Meet the Founders: BTNCL

Meet the Founders, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

Our flagship + boutique is a proud retailer of an intentionally curated and bespoke range of local brands that we have personally tried, tested and adore. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be interviewing a few of these brands, delving deeper into their stories and craft.

Hand poured just down the road in South Yarra, btncl’s candles are a steady favourite in the Emma Kate Co. curation. Lovingly crafted with the finest blend of coconut and soy wax, btncl’s signature candles feature a range of elegant yet sentimental scents, all housed within luxurious pure brass vessels. Their unscented pillar candles are also wildly popular as the perfect statement piece for any occasion.

This week – in our chat with the founder of btncl, Brodie, you’ll get to know more about his story and that of the brand, as well as his various inspirations. We know it will only take you a moment to fall as in-love with btncl’s products and story as we have.

 

Staff Picks from btncl:

Emma C: Forest
Bella: Soigne
Emma D: Açai
April: Coconut + Mahogany
Caroline: Soigne
Annabelle: Heirloom Leaves + Butter Pillar Candle

 

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, and the story of how btncl came to be.

Well, I have always had an obsession with candles, but because of the amount I was burning through, I needed to come up with a more economical alternative. So 12 years ago I decided to teach myself how to make candles and have ever since. Back when I had no idea what I was doing, I would make candles in any vessels I could find, many which were definitely not suitable for candles (I learned that the hard way). But it wasn’t until around 2 years ago when I lost my job as a long haul Flight Attendant that the small idea of botanical was born and perfected my craft of candle making. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought it would become as successful as it has. 

 

2. Describe btncl in three words.

Bespoke. Sophisticated. Nostalgic.

 

3. What do you draw on for inspiration in creating new scents and designs?

Growing up we always had a lot of brassware in our home and it’s something I have always loved. So having the opportunity to work with it now is so incredible. When it comes to choosing our scents, I always try to source new and unique fragrances. With the candle market being as saturated as it is, it is really important that our candle scents really stand out from the rest. Scent to me is more than just a nice smell. It’s something that has the ability to transport your mind back to a fond memory you hold so close to your heart. This is why selecting a fragrance is extremely time consuming for me, and why we source many of our fragrances from overseas.

 

4. What is your favourite product from btncl?

This is such a tough question to answer, as my favourite product changes all the time. However, at this present time I think my favourite product would be Forest.

 

5. What’s your favourite occasion to light a candle for?

Do we honestly need a special occasion to light a candle?.
I think each day we wake up healthy and happy is a good enough excuse to light a candle.

 

6. What do you do to unwind?

Since creating botanical, unwinding is something I have struggled to find time for. However, when I finally do get the opportunity, it would definitely involve a bath, a glass of Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc and a candle (of course). If it’s away in the country or by the beach, that’s an added bonus.

 

7. As a busy business-owner, what’s your top tip for staying organised?

Staying on top of things, and don’t procrastinate. If you don’t do a certain task now, you’re going to have to do it later (with a high amount of added stress). And definitely setting aside time in your schedule to respond to emails, they get out of control if you don’t stay on top of them.

 

8. What is your go-to coffee order?

Between October – March it’s an iced oat latte.
And, between April – September just a regular oat latte will suffice.

 

How To: Stick To Using Your Planner

Planner Extras, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

Well, hasn’t January just flown by… 

We’re already almost one month into the year, and it is usually around this time that a lot of us find that your new-year-new-me-fueled motivations are starting to wane. With that in mind, we wanted to provide some guidance on ways you can keep the good habit of using your planner going – and put those beautiful blank pages to work over the coming year.

  1. 1. Keep It Simple [or at least start simple]

At the start of a new year, fuelled with optimism, it is relatively easy to fill in every blank space in your brand new planner. And, while there is definitely a time and place for those intensely detailed and aesthetically-complex templates from Pinterest, these usually take a lot of time and effort to lay out, and often add on unnecessary mental load when it comes to using your planner. 

Our advice? Start small, and keep it consistent. Building good habits is all about consistent incremental change… So start by simply setting aside 15 minutes on your weekend to add in your appointments for the next week. Then, once this feels part of your routine, spend 10 minutes each morning setting up your to-do for the day, or in the evening reflecting and/or setting yourself up for tomorrow. You’ll be surprised how quickly sitting down with your planner becomes a habit, and how ‘off’ your week will feel without it.

Still struggling? It might be helpful to instead sit down and list out why you want to form this habit – and how it will add value to your life. This can help motivate you to carve out that time each week/day. And, iIn light of these reasons, you can then more strategically map out how your planner layout and usage will help you work towards the bigger picture.

It is also worth keeping in mind that fancier or more complex layouts do not equal more productivity or organisation. It will be to your advantage to start with one or two simple and highly accessible elements in your planner layout, and as you establish the habit of using your planner, you can always add and modify elements as you need.

 

2. Ensure It is Visible

As the saying goes.. Out of sight, out of mind.

