i'm a big fan of DIY projects

i am always a fan of DIY projects- especially ones that involve sewing lately. i am hooked since i received lotta jansdotter's book in the mail. i was so excited to spot the curiosity shoppe featuring a simplicity pattern (above and here). i am so tempted to go look through old patterns at the fabric store for some cool tops for summer... for some great sewing inspiration check out elleybeth's flickr site- just found her on flickr- she does alot with old simplicity patterns. this is my favorite.

congrats jen corace!

just wanted to say congrats to jen corace whose work appeared in april '07 of real simple. i always steal my mother's copy to read, because i love the way they do their prop photography. i am also intrigued by the paper sculptures at the beginning of each section... anyways, i was looking through it and thought, "those illustrations look familar", saw jen's name, and was excited. check out her website and her podcast on design*sponge (scroll down). cheers!

more pictures

p.s.- my flickr site has some pictures of what i've been doing recently, and i update it with inspiration from the world around me too. check it out.

i am (apparently) addicted to coffee mugs

just thought i would share how i love coffee mugs- here are a couple that i have recently purchased. i had given up on goodwills and such for good finds, but i now have the goodwill bug again- but i only give myself 20 minutes in the store, turns out that helps me. do you want to go on a search with me soon?

UNIFORM studio

I stumbled upon UNIFORM studio’s work on etsy a while back, and somehow, searching for inspiration on the internet led me back to them. I am amazed at how beautiful simplicity is at times. Their work speaks for itself, so check out their flickr here for great shots and their etsy for purchasing.

appetite

appetite has a growing following, especially in her town of Portland. I first saw Erin's stuff when my friend purchased some at the Portland Saturday Market, where she still is weekly. I love how each person interprets nature and botanical themes, and I admire her willingness to handprint every item and fabric. My favorite is the rust colored messenger bag (above- and actually on her flickr site) right now, and beside it is the green fern pillow. you can find her on appetite's etsy shop, or in Portland if you are near there, but definately check out her flickr site for great inspiration and a broader idea of what she does.

look to the left

attention!
look to the left for a brand new section: west coast resources. ilove having resources and places to go to work on projects, and these are exactly it. when I lived near Portland, I used the IPRC as much as I could. For anyone near Portland, I definitely recommend it. It’s a great place for an intro to letterpress (if you can get into the intro class! It’s always full). feel free to email me with any suggestions for the list- this is just the beginning.

chicago

so i am registered for my conference in chicago! I am so excited that i'm going to be making a trip to a large metropolis. you can look forward to some great pictures and posts on that trip. (the trip is in june by the way) check out the conference site here, i'm mostly excited about the guest speakers, especially audrey niffenegger. check her site out here.

my flickr site

hey friends-
check out my flickr site for some fun and some past post pictures.
i updated it today with some great pictures from a visit to the park, and i happened to be wearing a scarf and a bag i had made, so i decided to get some pictures of them. check it out here.

on my wish list this week

passenger pigeon is a great brand. they have been sticking to using sustainable practices and tons of creativity since 2005. it's easy to see why they have been quite successful. i stumbled upon their stuff somewhere along the internet world, and every once in a while i have to peruse their page for some drooling. click here for their site. seriously- spend at least 10 minutes on their site being inspired.
(above is the screen printed wrap dress from the spring 06 collection- hand printed/ hemp/cotton/tencel blend.)

an inspirational blog

camilla engman is always an inspiration- and i recently was checking out her own blog- and wanted to pass it on. here is the link- her illustrations always make me want to sit down and do ink and watercolor pieces. I absolutely love it!

apology and future plans

hello friends-

once again i apologize for sporatic posting- it's been happening with change of schedules around here. anyways- some exciting news: i think i will be heading to chicago in june for a conference on printing/ book arts at columbia college (where i would love to go to grad school). plans have yet to firm up but it's looking like daniel and i will be making a trip.
let me know if i should check out anything there.
i am most excited (besides the museums, etc.) for the public art! it has the most public art of any city.
i will definately update with pictures- more news on the trip to come.

cheers.
-c

ginko wallet

Just an update- I did purchase that wallet I talked about below- it’s so great. I got the grey one with an orange ginko leaf. Cute!

papered together

One thing I can never resist is great letterpress anything. Papered Together does some great coasters and cards- I found them on etsy the other day and then ran across their work in Modern (I also found out that the owner of Modern is an avid design*sponge reader- no wonder why they always have the best stuff!) They seem to always have fun with their work and they use the best ink colors! Check their etsy shop out here.

