olive & joy

precious moments

2012-01-18T16:53:00.000+10:00

Precious moments with our little beautiful little Willow. Almost 5 weeks old, I can't believe how time has flown. Not a great deal gets done still when this little one is around. Little Willow who gets the hiccups all the time, who has grown out of her little 00000 clothes and almost out of the 0000 too. Who is starting to think about smiling at us now, something we are so excited about. The little 'practice' smiles when her eyes are closed are gorgeous. Little Willow who has quite big hands and feet, whose eyes are blue for now, but may turn your brown like your daddy's. Who pulls the funniest faces. Our little Willow who we are only just beginning to know.

Images: olive & joy

Introducing..... Willow

2011-12-22T05:16:00.000+10:00

Willow Alice Palmer born last Thursday 15th December. Oh my gosh, she was just perfect, and much bigger than anyone anticipated at 2.92kgs (we were expecting her to be only 2.5kgs at most and perhaps need special care for a week or so)! Still breech and with my low amniotic fluid becoming a bit of an issue, my Ob decided to deliver her at 37 weeks by caesarean. Little Willow cried as soon as she came out and is doing extremely well. We only needed to spend the usual 5 days in hospital and I feel almost back to normal.

It has been a week of absolute happiness and contentment, with the usual side serve of sleep deprivation and the feeling of not knowing quite what we are doing! We cannot quite believe our luck and pinch ourselves that we are now a family. Willow was quite a few years in the making (we fell pregnant naturally with her five years to the month we started trying back in 2006) and worth every single second. I'll share more photos soon but for now I'm going to try to get some shut eye whilst my beautiful baby sleeps.

X

ps. I'm taking part in the 12 Days of Christmas over at Viv's blog today sharing some of my picks for homewares gifts for Christmas.

olive & joy giveaway on Miss Green's blog today

2011-12-02T07:53:00.001+10:00

Morning all! We have offered one of our beautiful Atom linen cushions for a giveaway today as part of Miss Greens Christmas Advent Calendar Competition. Be quick as you only have today to enter! Go here for all the details.

Happy early Christmas! Good luck!

Images: olive & joy

33 weeks

2011-11-22T08:35:00.000+10:00

Here we are, 33 weeks. It will actually be 34 weeks in a couple of days. 6 weeks to go, sheesh! This is all starting to feel very real. I've been keeping to myself lately as you have probably noticed. There have been a couple of minor issues with the pregnancy that we have been dealing with and just haven't felt much like sharing.

Baby has always looked a little bit small for her gestational age and wasn't growing much week to week, but with a few changes (drinking a protein shake my naturopath recommended and more rest) she is now catching up. Our baby is also breech and has been for at least the last 6 weeks. Frank breech to be exact - silly thing has her bottom down, head up and legs straight up in the air! Doesn't sound all that bad but if she was to stay that way for the rest of the pregnancy it could cause some issues with her hip development - possibly needing a brace, or in very rare cases, surgery.

Last visit we could see that she had bent one of her knees, which is a relief. If she can bend the other we might have the slightest chance that she will turn around. My amniotic fluid is lower than normal, which also doesn't give the baby much room to turn around in! My obstetrician says she is crammed in there quite tightly - hence my small baby bump. Our obstetrician thinks it's not likely she will have the room to be able to turn at all. Speaking of obstetricians, ours seems like a really sweet lady but we always come away from the visits with not a great deal of confidence. I usually burst into tears by the time I reach the car. I know nothing major is wrong with the baby but it would be nice to hear something positive when you have an antenatal visit. The words used to describe our baby are usually 'not bad' and 'ok' with kind of a hesitant tone. To an expectant mum that is not what you want to hear, you want to hear that your baby is doing great. Maybe it's mother's guilt, because it's my body that is growing the baby, you do feel in some way responsible.

The realisation that the choice to have a natural birth may be off the cards was really disheartening. I was really into my antenatal classes and had myself all geared up for a natural birth with minimal pain assistance (if I could manage it). I'm starting to come to terms with the idea of a caesarean but also trying some alternative treatments - like positioning and Chinese medicine to see if we can encourage the baby to turn. So I'm currently burning moxa sticks that look like charcoal near the outer corner of my little toes for twenty minutes once a day. The idea is that with a breech baby there is a blockage in the chi and this will help unblock it and make the baby more active, therefore more likely to want to turn. Here's hoping! Otherwise we could be booked in to have the baby sooner rather than later, either just before or just after Christmas.

Later this week we are taking a little break with my mum to celebrate her 60th birthday and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll finally get some of that rest I've been told I need. No doubt it will be the last time we have a holiday for quite awhile so we will be sure to make the most of it. Enjoy the quiet whilst it still exists.

On the shop front I'm going to try to streamline the store a little before the baby comes, to make life easier for myself and make way for us to work on our own product more next year. So in a couple of weeks time we will be having a sale to clear out some of our stock. Keep a lookout on the blog for an announcement, or sign up to the mailing list on the website if you would like to be the first to know.

Image: olive & joy

daily imprint interview

2011-10-26T10:09:00.000+10:00

Pop on over to Daily Imprint today and read my interview here!

Image: olive & joy

we are all a part of the same thing

2011-10-18T17:23:00.000+10:00

So very true, is it not? I was really happy to stumble upon this poster by Dominique Falla, who I met last year when she taught me in an Illustrator workshop. How amazing are the close up shots! Some people are just insanely creative.

ps. You can buy the poster here.

Images: Dominique Falla

placemats!

2011-10-13T09:57:00.000+10:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know we have some placemats in the shop right now. Very limited stock though so please get in quick to avoid disappointment. Coming soon also, some linen placemats with our Heart, Cross and Vintage Chair designs. Will keep you in the loop!

Image: olive & joy

27 weeks

2011-10-07T11:40:00.000+10:00

This bump gets that little bit bigger every day. I'm officially six months now which means I'm in my third trimester. Already. Time feels like it is flying! We start our childbirth/parenting classes next week so that should be interesting. I was there when my sister gave birth to my niece so I have somewhat of an inkling of what to look forward to (or not!).

Baby is still very active, kicking and squirming inside me. I find it comforting. I'm told they slow down a little once they grow. They run out of space, I guess. When I get some time I hope to print some fabric to make into linen for baby's cot. How cute would that be!

With our house up for sale at the moment I feel a bit anxious about the next three months. Where will we be living when baby comes? I literally have no idea. Maybe we will still be here, maybe not. Maybe we will be living in a little old house in the next suburb, and dreaming about renovations. Hopefully the next month will bring some answers to these questions. That will put my mind at ease a little.

x

how bazaar!

2011-09-27T19:25:00.000+10:00

Our new Bazaar cushions are in store now, printed by yours truly! Colours are (clockwise from top left) - Watermelon, Dove, Sunny Day and Pool. My fave is Dove, a lovely soft grey. All are printed on a beautiful hemp/organic cotton blend fabric with non-toxic inks. Yum!

ps. The winners of our Real Living magazine giveaway are Brismod (Aus) and style-for-style (Int). Oh and thanks for all your lovely comments about the mag feature too.

pps. On a personal note, my baby belly feels like it is growing every, single second. I don't quite comprehend how it can keep growing for another three months! We also have the cot assembled now and in place and like to take a peek now and then. Getting excited!

Image: olive & joy

our home in real living + giveaway!

2011-09-19T18:20:00.000+10:00

Just over 3 months ago, stylist/writer/blogger (and all-round superwoman) Natalie Walton and photographer Chris Warnes came to our home to shoot it. We had the most perfect weather and a really lovely, busy, but relaxed day. It was quite fascinating to see how a shoot comes together, all the finer details of how a room is arranged to how a photo is taken. I enjoyed it all immensely (except when I was photographed, that was really weird).

And now, here it is, our home in Real Living magazine! How awesome! If you had told me years ago when I bought the first issue that our house would one day be in it I would never have believed you. This is just a snippet of the entire feature, so I encourage you to pop out and buy a copy. But for those of you who don't have access to buy a Real Living mag we are giving away two of them - one for our international readers who I know would have a tough time tracking one down, and one also for our Aussie readers!

So please leave a comment below if you would like to be in the draw. Let us know if you are an overseas or Aussie reader and I will put you in the appropriate draw. Make sure you enter your website/blog or email address when filling out the comment form (not in the comment, just when you log in) so I have a way of contacting you if you win! Draw closes 11:59pm AEST this Sunday night. Good luck all.

Images: Real Living ; Warnes & Walton

bump

2011-09-15T15:00:00.000+10:00

My baby bump at 24 weeks, taken this morning by the baby-daddy-to-be. Still not a huge baby bump to be bragging about, really, it must be all baby in there. A very active baby at that, happily kicking the day/night away. We pick up the baby's cot tonight, that is going to be surreal! The first big thing we have bought for our baby. Must get a wriggle on now with only 16 weeks to go. My sister's friend had her baby 7 weeks early so you really do have to be prepared, just in case. I hope this one stays in for the full recommended cooking time. Early January, thank you very much.

We might stop for a bite to eat on the way home from picking up the cot to celebrate: 1. 24 weeks and buying our bub somewhere to sleep; 2. Putting our house on the market today; and... 3. Our house being featured in Real Living mag!