This principle very much applies to developing the habit of using your planner. Having your planner in a highly visible place, such as your kitchen table or office desk, helps you to associate specific environmental cues with using your planner, which is an advantage to help the habit stick. As basic as it sounds, having your planner in sight also ensures that you don’t simply forget to use it. In the same vein, try to have all the essential planning accessories you need (eg. pens, highlighters, sticky notes, etc) in the same area, so that when it comes time for you to begin planning you’re not wasting time searching for these things.

Does filling your planner at the start of each day set you up for success? Put your planner next to your coffee machine each night, so it easily becomes part of your morning ritual. 

Like reflecting on your day each evening? Keep it on your bedside. 

Or, if you’re the forgetful type, let it live in your handbag!

 

3. Something is Better Than Nothing

As touched on earlier, it is important to not let some elusive idea of ‘perfect’ stifle good progress. Expecting yourself to be perfectly productive every second of every day is unrealistic and will only set you up for discouragement. Consistency is key. And, if you miss a week, it’s okay to leave it blank and pick back up again the next. 

If productivity is the end goal for you, try breaking down your larger goals into smaller, more achievable (and less intimidating) steps that you can implement into your routine. And, always give yourself margin for days when you know you just won’t have time to sit down with your planner, or when plans get disrupted. Battle the urge to throw everything out the window the second something doesn’t go to plan, and show up for yourself with consistency and grace.

And, don’t feel married to how you started! It’s okay to acknowledge that a certain approach or style isn’t working for you… And we know all you perfectionists are shuddering at the thought, but a change in style, colour, approach – while not aesthetically consistent – DOES show evolution and growth. It’s better to make the change, than to scrap your planner entirely.

 

4. Make It Fun

Using your planner doesn’t have to just look like rigid lines with appointments, habits and tasks. Incorporate something that brings you joy into your planning routine. Whether that’s creating a self-care schedule for yourself, decorating your spreads with stickers, or writing in positive reminders – anything that will make you look forward to the process instead of dreading it as just another chore to tick off the list. Do what makes you feel good, not what you think it should look like. 

Another creative and fun way to add some colour into your planner use, and to transform your planner into a keepsake of its own, is to set apart a section of your spread as a journal or mindfulness space. This can be as simple as documenting what you got up to in a day or week, or you can turn it into something with more elaborate reflections and musings.

Often, reflections and journaling can be more intimidating than simply listing tasks, to help form the habit try ‘stacking’ it (or associating it) with something you already enjoy and naturally look forward to – for example, after a yoga class – or by creating a new ritual, such as filling out your planner on a Sunday evening with a special dessert or glass of wine, especially reserved for Sundays.

 

We hope these tips are helpful to you in finding strategies and motivation to keep using your planner! But at the end of the day, remember to be kind to yourself. Your planner is there to serve you and help you work towards your goals – and that your value doesn’t fluctuate based on how ‘productive’ you are or perceive yourself to be. Rest is sometimes the most productive thing you can do.

How To: Track Your Habits

Planner Extras, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

As we all start to settle into the new rhythms and routines of the new year, there is no better time than right now to cultivate new habits and set [achievable] goals.

Whether you identify as being more ‘free-spirited’ or more ‘meticulous’ in your organisation and planning, our planners are all designed with creative freedom in mind. Our intention has always been for these to be a canvas for you to design the perfect planner for you.

 

That being said, we’ve increasingly had requests from our community for more ‘tracking’ and goal-setting features to be included in our planner offering.

And this has led us to create the much-loved Habit Tracker Sticky Note to the choose-your-own-adventure lineup of our planner accessories collection. In our 2022 collection, we have also released a brand new Expense Tracker notebook accessory, a.k.a. your best friend in helping you build good money habits and move closer to achieving your financial goals in the new year [and beyond].

Here are some of our top tips on how to maximise our planner features and accessories to build, and track the habits you want to incorporate into your daily and weekly routine.

Use: Habit Tracker Sticky Note

Our Habit Tracker helps you to keep track of your daily habits and routines (for both building good, and breaking bad ones!) it’s intentionally designed for easily accessible yes/no style tracking, as well as documenting quantities.

Some ideas to get you started:

  • Hydration
  • Meditation
  • Workouts, daily walks/runs, or exercise classes
  • Journalling
  • Watering the plants
  • Caffeine intake
  • Hours of sleep
  • Reading
  • Medication
  • Calling your mum
  • Doing something kind!

 

Use: Three Boxes

Our weekly [signature vertical layout] spread planners all feature three boxes at the bottom of each day – these can be used to track more detailed things you might like to track daily, such as the number of steps you walked, your mood or emotions or how you feel physically; it’s great to use these in conjunction with the Habit Tracker Sticky Note. For example, you may notice patterns such as on the days when you have 3 coffees that you feel more anxious or dehydrated, or on days where you have 3 bottles full of water you have more energy and don’t experience any headaches. 

