Local Love: Milatree

Gooood evening!
Who's psyched for the long weekend? Seriously, whoever invented long weekends needs a massive trophy and lots of cash - they really are one of the best things everrrrrrrrrrrr. Anyway, moving on!
So, you may or may not have noticed my rather sporadic motivation at the moment... and the fact that there has been a definite lack of Local Love. In the last installment, I vowed the love was back with a vengeance... well it seems I'm a liar guys, a complete Pinocchio if you will. So to make it up to you, I've brought back the love this week, with Milatree, a fresh and super inspiring etsy store.

Thanh, the wonder behind the work, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me - so pull up the quilt, make sure the tea is hot, and get stuck in!

What inspires you to create?

It can be anything. Sometimes it might be places I've travelled to, things I've seen, heard or a memory. For awhile I was quite obsess with origami which can be seen in a lot of my work at the moment. I also get inspired by other creatives and designers. 

Plus there's a real sense of joy and excitement in having a new idea and expressing it so others can
enjoy it too.

How did Milatree come about?

The name came about a few years ago. I originally used the name to display the work I did as a graphic designer, but now I feel like it's returning to what it was originally intended for, which is a label where I could have the freedom to create products I wanted to create with the Milatree ethos.

Apart from Milatree - what do you like to do with your time?

I work as a graphic designer so that takes up a bit of my time. I also like experimenting in the kitchen. I love the challenge of recreating a dish I enjoyed eating at a restaurant or trying out a new recipe. I am also quite guilty of spending way too much time on the internet (aren't we all?). It's great for reading and researching. It's my go-to resource to feed into my curiosity about the world. I just have to learn to switch off from time to time.

Where do you think you would like to be in a few years?

More well travelled. Still continuing with Milatree, but offering more interesting and sustainable products to a wider audience. I would love to have a nice place near the beach, where I could watch the sea sparkle in the sun, one can dream!

Where is your favourite spot in Brisbane?

I'm really liking West End at the moment. There's a lot of interesting things happening there. My friend and I recently discovered this charming, gem of a bookstore called Avid Reader. They have the most interesting collection of books and the coolest journals. Plus there's even a cafe tucked away in the back of the store (bonus!).

What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Wrapping up projects that I have been working on for awhile now. Launching the new Milatree website, which will be happening very soon so watch this space! As well as growing a new graphic design business with a friend called Creative Sense and the learning curve that comes with that.


I could almost have been interviewing myself there, Thanh sounds just like my twin! But seriously, on a purely selfish note - I wish I could pull my finger out and actually listen to what the wonderful girls of Local Love have been clearly demonstrating to me each week(ish)... Creative aspirations can be fulfilled, you just need to commit and be passionate, and Thanh is such a perfect testament to this - in the spirit of this weeks' jubilee, three cheers - hip hip... hooray! hip hip... hooray! hip hiiiip... hooraay!

I hope you all have a really fantastic long weekend and get to make the most of those precious days off from weekday life! Be sure to follow me on instagram (@cjjd) for the latest happenings (when I'm too slack to post)... Sometimes there's even interesting stuff going on - although most of the time, it's just food and flowers.