Shabby Chic Bedroom Set

Changing the look of a room can be a big commitment. In a search for a new duvet set for my bedroom, I came across this adorable shabby chic look and I knew it had to be mine.

 

Luella Duvet Cover- Bed Bath & Beyond

I absolutely love how this room is decorated and I'm going to do my best to mimic it. I just wish all the decorative pieces of this room came with the set! What can I say, I'm a sucker for great interiors.

Shower me with Doilies

It's been quite hectic lately with a lot of life changes happening from moving to a new place to expecting our first baby this December. I'm so very excited to start this new chapter in our lives. With a baby on the way, my nesting instinct has been bumped up to full throttle. It hasn't been easy moving to a new home a few months before baby Zouki arrives, but to say the least it's been so fun to start fresh and decorate.

A month ago, my sister-in-laws threw me a beautiful baby shower which I couldn't help but be involved in planning. I knew I didn't want a traditional themed shower with teddy bears or butterflies, so I started to surf the web for some inspiration to achieve a modern twist on a traditional baby shower. For a long time now I've been in love with doilies. They look so delicate and dainty that I wanted to incorporate them into the theme. Here is what I found.

 *photo source- 1, 2, 3, 4

I fell in love with the doily banners and went on a rampage to find them in pink, yellow and orange. I was lucky enough to find them in pink and yellow. I also loved the fun look of paper pom poms hanging from a line. I quickly realized that this is the type of look I wanted, especially when I found out how easy they were to make. Here is the tutorial I used to make the pom poms- for those of you who want to try this look for a special occasion. With a lot of help from my good friend Sara, who also designed a ladybug alphabet poster for the nursery, I was able to achieve this look for my special day.

I'm planning on re-using the pom poms for decor in the nursery as well, but that's a whole other blog entry.

Land & Sea

I've always dreamed of owning a summer home by the ocean, (hopefully one day that dream will come true). When I came across the talented artist, Thomas Paul and all of his beautiful patterns and graphics for the home, my vision for the decor of this dream home was solidified.

This collection is made out of 100% jute which gives them a natural look, that of burlap.

*photo credit- shopgramercy.blogspot.com

I especially admire Thomas Paul for his use of one color in his prints. In my opinion, it's not easy to capture an audience by the use of just one color in a print. I feel by nature, we as people are drawn towards images with the use of many colors. Although I believe that multi-colored images do captivate and stimulate your senses, one color images can do the same. It's an art in itself to make one color images work. Here is a great example from Thomas Paul of less is more.

 

Clean and fresh are two words that would describe Mr. Paul's works. Visit his site for more great pieces of inspiration.

The Green Spot Event

We are happy to be a participant in The Green Spot Event happening this Thursday the 26th through Sunday the 29th at The Westin in Pasadena, where we will have a variety of our Organic Baby Onesies for sale.

The Green Spot Event is a boutique shopping experience for new and pre-loved maternity, baby and kids clothes & gear. The concept behind this boutique is great because it allows moms and soon-to-be moms to participate in shopping for good quality items that may have otherwise been tossed in the garbage. 

So if you are in the area, support this unique cause for a better future for the environment and for the little ones!

Renegade Craft Fair!

The Renegade Craft Fair was a huge success! Thanks very much to all of you who came by our booth to say hi, and for all of your support of the product line. It was so rewarding to see your reactions to the line. Also, a big thanks to those who donated their change to the World Wildlife Fund to help support the relief efforts for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 

This was our first show and I can see why vendors do many shows each year, it can be addicting! The vibe, the people and artistry has fueled me to take the line to the next level. It was fun to be part of this acclaimed event and share what we do with the public.  Not only were the attendees friendly and fun to talk to, so were the vendors. We made some really great friends. Here are some amazing fellow vendors. Please take a moment to visit their sites:

Tanya from V is for Violet, who makes a variety of handmade items. Thanks for the trade Tanya, I LOVE the handmade plush toy for my soon-to-arrive little girl.

Scott from Locket 2 you, I'm definitely going to purchase the baby buggy in powder pink.

*photo by locket2you.com

Jane from Janie xy , Ramses the cat plushie is so cute. I will be hosting a give-a-way for this fabulous handmade toy so stay tuned.

*photo by janiexy.com

Emily from Emily Sparks handmade loved your booth and everything in it, including your adorable daughter Penelope!

*photo by Eva Jorgensen

Krista from Queens Metal, you must check out what amazing pieces Krista creates with metal.

*photo by Queens Metal

Danni from Oh, hello friend, your style is so unique and your products have a sense of comfort.

Amanda from Bobbysoxie, such classy and chic felt headbands!

Take a moment to support these very talented artists. We look forward to doing another show very soon.

Stay tuned.

Renegade Craft Fair here we come!

Mark your calendars!  We've been frantically preparing for the Renegade Craft Fair coming up on July 24-25 at the LA State Historic State Park.  We'll have plenty of inventory on hand including the new designs so please come by and check us out.  We'll be in booth #36!  Let us know if you plan on going in comments, and we hope to see you there!

