I first stumbled across T’s account through one of her brand reps and was instantly drawn to her warmth, gratitude to her followers and motivation. Her beautiful jewellery is all hand made using sterling silver, gold or rose gold and using only AAA quality pearls. It was so nice to find out that she was also a fellow Sydney-sider as well. I love how she is now pursuing her business full time after quitting her day job but most of all, I love the story behind why she started John and Luna. Code ALANA10 will take 10% off your purchase for 48 hours only!

Tell me a little bit about yourself. What don’t we know?

Hi! My name is Teresa and I am the owner of John and Luna a small jewellery brand based in the North West of Sydney! Something you don’t know is that I had a youtube channel years ago where I would sing and play guitar! The channel is still on youtube..

How did the idea of your business come about? What do you do?

I love jewellery but I get really bored very easily, When I was younger, I used to tear my jewellery apart and make an entire new piece! I didn’t ever think I would be starting a jewellery business! The idea came about 4 years ago when I lost my father, making jewellery became a form of therapy for me to keep his memory alive, it kept me going through the darkest time of my life.

How many hours do you work? What does a typical day look like for you?

I can’t count the hours I work a day haha! I am literally working all the time! A typical day would be going straight to my computer and check all my emails and try my best to reply to all of them, then I would start processing orders that would entail making jewellery, packing, going to the post office! In between processing orders, I will update our website, edit photos and create content for social media. Being a one woman show can get a little crazy sometimes! 

What has been the most satisfying moment for your business so far?

The most satisfying moment is everyday when I see amazing women from all over the world wearing John and Luna, that makes my day every day!

How do you define success?

There isn’t one definition for success, I truly believe it’s different for everyone! For me it’s seeing amazing women choosing to wear John and Luna, that in itself is success to me. 

Are there any new designs coming up? Any hints of what may come next?

Haha! I have a lot of people asking me this… the answer is a yes… but unfortunately I won’t be giving any hints – it’s top secret!

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

My Mum. She also owns a small business and she is the hardest working woman I know. She has taught me everything I know about business and I can’t thank you enough for her wisdom. 

What is your greatest fear and how do you manage it?

My greatest fear is the unknown. I hate not knowing how things will turn out but it’s a part of life that I am slowly starting to accept!

Where do you go on a night out?

I don’t really go out but when I do I like to go out for dinners with my friends. I don’t have a particular place I go to, I like to try everything!

If you had unlimited resources for your business, what would you do?

I would set up a physical store, something I have always dreamt of!

If you’re looking for those soft, timeless colours in children’s pieces to wear over and over, then look no further than Melbourne based business, Ponchik Babies + Kids. Our children have been wearing clothing from Ponchik Babies + Kids since they were little tiny babies! I loved everything about this business – the staple pieces, the neutral tones, the size range available, that I could do my whole season shop at one business, the designs, service and the amazing quality of their pieces which have been handed down between my children and still last all the dirt play, crawling, food messes and have seen my children through all their milestones. We have an exclusive code WUWU15 which will give you 15% off their entire website.

How did you come up with the name of your business?

Great question! In Russian heritage, beautiful, chubby bubs are affectionately called Ponchik, and so was my son Archie. My Mum was born in the former Soviet Union and we try to incorporate Russian in our household as much as we can.

What do you sell?

Timeless cotton pieces that look gorgeous for dress and play.

How did you get the idea to start Ponchik?

When Archie was four months old I was really struggling with letting go of my prior corporate life and straight into motherhood. I felt like I still needed a bit of business to help me through. Honestly, in the beginning I thought it would be a hobby. Now I can’t quite believe where the business has gone and we’re now stocked in over 80 stores around Australia and NZ.

What is your business background?

I studied a Bachelor of Business at uni, then went to the Melbourne School of Fashion to study Fashion Business. My first job out of uni was with a major footwear retailer in the planning department. I was there for around 8 years. I am also a yoga teacher and before becoming a mumma taught yoga full time for a year.

Where do you get inspiration for your designs and new collections?

Really it comes to me in dreams, fabrics, colours, designs. So I have to make sure I wake myself up properly to write it all down! Also, I design what I want Archie to wear, and if I had a girl what I would want her to wear 🙂

What is important to you for your business?

A good quality product, a happy production team and happy customers is of massive importance.

What motivates you?

Alana, I am loving these questions! If you ask my husband, I wake up happy and positive most mornings (just need a good night’s sleep!), I am a little bit of a perfectionist and very dedicated to things I am a part of and care about. So I think that is motivation enough for me. Also, running this business gives me endorphins I am pretty sure – so I keep coming back to my desk daily excited!

A question for a bit of fun now… would you rather smell like rotten eggs for a day or dead fish?

Ew! Can I change this question? Haha! Neither, really!

My relationship with Monday Design Co was forged after several email exchanges to create a special custom made height ruler to feature in our home. Every part of our height chart was customised from the beautiful Tasmanian oak timber used, the grain, our family name was designed then drafted, we could choose the starting number of the height chart and even the length of the horizontal height lines. Every single detail was made just for us.

We are dedicated to checking our son’s height every six months, as children just grow before your eyes! Hubby and I will check yearly but we have been told as we get older, that we will also become shorter and we will also be documenting those heights as this is a piece we will feature and treasure forever.

A beautiful idea that I would also like to share with you, is to write your family history on the back of the height chart. It is so often that we ask questions about the history of our families but we do not have the answers, as the memories have gone from those who have passed. 

