Playing with Jocelyn Proust Designs

I am feeling a bit lucky right now. Sitting on the couch all snuggled up in my favourite quilt listening to the crazy winds and rain outside. I have been up for many many hours now, since 5am, and although I am exhausted from a huge day of work I am also still so energised! I love this weather, it brings out my most creative side. I am not sure why really because usually you hear of people being their most productive in Summer. I think the switch for me comes because the warmer the weather the more I want to be out enjoying it. So the great news is that, due to all this productivity, I have so many things to tell you about! New products, an upcoming pattern, orders filled. Who doesn’t love a day when you get to make a hefty dent in the to do list.

And now the very best part of my day is sharing with all of you some beautiful fabrics and a very special, if I do say so myself lol, photo shoot. There are so many talented woman around me and it is always my pleasure to share that with you. So if you love baking, food, anything edible really then I have a real treat in store for you.

But first lets talk fabric. A few weeks ago I was lucky to receive some amazing fabrics from the lovely Nerida of Nerida Hansen Print and Textiles. Over the past 12-18 months she has become a force on the Australian fabric scene and her accolades are growing weekly. I love that she represents talented independent designers and makes their designs accessible. I love that she celebrates talent and diversity and that she is one of the hardest workers I know. It is a pleasure watching her business storm the local scene and shake things up a bit. It is also so great to get to know local designers and fall in love with their ranges.

To be honest I didn’t realise I was such a fan of Australiana until these designs landed in my happy happy hands. Created by Jocelyn Proust who is from the North Coast of NSW they perfectly capture our beautiful birds while retaining modern clean lines. These prints were all cotton linen and I knew immediately they were destined for homewares.

I have been wanting to diversify a bit for a while. I love creating for children but the reality is I am passionate about Handmade being part of the whole Australian home, not just one room. So with that idea in mind I set about to create some beautiful linens that would make amazing gifts and really show off the beautiful designs in a fun yet completely practical way. And just like that my range of homewares was born – tea towels, cushion covers, pot holders and hanging handtowels are my first foray into the market and I have to admit I had so much fun making them.

I have a lot to tell you about these images but first lets just step back and admire that navy galah print – I am OBSESSED!

The best thing about beautiful linens is they are an inexpensive way to update a space. They can add fun, drama, a touch of elegance and, because of this they make wonderful gifts. The quality of this linen range is amazing too, so soft and luxorious, you will be using it for years and years.

Now before I keep writing about fabric I think it is imperative we, immediately, address the very delectable elephant in the room – those divine baked goods! I am a lucky girl because living just around the corner from me is my very talented friend Mel, the owner of The Fleurieu Kitchen. Her food is a feast for all the senses and it is always such a pleasure to watch her work. I turned up with all my pieces and she got to work taking some of the best photographs I have ever seen. I won’t lie, I put my camera away pretty quickly because there is no way I could take a photo like she does! Today they hit my inbox and I was blown away. Turns out Piccolo and her baking prowess are a match made in local heaven! I will be finding many more excuses to work with her that is for sure.

And if you are a baker yourself then things take an even more exciting turn! Mel creates and shares amazing recipes on her website and tonight posted this amazing brioche. You can find the recipe here, trust me you when I say you wont be disappointed having her in your life from this point forward. She has told me too that that amazing raspberry cheesecake recipe is coming soon too – I will update you all here as soon as it is online.

 

Now lets chat about my new products – it is exciting times for me! First up the pot holders – they are a generous size, properly quilted for strength and feature lots of layers, including insulbrite, so they are incredibly useful too. I added a front pocket so you can get your hand inside and grip your hot food properly and safely. I had to add tea towels too, but big ones. I can see them wrapping breadrolls on your Christmas table or sitting prettily on the oven while the roast cooks away. Not seen in the photos above are the other 2 additions – cushions covers (time to Australian up the couch guys, but in a GOOD way) and hanging hand towel holders. I won’t lie – they are my favourite thing. As one of my lovely followers said, they are the gifts that you never even knew you needed. Hang them from the oven, garden tap, near the bathroom sink and never ever pick a handtowel off the floor again. It was nice to make some and modernise them because, lets face it, the ones we remember from our childhood were more about function than pretty lol.

Look at those sweet sets – I would be so happy to get that wrapped under the tree for me!

Apart from the beautiful linen prints I was also lucky to play with some gorgeous botanicals as well. These are in quilting cotton and available from your local Spotlight store. The range is just gorgeous but I wont lie, this Protea print has my heart with that charcoal background.

These were made, photographed and immediately placed on my couch, there was no way I could part with them! As you can see from the candid picture below, Daisy is most happy with my decor choices.

As always, I have written far more than I intended. So I think it is time for a recap for all of you interested in the details again without the need for scrolling.

Cotton Linen bird prints – Nerida Hansen Print & Textiles
Quilting Cotton floral prints – Spotlight stores
Amazing photos and Brioche recipe – The Fleurieu Kitchen

And last but not least, the good news is that all these products are online and ready to ship immediately. I told you that I had you covered for Christmas. Shop my new homewares range here.

Like I said, very successful day.

Sarah x