January 27, 2012 by ahunsaker
Meet Amanda Helmer. Full-time college student and mastermind behind the growing Etsy shop,
Amanda Cathrine Designs, Amanda is responsible for the eye-catching, candy-colored prints you see popping up all over the blogosphere. Her beautiful prints showcase a rainbow of colors and quotable sayings that are both quirky and inspirational at the same time (our favorites are the ones about food!). When we stumbled across her shop, we just knew we had to feature her work in our “
What Inspires Us: Color” story. To find out, among other things, what top’s her reading list this Spring, and to learn about the lemonade stand that helped jumpstart her career (so to speak), keep on readin’ on.
Q. Where do you get all of your ideas from?
A. I find inspiration from so many places! Living in Chicago and attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I am surrounded by some of the most creative and boundary pushing artists in the world. I find that the more I create the more creative I seem to get. My mind seems to open up and absorb everything around me. My ideas come at very random moments. I once woke up in the middle of the night with an idea and had to scramble to grab a pen and paper. When it comes to my color choices, everything from clothes I see people wearing to a location I walk by in the city is taken in. It all inspires me.
Q. When you are not being creative, what are you doing?
A. Many people ask what I do for fun. Honestly, it’s this! As a creative person, this type of job can be all consuming with a never ending stream of ideas so I have to be extremely organized with my time. I am currently a full time student studying art and architectural history. I consider myself so incredibly lucky to have my little business take off like it has. I never expected it and am still learning the balance of running Amanda Catherine Designs while being a student! Besides school and work I enjoy spending time with my friends, 3 amazing sisters, boyfriend, and darling puppy, Peek-a-Boo. I am also an avid reader of Chicago architectural history. If you need a Chicago tour guide, I’m your girl! It’s a little dream of mine to work on the architectural boat tours. One of my many dreams I should say.
Q. What’s on your reading list this Spring?
January 26, 2012 by erobinson
We’ve been reading a lot of buzz about the latest series from photographer Ulrika Kestere. As the story goes, a girl loses her seven, invisible horses on a fierce and windy day while she is hanging her laundry. The four-legged beauties then take the form of windblown linens as the girl scours the earth to find them. Seven breathtaking photographs illustrate the search. We love how this work tells such a whimsical and unique tale using photography. We hope you’ll find it inspiring as well!
January 26, 2012 by bagather
Just in time for Valentine’s Day! We’re smitten with these prints by graphic designer Nicole Martinez. Not only do we love the bold colors, but the quirky sayings (“You fog my spectacles.”) are right up our alley. Embrace your inner nerd this Valentine’s Day, and send one of these greeting cards to that special someone.
Images via NerdyDirty
January 25, 2012 by jrivard
We’ve been feeling creative lately, bursting at the seams with inspiration from places like pinterest, our favorite bloggers, and even our new catalog! We love the photography and color in all of our new spring product. There’s a lot going on in the world for us to take from and run with.
Image via Flickr
We ran across this image of someone’s art journal at the same time our catalog released and needed to start our own. We appreciate the open-ended idea of just drawing and writing whatever comes to mind.
featured: Jasmine Dress, Stella Aluminum and Stainless Steel Watch
Jess, one of our textile designers, whipped up this page with inspiration from our glossy catalog pages. She says, “Classics never go out of style.” Agreed! Did you see the sneak peek on our Instagram (@fossil)? We love those classic dots and stripes, especially when they’re mixed together.
featured: Tessa Cardigan, Betsey Top, Super Skinny Ankle Denim, Vintage Re-Issue Top Zip Flap
Janelle, another textile designer, created this page. Can you tell she’s all about print and pattern? She’s feeling the menswear touches in women’s apparel this season. There are no rules or limits in the world of art journaling, just concentration and creativity—our two favorite things.
January 25, 2012 by ejohnson
We love to take great design elements from the past and combine them with utilitarian pieces to create the perfect mix of vintage and modern in our everyday style. Have you seen our Vintaged Bronze watch collection? These iconic watches have that great authentic finish and casual look, like a piece your fashionable grandfather might have worn. Pass it down from generation to generation—paired with your favorite classic tee, these watches will never go out of style. Check out all our timepieces here.
1 Machine Leather Watch / 2 Vintaged Bronze Chronograph / 3 Parker V Neck Tee
January 24, 2012 by jlopresto
The artist behind wildpulp, C. Owen, finds his inspiration through nature to create “unpolluted design”. These animal silhouette prints, filled with a range of realistic photos of purposefully chosen tree bark, are the perfect marriage between rugged and elegant. See the entire “North American Animals in Bark” collection on the wildpulp etsy page. These eco-friendly prints make the perfect gift for the nature lover in your life!
