Just a few things

September 20, 2011

I’m looking for folks who want to share share their homes via a virtual home and/or studio tour. You can see past examples here.

Do you want to share a book you just read, put together a curated collection based on a book, do a top ten book list or have some other idea for the Indie Fixx Book Club? Get in touch, the Book Club is long overdue!

I’m also looking for designers who want to share their creative process from the sketchbook to the finished product. See what I’m talking about here.

Are you an organizer? Solved an organizational problem or have one that needs solving? Please share for How Do You Organize?!

I’m also looking for folks for both Joie and Indie Fixx who are interested in writing and sharing holiday-themed tutorials and diy projects.

Finally, I’m thinking it’s time for another Weekly Photo Challenge….do you have any thoughts on a theme? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

To get in touch, you can email me here.

Filed in Designer's Sketchbook, Fun Stuff, Home Tours, Indie Fixx book Club, Organization | Tagged weekly photo challenge | Comments (0) »

Designer’s Sketchbook: Polly Danger

November 18, 2010

I have always been interested in behind the scenes stuff. Even as a kid, I wanted to know about the author behind the story, what was happening behind the curtain on stage or where the animals went when they weren’t in their enclosures at the zoo. On Mister Rogers’ my favorite part was always the Picture Picture How Things are made tours, especially the crayon factory tour!

I’ve never really outgrown that curiosity and this blog leads me to all sorts of interesting stuff. Like my series, Designer’s Sketchbook, for which I share the work behind the work of one designer/crafter/artist. I think it’s just utterly fascinating to learn how people come up with their ideas and how they implement them and then to get a glimpse into that process with some pictures. Don’t you? Of course, you do, that’s why you are here!

For this edition of Designer’s Sketchbook, Polly Danger (not her real name, but how cute is that?) shares her sketchbook and process with us. Polly is a crafter & blogger and you can find her handmade bags + accessories HERE and her craftaliscious handmade notions HERE.

I’d love to feature you for Designer’s Sketchbook! Just shoot me an email along with some pictures and I will take a look.

Where do you get your inspiration? Why do you draw/create?

I’m inspired by fantastical and magical environments. Sometimes they are places that I have actually been, sometimes they’re scenes in books or movies, and sometimes they’re just places in my imagination. I fall in love with those places, and when I make things I’m trying to take other people there too. Some recurring scenes and themes that find themselves in my shop are ornate tea tents in summer gardens, sweet shops, blustery walks to school, and trips down the boardwalk.

What is your creative process like? Do you work in steps?

First I fall in love. Either with a fabric, a shape, a passage in a book, or a movie set. No matter what I’m making I know that I have to absolutely, positively be completely in love. I’ve made the mistake of making mass quantities of something that I think will just sell well, and I realized that making things is only worth it if I’m making something incredible.

Once I’ve fallen in love, I draw a basic sketch and let the idea stew in my brain until I have a more concrete idea of the shape and use for my product. I let that brew some more and go back and draw a more detailed version. Because my fabric combinations are so integral to my product design I like to go through my fabrics and glue fabric swatches onto the design page. Next I make and re-make a pattern until I get just the thing that I had in my mind.

How long does it take you from your original idea to a finished drawing (product)?

That depends on the time of year, actually! There are times when I have extra free time and I feel so inspired that I can complete a project in a single day. Other times the process can take a whole month. Sometimes a project remains on hold until I find just the right fabric to suit the work.

Do you use all the ideas & sketches you come up with or do you or weed your ideas before bringing them to fruition?

I weed like crazy. I used to make a sample, like it for ten minutes, and then start cutting fabric to kingdom come. A couple of weeks later, I’d have tons and tons of fabric cut only to realize that I wasn’t really that fond of the design. I wasted a lot of time and money that way. Now I make a product and let it sit in my office for a while. If I find myself thinking about how cute it is at random points in the day for the next few days, then I know I’ve got a great design and I can push forward and make more.

What has been your favorite project or design as of late?

My Candy Shop Totes are by far my favorite project. I made the first one more than two years ago, but it’s impossible to get tired of the lovely round shape and scalloped appliques. I like to experiment with pairing polka dots with floral prints, stripes with solid fabrics, etc. They’re relatively simple, but so sweet and feminine that I just swoon for each and every one!

Filed in Accessories, Crafty stuff, Designer's Sketchbook | Tagged Interviews | Comments (1) »

Designer’s Sketchbook: Lorena Martinez from Gemagenta

October 18, 2010

It’s been a long while since I’ve shared a Designer’s Sketchbook post, but the series is back! For this edition, Lorena Martinez from Gemagenta opens up her sketchbook to give us a peek at her work and process. She also shares some of her inspirations, what her creative process is like and more.

What about you? If you are a designer and are interested in being featured for Designer’s Sketchbook, I’d love to take a look at your work! Just shoot me an email.