These boxes may also come in handy for:

  • Your top three priorities for the day
  • Do-not-forgets
  • Meal planning [eg. breakfast, lunch, dinner]
  • …Or three things you’re grateful for each day!

 

Use: Monthly Spreads

The monthly spreads (found at the front of your planners) are useful for tracking topline goals and habits, or anything you want to have access to, within the wider context of a month.

This type of overview tracking is useful for identifying patterns in your behaviours, habits and wellbeing. The monthly layout also lends itself well as a period and/or fertility tracker. It is also handy as a wellness tracker for staying in tune with any symptoms and conditions of the day (or you could track the overall feelings in the monthly spread, and add more specific detail into the corresponding day on your spread).

 

Use: Dot Grid Note Pages

The dot grid pages at the back of your planner – or our brain dump sticky note accessory – are quite literally a blank canvas that you can transform into an ultimate habit tracking mastersheet, incorporating any elements you find useful and motivating.

If you’re needing some inspiration, we would recommend searching on Google or/ Pinterest ‘Bullet Journal ____ Tracker’ – and take inspiration from some base templates you find there. The bullet journal’s foundation is a dot grid, so our dot grid pages lend themselves perfectly to this customisable way of journaling, providing the perfect guide for drawing boxes and columns while still maintaining flexibility in layout.

 

Use: Expense Tracker

Our brand new expense tracker is the perfect companion in helping you work on  your 2022 financial goals. It offers you a consolidated place to note down all of your income and expenses and ’s perfect for anyone who is looking for more structured guidance and accountability in keeping track of and evaluating your money habits. Plus, it fits perfectly into the expandable back pocket of your planner – making it easy to carry with you on-the-go.

 

And a final little note from us… if you haven’t already, make sure you take the time to reflect on not just what you want to achieve, but WHY you want to. Understanding the why behind the choices we make, and the habits we develop, can help us make healthy and sustainable progress.

 

Meet JUMBLED x Emma Kate Co. 2022 Planners

Behind The Scenes, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

A little while ago, the incredibly clever and creative ladies at JUMBLED popped into our inbox – proposing an out-of-this-world planner collaboration. And, of course, we just had to say YES!

Together, we have created a 2022 planner collection that is absolutely beyond our wildest dreams.

Colour. Pattern. Bold. Bright. Fun.

We couldn’t be more excited to offer you something so different to our usual palette, but still so distinctly us.

Available in three unique colour-ways, and completed with three matching rollerball pens. The Horizontal Weekly layout of each planner gives you space to be both creative AND productive – with plenty of space to brainstorm and doodle, as well as make lists and keep track of your appointments.

On every spread you’ll also find a  ‘Pearl of Wisdom’ a.k.a. 52 quotes from inspirational women – for the right words, right when you need them.

These planners are truly the perfect blend of creativity and structure, fun and business, and we hope they bring you as much joy in using them as it did for us in their creation.

A HUGE thank you to Pip, Jess + the rest of the JUMBLED gang for trusting us with your vision. It has been such an honour for our team to work with you on this once-in-a-lifetime collection! x

…Now it’s time to meet each colourway and learn a little more about their [fun] personalities:

MAJORELLE

Majorelle is exploration!

With a distinctly mediterranean feel, Majorelle takes you on vacation – 365 days of the year. Relaxing deep blues meets punchy peaches…can you feel it? You’re already pouring a cocktail!

 

VERDE

Verde is an ultra cool girl!

Her colour combinations are zesty and unexpected. Verde’s quirks inspire a fresh perspective. She is both invigorating and soothing all at once, like a mixed bouquet of sweet spring blooms.

 

DOLCE

Dolce is passion!

If pinks and reds set your heart on fire, Dolce is for you. Hello vibrant tones, and bold, fun prints. Dolce is vivacious and warm, like those midsummer evenings where the sky burns deep orange.

 

How To: Use Your Planner Layout

Planner Extras, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

Today marks the very first day of your 2022 Emma Kate Co. [weekly] planner!

As we dip our toes into all the exciting and beautiful things of the upcoming year, here are some of our top tips on how to make the most of your planner layout.

Monthly Spreads

The monthly spreads at the front of your planner are indispensable for piecing together the different parts of your days and weeks into one bigger (monthly) picture. Think of it as a top line view!

If you are someone who juggles many different hats in life, the ability to see your important work deadlines, due dates, and appointments all in one neat and tidy grid is a massive time and energy saver for planning efficiently. These dates will still feature in your weekly spreads, alongside any details that are important to that event. It is also very handy to keep birthdays and appointments here too – to prevent double-booking or avoidable schedule clashes.

For the perfectionists, this space might serve you well as a date ‘braindump’ space… Let these pages get messy, so that you can keep your weekly [or daily] spreads looking perfect!

Next time you’re on the spot and planning the next playdate, or in a meeting, or your boss drops a deadline in passing, or your bestie suggests a dinner date, quickly jot the date down in your monthly spread so that you don’t forget! Then, you can go back later and cross-reference to check if you’re actually available, or to neatly slot it into your weekly spread.

