New Happenings // New Work

Looking forward to Wednesday, ACORN photoshoot. I will be recreating my visual comp at this amazing oceanfront location here in Maine. "LIVE IT" is the positioning statement and the concept for the entire catalog. I can't wait to show you the layered details, surface patterns (Acorn's not mine:) and amazing photography + lots of color that has gone into this SPRING 2012 catalog.  Once finished I want to post about the amazing stylist, and creative team that has been so incredible to work with!

The bark cloth source is back on track--even with higher minimums and all that, very thankful that I will be buying from the actual weaver here in the US. A family owned company for generations. Now looking into a natural darker ground to print on for FALL WINTER. Love the natural off white, but would love to over a more universal color combinations for those more neutral loving customers that still value a cool graphic pop. Plus I am just wanting to print on something other then natural off white for a change. Should be fun--

I have been also playing with a new hand screened tag that will now be on all my work. I have been meaning to get on this for a year but since we have one stitch on every pillow (back flap) wanted to make sure the hang tag that I designed told a good story--and made a impact...just didn't know what I really wanted until now. I have also been dreaming up a new website design. I hope to get on top of that and launch FALL/WINTER 2011/2012. I would like it to be more about my work and my process, with great photography and maybe a blurp about myself that I haven't done before. My portfolio is very outdated online at the moment and want to be able to upload new work as I finish easily and have a more refined looking blog set up.

Country Living will be shooting her in July/August...they have not given me an exact date but been working on new projects and dreaming up news ones. Hopefully we can button it all up before they come. But honestly, it is just an amazing crazy thing that they are coming to Gorham, Maine. They want to shoot our home before / after style + a little write up of my textile design work. My friend PR chick, Hannah Gregory will be here shooting the whole thing--ha ha. Shooting what they are shooting and just be here to capture the day. Should be fun to see how they transform the place into something that is truly CL worthy. (styling and photography is an amazing thing).

Katie Brown's shoot went well and my pillows will be in Better Homes & Gardens in September in a outdoor spread I hope. Sounds like from the personal assistant that dropped off all the pillows I sent (all 27 of them) mentioned the outdoor seating / lounge area was the Erin Flett pillow focus. So we will see what actual makes the cut. Very excited. AND Katie Brown herself picked out a MR. NUT + COFFEE RINGS for herself and Stacy, the stylist took home ARIA.

I had a few great calls this week--one from a outdoor fabric manufacturer, this time from the US...possible collaboration in our future...a few business calls for some cool botanical soap packaging---and gearing up to start the Portland Maine rebranding process. And also a lead with a Japanese company that produces all sorts of cool modern projects might be purchasing some new prints.

A lot of fun things in the works and just really trying to focus on some new prints for my pillow line...still working on yardage. Burning world...Conceptually my focus on the new line will be focused on organic natural shapes and patterns, smaller scale repeats and more modern approach in aesthetic. The round pillow graphic is more in line with the vision I have. Almost a collage of elements with a modern edge. Inspired by mid century modern elements but with a hand drawn aesthetic along with other unexpected organic / collaged elements.

So the images you see are shots taken from SOWA OPEN MARKET #2, new ROUND pillows and some packaging labels I did for Paula Costin, for her yummy cookie tins. Enjoy. e

all of it will come---sooner or later

I woke up thinking as I often do...and felt the need to share the past week.

Yesterday someone hit my Honda Pilot while parked in the old port--long story is that Mas and I ended up in the PD for more then an hour making a police report since an amazing guy left me a note of every detail of who hit me--make, plate number etc. I felt completely overwhelmed at this man's kindness. Yes my right side of my pilot is creamed---but here was this guy who took the time to help me. Amazing. But because I was at the PD a good friend invited Mas and I out for a drink and well, ironically ended up at Havana South.  We ended up seeing some friends and since a design conference that was happening in town (which I am sick I didn't know about or if I did, some how got missed in my email box) ended up sitting down over drinks with the Editor In Chief at PRINT magazine. Okay, so this guy is amazing. After getting PRINT mag since I was a graduate from Kansas University  ...it was surreal. Amazing. I showed him my work and talked about my journey a bit..and really found his own personal story so inspiring. Needless to say a terrible hit and run accident that day, led me to this amazing evening with a design icon. (thank you Mandy).

