Inspire

Day 11: Reflection!

2011-12-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

Day 11: Reflection & Happy Holidays!

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone for being an inspiration to us. You encourage us to keep crafting, designing, and aspiring. We decided to end on Day 11 as we didn’t realize what an insane holiday schedule we would have. We apologize, but for the days we were able to make it work, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Our Hmong-Inspired Christmas project may be completed, but we hope it will be shared and recreated in the coming years. We have been blessed with a wonderful family and are very excited to share with them our cross-cultural creations on this holiday. It is a small and simple expression of our love and appreciation of our culture.

We couldn’t be more excited to end the year with this project. Thank you for tuning in and see you all next year!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Day 10: CHAT!

2011-12-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Day 10: CHAT – A true inspiration!

Taking a break from crafting, we want to take the time to recognize an organization that has contributed to supporting and promoting a variety of Hmong arts within the community. The Center for Hmong Arts & Talents (CHAT) is an incredible and inspiring non-profit organization located in St. Paul, MN. CHAT is one of the main reasons why we began this project.

CHAT’s mission: to nurture, explore and illuminate the Hmong American experience through artistic expressions. They are able to achieve this mission through their core values of creativity, community, integrity, and progress.

CHAT gave us the opportunity to step into the fashion industry with their annual fashion show: Fresh Traditions. Fresh Tradition is a fashion show that showcases the talents of emerging Hmong-American fashion designers. We were honor to be a part of the fourth annual Fresh Traditions Fashion Show as it was a wonderful learning process and a launching pad for Inspire.

One of CHAT's main goals is to build audiences for the arts by creating and producing art that significantly enhances understanding both within the Hmong community as well cross-culturally. Complimentary to this goal, and our experiences with CHAT, we were able to produce our Hmong-Inspired Christmas. We wanted to infuse our Hmong culture with the American holiday and be able to share this with the community.

CHAT offers a variety of programs and events that help foster Hmong artists of all mediums. To learn more about CHAT, please visit www.aboutchat.org.

To Inspire and to be Inspired.

Day 9: Picture Perfect!

2011-12-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

Day 9: Gifts – Picture Perfect

Using all that we have learned and making the most use of the materials we have purchased for our Hmong-Inspired Christmas, we present to you our gifts!

Frame Tutorial:

Materials:

-Frames (your choice of size, material, etc)

-Paper, fabric, embellishments…

-Scissors, x-acto knife, and glue

You can do just about any design to put into your frame(s). All you need is your imagination!

For ours:

Step 1: Trace dimensions of photo frame onto cardstock and cut it out. Use this to apply design onto.

Step 2: Cut 1 strip (1” width *by the height of photo frame dimension) of blue and pink cardstock. Cut black cardstock according to the dimensions remaining of cardstock. -Our frame is a 4*6 therefore we have 2 strips of 1*6 and 1 strip of 2*6

Step 3: Measure ribbon and glue down on right side of the black cardstock.

Step 4: Glue all 3 strips in whichever order you choose. Once dry, trim off any extended edges to help fit design into frame.

Step 5: Place into frame and you now have yourself a Hmong-Inspired print!

Creating multiple designs can create a unique, visually appealing design on your wall. If you’re giving this as a gift, having a set of 3 to give makes it all the merrier!

Photo Album

Materials:

-Basic photo album – we got ours at Wal-Mart for $6

-Felt

-Glue, paint brush, scissors

Using our Hmong symbol cut outs (Day 2), we created a traditional design with 4 of them together.

Just apply glue to the back of the symbols and adhere to the photo album. It’s as simple as that!

Check in to Day 10, as we move closer to Christmas!

Day 8: Stockings # 2

2011-12-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

Day 8: Stockings #2

These stockings are a wonderful and unique twist on the American stocking. We love that we were able to infuse Hmong fabric and materials to a classic Christmas item.

We created these stockings using black velvet, pink and green cotton solids, and Hmong trimming (left over from our Hmong heart ornaments!). All materials were purchased at the St. Paul Hmong Market (off of Como Ave.) – support your local Hmong vendors!

Pictured are the materials used for this project. Unfortunately, due to our time restraint and the busy holiday season, we will unable to do a detailed step-by-step tutorial. If there are any requests for it, we will do our best to return to this project and provide a tutorial!

The best part of these stockings is that they make great gifts themselves. Give them to love ones as we are planning to do <3

Day 7: Ornament #3 - Hearts

2011-12-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

Day 7: Ornament #3 - <3

Growing up in a Hmong family, you probably have seen this Hmong ornament. It's a small, stuffed heart-shaped ornament! Usually hand done with a cross-stitch image. You can find these ornaments at the Hmong ABC shop (St. Paul MN Hmong Market) for $6/ea or $2 for an unstuffed heart that you can fill in yourself. For us, that's a bit pricey for a single ornament (if you plan to have more than 1 hanging on the tree). So we decided to take a Hmong-printed trimming and create our own! We recommend this if you are low on funds and you have the time!