Our planner community also love to utilise this space for budgeting + keeping track of bills, managing client bookings, planning projects, campaigns and/or launches, marking out university semesters + assessment due dates, tracking habits [more on that in another blog post to come] and so much more!

Weekly Spreads

We have consciously designed the weekly spreads as blank and open as possible, for you to define your days however you choose. Some like to break the columns down, others move for free-form. The amount of free space can be quite intimidating, but at the same time, very freeing – remember that there are no ‘right’ rules in how to plan out your week. Be brave and honest in experimenting with different structures and layouts, to figure out what feels most intuitive, efficient and enjoyable for you and your season of life.

The essence of the weekly spreads is that it is the perfect place for all the nitty gritty details of your day-to-day. 


Vertical Signature Spreads:

A common layout among planner-users for our Signature Vertical Weekly spreads, is to split the columns in half, to create a top and bottom. There are endless ways to use this distinction, for example:

  • – AM / PM scheduling
  • – A categorical format – eg. top for work, bottom for personal, etc.
  • – Using one half as a scheduling space, and the other half for a daily to-do list

Our Signature vertical layout is also much loved by the list-maker; less for keeping track of appointments and events, and more for writing out a daily task list, and ticking it off as you go. This is perfect if you also use a Google/digital calendar and already have a way of keeping track of appointments [and getting those handy alerts!]


How to Use The Top Box

This is the perfect spot to write down a daily priority or ‘word of the day’, this space is also useful for keeping track of birthdays, menstrual cycles, moon phases, or even your fitness schedule for the week.


How to Use Those 3 Little Boxes

The possibilities are endless! If you didn’t see them and immediately think of the perfect way to use these handy little boxes, then here are some suggestions, based on what some of our biggest 3-little-box fans use them for:

Gratitude
Use this space to record three things you’re grateful for that day! You could do this first thing in the morning, to start on a positive note, or at the end of the day as a reflection. If you’re really committed to the cause, you could do one at the start, one in the middle of the day and one at the end.

Top 3
Record your top three priorities for the day [and check them off as they’re done for that dopamine hit!].

Appointments
Leave this space for appointments and special events and occasions. That way, you can quickly and easily find any important appointments when you flick through any given week. Having things in the same place really helps.

Reminders
Like appointments, you could use this space for daily reminders of things that need to get done, places you need to be or a word/phrase to remain mindful of what’s important in the chaos

Tracking
While we have a lovely little weekly habit tracker – this is best for checking off habits or recording small numbers, such as the days that you exercised, taking medication, how many coffees or glasses of water you’ve had, etc.
For those who want to add more details you can use the 3 boxes at the end of each day for tracking ‘big’ items – things such as counting steps, tracking mood or health.

Meal Planning
This space is also very well-suited to planning out your yummy breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the week.

Family activities
Parents, this one’s for you! Use these to keep track of swimming lessons, ballet classes, basketball games, soccer practice, music lessons, tutoring… All the who has to be where’s and when’s of after school activites [and weekend games and birthday parties and sleepovers…]


Horizontal Weekly Spreads:

Our sparkling new Horizontal Weekly layout was created for those who need that perfect blend of structure and space.

Each double spread has equally-spaced date blocks on the left for every day of the week, and a wide open dot-grid note page on the right. This allows you to have both your time-sensitive events, and to-dos with more flexibility on when they are due, all in one glance.

Working between the two spaces, you can also easily divide up the dot-grid space, as well as incorporate sticky notes and other accessories, to add more structure into your planning. The ultimate semi-structured companion for busy minds!

This spread is also perfect for journaling, or for those who use their planner as more of a keepsake. Use the dated spread on the left for recording your daily musings, gratitudes, or activities, and the right side for drawing, sticking in tickets, polaroids and other keepsakes, or for a longer written weekly reflection. 


You can also create more or less distinctions in the space as and when you need. Don’t get too hung up on inflexibly (and counter-productively) holding onto one layout for the entirety of your planner – if it’s not serving you, let it go! 
There will be odd days, or even extended seasons, where you need more or less space, and that’s exactly why that flexibility of layout is there for you to use to your advantage.

Maybe you started the year with an AM/PM split, but as life has changed, the daily to-do list is more for you. Or, maybe your planner started out as a date keeper, but would now best serve you as a journal. 

Daily Spreads

The perfect place for planning BIG. 

This style is loved by entrepreneurs and small business owners, as well as parents, teachers and journallers. 

It’s the perfect place for huge brain dumps and big dreams. Or, you can strategically divide the space however works best for you; the most common way is essentially down the middle (or across the page) to create two columns/segments, where you can create a:

– Categorical divide – using one side for work and the other for personal, or one side for appointments and the other side for to-dos, or aetc.

– ‘Structured’ space on one side, and a creative, ‘brain dump’ or reflection space on the other.

