thaw

We have moved

2010-04-12T09:45:00.004+10:00

We have moved! Check out our new and improved website/blog here....

please update your links kids!

We're listening

2010-04-06T12:23:00.002+10:00

A productive day is being had at Thaw HQ today. No children in the house, and peace and quiet to allow us to get some serious work done. So what do you do when you have a quiet house like this? Listen to Black Sabbath - Paranoid, of course. Peace and quiet is over-rated anyway!

What gets your creative juices flowing??

It's market time again...

2010-04-01T11:58:00.000+11:00

Don't forget that this weekend is the Daylesford Makers Market again. I had lots of fun at the last one, and this one is going to be just as big. So if you are lost for something to do this Easter Saturday - head on down and check it out.

P-A-R-T-Y, because I've got to!

2010-03-31T12:06:00.000+11:00

We are planning a party. Oooh, excitement is in the air. It will be to celebrate the fact that we have seven whole issues out there. And to thank the contributors who have put in so much time, effort, love and support to get us here. First things first.... commit to a date, and send invitations.

To market, to market...

2010-03-30T11:37:00.004+11:00

Lots has been going on in Thaw HQ lately, so haven't been doing a good job of keeping the blog updated, sorry.

We have had the place painted, fences ripped down, and rebuilt in much prettier fashion. We have been on a little holiday down the beach, and now I'm preparing to meet with our new marketing gal, Conchi. I am very excited about sitting down with her and talking about the future of Thaw. She is joining the Thaw team to focus on all of our advertising sales, and getting our little mag into lots more stockists. The more magazines we have in shops around Victoria, the more people will pick up a copy and read it - at least that's the plan. She is excited to be coming on board too, so can't wait to sit down with her this weekend. Might have to enjoy a couple of wines with her too. It can't be all business ;-)

I met with the talented Matt Turner last week. He is also joining the Thaw team, to do the layout and design for us. Can't wait to see how our next issue looks. He has done lots of bits and pieces for us over the past six months, but has now committed to do much more, so it's exciting to have him on board too.

If you think you know of some shops or cafe's in your neck of the woods that you think would be a great place to stock Thaw, please drop me a line.

Cheers,

Kim

Blog roll

2010-03-18T11:50:00.003+11:00

I just added a list of blogs that are by people found in our neck of the woods. Please check them out. There are some very creative, clever and interesting people in our area. And please let me know if you know of any that I should add to the list!

Cheers,

Kim

Facelift and sickies

2010-03-18T10:38:00.003+11:00

Thaw headquarters (otherwise known as our home) has been getting a facelift this week. Although we have some people doing the work for us, it has thrown the household into a little bit of chaos. But it has come up so nicely. It looks so fresh and lovely now. We changed the whole colour of the place, so it looks like a different house from the outside.

There are sickies in the house too, which means there is no time for working, just a lot of cuddles on the couch.

I am meeting with our new Graphic Designer this afternoon. More on this tomorrow....

Cheers,

Kim

Stuff gets in the way

2010-03-12T09:10:00.003+11:00

Well I made it to the market, and had a great time there. What a great atmosphere, with all the Chillout festival-goers coming by for a look. Lots of people were introduced to Thaw, and it was nice to get some really positive feedback from others. A lot of people from Melbourne were surprised to see something like our mag being produced in Ballarat. It was nice to show them that there is so much more to the area than they realised.

I didn't make it to the Roller Derby which I, and my four-year-old, were disappointed about, as we were really looking forward to it. Tia was just too tired after a day hanging out with Pa, and having no naps at all. I had to spend the night making it up to Helena with a "princess" movie, and popcorn. Turned out to be a lovely day though, despite all the rain and hail.

Loved the stuff at the St Mel stall

It's amazing what this gal can do with a button or two... Manca Un Buttone

Was nice to catch up with the clever and fun Darren - the Clunes Strangler

And listening to the awesome Geoffrey was just another added bonus

Correct punctuation

2010-03-03T15:03:00.000+11:00

I just love this, and had to share.

Chill Out

2010-03-03T10:20:00.003+11:00

I am going to be at the Daylesford Makers Market this Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to it. The last time I was there I had a stall, as I will this time, and the atmosphere was fantastic. There were so many lovely things to see, and buy, and so many awesome creative people to talk to. If you are anywhere near Daylesford this weekend come on by, and please come and say hello.

After that I am heading down to the Roller Derby bout in Daylesford. Can't wait to see the girls in action. There is so much going on, because of the ChillOut festival that's on in Daylesford and Hepburn this weekend, check out the website for details.

