Flett House Series- My bedroom

I was taking photos for a up and coming catalog for the pillows--and I wanted to share some images of my bedroom to go along with the FLETT HOUSE SERIES. The bedspread is from PotteryBarn and the Las Vegas style headboard and furniture is from a near by junk/antique store that I love in Limington, Maine called the "Chicken Coop." The masks I bought at a auction a year or so ago and everything else is found either from my mom's house that is full of antiques or from local junk shops. 

I am loving orange and gray these days as you can see--and I have always wanted light blue walls in my bedroom--which have always been a creamy yellow... I am totally in love with the black frames with metal flowers I found in a antique shop in Saco. I have thought about painting them but I do love how the gold meshes well with my bohemian bed. The lamps are from my grandmother that I want to redo at some point and the chandelier was given to me from my father, aunt and uncle when my grandfather passed. It came to me in a huge wooden crate all the way from Eaton Colorado. It was in the dining room of my grandfathers house and when he died it was going to be sold so they took it down for me and sent it to me. I guess my grandfather gave it to my grandmother as a birthday gift and now it lives with me in my bedroom. I am so thankful that it came all that way to Maine in one piece! 

I can't live with out my vintage scarves or the antique mirror I found in Buxton with my mom--we stopped and picked it up for $20 bucks. The best deal ever. The vintage red chair was the first chair Maslen and I picked up at a garage sale when we moved to Maine. I want to redo it too but for now it is still in the horse hair red wool which wears like iron! Thanks for looking! e

New Kiddo Pillows + HOLIDAY INDIE CRAFT SHOWS

I have been working on coming out with new kiddo prints and finally here they are. I have had so much fun refining these little guys and finally able to start taking orders and hopefully have these out in full swing by some of the holiday shows I will be attending in November and December. 

HOLIDAY SHOWS I WILL BE ATTENDING:

NOVEMBER 13th

Mistletoe Boutique Welcome to our first annual Mistletoe Boutique! Please join us on Saturday, November 13 from 9:00-3:00 for food, libations and fabulous shopping featuring vendors with locally produced jewelry, stationery, gifts, handbags, pillows, home accessories and the Pampered Pooch area!

DECEMBER 3rd

SPACE GALLERY SHOW-A-DO! 

Come revel in handmade bliss with one of our most popular events: Shop-A-Do! Browse through an inspiring collection of local crafters’ goods including prints, handmade clothing, original artwork, books, t-shirts, cards and more! Grab a hot beverage, don a cozy sweater and come on down for some good old fashioned holiday cheer.

DECEMBER 11th-12th

2nd annual Picnic Holiday Sale will take place on Saturday, Dec 11, and Sunday, Dec 12! This juried indie craft fair will be held indoors at the Maine Irish Heritage Center at 34 Gray St and State St. The Sale will run from noon to 8pm on Saturday, and noon to 5pm on Sunday, admission is free. 

Just a quick preview of the small pillows: Please contact me for wholesale information and pre ordering. They should be ready to go into shows SPRING 2010 and sooner on my ETSY SHOP! Stay tooned!

Flett House Series-Ary's Room

I have had a lot of people ask how I live with the pillows..and I decided to start a series of THE FLETT HOUSE..which is a little glimpse of our little world here in Maine...
I am going to start with Aryana's room who just turned 3. She is now in her "big girl" bed that Maslen and I found at a local church sale before she was born. Picking up two for $30 was a steal and I dreamed of the girls sharing a room one day. But due to the small size of the girls rooms once we moved in, they are solo. A fresh coat of white paint and a little love and here it is. (Mas sanded and sanded and painted while Breshia art directed shouting out placing he missed.) Found vintage linens and comforter that I have held onto for years. I think the comforter was a goodwill find and the linens at a charming old lady's home in Buxton. The comforter is handmade by some amazing soul that totally caught my eye...clearly hand stitched when you look underneath. I knew Ary's room would be different then B's which is pastel pinks. 


Ary gravitates to hot pink and oranges and loves bold and graphic pictures and stories. Her fire in her eyes and the obsession with old books that she drags out of my studio inspired the room. A buttery yellow paint on the walls that is a little too bright during the day but something we have grown to love. Little Ary picked out the large Home Economics lithograph, 1952,  above her bed of little girls playing house---sewing and ironing and playing dolls. It's in rough shape but I am completely and thoroughly enamored by it. We were  junking and picked it up at a local shop her in Gorham at TINSEL BRIGHT She points out all the details, the doll, the dresser and the window, and does not let you forget the big scissors and thread bobbins. Ary is facinated with sewing from her Nana's influence and always asks, "how you do that nana?" Breshia says she will be a good driver because she has practices at Nana's...(foot of the sewing machine..) I laugh out loud and feel thankful my mom is teaching them...Little ary loves her room which is clearly with out a ton of toys. We keep the girl's rooms pretty clear and have made one of the other rooms a nice play room that is super sweet and deliciously all about art, playing and movies. Stay tooned for that. I was able to pick up the cutest mid century sofa that is super petite for that space in TINSEL BRIGHT as well over the Summer. Another steal of $99. I could not say no and envision redoing it someday in a Erin Flett print...The Erin Flett DAISY THORN in Mango Orange  is Ary's new favorite and goes well in this sea of colors. B loves the same print but in the soft pink. which feels totally different in her little room. You get to see her space next week. e