Up Up & Away...

Lately, I've been fascinated with vintage hot air balloons. I love their beautiful shapes and colors. I can imagine how lovely they would look as a theme in a nursery. Something about these puffy balloons remind me of fairy tales and the endless possibility of the imagination. 

* photo credit- a gift wrapped life & veranda.com

Hot air balloons easily lend themselves to themes in storybooks and portray the limitless places children can "go".

* photo credit- amazon.com

I found this beautiful screen printed illustration by Jen Skelley on Etsy. I think it would make such a beautiful added touch in a frame hanging in a nursery. The black and white image below it is also a work of art. It's a digitally restored illustration by Spotted Sparrow, printed directly on a page from a Russian-German dictionary. How clever and aesthetically beautiful!

After realizing my strong admiration for hot air balloons, I decided to incorporate them into my organic baby clothing line. I came up with two designs for my "fairy tale" series using vintage looking images and a typewriter font to emulate the font you'd see in a story book and to promote the importance of reading to children.

Take a peek at my shop for the new away we go and the far far away  organic onesie.

Let me know what you think!

Portland's Hidden Gem

I just recently returned from a great trip to the Pacific Northwest. I've always wanted to see Seattle and re-visit Portland since it had been many years since my first visit there. Seattle was an amazing city, as was Portland. It felt so refreshing to be visually stimulated by so many things from a simple flower to shops with so much character. One shop that really caught my attention was Oblation Papers & Press.

Oblation is a stationary and gift shop that also sells high end decorative paper and ribbons. Of course I was inspired by all the beautiful patterns and colors in their paper selection.

One of the things that I found fascinating was that they had a letterpress print shop right there in the store. It is where they print special orders and even some of their own products that they sell. Letterpress is such a beautiful process, I kept thinking how much I'd love to work there. Just watching their process made me feel like I was in a time warp back in the 1500's.

I hope to go back some time in the near future and discover some more hidden gems in Portland. I think it's a place that everyone should visit at some point.

Textile/Surface Design Patterns

It's been about 3 weeks since I've completed my first quarter at Otis College of Design for a Textile/Surface design certificate. I must say, I was quite nervous about taking on this new challenge, but pleased that I went through with it. 

I felt the need to branch out and develop different skills as an artist. I took a liking to patterns used on various items such as stationary, wrapping paper, bedding and home decor, so I decided to go for it.

Here are the results of my adventures in my first quarter. All of the designs below are hand drawn, placed in a repeat pattern and hand painted (including the background colors). Hope you enjoy!

I call this one blue lagoon. We were given a color palette and were to develop a floral, stripe, geometric and plaid pattern. The plaid was especially challenging but it's done using my favorite technique I've learned so far called stippling. I used a sponge to get that dotty look and a ruling pen to get those straight lines.

This may be one of my favorite sets. I was inspired by one of my favorite textile/surface designers, Kamal. I used peacock feathers as my inspiration and stylized it in a modern simple way. The textured piece was especially fun to make. I used a stamping method with pumpkin seeds, a feather and a sponge.

These three coordinating patterns were the first patterns I designed. At first, I wasn't too keen on the colors that I chose, but it grew on me in the end. It seems very royal.

This print reminds me of being on a tropical island. It could be a nice wrapping paper pattern or maybe even a print for a bathing suit.

This print was so fun to draw. The direction given to me was to create a two-color juvenile print. I'm happy the way this one came out. I love owls and I love the colors. It also has a vintage feel that I like.

Who would have thought a doodle could look so interesting. We were asked to doodle on a piece of paper, then trace out our doodle and create a repeat, then paint it of course. I thought this was a great technique.

Talk about feeling like a kid again. I made this pattern by using spaghetti and a leaf as a stamp. I really like how this one came out. I can picture it as wrapping paper.

This one was also done with a bunch of vegetables and organic items like cabbage, celery, leaves, broccoli, rocks and more!

I used broccoli, celery and a brussel sprout for this pattern.

I'd LOVE to hear any feedback on my designs and the process. It would be great to hear your thoughts on which patterns you think would work for what type of surface. It feels great to be able to share with everyone.

Cake Decorating

I've always enjoyed baking more than cooking. I'm not sure if it's because I've always looked forward to the sweet flavors of dessert once dinner is complete, or if it's the warm smell of baked goods that escapes the oven. Whatever it is, I'm always drawn to baking cupcakes, cakes and cookies for a special occasion or just for fun. Recently, I bought this adorable cupcake kit from Cost Plus World Market (one of my favorite stores).

It comes with cute little cupcake liners, small and large, as well as the little pastry bags and piping tips for decorating. There is also a useful cupcake recipe book that comes along with it, which I thought was fantastic! 

My goal is to make my own batter and frosting from scratch creating unique flavors and beautiful decorated cupcakes and cakes. I thought what better way to learn more about cake/cupcake decorating than to take a class. I'm going to enroll in the Wilton cake decorating class offered at Michael's starting this June. I'm so excited to learn more about decorating basics, making beautiful flowers and using fondant. Who knows, I may be on to something ;)