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Finding Courage to Connect

Blush linen napkins from Cotton & FlaxI’m excited to share my recent essay about entertaining before you feel “ready” was published in Belong Magazine this month! I wrote about my own experience of feeling resistance around hosting, because my home always feels like a work-in-progress. In my essay, I share tips for how to break away from feelings of anxiety around opening your home to guests, and how inviting friends to share a meal helps you connect in new, meaningful ways.

You can download the digital edition of the magazine on the Belong website!

Stenciling on Fabric with The Crafter’s Box

Hand printed linen throw blanket - DIY via The Crafter's Box

This month, I’m thrilled to be partnering with The Crafter’s Box, to bring you another fun workshop: Stenciled Linen Throw Blankets! This is my second time collaborating with The Crafter’s Box for an online workshop, and I still love their format: you receive a box of high-quality craft materials in the mail, and log-in to enjoy the online workshop at your own pace. If you’ve been curious about stenciling on fabric, or creating your own large-scale designs on fabric, this is the workshop for you!

Hand printed linen throw blanketPatterned throw blanket - DIY via The Crafter's BoxThe Crafter’s Box is different than a lot of other creative workshops out there. They focus on workshops led by experts, who guide you through every step of a creative project, and provide live feedback during a monthly maker chat in their forums. The materials they send for each project are always beautiful — this month, we’ll be sending a gorgeous flax linen throw, which will look beautiful with the vibrant cobalt blue and black inks we’re including for the project. It can be used as a blanket, or a tablecloth for all your summer adventures!

Patterned linen tablecloth - DIY via The Crafter's BoxI hope you’ll join me for this workshop! You can sign up from today through June 20th — after that, enrollment closes, so they can pack up your boxes, and get them delivered in July. It’s a short sign-up window, so don’t delay. I can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

New Pillow Designs Debut at ICFF

New pillows from Cotton & Flax - ICFF 2017 Debut I have two new pillow designs debuting this week at ICFF in New York, as part of an exhibition called Make Use, which was co-curated by JOIN Design and Rejuvenation. This exhibition is part of NYCxDesign, a multi-week celebration of global design that takes place yearly in New York.

Make Use - Join Design's curated exhibition at ICFF 2017Make Use will debut a new collection of objects for the home from 14 West Coast-based studios. Our design philosophy for this collection was rooted in simple, natural materials, and designs that celebrate the maker’s hand, and honor the everyday. My new designs, a pair of wool felt pillows, sewn in a patchwork design from scraps of felt that I had saved from other projects, combines my design values of high-quality materials and a no-waste studio environment.

I’m delighted to be featured in an exhibition that celebrates straightforward design and the beauty in utility associated with West Coast Craftsmanship. If you’re in New York for ICFF, stop by booth #233 and check out my new work!

Using Up the Scraps, Part 2 – Mini Quilt Collab

Modern mini quilts - Salty Oat + Cotton & FlaxI’ve talked about my commitment to running a environmentally-friendly studio in the past, and I’ve continued to look for ways to improve my no-waste approach to production for Cotton & Flax. I’ve been lucky to find some amazing partners in that effort, including my newest collaborator: Caitlin Topham from Salty Oat!

Modern quilting - Collaboration quilts from Salty Oat + Cotton & FlaxCaitlin has been creating beautiful wall quilts from Cotton & Flax scraps, and I absolutely love the results. She does a great job of finding the perfect project for even the smallest scraps that I send her.

Modern mini quilts - Collaboration quilts from Salty Oat + Cotton & FlaxI love seeing a new piece of art come to life using fabric that would have otherwise been wasted, and her beautiful approach to modern quilting has led to some gorgeous pieces that I’d be proud to display in my home.

Check out the available quilts from our collaboration, and visit the Salty Oat shop to learn more about Caitlin’s work.

New Collab with AHeirloom – Cocktail Sets!

Cotton & Flax + AHeirloom cocktail set

So pleased to announce my second collaboration with AHeirloom, makers of beautiful cocktail muddles and cutting boards. This time, we’ve created a holiday cocktail set in a vibrant cardinal red. The walnut muddle has been laser engraved with our confetti pattern, and features bright red accents that complement the coasters.

The set makes a perfect gift for a budding mixologist, or anyone who enjoys a festive cocktail this time of year. This was a super limited edition, and Amy from AHeirloom told me that the sets are almost half sold out already, which is crazy because we haven’t really mentioned them launching yet — wow! Pick up your cocktail set in AHeirloom’s shop!

New Lavender Sachets – A Collaboration with Minor Thread

Lavender sachets from Cotton & Flax

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.

Gold confetti linen sachet

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.

Linen sachets - Cotton & Flax

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.

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