Materials:

-Hmong trimming - found at Hmong markets and/or local Hmong fabric store )amount depending on how many ornaments you plan to make)
-Fabric of your choice for the back of heart
-Sewing tools such as sewing machine, thread, and hand sewing needle
-String of yarn or ribbon
-Scissors

Step 1: Fold Hmong-fabric in half and cut out heart shape.

Step 2: Lay cutout on top of fabric. Trace and cut out heart from the fabric.

Step 3: Place string, folded in half, in the middle with at least 1/2" of ends extended beyond the edge.

Step 4: Place Hmong-fabric on top of string and second fabric, right sides together. You will want to pin all 3 layers together at the top. Push in bottom string towards the middle (to avoid stitching string into the seam).

Step 5: Begin stitching at the bottom of the heart. Sew all the way around, leaving at least 1" open.

Step 6: Turn inside out and stuff the heart with filling.

Step 7: Once the heart has been filled, slip stitch the opening closed.

The best part of this project is that you can create all sorts of shapes! Enjoy <3

Day 6: Ornaments #2

2011-12-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Ornaments #2 – Coins!

For a very easy and cute Hmong-Inspired ornament, use the coins found on Hmong garments! We had left over coins that were purchased at the Hmong market. Just slip an ornament hook into the hole of the coin!

And wah-la - coin ornaments!

Day 5: Gift Wrap!

2011-12-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Gift Wrapping

Dress up your gifts with one-of-a-kind wrapping paper!

We created a stamp (tutorial below) and used it to create a fun print on kraft wrapping paper. We like the eco look of the kraft wrapping paper but if you want to glam it up, use color wrapping paper and various color stamps.

Materials:

-Gift Wrap

-We bought our kraft paper roll at Target for $3 – if you choose a solid color, note that there is less square footage (25 sq. ft) compared to the kraft roll (75 sq. ft) and both are sell at the same price!

-Craft Foam

-Found at your local craft store and also available at the Dollar Tree.

-Wood slate or block

-You can use anything that has some sort of height and has a flat bottom.

-Scissors (or x-acto knife)

-Glue

Stamp Tutorial

This technique is similar to the felt Hmong symbols we have been creating except that we are now using craft foam instead of felt.

Step 1: Draw your design onto the craft foam – keeping in mind that you would like a “bubble” shaped symbol of about ¼”.

Step 2: Cut out the symbol using scissors or an xacto knife. An xacto knife will help cut the inner swirls.

Step 3: Next, glue the symbol to the wooden slate.

Step 4: After the glue has dried, it is now ready to be used as a stamp!

Use it on the kraft gift wrap paper to create unique prints of all sorts! And then save it for all different types of projects like scrapbooking, card-making, etc.!

Day 4: Send a Greeting!

2011-12-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Send a Greeting!

We’re super excited to send our greetings!

Creating personal, handcrafted greeting cards gives an extra something special to its receiver. And it’s easy to do! Dig up some crafts and goodies of all sort and get the family together.

Since we have been using felt for our Hmong symbol cut outs (and we hate to waste scraps), we made little cut outs and ribbon to create a Hmong outfit <3

And used some of our Hmong hearts to create another card! Just glue them on cardstock; it’s as easy as that! And if you want to take it one step further, add a fabric backdrop and attach it with a sewing machine stitch.

Or go ahead and draw your designs – this would be a simple yet adorable project for the kids!

Enjoy making your greeting cards and check back in for Day 5 of our Hmong-Inspired Christmas!

Day 3: Ornaments #1

2011-12-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

Day 3: Ornaments #1

Seriously one of the easiest ways to enhance any ordinary glass ball ornament! With some glitter glue and paint markers, we were able to free draw Hmong symbols right onto the ornaments.

You might want to practice a few times to get a hang of it before using the glue or paint marker. Luckily with the glitter glue, if you mess up or want to redo a certain area, you can easily wipe it off with a napkin or a cotton swab. But this can’t be said with the paint marker! It is simpler to use than the glitter glue but once it has been applied, it dries immediately!

We got our materials from our local craft store JoAnns – the Sharpie paint markers are a bit pricey ($3.99ea or a pack of 2 for $5.99) so we suggest using a coupon! The best part of these markers is that they are easy to use and can be used on a variety of materials.

