Incomplete X-mas gift!

Remember all of the fabric swatches that were generously donated to me a couple of months ago? Well I TRIED to be productive and create a Christmas present out of some of them, but it didn't happen. For about a week, I worked diligently to get squares cut to make a quilt for my brother, but with life going on at the same time, my project got pushed to the back-burner. So, I decided I would share with you the beginnings of my quilt project! I hope to have it completed in March, just in time for my brother's birthday :-)
Here, I sorted through the mounds of fabric to find patterns/colors that were similar to one another. This may seem like fun but the annoying part of acquiring fabric samples is that you have to go through and pull apart the staples that bind the color options together, blah!
Like usual, my dog had to get in on the action! For some reason he always has to be included on projects, especially those that take place on the floor :-)
Ta-da! My goal was to create a diagonal pattern so that the swatches on each diagonal had a similar color palette. That didn't come through as strong as I thought it would, but I still enjoyed the results.
There she is... To be continued... see you in the spring with a completed quilt! (fingers crossed)

Daily inspiration...

When I am trying to get into the creative zone on a rather dull day, sometimes I have to dig a little deeper to get a spark. I can usually grab an old-faithful book or magazine to get me started -OR- I can turn to the fabulous blog, print & pattern. This is one of my favorite blogs dedicated to surface design...oh how I love patterns! It contains image after image of prints, patterns, colors, and more...on every surface imaginable.

Ped Shoes

I apologize in advance for another post concerning online shopping but when I found Ped Shoes, I couldn't help but share! How interesting are these guys? I love shoes that stand out in a crowd (what girl doesnt, right?) but I found these to be particularly unique. Below are a few of my favorites but there is much more to discover on the website.
:: All images are those of pedshoes.com ::

A few favorites.

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite finds. Online shopping is the perfect place to wish!

Oversized pocket cardigain (American Apparel) - This has been added to my personal shopping list...aka things you buy yourself for Christmas :-)

Foreget Me knot Ring (Elsewares) - This ring from Kiel Mead is so clever! What a great accessory.
Ribbon plate collection (2modern) - Love this 4 piece small plate set, each with a different design
French Floral Lamp (Elsewares) - These translucent table lamps are a great solution to dressing up a room.
Myrtle, Boutique 9 (Nine West) - I am always looking for a great flat.
Fabric Bucket (Lotta Jansdotter) - Fun storage unit for just about anything!

Voila!

I spent the evening buying gifts for Christmas and then ran straight home to try out the new wrapping paper....and ta-da! I like the way it turned out, my only dilemma was when I ran out of tape and I was forced to use glue (would not recommend it!).

You give me fever..

Here is the Sex and the City Movie teaser trailer....ohhh how exciting!

Homemade Wrapping Paper

I take a lot of pride in wrapping presents, it is one of my favorite activites during the holidays. Choosing the perfect paper and then matching it with the perfect bow is an event unto itself, but this year I decided to do something different. I pulled out my block printing supplies, bought craft paper for $2.05/roll and went to town. I hope to pair my "Red Twinkle" paper with a twine ribbon and blue gift tag (I have to buy something to wrap first, eek!). Like usual, my dog just had to get in on the action, evidence below.

DIY Wedding

I am a DIY (do it yourself) kind of girl so it comes as no surprise that when I found a book entitled The DIY Wedding, I just had to buy it!

"The DIY Wedding blasts a breath of fresh air into the commercial, cheesy world of wedding planning. I would have saved many months of headache and money if I had it when I was engaged!" - Natalie Zee Drieu

This book focuses on putting your personal priorities first to create a wedding that is just simply you. I would highly recommend it to any brides out there who want to do it there way and save money.

Sadness.

Oh it's a sad day when you find out that your favorite magazine is closing. Blueprint was my favorite publication not only because it was so well designed, but it offered a nice combination of topics (home, fashion, beauty, health, etc..) for women of my age. At least for the blogging community, Bluelines will still be kept up!

New type!

I bought my first set of ornaments off ebay last week and they finally arrived! They are a random assortments of patterns and dingbats of varying sizes. We are slowly building our letterpress collections and hopefully we will be up and running soon!

1154 LILL Studio

When I am stalling between work projects or taking a quick second to relax my brain I usually reach for the mouse and check out a website that I can escape to for a few moments, and 1154 LILL Studio allows me to do just that. They offer customizable handbags and clutches for you to design yourself. You start by choosing the initial bag, then move on to the exterior fabric, followed by any other exterior add-ons, and finally to customizing the interior of the bag. Although I don’t buy everything I create, they have so many choices that it becomes an entertaining solution to a dull moment.

