Friday 30 March 2012

Friday LOVE...what a weekend

With one event in full swing; crystal towers, clouds and all {and looking truly divine if the birthday girl does say so herself} we can sleep easy tonight before we dive head first into the next {a divine bridal shower complete with lustreware porcelain Swans...more on that later!}.

I can't wait to share photos from both of the events with you early next week...until then take a glimpse of what my tomorrow looks like...
Whatever you have planned I hope you have a fabulous weekend {we will raise a glass on your behalf!}.

Thea xx

Thursday 29 March 2012

Event LOVE...on cloud 9

Today we finished off the final touches for the 21st party tomorrow night...a pile of gorgeous big fluffy clouds.

Essentials for making fluffy clouds:
❤ A big bag of hobby fill,
❤ Spray adhesive,
❤ Fishing line {for hanging},
❤ Chocolate easter eggs,
❤ A friend to chat to!
I think we might be almost as excited as the birthday girl for tomorrow night!

Thea xx

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Event LOVE...Pick your Dessert

This weekend is a very busy {& exciting} one for us.
On Friday night we have the 21st we told you about here and here. And then Saturday we have the Bridal shower we have mentioned here and here. We are getting all the last details together for both...today I was finishing off some gorgeous frames for the dessert table of the 21st. They are luscious and hot pink and too cute not to share with you {I am a sucker for pink, I am sure you are to!}.

Can't wait to see these vibrant beauties take their place on the night!

Thea xx

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Celebrate LOVE...Invites & margaritas

We got some super special mail today...
We belatedly celebrated my brothers birthday tonight...his birthday was last week but trying to coordinate 4 very busy schedules is sometimes easier said than done! When we arrived to pick them up we were hand delivered our invite to their upcoming wedding {I squealed with delight I was so excited!}. The gorgeous bride-to-be designed, cut, folded and stuck every piece of the suite herself. I had been privy to parts of it along the way but seeing it compiled, complete with yellow twine and monogramed seal, the reality hit me...my brother is getting married and better still we are welcoming one of our favourite people into our family {officially!}. The invitations are gorgeous as I am certain the wedding will be!

With all the excitement of birthdays and upcoming nuptials we celebrated with a jug of Midori Margarita at dinner {on a weeknight no less}...and it was delicious!

Thea xx

Monday 26 March 2012

Weekend LOVE...A round up

This weekend we managed to cram a lot in...
We had a busy weekend in the store {we met a wonderful couple from Sydney who fell in love with our set of 4 bright yellow chairs. Only problem was they drove to Brisbane with their car packed full to spend time at Tangalooma! With a little bit of repacking and shuffling they drove away happily plus 4 chairs!}.

I raced around to my soon to be sister-in-law's house after work to see her beautiful wedding invitation suite fresh from the printers {the clever girl designed them herself!}. 

The rest of the weekend was full of food...and friends. We had a fun night in with friends on Saturday {Indian takeaway, puzzles and games},  a delicious breakfast at Anouk in Paddington before work on Sunday {if you haven't been you must...it is wonderful, and a little birdy tells me Jamie Oliver feels the same!}. Then dinner and impromptu Rock'n'roll on Sunday night!
A wonderful weekend all round...just what the doctor ordered before a very busy few weeks.
Happy Monday friends, hope your weekend was wonderful and your week is even better!

Thea xx

Friday 23 March 2012

Shop LOVE...Go Green

It must be friday if Mum is walking into the shop with a length of turf under her arm and a bag of miscellaneous other craft materials in the other. It can only mean one thing...the shop is going to be up ended and today is going to be a long {but incredibly fun} day!

We are seeing fields of green and gold and a menagerie of moss animals on our table after today. I hope you enjoy our luscious easter table as much as we do...it makes us happy every time we look at it!

Happy weekend friends
Thea xx

Thursday 22 March 2012

Event LOVE...Pretty paper

Today I worked on getting some pretty paper finished for an event that is coming up {I can't say too much yet for fear of the guest of honour finding out!}.


We will reveal all after the event. Until then enjoy this sneak peek of a small snippet of some of the 47 that had to be illustrated by hand!

Thea xx
P.s. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if this rain would please go far, far away!

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Shop LOVE...We are loving

Today in the shop we are loving ...
Bold and sparkly new Easter cards that make us want to eat chocolate all day long.
And these Ãœber cute new bright yellow chairs that mum has been working on.

I have been anxiously awaiting the completion of these chairs for a little while now and was more than pleasantly surprised when I walked into the store this morning to see them nestled comfortably at our work table. I don't think I will be able to admire them for long though!