1. Where do you get most of your inspiration from?

I find inspiration in nature, traveling, my Latin roots, dreams, music, art, movies, everyday experiences… there are so many things that boost my creativity! These various sources of inspiration are then reflected in my jewelry collections, that may go from romantic, to ethnic, to organic or to geometric. I sketch everywhere. I always carry my camera and my “Inspiration Diary” everywhere. If they don’t fit in my bag, I at least I a pen. Inspiration may arrive anytime. However, that’s just the beginning, because developing that idea becomes a long and somewhat structured process.

3. Take us through your creative process.

Firstly, I put all of the ideas and related info in my “Inspiration Diary”: quick and imprecise sketches, clue words, pictures, materials, etc. Then I take that idea and I start developing it in spreadsheets, generally made of recycled paper – I make many drawings, I write concepts, measurements, and sometimes I even make little dummies in board or metal, or a digital render. Finally, once the design is ready, I start crafting it and I also document all the processes and times involved in my “Workshop Diary”, where I keep all the little technical details related with the creation of each of the pieces.

4. Generally, how long until an idea comes to fruition?

Generally 2-3 months since the idea first came into being. I like to have time to assimilate and develop it. I’ve also created complete series in 3 or 4 days and some other ones are still in development from a long time ago.

5. Would you say that you come up with way more designs than you actually create or do you use most of your sketches and ideas?

I have so many more sketches than actual pieces of jewelry. Many ideas are waiting in my diaries to come alive. That’s why it’s super important to document everything, I don’t trust my memory that much.

6. How do you design? In spurts, here and there, or do you generally design a complete collection all at once?

Generally I think in small collections (like Quetzal, 199 Carats or Botanico). I like developing a concept to its max so I can offer different jewelry formats and prices.

I share part of that inspiration and development process on my blog, because I like to let potential owners know how their jewels were born, the story they tell and the symbolism they hide. I’m always looking to create pieces with an interesting and meaningful background.

7. What’s been your favorite design so see come alive?

That’s so difficult, every piece is exciting, and each one of them involved a lot of challenges, but I’d say my lost wax Succulent Pot Ring. It was the first time I sculpted something in wax with my own hands! (I have designed wax prototypes before, but only on a computer). I really enjoyed the whole process and then seeing the prototype transformed in a metal ring was amazing.

Filed in Designer's Sketchbook, Jewels | | Comments (5) »

Designer’s Sketchbook: Cheyne from Cut Out and Collect

April 22, 2010

Cheyne Little from Cut Out and Collect sent me a page from her sketchbook for this edition of Designer’s Sketchbook. Cheyne makes fabric bags and pouches and you can see more of her work on her website. She answered some questions about her design process and how she gets from idea to finished product as well.

What about you? If you are a designer and are interested in being featured for Designer’s Sketchbook, I’d love to take a look at your work! Just shoot me an email.

Now onto Cheyne’s Sketchbook!

1. What are your current design inspirations?

I’m wildly inspired by the seasons – growth, change, decay – and all of the beautiful shapes and colors brought about by each. I also find my creative friends and team members to be incredibly motivational.

2. What’s your creative process like?

In a word? Messy. I had a printmaking professor who lectured us on the importance of keeping messy stacks of notes and books filled with unorganized ideas and doodles and nothing you would particularly want to show off. I really took that to heart. I have little books of all sizes with to-do lists and doodles working out line art for embroidery patterns. Each project’s planning phase is different. The execution is always the same: I hear a good song, I find the way I want to draw that leaf, I know the shape of the pocket, and suddenly I’m lost for hours in a sea of fabric and thread.

3. Do you work in collections? Or just add new designs as they come to you?

I work one bag at a time. This doesn’t quiet lend itself to traditional lines but I do find that I will work with an image or idea for a few bags at a time (for example: I currently have an obsession with laurel wreaths and their rich symbology in academia and otherwise. The laureate bag and a few others come from that). I also like to revisit ideas I’ve worked on previously. Perhaps I’m just not ready to work in entire lines!

4. Do you come up with a design 1st and then source materials or source materials and then get inspired by your raw materials?

A great fabric print or vivid linen color can make my heart feel like it may explode. I usually purchase my textiles and notions to begin with, choosing colors that I need and finding new combinations to work with and supplement them as I go along… I’ve been working hard to create more of my own prints with piecework or embroidery.

5. Do you generally sketch out ideas 1st before coming up with a new design?

I may not create beautiful, detailed sketches but each bag pattern started with a sketch. Sometimes they’re a tiny line drawing on receipt paper. Occasionally they’re more detailed and finished. Often, I sketch directly onto my pattern tissue paper to get a real idea for scale.

I believe that thinking within the confines of one sketchbook will inhibit you. Thinking that your sketchbook should be full of pages and pages of finished works of art and perfection is a sure-fire way of making sure your sketchbook is left completely blank.