Wait what??? You say. I can finally reveal that our house is going to be in the next issue of Real Living! Our postie delivered our copy today and I have to tell you it is the most bizarre (but amazing!) feeling to read and see yourself and home in a magazine. I know a few of you have already got your copy too. It's on newstands on Monday so make sure you go out and buy a copy. I will share a pic or two next week.

x

Image: olive & joy

nursery

2011-09-12T10:30:00.000+10:00

I'm starting to feel my ideas for our baby-to-be's nursery are coming together. Here is a little preview of what I am thinking.

First up is this adorable felt mobile from Puka Puka on Etsy. I discovered this mobile then realised I have a tear sheet from Inside Out magazine featuring one of their other mobiles on the inspiration wall in my office (it was meant to be). It's Australian made too.

Obviously it will take baby awhile before 'it' can manage to play with this toy but until then it will look great as an ornament. Isn't it the cutest! It's called a Brainbow - by Little Sapling Toys also on Etsy. They also have a great range of natural wooden teethers.

Here is the Stokke cot again. I decided to go with my heart and bought a second hand one on ebay for half the retail cost. Apparently it is in perfect condition and also includes the smaller size conversion for when bub is small. Pick it up later this week. Wow, won't it feel real then!!!

I already have a multi-coloured Hang-It-All (you can buy one from Living Edge or Bebe online) tucked away for when we had a baby. We did have it hanging in our hallway but swapped it over for the limited edition walnut version when it arrived. Goes perfectly with the felt mobile, me thinks.

This cute cabinet is the Ikea Ps Svinka obviously from Ikea. I've always loved it but had nowhere to put it. Not 100% on this one. I think the little drawers are perfect for little peoples clothing but will it become annoying with so many drawers??

Desperate to find somewhere to use these gorgeous ceramic faceted handles in the babies room. Perhaps swap over some of the handles on the chest of drawers? They are from Pigeon Toe Ceramics on Etsy.

I might just top it off with a plywood artwork by yours truly, suits the whole colourful/natural theme going on here.

What do we think? Does this look like a happy babies room? I think it's cute. I've been meaning to take a photo of my slowly, slowly growing belly but slothing around in trackpants (which is all I've felt like doing lately!) does not make for a pretty photo. Soon, though, promise!

Images: Linked above.

mixing

2011-08-31T10:38:00.000+10:00

Right now. Outside. Barefoot. Mixing ink in my great-nana Olive's bowl.

Images: Olive & Joy

press: olive & joy in grazia magazine

2011-08-30T17:20:00.000+10:00

Our Kasuri ottoman has featured in this weeks Grazia magazine! I like this little moroccan round-up. We have a new design coming out shortly that would fit into this collection very nicely indeed. It's just a matter of choosing the ink colours for this design. My natural instinct for such things seems to be avoiding me of late. Baby brain come early perhaps?

So I wouldn't mind a little help in that department. Are there any colours in particular you are loving at the moment? I am in such a coral pink phase it is not funny, but Andrew keeps on asking if people want to decorate with pink. He's making me question my judgement which isn't such a a bad thing I admit. I've mixed up an aqua blue, a yellow and a pale green but I'm just not happy with them. So it's back to the drawing board. Suggestions are welcome!

Image: Grazia

necklace

2011-08-23T22:51:00.000+10:00

Necklaces of all kinds have been catching my eye lately. Maybe it's because they will always fit me, unlike my clothes (which are becoming increasingly uncomfortable)! These are a few of my favourites.

Amber handmade bead necklace by MadeByEmilyGreen

Mint Geo Beaded Necklace by a merry mishap

Warrior Necklace by StillWithYou

Chevron Bone Necklace by littleocean

Images: as above.

baby

2011-08-15T18:08:00.000+10:00

We have some big news to share. We are expecting a baby! Yesterday Andrew and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary and today we had our bub's 20 week scan. Everything is in the right spot and the baby looks just perfect. I even started to feel it move last week which is the most amazing and comforting feeling. We are so happy to be finally starting a family. The first few months was tough with morning sickness (especially whilst on holiday in Hawaii, that was awesome. Not.) but I'm past that now and feeling really good.

I had no idea what kind of pic to use with this post as my baby bump is still pretty small, at that stage when people don't know whether to comment on whether you are pregnant or not (is that a food belly or baby belly???). So instead I used the photo of the Stokke cot that I am coveting for the baby's room. It can go from a small oval cot for newborns to a larger cot size and then transform into a toddler bed (and even chairs at a later stage if you want). It's quite the investment though so not sure if the budget will allow but we will wait and see. The only thing I have for the baby room is an Eames Hang-it-all which I put aside after I bought the walnut version last year.

At the moment I am working at trying to get as much done as I can before the baby arrives. I think January will be here before I know it. I don't think there will be any time for designing or experimenting then. The weirdest thing is we are going to put the house on the market soon and so I don't know in which house our little baby will live. Super weird feeling. Still have our eye on that little 70's house but we will wait to see if our home sells first. It has one tiny room which would be just perfect for a baby.

So. That's our big news, I'm really happy to finally be able to share it with you. Will post a pic of my bump soon, once it grows a little bigger.

Image: Stokke

olive & joy in the press: inside out magazine

2011-08-08T20:45:00.000+10:00

Our Kasuri Ottoman in Charcoal is featured in the latest issue of Inside Out magazine. So exciting! Who would have thought that when I bought my first issue 11 years ago. Not me!

I'm so in love with the hexagonal patch cushion and painting in Lisa Gorman and Dean Angelucci's home that features on the cover of the Sept/Oct 11 issue of the magazine.

Back to the studio front, I've been working on some designs that I hope to be able to print in the next few weeks so it's been rather quiet around the blog. Looking forward to receiving my newly purchased Pantone colour guides so I can select and mix up some new ink colours for the new designs. This time I will write the recipes down. I'm terrible about keeping 'recipes' for my colours, I like to mix by eye, without jotting down measurments. A bit like my cooking! Also have some really exciting personal news I have been dying to share but that will have to wait until next week.

x

Images: Inside Out ; olive & joy.

vintage bertoia chairs

2011-07-27T22:34:00.000+10:00

I've been meaning to mention we have a great set of four vintage Bertoia wire side chairs available right now in our online shop! Until they sell I will enjoy gazing at them lovingly. As you do.

Images: olive & joy

printing on paper

2011-07-24T18:36:00.000+10:00

I've had great fun this weekend trying out a new medium to print on - Paper! So I've created some prints using our Diamond Heart design. Gorgeous, no? There are three colours in stock right now in the shop. And I've also added the option to order a custom colour if these three don't take your fancy. Above is our lovely yellow colour Sunny Day,

also available in Pigeon,

and Watermelon.

If you have a particular colour in mind for this print you can either describe it to us via email or send us a swatch of anything and we will do our bestest to match it for you.

The prints are A4 in size (210mm W x 297mm H) and fit nicely into a standard 320mm x 420mm Ikea Ribba frame (not included).

Hope you like them!!

Images: olive & joy

geometry and stripes on adore home blog

2011-07-18T10:09:00.000+10:00

I'm always attracted to geometric prints more so than organic patterns. Maybe I'm a fan of structure, or repetition? Or straight lines? So very happy to have our ottoman included in this little collection on the Adore Home blog today. The triangle cushion reminds me so much of the triangle pattern I created awhile ago.

Image: Adore Home blog

experimenting

2011-07-05T11:15:00.000+10:00

Last Friday I experimented with printing this heart onto plywood. I like it a lot. I'm feeling a little sick this morning so this is my attempt at cheering myself up (and perhaps you too!).

Image: olive & joy

house hunting

2011-07-05T10:12:00.000+10:00

We have been on the lookout for an older house in a nearby suburb to renovate for our next home. It has to have some sort of character preferably 50's-70's. This seems to be the only house that is ticking the boxes, well some of them anyway. It has cute features such as the breeze block wall below and great living room windows. We even discovered original hardwood floors are hiding under the horrible dark red tiles and shabby carpet. The main plus of this house is that at one end of the street is the beach and park and the other end there is a boat harbour and park, not to mention some of our favourite cafes and restaurants are merely two streets away. I can imagine bringing up our future family here.

On the downside is the size of some of the rooms and lack of abundant sunlight. Mainly due to the giant duplex on the eastern side. The price is also an issue. The land value here is high because the land is zoned for redevelopment. Many people are knocking down the older houses and building duplexes - and on this particular block you can demolish the house and build two 3 storey duplexes. I hope more people will think like us and want to preserve the character of the older homes.

I would show you more of the inside but it doesn't do much to sell the property. It is in perfectly liveable condition but in need of a major makeover. Also unusual for a home of this era is an ensuite bathroom which was added on sometime in the seventies judging by the tiles. It is huge and includes a 4 metre long built in robe. Oh, and there is also a pool!

Not sure exactly where I will be able to do my printing in this little house, it's about a third of the size of our current home. So a major change for us! I like the fact that the cleaning wouldn't take long though. That is a major bonus! I think we could turn this into the cutest little beach house.

What do we think? Does it have potential?

Images: realestate.com.au; olive & joy

photo shoot

2011-06-29T18:29:00.001+10:00

I've been keeping a little bit of a secret. Earlier this month our home was photographed for a magazine! If you have been following me on Twitter it may not be such a secret as in my excited (and terrified) state I tweeted about it on the morning of the shoot. Honestly it still feels surreal that it even happened. I don't know if I will quite believe it until the magazine comes out. I have no idea when that will be, but I think possibly Spring sometime, so still a few months away.

