One Fabric Three ways with JiJi's

I am totally swooning over this fabric! It so perfectly sums up the feeling of summer—or perhaps the exact feeling I had today when I looked out the windows of my office at the enormous Iowa sky over the trees and gardens around us. The fabric is Alexander Henry Pink Secret Garden, shown on three different style of bags from JiJi's Creative Designs. Above is the mini clutch.

This one here is the Hobo, which appears big enough to serve as a work bag or a purse (the best combination as far as I'm concerned!). And the one below is her Carryall, which is the most popular style that she sells. JiJi is Korean, but was born in Peru and eventually moved to Brooklyn where she still lives. She sews because she finds it rewarding to be able to give the people she loves things she's made (I do too!) and when she's not sewing, she surfs. Near NYC. Totally impressed!
I really enjoy seeing how one fabric can be used in three very different styles—though for the record, she had many other lovely fabrics so please head over to her etsy shop to see more than just the one I'm obsessed with!

My Best Friend's Wedding- Sneak Peek

Oh, how I love this image! That's Virginia and Dan as they are marrying each other at their wedding this past Saturday. I've promised Virginia that I'd wait until she was back from her honeymoon to do a proper blog post on all of the projects we did for the event, but I needed to share a bit because it was so fantastic. It was such a blessing that I was able to go to CT and spend a few days with Virginia and the rest of the bridesmaids prior to the wedding helping finish up the preparations. We assembled the welcome bags, ran errands, arranged flowers, and help set up the yard. The wedding was in Virginia's mom's backyard and they had been working for months—thank goodness it didn't rain a bit on wedding day and we were able to enjoy the beautiful garden setting!

V is a writer and she recently received this antique typewriter. Luckily, it got a tune up and was ready to be picked up the day prior to the wedding, and served as one of the guest books. Guests typed up notes to the happy couple and many of them, including myself, were amazed at how hard it was to type (compared with a computer) and also how much fun it was.

Here's a sampling of the flowers in the garden in the color palette that had been set for the wedding. Marion and Pat, V's mother and stepfather, spend many months getting the grounds ready and it was truly the loveliest setting for a wedding.

The wedding was small, just over 120 people, and the aisle was lined with mason jars filled with flowers and hung from stands with creme ribbon.

Here you can see an example of the table toppers we made—this was one of the cocktail tables—and the flower arrangements we contributed to the day. I promise to share more once V returns including the invitations, the British crackers we made, more on the welcome bags and the MOST amazing centerpieces that have ever been!

Inspired Image: Caroline of Zouzou Design

Hello! The wedding was amazing, the rain stayed away, and I'm back home in Des Moines. I'll share a bit about the wedding tomorrow, but for today I'm jumping right back into regularly scheduled content with an instant heirloom Q&A with Caroline from Zouzou Design. Enjoy!

Where do you live?
I live in Edinburgh in Scotland.

Tell me a little bit about what you make.
I design and make little fabric Russian, Japanese and Scottish dolls, also digital collage bookmarks and brooches using images of the dolls.

How did you decide to start your line of dolls?
I've always liked Russian nesting dolls then a few years ago I discovered Japanese Kokeshi dolls and thought it would be fun to make them in a different medium, fabric instead of the traditional wood.

How did you learn the craft?
I studied fashion and garment construction at college.

Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way?
I've never actually had a mentor as such, however I have an Etsy shop and find the Etsy community to be a great source of information and inspiration.


How does your creative process work?
I'm never short on ideas for new products and have a concept of what I want to achieve before starting out. When designing a doll for instance, I will begin with the face before making a paper collage, then work on drafting patterns and making calico samples until I get the size and shape I want. Finally I decide on the fabrics I will use.

Where do you find your inspiration?
Like most artists and designers I find inspiration in every day life, however I love fashion and 1950s &60s surface pattern design and they certainly influence my work.

What's the best part of your day?
Although I find I'm more creative in the evening I prefer not to stick too rigidly to routine.

What do you like to do when you're not working on your creations?
When I have time I like to get out of the city and into the lovely countryside outside Edinburgh, also I enjoy reading and catching up with friends.

Do you have a favorite product in your shop right now?
Naturally I like all my products and am always looking to move forward. At the moment I'm working on a digital photomontage print of the Russian dolls which will be in my shop soon.

A brief hiatus

Hello everyone!

I have mentioned a few times that my best friend Virginia is getting married soon and that time is fast approaching. In fact, it's this weekend! Which means that I have many important things to do to help her and her family get everything ready and I'm going to take a brief break from blogging here. I will be posting tomorrow on readymade.com but after that I'm unplugging through early next week so I can fully devote my attention to this important event.