Use the ornaments you may already have or grab a new pack! If you’re on a budget, you can purchase plain ball ornaments for a reasonable low price from Wal-Mart, Big Lots (we got ours here - $3/8 to $6/24) , or your local dollar store. *If you are having the children help out with this activity, plastic ornament balls would be safer for them to handle versus glass ornaments balls.

Make sure that the ornament surface is clean of any residue before applying embellishments. If you are applying glitter glue, you can only do one side and must wait for it to dry (up to 2hrs) before handling the other half. Keep the container the ornaments came in so that you have a place to rest and dry them.

Use your creativity to create one-of-a-kind ornaments to fill up your Hmong-Inspired Christmas tree! And make sure to tune in for Day 4 <3

Day 2: DIY Stockings #1

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Day 2 – DIY Stockings #1 & Hmong Symbol Cut-Outs

Isn't it adorable!? You can make your own stocking (as we did) or use a premade one from the store. The best part is that most of the materials required, you may already have at home! Using your imagination, you can create a variety of different stockings. They’re easy to decorate with your choice of embellishments!

Basic Materials:

Felt (color of your choice) OR store bought stocking OR material of your choice
Scissors (easier to cut if sharp)
Glue or -
Sewing machine & thread (if creating your own stocking)
Embellishments of your choice – be creative!

The following steps pertain to felt symbol cut outs. You can choose to draw the symbols as well. We will be using these felt cut-out steps throughout a variety of Hmong-Inspired projects.

Step 1: Google an image. If you are unable to immediately come up with a Hmong symbol or design at the top of your head, go ahead and research it. We typed in: Hmong symbols and used the image search to locate a few basic designs to go off of.

We will be using the heart symbol in this tutorial <3

Step 2: We chose to free draw the selected design right onto our felt with a black marker. These lines will be your cutting lines. You want to make sure that there is about ¼” between the drawn lines. Here we only did half of the heart because we will be folding the felt in half so that when we cut it out, we will have cut out the other side as well. This allows us to get an almost symmetrical heart cut out.

Step 3: Folding the felt in half, you will cut through both layers, following the drawn lines. It can be tricky holding both layers of felt while cutting as it may shift slightly as your scissor maneuvers around the design. Just hold tight and be very careful when cutting as your fingers will be fairly close to your scissor blades!

Next cut out the center - leave 1/4" from edge!

And wah-laa! You have the basic shape done!

Step 4: Now pick up your scissors again and trim the inner part of the swirls. This will help add space between the design.

Step 5: Use glue or double sided bonding to attach the design to the stocking. If you used a marker to draw your design, you can flip over the symbol to help hide the marks!

Be creative and make more designs – big and small, different colors, etc – and create unique, one-of-a-kind, Hmong-Inspired stockings!

Day 1: Make It Work!

2011-12-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Make It Work!

Before we begin a project, we map out our ideas and try to establish a firm route in which we want to take. We say the word “try” because in the world of crafts and design, sometimes it never works out the way you expect it to! And in the end, you just have to “make it work”!

O how we love Tim Gunn!

Okay so let’s make this project work!

Our ideas are as:

1. Put a little Hmong into our Christmas decorations (for the tree, for the home, etc)

2. Create Hmong-Inspired gifts

3. 1+2 = DIY tutorials to share with the community!

Since the days to Christmas are decreasing ever so fast – we are limiting this project to 12 days of blog posts (the posts are subject to change!)!

Day 1: Make It Work

Day 2: DIY – Stocking #1

Day 3: DIY – Ornaments #1

Day 4: DIY – Send a Greeting

Day 5: Interview w/ Parents

Day 6 DIY – Gift #1

Day 7: DIY – Gift Wrap

Day 8: DIY – Ornaments #2

Day 9: DIY – Gift #2

Day 10: DIY – Ornaments #3

Day 11: DIY – Gift #3

Day 12: Sharing is Not Only Caring, But Inspiring

Our ultimate goal, to be accomplished throughout this project, is to have our very empty tree decorated to its fullest potential!

We would love for everyone to follow along and to create their own versions of our tutorials. Please feel free to email us photos – we would love to share everyone’s creation!

Check in on Day 2 for our first Hmong-Inspired DIY tutorial!

Refashion Your Closet - T-shirt/Tank Remake and Refashion

2011-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air. But we will always carry summer in our hearts and with our fashion. As we mentioned in our last post, we wanted to share with you all the fun ways of fashion as crafters and artists. Our first adventure began with the fun and beautiful ways to re-make and re-fashion tees and tanks. Listed below are some amazing fashionistas who created awesome tutorials. Please feel free to read, explore, and challenge yourself. This is an all season fashion creation. When it gets chilly and you can feel the Fall breeze coming, a simple cardigan can go over these beautiful pieces.