Tomorrow is First Friday

For those of you in the Raleigh area, tomorrow night (as you may know) is First Friday! Every first Friday of the month several art galleries and studios in downtown throw an "Open House" called First Friday. It is a great opportunity to check out some cool artwork.
This is a particulary special First Friday because my old employer, Holly Aiken, is opening her doors for her annual "Holiday Open House"! It looks like she'll have some new designs out and is also hosting other great designers in her store for the evening.

Preview

I've been working on a few patterns that I hope to use on products eventually so I wanted to share photos of my sketches with you. I'm thinking about getting my block printing materials out from the back of the shelf to print my own fabric or possibly have polymer plates made of my designs so that I can use them on the letterpress. I'll keep you updated if I find a fit for the creations!

minä perhonen

One of my favorite fashion designers is Akira Minagawa. In his brand minä perhonen he creates lovely hand-drawn patterns to use for clothing and furniture. His use of embroidery in his textiles is one of my favorite characteristics of his work..besides the fact that his patterns are so unique.

Here comes the...

I happened to have a rather exciting weekend. . .I got engaged! So, of course, I haven't really thought about anything besides the big day so I decided that I would share a collage of inspiration that I've started (and a photo of the bling) :-)

Decorating with Etsy

Since I have jumped right into the Christmas spirit, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite handmade ornaments that I have found on Etsy.
- Fantastic Toys - "Felt Gingerbread Girl Ornament"
- The Purple Crystal - "Holiday Horse Head Ornament"
- Picciolo - "Soft snowflakes plum"
- My Little Acorn - "Mily the Bird"
- Netsa USA - "Hand Painted Rusted Tin Snowflake"
- Jenny Wren - "Three bird ornaments"
- Joshua Stone - "Ornaments"
- Art 4 Milkbones - "Woofin' In A Winter WonderLand"
- My Summer Playground - "Felt Wooden XMAS Deco"

yum...

I'll say straight up, I don't like to cook...most likely because I am a very picky eater. However! I do love, love, love to bake (white cake w/ buttercream icing is my specialty). On The Traveler's Lunchbox I found a recipe for homemade vanilla extract. Yum! I thought I might try this, sounds fun right? ...Maybe this could turn into some Christmas presents...

Wreaths

Christmas decorations are something that can be done very well or very bad, so when I found the above wreaths by The Constant Gatherer I was pleasantly suprised! She uses layers of yarn and string to create these unique decorations. I love how the yarn colors collide creating a rather soft overall feel.

A few of my favorite things!

Presents, presents, presents...

A daily routine of mine is to not only scan my list of design blogs, but also my list of design shops. With the holiday season quickly coming upon us, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite sites. Of course I have listed several in the column to the right but my top favs include:

Etsy - "Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade."

Modishoppe - "To further encourage the idea of "shopping indie," Jena hoped to create an inviting little e-boutique where people could do just that. Modishoppe was born, and now houses a collection of handmade goods made by some incredible independent designers."

The Curiosity Shoppe - "We hope the Curiosity Shoppe will provide you not only with beautiful, hand-crafted items, but will inspire you to embark on a creative adventure of your own."

Three Potato Four - "We started the shop because of our love of collections. We're collectors, and to us, all products and belongings tell a story."

2modern - "2Modern features the most talented and innovative designers of modern furniture, contemporary lighting, personal accessories, art, & eco-friendly products for the home and office."

Twig - "Twig is an online boutique with amazing clothing for both women and children, unique toys and an eclectic mix of home accessories. "

Design Within Reach - "Design Within Reach is the source for fully licensed classics....What we mean by a "fully licensed classic" is that it's manufactured by the company holding the license to the original design. "

Bandaids!

Thanks to a skilled uncle, we got out letterpress welded back together over the holiday. (Yay!) Check it out...can you find the welded bandaid?

OH and our fancy red rollers came in from the UK...now if we only had some type. . .

'Tis the season

That time of year again! We went for a white (mini) tree this year due to the cramped space...but it turned out quite nice :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday and were able to get your grub on. I have the extended weekend off to relax in my hometown which means lots of homemade food :-) Also, it gives me plenty of time to brainstorm holiday posts and Christmas present ideas. Happy Holidays!
yummy watermelon ...mmm :-)

All things Orla

As you may know, I have a thing for Orla Kiely. So you shouldn’t be surprised about how excited I was when I found out she did a redesign of her website. It’s not like it looks that much different than before, its just a lost more user friendly! And wow, what a difference that can make…