Do you remember the distinct time when you and a friend bonded and became friends? I have a great memory for moments like that, and I can say that Elizabeth MacLennan and I bonded over Funkins. Liz is a true styling talent in the business, and I feel so lucky that our paths crossed on a shoot for this feature I was producing on paint makeovers (we actually met over a stenciled dining table!). She worked with me as the crafting genius and stylist for a Halloween story next. So what are Funkins? One element of the story was carving pumpkins. But you see, magazines shoot their stories typically 3-4 months prior to you picking up their glossy pages on the newsstand. And there are no pumpkins available in July. None. So we used these fake pumpkins called Funkins, that look pretty real in photos, but are foam and weird to carve — and you can't use real candles inside them without creating a scary fire hazard situation. We bonded.
Simply put, I love Liz's style. She has an eye for a certain kind of crafting that perfectly meshes with what I love — part modern, part nostalgic, and simply pretty. She has a passion for making things, and her creative energy is contagious when you're around her. So I'm sure it's no surprise that we were fated to be friends as we both have collections of rubber stamps and I seriously envy her gocco. We spent 12 hours trying to make handmade hearts look straight for this shoot, above.The top photos are from one of my favorite shoots we worked on together — Liz engraved glasses with simple words and botanical patterns. They turned out gorgeous. If you're interested, the idea stemmed from one of my favorite books, Remake Restyle Reuse, which is infused with this cool French boho style of crafting.
I'm so happy to share today that Liz has a brand new site up and running, which shares her crafting and styling portfolio as well as a peek at her passion for making things. You can contact Liz if you're interested in any of her artwork or prints. I'm personally loving all of her screenprints and want one for my home office. Have fun poking around her fancy flash site!
A few notes on everyone involved:
+ Removable Dante designed the site.
+ the amazing Anna Beckman is behind the fun calligraphy.
+ Lara Robby photographed the photos above (she's another favorite person of mine.)
And here's another reason I love Liz's work — she created the banner for this site! That embroidered banner may be my favorite thing that she's made. Congratulations on the new site, Liz! You'll be hearing from Liz in the next few weeks, because she's working on a number of guest posts for me, inspired by her recent trip to Japan. Get ready for some amazing craft posts from a crafting master! I'm super excited!