We knew about the shoot for a few months and did some things to get ready - remember we wallpapered our bedroom and wardrobe? But we didn't actually have the date confirmed until we were jetting off for Hawaii, and then had three days to prepare when we got back. It was hectic to say the least. I spent more time cleaning than styling the house, which I kind of regret. But the stylist did what she does best, 'styling', (our stuff, just moved around - so it was still very 'us') to make our home photo-ready.

I wish we had taken some photos on the day but by the time I had the time to think of it the day was almost over. It was a really great day, the weather behaved, and the stylist and photographer were both amazing. I learnt so much just watching them do their thing.

Closer to the date I will of course let you know when and where it will be published. The most I can say right now is that is one of my all time favourite Aussie interior magazines (just to keep you guessing, hee hee).

Image: olive & joy

come visit our new website

2011-06-17T08:23:00.001+10:00

Hi folks, our new website is now live at www.oliveandjoy.com Please come take a look and tell us what you think. There will be a few minor things to be changed but for the most part it is finished. There are some great new features, such as giving you the option of shipping just a cushion cover rather than a cushion with insert - meaning big savings in shipping, especially for our international customers. We also have shipping calculators which will calculate the exact shipping to your destination, you can check this before checking out.

We also have a wishlist feature so if you are a big browser (like me) and want to curate your own wishlist at olive & joy, you can do this also. I've added more of our own printed cushions to the store in some new colours, so I hope you like them :)

Anyhoo, please pop over for a peek. I hope you like it!

ps. Especially for my loyal blog readers I have added a discount code to the store giving a 10% discount off everything, offer ends this Sunday. Enter code BLOGLOVE10 at checkout. Thank you!!!

Images: olive & joy

hawaii

2011-06-14T10:08:00.000+10:00

Last month Andrew and I flew to Hawaii for a break with Andrew's parents and my Mum. Andrew and I had previously been to Hawaii a few years ago and loved it. Andy's Mum has Parkinson's so travelling is getting more difficult for her but she has always dreamed of going to Hawaii so we thought this was a good time to do it. And I brought my Mum along for good measure! It was Mum's first trip overseas so I was really excited to share it with her.

Seeing as we have been back for almost two weeks I thought it's about time I share some pics. We stayed in Waikiki on the island of Oahu and this was the view from our room.

We spend a good amount of time lolling around on floatable lounges in the crystal clear (and warm!) waters. The weather was beautiful, I highly recommend escaping winter and travelling somewhere warm, so nice to experience summer in winter time!

The motley crew: from left Andy's Mum and Dad, my Mum, Andrew and I on our way to the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor.

What can be seen from the remains of the SS Arizona from the surface. Even if you don't think you would be all that interested in visiting Pearl Harbor I highly recommend going. I didn't think I would enjoy it but I really did. We watched a documentary in a Theatre prior to visiting the memorial and it set the scene (and mood) for what we were to see.

Hanauma Bay, excellent for snorkelling and very pretty from above.

View from the Pali lookout. It was really windy and absolutely freezing up here. There were wild chickens with all their little chicks scampering around the parking lot amongst buses - scary! One little chick was sick and wasn't moving, just chirping by itself with no mother hen in sight. I wanted to save it so badly, we picked it up and put it out of harms way but it was freezing up there so I didn't have much hope for the poor little chick. Broke my heart.

View of the 'Big Island' of Hawaii from air. The oldies took a day trip to the Big Island to see the volcano. I wasn't well so Andrew and I stayed behind.

Lava rock on Hawaii. There is no guarantee of seeing flowing lava when visiting the volcano as it obviously doesn't flow to a timetable. But they did see the glow from the lava as the sun was setting.

And lastly for your viewing pleasure a daggy photo of my Mum and I attempting to hula dance whilst at the Polynesian Cultural Centre.

Aloha!

Images: olive & joy

olive & joy in adore home magazine

2011-06-02T08:54:00.000+10:00

Hello! Popping in quickly to let you know that the June/July issue of Adore Home magazine is live now. That cover is a winner, isn't it? I've long been a fan of the work of artist Miranda Skoczek and those painting on the cover are just beautiful. Not to mention the Featherston chair.

You will also find a feature on olive & joy in this issue. Just a note if you have bookmarked the olive and joy store please bookmark this address, www.oliveandjoy.com as we will be moving from our current home at bigcartel very shortly.

Things are kind of crazy around here right now. We arrived back from holidays overseas late on Tuesday night (more about that later) and have not stopped since. So I best be off so I can get back to it.

Images: Adore Home magazine

new website

2011-05-20T06:32:00.000+10:00

We are currently working on our new website which is launching early next month. Here is a sneak peek! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. I love having our Heart Flowers pattern in the background, it's subtle which is just the way I wanted it. Meanwhile I am going to be a little quiet over the next week or so. Taking a little time out with loved ones. Have a lovely weekend.

Image: olive & joy

mid century chair

2011-05-17T08:02:00.003+10:00

Here is a little look at our latest reupholstery project. I couldn't resist the lines of this mid century chair when I saw it, particularly the side profile. I had to see past the nanna fabric to see the chair's potential.

This is what I mean by nanna. Yuck, right? There is good nanna, aka nanna chic. And then there is this. Which is something altogether different!

Here is that amazing side profile.

And the front.

The chair was given a new lease with red wool upholstery and a new feather seat cushion. Those little brass legs were polished up beautifully (I managed to spill half a bottle of Brasso on myself whilst doing so!) and the legs given a good sand and oil. We have it listed in the store right now to purchase but it won't be available for delivery until about mid June as it is having a little trip to Sydney for a photo shoot first. We have also listed the red Featherston chair in the store right now.

So that is what we have been getting up to lately. Hope you like it!

Images: olive & joy

olive & joy in the press

2011-05-09T10:51:00.000+10:00

I may have been spotted at the local newsagent at approximately 7:30am this morning requesting my newsagent dig through all the new magazines that had just arrived so I could get my hands on the June issue of Shop Til You Drop magazine out today. Then proceeding to quickly flick through the mag until I found this, my very first little bit of (printed) press for olive & joy.

Special thanks to Lisa for finding me and making this happen.

Image: olive & joy

signature prints' new website

2011-05-06T14:06:00.000+10:00

Whilst we are on the theme today of hand printed fabric, you may be interested to know that Signature Prints have a brand spankers new website. It is super easy to navigate with quite a few additional features.

It's no secret I love Florence Broadhurst patterns, half my store is filled with them! But it was nice to know the feeling is mutual with Signature Prints asking to feature some of our photos on their site and including me in their blogs they love list (I'm in very good company on this list, wow!). I love the little "I (heart) Signature Prints" graphic using the Turnabouts pattern, very clever guys!

Images: Signature Prints

open studio day pics

2011-05-06T13:40:00.001+10:00

Last Saturday was Thea & Sami's open studio day to celebrate my friend Thea's new studio (complete with two tables!). Now I must apologise because I didn't come prepared and my camera battery died after just a few pics. I would have loved to take a video of the printing process for you all to see. Above is Thea and her assistant Dan printing onto beautiful 100% linen.

The studio shop is open every Saturday at Capalaba should you wish to pick up some hand printed goodies. Congratulations Thea, it looks fabulous. You can also find better pics than mine on Thea's blog .

Thea is also holding a morning tea on Thursday 26th May at the studio as part of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea to raise funds for the Cancer Council. If you would like to show your support you can rsvp here for Thea's morning tea.

Images: olive & joy

new pics of the wallpaper

2011-05-05T18:58:00.001+10:00

We really do love the wallpaper we chose for our bedroom and wardrobe. It couldn't be more perfect. Now that the impact has worn off a little (we had a week or three of being surprised/delighted/excited every time we came up the stairs and saw it!!) I realised I hadn't really shared finished pics of it on the blog as yet. Naughty, naughty.

Before you go and get all jealous about the Bertoia above, I'm only baby sitting it until it makes it into the store. There are four and they are originals from the 60's and 70's. It is killing me a little that I will have to give them up. Just waiting for some new glides to arrive from the US for the bottom of the legs at the moment. I'll enjoy them while I can! Take your time glide man.

Images: olive & joy

cross cushion

2011-05-05T17:34:00.001+10:00

I'm a sucker for simple graphic statements. We already had the Cross Tea Towel, but I thought why should the tea towels have all the fun? So here we are, Cross Cushion in Washed Black screen printed on Natural Linen. I am so keeping one for our bedroom, I love how perfectly it goes with our bedlinen and wallpaper. Back of the cushion is plain linen and it also comes in Postbox (red) and Watermelon.

Bedlinen: 'Maxx' from Aura
Wallpaper: 'Bindweed' from Ferm Living
Cushion: 'Cross' Cushion from olive & joy (of course!)

Images: olive & joy

heart of hearts

2011-04-29T09:26:00.000+10:00

I thought today, being the royal wedding and all would be perfect time to share my newest little creation. It has a love theme after all. Are you going to watch tonight? I know it's kind of daggy but I am! Love a good wedding.

So the other day, okay a while ago actually, I cut a stencil to print this faceted heart print. This design is actually the basis for my whole Heart Flowers pattern. A heart made up of triangles. I love the graphic simplicity of it. We have a couple of these available so contact us if you would like one. I plan to get this design exposed onto a screen soon so that I can print it more easily, for tea towels and cushion covers. Imagine it would also look pretty awesome printed onto plywood.