make your own lightbox

This is great- everyone can make a great lightbox at home for shooting prop photos, or for using on your etsy account. Check out this link for the Make blog- they make a great publication and have branched out into Craft also. I get Craft in the mail, and it inspired me to try screenprinting at home again- which was a success in our art group- hooray!
p.s. the Make blog won best craft weblog from weblog awards this year- check them out.

next on my wish list

next on my list is this wallet from Queen Bee Creations, located in Portland, OR. i found their stuff when i lived near portland, and loved it. i purchased a large wallet of theirs and have used it for over a year now and it still looks great! when we were at Modern the other day, purchasing our print, i saw the new small wallets Queen Bee is making, and wanted one very badly! i told myself that once i got a new job i would reward myself with one- so i'm headed there today to pick one up! go here to purchase their work online.

i apologize

I’m really sorry about not posting the last couple days, I have started a new job and am getting used to the schedule. I should be back on track this week. The job is going well, way more fun than the previous one- I am excited to be working with some great people.

mid-century danish daybeds

I wouldn’t normally want to promote huge corporations on here, but I was so stricken by Urban Outfitters interpretation of the mid-century Danish daybeds that are oh-so-popular right now. I got a catalog in the mail from them, and instantly fell in love. It’s cheaper than others I’ve seen, but still spendy for me (480 + 118 shipping). I want one when we get a house. I can’t wait.

cool prints for our house

After watching the great sneak peeks that design*sponge has been featuring, and seeing people’s great living spaces on flickr, Daniel and I have been talking about finding a space of our own soon. (we are currently in a shared living situation) and I am so inspired to do painting in rooms and hanging of some cool art.

Speaking of cool art, over the weekend we had purchased a great print by Ashleyg who I had found on etsy. I had been thinking about purchasing her work, and we happened to stop by Modern (in eugene) and they were selling her prints! They are so adorable that we got one, and it’s called “I like your scarf” (the one shown above). Check out her other work here.

sarajo frieden- a fun illustrator

Check out her website here, although it’s unfinished, it makes me so happy. I can’t wait until she gets it finished. I found her by way of design*sponge who featured her beautiful home. Check it out- especially the tree on her wall. I love it!

student's work coming up

Hey look forward to some cool interviews soon- I’m going to be featuring some student’s work soon. Stay tuned. I’m headed to check out some potentials tomorrow…

(Ashley if you’re reading this, I know it’s short, but I tried.)

ladydove

Thanks to the lovely Dagua, who was willing to be the first shop featured here on adaptation design. Dagua creates custom wedding dresses, along with having seasonal lines of clothing and accessories. Her shop is a very calm and inspiring place that I love to visit. Check out some additional pictures of her shop on my flickr site here.

what's your shops name and location?
ladydove, on 13th and High. eugene, or

what's the best business advice you've been given?
My husband said, it's going to be the hardest job you've ever had, you’re not going to make much money, you won’t have benefits, but it will be the most rewarding thing you've ever done, and that's absolutely true.

i appreciate advice for the most part, most of the time it's valuable, one thing I was also told was, when you're thinking about starting your own business, you need to involve a lot of people, but you only want to be involved with enthusiastic people.
when people are interested and have that energy, it makes growth for everyone.

list a couple things that inspire you (and your designs):
i'm a really old fashioned person in some ways, i really like old british literature, jane austen, things like that.
I have appreciation for 70s earthy chic and denim, most that inspires me is ancient and organic.

i often like complicated designs, but don't like to execute them. i use deceptively simple designs, things that accentuate the body.
I don't have to look very far for inspiration, I enjoy everyday things.
what are a couple things in the store that you really like right now.
the pants design, the coolats. i really want to make some of those for myself.

where do you want ladydove to go in the next couple years?
Well, I wasn't planning on retail space, but i know more about that, so i kind of put the cart before the horse. The store is kind of struggling, I don't know if it will stay like this, or if it will turn into wholesale production and selling like that.
I do know that i can't stop designing clothes, and want to keep making them.
I like the idea of being part of a collective, everyone having equal ownership, so we will see where that goes.

stay tuned

coming this weekend- first shop feature!(sneak peek above)
my new friend dagua of ladydove is nice enough to be the first one to be featured.
be kind and visit her shop for inspiration and some awesome handmade stuff.

this weeks wish

who knew you would want keds again? eleanor grosch’s collaboration with keds is the best thing that has happened to the shoe company. eleanor runs Push Me Pull You design, mainly in rock posters, and such, find them here. she has translated her poster style into patterns for shoes. she has such a fun clean, graphic style that she makes you want to own every pair of shoes.I have been wanting these for a while now, but she has come out with even more! check them out here.

flickr site

slow but steady i’m adding pictures to my flickr. I finally got the pictures to work on the computer, so I can definitely start the etsy life soon.