Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Coralie Bickford-Smith

Coralie Bickford-Smith is a book cover design who has won several awards for her BEAUTIFUL designs. I first learned about her from Design*sponge when they posted her series of Penguin Classics Hardcovers (which I just received two more in the mail and they make me so happy). I love her work. How much fun would it be to just design book covers? For Penguin? In London? Sounds fabulous. You can read an interview with her here as design:related.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Fabric Heaven


This looks like heaven for all the fabricoholics out there. Booths and booths of both fashion and craft fabrics as well as notions and trims galore. I would love to attend a fabric market like this one.. too bad it is in Germany! I haven't ever heard of there being one in the US, but if anyone knows of one... PLEASE let me know!


We just might need to get this going in Phoenix!




These images along with more can be found on http://decor8blog.com/ by Holly Becker. She was the fortunate one to attend this fabulous market and kind enough to share this little piece of heaven with all of us.

My Wonderful World of Fashion

I don't know how many of you are obsessed with fashion but I found the best book! It looks like so much fun and I can't wait for my copy to arrive. Seen on Cool Hunting, My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating, and Dreaming is the coolest coloring book ever!

It contains 272 illustrated pages by Nina Chakrabarti. She has decorated these delightful pages with such things as patterns, models, shoes, trends, flowers, jewelry and clothing...basically anything to keep a girl occupied and dreaming for quite awhile.


Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Dreamlike rocks

I am sure some of you have seen these beautiful Livingstones before but I had to share. They have been featured in numerous places including Design*Sponge and Cool Hunting but I love, love, love them.

By a French company Smarin Design, these pebble-like cushions not only look so much fun but also comfortable. Design and practicality!

I love how the site describes them as "A surreal group of very high quality, practical like a pouffe. Oversized pebbles, a rest area that varies in size and shape..." Absolutely divine! Don't they just make you feel like you are in the best dream.

We won!

We won Best In Show in the Virtual Craft Fair hosted by Cafe Handmade. What did we win? you ask. An ad up on their site (see the right hand side). Check it out.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Baby Shower



This past weekend I put on a baby shower for a friend of mine. They are having a little boy. We had it in The Roosevelt Tavern in downtown Phoenix. I decorated and cooked and baked. It was so much fun! I sewed a banner for decoration.


A friend of mine made cute little duckie chocolates that were individually wrapped. They were really tasty and a big hit!

I also made little gift bags for each guest with the baby's name on it....Hank!




Decoylab



Have you ever heard of Decoylab? I love in the "About" section Maiko Kuzunishi where the designer reminds us that creating is a right and how important using our imagination and producing our ideas is. It is a simply written excerpt that reminds us all how wonderful it is to be creative. It makes me truly happy and thankful for the outlets we have in today's world.


But you really should go check out the shop the designer creates some beautiful, simple, playful products.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Awesome quilts!

Continuing on with the fabric theme I had to share these amazing quilts by Emily Fischer of Haptic Lab.

"Soft Maps are quilted maps of neighborhoods and parks that represent someone's unique place in the city." They are beautiful.

She offers two options...one that is machine quilted and made with cotton. The others are handmade, taking over a month and use organic cotton and silk. Need I say that I want one.

I also adore these map pillows made from appliques small pieces of fabric. When reading more about the studio I wondered why haptic? Here is an explanation ""Haptic" refers to the sense of touch that includes the entire body, inside and out; it is also the mechanism we employ to situate our bodies in space. Like a cane that safely guides someone down the sidewalk, haptic projects serve as tools for sensation." She said it so well. I applaud Emily's talent and she sounds like the most interesting person. I would bet she would be a great person to meet.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

LOVE Amy Butler

Who doesn't love Amy Butler fabrics? Anything Amy Butler for that matter. Her fabrics and products are always a great combination of pattern, color and style. We always have some on hand in our fabric collection, which is why we are excited for her new line to come out.

Due out next month she announced her new line "Love" describing it as “a marriage by design coming from a love affair of rich, soulful, organic florals and architectural prints passionately inspired by my recent trips to Indonesia and England.”

Sounds divine! The collections has a variety of patterns in quilting weight cotton, home dec weight cotton, flannel, laminate (my new favorite...already thinking of ideas for outdoors and lunchboxes!), and double-faced quilted fabrics. You can see a sneak peek on her website here.

I think my favorites are the one with this fabulous blue/purple colors. The wheels are turning already!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Chris Benz

I would love to go to NYC Fashion Week, I think it would be fabulous. The Spring 2010 Fashion Week is currently going on and I have to do a little shot out to Chris Benz. I went to high school with this guy and played tennis with him (random). He left our small town high school to study at Parsons, interned with Marc Jacobs, designed for JCrew and now he is making it big. His line is a great combination of muted and bright colors, classic and modern silhouettes and fun party dresses...sounds wonderful.