What's making you happy today?
Thea xx

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Event LOVE...invite ideas

Today was a really funny day weather-wise. It was beautiful and sunny at times then it would pour down with rain at others. A little too unpredictable to be outside so we bunkered down and got to work on planning an engagement party invite we have coming up. On the weekend I picked up an array of coloured pens from TYPO {gosh how I love that shop!} so instead of the laptop, today we worked off good ol' fashioned pen and paper.
{Oscar makes a great assistant...he has to oversee everything!}
After sketching out a few ideas a completely new idea was born...hand lettered/illustrated invites! We will present a few options to the happy couple and see which way they want to go. Either way Oscar and I had a lovely day sitting on the bed playing with all the pretty new pens!

Thea xx

Monday 19 March 2012

Birthday LOVE...Happy 26th little brother!

2 posts today in honour of this special occasion...


It's my {oldest} little brother's birthday today {that's him on the right!}.
So, happy birthday little bro lots of love and best wishes for this exciting year {he is getting married in 8 weeks time...can't believe it, it only feels like yesterday that he would cling to me at lunchtimes all through grade 1}. So happy for you!

Thea xx 


Weekend LOVE...food & friends

What a wonderful {but whirlwind} weekend!
Two of our favourite people {well 1 person & 1 dog} flew in for the night on Saturday. We went for dinner to her favourite mexican restaurant, had a pyjama party, a quick but scrumptious breakfast {that was sniff tested by Oscar first!} and then back off to the airport.
The rest of the day was filled with too much food! 
We made Biscotti for the Italian party we were attending...cranberry & pistachio and it wasn't bad if we do say so ourselves. 

It was an italian feast alright! A lovely afternoon of food and friends was the perfect way to end the weekend. I hope your weekend was just as indulgent.

Thea xx

Friday 16 March 2012

Friday LOVE...Food & Fashion

Today we did a lot of eating and drinking and shopping {intercut with a little bit of work!}.
I met a very special friend for lunch and wedding dress shopping {& to take a peak at the gorgeous bling she is sporting!}. 
Followed by mother-of-the-bride dress shopping with mum in the city and a late dinner {with wine of course!}.


It was a day of spots & stripes, muddled drinks and scrumptious summer salads...what a great way to end the week.
Here's to an even greater weekend!

Thea xx

Thursday 15 March 2012

Street LOVE...Let's get together!

Last night we had a street party of sorts.

Last night the owners of the shops on Upper Latrobe Terrace in Paddington closed their respective shops and gathered for a meeting of the minds. You may rememeber me talking about the little Co-op between neighbours here. Well last night we met up to discuss all manner of things that we have going on for our little strip of shops. One of the most exciting things that we are wanting to do as a group is put together a website and a street map of Upper Latrobe. All sorts of ideas for style and direction were being thrown around but the idea that we settled on was for a stylised or illustrated map showing each of the shops on the strip.

Today I was researching some examples to draw inspiration from and I came accross Linzie Hunter, an illustrator and hand letterer, who does some incredible work that I simply had to share...


{Top, Bottom}

{Top L, Top R, Bottom}

Let's hope we can come up with something that is in the vaccinity of this amazing-ness!
Thea xx

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Birthday LOVE...Twice as good!

Today is a special day in our family. 
Two of our favourite men just so happen to share their birthday's today.  
{Christening day with Dad, 1983}
{So in love...and so trendy!}
We celebrated with one tonight {dinner and dessert and a lot of laughs!}.
We will celebrate with the other on the weekend {it's a week of celebration as my brother's birthday is this week also!}. It always makes us smile that 2 incredible men share the same birthday, almost magical or something...maybe we should buy a lotto ticket!

March 14th really is a very special day... Happy Birthday Dad's, we love you!

Thea xx

Shop LOVE...excuse the cross-promotion!

A little shameless cross-promotion today. Have you seen our Facebook page? If not feel free to stop by and give us a 'like'...if you are one of the next 10 you may be our 400th!! Whether you have seen it or not we want to let you know that we like you to...aaaww shucks I can feel the like!

Monday 12 March 2012

Event LOVE...Sweet Shower Invites

Today we wanted to share the gorgeous Bridal Shower invitations that went out last week...
Everything about the shower is a surprise for the Bride-to-be {she received an invite so that she could save the date but that is all!} so we had free reign when it came to colour and style! The invitation was built around the wreath that was hand illustrated and coloured to add a sweet personal touch. For the envelope liner we used a photo of her oh-so-gorgeous engagement ring; letting everyone know "He put a ring on it...so let's shower her!". We also used the wreath on the envelope to tie it all together {and because we really like it and felt it should make more than one appearance!}. 

We were delighted with the way it all came together and we hear the Bride-to-be is also...Yay!

Thea xx

Friday 9 March 2012

Friday LOVE...Best day of the week!

{Hot Chocolate, 'Snickers' milkshake, Cherry Coke & Vodka, Salted Lime Margarita. Not all drinks consumed by me!}
It really is the best day of the week.
Today I met a wonderful friend for breakfast.
Mum & I worked in the shop all day together.
We had a few dear old friends stop by that we hadn't seen in years.
We had a mini street party after work... 
{we stood outside our stores after close and had a chat and a laugh}.
 And to top it off we had a wonderful long dinner and drinks with some more lovely friends.

