Retro Sale Now On!

A quickie to let you know that my Retro Sale is now live on eBay!

I haven't listed everything yet so please keep checking my eBay page over the long weekend. Happy Bidding!

Goodbye 2011!

2011. I will not be sad to see you go. You have not been a nice year with world changing disasters and our own personal family losses.

It's time to unburden and tell you that I despised you most of all because Voyt, my dear man, has not only suffered because of his leg infection & consequences but has been rediagnosed with Liver Cancer (after being cancer-free for 4 years). It's been really hard to accept but he has been fighting back.

Of course it hasn't all been bad. I've made some wonderful friends this year through my blog and Facebook page and have met and been inspired by many of you.

We have increased the brand awareness for Thea & Sami and have enjoyed some lovely media coverage. We are proud to stock our products in beautiful shops around Australia and will continue to grow while making it all locally.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR dear friends! I can't wait for 2012.

PS.. My great Vintage Sale (see previous post) will begin on eBay tonight at 6.00 pm AEDST and will run for 1 week. Will let you know link once it's up and running.

And Not Just Orange

Have you all had a lovely break? I've quite enjoyed this week with half my house now totally clean including pantries and cupboards.

I have found stuff that I forgot I had so will spend today photographing for The Great Orange Sale (see previous post).

Vintage Soda Syphons

But don't fret if you're not an orange fan, I lots of other genuine vintage goodies to offer you. Here's a preview:

Vintage Napkins and Placemats Set in their original package.

Crocheted Wall Hanging with bamboo rods.

And yes, there will plenty of orange items including this Crock Pot from the 1970s.

All of these items and much more will be available for auction on eBay tomorrow with prices starting at just 99 cents. I will let you know exactly when.

If you want to view them or make an offer on any before then, they will be in our Capalaba Studio Shop today between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. We're located at 6 Jones Rd, Capalaba (Birkdale).

The Great Orange Sale

Tangerine Tango is Pantone's 2012 colour of the year so I thought it would be good to start the New Year with a Great Orange Sale.

So if you're an orange lover, do check back here on Saturday. I'll be offering a wonderful selection of Italian and German vintage ceramics and other retro goodies on eBay.

I hope you having fun decluttering this week. I know I am! I really want to have a clear space to start working on new fabric designs next week.

Swatch image courtesy of Pantone.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas dear friends! I wish you all a wonderful time and a break with your loved ones.

I can't wait to get over to my mum and dad's to share a lunchtime feast with my brothers & sister and their families.

Do you love my Christmas bird? I do. Thanks to my dear friend Emma of Red Revival who especially coloured it in for me. Love you Em!

I always treat myself to a Christmas pressie so I couldn't resist this Jets bikini. The photo doesn't correctly depict the true colour but it really is a classy navy.

Bonus that it was on sale at David Jones yesterday and it doesn't look half bad on me either thanks to Weight Watchers and jogging with the dog lately.

The husband did well too with this pretty leather bag that he picked up on his recent trip to Spain. Thanks honey!

Unbelievably, I did finished my table runner (see previous post)! Custom-made at 3 metres long, I chose the French Stripes in creme on natural linen to contrast with our Marguerite covered dining chairs.

I'm looking forward to catching up with more things at home over the next 2 weeks and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm one of those people who is excited about having time to declutter. I know there's more of you out there. Have fun!

Angela's Table Runner

Are you ready for Christmas? I'm not but Angela is. Look at her lovely Thea & Sami table runner. Custom-made from our Marguerite printed linen to fit her beautiful Rustic 3m long table.

Now why don't I have time to make my own table runner for our beloved Jimmy Possum table? I'm so motivated by Angela's snapshot that I think I will today. I'll be in the Studio Shop and don't expect it to be too busy.

But do pop in if you're around and would like to say hello and I'll make you a cuppa. We're located at Unit 1, 6 Jones Road, Capalaba (Birkdale). Open from 10.00 - 4.00 pm.

Vintage Lamp Stands

We get a few requests for vintage lamp stands from time to time as they look great with large drumshades. They're not easy to come by but recently, I scored 3!

One I'm keeping as a studio prop. The second one (pictured above) I'm selling and you can buy it from our website here with or without a lampshade.

The 3rd was found on the side of the road by my good friend Emma and was quickly claimed by my daughter Elessa. She will never admit to being crafty but she did sand and paint it herself and did a great job.

I never would have chosen a lampshade of this size (12" diameter) but Elessa did and it does seem to suit the shorter than usual height of the stand. You can order lampshades in any of our fabric and sizes here.

We will be adding more vintage lampbases and stands to the website in the new year.

Birdmania Continues

I swear I don't intentionally go out looking for bird decor but when I came across this adorable vintage ceramic trio, how could I resist?

They are in perfect condition and were purchased from the Woolloongabba Antique Centre.

To ensure correct wall placement, I traced the outlines onto paper first and played around with positioning.

Hammered the nail and hook straight through the paper and then tore it away.

More birds! Thea & Sami Peacock Party Cushion in Lily Pink and seat pad made from French Checks print. Pink vase project here.

