Friday, April 30, 2010

{Fabric Friday} A little Japanese fabric inspiration...

I'm currently working on a cool collaboration that requires me to pick out some new Japanese textiles to use for some plush characters and I'm thoroughly enjoy the research. I always welcome an excuse to by some more Japanese fabrics- as I tend to gravitate towards many  already. During my search last night, I stumbled on a few beautiful collections from Lecien that I thought I would share with you {via Trueup}. The first one is called Spicy Scrap and I was drawn to the blue plaid earlier this year when I made my Nighttime Dewey plush.


The next collection from Lecien is called, "Grandmother's Flower Garden" by Rosalie Quinlan. I love the nod to history that these collections embody. This next one appeals to my softer, more feminine side, while the first one is much bolder and a smidge more modern. 


I am still in searching mode and haven't made up my mind yet. But aren't these colors and textures great? The fabric designs & colors definitely trigger little the nostalgia part of my brain. I am drawn to them because of they remind me of colors and pattern of my past. Do you have a favorite Japanese fabric collection that would like to share? Do any of these fabrics remind you of something from your childhood? Happy Fabric Friday everyone!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

{Handmade with Love} Dollhouse renovation...

Chris and I had a great time designing and dreaming up Sayer's room. Everything in it has a story and a reason for being there. It is full of so many fun handmade items- which I really think is special. One of my favorite things in Sayer's room is a piece of furniture that gets asked about frequently- his changing table/toy shelf. I just recently got another email asking me about where I got it, so  I thought I would share the story of how it came to be. 




My dad made me a dollhouse in the '70's. It was not like the Barbie townhouse that my friends had. But, I did find the elevator from the townhouse at a garage sale & used it in sort of in a Charlie & the Chocolate Factory way (just pulled through the air). This thing was huge and housed my Sunshine Family dolls with style. Over the years Barbie & Ken moved in, about the same time I added the elevator, wallpaper, and mini unicorn & rainbow posters. My dad is not really a carpenter and he and a friend made it in a weekend using a little article that my mom had found in "Sunset Magazine", as inspiration. Needless to say, I had many good years playing with it- and I loved that my dad made it just for me. However, the 80's (the teenage years) came and it was then put in my parent's basement and forgotten about. 



When my parent's moved 5 years ago, I was faced with what to do with my beloved house. It isn't small or lightweight by any means, but I didn't want to give it away. So we stored it in our basement. When Sayer was on the way, Chris started building an office space in our basement so that the room upstairs, that was currently our office, could become Sayer's nursery. He stumbled on my dollhouse and came up with a brilliant plan. He started a mini house "reno" to make it a little less '70's and something that Sayer could use and enjoy. He extended the balcony to make it long enough for a changing table, took the shag carpet out, painted, scraped wallpaper off, added wood, and added a mirror so that Sayer could make faces at himself while he was being changed.  


The finished product turned out better than I could have imagined. I love watching Sayer using it. Now a yellow,wood bus sits in the same garage that my purple, plastic, Barbie Corvette sat and I think that is so cool. Do you have anything from your childhood that you transformed into something different for you child?

Monday, April 26, 2010

{Music Monday} More collaboration on the brain...

I am a little enamored with the collaboration idea and want to share another noteworthy bunch of people. Imogene + Willie is a husband & wife team located in Nashville, TN who hand-craft denim with sewing machines in an old gas station. It's Americana fashion re-defined. John Moessner is a man of many talents  (Moessner Productions) including working with music, audio, video, motion graphics production, plus he writes and sings- with a cd under his belt. What happens when these creative forces collide? An awesome video that makes me want to buy an old gas-station, turn it into a studio, & change the world- while tapping my feet. (image here)



The first time I visited the Imogene + Willie website, I got stuck on their home page watching the intro video that John Moessner made about them.  I probably played it at least ten times in a row. It gave me that hopeful and inspired feeling that music & images can provoke when paired perfectly. I love the space, the concept, the lighting, and the general feel of the video. Moessner's keen ear and love of music is particularly evident in this video. The music that he chose was the Griffin House song, "Give a Little Love" and it completely makes the video (in my opinion). And yes, I did make an itunes visit after watching it.


Live Performance from John Moessner on Vimeo.
I spent some time looking through all of Moessner's projects and found a music video of a live performance of the song, "Charmed Life" by Joy Williams and Trent Dabbs. It had that same relaxed and comforting feel to it and I wanted to share it as well. So once again, here is another example some wonderful collaborations. Happy Music Monday! Has a good video ever peaked your interest in a musician before?

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