Welcome to our first blog and a big THANK YOU for visiting!
It has been almost 4 months since launching Toast & Honey studio and your response and support have been incredible!
We are absolutely loving this journey, so I thought I'd share a little more about our little family and me :)
Who is Maria?
I was born in Australia but moved to Greece when I was 2, where I grew up.
(How high are those shorts??)
My family and I moved back to Australia when I was 18, straight after high school. My parents made the decision to move to Melbourne in June 1994 and I was on a plane by early September 1994, eek! This seems like a lifetime ago now.
At the time, I could barely speak any English and, to this day, we laugh about the regular Maria-isms that come out.
I started my degree in Architecture in 1996. My university course changed my life! I met so many wonderful, fun people and made friends with people I dearly love to this day. I was exposed to incredible subjects, technology, texts and ideas. Over the following 8 years, my English improved immensely; being able to communicate my thoughts and ideas was a wonderful feeling.
During that time, I met Jonathan, the funniest, most caring, considerate, gentle, patient person I had ever met! 
What happened next?
We both graduated in 2004, and worked in Melbourne for a few years. In January 2007, we got married!! It was a day I'll never forget; it was hot, windy and wet, a real Melbourne day, but it marked the beginning of something wonderful.
On the way back from visiting Jonathan's parents one day, while chatting in the car about a holiday we had booked to Europe, we decided to simply move to London instead! Why not?
2 months later we arrived in London and our new adventure began. Little did we know, London was going to be our home for the next 6 years! We were lucky enough to arrive just before the GFC and found work straight away. Jonathan worked in higher education and I worked in some great architecture offices (Hamiltons Architects, Arup, Grid Architects) where I met some wonderful people from all over the world.
Life in London was fun and gave us the opportunity to travel throughout Europe, explore a range of amazing cultures and discover unique architecture and design. 
What about after that?
In 2011, our first daughter, Maya, was born. She changed our lives completely! 
She instantly became the most important thing in our lives. Shortly after, we decided to leave our London home and come back to Melbourne to be near our families. It wasn't an easy decision but it was great to leave London on a high and have so many fond and long lasting memories.
Maya was such a star; she smashed jet lag and quickly became accustomed to our new life. And so did we :)
In 2015, our second girl, Erin was born. 
Erin completed our little family unit perfectly. She's been Maya's doppelganger but they couldn't be more different in personality. Maya is calm, shy, she's an observer and real thinker. Erin is strong-willed (have no idea where she gets that from!), very social and super active. They adore each other, and it's such a joy to watch them interact.
I have absolutely loved my time at home with my girls. It is every working parent's dream to achieve the right work/life balance, whatever that may be, it's a very personal choice. For me, starting Toast & Honey studio was the best decision I could have made; I've been able to be at home with my family and practice my creativity at the same time.
It's not always easy, of course. Working from home is a great balancing act; I do often share my studio with my creative assistant, but I wouldn't have it any other way :)
I am so thankful for all your love and support so far and can't wait to share with you more of this adventure. I have many new ideas and exciting developments in store for Toast & Honey in the New Year.
Stay tuned!
Maria
xx