I wonder what my husband will think when he returns home on Thursday? It doesn't really matter anyway :)

Christmas Gift Guide

If you're more organised that I am, you will have all of your Christmas shopping done and gift-wrapped.

If not, I've thrown together a few last minute Thea & Sami gift ideas for you.

1. LINEN CUSHIONS - lovely Summer range with some styles are on sale
2. NATURAL HAND-MADE SOAP - discontinued product now on sale
3. NAPKINS sold in sets of 4 - a beautiful addition to your Christmas table
4. LINEN TEA-TOWELS - all styles are in stock ready to ship and are our best sellers!

Also check out our SALES page for more deals including discontinued fabrics. New items are added to this page weekly.

You can shop directly on-line and not fight the crowds. All orders placed by Monday will be expressed-posted if you're outside South East QLD (Australia only). Free gift-wrapping on request and posting direct to the recipient.

Free shipping on all orders over $100. BONUS: spend $150 or more and choose a free tea-towel as an extra gift or for yourself. Choose from selection here and simply type in your choice in "Instructions to Merchant" when checking out. Offer is valid until Christmas Eve purchases.

Or pop into our Studio Shop today. We're open between 10 & 4 pm at Unit 1, 6 Jones Road, Capalaba (Birkdale).

Home Beautiful Feature

It's taken some time (see photo shoot here) but I finally made it into Home Beautiful!

I am so chuffed about this because I LOVE Home Beautiful and it's a lovely feature thanks to writer Bronwyn McNulty and photographer John Downs.

One of my goals for this year was to be featured in a national Home Decor magazine so I only just made it. It's the January issue but it's available now in newsagents and supermarkets.

You will have to buy Home Beautiful to read it properly and to see all the images. I'm on pages 52-54. Do let me know what you think of it.
Thanks Home Beautiful!

Marcia's Cushions

Marcia has sent us an update on her living room cushions kindly made by her Mother-in-law. These look great on the beige sofa.

The fabric used is our Marguerite in Navy on Organic Twill available on SALE here. Or you could also use our Blue Marine print on White Linen.

The circular cushion looks perfect finished off with the centre button, don't you think?

Coordinating navy cushions are by Caitlin Wilson.

Speaking of cushions, we have some ready-made ones on sale so do visit and keep checking our SALES PAGE as we make room for new products & fabrics next year.

Do you have any projects made from our fabrics? We'd love to see them so please email them to me and I'll send you a thank you tea-towel.

My Living Room Art

It's amazing how a little wall art can make a room that much prettier. I'm so pleased to finally have some on my living room walls.

My art rule is that everything has to be vintage or hand-made in some way and local is very good. Bird cushion is by Anna Bartlett over at Shiny Happy Art.

Mmm, I never meant to have so many birds in my collection but it has somehow evolved that way. Art work includes vintage needlepoints purchased from Etsy and the piece (on right) purchased from Mondo Cherry.

Look Kerri, I finally have your artwork framed and hung! I had to photograph the prints from this angle to avoid too much glass reflection.

I also like Kerri's art framed here in floating frames which I didn't know existed until now. This photo is from Home Beautiful where it's been featured this month. Visit Driftwood Interiors to see more of Kerri's work.

Decorating doesn't seem so overwhelming if you just do a little at at time.

Aqualicious in the Press

I'm loving the new Queensland Homes Summer issue and our Fretwork Lampshade in Aqualicious has been featured on Page 38.

I'm thoroughly amused by seeing a word that I made up (aqualicious) in print.

Speaking of lampshades, we've sent out quite a few lately so do keep in mind that we can have them custom-made for you in any size or shape (even rectangular) from any of our hand-printed fabrics.

Bedside Lamps in French Checks.

Fretwork lampshade in Blue Marine.

Order your lampshades directly from our on-line store. Some styles may be in stock.

Colours to Save Children

It's a beautiful Summer's morning here in Brisbane and I am loving Eternity, my own personal shade of turquoise.

I chose and named my colour in support of the international UNICEF fund.There are 16.7 million colours to name so there's plenty left!

If you fancy the idea of having your own personal colour while helping to save children's lives, then please visit the UNICEF Own A Colour website now. Which colour will you choose? Let us know.

Modern & Crafty Christmas Tree

I wanted a non-traditional Christmas tree for our studio and yet wanted to decorate it with hand-crafted decorations. Is that strange?

We made these simple decorations from our red & creme printed fabrics, stuffed with a little corn fibre and trimmed with pinking shears. 25 cm of baker's twine was sewn into the seam for a loop. Very easy to do!

If you need an extra Christmas tree for an office space or elsewhere, this one was purchased from IKEA for under $10, stands at 1 metre high and of course, can be stored away flat-packed.

Or perhaps you could use it throughout the year for displaying other items or at a market stall? It wouldn't look like a Christmas tree.

You can find fabrics for decorations and other small projects in our scrap or fabric packs here.

Morning Tea Reminder

Our Christmas Morning Tea is on today. I've ordered some yummy Christmas-themed cupcakes from The Cupcake Parlour and I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival.

If you haven't RSVP'd but would like to join us in our Capalaba studio & shop, you are more than welcome. Details are here. Got to go and pretty myself up now...