But I woke up this morning thinking about where things are going for me, all the great phone calls that seem to happen every week--opportunities coming  my way that completely take my breath away. With out getting totally personal so many emotional moments this week--understanding my work process, how to make things better, smoother...being a good mom, mindful..being a good friend. Taking my designs to a new level, doing something that is me, but me NOW and not a year ago---taking that all in--figuring out where this is going...my surface design--graphic work, it hit me this morning like a mack truck. I feel so strongly that you get amazing opportunities in life when you basically strip things totally away...you show people who you are, not afraid to be wrong, or put something out there that may not be beautiful--because it's just where you are at personally--not the end result- Just a piece of it--part of the process...it is when you show people your truth-say I want this, this is what I am doing and this is how hard I am trying to work it out--survive...thrive and learn. Thinking out loud I came to the conclusion that people want ultimately to see people succeed. I think the public has so much positive power -and it's amazing when you put yourself out there. So I guess what I am saying, when you are genuine, no strings...dig deep and just let go--the universe takes your hand and lets what you envision happen. People really want to see people live a dream, just be happy. Face it, we want to be happy--all of us and love to see others happy--it's that spark from life and others--that keeps me getting up excited, it's B's and Ary's eyes when they look at me--all of it. But when people listen and really hear you...it's perfect. When I was sitting across from Aaron Kenedi, Editor In Chief, this hit me...

So I am understanding the way of the world, universe a little more each day---so the other insane thing that happened this week--is that FULL SWING (the supplier of my bark cloth) is no longer selling it due to the increase cost of cotton and the high minimums. I totally freaked out knowing that this cloth that I have been so emotional tied to may not be available to me. (If you don't know the story about the cloth for me is that my mom has collected it my whole life--and it was a personal great find at yard sales and antique thrift shops.) I have the greatest memories collecting this cloth with my mom my entire growing up. This cloth is ONLY available through this one mill as far as I know. After some back and forth he sent me the manufacture of the cloth since he could not supply it. The owner of the mill, the weaver of this amazing bark cloth said that in over 27 years no one has ever just given that info out. Just doesn't happen. I feel so blessed that Fred at FULL SWING felt I should have it, that I needed it (which I did desperately) but also, that he believed in what I am doing and has now given me the info to keep going.

This all boils down to how people rally around you and push you even if sometimes you fall or feel like what ever it is--will not happen. That authentic self plays this roll that if you are truly who you are--and ask nothing more then just to be heard--absorbed-things work out. Seems so easy..so obvious. But I have been around people in my life that are negative or just make bad decisions but decisions based out of fear or sadness or what ever. But I wish I could bottle up this passion sometimes and give it away and tell people that is it...that is all you need, the rest just follows.

I am no where in my career where I can say I am content, or even close to being heard truly as a designer. I feel this is the start of it all. And since I have great momentum this past year on so many fronts..it's confirmation in my soul that I am on the right path to just be able to do what I love--which is all anyone wants right?

This post has no pretty pics or work---just me. And I am so not alone in my quest for greatness. It's just been an amazing week and I wanted to thank each new opportunity, gift and good deed that has come my way and hope I can return each and every blessing.

I have been getting a ton of emails from Seniors in college just starting out in the design world and this is for them--and for anyone that may feel they are not on the right path..or just figuring it out. I have a ton to learn about everything..but I know in my heart that this lesson of letting go and knowing that if I envision it, believe it--all of it will come---sooner or later. e

IDSVA-

Happy long weekend...I just finished up a sweet project that was so amazing to be apart of. IDSVA offers a low-residency PhD program in philosophy and art theory to visual artists,

architects, curators, and creative scholars. Instruction includes preeminent world-wide visiting faculty, residencies in Tuscany, the Venice Biennale, Paris, and New York City, plus year-round distance-learning. George Smith, president, started this amazing program. Here is a quote from the website. 

"I have collaborated with art practitioners and scholars from around the world to design a PhD program for artists---and by artists I mean those who approach their work as a creative practice, as curators, architects, creative scholars, or art practitioners in the more traditional sense. I believe we have created the first PhD program of its kind in the United States. It combines rigorous philosophical study with on-site intensives. The latter might be described as critical interventions that bring the artist-philosopher into immediate contact with the life-world of contemporary art, whether it be participants in the Venice Biennale or the critics, curators, gallery directors and artists who populate the New York art scene." -George Smith

After a few conference calls with Rhonda Birkbeck (amazing designer // interior designer) who referred me to Amanda Holland (marketing genius) and after I heard 2 seconds about the program..which I already knew a little about from doing the JULY 2010 Feature spread in Maine Magazine. We quickly all became immersed in all the ideas we could run with knowing it was going to be an insane creative evening celebration! Only requirement was that it had to be different, something that stood out--something bold.