  • Remember, planners aren’t always just for planning. One of the best ways we’ve seen the daily used was as a journal to document a 12-month overseas experience. This member of our community used each day to journal and scrapbook her time spent living + working overseas for 12 months. The planner became a keepsake, and we’re sure she will look back on those precious memories fondly for years to come.

There’s no hard and fast ‘rules’ for using your planner!
We hope that these suggestions serve as prompts to help in facilitating your own design of how you would like to use this space. There is also so much room to incorporate more dynamic planning tools such as sticky-note to-do lists, habit tracker notes, clipping on important documents or notes for a particular day [hello fat paper clips!], or stickers and pictures to commemorate milestones and important dates.

Blank Note Pages

Anything! Everything! [maybe not everything, there’s not that many!] but these are the perfect place to keep all the most important things:

– Intentions for the year + goals
– Top-line budgeting
– Inspirational + motivational words
– Sticking tickets + polaroids
– Jotting down important reminders
– Drawing [or doodling while on hours-long calls with your mum]
– Writing down recipes from friends
– Planning menus for dinner parties
– Keeping track of films to watch
– Checking off books you want to read
– Writing down addresses
– And quite obviously, as a space to just make notes!

The 6-Month Ahead Calendar

It’s incorporated into our planner layout for our busy bodies, creatives and service industry community; many people need to see well into the future, with booking clients (especially for weddings), for business strategy, or even academic and work planning. It’s also handy as you’re approaching the tail-end of the year, and need a space to jot down upcoming dates for the next year before you start using your new planner!

 

 

We hope these tips inspire and provide some guidance as you begin to fill your planner pages. Stay tuned for more helpful organisation how-to’s as we continue our 2022 planner series, we are so excited to begin this new year together – bring it on! x

 

[Free Download]: Meet Our 2022 Palette!

Planner Extras, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

As we eagerly await the arrival of 2022, we’re so excited to announce our new blog series on… you guessed it, all-things planners! 

Think helpful tips to help you make the most of your new planner, layout inspiration, organisation how-to’s, and a few surprises along the way. And what better way to kick off the series than with a meet-and-greet, making sure that you’re all well-acquainted with your closest organisational companion for the next year.

 

For each colourway in our 2022 palette, you’ll find a character profile where you can read a bit more about your colour’s personality and the muse that inspired them. You can also jam out to a curated playlist of her favourite tunes – perfect for every mood.

…But that’s not all, if you’re like us and love having everything in your life colour-coordinated, we’ve got you covered:

With each colourway, we have included a free downloadable PDF with complementary HEX [colour] codes that you can use to customise your digital calendars [ie. Google Calendar] to match your planner’s colour theme for 2022.

Or, if you’ve been wishing that you could have every colour from our 2022 collection in your life, we’re pleased to say that you can now live out your dreams of having the full palette on your calendar!

After a launch beyond our wildest dreams, we’re completely in-over-our-head with gratitude for your BIG love on our planners, so take this as a little [big] thank you – from us, to you.

 

MEET CAFÉ AU LAIT

The perfect shade of latte, she’s the colour of Paris.

She adores all things neutral + classic, and oozes sophistication. A timeless hue that you’ll never regret. A little reserved and understated, you might miss her at first glance, but once you get to know her she’ll slowly become your favourite.

Find her sipping coffee on bustling Parisian streets, endless hours wandering the Louvre + spending afternoons strolling down ​​Champs-Élysées.

[and, if you’re prone to spilling your coffee, she’ll wear it with grace; afterall, it will look au naturel]. Très chic!

Elevate your everyday with Café au Lait in 2022.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD CAFÉ AU LAIT’S CALENDAR CODES]

MEET COCOA

The cosiest colour of 2022.

Her sweet warmth isn’t in-your-face, but softly draws you in, into a much-needed embrace. Like the kind, gentle friend that’s always there, Cocoa’s comfort will be steady by your side through the highs and the lows.

A homebody at heart, she craves snowy Christmases cosied up by the fireplace and endlessly long afternoons immersed in a good book. Slow Sundays are, most certainly, her thing. A little unconventional, and a hopeless sweet tooth, you’ll likely find her with a mocha in hand, or busy baking up a storm to treat her loved ones. 

She loves fiercely + deeply, and is steady and dependable. 

Get cosy with Cocoa in 2022.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD COCOA’S CALENDAR CODES]

MEET SOIRÉE

She’s white classic roses, a crisp white shirt, silk pyjamas, a strong latte to go. 

She just knows how to live well.

By day, she’s confident and self assured. Soirée will take herself out to lunch, or art class – solo. Once the sun sets, she‘ll let her hair down, stealing away to secret soirées after dusk.

Where there’s festoon lights strung against a burnt summer sky, she’s always down for a good time — but only with a top-shelf Martini.

She will effortlessly stand her own among a room full of strangers, and you can’t help but gravitate towards her witty repartee and the knowing sparkle in her eye Charismatic and elegant, but without the frills — she knows what she wants, and she gets the job done. Always.

