Blog - Cotton & Flax

Erin Dollar

Studio Tour – Pinball Publishing

I was lucky to get a small tour of the Pinball Publishing studios while I was in Portland a few weeks ago. They make tons of amazing work using both offset lithography and letterpress, including their famous Scout Books (my boyfriend loves the 33 Bottles of Beer Journal!)

I really admire this print shop, both for their awesome creative team, and their dedication to making awesome things in a sustainable way. A little about Pinball, in their own words:

Pinball is a Creative Publishing Company.

Our Portland, Oregon headquarters include an integrated printing plant, design studio, editorial offices, and a book manufacturing facility. Within its walls, we combine craft and ingenuity to produce results of the highest quality.

Fueled by a passion for ink, paper, and collaboration, Pinball powers a growing web of interconnected projects, including Scout Books, Print Pinball, and Bangback. With all of these endeavors, we use 100% recycled papers, vegetable-based inks, and renewable energy sources.

Even more awesome: they are super kind to animals! Some of the employees bring their pets to work, like this awesome pup who was acting as shop mascot the day I visited.

I have been dreaming about their insane ink storage area ever since my visit… can you imagine having so much ink?! I wish my studio was even a fraction as awesome as the one at Pinball.

*All photos borrowed from the Pinball Publishing website, except the final two photos, which are my own.

Cotton & Flax… in the Desert

I’ll be traveling through the Southwest a few times this holiday season, and I’m excited to be visiting desert climates. I’ll be visiting my boyfriend’s family in Arizona, participating in the awesome Feliz Holiday Sale in Austin (which I know, isn’t technically the desert…), and finally taking a small vacation in Palm Springs. Los Angeles sometimes has a desert vibe (no rain for months on end, anyone?), but traveling through a true desert is eye opening.

I created a small wishlist of things I would love to redecorate my living room with, inspired by the colors and textures of desert living.

1. Prickly Pear print from Becca Stadtlander 2. Concrete Planter from Nobuhiro Sato 3. Eames Rocker from Art of Vintage on 1stDibs 4. Bright Poppy Plus Pillow from Cotton & Flax

Snail Mail Saturday – Summer Vacation Nostalgia

I am seriously nostalgic for my summer vacation right now. I was lucky enough to take a few short trips to visit friends and family this summer: one to San Francisco, one to Arizona, and one to Portland. I didn’t manage to grab any touristy postcards during my travels, but I am loving these snail mail supplies that feature some of my favorite vacation spots.

1. Earthscapes USPS Stamps (reminds me of the view from an airplane!) 2. Portland Bingo Postcard from Bishop Lennon and Amy Ruppel 3. I Left my Heart Postcard from Paper Pastries 4. Arizona USPS Stamp 5. Hawthorne Bridge Postcard from Red Bat Press 6. San Francisco Rubber Stamp Kit from Yellow Owl Workshop

Print of the Week – Linotype: The Film

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/15032988 w=500&h=281]

For fans of printmaking, this may be old news (like, a year after it’s initial release old news…) but I thought it would still be fun to feature here. Linotype: The Film is a feature-length documentary about one of the coolest printing machines ever invented, and it’s about to be released to DVD and digital download (on October 16th!). The Linotype type casting machine was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Thomas Edison, and it revolutionized printing and society. Watch the trailer above to see how this cool, old machine works!

Shooting the Winter/Spring Cotton & Flax Collection

Last week, I spent some time at the lovely home of Kate Miss, shooting some of the new pillows for the Winter/Spring collection. Kate was so generous in offering me her living room for the morning, her home is so immaculately decorated that I barely had to style the shoot at all.

Thought you might enjoy seeing a preview of the upcoming Winter/Spring lookbook. I’m excited with how things are coming together so far, and really looking forward to sharing more soon.

Inspiring Patterns

I’ve been spotting some amazing patterns online recently. Have you seen my Patterns Pinterest board? It’s out of control. Over 900 pins, and I’m not stopping anytime soon.
These four images inspired me this week: (clockwise from top left) Marimekko / Beautiful Tile (frustratingly unattributed) / Chladni Plates (Exquisite patterns emerge from salt scattered on a metal plate which is stroked with a bass fiddle bow, illustrating two dimensional vibration) / Ray Eames with her Dot pattern (also frustratingly unattributed, c’mon internet! Get it together!)