Collaborations

New Patterned Notebooks – A Collaboration with Scout Books

May 18, 2015

They’ve been months in the making, and today I finally get to debut seven new patterned notebooks, created in collaboration with Scout Books! The collection includes six pocket-sized notebooks in light blue and gold ochre, as well as one larger sized gold ochre notebook, with different patterns printed on each. It’s a great collection of my favorite patterns from recent collections, as well as a few new designs that have never been seen before.

I had so much fun working on these notebooks, it was my first foray into paper goods in several years. The folks at Scout Books are total pros, and they even let me tour their headquarters in Portland last month. They have worked with so many of my favorite illustrators and designers on custom projects — I feel honored to be part of their roster of designs for 2015.

I’m excited to share that for each notebook purchased in May, I’ll be making a $1 donation to 826LA, to support their after-school tutoring program here in LA. I hope to raise as much money as possible to help 826LA in their mission of supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Visit their site to learn more about 826LA, and see the benefits of their after-school tutoring program for LA youth!

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. 🙂

New Lavender Sachets – A Collaboration with Minor Thread

April 21, 2015

2015 is shaping up to be a year of awesome collaborations at Cotton & Flax. One of the best parts of running a creative business is the opportunity to work with talented friends and makers, and I have been actively looking for ways to work with other local creatives on fun projects.

I wrote recently about focusing on sustainability when designing for Cotton & Flax, and that’s exactly what I had in mind when I reached out to my friend Charlie, owner of Minor Thread. I had a giant pile of linen scraps, leftover from making our pillows, tea towels, and napkins — I can’t bear to throw this beautiful fabric out! We decided to create a small collection of Cotton & Flax sachets, made by Charlie using remnant linen from previous Cotton & Flax projects, and wonderfully fragrant organic lavender.

I’ve been sharing Charlie’s photos from behind the scenes on Instagram, and I’m excited to debut these beautiful sachets in the shop today, just in time for Mother’s Day. Our sachets make a great “just because” gift for friends, too. I love the scent of lavender, and studies have shown that the scent of lavender can promote relaxation – who doesn’t love that?

There are very limited numbers of these sachets, but if they are popular, I’ll be working with Charlie to create a wider range of sachets for a second edition. Here’s hoping that you love the sachets as much as I do.

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!

Cotton & Flax for Grace Bonney’s Quarterly Box

March 19, 2015

I was so pleased to have our charcoal grey plus coasters included in Grace Bonney’s subscription box for Quarterly! It’s been wonderful to see folks sharing their “unboxing” photos on Instagram, this one from Jackie Saik was particularly lovely.

Did you receive this box as a gift? Are you planning to sign up for Grace’s next box, which is curated around the theme of color? Are there other subscription boxes like this that you love? Leave me a note in the comments!