Now for a name for this design, well I have many. Too many. First was Love Triangle, then Tri-Heart (get it, ha, I'm such a dag). I also like Broken Hearted. Heart of Hearts. Big Love. I know I'm forgetting one... It also kind of reminds me of a faceted gem stone, in the shape of a heart. So many names and I just can't seem to pick one. Do you have a favourite? Or a suggestion?

If you are in Brisbane, don't forget the Thea & Sami open studio day tomorrow with fabric printing demonstration. (see post earlier this week for details).

Have a good weekend, happy royal wedding watching. Ooh, and happy long weekend for some too!

Image: olive & joy

adore home

2011-04-26T11:58:00.000+10:00

We are thrilled to have our Heart Flowers Tea Towel included with such good company on the Adore Home Blog. See the blog for details of the other items including a cute card (which by coincidence I have bought before) by fellow Brisbane local Little Jane St.

Image: Adore Home blog

thea & sami open studio this saturday!

2011-04-26T10:29:00.001+10:00

Thea & Sami are opening the doors to their brand

new studio this Saturday 30th April. There will be

fabric printing demonstrations at 11:00am and 1:00pm

- showcasing how their beautiful hand printed

homewares are produced. You may remember last year I

went to one of the open studio days and wrote about

it here .

It's really fascinating to see blank fabric come to life with colour and pattern in a matter of minutes - I never tire of seeing fabric printed. So if you are in Brisbane this weekend the studio will be open this coming Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm - come and have a peek at printing in action and purchase some of Thea & Sami's lovingly hand printed homewares (maybe for upcoming Mother's Day. I will be there too!

Thea & Sami Open Studio Day

Saturday 30th April 10-4pm

Unit 1, 6 Jones Road

Capalaba

ps. if you are thinking of going you can rsvp here .

Images: Olive & Joy

sentimental

2011-04-20T08:41:00.001+10:00

Stationery from my grandad's country town general store. It dates back to the 1960's as you can see from the 196 prefix to which you can add the year. I found a wad of these pages whilst sorting through some boxes recently. There are 29 precious sheets of it, which I have absolutely no idea what to do with. My mum also has some, as does my sister. I can remember drawing on the paper when I was a child with a giant pencil (do you remember those?). I don't want to waste the stationery, but then I don't want to just file it away and forget about it again. Maybe I will frame a sheet.

My mum came over a few weeks ago to spend the day with me and with her she brought this little metal belt. She was no sooner in the door and I had it clasped around my waist. Mum remembers being given the belt when she was in her teens, and thinks it belonged to her Nanna Olive before her. I can remember the belt as a child also but it has a long time since I had seen it. It is very scratched but not tarnished so I'm not sure what metal it is made of. I need to lose a tiny bit of weight as it just fits me. In sitting and 'after meal' situations it is really uncomfortable (metal is not forgiving). I'm told that it is 'on loan', maybe indefinitely mum?

ps. I just noticed that the stationery says W. Gardner yet my grandad's first name was Henry (middle name William). I can never remember anyone calling him by his first name, ever. It was always Bill, Will or Willy. It was quite common back then to call someone by their middle name, I just wonder why?

Images: olive & joy

heart flowers cushions

2011-04-15T09:07:00.000+10:00

Recently I printed my Heart Flowers design onto fabric to make into cushions. It was quite a time consuming process as I had to mask my tea towel screen into the right dimensions for each cushion and then print each panel, leaving a gap in between in the same way you do when you print yardage, then going back and doing the second print once the first was dry. Above you can see Heart Flowers in White on Hopsack cotton and Heart Flowers in Olive on Hemp/organic cotton looking right at home beside some Florence Broadhurst cushions. The white Heart Flowers on hopsack is a really classic look.

I cannot describe to you how exciting it was for me to see my very own cushions, with a pattern I designed and printed. A really amazing feeling.

I haven't actually listed these in the store yet, but a lovely customer of mine Lesley has already bought a few to use in combination with the Florence Broadhurst cushions in the first photo (excuse my 'faux' cushion cover in the Hessian print, I had to wrap that cushion with fabric for the photo's sake). They look great together, don't you think?

I also printed fabric for a couple of cushions in the Watermelon colourway, and will be printing more cushions soon so if you are interested in any of these please contact me so I know to print enough of them. They can be made in the 30 x 60cm or or 43 x 43cm size and I can also print in other colours so if you have one in mind just let me know. Anything is possible!

Images: olive & joy

horsies

2011-04-14T05:06:00.001+10:00

We have a stable of Horses Stampede cushions in the store right now. I love this pattern so much. How exactly does one come up with the idea to create a pattern of a stampede of wild horses, and then make it work this well? I'm still amazed every time I see it. It's playful and has so much energy. Perfect for the young and the young at heart.

Horses Stampede in Chevalier Blue, just in.

And, I found one more of our Horses Stampede 30 x 60cm cushion in Yellow. I thought I had sold out, so was happy to find this!

Images: olive & joy

the chair

2011-04-13T11:41:00.000+10:00

By popular demand. The chair. Because you folk would rather gawk at mid century chairs than my fringe. Who am I kidding, so would I! It isn't quite as tomato-ish red as it came out in this photo, it is more of a deeper, richer red in the flesh. Anyhoo, this is it, hope you like it.

Image: olive & joy

fringed

2011-04-13T10:47:00.000+10:00

Sporting a new 'do'. I've wanted a fringe forever but never could take the plunge. I would always chicken out and get a wispy side fringe. Well my friends I did it! It was roadtested yesterday, my husband likes it, I think I like it?? Although I am really struggling to get used to the feeling of hair on my forehead constantly, I think it even gave me a headache yesterday. The things we do in the name of style, ha!

ps. Little peek behind me of the prototype for Destination Design screen printed onto plywood. Ooh-aah!

pps. You can only see a glimpse of it but I love, love my Country Road silk tank I'm wearing here.

ppps. I'm sitting on the newly upholstered red Featherston here. It will be available in a few weeks, I just want to use it for a photo shoot first....

Bye!

Image: olive & joy

vintage signage letters

2011-04-12T21:32:00.002+10:00

Look what we have here. Big, gold metal signage letters just listed in the shop. These are huge and heavy, and beautiful. And, they just happened to spend their previous life as signage for a Louis Vuitton store. Seriously!

I have several of some letters available and only one of some (If you like the 'V' or 'N' - get in quick).

Gold-y, typographic-y, vintage-y goodness.

And yes, we do ship worldwide but please keep in mind these are heavy (the 'N' is over 800 grams!) so shipping isn't cheap. But for Louis? It's a bargain.

In the shop now.

Images: olive & joy

it's wallpaper hanging day!

2011-04-08T15:38:00.001+10:00

So it's wallpaper hanging day here, and a happy day it is (miserable weather and all). Here is where we are up to right now. Looking good. My wallpaper hanger is doing a good job, as he should, he has been hanging wallpaper for over 40 years. Even remembers hanging Florence Broadhurst wallpaper in Sydney back in the 70's. We had a good chat about Florence yesterday actually.

So far very very happy with our choice of Ferm Living 'Bindweed' wallpaper.

Images: olive & joy

howkapow

2011-04-01T13:20:00.001+10:00

Seriously beautiful tableware from Haidee Drew found on Howkapow. Imagine the time wasted away creating cool patterns with them on your table top. Called 'Taba' (wood platter - comes in single and double) and 'Tapa' (earthenware platter) - they would be perfect for tapas or nibbles, perhaps some simple oil and bread. The best thing I've seen in a long while. Love them.

Images: Howkapow

wallpaper for the bedroom

2011-03-31T22:57:00.001+10:00

We've chosen this beautiful Ferm Living wallpaper called Bindweed to paper a wall in our bedroom (the niche behind the bed) and also in our dressing room behind the mirror. 4 rolls are on their way to us! I've booked in the wallpaper hanger for late next week so we are really looking forward to seeing the difference the wallpaper makes.

I love wallpaper, but I've never wallpapered a wall in our home before. This pattern is perfect, very organic, and while the pattern makes an impact it's also neutral. Like I said, perfect. I was thinking of using Ferm Living's Black Berry wallpaper but another blogger pointed me in the direction of this one instead, so glad she did. I didn't have the guts to hang it myself, I couldn't bear to mess it up, plus very busy right now so not enough time in the day! Do you have any wallpaper in your home, do you love it?

ps. Like the Orla quilt? I've been meaning to take a photo of it for the longest time.

Images: Ferm Living; olive & joy

so busy

2011-03-29T09:33:00.000+10:00

You guys. I've been sooo busy. It kills me that I haven't posted on here in a week. We have something very exciting coming up that we have been getting ready for.

In amongst all of the other busy-ness I have been vintage hunting (great finds yesterday!!!), experimenting with screen printing onto plywood, and driving my husband batty with choosing wallpaper for our home.

It's been crazy fun! Just wanted to let you know that I am still here, just busy.

xx

new in store!

2011-03-21T16:47:00.001+10:00

Off white linen with a shiny silver foil print. So beautiful. The upholstered ottoman/table has a glass top, only one in stock.

The cushions are lovely too. The rectangular version is sold out but I will have more in stock soon. You like?

Available now in the shop!

Images: olive & joy

heart flowers

2011-03-21T09:45:00.000+10:00

I've been busy. Designing, organising, mixing and printing. Here is the result. A new design called Heart Flowers. Little flowers made up of faceted hearts. The original concept was a heart made up of triangles. But when it all came together it seems it is much more, including flowers and a lattice pattern of squares and diamonds. I like it and I hope you do too. I made so many patterns with this little faceted heart, if I get a few more designs up and running I'm thinking of calling the collection Love Triangle. Hee hee.

