Live in Color: Sharing a few bits from my inspiration board...

Greetings!

I hope you are all having a good week. I'm in the midst of some freelance work by day and my own work on an ErinElsie collection by night. Getting inspired is always a great stress reliever for me so thought I'd pass along the gesture by sharing some of my most favorite bits of  recent inspiration. 

Above, some bathing suit designs by the artist, Sonia Delaunay circa 1920s.

Image found here: stylesight.com 

Sonia Delaunay was a painter, illustrator, textile designer, and clothing designer who was a pioneer of abstract art beginning in the 1920s. In 1964 she became the only woman to have had an exhibition at the Louvre Museum in her own lifetime. Learn more about this artist here: britannica/Sonia-Delaunay

Two models in Sonia Delaunay beachwear, 1927. I gravitated towards this image right away and love that these outfits could indeed look great in black and white or as colorful prints. 

Images courtesy of blog.stylesight.com

How fun are all these pieces on the below vintage pattern? I'm still loving the trend of 2 piece sets and crop tops. There were so many fun takes on it in the late 50s and early 60s.  

Image found here: pinterest

I love sifting through old advertisements. Sometimes they can feel so dated and sometimes they can feel surprisingly modern. This ad below was for beach towels and I love love the prints and the idea that you could mix these patterns in a look. 

...and in the studio

I'm working on a few beach-y carryall bags. If perhaps you're intimidated by putting bold prints in your wardrobe, then try incorporating them with accessories. 

I'm also loving how this array of kimono-style tops is turning out! I'm trying to get this all out in the next couple of weeks.  

Alright, and now time for that glass of wine...I hope your week is going well, and if not - hang in there, the weekend will be here shortly!  Many thanks for taking the time to read along.  

Cheers friends,
 Erin 
http://www.erinelsie.com 
Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer 

A Trend, A Treasure Hunt, and Time with the Parents!

Trends come and go, and while I enjoy the spectacle of it all - I am generally tentative to jump on board. I tend to gravitate towards quality basics and eclectic statement pieces that I simply love and know I will not tire of quickly. To my surprise, one trend I am enjoying is this kimono-inspired soft jacket look. They are an easy way to add a pop of color or print to your basic pieces. They are also great to travel with as they can be worn with shorts during the day, as a swimsuit cover up, and even dressed up at night. 

Photo Courtesy of MissWhiteSmith Blog

My Purple Boho Big Shirt

I made a beautiful purple one, that sold rather quickly- and it has inspired me to make a collection of them. One size fits all, in an array of prints. Scouring everywhere for awesome fabric in beautiful colors and prints is what I love to do and lends itself perfectly to this project. I have already tracked down some of the materials online. It's pretty amazing with technology that you can buy vintage fabric from France- so excited for that to come in! Next, I will take my fabric hunt on the road. My parents are flying in from Louisiana this morning and I'm so excited! They are going to be Brooklyn residents for the next couple of days and it will be great to just spend some quality time with them. After hanging in New York - we are going to do a little road trip up the coast Mystic, CT and Newport, RI perhaps. I plan to derail the trip a couple of times for some fabric treasure hunting, I just can't help myself! Have a lovely memorial day weekend and I will report back soon!

As always, many thanks for following along on this creative journey! 

Be Well!
xo
 Erin 
http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer

1 Men's Shirt = 2 Chic Pieces

1 Men's Shirt = 2 Chic Pieces

Inspiration and ideas can truly come from anywhere and I am usually always taken with a great print. I was delighted to find this subtle, deep, and beautifully printed Men's Hawaiian shirt in a thrift store, perfectly suited for soft and easy summer pieces. Luckily it was a very large shirt, and the fabric quality was very well preserved. I am so happy with the end results- 2 lovely pieces that have given knew life to this awesome fabric from this once discarded shirt. My process goes way beyond just making a garment. Here, I'm just sharing a small glimpse behind the scenes of this particular project. 

1. Let the fabric speak to me

2. I always thoroughly wash my materials. That can be quite the task when you live in NYC in a 5 floor walk-up and your laundry is in the basement, but it's always a good workout! 

 3.If I'm working with a thrifted garment, once I have a general idea of what I want to make, I strategically take the item apart. It's also a neat way to sometimes analyze and learn new construction techniques. 

4. Draping and pinning my design together; this is the stage that the design changes the most and is truly the most fun and creative part for me. It's where everything starts to take shape and become an actual garment.  

