MUMS IN BUSINESS: THAT WE DO

Two Sydney sisters have joined forces and become "That We Do", making handmade polymer clay jewellery. This is not a sponsored post, I am writing about their company as I love supporting locally made, and Australian artists.

That We Do was conceived at a baby shower, with necklaces given as a thank you gift from one sister to another. This gesture grew with interest shown while they were wearing the original creations and That We Do was born.

The statement on their Facebook page states:
We are inspired to create original pieces that you won't see everyone wearing. Pieces that are eye catching, different and full of colour! Pieces that you can throw on with a plain t-shirt to add a pop of interest or team with a well thought out outfit to give the finishing touch, after all it's the tiny details that make something special! We want our jewellery to help people express their personal style. Each of our pieces are made with love (as our children play around us) and inspired by what we see around us every day in both the natural environment and in the people we love.

Each piece is unique and we cannot guarantee you will receive an item exactly identical to the images shown, this is one of the things that makes our pieces special, no two are the same.

I asked each sister to share a little on their background:

Kat:

On my LinkedIn I refer to myself as a digital and creative industries professional. I suppose that encapsulates what I 'do' the best. I am a journalist by trade, a crafter by passion and these days, when I am not being a mum and acting as one half of ThatWeDo, I work as a digital content manager. When I am not doing that I write books on macramé, put on interactiveart events with Art Gallery of NSW and run various websites, like Kluster. 

I am a little bit obsessed with all things fashion, art and creative culture. My belief that an outfit is not complete without accessories morphed into making them for myself for fun somewhere along the way. Enough people expressed interest in them for me to sit my sister down (who was also partial to making necklaces herself) and ask if she was interested in making necklaces together. She was. The rest, as they say, is history.   

Sam:

In a past life I worked in Marketing for a travel company. These days I am a mum of three children, a student teacher and one half of ThatWeDo. I enjoy making things, cushion covers, clothing, decorations and the like. Last year my partner and I got married and had a naming ceremony for our three children. I spent the year leading up making all the decorations and I loved every minute! I take great pleasure planning and making something and then seeing how well it turns out (mostly!)

Like Kat I have always wanted to be individual and express myself in what I wear and I used to spend many weekends in op shops and the stores of Newtown and Surry Hills to achieve this. However in recent years, time and money made this more difficult so I began to make accessories to achieve this. When Kat started making polymer clay necklaces and suggested we make and sell them together I jumped.

What inspires them in their every day:

Kat:

People, mostly - I love looking at the styles of others. I find stylish, well-put-together people very inspiring. Especially those who display originality and quirkiness. There is nothing more inspiring than someone who goes out on a limb with the way they present themselves and pulls it off. 

I am also incredibly inspired by people who live lives focused on improving the existence of others. Whether it be a passionate politician, a cutting edge not-for-profit CEO, a midwife at the local hospital or teacher at the local school who goes above and beyond.

Definitely my surroundings. The city, the suburbs, the beach at the end of our street.    

Sam:

The environment, both natural and built. The other day I saw a brick turned on it's side, it had rectangles of different sizes cut through it and I thought, those shapes would make a great necklace range. 

Colours, I love to put colours together, particular those on opposite ends of the colour wheel. I love colour, it just makes me happy! 

My kids, I try to put their love and joy for life in each piece. I also want to show them that if something makes you happy you should go for it.

And people, I like to people watch, in a non stalker way!

How do they keep motivated with their business, plus still be parents:

Kat:

Like my sister, my family is my motivation. In particular, setting a good example for my son. I want him to grow up surround by living examples of the fact that dreams are there for the taking and anything is possible if you work hard enough and are willing to invest your all. 

Having said that, staying motivated is easy if you love what you do and I love doing everything associated with ThatWeDo so, in a way, I kind of feel like I am cheating. Sam:

I think it's being a parent that keeps me motivated, I want to show my children you can be whoever you want to be. I am studying to become a primary school teacher as well so I have learnt to use every hour I have in the day and do things that make me happy. Being a mum, studying and ThatWeDo all make me really happy, I genuinely enjoy it all so it's not hard to keep motivated.

Head over to either their Facebook page or Etsy shop to see their full range. But here are a few images to give you a sneak peak.