WEEKEND OF DESIGN: Blickfang Basel and Vitra Design Campus

A few weekends ago my husband and I were fortunate enough to visit both Blickfang Basel and the Vitra Design Campus.  Blickfang is a traveling European design exhibition featuring the work of talented, small-scale designers.  Not only do you get to peruse (and purchase) the wares, but you also get face time with the designers themselves. 

Jeremy and I foolishly considered dragging one of these enormous geometric pods back home. 

Some of my favorite designs at the exhibit included these origami inspired chairs by Matthias Scherzinger of Freudwerk and the triangular poufs designed by Antoinette Bader — I’m a sucker for hard edges and geometric shapes.

These two were just adorable.

The following day we hopped on a bus to the Vitra Design Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, to join in their 25th anniversary celebration.  We were treated to tours of the Frank Gehry buildings, the Vitra Haus as well as free crafting workshops.

Copper lampshades, concrete stoves, Eames elephants, Verner Panton lounge chairs ...had I died and gone to design heaven? Jeremy eventually snapped me out of my design coma with the promise of real Black Forest cake. Mmmm...yum.

The installations at Vitra Haus change pretty frequently, so I will definitely be back soon. If you’re looking for design inspiration, it’s hard to beat the Vitra campus! 

TRIBAL PRINT BACKPACK DIY

This tribal print backpack began as a pillow from India.  I loved the fabric, but I didn’t like the shape or size of the pillow.  It went into storage for a few years until I unearthed it while preparing for a garage sale.  It seemed like such a shame to leave this beautiful print hidden from the world, so I decided to create a backpack for our trip to Switzerland.

Materials:

My free template
30” x 20” Heavyweight fabric

12” x 15” Costume pleather

12” x 15” Felt

2.5 yard 1” Nylon webbing

1 yard Drawstring

2 Plastic adjusters

1 Buckle

Black thread

Pins

Chalk

Scissors

Iron

Sewing machine

Method:

1) With the wrong side facing, measure 2 ½'' from the top of the fabric and mark with a pen.

2) Fold fabric ½“ from top and iron.

3) Fold fabric another 2'' to meet the pen mark you made. Iron flat and sew edge.

4) Insert the drawstring.

5) Fold fabric in half width wise. With right sides facing, sew the edge together. Use a zigzag stitch to finish edges and prevent the fabric from fraying. The fabric should now form a cylinder with the drawstring at the top.

6) Cut two pieces of nylon webbing 6.5” long. Thread plastic adjusters onto the webbing. Fold webbing in half and sew adjusters as shown in image below.

7) Cut base pieces from template. With wrong sides facing, sew edges together.

8) Pin base and adjusters in place. The adjusters were set 8” apart. In the photograph you can see that I’ve placed the fabric seam down the center back.

9) With right sides facing, sew base to backpack. Turn backpack right side out.

10) Cut two 28” pieces of nylon webbing for straps. Pin straps at an angle to top of bag, approximately an inch from the back center. Sew in place. Thread the straps through adjusters.

11) Cut one piece of nylon webbing 3” long. Thread buckle onto webbing. Fold webbing in half and sew as shown in image below.

12) Cut one piece of pleather and one piece of felt according to flap template. With wrong sides facing, sew together.

12) Cut one piece of nylon webbing 8” long.  Pin webbing to the felt in the center of flap. Sew webbing in place.

13) Pin and sew the flap to the backpack right above straps.

14) Pin buckle to the front of backpack and sew in place.

Note: If you plan on carrying heavy items, reinforce the straps by sewing extra nylon webbing perpendicularly across strap ends.

Any questions or comments are always welcome and appreciated. Hope you have a good weekend, Nicole.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To all the mothers in my life, thank you for your unending love, support and encouragement.

BRING BACK OUR GIRLS

By now you would all have heard of the horrific abduction of 234 girls in northern Nigeria on April 14 (new estimates place the number of kidnapped girls at 276). Boko Haram kidnapped these girls for exercising their right to an education. It is believed that the girls, between the ages of 12 and 17, were taken across the borders into Chad and Cameroon and sold as brides to Islamist militants. Thus far the Nigerian government has done very little to find the abducted girls.  

If you would like to help #BringBackOurGirls, you could:

1: Sign the Change.org petition here.

2: Join a rally. My sister-in-law, Jennifer Prestholdt, will be speaking at the Twin Cities rally on Sunday. Get more information on rallies in your area here.

3: Use social media to spread awareness. Use the hashag #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS, or use one of the “Bring Back Our Girls” images as your profile picture.

4: Get more information and updates at:

http://theadvocatespost.org/ or http://humanrightswarrior.com/

MOTHER'S DAY DIY ROUNDUP

Want to give your mom something handmade for Mother’s Day? I’ve put together this Mother’s Day DIY roundup, which features projects by many amazingly creative people. I’ve included projects for making jewelry, bags, stationery, spa goodies, as well as plant and gift wrap ideas. Hope you find some inspiration here. Have a happy weekend filled with crafts! Nicole.

JEWELRY

1) Wrapped hoops – Flax and Twine

2) Beaded tassel necklace – Chic Steals

3) Ring dish – Doe A Deery

4) Polymer clay necklace – Design Sponge

5) Wrapped tassel necklace – Tuts+

6) Scalloped necklace – Minted Strawberry

BAGS

1) Crochet leather flap clutch – Delia Creates

2) Laptop sleeves – The Felted Fox

3) Fold over clutch – Say Yes

4) Leather clutch – Design Love Fest

5) Scallop purse – Monster Circus

6) Triangle clutch – Desmitten

7) Lunch Bag – Syl And Sam  

CANDLEHOLDERS

1) Copper and wood candleholder – Mormors Glamour

2) Faceted clay votive – Gathering Beauty

3) Multiple taper candleholder – Inspired By Charm

4) Handpainted votives – Funnel Cloud

5) Marble and copper candleholder – The Felted Fox

STATIONERY

1) Free printable card – Studio DIY

2) Ombre journals – Damask Love

3) Dip-dyed stationery – The Merry Thought

4) Metallic feather pens – Monster Circus

5) Envelopes – A Fabulous Fete

SPA

1) All natural foundation – Free People

2) Dry skin scrub – Fuss Free Cooking

3) Cranberry lip gloss – Organic Authority

4) Foaming cleanser – Blah Blah Magazine

5) Clay mask – Soap Deli News

6) Chamomile body cream – Fresh Picked Beauty

PLANT IDEAS

1) Airplant hanger – I Don’t Know How She Does It

2) Bud vase – The Merry Thought

3) Terrarium – Wit and Whistle

4) Seed packets – Satori for living

5) Succulent kissing ball – Joy Us Garden

6) Rose bowl – Mormors Glamour

7) Herb labels – Chris loves Julia

WRAP IT UP!

1) Pie chart gift tags – Eat Drink Chic

2) Gift wrap ideas – The House that Lars Built

3) Wood veneer gift tags – Sugar and Cloth

4) Chalk board boxes – Heather Bullard

5) Paper anemones – Lia Griffith