5. Sew all the pieces together. Sometimes stressful, sometimes therapeutic, and a skill that I always try to perfect. 

6. Hand-finishing- this is what I believe distinguishes a well made garment from the rest. True craftsmanship and quality are important to me. 

 Blue-Green Midnight Tropics Sundress

 

Shop Here

 Blue-Green Midnight Tropics Sundress

Shop Here

                              Thanks for following along on this creative journey! 

Be Well!
xo
 Erin 
http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer

Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You": Day 5

With Mother's day coming up, I'm taking some time this week to reflect on how things I have learned from my mom influence me everyday.  Here is day 5 of "Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You."

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Day 5  - Dear Mom, Thank you for all of the little things. When I say "little things," I mean all of the innumerable things that mom took care of day in and day out. They often may go unnoticed and unacknowledged, and so today I say thank you for all of it.  

-for all the driving me around, making sure I got to sports practices, friend's houses, and wherever else I needed to go

-for all those home-cooked meals

-for the loads and loads of clothes washing, and for being an expert at stain removal ;)

-for all of the constant grocery shopping, I know we were quite the eaters!

-for always being there in the crowd to cheer me on in whatever sporting event I was participating in at the time

-for making sure I always had whatever I needed

-and for all of the little things that you still do for me

xo,
-Erin
http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer

*Readers, thanks for taking the time to share in my creative journey*

Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You": Day 4

With Mother's day coming up, I'm taking some time this week to reflect on how things I have learned from my mom influence me everyday.  Here is day 4 of "Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You."

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Day 4  - 

Dear Mom, 
Thank you for always speaking up, and for being my fearless defender and supporter. 

This reminds me of a quote that I like a lot. The first time I heard it, it made me think of my mom. 
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker

In so many different scenarios in my life, my mom has always been my feisty supporter and defender. It doesn't matter how big or small the injustice, she's not afraid to speak her mind. When I was a teenager, I'd get so embarrassed in some of these moments; but in my adulthood, I look back and feel nothing but gratitude and admiration.  

xo,
-Erin
http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer

*Readers, thanks for taking the time to share in my creative journey*

Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You": Day 3

As Mother's Day approaches, and I thought about what I can do to show gratitude toward my mom, I reflected on how things I have learned from her influence me everyday.  Here is day 3 of "Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You."

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Day 3 - Thank you, Mom for the confidence to live without limits. 

Even in 2014, it can still sometimes feel like you are a girl in a man's world, but my mom never made it feel that way for me - I feel empowered and have my mom to thank. 

 Fishing is one of my family's favorite past times, and we ladies do not disappoint. We all knew if mom was in the boat, she'll probably catch the the biggest fish- and the most. One day I could be playing dress up in her old party dresses with way too much blue eyeshadow on,  another I could be covered in mud- and she was okay with that. She was very much a tomboy child herself. I spent lots of time sewing, but also playing sports outside with my brothers. 

Family Fishing! 

Flag Football, fun times!

She never discouraged me on the things I wanted to try. When it came time to pick a major for college, she help me discover and decide on Fashion Merchandising and Consumer Studies, and never made me feel less "smart" because I wanted to get into fashion instead of engineering. I could be a lady, as well as strong and smart. When I decided to move to New York on my own, despite her obvious motherly concern- she said, "Go for it!" and that she always knew I would end up here. When I quit my corporate job to work freelance jobs in order to to focus on my own designs; she again, supported me and has never discouraged my crazy dreams.

 I never felt like I had to fit into a stereotype and I think that helped develop confidence in the person I am and in my abilities without comparing them to others. As I forge my own path, confidence is key. Believe in yourself, and live without limits.  

Happy Wednesday!

xo,
-Erin
http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: erin_e_blank

*Readers, thanks for taking the time to share in my creative journey*

Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You": Day 2

                     

                              

As Mother's Day approaches, and I thought about what I can do to show gratitude toward my mom, I reflected on how things I have learned from her influence me everyday.  In response, here is day two of "Dear Mom, 7 Days of "Thank You."

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Day 2 - Thank you, Mom for sharing the joy of cooking...and eating!

 It's certainly a fact that being from South Louisiana and loving great food go hand in hand. I'm lucky to be from a family that truly epitomizes this. They love to eat, and more importantly know how to cook. My brothers and I all enjoy cooking and it's no doubt something we got from our mom. Weeknights there were always home-cooked meals and Sundays were filled with big lunches. Eating my mom's food is truly one of the highlights of going home to visit. Food at home is never overly fancy or pretentious, but comforting and full of flavor. Stews are one of my favorite comfort foods and my mom's Chicken stew in particular. White beans and rice are something that's hard to explain to those that have never had them in south Louisiana, but done right they are so delicious and the perfect compliment to fried seafood. My mom's are the best...and how about a crispy fried egg...yum!

