making donations

Hello friends again, just a quick email to let you know about two worthwhile causes worth donating to if you are able to do so. A-M a most lovely blogger here in Brisbane is rallying donations for two most unexpecting Brisbanites who were effected by the floods. You can read their stories and donate here and here.

To help do our little bit, we will be donating all profits from our shop sales this week. Our shop payments come through paypal and we will then redirect the payments straight through to A-M's paypal donation service.

Being back home we are so grateful that our house and studio is up north and spared from the floods. However our hearts go out to those less fortunate. Through small donations like the above we can all do our little bit to help Brisbane recover.

Talking of recovering, this morning whilst walking Ruby along our beach (although not much of a beach now with serious erosion and alot of muck around) we watched a great big crane lift out sections of the Brisbane floating walkway right off our beach. It had traveled all the way out of Brisbane, through Moreton Bay and dumped on our beach right here in Scarborough. It simply just blows my mind.

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more friends

Hello friends! We arrived back in Brisbane yesterday and this morning are back working in the studio - we've got heaps to do now that we are back - did I tell you we had a whole pallet of paper arrive before we left? That is 426 kilos of cotton paper awaiting to be printed - we are going to be jolly busy!

However before we get back into work mode, I wanted to share the above picture with you. We spent the past few days staying in a very cool farmhouse in Bellingen (photos to come) and Miss Ruby Tuesday wasted no time getting to know the locals. That is Lizzie and Reggie above. I can't say that they kicked off their friendship as beautifully as Ruby and Nigel did, however Miss Ruby sure did give it a good shot.

Poor muffin, I think she now has post holiday depression being back in the boring old print studio. No fences with intriguing animals on the other side. I really don't know how she is going to cope.

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goodbye dear friend

Ruby - Goodbye lovely cow
Nigel - Safe travels my friend
Ruby - I'll never forget you.
Nigel- Promise you'll write
Ruby - Every day.

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in the garden

Sweet lovely garden I will miss walking in you each day, and I know Miss Ruby will miss sniffing you just as much as well.

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a weekend walk

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making posies

Scattered around Baroona their is a mountain of old rose bushes. Apparently some of them are 60 years old, and they have been flowering abundantly whilst we have been "down on the farm".

I've been a busy little bee picking the buds and making little posies for around the house. This sweet little bunch is in an old Shelley milk jug we found at a local antique shop. Just the perfect thing don't you think?

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in the vegie garden

Baroona has quite an impressive vegie garden. Having had astronomical amounts of rain in the past few months it well and truly is overflowing with abundance. If anyone is short on tomatoes I suggest you put on your gum boots and go for a walk around the vegie patch (garden, lawn, paddock maybe?). Just make sure you keep one eye out for snakes and the other on the goodies - Your bound to find more then you bargained for.

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conversations

Ruby - I see you
Nigel - I see you too
Ruby - I've been watching you
Nigel - I've been watching you too
Ruby - You look funny
Nigel - You look like kind of strange too
Ruby - I am red dog
Nigel - And I am a red cow
Ruby - I have a white tail
Nigel - Me too
Ruby - Maybe we are related?
Nigel - I think we might be
Ruby - We should sniff each other
Nigel - Yes please
Ruby - Same place, same time tomorrow?
Nigel - See you then my friend.

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meet nigel

Meet Nigel - he is a very special sort of cow. Here on the farm their are 7 Hereford cows, 6 came from one herd and the lonely seventh he came from another - this is dear Nigel. He is always a few meters away, hiding in the background. He gets shoved around by his counterparts, they steal his hay, they make him walk behind them, they push him around. They really are big bullies these cows.

If Nigel was in the playground he would be the sort of kid left sitting on the benches. Gently eating his lunch, trying hard not to make a noise, quietly watching, subdued to the thought that this was his destiny. He would be a patient, gentle kind of kid - The sort most people don't take time to notice.

But here on the farm we have noticed. We have made Nigel our friend. We give him hay and push the other stealing cows away, we protect him, we make sure that he is not forgotten, sweet dear Nigel.

