Erin Dollar

The Next Photoshoot

February 18, 2013

I’ve been sewing up a storm around here, preparing for my next big photoshoot of all the new designs and colorways. I tallied up all the different products I’ll be offering through Cotton & Flax… and the total surprised me. While Cotton & Flax currently offers four different products (two sizes of pillows, tea towels, and coasters) the vast number of pattern and color combinations means that I’ve got dozens of pieces I haven’t been able to share yet. Looking forward to March, when I will have photographed them all!

Cotton & Flax at Oh Hello Friend in Fullerton

February 8, 2013

You can now find a selection of Cotton & Flax pillows at Oh Hello Friend‘s new retail shop in Fullerton, CA! I visited the shop this afternoon, it’s filled with lovely things, both vintage and handmade.

The owner, Danni, has such a great eye for merchandising her shop. The displays are just as beautiful as the products, and Danni takes care to stock her shelves with all sorts of affordable gifts.

Don’t you love the vintage cash register? Visit Oh Hello Friend at 122 N. Harbor Blvd. Suite 103 in Fullerton, CA.

Valentine’s Day DIY – Eraser Heart Prints

February 5, 2013

Riffing off my other eraser printing DIY project, which uses a new pencil eraser to make cute polka dotted gift wrap, I thought I’d take that DIY a little further for Valentine’s Day. I love using stamps to make patterned gift wrap or cards, and carving your own heart stamp is super easy!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Varied cards or papers
Envelopes
Stamp pad
Carving tools (I use an x-acto knife and a small printmaking carving tool)
One brand new pencil with an eraser, one pencil to draw with

Start by drawing a little heart on the unused eraser. This will be your guide as you carve.

Proceed by carefully (and I mean CAREFULLY! I don’t want anyone getting hurt!) cutting around the edge of your drawing, and cutting away the edges. It’s very easy to accidentally lob off the whole eraser if you’re going too fast, so take your time. Watch out for your fingers, those x-acto knives are sharp!

All that’s left to do is stamp! I used a black stamp pad, but you could use any color. I would love to do this project using neon pink ink. You can go super simple, just stamping a single tiny heart on the card or envelope, or you can go wild!

I made a few different versions, one of which I am sending to my sister. I made her address label using some of the leftover paper! Hope you’re inspired to send a sweet snail mail valentine to someone you love.

Want to receive the Cotton & Flax Newsletter?

February 3, 2013

I’m preparing the first Cotton & Flax newsletter, something I have been meaning to do for months now. This first email will be more of a reintroduction to Cotton & Flax, and will include a coupon code to use in the Cotton & Flax shop this month! Sign up now to get deals and sneak peeks straight to your inbox.

Photographing the collection

February 1, 2013

It seems to take me way too long to take photos of new work. Slowly but surely, though, I am amassing more photos of the newer items for the Cotton & Flax shop. I hope to share more here on the blog soon.

Snail Mail Saturday – Vintage Stamps from Verde Studio

January 19, 2013

While I don’t often use vintage stamps for my own letters, I am feeling pretty tempted by the offerings from Verde Studio. So many beautiful vintage stamps.

She offers sets of multiple stamps, that should equal enough postage to send a simple letter. I love the creative way that she pairs up the stamps, like this pair of bridges and a stamp for the Metropolitan Opera.