A big shout out to one of our valued creative colleagues Nicole Lacey, whose business—Potato Studio—was inundated with flood water this week. At the start of the new year, Nicole added a display to her front window: 2013 Shine and Soar. This was definitely put to the test early on, but shine and soar they have, reopening their doors today.

Potato Studio: 2013 resolution

Potato Studio opened in Laidley in 2012 and has been a talking point with locals and visitors to the area. The studio showcases Nicole’s own Hot Toffee pieces, as well as a diverse collection of ‘all things lovely’ from local and international creatives. Tandem E. Tandem visited the store and ended up spending more than an hour inside – there were too many things to look at! Of course, there was then the hard decision about what to buy… or more so, what not to buy!

If you are in the area or would like to take a weekend road trip, then head out to Potato Studio in the main street of Laidley in South East Queensland. The stock in the shop is regularly changing, so there is no such thing as too many visits!

Potato Studio open for business

Potato Studio – we rarely see a photo of Nicole, but have caught a glimpse of her here hard at work!

Potato Studio: this pot holder has been one of the top sellers to date.

Potato Studio

Nicole’s creative flair was evident through her own thriving business, Hot Toffee. Her glass work is all handmade, with small air bubbles and slight imperfections being characteristic of fused glass, making each piece slightly different and unique. Nicole is introducing new colour schemes and combinations regularly, with some pieces looking good enough to eat!

Hot Toffee: fused glass earrings

Nicole also sells her own range of gift cards featuring ‘my little girl’ a character she developed while living in Japan. Her little dress is made from a beautiful piece of Japanese paper (washi). She is forever changing… her head gets big, her body gets small… she is loved by many for her simplicity.

Hot Toffee: ‘My Little Girl’ gift cards

We are proud to say that we are the owners of some Hot Toffee originals, with our wish list continually growing! If you love Nicole’s work as much as we do, you can purchase her products from Potato Studio, Etsy or Big Cartel. You can also see what Nicole is up to in her studio through her blog – Bits of Toffee.

There is nothing nicer than hearing from someone who likes your work, so please head to the Potato Studio or Hot Toffee Facebook pages and say hello.

Hot Toffee Bird Garland: porcelain birds on jute made to hang in a door way, across a window or embellish a special gift.

Hot Toffee Drop Earrings

Hot Toffee Fused Glass Cufflinks