indigo 26

06 March 2012

And The Winner Is...

Thanks to everyone that stopped by and left a comment. The winner was chosen using a random number generator from random.org.

The upcycled pouch goes to...

Jenni from Engineered Style

Here is to another great year! Jenni please contact me with your address so we can get your pouch sent over to you.

05 March 2012

Artist Spotlight: BUTTER Design Lab

I'm very excited to spotlight Laura from BUTTER Design Lab today. Laura is a local (Dallas) artist that works primarily with upcycled materials and remnants to make pillows, tea towels, handbags, pouches, and more for her online etsy shop. She claims to be a thrift store junkie that loves the challenge of taking something that has reached the end of its current purpose, and finding new life for it.

Right now she is a proud resident of Oak Cliff, Texas a very artsy neighborhood of Dallas, but prior to that she lived in Savannah, Australia, St. Louis, and Virginia. She got her Masters in Furniture Design from Savannah College of Art and Design about 4 years ago, and moved to Dallas to work for a national retailer. Designing for mass production made her want to get back to working with her hands on unique items, so she began creating things in her spare time.

Laura has two dogs and three cats, all rescues, and a wonderfully supportive husband. She grew up learning the value of handmade with her mom sewing most of their clothes, and her dad building their house. Please welcome Laura...

Q: By day you are a furniture designer. Why did you also start an etsy shop called BUTTER?

A: BUTTER serves as my hands-on creative outlet – I get to be creative at work, but just through sketches and the computer… so it is wonderful to be able to come home and work with my hands.

Q: Why do you choose to use upcycled materials versus new?

A: There is so much potential in materials that are at the end of their life cycle, and it is rewarding to know that you are preventing things from going to the landfill. I like the challenge that comes from designing new objects from old materials.

Q: You print awesome lines from songs on your pillows and towels. How did that come about?

A: I’m a big music fan, and I’m usually blasting 70’s and 80’s music while I’m sewing…

Q: You have been known to dumpster dive for furniture that has been thrown away. What has been your favorite dumpster project?

A: Probably my desk chair… I found it in an alley and it was pretty dang disgusting! It took a lot of TLC to transform it into what it is, but now it’s something I see everyday and it inspires me.

Q: You have lived in many places including Australia, how did you land in the lone star state?

A: I came for a job, not expecting to stay more than a year, but four years later here I am – this place certainly grows on you!

Q: You researched traditional handcrafts such as weaving and knitting for your MFA thesis and mentioned that it has influenced your life and work. In what way?

A: I did a lot of conceptual work on designing methods of mass production that created uniqueness in items through the hand of the maker. There is something so special about items in which the process of making is apparent... similar to wabi-sabi and the beauty of imperfection, I guess.

Q: Who are your favorite designers?

A: Ray and Charles Eames are incredibly inspiring – they found beauty in everything. Current designers include Patricia Urquiola, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Marcel Wanders, Front Design, anyone involved in Droog… there are so many great designers out there!

Q: When you start a new project how or where do you gather inspiration?

A: Many of my projects stem from the materials available.

Q: Do you have a motto or advice for other designers just starting out?

A: Don’t give up, believe in yourself and stay creative!

Q: You are a member of Etsy Dallas. Tell us more about that.

A: I love Etsy Dallas – it’s such a supportive, creative group and everyone is very committed to spreading the handmade love around Dallas!

Q: What is your next big project?

A: I’ve got a lot of things in the works right now… I’m developing a line of handbags made from upholstery swatches, as well as some furniture projects made from reclaimed wood.

Is there anything else that you would like to share?

I’ll have a booth at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash on May 5^th at the Palladium.

Also, I’ve added a coupon code to my etsy shop, readers can get a 26% discount with code indigo26.

Not only can you find Laura at area events she can be found on the web...

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram: butterdesignlab

Website: butterdesignlab.com

Thank you Laura for being featured on indigo 26 and for the awesome discount code!

++++++++++++

Laura is offering a zipper pouch to a lucky winner to help me celebrate. There is still time to enter. Just click here. The winner will be announced tomorrow.

02 March 2012

Celebrate With A Giveaway From BUTTER Design Lab

{source}

Indigo 26 is a year old today, and so to celebrate I'm offering a giveaway from Laura over at BUTTER design lab. Thank you for reading and inspiring me everyday!

This handy zipper pouch, made from upcycled upholstery swatches, features a thick brown, blue, green and white striped cotton exterior lined with a navy and white striped fabric and a bright turquoise zipper. Perfect for your pencils, cash, make-up, checkbook, lady stuff, and other what-nots...

TO ENTER | Jump over to BUTTER, take a look at their products and then in the comments below tell us which one is your favorite. To enter TWICE, head over to the 4(for) green acres facebook page, like us, and leave me a second comment stating so. Comments will be closed at midnight CST on Monday, March 5th. The winners will be drawn by a random number generator and announced on Tuesday. Please be sure to check back or subscribe (enter your email in the sidebar under email updates to get posts delivered to your inbox) to see if you won this awesome pouch.

Coming up next week...an interview with Laura to learn about what inspires her to make all the products for BUTTER.

01 March 2012

March 4(for) Green Acres Challenge

These monthly challenges are your opportunity to cultivate your own acres. They are designed to challenge your creativity, test your will power, and pull your awareness to the footstep you are leaving behind.

By participating in these challenges and sharing them with others you are spreading the message. Over time, those around us will be making better choices as well. The goal is not to change how you live your life, but rather think about the implications of those choices and tweek them for the best outcome.

MARCH CHALLENGE: FOOD ORIGIN

As a growing urban homesteader I am becoming more and more interested and involved in my food. Growing up, I took good, wholesome food for granted because I grew up in the midwest and a lot of our food came off of our farm. Then one day I read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan and I decided to make a radical change in the way I saw food. All of a sudden it mattered where my food came from and the conditions in which that food was grown. This month's challenge is designed to shed light on a few serious issues with our food system.

There is no longer a balance in the spectrum of consumers and producers. On one end are the consumers that blindly believe that our food supply comes from the grocery store. The origin stops at the shelves. On the other end are the big producers like Monsanto and CAFO's like Smithfield that are changing the food system by dominating the market and eliminating the little man. They are changing the DNA of our food, and slowly poisoning our food system.

So the issue of food origin is two fold.  The importance of looking beyond the shelf and being choosy about who we buy our food from has become paramount. It's not as easy as one might think. For example, I shop at Whole Foods for many things. I believe in their mission, they are a Texas business, and while I realize they still import produce from other countries I have the option to purchase local and in season foods. So imagine my shock when I watched this video.

If it's happening at Whole Foods, it's happening where you shop.

THE CHALLENGE | For the month of March, take a deeper look at where your food comes from. Be choosy about where you shop and if you don't have many options (small town America) start by reading your labels.  Start with buying products that come from the US versus China or South America. Whenever possible, shop local stores, farmers markets, and roadside vendors.  Start asking questions. Don't assume that produce at a farmers market was grown locally. Many of them buy wholesale from grocers and turn around and sell it to you.

If you do all of this already, take it a step farther. I already keep tabs on my meat and produce, but I don't know a lot about my basic pantry staples. For example, I love my homemade granola which uses organic rolled oats.  Other than buying them at Whole Foods I can't tell you where those grains were grown, and if they are in fact certified organic.  Investigate the origin of everything you eat. You might be surprised and, like me, a little shocked at what you discover.

Please post what you find.