Behind the Scenes

The Holiday Collection is Here!

October 29, 2015

I’m so excited to debut new cloth napkins, drink coasters, and felt trivets today, as part Cotton & Flax’s new Holiday Collection! All the tabletop goods in this collection are designed with entertaining in mind. This time of year can be hectic, and slowing down to enjoy a meal or a drink with friends and loved ones is one of the best ways to mark the season.

I aim to create pieces that will make hosting a dinner party or cocktail hour a little more fun. I hope this California-inspired lookbook gets you excited about entertaining friends during the holiday season.

This new afterparty napkin design comes in two colorways: flax linen (a Cotton & Flax classic), or a beautiful dark green, which is a gross between a dark forest and teal shade. Either option makes a great addition to holiday cocktail hour.

Trivets are finally back in the shop! Felt trivets have become a staple in my home, they make any dinner table feel more festive. Plus, they are as useful as they are beautiful – they protect your table top from heat and scratches, while adding a graphic pop of pattern to the decor.

This lookbook came together with the help of some amazing friends: Laure Joliet photographed the scene, expertly styled by Caroline Hwang. My lovely friends Katie and Lisa also joined us for the afternoon, and the dinner that Caroline created for us was truly delicious. I love the way Laure’s photos capture magic hour in LA.

I’ll be sharing more details about the individual products in the collection in the next week, but you visit the shop now to see what’s new. Let me know what you think of the holiday collection over on Instagram or Twitter!

Thoughts on Creativity – Erin Dollar on the Elise Gets Crafty Podcast

July 29, 2015

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Elise Blaha Cripe about burnout and creativity for an episode of her podcast, Elise Gets Crafty. I love sharing my experience with nurturing creativity in my business, so this conversation was one a particularly engaging conversation.

I still have lots to learn about how to avoid burnout (if you listen to the podcast, you’ll hear how I work to survive the holiday season craziness every year…), but it was fun to hear Elise’s perspective on this subject. The photo above is Elise’s favorite quote from the episode.

You can listen to the show by downloading via iTunes, or visit the show notes on Elise’s website. If you enjoyed the episode, let me know over on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Creating patterned notebooks with Scout Books

May 16, 2015

If you follow Cotton & Flax on social media, you may have seen previews of a new product that debuts on Monday: patterned pocket-sized notebooks! I was so excited to partner with Scout Books to expand their collection of artist-designed notebooks, and to add these new pieces to the Cotton & Flax collection.

While I was in Portland in April, I met with the team at Scout Books as we worked to put the finishing touches on our collaboration. I had the pleasure of touring the Scout Books headquarters, and getting a look behind the scenes in their offices and workshop. You may have seen the photos I took over on Instagram, and Meg from Scout Books sent over a few extra photos for me to share.

Scout Books creates custom notebooks using 100% recycled papers in their SE Portland studio. After combing their archives, I was impressed with the wide variety of projects they’ve taken on over the years – so many awesome notebooks designs created in collaboration with some of my favorite artists!

The collection we created for this collaboration consists of seven notebooks, four gold and three light blue. The team at Scout Books worked with me to match the gold ochre and light blue inks with the fabrics I use for my collection. After looking around the Scout Books studio, I was really impressed with how efficient their setup is. It was so cool to see the presses in action, and to see how the notebooks were made.

The new notebooks will officially debut in the shop on Monday! If you’re planning to attend the National Stationery Show in New York this week, stop by booth #1340 to say hello to the Scout Books team, and see these notebooks in person. I’m a huge stationery nerd, so I wish I could be there in person – instead, I’ll just be cheering from the sidelines, and following along on Instagram.

Don’t forget to sign up for email updates, so you’ll be first to know when the new notebooks go on sale.

Mother’s Day is May 10th!

May 4, 2015

If you need to pick up a Mother’s Day gift, check out our tea towels and sachets, which make great gifts for Mom. Cotton & Flax also offers gift wrapping with a gift note option, so you can send your gift directly to her door in time for Sunday.

Wondering about that super cute gold foil card? It’s made by my friend Katie, who runs a stationery company here in LA called The Good Twin Co.! I just sent my Mom one of her cards – hope she likes it. 🙂

Using Up the Scraps – Maintaining a Green Studio

April 14, 2015

Many of the decisions that I make while I’m designing for Cotton & Flax are fueled by my love for the environment and my interest in sustainable design. I work hard to create as little waste as possible in my projects, but inevitably there are small scraps of leftover fabric, which I store in the studio, hoping that I’ll find a use for them.

In an attempt to make use of these small scraps, I’m collaborating with a local LA maker to create a brand new product for the Cotton & Flax shop, which I’m excited to debut in just a matter of days! I also reached out to some of my favorite textile artists, to see if they might have a use for some felt scraps in their work. While a zero waste studio is a lofty goal, I’m excited to find new ways to creatively reuse fabric that would otherwise be discarded.

This is one of the great things about being a small business (tiny, really — the printing studio is just 72 sq feet!); I’m able to be more creative about how I run things behind the scenes, which means I have the ability to make more ecologically sound choices. By keeping the production for Cotton & Flax in-house, I can keep waste to a minimum, and use environmentally friendly materials, like sustainable linens and water-based, non-toxic inks. As the business grows, I’ll be making a conscious effort to partner with manufacturers who can help me produce my work with similar ethical guidelines in place.

I’d love to hear what you think about my effort to maintain a green studio – get in touch on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to let me know what you think!

Business advice on Design Sponge

March 26, 2015

Feeling grateful this week for the opportunity to share my insights into running a small business on Design*Sponge for their Life and Business series. Visit Design*Sponge to read my interview, and learn more about all the ups and downs of running Cotton & Flax (plus, bonus life advice from Tina Fey!).