Italy and Ambitions

Foto: Marcel Leienhof

I'm going to Italy for some days! I need a time out now!
I'll share my impressions with you when I return.

Meanwhile, I really think you should listen to this song by our local heroes, Donkeyboy!
This is the song for everyone out there with Ambitions!
This song has been a true inspiration to me!

DESIGNERNES EGET JULEMARKED 2009

STRAND redesign will participate in the Designers Christmas Fair 2009 in Oslo. December 5. and 6. 10.00-18.00. This is probably the coolest place to be in Norway this weekend!
I was there last year, as a customer, and had a really great time.
There will be 140 stalls and designers from Norway, England, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden.
Will you be there?

White Elephant

Today, I'm sending some totes and bibs over to the White Elephant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. So in a while, if you should be passing by, you can see them there.

White Elephant Vintage.

Here's a photo from the shop. On the wall, you can see Austin Nicole's clutches and Forest Bound's totes.

Photoshop

I'm preparing some Photoshop lessons for my students. It's so hard to stay consentrated! And I can't resist playing around with the photos...

Bought on Etsy

This handsome fellow, The Montana Jailbird, actually, arrived in my mailbox today. It's bought from the great shop Cool Tricks. Toni, who runs Cool Tricks, is a great and helpful seller! The Montana Jailbird is so well made and has two jingle bells sewn inside. I am planning to give him away as a baby shower gift. I hope it will be soon, cause if he stays any longer, I might fall in love and keep him.

This is Toni's blog: One Minute's Worth.

Cool Tricks also has this adorable Little Red Hen. Anyone who needs a gift?

The postman also brought some soaps today. They where ordered from the lovely and helpful Gabrielle of Herbfriend. The soap in the photo is a Rosemary Mint soap made from only natural ingredients.

I highly recommend this soap!
Here's a link to her blog: Gabrielles Garden.

Penguin sneak peek

I've ordered a bunch of organic t-shirts. It feels to me like the majority of screenprinted t-shirts on the market has a small crew neck. When I put on one of those, it feels like I'm beeing slightly strangled. And since I eat too much chocolate, most t-shirts I try on, wraps closely around my stomach in an unflattering way.
I have made a lot of effort to make my t-shirts feminine, comfortable and good looking on women in their thirties or more. (Also those who eat a little too much chocolate.)
But most of all I wanted them to be really sustainable, organically grown and ethically made.

If everything goes after my plan, the first tees will be in my t-shirt shop November 1th.
I'm SO looking forward to print them!

Which one of my designs would you like to see on a t-shirt?

New totes

I'm working in my study, making totes and bibs. Here are some new totes I've listed in my shop, STRAND redesign.

I hope you will have a lovely weekend and that you'll do something fun and something relaxing!

Big Giveaway

I anledning at Vibeke med bloggen Duften av erteblomster har passert 100000 besøk, ønsker hun å feire med en STOR giveaway! Vinnerne blir trukket ut førstkommende søndag.
Gå til bloggen, så kan du selv lese hvordan du kan vinne.
Disse herlige bloggerne som du kan se under her har bidratt med hver sin gave i denne anledningen og hun kommer til å lage et innlegg her inne denne uken om hver og en av dem slik at dere kan bli bedre kjent med dem. (Jeg er så heldig å være en av dem! Takk for det, Vibeke!)

Her er de utvalgte bloggerne:

Klinkekulen ved Katrine Kalleklev .

Monome smykkedesign

Kasparas salgsblogg

buda mi- haust sin lille butikk

snøstorm

urban retro med urban retro-shop
Og så meg da, STRAND redesign.

I have been enjoying a lovely sunday afternoon, printing in my study. This time it is Mrs Cow for bibs and totes. I've finally found some more colourful fabrics. I hope they will brighten up my shop!
-And the cute hen you see in the background...-I'm hoping to have the first prints of her too soon.
But what should we call her?
What's your favourite hen name?

Fleamarket finds

There has been lots of fleamarkets this weekend. The season is soon at its end and there will not be any new fleamarkets before spring. I have been out for many hours searching new supplies for my redesign. I'm really happy with my finds!

I found a lot of fabrics with pattern today. I need them as lining for my bags. I usually do my printing on plain fabrics without any pattern.

Some of the fabrics I've found is really lovely. I think they will be good for my new product range: Reusable gift wrap bags.

So now, at first, I just have to wash and dry the whole lot!

And here's a selection of vintage Christmas tablecloths. Most of them have stains that make them unsuitable for ordinary use. But I think I can find parts of them that are ok and they will make great Christmas Gift Bags.
I'm currently working on print patterns for Christmas. Also for gift bags.