Plus, I've missed my friends and I just don't want to be worrying about anything other than enjoying their wonderful company. Please join me back here in a few days and thanks for understanding!

Q&A: Stephanie Levy

The hands down best part about this blog is getting to know all of you creative people out there. I love nothing more than to get emails from people who I don't know, yet who are making lovely things that instantly make my online world seem like a more complete place. Today I have a little Q&A from Stephanie Levy, an American artist who lives and works in Munich. As soon as you are done reading about her work here, you must head over to her blog to see a tour of her street! It just about makes me want to up and move to Europe—or at the very least start growing vines along the exterior walls of my house!

Where do you live? Munich, Germany

Tell me a little bit about what you make. I make mixed media paintings and collages on paper, canvas, and wooden supports. I especially love to use images of interiors or still lives in my artwork.

How did you decide to start the line? I started reading the blog of an art college friend of mine, Anna Maria Horner and I became fascinated by the interaction taking place between artists and designers all over the world on the Internet. Last year, I decided to start my own blog and Etsy shop, and it's been exciting to create artwork and have immediate feedback. I love that I can use the Internet to promote my own work, rather than waiting to be "discovered."

Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way? Instead of having teachers as mentors, I would say that I am now most inspired by my peers who are also working artists. I try to visit my online artist friends as much as possible on their blogs and on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

How does your creative process work? I usually start with a line drawing which I make based on an image I find  - in a magazine, in a catalog, or from a photograph I took. After this initial drawing is made, I use it to start the painting. Sometimes I use multiple drawings, but most often just one. Then I try to find colors, papers, and patterns that "fit" the drawing. I play around with the structure of the composition for a while, and when I am satisfied, I glue down the collage elements using acrylic medium and add details with acrylic paint.

Where do you find your inspiration? I do my best to notice color combinations and patterns in my daily life, sometimes it's great just to go downtown and walk around. There are always inspiring things to see in the storefronts, on the streets, etc. Perhaps living abroad helps make even everyday things seem a touch more unusual and exciting.

Is this your full time work? Yes.

What's the best part of your day? I do like working in the mornings, but at the moment I usually have at least one child at home during the day. This means that most of my work gets done at nights or on the weekends. I prefer to paint using natural light, so I paint every moment I can when the children are sleeping during the day, or on the weekends when my husband takes the children to the playground.

What do you like to do when you're not working on your art? I also love to cook and bake, take walks, go to movies, go out to dinner with friends, sit at cafes and read or watch people go by...however, having two small children limits some of these activities, so I try to make the best of it and go on an afternoon picnic with the kids when the weather is nice :)

Mom's Quilt Update #5

Big quilting progress! I finished the top of my mom's wall hanging and have it basted and ready to quilt! This is my very favorite point during the process of quilting because I vastly prefer quilting to piecing. Plus, this is the first time I've done a smaller quilting project and I'm just amazed at how fast this is coming together. Usually, my full size quilts take me anywhere from a year to two years, and I believe I started this around Easter.

There's a close up for you so you can see the backing fabric. I basted this with batting in the middle of the two fabric layers and will begin quilting this week. I'm back on the East coast for the week, working in NYC for a few days, then heading up to CT to help with final preparations for Virginia's wedding next weekend. It's going to be my first time back to the city since moving to Des Moines and to be honest, I'm a little nervous, but the fact that I get to see my friends-and finally enjoy V's big day-is totally reassuring!

Inspired Image: Ainhoa of VivaLaModa

Hello, my name is Ainhoa.

You can find me at gilbea.etsy.com and www.vivalamoda.co.cc (VivaLaModa online magazine).

This image comes from Geufel.etsy.com.

It inspires me because I can see that green field extending for miles and miles without end, just that, green grass and blue sky.

I particularly love the color combination. The green grass is really what makes me smile :)

It makes me feel happy! Even though that small house in the vast field should make me feel lonely and small, it just reminds me of spring and summer, and how big nature is compared to us.

The 3 words it conjures up are spring, simplicity, endless.



Ainhoa is the power behind the online zine VivaLaModa, an online-only publication that focuses on handmade and vintage items. She collaborates with makers and other bloggers to put it together and it's also free!! It's filled with tips from fashion trends to makeup ideas, recipes and tutorials. Definitely head over and check out her latest issue.

I'm heading back east later today for a weekend with my parents, a few days working in nyc, then up to CT to be part of Virginia's wedding week! I cannot wait to help with the final touches, like doing some of the floral arrangements and also arranging the welcome bags, and also to see my family and friends. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and get to celebrate Father's Day with those special men in your life.