Uppercase Magazine Feature!

I received my Uppercase magazine, Issue 15 in the mail a few weeks ago, and things have been so busy that it's just been sitting on my table waiting for me to dive into it. I finally decided to take a delicious minute and indulge myself by soaking up the creativity of this issue. And as I was working my way through the magazine, I came across my work featured in it! I shouted 'What?!' out-loud and freaking out my husband(which is always awesome). What an awesome surprise!! {Thank you Uppercase!!}

The feature was about their theme 'Pixel Perfect' which showcases multiple artist's interpretation of artwork created with pixels or small elements to create a larger cohesive piece. My feature is on my 'Cross Stitch Roses' artwork (which is currently on fabric, in my Hope Chest collection) and the 10'x10' backdrop of this artwork that I painted. I talk about what inspired this artwork and my thought process behind it. 

I'm a HUGE fan of Janine Vangool's Uppercase Magazine. I discovered it during one of my many visits to Anthropologie - plopped myself down on their beautiful couches and flipped through it. I was taken aback by the fabulous, matte paper, the gorgeous design of the magazine and the quality of the artists featured, and have been hooked ever since. I even went online and ordered some back issues and the Dottie Angel book {which is a beautiful MUST for your bookcase!}. And then I subscribed which means I get guaranteed happiness in my mailbox 4 times a year.

If you haven't heard of Uppercase, here's an explanation from their website:
UPPERCASE publishes books and magazines for the creative and curious: products that spark the imagination and inspire creativity. Our eponymous magazine, now in its fourth year, is loved by readers around the world and has been recognized for its design excellence. Our books profile up-and-coming artists or explore emerging trends in design and creativity.

On a side note - I highly recommend you subscribe! It's $80 a year for 4 beautiful and inspiring issues - which I understand is a lot of dough for a magazine subscription. For me, I really wanted to be a part of supporting an independent magazine who is putting out gorgeous and relevant content, inspiring me in my creative work, promoting artists and creativity - and when it comes from a creator who is living her calling in life, it's just icing on the cake.

Thanks Uppercase for the feature!

Hope Chest Stationery & Desk Organization Products!

 {Hope Chest Single Greeting Card, Happy Birthday}

I'm so excited to share with you today the rest of the samples that came in the big box I mentioned in my last post! My Hope Chest collection that is currently in fabric, is now also in stationery and desk organization products! I absolutely LOVE seeing this collection in paper form - especially when it's all decked out in glitter!
 

 {L to R: Kite Note Paper Holder, Single Thank You Greeting Card, Note Pad Set of 3, Watering Can Sticky Note Folio, Single Birthday Greeting Card}

There's quite a few items in this collection from note pads to cards and sticky notes, file folders, note pads, etc.! The colors are beautiful and the products are nice and high quality. I took the products out of their packaging so I could get non-glaring pics, but what's even more special (to me) is that the product packaging dons my logo on the front, for branded product.

 {Portable Note Pad, File Folder set of 12 of 4 designs}

I'm just DYING over this super-cute scooter! It comes in a lovely clear box and includes a set of 10 note cards, 5 each of 2 designs. What a great hostess gift, yes?

 

Seeing my logo printed on the back like a license plate is like icing on the cake for me. SO CUTE! 

 

I've already started using them and scattering them throughout my office. This collection of licensed product is seriously a dream come true for me. For those of you who know me, I love to organize, and I spend a lot of time in my studio. So to have a chance to decorate my space with my own products is truly super-special.

{Inside of Watering Can Sticky Note Folio}

I hope you get a chance to get your hands on some of these pieces, either as gifts for the upcoming holiday season or for your own personal happiness! I'll try to keep you posted on where you can find these.

If you are a store interested in carrying any of these lovelies, from Hip Holiday and/or Hope Chest, please contact Blend, the licensing division of Anna Griffin, Inc. at 888.817.8170 to place an order.

Hip Holiday Cards, Invitations & More!

I happily received a huge box of samples on my doorstep and I just HAD to share pics of them with you! These products are from my 'Hip Holiday' collection, and from one of my licensee's, Blend, the licensing division of Anna Griffin, Inc. and are just gorgeous! I love it when you see samples from a licensee and they blow you out of the water with their attention to detail, quality & craftsmanship and design skills. It just makes me gush with happiness!

