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Wow what a year! It has easily been the biggest year of my life with so many important things happening.

At the beginning of 2013, Robin and I were living in Brisbane having moved over from London to Australia. Robin was looking for work and got a job in Melbourne which is awesome because Melbourne is the coolest (fact). So we moved to Melbs, found a rental in Fitzroy North and built a nest. I got to decorate the whole place pretty much from scratch which was immensely satisfying.

Then it was head down, bum up and working on launching my Homely Creatures range. It has been my dream ever since I can remember to start my own product range so finally getting around to doing it was by no means a small deal. But all the action happened in the last quadrant of 2013 with a holiday to South Africa which was awesome beyond words, and then finally launching Homely Creatures product range and online shop at the end of November.

How could this year getting any bigger? I'll tell you how... Off to the French Alps we went to spend Christmas skiing with my family and my brother's wife's family. Robin and I nipped up to Paris for new years celebrations with friends and then just before 2013 came to a close Robin popped the question... And I said yes!!

I really can't dream up five things more wonderful than these key events of the past 12 months. Followers, old friends, new friends, family and especially Robin have all given me so much encouragement and support through one of the most important years of my life and I thank you one and all. I honestly couldn't have done any of it without you.

Bring on an equally epic 2014!!!

So many things have been going on lately, I thought I might do a little news update. If you have been following Homely Creatures on Facebook you will know that I am very close to launching a brand new product range for children and the home. Designed in Melbourne and handmade (fair trade) in Nepal, I am BUSTING with excitement about bringing my own range to the world. The new Homely Creatures website complete with shop will be up any day now eeeeeek!

A couple of months ago I ran a photo shoot for the launch catalogue. It was so much fun and little Freyja was an absolute star as our adorable model. See some other shots in our catalogue here.



Next year I hope to bring Homely Creatures to the famous Finders Keepers Australian designer market, but this year I visited the fair to gather inspiration... slash buy everything. I probably shouldn't be publicly announcing this goal as the designers that get accepted for this market are so so talented and I'm sure that the selection criteria for the fair is redic'.

In other news, Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day blog visited Melbourne in October and threw a bloggers party at recently opened West Elm store on Chapel St. I met so many lovely like-minded ladies while perusing the the West Elm shelves and eating the AMAZING rainbow cake. Jordan is so nice, and it was such a pleasure to meet the talented and stylish Jordan!





With all of this networking I thought I should whip up some business cards. What do you think? I had so much fun hand crafting them with my label maker and washi tape.

And finally, amongst all of the craziness of launching a product range my boyfriend Robin and I went on an amazing holiday in South Africa. I can't begin to tell you how amazing it was. We just got back from the two weeks of adventure and luxury and although its nice to be home I WANT TO GO BACK to the gorgeous scenery, the awesome company and the beautiful animals we met on Safari.

So now while trying to get over my post holiday depression (PHD) I am busy finalising things for the official Homely Creatures range launch. It's been such an exciting year for me so far and its not even finished with more travel on the cards for December. Bring it on!

 

Big news! Robin got the job so we are MOVING TO MELBOURNE!! Finally a chance to nest, but how to find the perfect home? We will be renting for the next year or so but have been travelling around so long that we don't want to live in just any old house or apartment. In this competitive rental market its going to be tough, but I am going to try my hardest to get us somewhere awesome that doesn't break the budget. While I would LOVE to find a converted warehouse with original brick walls or a loft apartment with a wall full of windows, I am trying to be realistic and only setting a few guidelines for my ideal home... 1. Character Maybe it doesn't have exposed brick walls, but maybe it does! Or maybe it has an interesting ceiling, unusual deck, Victorian details or wood panelling. Is it too much to ask for a little charm or character? I don't think so. I would even settle for a rooftop apartment like the one above by Boris via Lhaos and Lhaos. 2. Lots of natural light Maybe more important than character is natural light. A lot of the apartments and terrace houses in Melbourne are long and thin so I'm going to be very lucky to find an abode flooded with light like the above gorgeous interior by Alt Interiors Magazine (via San Francisco Girl by Bay). Loads of natural light is the key to a nice interior atmosphere, but also helps with interior photography. I want to photograph Homely Creatures products in context and you can't beat natural light in a photo shoot, I don't care how fancy your professional photography lights are! 3. Wooden flooring Okay so this one isn't a deal breaker, but I do love wooden floors. I just don't want ugly old, dark carpet bringing the rooms down. Even if just the main living area had floorboards or even a light concrete warehouse floor would be workable. 4. White walls Again, if the place was perfect but had cream or blue walls, I wouldn't turn my nose up (much!), but if I had the choice then white is nice! It's good to have a completely neutral canvas to work with where pretty colours and bold black and white patterns can pop. 5. Room to create Last but not least, I need room to create. I work from home and often have what my boyfriend not-so-affectionately calls 'craft explosions' so I need more than just a humble desk in the corner. I also feel that I need to be in a space that is inspiring and relaxing, not cramped and depressing. Just LOOK at the stunning office Erin Hiemstra from Apartment 34 (via Rue Magazine) has designed for herself. Not THAT is what I call inspirational. And did you notice this room ticks pretty much all the boxes of the afore mentioned guidelines? So I'm hoping the universe will notice my 'vision board' and I will get lucky enough to make this dream home a reality. I tell you, when I move in to my new home, whatever it looks like, I am going to nest in it so hard it won't even remember it's a rental!  

This year I had an Aussie Christmas, which means yummy seafood, hot weather and swimming. My DIY centrepieces were a hit and I can't even begin to tell you how fresh and yummy the oysters were! It was a lot different to a cosy, festive, London Christmas, but it's good to be home :)

Not too long ago, Homely Creatures ran some market stalls and then popped whatever was left up on our Etsy shop. It has been going really well! Our cushions disappeared in a flash and our wall decals and tote bags are generating lots of interest. If you live in Australia, now is your last chance to put in orders before Christmas, and if you mention this blog post in your purchase notes, you will receive a FREE SURPRISE GIFT worth $8.00.