Photo from The Advocate

Deliveries begin

2010-03-01T19:30:00.007+11:00

Oh my, what a week. I feel like I have done nothing but make badges. Who's idea was this badge thing? Oh that's right. Never mind. Scratch that. This week we have been madly making badges, and attaching them to the mags in preparation for deliveries today - the first day of Autumn!

I have to say that I didn't really think about how difficult it would be to secure the badges to the mags. I tried glue, which worked for posting the subscriber copies, but didn't work for long, when they were put in a stand, upright. We considered pinning them onto the cover, but then we didn't really want to wreck the cover, so Ro came up with the brilliant idea to tie them on with string. The only problem was that it takes FOREVER! Thankfully, with the help of lovely friends Steph and Louisa, we managed to get them done in time.

We have now increased the price to $5 an issue, and I am hoping that this isn't going to be a problem for our regular readers. I have been a bit nervous doing deliveries. It's been interesting to hear other peoples perspectives. Thankfully all the comments were very positive, like "it was really cheap before, so I don't think it will be a problem".

I have to get back to my deliveries for now. Would love to hear from you. Leave me a message.

Kim x

One of my helpers at work.

Proofs and badges

2010-02-20T13:17:00.002+11:00

We have had the proofs delivered and they look good. Phew! It's always a little exciting, as well as scary, having a look over the proofs. There were a couple of little changes needed, but it's always nice to see the colour pictures came out well. Now we can sign off and go to print.

Now it's time to get cracking on making badges for the release of this issue. Every issue is going to come with a free badge, so we are working on the design and making them this week. This Japanese origami paper, kindly lent to us by the lovely Lou, will hopefully provide some of the inspiration.

Done!

2010-02-19T09:36:00.002+11:00

It's gone to the printers... phew!

Eclectic Tastes

2010-02-15T09:13:00.004+11:00

I love this place. We have been doing our Four Plates review at Eclectic Tastes this week, and we are changing things a bit this issue. Instead of four dishes from four different places, we are sampling four from one place. The food was superb, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, so am just posting photos of the decor. Eclectic is the word! I got to have a good chat with Margot, one of the owners who was there with her husband having dinner, on the night. She and co-owner Julie have created a great place. Check it out if you get a chance.

I LOVED this cigarette holder. It just looked like a bottle when closed.

Sneak peek #2

2010-02-12T14:56:00.000+11:00

We are including two gorgeous fashion shoots in this issue. Here is another sneak peek at one of the shoots....

Photos by the wonderful Teagan Glenane...

Production mode

2010-02-11T13:07:00.005+11:00

At the moment we are in mad "last week before we go to print" mode, which can be rather chaotic. No matter how organised and prepared we are, it always seems to be the same at this time of production. Why do we always have to "leave things to the last minute". I know I always had that comment on all my school reports, and it appears nothing has changed. Rohan and I are holed up in our teeny home office doing our thing... he says (of a page he will have just laid out) "check out this page, what do you think?" or I'll receive another article via email, and start giggling as I read the text. When we realise we haven't done something that needed two weeks preparation, and we only have one week to do it we generally start swearing, or deliriously laughing, it depends on how many coffees or (if it's later) wines we have had. But on the whole I think we love the drama, so that's why it keeps happening. So I can't really complain, can I?

Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect in Issue 7...

Beautiful photos by Rohan

Another great stockist - Leeloo

2010-02-04T18:33:00.002+11:00

Leeloo is an online shop that supports creative designers making unique, handmade and often limited edition items. All their stuff is made in Australia, and they are all about "nurturing young creative types" much like we are. Check out the stuff at Leeloo, and maybe you could find something a little bit different for your love, this Valentines. If you choose to celebrate that kind of thing ;-)

Oh yeah, and they now stock Thaw. Yippee.

Cheers,

Kim

2010-02-03T12:46:00.001+11:00

I have recently discovered this blog, (thanks to Rachel) and felt I had to share it. It's all about one girls attempt to spend one year only buying her clothes second-hand, and using her creativity and sewing skills to make clothing she loves. With $365 dollars and 365 days, she is making it work. Inspiring stuff.

Check out New Dress a Day.

Cheers,

Kim

Before

After

For all the zine lovers

2010-02-02T14:54:00.001+11:00

Have just been sent an invitation to this event at Sticky. If you love all things "zine" you might want to check it out...

When:
Friday, 12 Feb 2010, 06:00 PM

Where:
Degraves Street Subway, right next to Sticky Institute
Melbourne
Victoria
3000

The official launch of The Undiscovered Press exhibition! Come along and be a part of The Undiscovered Press being unleashed upon the masses. In the form of 12 separate artworks by dedicated zinesters, zines in all their undiscovered glory will be on display.