Filed in Accessories, Designer's Sketchbook | | Comments (1) »

Designer’s Sketchbook: Emily from mchen wears

March 23, 2010

You guys really seem to be enjoying the Designer’s Sketchbook feature and I’m glad, it’s some real fun for me as well! For today’s edition, Emily Chen of Mchen Wears, a fun & quirky screenprinted tee shirt line, shares some pages from her sketchbook. Emily also shares some of her inspirations and what her creative process is like.

1. Can you share what inspires you in your design creation?

Many of my designs come from wordplay and coming up with different ways of looking at words. I over think just about everything, so I feed off anything from everyday life to dreams, from what I hear on the news to other people’s art.

2. What’s your creative process like?

Endless list-making and doodling, with a lot of my best ideas occurring to me just before I fall asleep or wake up. Almost all the brainstorming is done with paper and pen, but all the final artwork is done on my computer.

3. How long from from an idea to finished tee?

Some designs are spontaneous and occur right as I’m working on my computer (I love my Wacom Cintiq 21UX Others brew for months in my sketchbook and brain. I tend to work on the tees in fits and starts, since my day job (I’m a freelance designer/illustrator) and life can sometimes take over; as a result, my creative process is interrupted frequently.

4. Do you use all the ideas & sketches you come up with or do you or weed your ideas before bringing them to fruition?

I have pages of ideas that haven’t seen the light of day – some will never make it onto a tee, but many are just waiting for me to get around to them. I edit myself a lot; because silkscreening is such an involved and long process, I have to really love and believe in a design to carry it out all the way.

5. What’s been your favorite design that you’ve created so far?

That’s a tough one, since many are meaningful in their own way. The re[CAP] design is especially close to my heart because I absolutely adore chickadees. The first song my husband John and I danced to at our wedding was “Chickadee” by Meredith Luce, and we love going out to feed them at a local park (they come sit on our heads!). On top of that, John was the one who actually came up with the concept for the illustration, so it’s just a very mooshy feel-good design for me.

Filed in Designer's Sketchbook, Stuff for Guys, Threads | | Comments (2) »

Designer’s Sketchbook: Amy from Amy Holton Designs

March 09, 2010

Designer’s Sketchbook is back from a very long hiatus with jewelry designer Amy Holton. Amy very generously shares some lovely pictures of her sketches and finished designs, as well as answers some questions about her designing process and work.

If you are a designer and are interested in being featured for Designer’s Sketchbook, I’d love to take a look at your work! Just shoot me an email.

Turquoise and Carnelian Necklace & Sketch. Necklace features an 18″ handmade chain.

1. What’s your creative process like?

All over the place! I’m so systematic about most things in my life. With my jewelry, only recently I find myself working on one design for a bit, then picking up another. Very unusual for me. Normally I’ll lay everything out and work on one piece until it’s finished…or I can’t take it anymore and have to step away for the day!

Ideas come to me at the strangest times and can be influenced by any random thing, so I keep my little sketchbook in my handbag for doodling ideas. Sometimes I actually sit and sketch out a design in detail beforehand and work from a plan. I’ll also make notes in my sketchbook as I go so I can refer back to know exactly how I’ve constructed a piece. I’ve been working on a very elaborate multi-colored sapphire necklace of layers and layers of chain, which I’ve posted the progress of on my blog. While it looks similar to the mental picture, it’s one of those designs that just can’t be drawn out and planned, so it evolves as I go.

Amethyst Flower Briolette Necklace. Inspired by Amy’s sister, whose birthstone is amethyst.

2.How long until an idea comes to fruition?

It can be from a matter of hours, to weeks and even years for some. There’s one particular design that I’ve been working on sporadically for several years. It’s quite intricate and will definitely be a statement/showpiece design, I’m still mentally working out the engineering of the whole thing. I really love intricate, labor intensive projects.

Other times, once I have an idea I can’t wait to see a piece finished. It’s punishment waiting for materials to come in and I stalk my postman. By the time my materials arrive, I’ll have a definite idea of how I want to work on a piece and work start to finish if I can.

Emerald Hammered Hoop Earrings. A design Amy carried around in her head and mentally redesigned several times before creating this version.

3. Do you come up with a design 1st and then source materials or source materials and then get inspired by your raw materials?

Both, actually. I can become very distracted by shiny things and the Internet can be a dangerous place! Obviously this isn’t the most cost-effective way of working, but if a stone’s cut or color is particularly breathtaking, I just have to have it. High quality, micro-faceted gems are a bit of an addiction. The emeralds I used in the earrings were one such purchase. At least these “I have to have” purchases do always find their way into a design and I do go through my stash often looking for inspiration if I’m in a lull.

Other times, I have very specific ideas and buy materials accordingly. I’ve recently purchased some prasiolite (green amethyst) and tunduru sapphires for specific pieces that I’ll soon be ready to add to the site. These earrings are one such piece and were just completed last night.

Filed in Designer's Sketchbook, Jewels | | Comments (5) »