvin Grove and Darra.

Would you eat off the floor? Do you know other places for sourcing reclaimed materials?

Images are courtesy of Jimmy Possum, Thea, The Big Red Shed & Stuart Bywater.

New Natural Linens!

As promised, new natural linens are now available through our on-line store.

How perfect is this Marseille striped linen for creating your own French style decor?

If you don't wish to sew your own homewares, Thea & Sami's own range of linen cushions will be available soon and in time for the Life In Style trade show.

My favourite new fabric is the ever-popular Petersburg linen now available in a traditional Duck Egg Blue colour. The fabric is woven with flax and light blue fibres. I can't wait to test print some pink shades on this one.

As with all of our high-quality European linens, these have been pre-washed and pre-shrunk so can be safely laundered. The best news for some may be that the the linens are now available in minimums of 1/2 metre lengths. If you're uncertain, you have the option of ordering swatches. Simply use drop-down menu that is at the bottom of each fabric page.

Oh la la, are you feeling inspired?

Flea Market Finds - Bookfest

Last weekend saw Lifeline's bi-annual Bookfest in Brisbane so of course I couldn't resist dropping in.

My best score was this gorgeous "Think Pink" book from fabric designer Tricia Guild. A friend had lent me her copy a couple of years ago but at $8 it was time to have my own.

Who wouldn't be inspired by images and colours such as this?


I'm always looking for vintage craft books and was overjoyed to find this beautiful binder complete with lift-out pages and embroidery patterns.

Although I won't have time to take up embroidery, I am getting ideas for new screen-printing designs.

I also bought a couple of vintage home decor books. I didn't make it to Bookfest until Monday so the best books had been picked over but I'm happy with the quality of my finds.

For more thrifty discoveries, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures.

Eco In Style

This month's In Style (Australia) magazine has a eco special that covers beauty, lifestyle and fashion.

Many of the decor products are available and were photographed at the Shelf/Life shop in Sydney. Thanks to Jess who let me know that the Thea & Sami Spoon and Whisk tea towel was featured.

Mmm, perhaps not the best product shot but it is nice to be credited as the designers which is not always the case. Yay for eco-friendly wares!

For a better view of the tea-towel in an uncrumpled state or to purchase, please visit our website. I have also listed new fabric scrap packs.

Friday Follower - Allison

Many of you will recognise the lovely work of this week's Friday Follower. Allison Langton is the illustrator of the images you see in Australian House and Garden each month and works under the business name Bigprint Little. We "met" when we both enrolled in Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way class earlier this year and have been following each other's blog ever since.

Let's get to know Allison a little better:

1. What is "Bigprint Little"?

I'm a freelance textile designer and Illustrator and registered "Bigprint Little" in 2008. I had been trading under my own name (Allison Langton) for many years but decided to formalise the business with a name change. I design textile prints for design studios — mostly for kids and mainly for the homewares market. I also dabble in a little Illustration work.

2. What inspires you?
I love spending afternoons in the library. Books are a big part of my inspiration fix. From art books and children's books, to historical books and biographies to books about motivation and brainstorming. I also love magazines and although I've had to cut back on my subscriptions over the years (it got a bit out of control for a while) there are many that inspire me. I also get inspired by taking myself on artist dates - like Julia Cameron describes in The Artist's Way. To get out and about and really LOOK and see the world then document my findings is tremendously inspiring.

3. What is your design background?
I studied Textile Technology for a year before changing fields and obtaining a diploma in Studio Textiles at the Melbourne Institute of Textiles (now RMIT). I then completed the BA course in Textile Design at RMIT majoring in print. After uni I worked in a homeware store in sales and visual merchandising whilst building up my freelance business.

4. What advice do you have for budding illustrators?
I still consider myself a budding Illustrator! However, I can think of a couple of things that have helped me along the way. Patience is one of those things. It takes time to put together a good body of work, and then even more time to get your work seen by the right people - I'm fortunate that I don't rely solely on my Illustration work to earn a living.