{3-D Gift Tags, 2 each of 4 designs}

What makes me super-duper excited is that these products are all 'Josephine Kimberling' branded (can you see my logo on the front of the packaging?!?). EEK!!!

 {Greeting Cards, sold individually or in a box of 10 per design}

I absolutely LOVE the holiday cards!! They are 3-D and have a combination of foil or glitter or ribbon on them which makes them extra special. If you're in the market for some holiday cards, please keep mine in mind! I'll keep you posted when I know where you can find them. Which is your favorite? I'd love to know! 

{Imprintable Invitations with diecuts & tip-ons accented with glitter or foil or luscious ribbon! Sold 10 per box of 1 design}

I had already shown you some shots of these products during my Surtex 2012 blog post, when they were debuting at the National Stationery Show at the same time, but thought I'd share (a little bit) better pics and details with you here, now that I have a real camera instead of my phone with me.

{From L to R: Note Pad Set of 3, Paper Placemats pack of 24, 60 foil Sticker Seals, Set of 10 Place Cards and 3D Handmade Stickers 12 per pack}

Getting packages of samples in the mail is truly one of the many fun aspects of licensing. It's really fun to see (and share pics with you!) of the finished products, because it makes it more real - especially since it can take many months for product to be developed.  I truly enjoy what I do and am excited to keep growing my business.

I also received some Hope Chest stationery and office products that I'll share with you later this week! Stay tuned!

Rainbow Bright

This morning as I was waiting for the sun to rise, I looked out of my window and saw this gorgeous rainbow peeking through the fog and mist. I've never seen one show up in such a hazy sky before. Isn't it beautiful?! Just thought I'd share some prettiness with you this Friday morning. Have a good one!

Hope Chest Sewing Detials - Part 2

I'm back as promised, to give you the rest of the sewing details from the garments we made for my Hope Chest photo shoot! The following include some of my FAVORITES!

PROJECT IDEA #5
This pattern is Vogue #V1255 by Rebecca Taylor, and uses my fabric Cross Stitch Roses in Red. This is one of my favorite garments as I love the ruffles on the tunic, and think this print fits the look and feel of the garment really well! This tunic has ties on the side, but I belted it for the photo shoot to add more waist definition. Also, I quickly made a rustic looking necklace to add to the look by stringing an old key I bought from BHLDN on a leather necklace. Add some skinny jeans and boots, and you're set for fall!

PROJECT IDEA #6
This dress was made from Victory Pattern's Anouk sewing pattern and use my Chic Wallflower, Turquoise and Stripe Soiree, Blue fabrics. I love this sewing pattern because you can make a top or a dress from it - both of which are super-cute and great additions to your closet! I also love the ties that allow a waistline to be added to the garments.

Since I was already using 2 different fabric patterns, I thought it would be too much to add a third, so I used an orange solid fabric for the center area. However, in the photo's with the Anouk sewing pattern, I love how they use a stripe here, and how it gets all 'chopped up' with the sewing details. It's nice that there are so many different ways you can create these garments.

PROJECT IDEA #7
This gorgeous dress is made from Simplicity #1802 by Cynthia Rowley, and uses my fabrics Hope Chest Floral, Blue and Flower Bed, Blue. I must say that is is my absolute favorite! It's so gorgeous in person it's not even funny. My sewing master Karin sewed this one up and used flat yellow piping to nicely contrast all the different sections. I decided to use the Hope Chest Floral, Blue in the center godets, instead of Flower Bed, Blue as I thought this would make the dress look more pulled together.

I made a fabric pouf out of Geometric Crochet, Blue and attached it to the dress to add a little more whimsy.

Project Idea #8
For this dress I used Simplicity #1939 by Cynthia Rowley and used 4 different fabrics to create a patchwork look. The fabrics I used are Hope Chest Floral in Olive for the main print, and also used it in the skirt patchwork along with Stripe Soiree in Olive, Chic Wallflower in Pink and Geometric Crochet in Citron. The patchwork isn't included in the sewing pattern, but I just sewed together 11" x 12" rectangles, 8 across and 3 high, with a 1/4" seam allowance. If I had to do it again, I would have made the rectangles 10 across, so they were a longer and skinnier rectangle and allowed for a 5/8" seam allowance.

