freshly{blended}

Sponsor Spotlight :: Orignauxmoose

2009-07-15T08:38:00.001-04:00

We are pleased to have a new sponsor aboard fb today. meet the orignauxmoose shop. jack and jules created this quaint little shop to house their bursting talents in the form of original prints, paintings and even growth charts...i bet you've never seen a victorian woman growth chart like this one before! lol so go check out their etsy shop and while your at it, swing on over to their sister shop, orignauxmoose vintage.

claire nereim

2009-07-14T08:13:00.001-04:00

beautiful and simple graphic cards by san francisco artist, claire nereim. These and some other great prints and treasures available at her etsy shop.

may luk ceramics

2009-07-13T08:45:00.001-04:00

these ceramics are to die for, more here.

Of paper and Thread textiles

2009-07-07T10:53:00.001-04:00

It's such a joy to see indie designers experiment with different mediums, especially when it comes to pattern design...there is so much you can do with it. the very talented Danielle Smeets has done just that. her lovely patterns are now gracing these beautiful linen, cotton and hemp mixed fabrics.

new at yumi yumi

2009-07-07T09:46:00.001-04:00

The wonderful Aline sent over some super cute new prints that are up in the yumi yumi shop. I already have a collection of her work started at home and i love each and every one of them, her style is so addictive and fun. These are wonderful prints to hang for the summer time.

simple geometrics made by anna

2009-07-02T08:23:00.001-04:00

I got a lovely email from anna with a link to her super cute etsy shop where she sells her delicate and whimsical geometric collages and graph paper stitched pencil cases. this is a prime example of how basic fundamentals of shapes never go out of style! simple and beautiful!

Elisabeth Bentz

2009-07-01T08:41:00.001-04:00

Beautiful linen handprinted tea cloths by artist Elisabeth Bentz. You know how much i adore organic lines and this just hits the spot today! check out her etsy shop and website.

New at Little Odd Forest

2009-07-01T08:29:00.001-04:00

A word from our sponsor (i've always wanted to say that!) Little Odd Forest has sent over some cute new finds in their shop. I just adore these cheeky monster strap on shoes for baby, i may have to invest in a pair for my little zoe. They always have such bright and cheery stuff to look at in their shop so go check it out and make your day brighter.

new at paper cloud

2009-06-30T08:57:00.001-04:00

Super cute new textile items at paper cloud, i love the organic feel of these patterns. There are more collections to look at on the paper cloud blog.

One Week

2009-06-23T12:26:00.001-04:00

This week marks the 2 month birthday of my darling little girl, Zoe. We had our first swim lesson yesturday and although she much rather prefers warm bath water she loved being all cozy in the towel afterwords!

This also marks the last week in my 8 week recovery period after my c-section. next monday i'll be back to my regular work schedule and also back to my regular blogging posts. for now i'm enjoying being a full time mommy for one more week and milking my "break" from reality as much as i can. so take care until then and be prepared for some new posts and gradual changes on the blog. ta ta for now!

Call for Entries :: Second Storie Indie Market

2009-06-15T09:07:00.001-04:00

Second Storie Indie Market is excited to announce the call for entries for their 2009 event! This year Second Storie will host its event at Visual Studies Workshop on Saturday November 28, 11 - 6 and Sunday November 29, 11 - 4.

The gals at Second Storie take pride in their reputation for hosting a well edited, warm and happy event featuring the best indie arts and crafts in the north east and beyond! They're looking for talented vendors to be a part of this truly unique holiday festival and would love to hear from you! Deadline to apply is August 17th. For more information visit secondstorie.net, and stay in the loop on their blog, secondstorie.blogspot.com.

Book Review :: Simple Sewing for Baby

2009-06-15T08:48:00.001-04:00

Lotta's done it again folks! just launched is her newest book for your tiny tot, Simple Sewing for Baby published by chronicle books. Lotta Jansdotter puts her whimsical touch on some fabulous ideas and simple crafty ideas for your little one that allow you to be eco friendly and especially won't break your budget like most baby apparel. follow lotta's easy to understand instructions for some darling dresses to fun soft book ends and even a comfy cozy snuggler (my personal favorite!) i know i sound like a cheesy sales person in this post but i just can't help myself! See and more importantly DO it for yourself, get yourself a copy here!

SMOCK :: is eco savy

2009-06-09T08:19:00.001-04:00

meet SMOCK out of Syracuse, NY. the smart thing about smock is that it thrives on being eco friendly. All of their letterpress wedding invitations and greeting cards are sustainably printed on bamboo paper and are serious about being a truly green letterpress print shop. They are powered by wind energy and donate 1% of sales to environmental causes through 1% For the Planet. Even their retail packaging is tree-free and petroleum free and certified biodegradable. They subsidize 20-week Community Supported Agriculture memberships with a local organic farm for their employees. Our commitment to the environment affects everything we do - you can read more about our environmental efforts on their website. Beautiful work guys!

the butter flying :: mobiles

2009-06-09T08:14:00.001-04:00

love this mobile perfect for summer time, super eco friendly made by branches, paint chips and beads..more cute cloud and raindrop mobiles at the butter flying etsy site here.

