the Miss Milly story
Hello there floral friend and welcome to the beautiful flower-filled world of Miss Milly – a graceful journey of vintage floral living with an authentic heart. A journey where you will get lost in flowers and paper pretties! A journey to inspire ‘pockets of beauty for everyday living.’ A journey of endless inspiration and beauty for you to start your own graceful journey.
Miss Milly is a floral stationery & lifestyle studio & online shoppe. We create authentic, flower-filled paper products reminiscent of an English country garden with a whole lot of heart, to make your life a little more beautiful. Lovingly designed and made in Skukuza in the Kruger National Park. If you love stationery, all things paperie, flowers and authenticity – you have come to the right place!
The Miss Milly paperie & lifestyle studio is based in the beautiful (and hot!) Lowveld. And it’s here amongst trees and wildlife, big skies and little miracles, that all the pretties are born and take shape before finding a home in your hands.
the Mrs behind Milly
I am Theresa – the dreamer of the Miss Milly dreams. The maker of all the pretties, and a lover of all things yellow with a side of pink.
I think life is all about Jesus. Vintage floral washi tape – after all, it’s where it all started for Miss Milly. Being creative and happy.
It’s about love. Pink ice-cream. Lace. Dreams. Sincere friendships and Vanilla Chai tea. And Honeybush. And Earl Grey. Any tea really. It’s about peonies. And freesias (they smell like love, you know.)
Mondays. Pretty things. Afternoon naps. Vintage and the Karoo. It’s about Rhinos, baba bokkies and hasies. Percale linen. Gorgeous stationery. And the little onkruid flowers that grow wild in our garden. Carrot cake and forests.
These are the things that make my soul do ballerina jumps!
I dream of living a s l o w life. Making memories. Taking long walks, living in the moment and going to bed at night with a grateful heart.
the start of Milly
In 2013 my husband’s (then boyfriend) lifelong dream came true to work in anti-poaching. He is a true conservationist with an incredible passion for Rhinos and their protection. The first 3 years were endless goodbyes as he was deployed for a month at a time, many tears, long, lonely and stressful nights when he was leading his team to the battlefield. During the day I could keep my mind busy with my 9-5 but with night the enemy would come and I would pace around the house, restless and worried about his safety.
During this time I discovered washi tape and fell head-over-heels with the vintage floral design. I washi-taped everything because it was just so beautiful. It made for the loveliest brooches, earrings, etc. – transforming the ordinary into pretty. And suddenly the nights became shorter and my mind was still as I prayed while working.
In my stillness and prayers a new dream started to fill my heart – the dream of my own stationery range. The dream of a little girl that loved paper, and notebooks and scribbles. I knew I had to bring the vintage floral print to life through my designs and at the same time, combined my love for paper with it. The first range was born and I called her Dearest Milly.
Miss Milly now
Since then, the design has been painted as the most beautiful watercolour flowers. Flowers filled with hope and grace and authentic hearts. If you look at them long enough you will see my Miss Milly heart in them. And if you look closely you will see tiny Sweet Pea flowers that were weaved into the design – to remind me of my beloved grandmother and her beautiful way of loving life!
Although we live under the same roof these days, he is still away from home almost every night and my hands and heart still seek beauty with my paper pretties.
Miss Milly is a meadow – filled with romantic flowers in soft colours – my refuge and safe place when I have to hide from the battle that is all around. It brings beauty among the harshness and reality and sadness of this war that they are fighting every single day. It is living with an authentic heart – a heart that has taken time to know what it means to be human. To live with feelings, emotions, hurts and joy.
Miss Milly dreams
In the afternoons I will sit on my stoep, wearing a big rimmed hat while sipping on a glass of red wine and staring over the vastness of the beautiful landscape.
In the mornings, while watering my rose bushes I’ll talk to my Maker.
Then I’ll put on a floral skirt, walk to my shop and open the big glass doors wide and invite the world with love and a smile into the prettiness that is Miss Milly.