So dig through your closet or think twice before you toss something out, because it can really become something new and beautiful. T-shirt remakes and refashion have become a great way to stay green - reduce, reuse, and recycle!

Here is our tank top refashion. We took a plain tank top and dressed it up with lace and ribbons...and look what we created.

An Old Navy tank top for $4.99, recycled lace - which we ruffled and layered to create the tier look and took some left over ribbon and made flowers - centering the flower with tulle and pearls.

There are so many options and great ideas. We would love to see yours or hear of it! So please feel free to share and post. Happy crafting!

2011-08-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful August?! We have definitely missed the fashion whirl but definitely did not lose our fashion-esteem. Glad to be back to share all of our creations, tips and ideas, and our amazing fashion adventures.

Summer has been wonderful. We did take a few weeks off to breathe, relax, think, and spend time with the family. Within the time we have done a great share of fashion-ventures with beautiful pieces of clothing, shoes, and accessories – some we’ve created and some right of our closet! We can’t wait to share and post them for all your viewing and reading needs.

Through this economic hardship, many feel they have to limit their fashion necessities. In our world, you don’t. Our summer fashion-venture is to introduce you to many wonderful ways to create something new out of something old, to re-style, and for you to realize that what you want may already be in your closet…and what you need is not far out of reach. We’ll share some of our creative ideas as well as the many creative ideas of others.

We’ll start of by sharing this amazing read – an article we found in the Star Tribune Newspaper. It gives great tips and ideas on “How To Be Your Own Stylist”

How To Be Your Own Stylist

Trunk Show - 2011

2011-06-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

We’re very excited to say that our first trunk show was a success! All the hard work of designing and crafting, in one month’s time, paid off in those two hours. But first, we would like to thank b. (a resale shop) and the owner Allison Bross-White for hosting this event. She is amazing! And we wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.

The morning of the event, has to be the most stressful experience for any designer. Last-minute, forgotten details need to be completed and time is your worst enemy. I manage to complete all the small sewing details (such as closures), some embellished button earrings, and even sewed a sweater just for visual presentation, all in 3 hours. But we made it to the shop 30 minutes before 4pm, and were able to create a beautiful, visually appealing display for all our jewels!

Please send visual appreciation to Gaochen!!!

The trunk show was a success – we had attendees and received wonderful compliments for all our goodies, even sold a few here and there. We look forward to having another one in the near future, so please stay tune as we make our mark in the world of design and crafts!

Budgeting Our Trunk Show

2011-06-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

Helllooo and what a beautiful day it is!

We knew that coming into this business wasn’t going to be inexpensive. We don’t have sponsors or investors, but we have great family and friends who have supported us unconditionally. And of course, a whole lot of creativity, innovation, and inspiration!

Other than our design/crafting life, we also hold regular jobs, go to school, and have a family life.

So we put our brains together…great minds think a like…and we managed a budget many would be surprised it even created an outfit, let alone a collection. Which concludes the reason why many of our items are affordable.

There are many concepts and supplies that are needed when it comes to creating a collection. Many of those things include fabrics, notions, thread, other materials you may need to complete your outfit, and tools. Because we also make our own accessories and jewelry – we needed beads, jewelry findings, wires, etc. The list can go on and on. This is where our creativity kicked in. Plus, we are bargain shoppers…we love sales!

It was our very lucky weekend – Memorial Weekend. Joann was hosting one of their biggest sale event. All clearance fabric was an additional 50% off (we got fabrics for $2-$4 a yard); buttons and notions were all on sale – 50% off; and we had coupons for 10% off your total purchase and 40% a single full priced item. We also got strands of beads on clearance!! Now that’s a great deal! Some things are really worth waiting for.

We also found a small fabric store that was going out of business. Of course we paid a visit and made some purchases because you can’t pass off fabric for $2 a yard. We also did some wholesale shopping, visited shops on Etsy, and made our rounds at vintage and thrift stores.

Our most creative and innovative idea was…recycling. Because we are shopping lovers and have a tendency to collect a lot of clothes, instead of donating what we didn’t want we reused them. Some items were reconstructed and some were deconstructed. If we didn’t find a big use out of them we found a small use. For example, reusing buttons or lace; or we would turn them into scrap fabrics which could then be turned into fabric flowers, ruffles, or another form of embellishment.

Prepping for Trunk Show

2011-06-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy June!

We are counting down the days to our very first trunk show!! Exciting! I hope you all will join us in this inspiring journey of ours as we introduce ourselves and our creations to the market.