Maine Women's Fund-Product To Passion

I was honored to be asked to kick off the  Maine Women's Fund, Leadership Series in PASSION TO PRODUCT along side two amazing women. Beth Shissler, one of two women who started SEA BAGS, which turns recycled sails into fashionable bags; and Charlotte Levitt, founder of CHART metalworks, which turns nautical charts embedded in resin into stylish jewelry; and me. I was a good mix in this group of women because I am at the very beginning at developing my name and my own passion and was honored to be among these two amazing women entrepreneurs. The talk was informal and personal and we all talked about our sources of inspirations, challenges of running design companies..I also talked about mommiehood, having a dream, making goals and putting one foot in front of the other. 
I wanted to thank MAINE WOMEN'S FUND for including me and letting me be apart of something I really believe in. This program is about engaging and enriching women at every stage of life, encouraging confident strides, supporting emerging leaders, and creating lasting change that improves our communities and the world for generations to come.
I am in that mode right now figuring how I navigate from here. Launching for the first time my own line and moving forward...life is so nuts trying to do what you are really meant to do, but all the years doing design work for other companies is helping me down that road. I am still working doing surface design and have many design clients that are patient with my new crazy schedule, as well as working part time at Maine & MH&D Magazines...it all fits into this amazing package I am calling my life these days.

I have been asked by bloggers what is it that keeps me going and how it works...all I can say about that which could be a book someday I think, HA HA..but honestly, it's about keeping yourself focused on one thing, then another and making a ton of lists...and letting go of things that are not important--only focusing on things you must do and eliminate all the fluff---fluff fluff fluff---

Anyway, I think this is another post for the future. My head is still spinning from all the things on my plate at the moment and I thought yesterday I had an amazing moment where I was in a place of calm, and today a place of insanity. But that is the heart of a designer. It is what keeps it real and keeps me growing. I don't think I will ever figure out the perfect balance but maybe the perfect storm. I love what I am doing, love my babies and husband...who really is my partner in this ever changing story...and of course doing custom designs for clients, and my self. It really does not get better then this...just have to figure out how to keep my house clean in the mist of it all...:) e

NEW FOR FALL & WINTER

Okay everyone, I have been a busy bee picking and choosing what is next for WINTER. Some old and some new, but a peek at the NEW small KIDDO line! I added "BRUISER" the puppy, "PUFF" the kitten, and "FROGGIE" well, you guessed it, the frog:). I also have officially added "ARIA FLORAL", a sunflower collage inspired from the miles of sunflowers and a dear friend which has  been out but not really pushed till this FALL, "ASHLEY PINE" inspired by a MAINE CAMP WEDDING celebrated just recently at a local Sebago Camp here in Maine. And "HANNAH" designed inspired by a another dear friend who asked for a floral to go in her historic home that is amazing and beautiful and was calling out for something in cranberry! Another print that I am playing with is "MATCH BOX" a abstract modern inspired repeat print that is super layered and linear...to compliment the other more modern prints...such as "MOD GEO", "WIND" and "COFFE RINGS". 

Just a little peek--I am producing my WINTER flyer and catalog as we speak and will be updating my website to reflect the newest of the new. Still tweaking colors--I am in love with caramel browns, grays and rich browns, and olive greens for Fall as well as this yummy yellow that I did for Ashley's recent wedding...and the kiddos colors are inspired by B and Ary who insisted the kitten be in purple and the doggie must be red or orange or both, and the frog, well it must be green Ary said, (just turned 3!). So stay tooned!

e

PORTLAND PICNIC arts + music festival

For those of you who came by my booth, thank you so much. Maslen and I were so grateful that you stopped by and loved that we were able to sell out of a lot of screened paper prints and sold a ton of little kiddo pillows and quite a few large pillows! Thank you thank you! A few pictures that capture the day! xo e

Gorham Times

Okay Gorham, Maine residents, I was so so excited to see this little blurp in GORHAM TIMES. My local newspaper here in Gorhan, Maine...I was interviewed a while back from Linda Morris..a very talented designer herself who also writes for the GT. It was a sweet little write up that really was the first blurp that touched upon my background, bark cloth and my mom’s antique store..and basically that a grew up in a home that embraced everything old---my mom and I still love the hunt and find amazing treasures everywhere we go! I recently found some amazing funky old costume jewelry at the FLEA MARKET down the coast in ARUNDEL, MAINE. Every weekend until it gets too cold outside! Tons of crazy finds but recent loves are a few necklaces I could not live with out. $5 bucks each. Yes I will take both please:) Just in case you don’t know what I am talking about--head down to Antiques USA- Route 1- Arundel, ME 04046 & Arundel Antiques- 1713 Portland Rd- Arundel, ME 04046-7938--this FLEA MARKET is in between these two antique stores!