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a peek inside baroona

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meet baroona

Introducing Baroona. This is the property which my parents bought last year. Located in the mid western region of New South Wales, its about 30 minutes from the closest town and about 20 minutes of that down a very rocky dirt road.

Built in 1897, or 1903 or 1911 we are not entirely sure, but one thing we do know is that it was built of local stone and in 1931 it was extended using stone from the old local school house. Thanks to a carving on the extended veranda, their is no confusion as to exactly when this happened!

Mum & Dad had been searching for a country property for some time. Growing up as children we had a family country farm which we visited year in and year out. It was the best part of our childhood and somewhere which we all now miss terribly. Now that they have retired a new (old) country property was on the agenda!

We think that they made a mighty fine choice - the house is gorgeous, views are just incredible and the peace and serenity is perfectly calm. No doubt future generations will love their farm adventures just as much as we did too.

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a weekend with friends

Miss Ruby Tuesday has had the most joyous country weekend on the farm - A visit from her all time two favourite puppy friends ever - Harvey the Golden Retriever and Maggie the Moodle.

And oh my, what frivolities were to be had. Other then the usual sniffing of each others extremities, weekend activities included chasing, running, retrieving, investigation of the moo cows (with subsequent barking and more frivolities), swimming, fence investigations (and subsequent fence escapisms) and not to mention the puppy sleep over in the laundry.

Oh and don't get us started on how a particular little white dog and broke into the house. That is a whole other story for another day.

Talk about fun and games. All puppies are now somewhat dirtier, a whole heap more smelly and sufficiently exhausted. What a good weekend!

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to continue?

Whilst our home town suffers amongst the floods and the devastation it endures we sit here at the family farm in mid west NSW watching the news, hearing the terrible stories and remarkable stories of bravery. We admire our Premier for what a wonderful job she is doing and sit in shock watching our beloved Brisbane suffer. We feel so hopeless down here 13 hours drive away.

Many of the towns we drove through no more then a week ago are now suffering, under threat or now totally under water. How quickly everything can change.

Our heart also goes out to Victoria, Tasmania & Northern NSW who are also flood effected. It is all so very overwhelming.

Whilst we are down here so far away, it almost feels so wrong that life continues as normal. Other then to donate we are at a loss as to what to do {you too can donate here}.

So friends amongst the heartache for all those back home, the question I ask is do I still continue to blog of our country travels whilst so many we know suffer. It really doesn't seem right, or is a daily dose of normality one way to help and rebuild life back to what it was again?

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looking upwards

As I lay in bed here on the farm, this is my view. I could certainly get used to this.

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back home

We are sending all our love and best thoughts back to those in our hometown Brisbane. We are now down here on the farm, which seems like a helpless million miles from the chaos and flood destruction which is unfolding in our beautiful part of the country.

We are captivated by the television, watching every snippet of footage - seeing streets we know and landmarks we love - all going under. Watching the determination and the courage of queenslanders packing their most precious items and heading for higher country.

We are also thinking of those towns and villages which had no warning - my heart breaks for you over and over again.

So much chaos and so much sadness. We send you all our love.

xox

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a stopover

On our mammoth road trip down South we broke up our travels and stayed just out of Armidale for a few nights. It was almighty chilly - what a novelty to snuggle up to a roaring fire smack-bang in the middle of Summer. We don't even use a fire in the depths of a deep cold dark Queensland winter!!

Whilst there we decided to try something new and booked ourselves a trout fly fishing guide for the day. Having never fly fished before, or really fished that much to start with, it was quite the eye opener. Turns out it isn't really about the fish, its all about the technique (so when you don't catch a single fish, your apparently not supposed to feel disappointed I've decided).

Oh, and the other thing I didn't expect - the huge amount of hiking (in waist high grass) to get their and back in the first place! (Future note to self - jeans with limited flexibility do not fare well in such circumstances).

Regardless of our lack of bites we still had quite a delightful morning (that was when I wasn't puffing as we climbed up and down mountains). Seems I am not much of a fisher, but I don't think that our guide minded too much when I gave him my fishing line whilst I went photographing instead.

