Post Holiday Pre New Year

As I look back at the past year with its mighty ups and tragic downs, it is with a grateful heart that I wish you all a healthy, prosperous and productive New Year 2013.

Specifically, a wonderful wish to all of those who have supported Seaside Cloth as customers, friends and champions this past Season, you hold a special place near and dear.

The new year will bring new products to Seaside Cloth and also a new direction.  Soft Goods for the Home will be introduced and custom textiles with a designers edge will be unveiled.  Look for the new items to begin making their way into the Seaside Cloth shoppe in late January. 

Cheers to a peaceful 2013 to you and yours.

Pink Christmas

Was very excited to have the pink and linen tree skirt find its way into this online treasury of gorgeousness for the holidays.  Made of fine quality linen, gathered sumptuously, it is truly an elegant finish to any holiday decor.  Cottage, country, city or coastal, it's an heirloom quality piece you'll want to use year after year.  To see what's currently available in the Seaside Cloth online shoppe, you can click through right here.

Hope your holiday season is going smoothly !

For the love of the textile

Deck the Halls

Love the look of mercury glass and lush greenery from holiday trees, and since I'm always looking for new and fresh ideas for holiday decor, these pictures provided great inspiration to get started.  This may be the first year that the chandeliers get decorated - it should be a beautiful look by day as well as night when the lights reflect the ornaments mirrored surface and bounce additional flickers of light around the room.
Still working through many custom orders for the holiday season and trying to finish up resort items to keep the store stocked and full.
As always, customers have been great and I can't believe Christmas is less than a month away.  Time is truly flying at a mighty pace...once again.

Thankful

On this Thanksgiving Day Holiday, a special Thank You goes out to all of the lovely customers that have crossed my path and supported handmade as I nurtured Seaside Cloth through its infancy this past 3 years.  Your business and support has meant alot, and today as we reflect what we hold near and dear, along with family, friends and basic comforts for living, customer support has been paramount.  Thank You - I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday as you celebrate with your family and friends.  Seaside Cloth.

Seaside

Whilst toiling and chipping away at the holiday season prep, I found these images of a Seaside inspired thanksgiving styling.  It's forecasted for a balmy 74 degrees on the holiday, but one can always dream of being by the sea, right?

Not much time lately for lengthy and eye-candy-inspired blog posts as the stitching is typically at 100 mph on any given day.  'Tis the Season...
Oh, for the gracious inquiries on the holiday Christmas tree skirts, there will be a few more collections coming out right up through the first week of December, so it will still reach you by the 10th for those who may set up their decor mid-month.
A quick link to the Seaside Cloth shoppe is here to see all that is currently available.
There will be an after-the-holidays sale, for those who like to shop ahead and get a great deal also !

Linen Christmas Tree Skirts

Back by popular demand, and having sourced the most exquisite linen available from Europe and beyond, the Ruffled Linen Christmas Tree Skirts are back!
Manufactured by textile mills that subscribe to an economic conscience and environmentally friendly production methods, this French inspired linen (with a Belgian twist !) has been layered and layered and then sumptuously gathered with an accent layer of rayon with a slight gold sheen -- perfect for flickering under those holiday lights!  If an aged creamy gold is not your color, be sure to check out the other color options that are available with the natural linen.
They are in limited supply due to their intricate handmade construction in the Seaside Cloth shoppe.  The link is here if you'd like to grab one before they're gone!

tonal inspiration

...whilst traversing the photography universe lately, came across these nicely styled and assembled collages of seaside inspiration from the paper mulberry.  Great tonal collections and accompanying hue references make one stop for a second and realize color combinations not often thought of together really can work serendipitously in the color world.

forward to Fall

From the Seawashed Collection infinity neckwrap series, a couple of the new Fall fashions beginning to trickle into the shop today.  You can go here to see everything: Seaside Cloth shoppe .  Many more colors and styles to follow in the next few weeks.  I realize its hotter than fire outside and you may not be thinking about layering your neck in warmth, but these always go fast during Fall and Winter... just letting you know :)

mojito

A new addition to the shoppe - feels like a mojito Summer !  Limited number of items added recently as I've been working on custom orders and concentrating on Fall and Winter, oh and the Holiday season is coming too!
Have sourced new textiles recently for a new line of infinity scarves and still refining the 'fancy event' accessories.
And how are you enjoying your Summer?
The link to the Seaside Cloth shoppe is right here, just in case you'd like to do some shopping !