On the weekend I experimented with mixing and printing a few different colourways. I've yet to print it in white and black, which I think will be quite striking. The colours so far are Pigeon, Deep Water, Watermelon, and Sunny Day. Not sure which colours will make the cut, your suggestions may help with that! I wouldn't mind mixing a few more colours to test out, so if you can see this pattern in another colour, by all means, tell me.

I should have some of the tea towels up in the store later this week. I want to ponder over the colours for a few days first.

Images: olive & joy

birthday

2011-03-16T16:06:00.000+10:00

A few days ago I turned 33. Three is my favourite number so I am really loving being 33. A friend told me that my 'number' in terms of numerology is 33 so this year will be extra special, and you know what? I can feel it already.

Here is a little bit of the birthday booty as I call it. The perfect ingredients to a happy birthday - chocolates, a beautiful print for the wall, colourful nail polish, an awesome necklace and a favourite movie. I had a late afternoon trip to our local calm water beach with my niece and mum then dinner with family.

ps. I'm half-watching The Breakfast Club right now. I would do this all the time when I was younger, put the movie on and work away at my school or uni projects on the living room floor, half-watching it. It is the first time I have watched the movie in a really long time, as I only ever had the video (and no video player to watch it now). That song (do you know the one?) is still one of my all time favourites.

Image: olive & joy

my little printing room

2011-03-16T08:59:00.000+10:00

This tiny little room, on this tiny table is where I print. I was hoping to give it a workout tomorrow with a new screen but the new screen has not arrived. Hmmmph! I'm so impatient once I get a new design ready. The feeling of printing your first print of a new design is super special. Is it going to look ok, oh it looks awesome (I hope)! The best feeling.

Image: olive & joy

more japan love

2011-03-13T08:52:00.000+10:00

Japan Love from Julie Palmer on Vimeo.

I love this video. I just watched it for the first time in probably about five years. A tea house in a beautiful park in Tokyo. We felt so honoured and excited to be in an amazing country and city, surrounded by the most beautiful, respectful people. It was a culture shock in the best way possible. I felt those emotions all over again watching this video. You are in our thoughts and in our hearts, dear Japan.

Video: olive & joy

to japan with love

2011-03-12T18:43:00.000+10:00

Images: olive & joy

effortless parisian style

2011-03-12T14:18:00.000+10:00

Have you ever wondered just how Parisian women manage to look so effortlessly chic? Me too. I love Ines de la Fressange's guide to dressing like a Parisian I saw in Lonny mag last night. Plenty of A-ha! moments for me.

Example: "An evening dress with ultra-plain, open toed sandals (not with the gem-encrusted evening variety)". Can you picture it? Or perhaps this one: "A diamond necklace with a denim shirt, during the day (not with a black dress at night)".

The not-to-do's are fashion gold. Seems to me it is all about holding back a little, whilst still being a little unexpected at the same time. Dressing casual up (just a touch), dressing dressy down. Makes perfect sense, oui?

Images: Lonny

marion hall best

2011-03-10T09:29:00.000+10:00

Marion Hall Best is one of the famed Australian designers on our Design Destination tea towel. I thought that some of you may not be familiar with Hall Best's work so this article in the current issue of Vogue Living gives you a little peek into her world. Seen through the eyes of stylist Sibella Court who styles up rooms in Hall Best's signature mad, colourful style. We all love Marimekko, yes? We can thank Marion for being the first to introduce Australia to their brilliant bolts of fabric along with the furniture of international designers Eames, Saarinen and Bertoia amongst others.

Marion Hall Best had a lengthy career as an interior designer (spanning over 40 years) and as you will see was not afraid of colour! I love the photos of the original hand painted colour chips Hall Best used for inspiration. Enjoy.

Images: olive & joy

(Taken with my brand spankers new DSLR, so in love! Enjoying putting my eye to the viewfinder once again, and the sound of the photo being taken ch-kush. Love it)

the spring

2011-03-07T09:55:00.000+10:00

Catherine over at The Spring blog has interviewed me today, pop on over here for a look. Catherine has just moved to Brisbane from Toronto, now that is a big move! The Spring is a wonderful lifestyle blog, Catherine posts about fashion, home, food along interviews in her Style & Substance series. Thanks Catherine, welcome to Brisbane.

Image: olive & joy

inspiration

2011-03-07T05:01:00.002+10:00

Here is a peek at what was inspiring me this weekend. What is inpiring you?

Images: olive & joy

atlantic

2011-03-05T09:06:00.000+10:00

We just arrived back from a few days in the beautiful Byron Bay region. This is where we stayed Atlantic Guesthouses at Byron Bay. We would have loved to have stayed in the airstream trailer but it was already booked. Instead we stayed in a lovely room in the Driftwood wing pictured above and below. I love the contrast of the dark stained cladding and white woodwork, then the light grey (when not wet!) of the well worn decking. And the barn doors, love those barn doors! There are a few other cottages dotted around the lush grounds and several accomodation choices. Simple and stylish rooms and a very big comfy bed. Bathrooms were a little basic for my liking but I would stay here again any day.

I spent yesterday at a styling workshop in nearby Bangalow with Shannon Fricke. My mind can't stop racing with ideas now so I've got lots to work on this weekend. Always inspiring to spend a day in Shannon's company. I realised this morning I didn't take many pics at all of the day, I was too busy absorbing everything. It was a fantastic learning curve for my interests in styling, branding, and how that relates to me as a stylist and as a store owner and designer.

Have a good weekend! I'm going to have a few new things up in the store next week so keep your eyes peeled.

Images: Mr olive & joy (he took them for me as I was getting ready for the workshop!)

olive & joy now on twitter

2011-03-02T12:48:00.000+10:00

olive & joy is now on Twitter, come and say hi (and if you would follow me, well that would be rad too)! So if you haven't had enough of me here, come and visit me over there. Just click on my ginormous-but-awesome Twitter icon in the right sidebar.

Image: olive & joy

michelle armas

2011-02-24T17:20:00.000+10:00

The biggest thing on my wishlist right now is a painting by artist Michelle Armas. We have a serious lack of art hanging on our walls and I can't think of anything better than one of Michelle's paintings. I remember reading Michelle's own description of one of her paintings and she said, she dared you not to be happy when you look at it. Happy pretty much sums up how I feel when I look at any of her paintings. They are optimistic, colourful and playful.

Recently Michelle has been painting lots of smaller artworks 12 x 12 inch (for US$100) and 18 x 18 inch (for US$200) in size, which are crazy affordable. Here are some of my faves (ps. most are sold, they sell out real quick). Happy.

Images: Michelle Armas

get the look: gwyneth paltrow

2011-02-24T11:29:00.001+10:00

Ever wanted to steal Gwynnie's style? Here is Gwyneth Paltrow lounging very happily in her Hamptons abode on an ottoman upholstered in Florence Broadhurst's Circles and Squares fabric in Bengal. As you do.

Designer clothes I do not have, but designer cushions? That I can do (Am I the only one to spend way to much money on their house to the detriment of their wardrobe?).

Look how happy she is, Gwyneth must love this fabric a lot. Me too Gwynnie, we have so much in common.

Get the look with Circles & Squares 30 x 60cm cushion in Bengal colourway in store now.

I'm hoping Gwyneth may perhaps Google herself and find my store, something tells me she may like our cushions (sorry that would be 'pillows' for the north Americans). Gwyneth I can deliver to London, or the Hamptons or wherever you are jetsetting to this very minute.

Photos of Gwyneth taken by the talented Eric Cahan who I wrote about here. Also thinking those gorgeous sunset photos in the background may also be taken by Eric.

ps. Thanks for indulging me in the unauthorised celebrity endorsement of my cushions.
pps. Please don't sue me Gywnnie.

Images: Eric Cahan; Olive & Joy

bubbles essential wellbeing

2011-02-21T09:34:00.000+10:00

Today we are going to talk natural skincare. For the past year or so I have been phasing out all forms of chemical/toxic cleaners/sprays from our home and replacing them with natural, eco options. But when I looked at what I was using on my face and body it was a completely different story. I literally have no idea what chemicals and nasty stuff is in my skincare and make up. I was keen to change this but so confused about where to start, and which brands to try.

Late last year we were visiting our friend Kate who has created her own range of natural skincare range called Bubbles Essential Wellbeing. I took home one of her products to try, the Be Hydrated light fresh face cream, and it certainly lives up to it's name. When I first put it on I thought it may be too rich for my skin, but within seconds it melts right in. The scent is very earthy, containing the essential oils of Frankincense, Sandalwood, Palmarosa and Sweet Orange. I've been using the moisuriser for a couple of months now and I'm really happy with my skin, it has been less oily than usual and blemish free. More importantly though, I feel good because I know what is in my skincare for once. I don't know why on earth I didn't try natural skincare sooner.

Bubbles Essential Wellbeing is handmade locally in south east Queensland by Kate Watt using premium natural, certified organic and plant-derived ingredients and comprises of skincare, body and baby products. All of the products are FREE of the following nasties: mineral oils, parabens, petro-chemicals, artifical colours and fragrances, and sodium laurel sulphate. Cruelty free, natural skincare for you and your family.