The concept we came up with for the event was to have a blow out, urban party on a roof top of a parking garage in the Old Port down town Portland, Maine. Think cement, grit, graffiti, hot DJ music, sweet lounge...it's all underway and the starting point was suppose to be a kick ass invite. So Rhonda and Mandy + I spoke various times on the phone throwing ideas around and came across some pop artist work--as well as some classic work of Lichtenstein + Warhol. These visuals became the backbone of the look and feel we were going for. 

I love silk screening anything these days so the opportunity to screen a sweet invite was exactly what I was concepting. The program is based in a lot of amazing cities all over the world so the crew at IDSVA wanted me to incorporate the skyline of iconic architecture buildings that really screamed each city. IDSVA’s three-year course of study blends distance learning with intensive residencies at Spannocchia Castle in Tuscany, the Venice Biennale, Paris, New York City, and Providence, Rhode Island. So while being totally graphic and bold / urban I combined all these iconic cities into one collage that focused on the tops of a few buildings. 

I wanted the paper stock to be 100% recycled, gray to match the endless amount of cement and be a tad gritty. And I wanted it to be super THICK so I could screen on it with out it rolling up. AND I really wanted it to be a over sized POSTER...so I wanted something to be different and city like. Maslen + I  silk screen my tags and other things on chip board and thought of this but wanted it to be more gray then brown--so we looked all over for GRAY CHIPBOARD.

After searching all over for GRAY CHIP BOARD Mandy found it and bought it up (super cheap + great) and we had it cut down from Dunstan Press--my letterpress guru. George / Rhonda / Mandy asked for a little of Erin Flett here and there so I added a few decorative elements but also wanted it to not get too busy or over designed. So this is what it ended up like. We loved the black but since I did the spread in Maine Mag in a hot pink--that was something I thought we could continue---so please enjoy the pics! First line up MAINE MAG SPREAD--COLOR / and design take off---then the invite drying in our studio print shop. ENJOY. e

B TURNS 7!

Hello. 

Breshia, my oldest, just turned 7. We had a BACKYARD CAMPING PARTY...and yes, I was not quite prepared for 8+ girls for a over night--but I survived and well, I have to say, I had the best time. Between the s'mores, Mas's silk screening demo silkscreening t's, running around blowing bubbles + the midnight stories that seemed to last all night--(all stories were about creepy old ladies and cats and dogs). The girls held the flashlight under their faces and each told at least 2 stories each. After the second round I was exhausted but my heart smiled because I was feeling like we were making some great memories. Ary who is now 3 almost 4 was in the mist of it all and she beamed all night--B was in her element and I can honestly say I didn't realize she had such a funny personality with her little friends--a little comedian/actress. She is so down to earth and quiet really but in this element she was hilarious and witty--all qualities I see time to time but this was a entirely different Breshia--a little girl drama here and there but for the most part a HUGE success. I will tell you, I really felt as if I was watching myself, through her. So funny as a mother how you see yourself and look on in amasement. I KNOW all too well that these moments where I can be among her friends will pass, and I will have to be that mom that asks a million questions obsessively. But for now I totally enjoyed playing, dancing and just being a apart of this little world. ENJOY the pics. PS. I dug out a huge patio this SPRING and filled with granite crushed rocks that are easy on bare feet and found more granite pavers recycled from the streets of OLD PORT, DOWNTOWN PORTLAND, MAINE. The day of the party, that morning actually I found a TEAK SET on craigslist that was marked down and yes, Mas and I emailed, called and stalked the lady who had it for sale and brought it home. It was amazing timing and we totally enjoyed it all night. I will post before and after shots soon. Loved the entire process. Evenings are now spent in our new chairs watching the kids after al fresco style... e

ROM123- SO MANY THANKS! e

I am so so excited. Yesterday in my mailbox I received the greatest package! rom 123 sent me two sample mags of my little blurp! DAISY THORN ORANGE FRAMED PRINT + BUNNY BOO KIDDO PILLOW made the cut and is in MAY 2011 // page 15! 


I am a HUGE fan of this Norwegian interior magazine. Thank you ETSY for putting my name out there for this amazing little blurp. SO so excited! e

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55556428/bunny-boo-kiddo-10-teal-hand-screened

Number 7 is here!

Well it's that time of year again and B's birthday is coming right up! 

We love coming up with new ideas for parties and this year we are doing BACKYARD CAMPING. We have a giant tent-smores and all night to have fun and eat as many marshmallows as possible! 

I will post images from the campfire next week--so excited for this one! 

(Going to be a intimate  gathering of a  few girls from B's class--no boys allowed:)

ENJOY. e

OUR FIRST SOWA OPEN MARKET in BOSTON!