Home & Decor Magazine Feature

RUTH CHAN from HOME DECOR MAGAZINE out of SINGAPORE just told me the feature artical is out on ERIN FLETT pillows! (SEPTEMBER p. 120) Thank you so very much Ruth! The write up looks great! Two great pictures were featured with a little write up. I was told I could not show the actual spread. But here is a peek at the cover. Home & Decor Magazine is Singapore’s leading authority on design and decor trends. Chic and design-savvy readers keep tabs on the beautiful homes and stunning furnishings they feature. They make stylish living easy. Here is the cover pic!

A week of running around and printing!

A recent stop in Kennebunkport in Daytrip Society: http://www.daytripsociety.com/ was fun on Tuesday. I took a few shots of the pillows in action. Karen Sigler, the store manager and visual designer showed me her amazing display of the pillows mixed with vintage books and paper! I was so excited I about melted. The vintage Peter Rabbit book next to Bunny Boo. Very sweet. I love how she mixed the colors and textures together. This has given me so many great ideas on how to display my pillows with other elements to tell a better story. Just a few sweet shots of the shop. Please do go in when you are in town. It's a gold mine for great great finds from artists like me just getting going and then you will find others that are well known mixed in. Such a great place for gifts and of course for things like doormats (As seen on Daily Candy! These are the coolest doormats ever. Not only are they indestructible and cute - they help save whales and provide financial assistance to our friends, the Maine lobstermen! The Float-rope is a rope used by lobstermen to tether multiple traps together on the ocean floor. The problem with float-rope is that it can entangle whales, which may lead to their injury or death. Now, Maine lobstermen are required to replace float-rope with a new silk rope. Instead of throwing all the old rope in landfills - The Maine Float-Rope Co. makes amazing mats out of them. http://www.daytripsociety.com/index.php?c=featured&product=DDWBG I bought this one---black and teal or the color I call porter pottie green! Very very cool.

Maslen my partner in crime have taken the printing in house--literally these days. It has been really fun and Breshia and Aryana really get into it--minus the drama of putting fingers in the ink and the few pushing arguments trying to get a better view (B is 6 and Ary is 2) it's been such an amazing experience producing them here. Paul at state of mind has been amazing and is still a silk screening God, seriously has printing on the bark cloth down to a science--but schedules and time are not on my side these days. So so busy and I wanted to print when I had time---and be there to help. So Maslen my muscle and me the neurotic ink mixer (I mix for hours literally finding the right color). Been using my pantone process guide to help which has been super amazing and so so needed since my colors tend to not be easy--ha ha. So walla. Here we are in our kitchen doing it up. I had to take a few shots in the middle of our "printing fest". Maslen like most husbands of crafters and artists get sucked in to doing manual labor (Or maybe just sucked in with me because I could literally destroy the house in a matter of seconds with out adult supervision) :)

I also wanted to show you Paul's site that I designed for him: turned out nice I think and the color palette is my favorite part. He is a busy man and with his crew and his beautiful mom by his side, he is machine and doing really sophisticated high quality printing. http://www.stateofminddesign.com/ 

I am so in love with doing websites these days and also been working on some great wedding packages--all letterpressed by Mark at Dunstan Press! http://www.dunstanpress.com/ He is a dear friend and I just love what he does with metal and ink! I will post pics soon. Until then have a great week! e

 

Summer Update Part II

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I wanted to quickly post some new shots from Cliff Kucine's photoshoot for a recent write up for Erin Flett pillows! I mostly wanted to share the pics of the girls:) Breshia now 6, Aryana 2. I love the energy in these photos. I know all moms eat up everything about their own kids, but I am so thankful and so in love with these little souls.

I also think the Gorham Times will be running that little snippet on Erin Flett stuff that is coming out this Friday. The artical is more of meet and greet to the community here in Gorham, Maine. I also just finished a blurp for Finns Finds, Finns Finds | Stylish clothing boutique for children and babies A Stylish clothing boutique for children and babies for Jennyka, who is super amazing and has the most adorable shop online. She has worked 12 years in women’s product development and textiles, and needed a new outlet to release her passion for fashion. Well if you check it out, you will see that she is really amazing and is a mommie too! 

Mr. Nut looks pretty comfy in this chair don't you think? I want to steal it! The art director for Maine Home & Design just uploaded this pic on Face Book after her purchase of this guy. I am a fan of her work. She is actually a great photographer AND designer and I am so honored to work with her at Maine Mag and Maine Home + Design. If you didn't know already, I am working for them now part time as the Creative Director. I wrote about them a while back since the feature in Maine Mag in the Style Q&A section. I have been doing freelance for a while now for them and after laying out JULY, after Jennifer Muller stepped down to do her own gig, (she is an amazing designer) Jennifer Muller. I fell in love with the people and the mags from a whole new perspective. So walla, I am there a few days a week and taking it all in. 

Here is an ad I designed for AU for the AU + erin flett bag line. Hand screened gems that I am so so excited about! Here is one of my fav shapes. Sales have been great so far---it was a little hard start due to a flood at the mill that set them back a bit in production, but they are out and in stores now and sales have been steady! We are excited about the new floral that will balance out the first two geometric prints for FALL which I will post soon!

Have an amazing day. e