Oh, Soirée… she’s ready for 2022.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SOIRÉE’S CALENDAR CODES]

MEET OAT

The simple but sophisticated one, she values quality above all else.

Intentional and considered, always a little busy, but never chaotic. She stays calm and steady, never wavering. She will carve out time for the things that soothe her soul + fill her cup, always.

Oat loves to splurge on life’s simple pleasures; the perfect linen loungewear, a bougie candle, dining out…

Oat has fast become a favourite colourway, and it’s easy to understand why. Just like her bestie Café au Lait, she’s classic and neutral, but with a deliciously textural cover and luxe champagne-gold edging; a dreamier take on your favourite basics to elevate your everyday.

Get pretty, and a little gritty, with Oat in 2022.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OAT’S CALENDAR CODES]

MEET HONEY

Like pure sunshine, she’s everything fun, pure and free. A romantic at heart, she’s the kind of friend who will always say yes to picnics, bike rides or spontaneous road trips with no planned destination. 

She will easily lose track of time, not because she’s a daydreamer – she’s just fully present in each moment as she lives it. She will ask how you are, and really listen to what you answer. 

For Honey, there is always time.

Honey is eternally curious. She revels in the mess and wonder and imperfect joy of living artfully. Giver of the best hugs, she will always turn lemon into lemonade and brighten your day.

Sweeten your 2022 with Honey.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HONEY’S CALENDAR CODES]

MEET BALLET SLIPPER

The sweetest presence – with her head in the clouds and her nose in a book.

With an ethereal other-worldliness in her gaze, even her voice floats in conversation like a melodic phrase from a familiar song, bringing something magic into everything she does.

You’ll always find her in a flowy dress, redecorating some corner of her house, or at your doorstep dropping off the most delicious strawberry and cream tart – just cause. Ballet knows how to take care of herself as much as she does others, in a rose petal bubble bath, poetry book in one hand, peppermint tea in the other – falling asleep to beautiful thoughts.

She’s a little sensitive, wearing her heart on her sleeve, but kindness is her armour. Ballet quite literally sees everything through her rose-tinted glasses, colouring everything with sweetness – always believing the best, always in love.

Fall in love with Ballet Slipper in 2022.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD BALLET SLIPPER’S CALENDAR CODES]

MEET PUMPKIN SPICE

The perfect spiced orangey-brown, she’s the colour of pumpkin pie and crisp autumn leaves — every Fall-lover’s dream.

Think rainy days, burnt orange hues, autumn leaves, and driving down a winding forest path.

You’ll always find her bundled up in a big cosy scarf, spiced chai latte in hand [her drink of choice, obviously], cozied up by the fireplace. She’s warm and generous, her calendar is filled with the time she gives to her loved ones; a true friend to all …and her house always smells like cookies. 

Spend your 2022 in style with Pumpkin Spice.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PUMPKIN SPICE’S CALENDAR CODES]

The Golden Confetti Competition!

News & Happenings, Words by Annabelle Ricketts

One of our hallmarks here at Emma Kate Co. is that we LOVE making people feel special, every day of the year. From little surprises snuck into orders to providing only-the-best customer service, we delight in the extra touches that make your experience with us nothing short of magical.

So, last year when our 5th brand birthday + 2021 planner collection launch rolled around, we knew we had to mark this milestone in a BIG and unforgettable way.

Which brings us to… The Golden Confetti!

During our 2021 planner dispatch, we picked three customers orders at random and filled it to the brim with golden confetti – kind of like Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, but sparklier, better [and messier]! The remaining two spots were then available to be won through creative merit, via our Instagram competition where we asked our planner community to showcase your most beautiful and creative planner unboxings.

In March, in a beautiful pocket of time where state borders were open, and we were lockdown-free we were so, SO excited to host our beautiful winners who flew in from across Australia, for an all-expenses paid, all-things-Emma-Kate-Co. experience at our sparkling new Melbourne HQ – now forever known as, Golden Confetti Day.

We kicked off our day’s itinerary with a hands [and noses] on candle-making workshop run by the amazing Brodie from BTNCL [we are so proud to stock his candles in our Greville Street Boutique – and our online store]. Everyone got to take home their own candle hand-poured into one of our Winterwares x Emma Kate Co. vessels as a special treat!

Our second workshop was hosted by our in-house organisation-guru – Bella – with a live demonstration on how to make the most of our [Emma Kate Co.] planners and useful tips for time management, goal-setting, habit-tracking and everything in between.

After a scrumptious lunch at Oscar Cooper, one of our favourite neighbouring cafes on Greville Street, we settled into an afternoon of cocktails, confetti [of course] and a creative lettering workshop by our founder, Emma Kate.



We are so incredibly grateful to have been able to meet and spend the day with these amazing women, especially in light of all that’s going on in the world. Friendships were instantly formed – we truly cannot wait to see your beautiful faces again. 

