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

Update Summer 2010

I have not updated in a while and wanted to give a glimse of what I have been up to. My last post was about the Hampton's Home & Garden Show. It was such an honor being there along side Restoration Hardware Furniture and the Hamptons.com staff! It was a great networking opportunity---what a beautiful place to visit! Above are images from the show--our neighbor across our large corner booth was Material Objects, Material Objects is at 1291 Main Road in Jamesport, a few miles east of Riverhead. It’s open 7 days from 10-6. No website yet; phone 917 687 0063. John Mazur and his crew are insanely passionate about antiques--and truly amazing interior designers, builders and craftsman.

The photos above were taken last week for a cool up and coming profile. Cliff Kucine, a dear friend and amazing photographer shot these in Down Town Old Port, Portland, Maine.

I will post more of the shots of the girls too--they had a blast holding the kiddo line up and down the cobble stone streets...Maslen my husband was such a star holding things together--kids were done after 10 min shooting, not to mention it was about 90 degrees and super humid. We tried to get out and about to shoot early in the morning to avoid a ton of people---it was a great shoot and really the first real photos I have of me and my pillows! Scarf is of course vintage and my kelly green bracelet is from ENCORE, a vintage shop on congress street that I love love love!

And if you notice the cool AU bag---it's island edge in dune grass green. Soho Bag, Travel Day Bag, Fabric Tote

 The posters below are just fun conceptual pieces I just found on the AIGA archive while researching for a recent client. I love the look and feel of these. Enjoy.

More to come...life is great and new Fall/Winter line will be out soon! e

Hampton Home & Garden Show 2010 - Hamptons.com + Erin Flett

It's been a while since I last posted and wanted to give a update! Besides being sick at the moment--too many late night work sessions--I am feeling very energized and excited about the up and coming Home and Garden Show in being held at the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead on April 23-25th. Here is a link of the Garden Collection that will be featured from Restoration Hardware - Design Gallery Garden. My pillows will be honored to sit among this amazing line of furniture! "A modern interpretation of the 5th century BC Greek Kilsmos design, revived in France in the 1700's."

How did this happen? Well, I contacted  Hamptons Online - Guide to the Hamptons and East End of Long Island a few months ago in my quest looking for cool home shops in the hamptons--and came across this amazing resource for everything hamptons--at where else but hamptons.com! I sent them a few pics and a description of the line and mentioned how I felt that the demographic of the Hampton's area would be perfect for my line. Vanessa Leggard, Director of Sales and Marketing contacted me a few weeks later asking if I were interested in having my pillows be part of the lounge that they were pulling together for the show..."looking for some bold color to compliment the natural palate." Of course I said YES and now just getting ready for the show.

Jana Pike, from Creative Home Sewing Shop, (right down the road from me) is busy stitching up this new order and many other orders---simultaneously! She is amazing and I really have appreciated her expertise in stitching, upholstery among life experiences she has had being in business herself. I think surrounding yourself as you grow with people that are truly gifted and enjoy life as well are critical components to building a strong business. I have always thought to myself--(and oh so true this has been these past few weeks)..is that you are only as strong as your weakest link--everyone needs to be on board and want the same thing. But I am thankful I have many people working with me in a very organic way that help me grow. 

Life is such a challenge sometimes with doing your own gig, working on so many fronts and being a mother and wife--always a juggle but all I can say is that at the end of day as long as you can hold your babies, sit and play and really connect over school or what ever is going on--making sure you are in that moment and your mind is not on all the things you have yet to do or get done.."sit Mommie" is what Ary says..."just sit" and what do you think I do? Yes, I sit! (she's two).  I just play--and I have to remember this is what life is truly about. Design success and recognition will come with hard work but being a mom at this very moment is so much more important...but is this hard when I have client's needing things right now, or if I have to make a call before someone closes for the day---yes! yes! yes!...but like I said before it's a juggle...but a worth while one! When my girls are older and have dreams of their own--I can remind them of choices I had made to make things work--and maybe they will see how to make something they want come to be...no matter what it is...and hopefully have babies of their own and be able to work it out and do both..well. And of course I will remind them that they need to also marry someone as patient and supportive as Maslen! (Maybe not so easy as dreaming up a brand new idea...:)

