Monday 23 July 2012

Spiral Garden's Little Mid-Winter Sale - One Week Only!


We're having a little mid-winter sale at Spiral Garden this week! Just our little way of saying thanks for the warm welcome you've given us.



There are lots of lovely goodies... some new and old favourites among them. Things to keep you busy indoors or to keep your seasonal table looking fresh and gorgeous while the cold weather is still here..
Sale ends July 31st, so get in quickly!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Keeping it Local


The beautiful view at the end of our street

When we started to think about tending Spiral Garden, we were excited to share some of the talents of people local to us here in beautiful Tasmania. Among our friends and extended networks there are so many talented people! The local scenery provides endless inspiration and the cold winter provides lots of time to hone one's craft ;) We've gradually been putting the feelers out for things that might suit...

Mt Arthur Boronia Booties







Heidi from Willywam Whims contacted us one evening with some things she'd been making... Using repurposed woollen jumpers and pure wool felt, motifs showing Tasmanian endemic and endangered species... Is this something we'd be interested in? Umm.... YES!! Oberon's ears pricked up at the endemic threatened species bit... He's an ecologist and botanist at heart and knows the local threatened species well. We want to share our love of this beautiful place with you. We want to do it in a way that is as ethical and environmentally sound as possible. So Heidi's products have ticked pretty much all boxes. They're beautiful too, don't you think?

Waratah Elf Hat detail

 The Waratah elf hat was a special request from us and holds a special place in our hearts. Our toddler's middle name is Waratah. We do love it so! And it is amazingly warm and snuggly.

Wedge-tailed Eagle Elf Hat detail
We've also been blessed with the beginning of a beautiful range from local textile artist Acorn Girl. We're so excited to provide an outlet for her gorgeous little gnomes and other needle felted delights. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next!

Acorn Girl's gnomes

Next month, among other things, we're looking forward to sharing more of our own handmade goodies with you. It's been a little while since we've made things under the owlet label... About as long as we've had our littlest... But we're looking forward to spending some time in the evenings crafting and getting them ready over the coming weeks. We really can't get much more local than our own lounge room! We generally try to shop for local products, especially if they've been locally made or grown. But for the things we can't buy direct from the maker, we're really happy to know that it's been made with as much care for the planet as possible. And if possible, as close to home as we can find.

If you're local to Hobart, make sure to write "Local" for the discount coupon code and shipping will be deducted when you buy from us. You're welcome to drop by and collect your lovely things straight from the garden, or we can arrange for you to collect them in town most days. If you'd like to keep up to date with what's going on at Spiral Garden, make sure to sign up for the newsletter using the form over on the right. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest! All the links are in the right hand column there... Do say hello and let us know if there's anything you'd like to see in the garden. We'd love to have a chat and a cuppa with you. xx

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Hello from Hobart!


Hello fellow Garden lovers! We thought we might take a moment to introduce ourselves. We live in beautiful Hobart, a looong way from Spiral Garden's previous home - and a lot colder right about now too! Well we're slowly settling in here as new head gardeners at Spiral Garden... We have been pottering away with Bel for a few months now, working towards this and we are a little nervous and excited to begin! We've tidied and trimmed around the place and have now begun introducing lots of new beautiful things to the garden to complement our old favourites... Like this beautiful little set with two child dolls and a little sled. It even has little sparkles on it! It was handmade in Melbourne and picked up on our holiday there last week... just perfect for your winter nature table.

The dreamy wooden clouds are too... They are handmade in NSW and coloured with all natural, safe paints.


As are these beautiful wooden rainbows and their accompanying range.


While in Melbourne, we also picked up this amazing Pixie House while visiting our supplier there... hand felted and pieced together with such care.  So beautiful. It even has a little hidey-hole under the toadstool lid. The beautiful mushroom family pictured here are sold separately, but wouldn't they have a fab time inside? We'd love one for our home.

So, a little more about us...

We travelled here on our honeymoon over ten years ago and fell in love with the natural beauty of the place and were thrilled to move here when Oberon's conservation work called. Lauren trained and worked as a textile designer for many years before and after our move, going on to make children's clothing and other things to sell at the fantastic local design markets and a few stores, including Spiral Garden! Since moving here with our eldest daughter, we've bought a house near the river, birthed two babies at home and shared our home with a dog, a cat, two kittens, a guinea pig, two chooks and a bunch of gold fish... We home educate our three girls and spend our days following the seasons, exploring nature and treading as lightly on the earth as we can. We've shopped at Spiral Garden for a number of years and have always loved the philosophy and thoughtfulness of the range Bel has stocked. We're so excited to work with such beautiful products and look forward to bringing you more, with an emphasis on ethical products and showcasing local Tasmanian talent... There's so much more to come!

Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week and happy new beginnings,

Lauren and Oberon. xx