Bubbles Essential Wellbeing have an online store where you can view and purchase all of their beautiful products. If you are in Brisbane or the Gold Coast you can even have a home demonstration with a bunch of friends if you like.

Image: Olive & Joy

destination design

2011-02-17T10:32:00.001+10:00

Destination Design Tea Towel in Black

Destination Design Tea Towel in White

All is now revealed, the accidental print on my floor from the other day is a actually new tea towel design for olive & joy. Destination Design is inspired by our vintage tram roll we have hanging in our lounge room, but with a difference.

The 'suburbs' and 'street names' are our little tribute to the pioneers of Australian design. From architects Harry Seidler and Robin Boyd, interior designer Marion Hall Best, textile queen Florence Broadhurst, furniture designers Grant & Mary Featherston and Douglas Snelling, and the multi-disciplinary talent of sculptor/furniture/lighting designer Clement Meadmore.

Works just as well slung over the oven handle in your kitchen as it does framed as art in your lounge room. We love black, we love white, we love typography - so as you may guess, we are quite in love with our Destination Design tea towel. Available in the olive & joy pop up store right now.

Images: olive & joy

awesome mistake

2011-02-14T08:23:00.000+10:00

Did I mean to screen print my timber floor. No I did not. Am I glad I did. Yes! I love it so much I didn't want to clean it up.

Sneak peek of one of our new products, will show you more later this week.

ps. Happy Valentines Day. x

Image: Olive & Joy

styling for thea & sami

2011-02-09T20:16:00.002+10:00

Today I found myself moonlighting as a stylist for Thea over at Thea & Sami. I have no experience in this area, it's just instinct and an eye for detail so I was so excited when my friend Thea asked me to help style some photos for her beautiful range of hand printed fabrics and homewares. Thea & Sami are exhibiting at the Life Instyle exhibition in Sydney next week, so if you are attending please be sure to stop by and say hi. Here are a few pics from the day I taken with my little point and shoot.

Images: Olive & Joy

bueller, beuller!

2011-02-06T19:17:00.000+10:00

We are big fans of Ferris Bueller's Day Off in this household. I love a good eighties movie and well Ferris kind of takes the cake. Of course we own the dvd, and few years ago I gave my hubby a "Save Ferris" shirt. We would dearly love to add the house to that list. Cameron's parents house. You know the one, and if you don't then please see below for your viewing pleasure. Mid century heaven. At last look it was for sale for US$1.65 million....

Images: via deedee914

happy australia day!

2011-01-26T09:07:00.000+10:00

Our place 7:15am this picture perfect Australia Day morning. No rest for the wicked. We were up bright and early to put the final coat on our (largely neglected) front deck before the sun started to hit it. I am so not a morning person, pre-7am is usually very difficult for me. But the last two mornings we were up before six and outside, and it really is such a beautiful time of the day. It feels unbelievably good to finish the deck, finishing anything, I guess, feels amazing.

Order of events for today include bbq with friends and some lazy spa time. Hope you have something special planned too.
We love you Australia. x

Images: Olive & Joy

how to oil in danish

2011-01-25T09:04:00.000+10:00

Title courtesy of MMMC who made me laugh when she said that yes, she would like to see a tutorial about how to oil in Danish! I just wish I knew a little Danish so I could make this post more interesting. Seriously though, I'd like to take you through how I use Danish oil to weave it's magic on the vintage pieces in our home and for the shop, such as the bar stools pictured above and below which I finished on the weekend. You will find Danish oil is an easy and a very forgiving form of polishing timber.

You will need the following:

- Various grades of sandpaper (see below)

- Can of Danish Oil, try Cabots Danish Oil

- Paintbrush, small to medium size

- Steel wool, 000 or 0000 grade

- A couple of clean rags

- Mineral Turps for clean up

You should be able to find all of these items can be found at your local hardware store.

Firstly you will need to sand back the timber piece you are planning on oiling to a smooth finish using various grades of sandpaper. As a rule I start with 120 grade, then 180, 240 and 320 grade sandpaper to finish. It is a lengthy process - it took me days to sand back these two barstools - but if you can stick with it, the result is worth it. You may use 400 grade sandpaper to finish if you like but I find 320 grade is fine as when you oil the wood you will polish it further. Make sure all the fine sawdust is wiped off the timber before you start to oil it.

When using Danish oil, especially when the weather is warm as it is up here in Queensland, I find it best to work on small sections at a time, say one leg of a chair for example.

Brush on the Danish oil generously to your chosen section of timber, then take a wad of fine grade steel wool and rub the oil into the timber as if you were polishing it. You may find the steel wool quite dry in the first coat as the timber sucks up the oil so I sometimes dab a little oil onto the steel wool before polishing into the wood. Polish in the direction of the woodgrain for best results.

Leave for a few minutes for the oil to absorb into the timber, and wipe off excess with a clean cloth before the oil gets tacky. The can says to leave it for 10 minutes, but in our climate I only leave it about 5 minutes max. If you have left it a little too long and it has become tacky, just brush on more oil and repeat the steps.

Repeat for all sections of your timber piece, two to three coats. Use a new wad of steel wool as needed. The beauty of Danish oil is that you don't have to wait until one coat dries, you can do your second coat straight away. The cans says to wait 8 hours between coats, which you can if you like, however I have achieved excellent results without doing so. The result will be a silky smooth, satin oiled finish which looks very natural. Over time the oiled finish will harden more and more to further protect your furniture.

The above picture shows the oiled finish on the left with the original finish (a semi opaque baby poo brown stain) on the right. The Danish oil has transformed the natural look of the timber beautifully.

If you would prefer a glossier finish, in the final coat (or two) brush on the Danish oil carefully and leave to dry without polishing it in with the steel wool, and then just before it gets too tacky, lightly wipe of a small amount of excess oil, making sure the gloss level is consistent throughout. Watch for drips though, you will have to keep an eye on the piece of furniture until it is touch dry to guarantee a beautiful finish. If you are doing the final two coats in this manner, I would recommend waiting the full 8 hours between coats. I used this made-up method when polishing the timber on our Fler armchair as pictured below.

Clean up is with Mineral Turps which I hate using, but you are only using it on the one brush (and your very sticky hands - don't do any Danish oiling if you have pretty polished nails). The steel wool will harden due to the danish oil so the used pieces can be disposed of.

And you're done! I hope you are inspired to start polishing up some neglected furniture pieces for your home. If anyone has any other Danish oiling tips to share, feel free to leave them in a comment below, I'd love to learn more myself.

Images: Olive & Joy

featherston, bella and a sniff or two

2011-01-24T09:04:00.000+10:00

Watch Bella discover the newest vintage chair in the house. It gets the sniff of approval. This New Zealand made A310 Featherston chair is in need of major overhaul. At this minute I'm thinking danish red wool upholstery, sand the base and oil it within an inch of it's life, and then straight to the Olive & Joy store. (Yes it hurts to sell it, but a girl has to make a living).

Images: Olive & Joy

checking in

2011-01-12T11:02:00.001+10:00

Just checking in on my fellow Queenslanders hoping that you are all safe. We are safe here on the Gold Coast but I am heartbroken that 75% of our state has been declared a Natural Disaster Zone due to the floods. 75%! South East Queensland is in dire straights today and I hope that it doens't affect you or your loved ones. Let's hope that we do not lose too many more lives. Please be safe, don't take risks, we cannot replace lives but we can replace our belongings.

And please DONATE to the Flood Appeal.

Julie
x

wedding flowers

2011-01-10T05:14:00.049+10:00

Flowergirl with bouquet and dragonfly!

One of my closest friends was married on Saturday. We have known each other for nearly twenty years so have got up to all sorts of mischief in the time we have been friends. I'm so happy that she has found a great guy to spend her life with. And they are so in love. You would think they were teenagers. So lovely to see.

My friend was having difficulty finding a florist within her budget, so I suggested we do the flowers ourselves. We found a rose farm on the bayside of Brisbane and chose the different rose varieties for the bouquets. Shortages in the quantities available meant we had to be creative with the different colours.

I have to say, how cute is the pic with the dragonfly on one of the flowergirl bouquets! I love that photo so much. It is the groom's daughter in the photo so I can't wait to show him the pics. The dragonfly flew from bouquet to bouquet which gave us time to get the camera out.

I spent the most part of Friday making the bouquets, something which I had never attempted before. My husband's aunt had some lovely camellia trees which she generously (and I mean generously, I had three big boxes full) pruned for us so that we had some beautiful dark glossy leaves for the flowers. I then picked up 15 dozen roses from the Rose Farm. I had previously bought the rest of the supplies (wire, florist tape, ribbon and pearl tipped florist pins) from Spotlight and apart from the odd rubber band all I needed was a pair of secateurs and a good eye, and some patience to make the bouquets. I planned on taking in progress pics but I didn't have a third hand to take them with!

I admit it was a little more difficult and time consuming than I imagined to make the bouquets (seven in total - one bridal, three bridesmaid and three flowergirl), but I think anyone who is handy or creative could do it. Everyone at the wedding loved them. Loved them. Especially the bride and groom. Yay! I'm so happy I could do this for my friend and her new hubby.

Please excuse my orange cheeks in the last shot, I think the make up artist went a little wild on me with the bronzer!! The whole day was so wonderful, I hope you enjoy the photos.