Tara Hogan for Babybe Organics

2009-05-28T09:49:00.002-04:00

Introducing new apparel designs for babybe organics by ink & wit. super cute and 100% organic clothing for your little sweet one with the cutest patterns and graphics on them designed by yours truly, tara hogan. it's so nice to include baby stuff on freshlyblended now and really understand what it's all about! lol.

alphabet bags

2009-05-21T20:01:00.001-04:00

i'm loving these super cute abc hand silk screened cotton totes. i'm thinking of getting one with a "z" for a quick baby gear bag for zoe. check out more here.

animal friday

2009-05-15T10:58:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to share with you two really great projects that highlight my most favorite thing in the world, ANIMALS! the first of the two is delphine's super cute baby animal collection and in erika's own words she describes how this great collection came about...
" I was thinking soft & sweet when I designed these. I "hired" my mom to illustrate them--those are her original animal drawings. The giraffe and elephant are printed on extra thick white 80 percent post consumer waste stock; the lambie and lion cubs are printed on felt-finish off white 30 percent post consumer stock (both by Mohawk). We use only soy-based ink : )".

secondy is Jennifer Hill-Battilana's (jhill designs) beautiful animal prints made from her "places i have never been patterns". each print has the letter of the animal and was inspired by quilted or cut out patterns and shapes.
Each 9 x 9 print is available framed for $50 or unframed for $25 here.

Ashley g. goes custom

2009-05-12T15:30:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, i'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. i was away longer then i anticipated but i also didn't anticipate to have complications with my pregnancy but who does right! We are healing and growing fast here at the Lecht household, it's so nice to celebrate family and this gives me great reason to post this awsome thing Ashley G. is doing for families. look at these amazing custom portraits by ashley. so original and way better then going to a stupid photo studio and sitting in front of a fake outdoor background...i wonder if she does baby portraits!!!hmmmm..... anywho see more portraits at her flickr site here. and see more photos of the newest member of my family here.

Presenting… Zoe!

2009-04-28T20:37:00.002-04:00

Hey folks, this is Nicole's husband Jason. Nicole is recovering right now from an unexpected c-section delivery. She's doing well and would like me to present Zoe Gwendolyn Lecht! Since she underwent surgery, Nicole won't be able to post for the next week or so while recouperating, but she will be back up-and-running as soon as she can. Stay tuned for pictures to follow of our new addition to the family!

patternscape coushins

2009-04-24T10:45:00.001-04:00

today is super sunny out here in buffalo, something we rarely get in the springtime. i thought it was only necessary to post something bright and colorful to celebrate such a beautiful day. introducing a range of cushions and fabrics, with 3 designs available, each derived from the gorgeous patternscapes and digitally printed on a high-quality 100% cotton drill from Wish you were here art and design. The superb cushions are each hand-made to impeccably high-standards by one of the UK's best independent seamstresses with many professional sewing years under her very stylish belt. This is only the beginning for WYWH, for they are vigorously experimenting with other home design products to represent their fun and whimsical patterns so stay tuned.

lisa congdon :: birch trees

2009-04-22T09:53:00.001-04:00

I received a lovely email from the candy store collective and these gorgeous birch tree paintings on wood canvas by lisa congdon were calling to me. The bright colors capture such a great aliveness (is that a word?) and makes it so refreshing to see nature depicted in a happy, cheery way....seen as it's EARTH DAY!

Go do something outside today, plant a tree, flower, walk your dog and enjoy what mother nature has given to us...we should do this everyday but as most of us know, time doesn't permit most of us to do so but today is special so try and celebrate the day!

Sewing Green :: WINNER!

2009-04-20T09:12:00.003-04:00

It was a very tuff call on who we thought had the most creative recycling project but in the end Julie Green from the blog each penny pretty had some pretty unique home design ideas for shelving. here is the winning idea from Julie:

"i've been searching for clever shelving ideas from repurposed items... my favorite ideas so far are taking all of the drawers out of a dresser and stacking them as a modular bookshelf and things like old wooden-framed windows (with the glass still in them) or old wooden skis to make unique shelves."

We want to thank everyone for sending us your creative ideas and hope you are still practicing ways to creatively improve our living environment! Congrats Julie!!

sponsor spotlight :: fresh nest

2009-04-16T11:22:00.002-04:00

Fb would like to welcome our newest sponsor, Fresh Nest Design. They recently launched their site and it's full of great design tips. The site focuses on giving readers the tools to create their own "Fresh Nest" with tutorials, ideas and guest designers. Every Monday, they feature a redesign of a reader's space. They take photos the reader provides and transform it into a new space with the readers input. The ideas they have are affordable, yet beautiful! The site just announced its first Design Challenge open to anyone and everyone. All you have to do is transform a space using the items you already have. The winner of this challenge receives a Kelli Kit valued at over $125! For more information, go here.

Book Review & Giveaway!

2009-04-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

Good day friends,
we have a special post today which includes a lovely giveaway which you rarely see on this blog. I was especially enticed by this one because it revolves around living greenly in a creative way. Introducing SEWING GREEN by the very talented crafter Betz White is a fascinating book about taking materials or old clothes that you don't use anymore and re purposing them into better and brighter useful things. for instance my personal favorite in the book on page 44, the woodland draft buster made from an old suit and stuffed with plastic grocery bags. love it! This book is packed with 25 great projects with simple how to instructions and patterns so anyone can do it. learn how to make things such as wallets, aprons from old mens work shirts, pillows and hats from old sweaters and much much more.

Okay now to explain the giveaway part, it's pretty easy, all you have to do is leave a comment of one recycling, reuse, or re purposing crafting idea and we will pick the cleverest idea and post the winner this FRIDAY. Your prize will be a copy of this very BOOK! so you have a couple days to get your brain in gear and throw us an original idea.

here are some great links to follow for more of betz's work and where to get a copy of this book (unless you can win it of course!!!)
Betz's Etsy shop
sewing green
melanie falick books blog

made by mosey

2009-04-14T10:21:00.001-04:00

I just adore these super cute handmade mobiles by Madeleine Sargent of Made by Mosey. When i was debating whether or not i wanted a mobile for the baby's room i saw all these sensory overloaded ones in the stores that were just too much...this is all i would of wanted, something calming and delicate, the way it should be when your a baby lying in your crib.