Erin Dollar

Thank you Los Angeles + Preparing for San Francisco

July 24, 2013

Renegade LA was such a great show, thanks to everyone who came out to shop! It was really nice to have so many friends (and blog readers!) visit my booth and keep me company over the weekend. I met lots of creative folks, too, and while I wasn’t able to fully explore the entire show, I spotted quite a few new favorites as I browsed the aisles.

If you visited Renegade LA, I hope you got a chance to try the Front Porch Pops, they were SO good! Wanted to try all the flavors, but stuck with Strawberry Lemonade, which was totally refreshing.

Now I’m preparing for Renegade San Francisco, which means I have a bit of printing and sewing to do… hope to share more behind the scenes photos on Instagram throughout the week, so check in there!

Renegade Craft Fair is THIS WEEKEND in Los Angeles!

July 19, 2013

If you live near Los Angeles, come down to Los Angeles State Historic Park (1245 N. Spring St.) for Renegade Craft Fair this weekend! I’ll be there both Saturday and Sunday, from 11-7 each day, selling pillows, tea towels, coasters, postcards, and a few one of a kind items that will not be appearing online.

Come walk around and see what LA’s makers have to offer! There will be food trucks, too, so you can make an afternoon of it. Don’t forget to stop by and say hello, I’m at booth #171 (along with Small Adventure!)

Taking a break with a summer cocktail

July 16, 2013

I’ve been hard at work preparing for Renegade Craft Fair the last few weeks, which means long hours cutting fabric, silkscreen printing, sewing, and ironing. Don’t get me wrong – I love my work, and the feeling of flow I get while I’m working is incredibly fulfilling – but it’s also pretty exhausting when I am preparing for a big show.

One of the hardest things about that grueling schedule is that LA has been pretty darn hot lately, getting into the mid 90’s most days. I drink lots of ice water during the day to stay cool (the AC unit in the studio is unreliable, to put it nicely), but in the evenings, I’ve been cooling off with my favorite cocktail, a Moscow Mule. While I don’t drink it in a copper cup, which is apparently the traditional presentation, it’s just as cool and refreshing in a regular glass.

The recipe is simple: 1/2 ounce lime juice, a few ice cubes, 2 oz. vodka, and 4-6 oz. ginger beer (not ginger ale)

I may even make a non-alcoholic version to enjoy during the day! A little sparkling ginger lemonade sounds pretty good as well. If you have a drink to recommend to help me stay cool, let me know in the comments!

How Cotton & Flax coasters are made

July 15, 2013

When I sell my work in person, the felt coasters are always the most fondled item of the whole collection. Everyone seems to want to pick them up and touch them! I can’t say that I blame my customers for being curious, the thick wool felt I use really is appealing. Today, I thought it would be fun to take a peek into how Cotton & Flax coasters are made.

Cotton & Flax coasters begin their lives as raw wool, which is milled in Germany. The photo above shows the mill which processes the felt I use. Kind of picturesque, wouldn’t you say?

Wool felt is one of the oldest man-made textiles. To produce felt, raw wool undergoes a wet “felting” process, which involves matting, condensing and pressing the fibers. You can see a little of the milling process below, I find those giant machines fascinating.

The felt I use for Cotton & Flax coasters is high quality, eco-friendly, comes in highly saturated colors which are a perfect canvas for my bold patterns. The high standards for fabric dyeing in Germany make this felt safe for everyday use in your home, and safe for the Earth! I order several yards of this luxuriously thick felt at a time, and then hand silkscreen print my patterns onto the felt before cutting it down to size.

So there you have it, a glimpse into how Cotton & Flax coasters are made. You can find lots of fun patterned coasters in the shop, grab a couple sets for your next cocktail party!

New Stockist: Amelia in Oxford, MS

July 12, 2013

I feel so lucky to be adding another fantastic stockist to the list of shops that carry Cotton & Flax goods! This week, it’s Amelia, a wonderfully curated shop in Oxford, Mississippi.

The owner of Amelia, Erin Austin Abbott, is an amazing supporter of indie makers, and stocks her shelves with all sorts of beautiful gifts, many of which are handmade. Amelia is a tiny shop, only 187 square feet, but she manages to create beautifully merchandised displays in the small space – an impressive feat!

If you live nearby, I hope you’ll stop by Amelia and check out my coasters and postcards in person. From what I can see online, the shop features lots of other fantastic items from some of my favorite makers. The stationery selection is particularly awesome, including The Paper Cub, Iron Curtain Press, and Rifle Paper Co.

Flashback to Fall/Winter 2012

July 8, 2013

I spent quite a bit of time over the weekend searching through photos I’ve taken for Cotton & Flax, trying to choose a photo to use on promotional postcards I’ll be bringing to Renegade Craft Fair later this month. I always love rediscovering photos from previous shoots, in this case, the Fall/Winter photoshoot from last year, which I took at the lovely home of Kate Miss. Still love the look of those pillows in her beautiful basket!

Find plus patterned items in the Cotton & Flax shop!