Above is my FAVORITE dress from this spring's collection. It is to die for!

And I just think this is the most fun skirt ever! Where I would where it to, I have no idea but in the words of Christian "it's fierce". Learn more about Chris Benz's story and design beliefs here. Read about his recent show at Fashion week on Style.com or at the NYTimes and see it here.

Perfect Dressipe showcasaed on Etsy!

Today our Wildflower tshirt is in the Etsy Clothing Showcase. Go check it out in the clothing section!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Old Chair = New Chair

I can cross off another project on my list! I found this adorable stool at a vintage store for $5. It was white with a maroon terry cloth cover...not cute but had potential.


I spray painted it to match my other outdoor furniture, re-padded it and covered it with this adorable vinyl covered cotton by Japanese designer Etsuko Furuya. I love it! Much less involved that my last re-upholster but just as adorable.

Cafe Handmade

This next week we are in a virtual craft show at Cafe Handmade.

What it it? It is similar to a traditional craft show but you can visit it when you have a chance. Search through the aisles to see the various artisans and also check out the featured artist interviews and giveaways.

We have a booth in the first aisle that will link you to our website, shop, twitter, blog, etc. etc. When you visit the craft show vote for us as best in show! If we win we will be featured at the end of the week.

Friday, September 11, 2009

All about handmade!

With people around the world becoming more conscience of our economic and environmental struggles, there has been a large movement to buy locally and buy handmade. Why? You are supporting local businesses by stimulating the economy in your community as well as helping grow smaller, mom and pop owned businesses. Have you taken your pledge to buy handmade? Well you can do so at buyhandmade.org.

The pledge is sponsored by an organization put together by some of those on the forefront of the handmade movement. Etsy, Craftster, indiepublic, Craft Magazine, Interweave, Burdastyle, The Austin Craft Mafia, Design*Sponge, and The American Craft Council make up the Handmade Consortium with the common goal of encouraging people to buy handmade. It is a great cause and a wonderful idea and their site is a great resource for links, articles and of course for you to take your pledge. With the holidays coming up quick, I strongly encourage you to take the pledge and challenge yourself to buy handmade!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Mateo Ilasco

I was first introduced to designer Mateo Ilasco on Design Sponge as a guest blogger. This is a wonderful excerpt from her website about her..."My design and illustration work often expresses a penchant for old-fashioned methods, humble materials, manual design, and physical craft." I think that says it perfectly.

I love some of her illustrative work and am coveting this "sleepy" pillow. Check out her full line of products here. Her blog is also fabulous showcasing artists, great products and just plain cool things.

I love her post about chocolate, especially how she put the imagery together through informational graphics.

DIY Furniture

Check out this great project on how to dress up some furniture by decoupaging with a poster. Looks so simple and the piece turned out great. I will have to keep this in my back pocket to try sometime. To see full instructions on how-to, visit the DIY website.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

OUMA Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen I introduce you to OUMA Clothing by local designer, Monique Martinez.

Her stuff is fabulous, so girly and playful. She does great photography of her pieces which makes me love them even more.

I have been eying the Whimsical Spring dress....it is outstanding and I want it so badly. She also does custom work so if you have a special event coming up I would keep her in mind, I know I am. You can check out here website here and her esty shop here.

Tiffin Boxes

I am obsessed with tiffin boxes. I first spotted them in an article in Bon Appetit magazine and I think they are genius. Modern day lunch boxes, great design, functionality, and good for the environment. There history dates back 150 years as a Mumbai food tradition, however the most interesting part is how they got their name. Tiffin was a nickname given by British colonists for their late afternoon lunches, coming from a slang term "to tiff", describing eating between meals. I have been dying to get one and I can't decide which one I want to go with.

There is a set from Design within Reach. And it is currently on sale for $72. But do I really need 3 tiffin boxes?

Then To-Go Ware has a few different sizes that are very affordable ranging from $20-$25 with a number of accessories.

And then for a more modern take there are the brightly colored plastic tiffin boxes by Vivo that are available at a number of store such as Urban Outfitters and ranging from $19-$38.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Solar Lanterns

Let's make today about lighting. I found these solar lanterns by Soji Modern and I think they are glorious. Beautifully designed and good for the environment...but they require a battery, hmmm.

I've seen them ranging from $35-$45. You can find them available here at Allsop Home & Garden in three different styles.

Who knew lightbulbs could be so amazing

I think these are absolutely amazing. Handblown crystal light bulbs internally lit by LEDs by Pieke Bergman.

There are so many different shapes and sizes. They are beautiful and I would love to have one.