Good morning my wonderful, fashion loving, incredible followers,

Wow, do I have a treat for you all today. As I mentioned to you late last year one of my resolutions for my blog for 2017 was to endeavour to bring you interesting, thought provoking content with each entry which is why as you may have noticed I’ve scaled back my posts to once a month now. This gives me time to research and gather my input so I can be excited and proud of every post I deliver to you. 

For May’s edition, I have managed to gain an all access interview with the sister duo who make up the awesome new company you ALL have to get on board with, Yard Family. 

K – Hello Emily and Alice of Yard Family, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. First off, could you perhaps explain to myself and my readers, how did you come up with the name “Yard Family”?

YF – We wanted the name of our business to reflect our philosophy, which is to get together with loved ones i.e. family, friends, etc and enjoy the great outdoors – whether it’s your backyard, beach, park, or off the beaten track!

K – What is the concept behind the business and how did it originate?

YF – These days, where technology like iPhones, computers, and computer games are an easy and available source of constant entertainment, it is easy to forget that there are so many beautiful places right on our doorstep that are there for us to enjoy. We believe that time away from the barrage of social media and digital entertainment is of paramount importance to the enjoyment of life, health and vitality.
We are both mothers with several children each (Alice has 4 and Emily has 3), and we can see that there is a huge temptation to allow kids to use technology as a convenient source of distraction.

Our own families’ philosophy is to get outside with the family, kids, and friends as often as possible (and the weather allows!) and soak up the sunshine and fresh air. We wanted to create a product and brand that promoted that quality outdoor time, in a way that is stylish and fashionable. And so Yard Family (and the Yard Blanket and other products) was born!
K – For those of my readers who do not know both Emily and Alice are mothers to a total of seven children, how do you find the time to invest in Yard Family around your already busy lives?

YF – It definitely requires juggling and balance! We usually make the most of the time the kids are at school, during nap times, or in the evenings after the kids are in bed. Every now and then if we have a particularly busy period where we are working on a collaboration or a sale, our amazing husbands step in and take over the childcare duties to allow us the time we need. But we have definitely found that the more you have to do as a mother, the better your time management becomes! Otherwise it would all end up in disaster!

K – Has being family yourselves (Emily and Alice are sisters) helped or hindered the day to day running of Yard Family? Do you have the same creative and commercial ideas about new collections for the brand?
YF – Thankfully we are a pretty amazing match – Emily is the business end of things and Ally is the creative. We bounce ideas for collaborations around and are usually in agreement with most of each others’ ideas. We are both willing to give in to the other if one of us feels strongly about doing something the other isn’t so keen on. But that happens very rarely!
K – What would you say is each of your strengths that has helped make Yard Family the success it has been to date?
YF – Ally, being the creative genius, does all the photos, product styling, and graphics. Emily does the writing, emails, manages the website, and other technical things. We try to keep those boundaries pretty clear as our strengths definitely lie in what we do best!

K- Where do you see Yard Family in five years time?
YF – We hope to continue to have a successful business that we can manage from home, expanding as our children grow and don’t need us as much! We would love for families all over the world to own and enjoy a Yard Blanket, for our products to feature with some well-known lifestyle brands, and generally have a name that is synonymous with quality time and the good things in life.

K – Can we expect any new designs or further forays into the luxurious, family outdoor living in the near future?

YF – Absolutely. We are always brainstorming new ideas and have some great plans for expanding our range up our sleeves. As we grow we will be branching out into other lines and products, all in keeping with the philosophy of Yard Family!

K- For those who wish to purchase any of your beautiful creations, what is the best way to do this?

YF – We have an online store at http://www.yardfamily.com where you can see our range and the details of each product. We ship worldwide for a flat fee of AUD$50, and offer free shipping within Australia. We accept credit card, PayPal and Afterpay, which allows you to buy now and pay later!

And with that, Emily and Alice are back to their families and day to day lives. What an inspiring and creative duo they truly are, thank you so much for the interview 😀

Until next time, take care 

Keya x