More from Indie Artisans

Well, how time flies in the blogosphere...! Have not posted in awhile as I am working feverishly on new patterns, styles and designs for the Fall and Holiday months.  It's never too early to start planning, as I well know that as soon as Summer nears its end, the Holiday Season can't be too far behind.  And, truth be told it usually gets ahead of me, and many projects are found halfway completed.  So in an attempt to stay ahead of the 'holiday' game, I started earlier this year, and so it goes.... :)

And I will be posting pictures of 'said holiday designs' as soon as I am happy with the outcome.  Just devising a new pattern does not guarantee its perfect enough to pass my litmus test !  Look for those pictures and styles to be posted in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, the picture up there is of some great artists that are currently featured on Indie Artisans.  They are continuing with the beach / nautical / Summer theme and it's really great eye candy.

Take a look, as yours truly is also featured.

www.indieartisans

and direct to Seaside Cloth is here:

http://www.seasidecloth.etsy.com

http://www.seasidecloth.com

Enjoy your holiday week !

Indie Artisans

I was very excited to have been contacted recently by Indie Artisans regarding the selection of an item from Seaside Cloth that would be featured in an online collection of handmade items by independent artists and designers on their trendspotting website here.

IA regularly features an everchanging collection of the very best that handmade has to offer, presented for you brilliantly on a one page format that is clean, sharp, easy to navigate, and essentially makes shopping for gifts a lot more fun, and so much easier than running around the internet for hours searching for that perfect item !

The collection that I will be featured in is a Nautical theme, which is a perfect fit for the Seaside Cloth brand and aesthetic.  It will begin running on the IA website on Friday, May 18 and will last up to 30 days.  New items will be added as each item is sold, so if you visit their site often, you will see a rotating group in the same theme over that 30 day time period.

IA was formed by a group of artisans dedicated to promoting the handmade work of quality-driven artisans, and I am definitely looking forward to partnering with them on this marketing effort.  IA works with several designers and artists to assist in increasing their social media presence and to cull new ways of effective promotion and exposure through a network of shared marketing.

This is the Nautical Bag that was selected to be in the IA online collection. As items are sold in the monthly feature page, new ones will be added.  And, remember you can always go here to my store as well to see everything that is currently available in the Seaside Cloth Summer Collection.  

The selection of items on the IA website will typically change with the seasons, or rotate around a particular theme, so checking back often will result in a new, fresh selection each time you visit!  They pride themselves on featuring the finest artisan goods selected from the most creative and experienced group of online artists ever assembled.

Purchases made are direct from each artists online store.  On the IA website you can simply hover over a photo to see the artist, title and pricing for each item; and just click for full listing and payment information.

I'll post updates here on the blog, as well as my facebook page and twitter. More info on IA is here !

Shop update

New colors, textiles, designs and sizes debuting just in time for Summer !  These are just a couple of the new items that have recently been added to the shoppe.  The ruffles are very much on trend right now, and it's becoming harder to keep a wide selection of styles in stock - they sell out quickly !  Visit the website here:  http://www.seasidecloth.com/  or if you'd like to see what's still available in the shoppe, you can click right through this link.  New items are added to the shop on a regular basis, so check back often.

a la lemoncello

This should brighten up your day - it certainly did mine.  The lemon yellow daybag was featured in a brilliantly bright and cheery Summer online gift Treasury entitled "Lemon Aid".  This bag has been particularly popular of late, with its lemoncello brightness and accents of navy and white.  You can always see everything that is currently in the Seaside Cloth shoppe, if you just click through right here !

