Colours for Just Plain Gorgeous

You may remember my recent post about the fabulous new Brisbane store Just Plain Gorgeous. I had alluded to a meeting with the lovely owner Simone to discuss design ideas.

Here are the results of that meeting! A range of Thea & Sami tea-towels, placemats and make-up purses, hand-printed on white linen in the prettiest Spring colours.

Do you like them? If you do, I may consider adding them to our regular range.

The Make-Up Purses are part of my design collaboration with Lyssy May Handbags.

I have been very fortunate in getting our products into the shops that I really love and my advice if you want to do the same, is to know your product and to understand where it fits within the market place.

Visit shops, see what they sell, know the owner's taste and then go prepared with samples that you think will appeal to them. Never visit a store without making an appointment. Retailers are very busy and their time should be respected.

This week and next, I will be introducing our new stockists to you. I need to keep packing those orders now. Visit me on Wednesday for my blog giveaway.

My Week in Review

Did you miss me? Sorry that I have been absent these last few days but this has been our busiest time ever and I have been working harder than ever. What I didn't tell you is that I returned from Melbourne only to find that I no longer had a studio assistant. No warning. But I am one tough cookie and have worked too hard to get to this point so the show must go on.

This week, I single-handedly started printing hundreds of tea-towels and placemats and getting fabrics ready for cutters and sewers. Yes, I'm exhausted!

Which brings me to the significance of this photo. We all take the simple pleasures in life for granted until we don't have them. We had the worse shower head ever, until last Friday. The previous shower head (in both bathrooms) wouldn't stay up because the holder was cheap plastic and broken. It took hubby Voyt weeks of searching to find a shower head and attachments with metal parts.

Finally, the perfect large shower head and parts were found at Tradelink with very good service too. Now, I actually look forward to having showers again. Nothing better than having the pressure of hot water on those aching muscles, right?

And every good bathroom needs a great bathmat, does it not? I couldn't resist this sweetie from Just Plain Gorgeous in Bulimba. Stay tuned for more news from this shop.

Roses rule and this rubber necklace was one of the nice surprises that came out of Life Instyle. One of exhibitors from The Dungeon imports jewellery from Brazil and my husband bought this one for me. It was so sweet of him as our wedding anniversary was the day after the show finished.

Voyt knows how much I love Brazilian products, so innovative! We have been to Brazil twice and I just love it for the amazing shopping (and food). The brand of the necklace is Melko and I don't think this one is in stores yet.

Oh, and we had to pick up my son, who was returning home after 5 months in Greece, from the airport on Saturday morning at 2.00 am. What an ungodly hour for flights to be coming into the country! I could barely stay awake but at least he compensated me with a pair of leather sandals. Now I need to get a pedicure.

I ordered a bunch of charity hankys from Anna, all in pink because it's my happy colour. I'm keeping one for myself but will include another in a giveaway I am hosting soon. It's been a while so I want to put together some exciting goodies for you.

This is the envelope that Anna mailed my hankies in. Now, how can I not keep this? A little piece of her artistic genius at no extra cost.

Finally, I will reveal that my road trip was a success. Thea & Sami products will soon be available from the loveliest shop at the Sunshine Coast. I can't reveal much more at this time but this gorgeous hand-made cabinet is an example of the beautiful things you will find there.

I hope you had a great week. I'm off to enjoy my morning shower now.

Just Plain Gorgeous

I've been feeling a little down lately for various reasons, ranging from work to family health issues, so meeting a friend over coffee last Friday and visiting Simone Georget's lovely new shop at Bulimba was just what the doctor ordered.

Located in Bulimba's trendy Oxford Street, "Just Plain Gorgeous" certainly lives up to its name. I have been following Simone's blog, Beach Vintage from its humble beginnings and have always admired Simone's unique style.

Liked a true Queenslander, Simone is no chromophobe!

There were so many things that I liked.

Here's the lovely lady herself, standing in front of the wall that she and her sister wallpapered. The shop is a joint venture between Simone and her two lovely sisters.

Can you see the ceramic birds on the wall (to the left)? They're a little pale against the wall but I really want those. I am meeting Simone for lunch next week; design ideas will be discussed and I foresee bartering opportunities.

You can see more pics of this pretty shop over at Beach Vintage.

Images on this page taken by me (Thea).