To be honest, this dress was a tricky one to make look fabulous. Maybe it's my personal opinion or aesthetic, but when dresses are tight around the waist it can look way '80s which I don't love. I chose to make this dress though so I only have myself to blame! Thankfully this model looked terrific in it and was able to pull it off.

I do think the top portion of the dress is fantastic and would be great as a top tucked into skinny jeans. I had brought my sewing scissors to the photo shoot prepared to chop this dress up on site to turn it into a top just in case it didn't work as a dress. Also, to make the dress look more updated, we bubbled the front hem of the dress under for a high-low hem. In the end, I think it turned out pretty good!

Well, that brings me to the end of sharing with you the sewing patterns my friend Karin and I made for my Hope Chest photo shoot! I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit more about the process. To see more garment details from this photo shoot and my previous ones, please visit my Inspiration page on my website.

Which garment out of the 8 is your favorite and why? I'd LOVE to hear!!

Hope Chest Sewing Details

Hi everyone! I thought I'd share with you some of the garment sewing details, from my Hope Chest photo shoot. Did you know that on my website's inspiration page, I include each of the garments we made for each collection, as well as which sewing pattern was used and which fabrics too? Since I've gotten some requests, I thought I'd go ahead and share more info with you in this blog post.

My goal when creating a fabric collection has always been to create patterns that can be worn. Having fashion in my background has caused this to be a passion of mine. When I set out to find sewing patterns to use for each photo shoot, I strive to find things that are fashionable and current with today's trends, as well as put my prints together in a way that would inspire women to feel beautiful and well put together when wearing them.

Here's some sewing details for you!

PROJECT IDEA #1
This pattern is from Victory Patterns, which is a new company I discovered while scouring Etsy. The name of this intermediate pattern is Ava, and it's just gorgeous! I used my Hope Flourish, Pink fabric along with some white netting for the neckline and sleeves, which I left with a raw edge. I made this one myself, but needed help from my expert sewing friend for the center sweetheart point connecting the mesh to the printed fabric top. I love how it turned out! Such a great top!
 

PROJECT IDEA #2:
I just love all the peplum styling details that are out now! They are super flattering and feminine, which I love. For this garment, I used Vogue #V8815 by Rebecca Taylor and my fabric Cross-Stitch roses. This sewing pattern is labeled 'very easy', however my sewing friend decided it would be best to line the top with matching white fabric, which I think made it look it's best. She positioned the fabric so that I could cross-stitch on top of the printed cross-stitch rose design, and I tied a hot pink double sided satin ribbon around the waist to ground the look of the bold cross-stitching.

 

I have never done cross-stitching before, so this was definitely an experience! It took me hours upon hours to do! I ended up just 'tracing' and cross-stitching directly on top of one of the motifs from the fabric. My fabric design's motifs rotate, which doesn't lend itself to traditional cross-stitching, but that's OK - I love it anyway! Also, finally, with the photo shoot the next morning, I just didn't have another 3 hours or so to cross stitch the leaves, so instead I added some wool felt leaves that I cut out and stitched down. Overall, I love how this top turned out! I will definitely be wearing this one myself!

PROJECT IDEA #3:

For this next sewing pattern, I chose Simplicity #2192 by Cynthia Rowley and used my Hope Flourish, Citron print. Instead of creating a tie out of self fabric, I used some ribbon. I have to say, this is one of my favorite prints of this collection because of the colors and how they play out in the design. Love! This skirt is so unique...and super short! So I'd definitely recommend wearing it in the winter with some solid tights, ha ha! Or of you're a pattern genius then just make it a tad longer and it'll be just right.

 

PROJECT IDEA #4:

Wow! I was really proud of myself for sewing this one! I lined up the patterns on the top and the skirt just right and centered the motifs too. Whew! For this garment, I used Simplicity #2178 by Cynthia Rowley along with my fabrics Fancy That, Pink and Geometric Crochet, Citron. I used the Geometric Crochet, Citron fabric to make the waist, shoulder strap, and underside of the shoulder tie, contrast. I love mixing these prints in a subtle way!