Cheers,

Kim

Don't miss out

2010-01-27T12:50:00.002+11:00

We have another new stockist, which is always exciting... Breakfast and Beer are in Daylesford, and we love this place. It has great atmosphere, awesome food and friendly staff. And now you can buy great magazines there, too ;-)

In other news, it's not long before we go to print for Issue 7. This weekend we are shooting one of the fashion shoots, and are excited that this issue will include not one, but two separate fashion spreads. I might post a sneak peak of one, soon.

If you were interested in submitting something for our Secret Love piece in the next issue - don't forget submissions close this week. Get your stuff published! Send them in now.

Thanks to those of you who submitted work so far.

Cheers,

Kim

Little Helper

2010-01-27T12:45:00.002+11:00

For those of you who order you copies of Thaw online, and receive them in the post - I hope you don't mind an envelope with a little extra character. I have a very persistant 4 year old who likes to help Mummy when she is in "work" mode. Sometimes stamping can be a little tricky ;-)

Secret Love

2010-01-20T13:43:00.003+11:00

Do you have a secret love? Is there something that you love doing, collecting, looking at or creating that you feel just slightly shy about owning up to? Some people collect tea towels, love crocheting or can't take their eyes off clouds. We don't really care what it is, we want to hear about it!

In our next issue - out 1st March - we are including an article about secret love. We already have a couple of writers to tell us about their hidden passions, and now I want to hear from you. If you are interested in submitting your article, it needs to be just 300 words, and you can email it to editor@thawmagazine.com.au or post it to Thaw Magazine, PO Box 346, Ballarat, VIC, 3353. There is a free copy of the magazine in it for you. Don't be shy. Get writing.

Cut-off for submissions is 1st Feb.

More new stockists

2010-01-14T11:00:00.003+11:00

Yesterday I had an eventful day, with a visit to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. I met the lovely Connie and Kyla of Portal 108, had a look through the shop, and bought a couple of things for myself. They have some wonderful stuff in there. Many items are hand-made, and they have a simple motto... they only sell things that they love. Their theory is that whatever doesn't sell, they get to keep for themselves, so it's a win-win. Clearly they love the same stuff that I love. I found it hard not to buy one of everything. And now you can find Thaw on their shelves, too.

Cheers,

Kim

I couldn't resist picking myself up one of these cute sets of babushka measuring cups from Portal 108.

More fun stuff to be found at Portal 108

Back into it

2009-12-30T12:19:00.003+11:00

Well, we are getting back into the swing of things now that the Silly Season is coming to a close. I don't think it officially ends until the new year begins, but I have had to get ready to face the new year, as we have a magazine to get ready for the 1st March, and we have taken a nice break over the past couple of weeks.

I have been clearing my desk of about 6 months' worth of mess, and now have a perfectly tidy desk that is ready for action. It's amazing how this can change one's outlook and make the prospect of working so much more exciting. I have dropped the girls at their Pa's and I am free to get some stuff done.

So the desk is tidy - check. Now I just have to work my way down the list of about a million other things.

Oh, and other news - we have just picked up another stockist. Emma from Ballarat Patchwork will be selling the magazine from this afternoon. Yay. They have lots of lovely stuff in there. Check it out.

Cheers,

Kim

Growing bigger

2009-12-17T10:20:00.002+11:00

I am excited to tell you that I am in the process of getting quotes for additional pages in Thaw. We have been getting to the stage lately, in the planning process, where we have too many ideas to fit in the pages we have. So I think it's time to add some more pages. Lots of people have been telling me that they wish that we came out more often, but since we simply can't create more time in the day (which is what we would need), I hope that more pages will be some consolation to those people.

We are also in the process of planning lots of competitions, giveaways and freebies for the next issue, so looking forward to the next couple of months. Stay tuned.

Kim x

Daylesford Makers

2009-12-11T10:59:00.000+11:00

Recently we had a stall at the Daylesford Makers Market. We are sponsors of the market, and happy to be a part of something that promotes regional makers. With lots of beautiful wares to buy, it was easy to buy something from every stallholder. I got to check a few people off my Christmas list, and meet some wonderful people. Check out their blog for details of next years markets, and stallholders. Well worth a look.

Quiet and calm

2009-12-10T10:46:00.004+11:00

It's that time of the quarter when we at Thaw HQ get to actually take a little breather, and are not so insane. Phew. We had a very busy few weeks there, where it was almost like we would never make it out the other end alive. So many last minute things to do, before we went to print, that lead to children being bribed with promises of camping trips, chocolates, lunches out and playdates, just so we could concentrate where we needed to. Rohan and I realised that we haven't really progressed from those uni days of leaving things to the last minute. I don't know that we ever will. I think we both work better under pressure. Thankfully, now that it is done, we can take the time with the girls, to make cupcakes, enjoy birthdays and go camping.