And while we still can’t believe our 2022 planner season has started and rolled around so quickly, it does mean that we’ll soon be sharing what our 2022 competition details entail! 

We have planned something so special planned for our next competition – want to be a part of it? Easy! You’ll find all the details in the notecard included with every 2022 planner order.

See you there! x

[photos by: bananabreadbelle photography]

Every year, there are some core big moments for our small business, from trade shows to design markets – and from community events to collaborations. Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes into a story and a partnership where all these strands came together to weave its own particular magic…

We’ve used noissue paper for the last couple of years. And this year, happenstance would have us meet at a tradeshow, where the doors opened to co-creating something even more special this time round.

If you know Emma Kate Co., you know that the launch of our planners is the peak of our yearly calendar – in fact, we’ve already started to lay the foundations for next year’s 2021 release! (Whoa.) Our annual production of planners calls for love and care on every level, with an extra sprinkling of magic to take each edition to somewhere we have not yet been.

(more…)

A little more than a year ago, a beautiful Singapore brand reached out to me, asking if I would consider photographing their next lookbook. In amongst projects and a serendipitously planned personal holiday in Singapore, a window opened with just enough free time while in town to meet one of the co-founders of The Mindful Company and some of the (kind) faces behind the brand. And it wasn’t long before the seed of collaboration started to grow.

Instant friends; kindreds even – it was clear how aligned we were with the intentions behind our brands. A team of beautiful inspiring humans, I immediately loved how The Mindful Company chose to call their products ‘reminders’ – rather than jewellery. Everything comes from love, imprinted with simple, special words to bring you back to the present.

As we have brought our collaboration to life over the past year, the process has felt so effortless and aligned, I really do feel like this collection (and our connection) was always meant to exist.

Together we have created limited edition, stainless steel + 18K rose gold plated reminder cuffs with our signature typography on the engraved on the front, with coordinating pocket journals, available individually as well as in bundles. Of course, we have also woven in many tiny surprises and little details to delight, all wrapped in beautiful packaging.

We hope this collection inspires you to find beauty in the unknown, to fall in love with your uniqueness, and to bring you back into the moment.

You can shop our Emma Kate Co. x The Mindful Company limited edition collection here.

Our worlds and lives become richer for the stories and journeys we share, so today I would love to introduce you to Ling, co-founder of The Mindful Company and to share some more of the story behind the brand…

+ Take us back to the start! When did The Mindful Company begin? And how did you come to be where you are right now?

The Mindful Company started as a side project when Ciara (my co-founder and friend) and I were both working in the corporate sector. We wanted to find a way to encourage the people around us and the first product that came to mind, was the Reminder Cuff. A simple, subtle cuff with an encouraging word on it. We designed the Cuffs, had a small batch produced and thought, let’s create a website and see if anyone buys them. I mean, how difficult can it be? (Haha, it definitely wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be!)

From there, it was a combination of taking one step a time, making some big decisions, a lot of hard work, having an incredibly supportive network (spouses, family and friends), a great work team and a bit of luck!

Ciara and I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a great TMC community. Seeing people gift, wear and love our products has been so special.

+ Why did you start?

The Mindful Company was inspired by the personal journeys of our families, friends and peers – the joys, the struggles the tragedies. We wanted to find a way to encourage others to consider what’s important to them and not let life slip by on auto-pilot. The Mindful Company is our way to start conversations around what matters, mental wellbeing, and what it means to be kind.

+ What big decisions along the way have brought you to the here and now? The ones where courage conquered fear.

I think I speak for Ciara and myself here, it would the decision to leave the corporate world. After 11 years, I felt like I finally knew what I was doing plus I had great colleagues and there were good career opportunities where I was. I was comfortable and I’d just had a baby (little Georgia Mae) so it was a safe place to be.

Although it was a calculated risk for both Ciara and myself, it was still scary. I remember telling my boss and colleagues that I was leaving and what I intended to do. I’m pretty sure some of them thought I was crazy. (haha)

Balanced with fear, there was excitement: we knew that for The Mindful Company to really kickstart and achieve what we had in mind we needed to dedicate our attention to it. Aside from financial risk, entrepreneurship can be a very lonely road but Ciara and I were lucky enough to have each other.

Since then, there have a lot of decisions that we’ve had to make with some courage. From placing our first large order wondering if we would be able to sell it all, to locking in a long-term office lease, hiring a team to support us, the list goes on.

+ Talk us through what typical day in your world might look like.

Oh my, where do I begin. Unfortunately, there’s no typical day so I’ll use yesterday as an example.

Like most days, it started starts with a visit to the gym followed by the mad rush that is, getting Georgia ready for school. Following drop off, we grab a coffee. One of our favourite spots is the apartment, which happens to be the amazing spot where we photographed your beautiful self, with our Emma Kate x The Mindful Company collaboration products.

