KPD Brands
The Inside Scoop
Mama Pinwheel ...
A Chat with Tea and Jam ...
Its been my pleasure to get to know Kate Vale, half of the husband and wife team that make up Tea and Jam Photography. Kate's such a laugh, a complete treasure. Thanks Kate for letting us into your lives. xox
.png)
Where did the name Tea and Jam come from ? It just popped into my head! But then I realised it was printed all over a Trelise Cooper dress that I bought Maya! So perhaps I wasn't as original as I thought!
Tell us a little about where you live ? We have just moved to Ballarat from Melbourne. Ballarat is COLD! But it is very pretty and has so many places to take amazing photos. It is exciting being somewhere new and discovering our new favourite places, even the new supermarket can make grocery shopping fun for a little while.
What is your daily routine on any given week day? Daily routine? Hmmmm...
What do you do in the weekends to relax and unwind? On the weekend we bundle all of us into the car and go for a country drive. We love all the little towns around Ballarat and often get ourselves lost. We then consider our drive an adventure ! Sundays are all about wine and a big open fire!
Pets? We have two ragdoll cats, Lenny and Olive. Lenny weighs just over 7kg, he's a beast!
What is your comfort food of choice ? Can you make this ? My most favourite comfort food would have to be banana fritters with lots of ice cream and maple syrup. Is that strange? I can't make them, but Nathan will make them for me.
What would you hope that you are teaching your children ? That they are beautiful just the way they are!
Favourite spot to holiday in? Haven't had a holiday for a while. But love any sleepy town on the Great Ocean Road.
Last romantic thing your partner/ husband etc did for you ? Cooked me my favourite stir fry for dinner. Love a man that cooks.
What do you do to stay fit ? Think about going to the gym.
Soy or Cow milk ? Cow milk.
Thai or Chinese? Thai, everytime!
Whats your favourite shoot location? We love shooting at people's homes or somewhere that is special to them. It is where they are most comfortable and there is always things around that tells their story. That being said, I have just discovered the Ballarat showgrounds. Great buildings, nice light and funny signage.
In 5 years from now I would like to be … Still happy with my two kids, two cats and one lovely husband! And maybe have a nice holiday.
Jae Fowler from Tot Trends Weekly
What did you do prior to starting your business? I was a retail manager for 9 years.
Do you have any formal qualifications in this industry? Customer service which I think is key to running a successful business.
What did you want to be when you grew up? A movie star and a mom. 1 out of 2 isn’t bad.
Chardonnay or Sauvignon ? Chardonnay but I am more of a fun drink gal myself. Ask me about my liquid banana split, YUMMY!
Do you have children? If so how many? I have a 6 year old son.
How do you juggle being a mum with your business ? A lot of help from my Hubby and the virtual babysitter (TV), well not too much but it does come in handy when I have a deadline.
What is your business doing to become – or stay – ecologically sensitive? We encourage e-press kits as well as products that can be passed on easily. No personalized products.
What’s your favourite Kids wear store ? Locally it is JCrew but I love online boutiques. Now that my son is a size 7 there are so few to choose from.
What drives you to want to create ? I have a graphic eye and love when things just come together. I love simple and clean.
Pancakes or cereal for breakfast? I never eat breakfast, just coffee for me.
If you were a pair of shoes what would you be ? Go Go Boots. My friends call me a free spirit. I march to the beat of my own drum. Call it crazy, I call it FUN.
Subsrcibe to Jaes fabulous Mag at Tot Trends Weekly
Introducing the gorgeous Jesseca Bellemare from The Modern Baby Co
What did you do prior to starting your business? I was an art student and licensed massage therapist.
Do you have any formal qualifications in this industry? Does shopping count?
What did you want to be when you grew up? In college I studied art, anthropology, and women's studies...I wanted to teach college within these fields.
Chardonnay or Sauvignon ? Sauvignon.
Do you have children? If so how many? Two boys - 2 yrs and 5 yrs old.
How do you juggle being a mum with your business ? That's a tough one...some days are better than others. Most importantly, I came to the realization that I simply can not do everything myself. And I am really big on scheduling - this keeps me sane.
What is your business doing to become - or stay - ecologically sensitive? We practice minimal package and do not print receipts. We are switching to organic onesies, and will be printing exclusive patterns on sustainable textiles in the near future.
What's your favorite Kids wear store ? Gap Kids.
What drives you to want to create ? The need to express myself as an individual - as someone beyond mommy, wife, cook, and mess cleaner. I also enjoy contributing financially to our household.
Pancakes or cereal for breakfast? Uh....coffee. Pancakes on the weekends.
If you were a pair of shoes what would you be ? Mary Janes. :)
Check out Jesseca's gorgeous range at The Modern Baby Co
Meet the Sweet and Sassy Alex Riggs from Oobi !
What did you do prior to starting your business?
I did an art history degree with a practical design element and started a PhD because I was going to go into academia and be a history teacher! While I was doing my PhD I decided to take a little idea of mine to the markets...
Do you have any formal qualifications in this industry?
No, only design which has helped me with the fabrics. Otherwise, I've had to learn everything as I've gone along. A bad idea, frankly but when you're a 20-something starting a business you feel like you can do anything.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A ballerinanaut (astronaut in a tutu)
Chardonnay or Sauvignon ? Double shot espresso.
Do you have children? If so how many? Unfortunately we've had some false-starts on the baby-making front. We're what's affectionately known as "working on it". Don't think about that too hard.
How do you juggle being a mum with your business ? Hopefully I'll be able to tell you soon!
What is your business doing to become - or stay - ecologically sensitive?
We have always worked closely with women's groups in Australia and Overseas. We believe strongly that empowering women will change the world. OobiTM has also been working with some developments in vegetable dying - working on getting the vibrancy and longevity of a chemical dye but with a vegetable compound. At the moment we use a part vegetable component. Further, we're a paper-free office (as much as possible) and use recycled packaging wherever we can. We try to leave a fairly small footprint - and I hear that OobiTM is often passed down to siblings and friends so as an extension that's great! Clothes swapping and recycling is great for the environment.
What's your favourite Kids wear store ?
There's no way I could pick a fave. What I am noticing in the 10 years I've been doing this is that kids wear stores have changed a LOT. They are nothing like they used to be and are so varied.
What drives you to want to create ?
I'm a firm believer that you don't need to wait to become inspired. Inspiration can come if you are diligent and a hard worker. I set aside blocks of "design time" and then get creative. I usually start by flicking through some colour books and picking some shades that I like and then thinking what they relate to. It just kind of spirals from there. Designing is a great break for me from "office work" so I love that escape.
Pancakes or cereal for breakfast?
If I could have my way, it'd be pancakes every day. Since I can't, it's definitely cereal.
If you were a pair of shoes what would you be ? Worn out
Check out Oobi here
Stay Tuned for the scoop on more of your favourite industry peeps....
Enchanted Enfant - Coming soon!
Olli & Lime - Coming soon!
La Toriana - Coming soon !