Now we have done the deliveries, and the mag is out there, it's time to plan our next issue, and attempt to be better organised than previously. We can only try.

Kim x

The kitchen table piled with thaw parcels and birthday presents.

YAY Issue 6 hits the shelves!

2009-12-07T11:04:00.002+11:00

There has been a lovely response to the current issue which has blown team Thaw away!

The blogging community has made us feel very much supported.

Who would have thought that a little magazine that promotes all the creative goodness in the country would have made so many people happy!

Thanks to all from team Thaw

Cover shoot

2009-10-21T10:04:00.002+11:00

It's all happening at thaw HQ. The lovely Jemma came into the new studio space we recently acquired, and looked gorgeous in her Thomas Sabo jewellery from Gems and Jewels in Ballarat, and clothes from Coco Pink.

Rohan, our photographer, said Jemma was a natural in front of the camera, and had a lot of fun shooting. I am not sure that she has ever done any modelling before, but from the look of the photos, it doesn't matter. Check out these sneak previews.

The talented Lucy Simpson works her magic on our cover girl.

New Stockists

2009-10-13T09:01:00.002+11:00

We have recently picked up a couple of new stockists. You have to check out these fabulous shops if you get the chance. The Lark shop has opened only recently, in Daylesford, and it is full of lovely things. The Upholstery Gallery has been in Ballarat for a few years now, but recently expanded their space and now has lots more room to wander around exploring.

We have also been in contact with Angela of Leeloo, and will be getting our stuff in there soon too. Very excited. Will keep you posted.

Apology

2009-09-29T20:33:00.003+10:00

A big part of putting together Thaw are the wonderful contributors who do it for the love, and not for the money. We couldn't put Thaw together without them, and we always are very thankful to the creative folk who help us create our little publication. We always make it our mission to give credit where it's due, but unfortunately in the last issue, we forgot to mention someone who helped us out by supplying photo's for one our articles. Jade Smithard took photo's for our piece on live music in Ballarat, The hills are alive, and we forgot to put her name in the credits. Sorry Jade, and thanks.

Please check out her website if you would like to view more of her stuff.

Positive Posters

2009-09-17T15:04:00.004+10:00

These guys have been in contact with us, as they thought we might be interested in what they are up to, and we could encourage people to get involved. They were right! Unfortunately their current comp will be done by the time we have our next issue out, so we can't do it via our mag, but I thought I would give them a shout out here.

"Positive Posters promotes positive thought in places that need it most. The idea is simple. What if we ask designers from all corners of the earth to submit poster designs that convey positive messages eg. world peace. to us and we pasted them up around the streets of Melbourne other major cities around the world ."

Check out their blog.

Cheers,
Kim

Deliveries

2009-09-01T21:00:00.004+10:00

Today I made deliveries of Issue 5 to most of our stockists, and was excited to hear that people had already been asking at a few of the cafes whether they have the new issue of Thaw in stock yet. Thanks for the enthusiasm people. Sorry I didn't have it there first thing this morning whoever you are. Hopefully you picked one up at lunchtime.

Am investigating getting the mag into some new stockistss in Daylesford next week, and then venturing to Bendigo soon after. Let me know if you have any suggestions of places to approach.

Cheers,
Kim

Issue 5

2009-08-26T12:07:00.002+10:00

Finally Issue 5 has gone off to the printers and we have just signed off the proofs. Won't be long 'til we have our hands on a copy. We have been madly stamping envelopes with our new Thaw stamp, in preparation for Subscribers mail outs. Very exciting.

Print time

2009-08-19T10:37:00.003+10:00

We are just putting the final touches on Issue Five, and looking forward to sending it off the the printers. It's been a hard week, with both Rohan (Creative Director) and I being really sick last week. We are on the mend now though, and looking forward to getting our hands on a printed copy late next week.

Kim x

Welcome

2009-08-06T14:27:00.000+10:00

Well I thought it was about time that I launch a Thaw blog. So here it is... welcome. I will be making posts about what is going on in the world of Thaw - from planning our fashion shoots, to events we will be attending, bands we have seen and news about upcoming issues. We have had come great feedback from people we have met, and through the occasional email, but hopefully this will offer you another way to make comments and give feedback. I encourage you all to comment as much as you like. We always like to hear from you.

Cheers,
Kim