Farm fresh flowers ready to be made into bouquets

Bridesmaid bouquet and bridal bouquet

Images: Olive & Joy

hello 2011 and a garden update

2011-01-04T22:20:00.000+10:00

Hello there! It's 2011. Crazy, huh? We had a nice break. The usual - eat too much, do too little. It was the BEST! We have really been enjoying hanging out at home. Back to work today but the last few days were sunny and just... magic. Yesterday Andrew walked around and took some pics of the garden, which is full of big happy plants. They are loving all the rain we have had lately. I looked through some photos of the garden from last January and can't believe how much the garden has grown in that time. Turns out we just may have a green thumb or two after all.

Let's look back at how it looked on the 4th of January last year,

A few weeks later the deck is finished and most of the plants in.

This is what our ~~jungle~~ garden looks like now. The garden is home to visiting birds, two sleeping cats and lots and lots of frogs. It is so lovely sitting in the spa surrounded by the greenery. Like our own little resort.

So whilst our garden is flourishing with all the rain, I am reminded that mother nature has not been so kind elsewhere in our state. If it isn't a drought in Queensland, it's flooding. I feel so grateful and fortunate (and guilty) that we are safe and dry in our home right now when so much of Queensland is flooded. The enormity of the floods is too devastating to comprehend and unfortunately, it is far from being over. If you can, please open those pockets and donate at any major bank to the flood appeal.

Images: Olive & Joy

mary christmas

2010-12-24T16:30:00.000+10:00

Have I ever told you that one of my husbands ancestors was called Mary Christmas? True story. I'm going to spend the rest of today wrapping presents and downloading some christmas mu-sic to my ipod for tomorrow and maybe having a festive drink or three. This year we are hosting christmas for the first time so it should be an interesting one!

Thanks for listening (or reading) this year and for the conversation by way of your comments. You are a JOY to have around! I am so looking forward to next year, it's going to be a good one. I can feel it in my bones.

I hope you have a fab christmas with those you love. Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Julie
x

gorgeous gift tags

2010-12-22T14:14:00.000+10:00

If you are anything like me you may be half-organised for Christmas by now. So a venture out to the shops may be in order for last minute things like gift tags. Well I just ventured out and trust me, don't do it. It is madness out there! Well looky here, you don't have to because Pony Rider have these cool, free downloadable gift tags. Download, print, cut, sorted!

Image: Pony Rider

olive & joy pop up store!

2010-12-17T05:07:00.007+10:00

Good morning! I just wanted to let you know that...the Olive & Joy pop up store is here. Yay! We have set up our little temporary store whilst the 'proper' website is being built. I think 'pop up store' sounds so much cuter than temporary store so I'm going with it!

There is a lovely range of cushions, ottomans and prints in the store currently, with tea towels, lampshades, and vintage items to follow in the near future. Please do go have a look and email me or make a comment below letting me know what you think. I love absolutely everything in the store so I'm hoping you will find an item or two that you also love.

If you are quick you may even have something in your pretty hands before Christmas!

Here are a few more pics to whet your appetite....

Enjoy!

Images: Olive & Joy

want

2010-12-15T17:03:00.000+10:00

A print by Kat Macleod. I particularly love the bright colours and craziness of the first one.

Images: michigirl shop

learning curves

2010-12-14T22:20:00.001+10:00

The last couple of days I took part in a short course to learn a bit about the computer program Illustrator. Before yesterday I could only open the program then shut it just a quickly. I had the tools but absolutely no idea how to use them. I'm happy to say that I can open Illustrator now and actually create something(!). The Panda illustration above I created during one of our exercises. Isn't he cute? I thought you might like him. He is made of circles, believe it or not. Just circles, tweaked, cropped, rotated etc.

I am still on a very steep learning curve. Yesterday I felt as though my brain was going to explode taking in all the new information. I spent most of the night going back over exercises so I would be more confident today. I am so glad, today was a lot easier even though the exercises were more difficult. It's so empowering to have an idea and have some kind of ability to bring it to fruition. The main reason I wanted to learn the program was so that I could create patterns and designs for screen printing. And now I can, which is very, very exciting! Have you learnt anything new lately?

Image: olive & joy

shop update

2010-12-09T08:37:00.002+10:00

Hi there! I bet you have all been quite curious about when the online store will be opening. Hmmm guess what, me too! I've been a little quiet lately because the progress with getting my website up and going has hit a hurdle and I haven't known what has been going on myself. I felt awkward not saying anything, and I kept hoping it would be up before Chrissy, but no. It looks like it won't be up and running until early next year.

Not being one to sit on my laurels however I am working on something myself that will be up next week. So you can have a look at most of what we will be stocking, and buy some goodies if you so wish prior to Christmas!

The vintage side of things will be a little on the lean side but I am working on that every chance I get. One of the problems is that things turn out so nice I want to keep them myself! I keep wondering if that is just greedy or is it silly to sell something that you absolutely love, the vintage stuff I mean. Take the chair in the pic above. I knew I was going to keep it even before I had it refurbished I can blame Jo from Desire to Inspire for that, she has two gorgeous chairs just like it :). It still has a minor repair to do so it isn't even put together properly but I wanted to use it as a prop to take some styled pics of all of my rectangular cushions - it has a very wide seat so works perfectly for this. I'll give you a better look at our chair once it is finished.

We also have two bar stools we have been working on they are difficult to describe but they have a lovely buttoned seat which has been reupholstered in white leather. Andrew said they would look great at our kitchen bench - and I agree - but I put my foot down, they are going to the store. The legs still need to be sanded back and oiled. When refurbishing my chair above I used Danish Oil but in a different way to when I oiled my Fler armchair. I love the result - a super silky satin finish -and will also do the stools in the same way. I was thinking of creating a tutorial on how to polish using Danish oil, do you think you would be interested in learning how to do this?

Look at me I've been quiet for too long and now you can't shut me up! Okay time to go. I'll let you know the minute the store is open for business.

ps. Thank you to those who emailed us interested in when the online store would be open and for your support, it means the world. x

Image: olive & joy

thrifted vase

2010-12-07T23:21:00.000+10:00

Anyone who knows me is aware that I already own way too many vases. Especially the decorative type that rarely see the petal of a flower. So of course here is another one for the collection! Found thanks to my local Lifeline store. I love the texture on the outside of the vase, so beautiful. It is made in Israel - I'm not familiar with Israeli pottery at all, but I love this little vase very much.

I just remembered that I haven't shared yet another vase I thrifted a little while back, a bright yellow Italian Bitossi. I will share photos one day soon. With all of this rain it has been difficult to take nice photos. I looked up the long range weather forecast yesterday for the next month and it said that the next fine day will not be for another couple of weeks. Then we should have a week or so of nice weather, just in time for Christmas. Kind of like a weather Christmas pressie, wrapped up in sunshine! I am so looking forward to that.

Images: Olive & Joy

fun with felt

2010-12-02T20:03:00.001+10:00

In case I haven't mentioned it before (and I'm sure I have), I love felt. Just love it. So these fun uses of felt I found from UK based studio Hive are right up my alley. Felt as wallpaper/wall decal, yes please. 100% wool felt modular shapes with a self adhesive backing that can be placed straight onto the wall. There are so many yummy colours to choose from - but I'm partial to the natural warm grey colour.

Felt rug made up of tiny little tubes of felt - looks amazing - and can you just imagine how good it would feel under bare feet!!

Some more playfulness with a bucket made from felt. I can imagine this being used to store kids toys.

Images: HiveSpace

hello christmas

2010-11-24T22:12:00.001+10:00

Our little plywood Christmas tree is up, a wreath on the front door and some old school fairy lights strung on our balcony rail. I spent some time up on the balcony earlier tonight and it is so magical and romantic with the fairy lights.

Do you think it is too early to put up the tree, is yours up yet? We have decided to host Christmas lunch at our house this year so I'm thinking we will also put up our big tree as well. It takes for-ev-er to put up, whereas the plywood tree only takes about a minute to assemble. Hence, slacko here has only put up the 'easy' (but cute) tree.

How are your Christmas plans coming along? Have you started your shopping yet? With two birthdays in our family this week, I'm still buying birthday presents, I've not had a chance to even think about Christmas pressies yet.

Image: Olive & Joy

window shopping: the modern furniture store

2010-11-22T05:16:00.006+10:00

Lets go window shopping this morning. I spotted this store - The Modern Furniture Store - a few weeks ago when we went shopping after a family farewell bbq at New Farm Park (a cousin was leaving for Mongolia where she is going to teach English for six months then on to visit family in Italy - what an adventure!). I had seen a couple of leather butterfly chairs outside the store but by the time we went back for a look it had closed for the day. So we literally did window shop - faces pressed up to the glass, as you do! I couldn't stop thinking about the store so when we were up in the city last week we popped back for a quick look.

The Modern Furniture Store has only been open for 4 weeks and is located just of the James Street shopping precinct in Fortitude Valley, coincidentally in the old Great Dane furniture store site. They stock beautiful (and affordable!) furniture and homewares direct from Denmark. Whilst we were there we met the lovely french Julie who told us in her beautiful accent about their store and also mentioned that just five minutes earlier Collette Dinnigan was shopping in the store! See the sofa below, Collette likes that one. I love the lamp which also comes in white.

My favourite piece is the leather butterfly chair below - the one I couldn't stop thinking about - the leather is a soft, natural colour. Very comfortable to sit in too.

There are so many gorgeous things everywhere you look, a beautiful, modern scandi haven.