I am thankful people seem to appreciate the hand crafted pillow line and I am excited about the new FALL/WINTER line that is soon coming out. And even more excited to know that interior designers like Elizabeth Hague, Elizabeth Hague, Inc. :: Interior Design, Washington, DC. are asking about custom work! Mas and I are working out details as far as building a long table for screening yardage and my friend Paul Mitchell at State of Mind here in Portland is helping me get set up along with my new friend Eliza Curtis from Etsy!  curtie01 on Etsy  She is amazing and I just adore her! And I love that she is so close! So all in all things are coming together and dreaming up all sorts of things that I can make with yardage---

And as far as junking lately..found some cool larger pieces to eventually do over--I will upload some pics of some cool old furniture I will reupholster with the help of Jana. Found some cool chairs at the goodwill among a cute little sofa at the shop here in Gorham: Tinsel Bright.  Tinsel Bright Trading Co. - Home They have the coolest random stuff along with a great line of kiddos stuff that my girls freak over! Ask for Margot, she is the visionary behind the shop and a very sweet soul. 

Gotta run--the girls are in the living room in a huge box Mas brought up from the basement--playing house--so funny. B put little colored pictures she drew taped to the inside sides explaining how she wanted pictures to hand to decorate the new little fun house! (She's 5). ...very sweet.

e

Maine The Magazine--Style Feature

I wanted to tell you about Maine. The magazine. Culture, People, Locations, Food, Lodging, Art, Retail. Your Maine source. They were kind enough to ask me to be a part of APRIL's style Q&A...I happily said yes and was able to work with an amazing photographer,

Shoshannah White Photography - fine art, editorial, commercial, digital and photo illustration.

When you walk into the Maine Magazine, it's in the heart of the Portland Maine's Old Port in historic brick building--you go up to the second floor where you see the most dynamic beautiful and very stylish space---it's just beautiful and the people inside are even more beautiful--not only cool to look at but the nicest, down to earth and grounded people I have ever met---they run the business as connected individuals..Susan Kelley and Kevin Thomas...they just don't put together a magazine, they live it and believe that Maine is the most amazing place--and tell this story each month in the Maine Magazine. As  they come together, the two of them with such passion and vision for each spread, each photo and each story---methodically thought out--but open to the translation of amazing photographers like Cig Harvey Fine Art Photography and graphic designers like Jennifer Muller (amazing art director). I think it's powerful when like minded people come together and believe in something and let that drive others to create something bigger---almost becoming a cult following and obsession for people like me living and breathing in Maine.

I am so honored to be asked to do some work for this great pub and can't wait to show it here. I am doing two mailing promos that I think is some of my best graphic design work--because A. I had great copy, B. great images C. a design foundation that I could blend my own design aesthetic into... D. and people that get it--I mean, really get it. So to say I am a big fan of Maine Magazine is a under statement but honestly I just really care about these folks and the vision they have. It's funny how you can meet two people and feel the passion they have for what they do--and see that they are creating a magazine that truly represents us--Mainers. (or me a wanna be Mainer or what they call people from "away"..We are all so multi-faceted and finally we are not just lighthouses and lobsters--were artists, designers, architects, doctors, carpenters, boat builders, fisherman, moms and students....from everywhere...we all are people that live here and appreciate the great design and thought that goes into each magazine. 

Thank you for believing in me, and my own personal journey and thank you for letting me be a part of yours.  xo e

RECENT PRESS-Boston Home & Mrs. Lilian

Hello hello! It has been a busy few weeks and orders are coming in pretty steady now..which I am so excited about! If I can just design and print pillows and have people like them I will be one happy designer! Wholesale is so fun...chatting with so many cool people that have fabulous shops all over the place! I want to open my own shop someday but for now I will settle with my etsy shop:) 

erin flett / graphic / surface / textile design by erinflett

Just seems so fun buying cool stuff and putting together amazing collections---I know it's a lot more work then that but I do think it is right up my alley---at least maybe in my far off future. 