Many people think that most New Yorkers don't cook, but I certainly do. Daily, I work with my hands and when I need a break from my design work, cooking is a sort of therapy. To me, it is relaxing, creative way to work with my hands and comfort the soul after a long day (or night). I try to replicate some of my mom's food here, but some dishes I still must wait until  I visit home to get my fix!

One of mom and dad's best collaborations, fried fish and shrimp with white beans!

Crispy Fried Egg :)

Big Pot of Stew! My version, it's getting better with time...

...and always on rice.

Thanks Mom!

xo,
-Erin

http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: erin_e_blank

*Readers, thanks for taking the time to share in my creative journey*

Sentiment and Souvenirs

Happy Friday!

So when you live in a very small space, and you are inherently someone who does not like to get rid of things, editing the new stuff you bring into your space becomes very important. Although it's taken over 3 years, I am getting better at it, just don't look in my closet- hehe. In my tiny apartment, I want to be surrounded by those items that have meaning to me. 

When I travel, I feel like one of my languages is fabric- it's how I connect to the people and culture of the place I'm in and it's usually the only souvenir I'll purchase. A while back, my fiance came up with the great idea of using fabric from our travels to make throw pillows for our sofa. It gets him involved when I'm hunting for fabric on trips and keeps us surrounded by our fun travel memories. It also keeps our place tchotchke free.

Almost a year after our Columbia trip, I finally got around to making our pillow. You can read more about that trip here: http://erinelsie.blogspot.com/2013/06/cartagena-mania.html . I had found these beautiful hand printed/ batiked wraps. 

 Our eclectic pillows: our Columbia and Hawaii pillows added to his Morocco pillow.  

(You can read more about the Hawaii fabric here: http://erinelsie.blogspot.com/2012/08/small-island-big-inspiration.html )

Also, speaking of sentimental projects- I recently did a custom tee-shirt blanket for a customer to give to her daughter who is about to graduate college. It was special to be handed the responsibility of preserving these memories and more special that she loved the final result. If you have sentimental tee shirts that you perhaps no longer wear but don't want to discard, tee-shirt blankets are an awesome solution. They are so cozy and even better you can just throw them in the washing machine like any old tee shirt! 

So colorful and cozy :)

Alright friends, thanks for taking a little time out with me- back to work I go!

Have a happy weekend!

 xo
Erin
http://www.erinelsie.com
Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer

My bag runneth over...with print-spiration :)

My bag runneth over...with print-spiration!

Recently, I was able to get together with some Fashion Merchandising students from my alma mater, currently on an exploratory New York City trip(Louisiana Tech I love thee!) At first, talking with seniors and juniors currently in college made me feel a little old and slightly intimidated. I was relieved to find them captivated and interested in hearing about my journey since my days at Louisiana  Tech. I felt sort of like a temporary rock star just for surviving here and going for my dreams - and sometimes that little pat on your shoulder is just what you need. I hope in some way their chat with me was inspiring and will encourage them to work hard and go for what they want; but more importantly I hope they know that they inspired and revived me. I think we sometimes feel so anxious or focused on the future, we forget to take a little moment to acknowledge how for we've come.  

  After our chat, the sun came out and the temperatures were slightly warmer. I found myself enjoying my free afternoon of solitude, strolling the streets in a part of town a little foreign to me. That is truly one of my favorite things to do in New York- wander. In the hectic everyday, we don't always get to, we just commute from place to place and then home. 

 To my delight, I came upon a huge thrift store - one of my favorite places to wander! Luckily I have disciplined myself to take only as much as I can carry, because I found some really great hidden gems, along with a sale- very dangerous for a thrifter like me! When I find something with great fabric and/or print and I'm instantly inspired by the possibilities- I have to have it. I left with a bag full of awesome pieces and a mind full of inspiration! It's a huge part of why I do what I do- making every item special, with a story that goes beyond the design. 

Stealing this top for myself ;)

                                "Not all who wander are aimless" (Mona Lisa Smile, 2003)

Certainly an inspiring day all around! Now back to work for me! 

Cheers friends, 
xo
 -Erin 
http://www.erinelsie.com

Follow me on Instagram: ErinBlank_Designer
Follow my "Remnants" blog onTumblr: http://erinblank.tumblr.com/