Enter the office and the work day begins! Yesterday, that included briefing the fulfilment and packing team, interviewing candidates to join our team, discussing delivery timelines with our partner, lunch with the team, reviewing new pages on our site for an upcoming product launch, all with internment random discussions/laughs with the team. I prepare the to do list for tomorrow and I’m out the door, on a 20 min train ride home!

Now dinner is always fun. If Georgia hasn’t napped at school, we’re probably dealing with a melt down over the dining table (*insert crying face*) on why we aren’t having chicken and broccoli, or why all her cutlery isn’t pink. Oh the joys! But once that’s over, we have a good 20 minute dance sesh in front of the TV before the girls head to bed.

+ Down time, and the work vs. life balance deal. How does this vibe with you? How do you make it all work?

For me it’s quality over quantity, having a plan, being present and letting go of the guilt. I struggled a lot with this especially since we started The Mindful Company the same time Georgia was born. (lol, can I recommend not having a baby and a new business at the same time).

Good news though, I think I’ve finally found my groove in this space in the last year. (hooray!) This year, I started creating monthly calendars for Georgia. She crosses out each day before she goes to bed and knows what’s happening when she wakes up. If she asks ‘’is it a school day today’’ or ‘’is it swimming day today’’, I’ll ask her to check her calendar. While it’s a major win for me (haha, those with kids will know how many times we get asked such questions), it’s also really helped me to pre plan activities and be intentional about spending quality time together.

I also remind myself that ‘me’ time, whether it’s going for a run, out with friends, my time at work- this is me. Doing what I love, to fill my tank, to be at my best. And if I’m not at my best, I can’t give my best to my family.

+ When you are creating, what is non-negotiable?

Staying true to the ethos of the company. As we’re a mission driven company, the messaging always comes first. We think of a message or a theme that we want to share or encourage people with, and think about how we can translate that message into a design that will be a meaningful addition to someone’s everyday life – timeless, subtle, well made, and at an accessible price point.

We’ve received countless requests over the years to release our signature Cuffs and Braids without reminders etched on them to allow customers to customise the product. While we could have done this, we’ve always refrained from doing so to ensure that an intentional reminder comes with all our products. But we love feedback and with this, we introduced a personalisation service (additional engraving) so that customers can add a touch of personalisation to one of our Reminders.

+ Highlights and radical moments: what has been your most rewarding project/range/creation to date, and why?

Our charity collections. A large part of who we are and what we do, is supporting charities in the mental health space through various initiatives with the aim of evolving the conversation on mental health and wellbeing.

One of the ways we collaborate, is through our annual/bi annual charity collections which are inspired by the stories and the work done by the non-profit organisations and their beneficiaries. Witnessing the personal growth of young beneficiaries and the non-profit teams we’ve worked with has been so rewarding. Also, and seeing media and influences willingly support these collections is such a beautiful reminder of humanity and the joint desire to support the communities we live in.

+ What three key lessons have you learnt in your entrepreneurial path, which continue to carry you forward?

1. Be generous
2. Be authentic
3. Keep learning

+ If you were to hop on a plane tomorrow, where would you go? And why?

Back home, to Perth. Funnily enough, we’re actually hopping on a plane next week and that’s exactly where we’re headed. My family are in Perth and since I don’t get to see them often, it’s currently always my destination of choice. The girls love it there and we always build such precious memories while we’re there.

If we were leaving the kids behind, Japan. We’ve been wanting to head there for a while now but haven’t been able to make it work. I absolutely adore Japanese food.

+ Finish these sentences…

Right now I feel… incredibly blessed.

I believe in… the power of words. Choose to speak life and love.

Secretly, I wish… my kids would stay at this age for ever (3.5 and 1.5 years old)

You might not know this, but… I’m petrified of injections and blood tests. I still close my eyes and pinch myself to divert pain.

I couldn’t live without… WhatsApp. It’s my way of constantly staying in touch with family and friends on a daily basis.

The best advice I’ve been given is… It’s not a function of time. It’s a function of priorities.

What’s your inspiration for this collaboration?

We’ve always only focused on collaborations with non-profits but after a few interactions with you and our content collaboration last year, we knew that if there ever was a product collaboration outside of our Charity Collections, it would be with you! And here we are today.

We see the underlying desire to inspire and encourage embedded in the Emma Kate Co brand and I think it’s this common purpose, and natural brand alignment (plus our love for simple yet beautiful aesthetics) that’s almost organically bought together this collaboration.

Not surprisingly, when we separately had a think about messages that would resonate with our respective communities, we quite quickly identified these two- You Are Magic and It’s Written In the Stars.

What are your hopes for this collaboration?

That our communities will love them as much as we do! That these Reminders, will be worn and used all over the world, inspiring its keeper to document their reflections, hopes and adventures.

What’s your favourite piece from the collection?

You Are Magic Pocket Journal in burgundy and rose gold foil. There’s something so magical about Emma’s lettering and combined with my current favourite colour plus a reminder to celebrate me for me, makes this my favourite.

You can shop our Emma Kate Co. x The Mindful Company limited edition collection here.