All Images via wildpulp
January 23, 2012 by NThomas
We were so excited to be invited back to Bread & Butter this year (last year was amazing)! New products weren’t the only thing on display—we brought our very own stamping machine! It’s such a cool way for people all over the globe to get to know our brand. Thanks for being a great host Berlin!
Check out Facebook for more images from the show.
Custom stamping in progress.
Vintage numbers and letters made for great wall decor.
See our Selvedge denim here.
A sneak peak at what’s to come in 2012!
January 23, 2012 by erobinson
We are absolutely smitten with the photography of Charlene Precious. Her vintage-inspired style brings beauty and life to the simplest subjects. We just can’t get enough of the soft, romantic color palette she carries through her photographs. These whimsical prints from her shop will be just in time for February!
all Images via Charlene Precious
January 22, 2012 by bagather
With Valentine’s Day just under a month away, we’re already dreaming up the sweet treats we’ll make in celebration. We’re partial to anything with buttercream frosting so a cake (this recipe is calling our names) might be just the thing to make. Most importantly, we’ll be looking to Potter + Butler to help us decorate the top. From banners to glitter flags, their toppers add that perfect touch of fun and whimsy to any cake. We’re especially smitten with this mini-balloon topper. In celebration of St. Valentine, this garland is certainly the way to go.
Images via Potter + Butler
January 21, 2012 by ejohnson
If you’re searching for that art conversation piece that makes people stop and take notice, look no further. Creative director Jirko Bannas and photobook publisher Oliver Seltmann worked intensively for two years on the idea of the light picture. Out of their hard work came LightBoys, and the tangible model of an ultra-flat, bright, and uniformly-illuminated lightwall. Their goal was to create photographic masterpieces with astonishing intensity and brightness that allows the observer to feel like they are transported through the photograph and a part of something powerful and beautiful. We love their idea and think they accomplished just that.
January 20, 2012 by ahunsaker
We just stumbled upon these beautifully composed original watercolor paintings from Etsy shop, Louisest Art. The artist, who hails from the Netherlands, describes her work as ”colorful, transparent, and poetical”—and we would have to agree!
This abstract blue pattern reminds us of what you might find in a mid-century textile, like an old bark cloth pattern.
All Images via Louisest Art
We also love how the artist takes the very recognizable icon of the heart, and turns it into an abstract work of art. How perfect a gift would this be to give to your “someone special” for Valentine’s Day?
January 19, 2012 by erobinson
We love the look of a letterpress design. It always seems to tell a unique story, steeped in the longstanding tradition of handcraft. Mink Letterpress has combined this technique with the distinct beauty of vintage handkerchiefs in their 2012 calendar. A fusion of pastel hues and vintage florals, the six-page set is perfect for adorning a kitchen wall or desktop!
all Images via Mink Letterpress
January 19, 2012 by bagather
If you’ve ever taken a moment to look down from an airplane window seat then you know just how beautiful the earth is from above. Photographers Brent Yaggi and Sarah Hicks managed to capture this beauty from 2,000 feet up in a Cessna 172. The Denver-based pair spent the last three years flying across the country snapping away at the world below with their Nikon lenses. The image patterns are so amazing! You can purchase one of their 18 x 18 prints in their shop right here.
Images via Patterns From Above
January 18, 2012 by jrivard
Next Monday marks the most important traditional Chinese holiday, Chinese New Year. We love it for its vibrant colors, fun festivities, and great food. The holiday marks the end of the winter season and carries traditions that we can all take with us—to reconcile, release all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness to everyone. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, families gather for a huge reunion dinner never finishing what’s on their plates to signify abundance and good fortune. We’re wishing this year we could see it first hand.
Image via MSNBC
Red represents power, happiness, vitality, and traditionally, scares away beasts. It allows you to start the new year with a fresh and prosperous beginning. We love the shapes of all the lanterns, and the gold details (gold representing wealth and good fortune) that adorn them.
Image via Kokken
For our own festivities, we found this recipe for crispy golden prawn with lemon mayonnaise. Even if we aren’t in an area with a huge celebration, there’s no reason we can’t bring the celebration here!
Image via Etsy
We like the idea of spreading good fortune and positive vibes all year long. What a fun idea to wear this copper fortune cookie around our necks as a constant (quirky and stylish) reminder.
January 18, 2012 by ejohnson
images via Etsy.
Luke is the owner, lamp builder, label maker, supplies buyer, customer service representative, call center operator, lamp repairer, light finder, and delivery man of Luke Lamp Co., a company he started during the summer of 2011 while on a family trip through New Hampshire. Through extensive thrift shopping and tag sale scavenging, he decided that too much old lighting was going to waste and he was going to give new life to old and tired pieces. We were inspired by Luke’s hobby-turned-business and loved the idea of such affordable custom lighting for our home. Well done sir!