 

Next week I'll share with you the sewing details for the remaining 4 garments. Stay tuned!

Oh, and if you're looking to purchase any of these fabrics, head on over to any of these online locations: 

Hawthorne Threads

Pink Chalk Fabrics

Fabric.com

Hope Chest Photos!

{My favorite photo!}

Over the weekend, I've been posting the photo's from my Hope Chest photo shoot on my website, Facebook & Flickr. Have you had a chance to see them yet? I just got them back and am have been so excited to see my fabrics and all of our hard sewing work looking so glamorous.

 
 

I've been wanting to do a photo shoot at a carousel for a few years now, and this time I felt it really worked with the look of the fabrics. I was able to book out the carousel at the Woodland Park Zoo for a couple of hours before the zoo opened, which made it very hassle free to get the shots in that we wanted without a lot of extra people walking around. Also, this carousel was indoors, which was even more reassuring with our temperamental Seattle 'summer' weather.

My friend Karin and I put in a lot of work sewing up samples a few weeks leading up to the shoot. Karin and I worked at Nordstrom together and she's an amazing and award winning fashion designer, so she tackled the more difficult garments. This year I had 4 models with 2 outfit changes each for a total of 8 garments, which we sewed up in 2 weeks! It was pretty crazy! But each time something got finished, it felt really satisfying and it was fun to see the group and my vision start to come together.

Since I don't have my own line of sewing patterns (...yet?) I usually use the designer patterns from Simplicity and Vogue, (with Cynthia Rowley and Rebecca Taylor being my favorites), as well as scour Etsy to see if I can find some new indie designers with great designs. This year, I found Victory Patterns, and really loved a lot of their looks! Have you heard of them yet? I of course love the patterns of other fabric designers, but don't feel it's right to use them when showcasing my fabric collection.

{My Hope Chest fabric collection}

Photo shoots can be kinda hectic, but in a good way. I prepare all of the garments, jewelry, accessories, shoes, etc the night before, making sure everything is pressed and hung nicely. I usually ask the models to bring loads of shoes that we can select from, and I pour through my closet gathering many things from shoes to cami's to jewelry and hair accessories. And I map out a plan of which model will theoretically wear what. A few of the models I hadn't met before so I was crossing my fingers quite a bit, but thankfully everything worked out really well!

{All the girls looking gorgeous at the carousel!}

I had my Cross Stitch Roses backdrop that we set-up to get a few shots in front of. I love how bright and bold the backdrop turned out!! I'm definitely going to need to hang this up in my studio...probably for curtains! Along with the backdrop I laid out some props that went with my Hope Chest fabric theme, such as flowers, old keys and books (this was a great excuse for me to finally buy some of the Penguin Hardcover Classics with the beautifully patterned covers!).

{Love these books whose contents inspired my Hope Chest collection}

My awesome photographer Natalie, from Natalie G. Photography did wonders capturing the look of this shoot. Wouldn't you agree? This is the fourth photo shoot we've worked together on, and each year the photo's get better and better which I didn't even think was possible.

{Me and the girls}

Well, I hope you enjoy getting a little behind the scenes glimpse of my Hope Chest photo shoot! Any questions at all, just let me know and I'm happy to try to answer. I'll do another post explaining the garments I chose, soon. Thanks so much for taking a peek at my photos! What are your favorites? I hope they inspire you to use the collection for your next project!

PS - If you're a store interested in using my photo's to promote my Hope Chest fabric line, please contact me to let me know your needs. Thanks!

Hope Chest Photo Shoot- Creating my Cross Stitch Roses Backdrop

 

As I'm waiting for my Hope Chest photo's I thought I'd go ahead and share with you a little 'video' I made of me painting my Cross Stitch Roses backdrop for my photo shoot. I posted on Facebook and Twitter, a little sneak peak of the backdrop, and today is the big reveal!

