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Ooh – how I love playing around with new designs and processes! It’s one of the perks of owning your own handmade business, after all!
Inspired by the impending summer, I have been playing around with new swimsuit designs, vintage denim, loose fitting tunic dresses and airy almost scandalous office-bound frocks. Whether it’s toying with new techniques, colors, textures or shapes, it’s the freedom to create-at-will that makes process such a delight. And boy have I been having fun!
So in the next few weeks prepare yourself for a cacophony of different designs. Though they may not seem to be united in exact aesthetics, I think you’ll find that the overall retro-inspired, breathy eco pieces will also make you think about doing a little more experimenting.
I love love love playing up each season in my home using knick knacks and materials that are already strewn about our place.
So when curating the look of my home for Easter and spring, I thought it would be fun to put a creative twist on the traditional symbols of the season.
Can you spot the themes?
For this fun and vivid display I collected all the bird-like objects that I had dispersed throughout our apartment and brought them together on a runner of bright green moss. Compiling items with a similar shape, theme, color, texture or size is a great way to make an ”instant collection” with pieces you already own. Not a dime spent here!
I’ve been obsessed with brass vintage figurines this past year. Having found a set of bunny statues a couple years back – I have found myself moving them around the apartment at the shift of each season. But with it being spring – they are front and center on my side tables.
Feathers feathers feathers! They’re so easy to find and there are endless ways of using them! Whether collected in vases or strewn across the fireplace mantle with twine and washi tape – these natural (and trendy!) wonders add an airy texture to any space.
These pillows! I just couldn’t stop myself when they appeared in an email newsletter from fab.com. These unique animal plushies are created when artist Kristin Loffer Theiss draws out the image using thread. She then scans and prints the design onto the fabric and stuffs each with filling and love! The result is a collection of unbearably adorable pillows! Here I’ve collected several of the more spring-like animals together to sit upon my re-upholstered vintage chair. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s winter in Chicago which means I’m starving for visual inspiration. There’s only so much pinning a girl can do! So on a recent Saturday afternoon I embarked with my equally eager hubby to Jayson Home to get my creative juices moving again.
If there’s ever been a place to whisk away the winter-blues it’s this eccentrically elegant home and garden center in the heart of the Lincoln Park shopping district. Filled with a cacophony of furniture odds and design ends this beautiful boutique expertly choreographs each and every display. Moody reupholstered furniture combine with brightly colored accent pieces, one-of-a-kind handmade dishware and fair-trade imports. To bring together such a wide variety of aesthetics and make it seem this fluid is artistry at its finest.
Setting trends in furnishing and design, Jayson home is the perfect place to escape on a dreary gray afternoon. Snapping pictures left and right, I know I took lots of notes and will be playing out some of their ideas in my own place. Whether it be with pops of potted plants or delightfully tacky prints, this is the place to go for a fresh dose of inspiration for the home this season!
It’s the beginning of the year which means it’s time for me to do some purging and organizing within the Pierogi Picnic studio! And boy is that a good thing for you! I’m looking to move older merchandise to make way for new designs, which means it’s sale time!
All ready-made clothing in my Etsy shop will be BUY ONE GET ONE 50% OFF from January 4th-18th! This includes your favorite frocks, vintage finds and accessories. As long as it’s not a made-to-order item, it’s included! Shoppers will need to check-out with their goodies and following my receipt of the order I will reimburse 50% of the total price of the least expensive item in true BOGO style.
So head on over to the Pierogi Picnic Etsy shop and start rummaging through my listings now while the gettin’s good!
Oh – the holidays. Tis the season for lights to go up, leaves to come down and for us to be jovial and filled with cheer! One of my favorite things to do this time of year is walk through my neighborhood gazing up at all the elegantly dressed homes, twinkling with warm white lights, casting a cozy mood onto entire blocks at a time.
The soft luminescence of the season made me think about my favorite obsessions of late: gold and glitter. Caitlin and I used these two elements in our Renegade set-up, and the final results aesthetic lingers in my creative abyss. How can I incorporate this warm hue and sparkling touches into my designs? I haven’t figured it out quite yet – but did curate a collection of items off Etsy and Pinterest that grabbed my attention.
Enjoy!
Gold Star Urchin by Kissa Design Gold Paper Heart Confetti by Paper Whispers Gold Glitter Deer Garland by Steph Loves Ben Pop of Color vintage sweater from Pierogi Picnic Milk Glass Vase Candles by Fresh Pastry Stand Gold Glitter from 8 Days of Treasures All that Glitters Garland by Willow Boutique Vintage Brass Figurine from Compost This
As promised – here’s a peek at the abundant and delightful chaos that was the 2012 Renegade Holiday Craft Fair in Chicago!
The crowds were bigger than ever this season, which made for a busy day! Caitlin and I were on our toes the entire weekend, greeting shoppers, answering questions and selling lots!
It was a fruitful endeavor that always leaves me feeling inspired and invigorated. I loved seeing many repeat clients come shopping through – as well as the friendly faces of fellow vendors. Whether selling, shopping or mingling, I had an absolute blast! Am I exhausted after the fact? You bet! But every ounce of energy poured into preparing and executing this fair was well worth it!!!
When looking to recruit models for my Pierogi Picnic shoots there’s one thing that always gets my attention: enthusiasm. Whether a passion for their work, life or just a general glee-fulness of spirit, the people you’ll find showing off my designs have a charisma that’s unique and all their own.
Diane Maxine is one such vivacious spirit. A talented musician, she plays the bass in our church’s worship team, which is how the two of us initially met. When she’s not bopping away and plucking her bass strings, Maxine loves to bake and watch the noshers faces light up after tasting her yummy creations.
What I enjoyed most about taking Maxine’s pictures was her easy-going attitude and big beautiful smile. Her last name actually means ‘happy’ – which is why you’ll see her always flashing her bright whites. With this kind of charm both inside and out – it’s no wonder she turned out so stunning in each shot.