A great start to the weekend!

Thursday 8 March 2012

Just LOVE...Stop at nothing!

The rise of social media {and technology in general} never ceases to amaze me. By now I am sure a lot of you will have heard of the KONY 2012 movement and/or seen the 29 minute film.

{Image Credit}

It's moving to say the least. So much so that I have not been able to stop thinking about it. About the horrific crimes that have been committed against countless children, families and communities; carried out by Joseph Kony and the LRA. About not being able to go to sleep at night and feel safe that you will wake up in your own bed, or at all. About a world where large numbers of its citizens are displaced and in fear for their lives. And about children who would welcome death than continue to live the lives they have been living.

As is the case with these things however, there is also opposition to the campaign; people who claim that it is purely a publicity stunt or a money-making venture by the founders of the organisation.

Publicity stunt or not the creators have managed to draw worldwide attention {in a rapid amount of time} to a cause that irrefutably demands notice. While I agree there are countless other worthy causes that require the same level of attention, starting at #1 {KONY is the world's worst war criminal} doesn't seem like such a bad place to begin!

Watch the film, decide for yourself whether to donate or not, but if nothing else spread the word...using our voice is free!


Wednesday 7 March 2012

Event LOVE...an idea is forming!

Today we had another get together with the gorgeous girl whose 21st we are helping with {and her lovely mum}. We have already done her invitations {I am going to put them up soon!} and so we have a pretty good sense of her and what she is looking for. So today we really hashed out the finer details and I think we have it...
{Lace, Blackboard, Clouds, Mirror, Buttons}
We are seeing romantic elegance with a touch of whimsy! This is all I will say for now...but I know you will be anxiously awaiting the photos {the party is at the end of the month so not too long to wait!}.

Better get moving...
Thea xx

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Shop LOVE...Spending spree!

Today we went on a spending spree {or should I say did some ordering}. It's always so exciting when we get to go and look through all the ranges and see the fashions that will be arriving in the coming months. Even though we drink tea, chat and eat lollies it really is a lot of work!
{I always look forward to getting to visit the lovely Sibylle!}
{Gorgeous colour coming through in September {yes, we have to order that far in advance!}
{choosing colours, prints, styles & sizes} 
{a little sneak peek of what's to come!}

Can't wait to see all of the gorgeous pieces hanging in store!
Thea xx

Monday 5 March 2012

Weekend LOVE...Mustangs & Waterholes!

Happy Monday Friends. So begins another week, and we are still recovering from a wonderful weekend. We had dinners out {alone & with lovely friends}, on saturday we worked and gave refuge to our lovely customers who braved the rain for a stroll through Paddington. On Sunday however we decided to turn the phones off & get out of Brisbane for the day.  We were headed for Neurum Creek {the boy found out about it earlier in the week}, we had put it down for Sunday if the weather was good. We woke up to a drizzly morning but we were determined to go regardless!
{The pretty pale blue Mustang was our favourite (Oscar & I) while the boy liked the blue & silver one best! }

We made a pit stop in Woodford for coffee and snacks and were happily surprised at all the gorgeous Mustangs that were there. I don't know it they gather there every Sunday or if we were just lucky, but we loved stretching our legs and having a good look at all the beautiful cars!
{Platypus Pond had a rope swing; which made us realise we are getting older...it was definitely not as easy (or as painless) as it used to be!}   

{The sun came out and it was a glorious day, the water was lovely and refreshing and the view was breathtaking!}

With a grin from ear to ear we know somebody definitely had a lot of fun...
We had such a wonderful day swimming, exploring and relaxing; we can't wait to go back again.

Friday 2 March 2012

Friday LOVE...2 heads are better than 1

Fridays are wonderful for 2 reasons at Jean & Joyce. Firstly for the same reason as everyone else...because it's Friday {start of the infamous weekend!}. Secondly, and far more importantly, because mum and I work together all day in the store. Which means that we chat too much, eat naughty treats, drink too much coffee (iced tea for me!}, move things around and then panic when the day is almost over and we haven't finished all that we had on our list in the morning. Today we got a lot done, we finished off two beautiful cushion orders and started on another four. We also found the perfect fabric for an ottoman that we are making for a customer {she wanted bright and she wanted stripes, check & check!}.
{Lots of brights on order at the moment...we are relishing it}
To top off this wonderful friday we went out for chinese for dinner. There is nothing like chicken and sweet corn soup at the end of a busy week {I was good and went without their amazing deep fried ice-cream, thankfully they gave us a fortune cookie for a little sweet treat after dinner!}

Happy weekend friends, enjoy it!

Thea xx