Odyssey 2021
Last year was a rollercoaster for us and I’m sure you too in so many different ways. We were surprised at nearly every turn and while there were some real lows to our year, there were also real highs and despite everything happening now with omicron, we hold hope in our hearts for the future.
2021 was a year of extremes for our business - on the one hand it was our best year ever for online sales (thank you, thank you, thank you), but on the other, a hard lockdown had us questioning the survival of our business over the winter. Any plans that we made last year were thrown out the window, over and over again on a constant loop. The one thing that didn’t change for us, though, was the newfound intimacy the pandemic brought with our own neighborhood.
Maybe you were like us and got even closer to the things that live and grow in your backyard during the lockdown? If there was a silver lining to the winter, it was this. By now we’ve explored just about every nook and cranny of our area and find it only more fascinating, relishing in the small changes of our neighborhood green spaces.
As advocates for nature and passionate birders, snorkelers and bushwalkers, we’ve always taken inspiration for our work directly from nature, but this took on new meaning in the last couple of years. Our new collection last year, the Paradise Collection was based on a simple concept, which became the tagline for the collection:
Wherever there is nature, there is paradise
We wholeheartedly believe this, no matter the setting. Here in Sydney, you only need to step outside your front door to witness something incredible - a cockatoo flying by, native bottle brush on trees or iridescent insects ambling past you. We based our Paradise Collection on the stunning Bondi to Manly Walk, a multi-day adventure that winds along coastal Sydney through national park, hidden coves and beaches. The walk might be in the heart of Sydney, but you’d swear you were a million miles away surrounded by pelicans basking on rocks and whales breaching from the blue ocean.
We allowed ourselves to play creatively and what resulted was a collection of colorful artworks based on moments from the walk, but more importantly the feelings those encounters with nature evoked in us. We journaled on the walk, making notes and jotting down feelings and also sitting at points to create a few brief thumbnails. We brought lots of equipment with us - phones, cameras, binoculars, etc. but it was an old-fashioned paper journal with colors and feelings that guided us artistically.
Another highlight for us was participating in the Australian Design Centre’s Sydney Craft Week programming with a talk we gave: ‘Mindful Making: Taking Inspiration from Nature,’ where we discussed the evolution of our products from a sustainability mindset.
We launched our business in 2016 as plastic-free and sustainable, utilizing the cradle to cradle concept, which is specific to materials - using only natural or non-toxic materials so that they can eventually become part of the ecosystem one day. Even though our products are made to last a long time they’re all made from recyclable and natural materials.
For us, sustainability is long-term planning and we shared how we go about this in the talk, covering topics like ethical sourcing of nature, sustainable materials, small batch production, storytelling and social responsibility. The best part, though, was the Q&A at the end where we were asked so many incredible questions and got a chance to connect with people. It was a real high for us to participate and share our process.
One thing that we really missed last year was our connection to our community. We had hoped for so much more last year, but were still fortunate to connect to other makers with online communities like Make Good Things Happen (if you’re a maker, check it out!) and daily chats with other makers. We did two pop-ups last year, one at Bendigo Bank in Leichardt and the other at Ruby Raisin’s studio space and showroom in Marrickville. Getting to work with Mia from Ruby Raisin and Caroline from Bendigo was a joy for us and with both pop-ups we felt so excited to be back out there sharing our work!
In personal news, we adopted a dog just before the lockdown. Her name is Cookie and she’s a 3.5 year old Cockerspaniel who we adore. I also turned 40 in August. Way back when we thought we’d be in the U.S. for it, but with borders closed planned a road trip to the Whitsundays with stops at as many of Australia’s Big Things, pineapple included, along the way. When we couldn’t make it, Amy threw a very small party (our only guest was Cookie) and decorated with big things. We also got vaccinated in September which was such a relief and this week we get our boosters shots (hurrah!).
We also did a heap of exciting new projects that we haven’t shared yet, but will very soon (keep your eyes peeled for a post).
A few other highlights of our year were:
Returning to the Finders Keepers Market - we built new stall displays from our favorite recycling magic store, Reverse Garbage in the Inner West and showcased our new work.
Visiting the Blue Mountains with our talented and lovely friends Egg Picnic to view the once in a lifetime flowering of pink flannel flowers.
Visiting a NSW natives flower farm and seeing incredible grevilleas and banksias including a grafted WA round banksia.
For Christmas, we bought ourselves a kayak to explore more in National Parks. So many honeyeater sightings so far!
After so much hustle, we ended the year early closing shop on 16 December to rest and recuperate. Fortuitously, we had two inspiring sightings in Sydney at the end of the year - one on Christmas Eve and the other on New Years Eve. On Christmas Eve we spotted a Tawny Frogmouth on a branch low enough for us to observe it for quite a while, relishing the encounter. Usually we view Tawny’s through a pair or binoculars or zoom lens, but this was a special moment, being able to observe to closely without disturbing it.
Our second encounter was underwater on New Years Eve. It was low tide when we went snorkeling so visibility was better out a bit further than we would normally go. As we were exploring the rocks, a flash of orange caught our eye and there, under a rock shelf was an octopus! It was the Common Sydney Octopus aka the Gloomy Octopus and it blinked back at us before attempting to move rocks to hide. I took a quick pic with my Olympus tough camera and we moved on so as not to disturb it.
Both the owl and octopus lifted us right when we were in the middle of cancelling holiday plans. It was a great reminder of the power that nature has to make us present, inspire us and connect us.
We have big plans for this year. We’ll be launching a new collection, new products and as always, continuing to share our passion for native plants and animals with you. Stay tuned…
Cheers,
Stephanie + Amy