soup to nuts

I've decided that I will try to post the 'this to that' series more frequently as so many readers have asked about the process that one goes through when designing.  So in that vein, the first picture was taken as I was about to embark on a new project, only to discard the supplies after a creative block (only to the shelf, not the trash) and take on another.  The end results are pictured and by the by, are in the shoppe now, at this colored link here !  Not nearly resembling the textiles from when and how the process began, which I can tell you happens frequently, they are lovely nonetheless, no?

labour

Whilst toiling away in the studio this week finishing up a number of custom orders, plus working through pattern re-design on a couple of items, I found interest in these images.  From the top is The Red Thread Legend Series by Beili Liu - a beautiful installation inspired by the ancient chinese legend called the Red Thread.  According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red thread on children who are fated to be together.  The middle photo is a rapid speed, uber closeup showing colorations and movement of ink as it splashes into water and finally, the glorious fauna - reptilian style. 
Seaside Cloth online shoppe is here if you'd like to visit the collection.

treasured

Was delighted to see that one of the bags from the collection was featured in a very nicely curated on-line treasury of selected goods.  Entitled 'Desolation Dance', it is a moody, yet modern perspective on the everyday with a few twists thrown in.  Always pleased to be included in great selections such as this one.  If you would like to visit the online shop, you can go here to see the entire current collection.

perusings

The colors and textures in these photos are so inspiring.  The first photo is a tree flowering in China - actual colors, real flowers - incredible color, neon pink.  The middle photo is a turkish kilim carpet weaving and the final is a musical house.  Huge hit.  Enjoy your weekend.

archipelago

Taking a mid-day break on a few projects that are keeping me very busy.  Look what I have come across. Oh my... yes I can relocate and I'll be packed in an hour.  Unlimited inspiration and idyll wilde abounds in this azure sanctuary.

Treasured

The Sangria-inspired Daybag was recently included in a very tangerine themed Treasury online.  The bag is on the second row along with some other great finds.  If you click through here, you can visit my online shoppe and see all the bags - updated weekly !

New for April

Seaside Fiesta - influences from open-air markets, calypso merriment and lounging by the cabanas along the exotic and tropical coasts - Spain, Greece, Italy.  Bold, colorful, textural and of course, perfect for carrying all your essentials as you have your fun in the Sun !  A must-have for a resort or cruise vacation this year !
Click through this link to visit my online shoppe.  Many updates coming this Spring and into Summer.  Don't forget Mother's Day, Graduation and vacation planning is just around the corner !  More styles are in the shoppe on a weekly basis - from new collections featuring bright colors, bold designs and various sizes.

fruition

I am often asked what my processes and inspirations are as I begin to design a new accessory collection.  It is as varied as the types of textiles, tones and locations that I have come across in the last several years.  Many factors are considered as I begin to design and without going into all of the details, several hundred textiles, colors, sights, print and pattern all go in to the thought process - oh, and several dozen hand sketches also play a large part !

Lemoncello

Quick shop update here: Seaside Cloth.   Many new colors, styles and designs for the Spring and Summer season 2012 !  New designs are added weekly to the shoppe.  Thanks to all who support handmade.

cuckoo chanel

Hello Spring !  In celebration of the perfect mani...

of sails

Just a few of the recent inspiration pics that made it to the board lately.  Seems like there is a consistent pull and return to the sailboat as a key ingredient in the brand.  Durable, functional, sexy, sporty, lots of compartments, indigenous... and on it goes with myriad capabilities as it transforms into an accessory.
Currently am working on new styles as Summer approaches.  All current items can be found at this link, the shoppe.

shop update

More from the 'from this to that' series that many readers keep asking about.  This one, from the 'Hey Sailor' Collection is in the shop now.  You can click through here to be taken directly to the shoppe.