The countryside and the river we fished reminded me so much of the countryside around our holiday farm in the Snowy Mountains as a child. It was all quite nostalgic. Despite the heavy duty overalls, water proof hiking boots and the funny fishing line, I almost felt at home.

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holiday love

Holiday love. It's intoxicating.

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a summer break

Mr H. and I are terribly excited that its January - this means that its time for our summer break! This year we are packing Miss Ruby Tuesday in the car and heading on a road trip. We are headed down to the family farm just outside of Mudgee, NSW. My parents have recently bought a very old property and we can't wait for our first visit!

As its a 13 hour trip we will be headed down via Armidale and back via the Southern Highlands and Bellingen. The trusty laptop is headed away with us, so we will still be working, but will be leaving the presses behind with our trusty house & studio sitters (thank goodness, as I don't know how they would fit in the car).

I will make sure that I blog about our adventures, which hopefully will include gum boots, cucumber sandwiches, visits to the chook shed and random adventures out in the paddocks.

Talk to you again soon!

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sandra & sinclair :: wedding stationery

Fresh off the press this week is wedding invitations and envelopes for Sandra & Sinclair who are based in country New South Wales where Sinclair is a farmer (and golly gosh, don't we all love farmers!).

They are holding their reception at Sinclair's old family estate. It looks simply amazing with beautiful heritage buildings (restored by Sinclair's father), and the hall in which they will hold their reception has been built by hand by Sinclair's Dad. Talk about a super clever chap!!

With a very traditional and elegant theme with the use of a beautiful smokey blue colour for their styling we were super inspired by photos of the estate provided by this gorgeous couple. Anna one of our talented designers who helps us out every now and then, illustrated the gorgeous arbour and love seat for two to add a beautiful rustic, yet romantic touch to launch the start of Sandra & Sinclair's wedding journey.

Have an amazing time getting married you two - I hope that you will share some photos with us all of the amazing day you have planned!

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introducing violet

Today I am so pickled pink to introduce Violet Eve. Born to Louise - our gorgeous, beautiful and most delightful production assistant last October. This wee little girl is just the most perfect little creature ever and I have been hanging for this moment to be able to introduce you all to her!

Brett & Louise have become very dear friends to both myself and Mr H. and we were so delighted when they told us the news that they were expecting. We knew they would make exceptional parents and from all accounts life with little Miss Violet sounds just perfect.

Last week I had the joy of printing birth announcement cards for Louise. Being our production assistant she has seen, touched, felt and worked on most of our stationery suites. So I wanted to do something a little special and create something that she hadn't seen before!

A very simple design with a monogram was printed on 600gsm ivory stock (in Violet ink of course). This was then adhered to a 300gsm kraft board resulting in a whopping 900gsm card! This was then combined with printed kraft envelopes and a delicate vintage floral lining. A beautiful little way to introduce such a beautiful little girl.

Louise will be headed back to the studio during this year and we can't wait to have little Violet come visit the studio as well. So if we don't get any work done - you know why - we are all too busy cuddling this magical little girl!

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elvin & leanne :: wedding stationery

We recently completed this gorgeous invitation suite for Elvin & Leanne. Featuring elegant and cursive script typography we combined this with a classic serif and a very light ivory floral background. Printed on our extra large square invites on our ivory cotton stock we love its elegance, its traditionalism and most of all the beautiful impression that all those flourishes created!

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anna & andrew :: wedding stationery

One of our recent wedding set we have created was for the ever gorgeous Anna & Andrew based in Melbourne. With their favourite flower being the Magnolia (its one of ours too, so we were tickled pink!) we designed their invitation stationery to feature a very light ivory hand drawn illustration of this divine flower. With an invitation, reply card, lined envelopes and order of service cover this was a gorgeous and very exciting wedding to print on the press. We are still working on their menus and placesettings, but we already can't until March to see pictures of Anna & Andrews amazing day!

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saying hello

We welcomed in the new year playing with our beloved Herbie. Hope you too found a beautiful way to say hello to the new year!

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