The Modern Furniture Store is located at 161A Arthur St, Fortitude Valley.

Images: Olive & Joy

The visit to the store also has me thinking about cow hide rugs. A beautiful light white one for our living room, just like the one peeping out from below the dining chairs here (nice chairs too). My husband isn't quite so sure about cowhide rugs - do I dare to ask the question here? To cowhide or not to cowhide? Hmmmm.

a little peek

2010-11-17T18:15:00.002+10:00

It's been pretty quiet around here lately hasn't it? Like hear a pin drop kind of quiet. Will this little peek of what I have been up to with olive & joy (the store-to-be) make up for it? We took some photos today, lots of 'em. We are exhausted and our house is a mess, but we got some nice shots. We ran out of light so the house will have to stay messy tonight so I can take more shots tomorrow. I have signed up for a styling workshop next year and boy today I wished I had those little styling secrets up my sleeve - I have no idea what I am doing.

Still a little while off from launching the store, don't worry we'll let you when it is up and running - and then you have to tell everyone you know too, ok? Good ;)

Image: olive & joy

penny farthing design house

2010-11-11T05:00:00.002+10:00

Penny Farthing Design House is a new online store formed by two sisters, one being stylist and designer Alice Flynn (previously of PrintDolls). I am a big believer in family businesses and the story behind them so I was very much drawn to their work when I received an email recently. The name Penny Farthing Design House is inspired by a painting their late grandfather envisioned just before he passed. So sweet.

Penny Farthing Design House produce a broad range of products ranging from destination prints to perspex letters and furniture to lighting and artwork. I love the typograpy artworks myself.

Images: Penny Farthing Design House

are you watching the block?

2010-11-10T15:25:00.001+10:00

I'm excited that The Block is on tonight! Have you been watching the show? I really enjoy watching it - it has been so long since the last series. When the series first started years ago my husband and I were renovating a one bedroom unit so we found it really fun and could relate to it. I like all the teams/couples but my favourite is Jake and Erin whose apartment is featured above. I love the continuity throughout the apartment, it is chic and neutral whilst also having an impact. Love those bathroom mosaics, beautiful.

If you are in Sydney and a bit of a sticky-beak or maybe in the market for an apartment - The Block apartments are open for inspection this Saturday. See the website link below for details.

Images: The Block

dreaming of the next home

2010-11-08T09:56:00.001+10:00

Everytime I visit the post office I drive past this house - actually there is a whole street of houses which look pretty much like this, just slightly different. It is incredibly simple, even a little Plain Jane perhaps. At the moment we live in a two story home and I cannot wait to live in a single story home once again - I could live in a simple little modern house like this very happily. Not in a street full of the same house however, it would be much more special in a street on it's own. Don't you think?

I've been inside these homes and they are beautiful - gorgeous travertine flooring, generous spaces, stunning finishes. So the dream of the next home continues. We are keen to settle down in the next home. I have my eye on a block of land nearby, it is a larger plot than ours and much more private. On one side there is a single story home, conveniently on the western side which we would have minimal windows on. The rear faces north and backs onto a pine tree edged golf course with some amazing wildlife. The birds are so noisy at night sometimes, but it is the kind of noise that makes me smile. The eastern side is beside an easement planted out with native trees including some beautiful wattles. Just one neighbour! It is perfect. I like to hope that it will come up for sale when we are ready to purchase.

I am always dreaming up plans for this block of land. It will have a separate studio in the backyard - we would have the studio pre-made offsite and we would live in it as we built the main home. High ceilings and lots and lots of natural light. A white kitchen, timber floors (a lighter timber), white walls and timber framed windows. I could go on... Is it silly to do this? Am I the only one dreaming up imaginary homes on imaginary plots of land?

We also keep our eye on the houses in the older seaside village just down the road. It would be such a nice place to bring up a family - I take my niece down to the calm water on days when i take care of her. It is the tiniest little beach just perfect for little kids (and big kids like us). There are some cute little beach shacks I've got my eye on.

Whilst we have renovated several properties in the past for my parents-in-law, we've never renovated our own home (or whilst living in the house at the same time!). I'm ready for the challenge, maybe. I've heard horror stories about renovating but then we've experienced horror stories whilst building homes also. Building can be incredibly frustrating as you have to rely on so many people. The high of painting a room or putting in a kitchen by yourselves - nothing beats that. Imperfections and all. If you build a new home you expect everything to be perfect, and honestly it rarely is.

Image: Olive & Joy

another lampshade

2010-10-28T19:00:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I made a couple of lampshades in a beautiful fabric that I am really loving right now. I'm planning on using this fabric elsewhere in our living room so I think I may just have to keep one of the lampshades for ourselves, also it goes so well with our revamped lampbase. One for shop, one for us! Ooh, that could be a dangerous habit to get into, now couldn't it.

I really love the way the lamp looks at night, the lovely slubby textures of the linen blend fabric are accentuated when the lamp is on.

We will also have cushions in this fabric in two sizes in the Olive & Joy store and we will hopefully be up and running by the end of November! Exciting :)

Images: Olive & Joy

bye bye birdy

2010-10-26T23:19:00.001+10:00

Look how big she got! Time to give her up though - our friends are back from holidays and picked her up tonight :( Luckily they only live just around the corner, so I can visit anytime. I enjoyed this experience, but she was a little bit of a needy birdy, she loved company. I am looking forward to not getting pooped on every day! What I found that was funny is that I am hearing bird sounds everywhere I go now - really hearing them. My brain must be so tuned into the whole chirp, chirp, chirping sound.

Blogging is such tiring work for a little chick. How cute is this, she wiggled her way into this little crevice to take a nap. She loved the faux fur of the throw rug - she almost blends right in. Night, night Chloe.

Images: Olive & Joy

chick-sitting

2010-10-22T18:40:00.000+10:00

Quite by surprise, we are chick-sitting for the next 5 days. And loving it! Her name is Chloe and she is about a week old and boy is she cute (by the way, the sex is not confirmed, for all we know this could be a rooster called Chloe, lol). We have had her for less than a day and she has grown in that time, I am sure of it. I had to do a quick internet cram session last night on how to care for little chicks as this all came about very last minute.

Our cousin's little girl brought her home from kindy yesterday, but they had already planned to go away on holiday so asked if we could care for her in the meantime. Don't get me started on how little information the kindy armed them with for looking after a baby chicken. I was petrified last night because we didn't have a heat lamp to keep her all toasty warm. I didn't sleep that well last night - if she was chirping I thought she was cold and when she wasn't I was worried she had died from cold. We have kept her in the downstairs bathroom with the heat lamps from the exhaust fan on and a hot water bottle and it seems to be keeping nice and warm in there.

We even went outside for a little play whilst we changed her litter. One of our cats Bella is quite amused with this new addition. Don't worry I kept her in my sight at all times, no chicken dinner for you Bella. This little chick is becoming quite attached to me, she has little happy chirps when she sees me but then when I leave the room she chirps at top of her little birdy lungs. Oh dear I think, she thinks I'm her mummy. Appropriate considering my dad has always called me Chooks. When she gets big she is going to live on acreage with other chickens.

Images: Olive & Joy

triangles

2010-10-20T18:31:00.000+10:00

I love triangles - I'm seeing them everywhere at the moment. I had a little play the other day printing triangle shapes, or rather the space around triangles, onto fabric. Not sure if it will turn into anything but I had fun doing it. It was nice just taking the time to explore an idea.

Images: MWM Graphics; Olive & Joy

my 'new' old desk chair

2010-10-20T18:15:00.001+10:00

Our office has a sunshine-y new desk chair! A 'newly upholstered' chair to be more exact - as I'm guessing this chair was made in the seventies (the original regulation-brown upholstery gives it away), so it is likely it is older than me. It was manufactured by Featherston Interiors which was a commercial design firm headed up by Australian designers Grant and Mary Featherston. Grant Featherston also designed the green chair that you see in my blog header above. I love the little cut-out detail on the back of the chair, and it's super comfy too which is always a top priority for me.

The poor chair sat in storage for a couple of years until I happened upon just the right fabric to recover it. I had imagined the chair in a bright yellow fabric, and the yellow fabric on Ikea's (now discontinued) Kramfors sofas was always a favourite of mine but the price of buying sofa covers to reupholster the chair was a little crazy! When the sofa was discontinued however I lucked out and bought the covers for a bargain price.

It goes to show, that if you have patience and think outside the square, anything is possible. My upholsterer had some difficulty with using the covers to reupholster the chair but they got there in the end.

As you can see I haven't had a chance to work on decorating the study. Although if you saw it yesterday it looked like a bomb hit it, this is a major improvement! I can think clearly again now, which is such a relief. Tidy home, tidy mind they say.

Images: Olive & Joy

feeling moody

2010-10-10T17:50:00.001+10:00

This weekend I created a moodboard as part of a course I have been taking part in. I wanted it to reflect what I would like this here blog to look and feel like - a relaxed but stylish feel, some pattern by way of beautiful fabrics, vintage furniture, inspiring spaces and of course a little bit of home. It was quite the exercise in restraint and a good method of self reflection. A way to cut out all of the visual noise of seeing so many inspiring things everyday (not that I'm complaining) and really narrow it down. I was surprised at my restrained use of colour. I am so drawn to colour usually however I was obviously feeling in a fresh white mood today. I love it so much I now I want to live in my moodboard. That's possible right?

Image: Olive & Joy