Without further ado, introducing you to Monday Design Co:

What is something you said you would never do as a parent before you had Harrison?

I laugh now because honestly there are so many things you say you will not do before you have kids. I was very adamant that there was no way I would play children’s music in the car. The idea of being trapped in a car listening to kids music just made me cringe pre baby. Now I find myself singing along to the Wiggles …and enjoying it, actions and all!!!

What is something you love doing outside of Monday Design Co?

Ryan and I share a love of travel and the beach. Our favourite days are those spent by the water with Harrison and our two dogs Charlie and Poppy.

Yes, I write letters to Harrison. For our baby shower we were gifted a beautiful little book with pages to write letters to your child. I sit down every 6 months or so and write about the funny things he’s said or done, milestones he has achieved and what life is like for us as his parents and as a family. I personally have a terrible memory and this is a beautiful way to hold a piece of the present which will one day be the past.

How did you and Ryan meet?

We met on a working holiday at Perisher, NSW. We worked in ski hire and lived in Jindabyne for the season. We didn’t start dating until we came home, luckily we both lived in Brisbane.

Is there any advice you would give to mums – or mums in business?

Take care of yourself. It is so easy to prioritise your children, your family and work but it is so important to look after yourself. This could be as simple as listening to a podcast for an hour a week, taking a walk or having a pedi. I am an all or nothing person and often burn myself out by doing it all. Recently I treated myself to a pedicure and honestly, I am a better person for it.

How did the business come to be/how did you come up with the business name?

Ryans background is in carpentry, after ten years in the trade he headed to university and studied a Bachelor of Product Design. Shortly after he graduated we had Harrison and the idea to make Timber Height Charts was born. On Monday Ryan takes a day off so he and Harrison can play, dream and go on adventures. These days of play result in new and creative ideas – this is why we named our business Monday Design Co.

I love this question, so many things but the one that stands out is “Don’t worry about becoming an adult”. Being an adult is so fun, rewarding, exciting and now we are parents, what an honour it is to raise a child. 14 year old Sarah was scared of making phone calls and the idea of having to pay a bill, now I am part running a small business.

We make a variety of products from Name Plaques to Timber Earrings but we are best known for our Personalised Timber Height Charts. Ryan designs and makes these himself in our workshop from home. He is self taught with the knowledge gained from his years as a carpenter and at uni.

The most special piece we’ve made was probably the very first. It was made from American Walnut, a friend purchased it from us for her friends daughter as a first birthday gift. Seeing a piece of timber become a beautiful keepsake within a few hours is amazing and each time we make a new one I claim it to be my favourite.

We have a new style of Height Chart coming out very soon which we are soooo excited about – watch this space.

Ten years from now, how do you see your lives?

I had to think about this question as I rarely look this far ahead. Ryan operates on Fiji time so he’s on his own clock and I am living at maximum 7 days ahead. In ten years our hope is that we’ve welcomed another baby into the family, travelled more of the world and that the business is our full time job. Our biggest hope is that we are happy and healthy, cliche – but isn’t that the most important thing?

I had my eye on Kate’s blankets from the beginning of my pregnancy with Spencer. I absolutely adored her floral blankets and knew we would likely be purchasing the whole range if we had a little girl! After speaking with Kate who has two boys herself, we went with the classic white lace blanket and the grey. These are keepsake blankets which we will treasure forever. We have used her blankets for swaddling, to sit on, as a pram cover, a blanket, for styling and truly is the perfect essential for your bub. Read on about my interview with Kate below.

Heritage Blankets is such a sentimental name. How did you come up with it?

The name ‘Heritage’ came very easily to me as I felt it had the essence of a timeless keepsake, a memory woven item. And that’s exactly what I wanted the mums to feel when they held their babes wrapped in a blanket. A blanket truly is the greatest reminder of the snuggles and love that was shared between a Mum and her baby. 

What is something your mother often told you?

Eat those peas Kate! No but jokes aside Mum showed me how to just get on with it, I feel like she never felt sorry for herself for very long.

What is your favourite product in store?

Oh this is hard! My florals hold my heart! I dont often fall in love with one more than another and actually, I love seeing them stacked together. But I do have a red floral kept aside for my one day maybe baby girl. The red floral was called ‘the Ruby’ and it was just perfection!

Tell me about a childhood memory which still makes you laugh.

Believe it or not, I was the biggest tom boy and I was taught to keep up with everything my brothers did. Motorbike riding, fort building and everything dirty. I never had feminine style in me! I felt ridiculous all pretty in a dress! But now I cant get enough of my pretty florals and lace obviously!!

Which three Instagram accounts inspire you and why?

Oh man this one is a hard one because different people inspire me at different times depending on what similarities I have with them. Tami from the @themilkboutique at the moment inspires me so much as she juggles a two little ones and an amazing business. @life.of.mama.cc and @reviejane are great gal pals to follow too

What is your dream for your business?

I sat here looking at this question because wow it actually makes me think! This had been my project and passion as I navigated this new mum thing. It was my way of truly coming out of my ‘shell’. I love what I do and conecting with my gorgeous HB mummas. So really Im living the dream now.  But I would love to be able to provide a full income for my family, and also have other mums on my team so that they also can experience the flexibility of running a business and being able to be immersed in their kids lives. I’m not tied down with regular work hours and I know its a gift that can be shared!