Don't be discouraged by rejection. It may just be that your style is not right for that particular project. Be professional. Never be late submitting work. Develop your own style. Love what you do. Make friends with other artists. They will be your support champions and you will be theirs. Give, don't just take. And finally, draw a lot. Every day if you can. This is advice I need to follow more too.

5. What keeps you busy when you're not illustrating?

"Bigprint Little" keeps me pretty busy but I'm a real introvert so when I have some free time I just like to hang out at home with a good book.

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

I actually wanted to be a textile technician and after finishing high school I started studying Textile Technology. I had hoped to work in a lab testing fibres and fabrics for things like dye fastness, tensile strength and pill resistance, etc. Then I met a girl who was studying textile design. She was a weaver and made the most beautiful cloth on her loom. And that was it, I was captivated, and transferred to a design based program the following year. I do miss those white lab coats though!

That's a wonderful story Allison. Thank you for sharing so much with us. I can't say that I miss lab coats myself.

Be sure to visit Allison's Blog.
Images are courtesy of Bigprint Little.

Expert Help

I'm getting a tad nervous but excited about our first major trade show as you only get one shot at making a great first impression, right?

So what's a girl to do but to call in expert styling help. I was so excited when interior designers Carmen Darwin and Karen Devereux visited the Thea & Sami studio yesterday to help plan our exhibition stand. The brainstorming session left me feeling happily confident.

Look out for the September/ October issue of Home Beautiful as Carmen's home is featured. To find out more about Carmen and her services, visit In There Out There. She shares some great home design tips here.

You may be interested in knowing that Karen of KD Designs has recently written a book entitled "I'm Over It" that highlights the process to complete a new home build, renovation or mini make-over without going insane! Buy the book here.

Speaking of books, I have been reading and highly recommend "Exhibitions: A Complete Guide", especially written for successfully exhibiting in the Australian Market. Available for purchase from Expertise Events, the book covers topics such as selecting your stand position, budget and promotions.

More Fish

Zeega is of our favourite stores and sells a lot of Thea & Sami linen table runners and tea-towels which is why we found it hard to say no to a recent request for Fish table runners.

They do look delicious but were extra work to print and make, so won't be added to our regular range any time soon. If you do want to catch one, you will have to duck into Zeega quick smart.

Available in black or white print.

Zeega has also been selling the "Loads of Fishes" tea-towel in a creme (off-white) print. I just reprinted these so they have been add to our regular range.

Our new, natural linen tea-towels are a beautiful darker colour. You may buy fishy tea-towels directly from our on-line store. Free shipping in Australia!

Or if you would like one for free, spend $100 or more in our on-line store and quote "Fish tea-towel" in the check-out instructions. You may also choose your colour preference. Offer is valid until the end of June. Please note, extra shipping costs will still apply and be quoted for orders outside Australia.

Sneak Peek

Don't you just love texture on texture?

What's not to love about stitching on beautiful natural linen?

This is a sneak peek of but one style from our upcoming hand-printed accessories collection, a friendly collaboration between Lyssy May and Thea & Sami.

I wish I could show you more but all be revealed at the Life Instyle trade show. If you are attending, please visit us at Stand 226.

Speaking of linens, we are listing new European fabrics on the website this week. Please note that the Versaille Linen has now been discontinued to make room for even nicer styles.

Flea Market Finds - Kitchen

I'm a little late today but I think you will enjoy all of these retro pieces found at Footprints for under $5 a piece.

Brisbanites listen up, the best op shops are not in Brisbane but a few kilometres east at Capalaba. Thrifts shops abound in this neighbourhood and prices are much better than in Brisbane. My personal favourite is Footprints but also check out the Endeavour Foundation shop that is next door and the Salvation Army store a short drive away.

Take a peek at what other lovely people have found over at Sophie's Flea Market Finds.