There's a baby in there.......

Can you believe I knew I was pregnant within days of conception? The lead up to 6 weeks pregnant was an annoying waiting game with strange symptoms. It was a Friday morning that I took the life changing home pregnancy test that confirmed all that I'd hoped for, 

We are Pregnant!

My first trimester was beautiful, emotional and extremely exhausting! Vomiting here, heart palpitations there, with constant nausea while my body housed the formation of a human being.  

All of this aside, I'm thrilled to take on the biggest challenge of my life, to be a Mummy!

I'm going to be bold and say this. I will fail as a mother in my own strength. I'm too selfish, I'm impatient and I can give those looks that apparently could kill. So here, I am saying it. I will only be the mother that my baby needs by the Grace of God. And just to make that perfectly clear, His Grace is my Heavenly Fathers ability in me. His Love, His words, His wisdom, His protection for me and my baby!

This blog is not only an announcement, it's also a confession to my unborn child. I promise you, my little one, you will know love that never fails!

16 weeks pregnant!

Why Organic Cotton?

I grew up and live in beautiful Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. We love our warm humid temperatures. So, cotton is the fabric of choice here because it’s breathable and light.

Conventional cotton is everywhere. In our bath towels, beach towels, table clothes, bedding, t-towels, general clothing,T-shirts, underwear and more. I was horrified to find that a fabric so loved and desired, because it’s a “natural” fiber, could be so devastating to the planet and directly effect our health.

Conventional cotton is chemically dependent, hooked on pesticides and

fertilizers to grow and accounts for 10% of all agricultural chemicals, and 25% of all

pesticides used worldwide every year.

One T-shirt = 0.4 kg of cotton which draws on 2000 litres of water.

One T-shirt can have 150 gms or 1/3 of a pound of pesticides in it.

Communities that grow cotton throughout the world experience extreme 

health problems, with 220,000 people dying from farming cotton and 

over 1 million more becoming ill from the pesticides.

This is why we passionately choose Certified Organic Cotton.

Certified Organic Cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment.

Less water is used to grow organic cotton but it is a thirsty crop.

The most environmentally and economically sustainable cotton is a

rain-fed crop grown in sub-tropical countries with good rain fall.

Areas of India, Peru, Tanzania, and USA, and Australia, are just a few, out of

24 countries world wide, who now grow Organic Cotton.

The production systems of organic cotton:

are labour intense with a hands on approach to pest control

replacing the need for toxic pesticides;

they minimise the use of fertilizers and replenish & maintain soil fertility.

All of this means: 

no harm to the earth, no harmful chemicals, no harm to the growers, no toxic water waste, no harm to the millers, no harm to the manufacturers, no harm to all of us who wear organic cotton.

It's a moral fiber!

I would love to know your favourite cotton item and why you love them?

x Louise

Encouraged by Her Courage

November has been such a beautiful month for me. 

 I had the opportunity to meet with a group of sweet high school girls right at the start of the month. The interact group from Kedron State High School invited me to speak with them about my passion for the girls in Cambodia and the Somaly Mam Foundation.

Two weeks after that memorable afternoon (and only two weeks ago), I was honoured to see Somaly Mam again, in person. Somaly Mam's smile to so strong, so powerful that you forget that she ever suffered as a sex slave. She was so generous with me as I shared with her my encounter with the Kedron State High School girls. I told her "We love your girls, so much, there's a whole number of ladies in Brisbane, who passionately care for your little girls."

Somaly Mam spoke with delight about her girls, she share how they're in the process of learning to forgive. 

"They are forgiving their past to embrace their future"

Every time I meet with Somaly Mam I'm truly encouraged by her courage and the courage of her girls to live again, to laugh and to play over and over, it reminds me that there is no excuse to ignore joy.

Somaly Mam and I in Melbourne, November 2012

These girls had raised over $150 for the Somaly Mam foundation. When I first heard of this I shed a tear, this is the amount it would cost to purchase a girl out of the horror of sexual slavery.

Somaly Mam receiving the hand written card that the Kedron State High School girls asked me to give her.

Get a Dress, Save a life on the 21st of April!

It's under 4 weeks until the 

3rd Under a Tree Clothing Exchange.

On the 21st of April @ New Farm State Primary School Hall, Brisbane.

It's a truly delightful afternoon of tea drinking and clothes swapping

 and in the process we save lives!

1 in 40 girls in Cambodia are sold into sexual slavery from as young as 4 years old.

Last year we raised enough funds that is the equivilant of freeing 8 little girls from Cambodian brothels.

Together we can make a difference!

Come along and swap your gorgeous items of clothing.

Take a look at the photo's below of just some of the beautiful peices we have ready to swap.

A gorgeous floral dress with an intersting back 

This pretty dress is a French Connection peice 

Vintage brown skirt circa 1980's is apart of a suit. A gorgeous jacket makes up this outfit.

Vintage skirt

Vintage silver crop jacket and classic black dress

Art Saving Lives

Painted with nail polish on canvas

After a beautiful conversation over the phone, Nicole Condon and I quickly realised that we have a shared passion for the little girls in Cambodia.

Nicole visited Cambodia in August last year, where she had an opportunity to visit with the girls who had been recused from brothels. 

Her response to the horror of lost innocence was to bravely celebrate what life and colour there is for those girls who get an opportunity to live.

Nicole is generously donating a painting for the raffle at 

Under a Tree Clothing Exchange 

on Saturday the 21st of April.

Please bring cash with you!

You also have the opportunity to buy her art work at Under a Tree Clothing Exchange

with 50% of the proceeds going straight to the Somaly Mam Foundation.

Cambodian water lili's pianted with nail polish on canvas

Gorgeous Nicole Condon 

Seamless.

Seamless is an independently organised event aiming to showcase emerging and sustainable fashion designers and their wares.

 The first of many evenings was last Friday night, the second of March. 

I was honoured to be one of six designers who presented their work and talked about sustainable creations. The event showcased designs from customized eyewear and luxurious underwear ranges to innovative female fashion styles. This evening provided a chance to meet with others, learn, question and feel the impact of new sustanable methods. 

Sponsored by The Rabit Hole/Ideation Cafe the collaborative working space/ coffee shop was vibrant with live music, yummy cupcakes and organic wine.

It was so nice to be with like minded people and celebrate the beauty of sustainablity. 

Seamless @ The Rabit Hole, West End, Brisbane

A Pot of Tea Under a Tree

Holloway

Nico Under Wear

Why, A Cause?

On a Saturday night in October, a group of us from A Pot of Tea Under a Tree and Hope Foundation went to the screening of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls documentary. 

It reminded me again of why! 

Why in this moment, A Pot of Tea Under a Tree exists.  

I started A Pot of Tea Under a Tree because ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a fashion designer and I wanted to change the world. 
A contradiction right? Not now! 

I'm so honoured to be able to provide beautiful sustainable clothing that is morally and environmentally sound BUT! 
This endeavour is created out of a passion for a cause. 

A cause, that is taking steps to strengthen women in their environment throughout the world. 

Miraculously two woman have came across my path and have touched my heart. 

Browen Healy, who is the creator of Hope Foundation, here in Brisbane, Australia and Somaly Mam, the creator of Somaly Mam Foundation, from Cambodia. 

Both woman are rescuing girls from sexual slavery and death.

This is why A Pot of Tea Under a Tree will continue doing what we are doing:

Please know the content of this video may offend some viewers and is not recommended for those under 14 without adult supervision.

Come and be apart of the solution by attending April's 2012

Under a Tree Clothing Exchange.