I am so excited to write about the little blurp in Boston HOME magazine--they featured Holly Becker, the amazing blogger and one of my little pillows--MR. Nut. Great press and a great write up about some amazing blogs to check out! 

| style carrot |  Elements of Style Blog  decor8  

The second mention is Mrs. Lilien  who I found surfing. She is adorable and I believe a wordy genius and an amazing interior and graphic designer. Please check out her link--simply fantastic and charming! She put together SPRING FEVAH! A adorable little snippet of Spring goodies and I love the fact that she uses DAISY THORN right in the center of her lovely composition! Super super sweet! I am now a die hard follower fan! 

I also wanted to point out an amazing designer that I recently found again--who I have heard of but never fully appreciated his genius: REX RAY. NEW LOVE! He is amazing and talented and finding his work on pillows and rugs now! GO REX RAY! So great to see graphic designers transcends into new areas! Love it. His compositions are layered and abstract and have great use of space and color---BIG FAN.. Rex Ray

More Inspiration I found online recently: Wallpaper, fabric, odds and ends:) Love this set of mid century chairs and table--Enjoy. e

Vintage Flett Finds

My mom and I escaped yesterday for a  few hours to our favorite junking spots and came home with a car full of funky finds!!! (NOT UNUSUAL for us professional junkers:)

Here is a little collection of things I found yesterday. A vintage striped kelly green dress....I just love the shape of this piece. It will need a little work for me to actual wear it but it will be worth it I think---maybe I will wear it over jeans with my frye boots?..I may cut it off a little more--might be way too long? Then I found some cool scarves---my passion. I can't seem to get enough of these little gems...the color palettes are always amazing and great for pulling odd things together for new projects that you wouldn't expect. Plus, I love to wear them---every which way--- And then I was so happy to find a 1937 wallpaper catalog from SEARS! Love love!!! I have been eyeing some of these for months on EBAY and I have never come across one here in Maine yet. Very cool. One thing I love about living here is that everything is so old. I can find the most amazing things in ordinary places because people here seem to keep things around for generations and of course New England is such a old place--not like Europe old but old enough to have a good amount of history---the wallpapers here are extraordinary and bottles---amazing...just don't get that in the midwest...(Colorado) where I am from. 


Anyway, I hope to be working on FALL pillows soon--and these little finds will do the trick getting me started! Enjoy.
e

Orla Kiely Spring Summer Launch! Very Amazing!

I wanted to share my absolute favorites from Orla this Spring Summer! Her prints are so vintage yet so fresh! Very inspirational and beautiful, quirky and fun! 


INSPIRATION: The traditional British seaside holiday comes to life in Orla Kiely’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Inspired by Cornish boat scenes and Patrick Heron paintings, the result is seaside symbols in beautiful fabrics, soft shapes and colors. Emeralds and pebble greys are contrasted by rose and fuchsia pinks. Orla Kiely’s floral prints, a favorite, are updated in the Beach Flora and the Water Flower motifs. Enjoy.

Erin Flett-Pillows

Hello! I put together all the little silos of the pillows..nice to see them all like this. Missing Aria Floral---need to print that one again but here is all the others...Working on a few large orders that just came in and I am so so thankful! If I can just keep going and selling a few here and there I would be thrilled. Something about doing your own work on something others are going to love and enjoy is so modivating and really inspires me. I love paper as you all know, love graphic design, but when you put it on something people will see and feel longer then a life of a brochure---it somehow makes the design more special...because it just lasts longer...sigh...just love designing, printing, being inspired...all of it--- life is good. e

 

Erin Flett in NEW BIG BOOK OF LAYOUTS By Crescent Hill Books

A fun little designy treat-Crescent Hill Books comes out with sweet little and BIG design books and the newest one out will be "THE BIG BOOK OF LAYOUTS." I have 5 graphic design pieces selected to be in this years annual---which finally gets published and out to the world in April. For all you design junkies it's a great collection of cool stuff...this is a sneak peek of the cover to look for- e