This backdrop I painted is based off of my new fabric "Cross Stitch Roses" which is a part of my Hope Chest fabric collection with Blend Fabrics. The 'video' is made up of photos I took while I was creating the backdrop, so you can see it being built little by little. I've never made a video before, so I'm crossing my fingers that this works. Do let me know if it doesn't (and send any tips my way) and I'll try to fix it! ; )

{Close-up of my Cross Stitch Roses painted backdrop}

I'm also including some photos of the backdrop I painted here too. I absolutely love how vibrant the colors turned out, and I can't WAIT to see the photo's from my Hope Chest photo shoot to see how it turned out there.

{Photo of my Cross Stitch Roses backdrop from my upstairs window}

I had an absolute blast creating this. It took me about 5 hours to do. I first took my 'Cross Stitch Roses' artwork, and sized one of my motifs in Illustrator so I knew what size I needed to make my stamps. To create my stamps, I cut out 'x' shapes from foam and then glued them to pieces of foam core. I then used craft paint in a variety of colors to stamp the design out onto a huge 10' x 10' cutting of muslin fabric that I laid out on my back patio (of course with a painting backdrop underneath so it wouldn't go through onto the patio!). I also used a gardeners kneeling pad for my knees in order to keep the experience from being painful.

{Me with my creation}

I hope you enjoy seeing a little part of the process and getting a glimpse into a little bit of the behind the scenes prep for my Hope Chest photo shoot. I absolutely can't wait to see the photo's and share them with you too. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks I'll have them and be able to share. Thanks so much for watching my little video! 

Gorgeous Hope Chest Dresses Made by Amy Friend

I just HAD to share with you a sneak peak of these gorgeous dresses that the amazingly talented Amy Friend made using my Hope Chest fabrics! Aren't these beautiful?? She just posted about them on her blog During Quiet Time today and I had to run out and share them with all of you.

I absolutely adore these dresses and the prints she chose to mix together! SO adorable!!
For more photo's and to read Amy's post about her sewing process, the pattern she used, etc., head on over to Amy's blog: During Quiet Time

Don't you just LOVE??!!

Sew It All TV & Magazine Feature

Last fall I got an invitation from Ellen March to be on the show Sew it All TV to talk about my fabric designing process as well as to introduce a sewing project. The sewing project I'm sharing is a cute sketchbook cover with a ribbon bookmark and full of pockets. In addition to the TV show 'Material World', Episode 302 that is currently a part of their new season 3 which is currently airing, the project is also featured in the latest issue of Sew It All magazine, out on newsstands now!

{Look for this magazine cover on newsstands!}

You can find the pattern and instructions to my fabulous sketchbook cover here.
Also, you can find the actual 7"x10" sketchbook I used here.
These are my new favorite sketchbooks as I love the thick paper and the tooth. I bought a huge 11"x14" one that I just LOOoove! But, yes, they do need to be prettied up.

 

{Sketchbook featured in the magazine and TV episode}

 

 

{Other sketchbook ideas...} 

The public television series Sew It All is hosted by Ellen March and is a co-production with Iowa Public Television. Each episode teaches a fundamental sewing technique and a quick-and-easy project that utilizes the technique. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced sewist, you’ll love the casual, fun vibe and no-fear approach that Sew it All offers. For a listing of showtimes and airdates, please contact your local PBS station—and request that they carry the show (if they don’t already).

Soooo, let's back-up a little bit, and I'll give you a little behind-the-scenes glimpse into my life. When I received the invitation to appear on TV, my first response was...terror - TV? Um, no thanks! But I decided to sleep on it and see how I felt in the morning (highly recommend!). Something bubbled up that I've always allowed to guide me and that is to "do something that scares you" because I believe it's one of the key ways you invite growth into your life, and don't allow your fears to control you. And who wants to live a still, non-progressive life full of fear? So I welcomed the invitation even though I was scared out of my wits, all for the sake of growing.

I had an absolute blast doing it! Ellen is so natural at it, warm and inviting. The team there was absolutely fantastic. I just got a chance to watch the episode (Series 3, Episode 302) which was fun to see. You can also purchase previous seasons 1 & 2 on DVD here.

Let me know if you get a chance to watch the season and the episode!