Seed & Blossom Designs
Emily, the creator behind Seed & Blossom Designs is based in the Southern Central Highlands in Central QLD. We are so pleased to introduce you to Emily, learn about her life on the land and to see what’s in store for her growing bush business…hint, its exciting.
Please tell us a little about yourself?
Hi, I'm Emily and I live with my beautiful family in the rustic foothills of the Great Dividing Range in the Southern Central Highlands of Central Queensland. Growing up, creativity has always played a key role in my life and sitting down to a blank piece of paper with a pencil in my hand, was my ultimate happy place. Since leaving my comfort zone of life in the city to follow my heart and live closer to my best friend (who I am lucky enough to call my husband now), sketching and creating was pushed to the side for several years. Fast forward to now and throw in 2 energetic children and a constant hype of activity happening daily on the property; I needed something to quiet my mind and keep me in check. Before making the commitment to move out here, I certainly didn’t imagine I would be doing things like milking a cow, fixing fences, starting water pumps, helping with other daily operations on the farm and not to mention the very rewarding job of teaching our children via distance education. How great is life in the bush!
Where did the idea for your business come from and how has it evolved?
As stereotypical as it sounds, I used to be quite a disorganised mess a lot of the time and children certainly did not improve my organisational skills. The cattle property we live on is located approximately 2.5 hours to the closest Coles / Woolworths. So I am sure you can imagine that finding a card on your town day with 2 small children in tow, was no easy feat. Consequently, I decided to combine my love for stationery (I can confidently say I have been addicted since I could pick up a pencil!), my lacking organisational skills and my creative talents to form Seed & Blossom Designs. Today, the business has evolved from not only selling a range of paper goods, but to also selling a fabric collection (available in 2 days).
Can you tell us about the challenges you have faced within your business and what has helped you to overcome them?
There have been several challenges that I have faced during this journey and many of those I am sure most small business owners with children at home would face as well. However, my biggest challenge has been those nasty inner thoughts that can creep up on you when things become overwhelming. I do not think that I have mastered the art of shutting down those negative thoughts of fear and doubt; yet, with the right people in your corner cheering you on and the instant clarity you get from taking a big, deep breath of fresh country air, there really isn’t anything stopping you from achieving your goals. I suppose I would have to thank my best friend and wonderful husband for always reminding me to have faith and that no mountain is ever too high to climb.
Where do you see your business going in the future?
With the upcoming release of my first fabric collection, I have thoroughly enjoyed the creative process involved with designing a collection of fabric and would like to see designs for the paper goods to follow in the collection themed manner. Without giving too much away, there will be a few exciting changes accompanying the fabric release, so stay tuned!
Any advice for small business owners in rural and regional Australia?
Honestly, I think it is just so important that in this day and age of technology and social media to stay true to yourself and what you stand for. Keep making and creating your amazing locally produced products as I believe that the notion of items originating from Australia is becoming more prominent.
Go to https://seedandblossomdesigns.com.au/ to shop Emily’s full collection or see her range within our Wattle I Gift Boxes.