We don’t consider ourselves as new designers, as we have always been designers – we were born to design, create, and inspire. But we are new business women. We are taking on all the challenges of marketing, retailing, and business endeavors that come our way.

June 11, 2011 is the big date! The date of our very first trunk show, which is exactly ten days away from today! We will be keeping you all posted on pictures and tell all moments everyday until the big day!

As our label, “Inspire,” we want to share this experience with rising new designers venturing into the market world. We have searched and googled all the aspects of a “trunk show” but haven’t come across anything helpful. On a silly note, we have never been to a trunk show, so we really have no idea of what to expect. But due to a lot of hope and ambition, we are going to wing this as if we have done it a hundred times before.

We created a check list, which we have made various revisions and we know that it’ll change many more times before June 11^th. Here is what we came up with:

Create a theme:
Invitations/guest list:
Total amount of collection pieces:
Displays:
Supplies/packaging:
Food/treats/drinks:
Funding/Finances:

Please stay tune as we work our way through this checklist and complete all the details to the final show!

To start off, we knew we needed a host, a place, and a time. Most likely we would have to contact local boutiques and the owners, but we were some very lucky girls. Nonmala works for an amazing store and an amazing owner – b. (a resale shop) (http://www.b-resaleshop.com/) who was willing to host our trunk show. It’s great to have connections. Also, one of her good friends, Angie Arner, created this flyer for us. We used it to post it on Facebook and to create an event invite. So use all the social networking you have!

This is our invite on Facebook:

Come and support local designer duo, Inspire by Gaochen & Nonmala!

We will be hosting our very first "Spring into Summer Trunk Show 2011" on Saturday, June 11th from 6pm-8pm at b. (a resale shop) located in South Minneapolis.

We will be displaying current and new items from our spring/summer collection as well as a sneak peak into our fall collection: Antique Romance.

Light refreshments and snacks will be provided!

Also, we will have a raffle for two lucky attendees to win a pair of custom earrings and bracelet

We also made our own personal invites to mail. Our guest list included local designers, small business entrepreneurs we have worked with, fashion bloggers, local magazine/journalist, friends, and family.

Our theme became Spring into Summer with bright and bold colors with floral prints...with a sneak peak into fall to showcase our antique romance collection.

Pearls and Flowers

2011-04-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

We have been inspired...and we want to inspire you with...

Pearls, Pearls, Pearls!

Pearls – they are timeless, chic, and classic. Not to mention, always the perfect accessory for any outfit. When in doubt…go with pearls. They come in all shades and sizes and can coordinate well with other jewels such as rhinestones and crystals. They are affordable but can make an outfit look priceless.

I’ve realized that when I make jewelry, my key beads are pearls. Whether they are the accents beads or the main piece, they always provide the right touch. Their soft and elegant feel provides the right amount of a romantic flare that I like to add to my pieces.

Top it off with combining pearl accessories with flowers to add a feminine touch.

SFA's Secret Garden Fashion Show 2011

2011-03-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Green, gold, and purple...what a great combination!
Clothing, accessories, and jewelry have been designed and crafted by
Inspire

Lets go to the Tea Party!
Clothing, accessories, and jewelry have been designed and crafted by
Inspire

This is our creation of Alice!
Clothing, accessories, and jewelry have been designed and crafted by
Inspire

Come see our spring collection at the Secret Garden Fashion Show 2011, hosted by Minneapolis's very own Secrets Fashion Agency.

April 16th 2011 - 6pm-9pm - 21+ - @The Suburban World Theater

Defining Fashion for Fashion

2011-03-02T22:48:00.000-08:00

In one of my classes, we were required to define a term that related to our field. I chose the term Fashion. Please enjoy!

Fashion

Fashion is a common term used to describe a current trend, with an emphasis primarily on clothing. It changes over time as new styles are created and produced seasonally for various retailers to introduce to shoppers. Also, fashion may vary within society as well as across various cultures. Factors such as age, gender, social class, and occupation also play a role in an individual’s fashion.

Fashion may be used alongside and associated with the terms of style, mode, or vogue. Unlike style, which is a descriptive term of one’s personal adherence to taste and elegance, fashion accords itself with conventions adopted by society or culture (Yahoo! Education, 2009).

DKNY Spring 2011

Fashion & Its Roots

The word fashion originates from Old French: appearance and manner. In the mid 1800’s, mass production of clothing was introduced, lowering the cost of clothing to the general public. This allowed and encouraged people to purchase and wear more stylish clothing. Fashion that is introduced and maintains its popularity through generations becomes a clothing style. An example may be cardigans or blazers. These styles are relevant in fashion and never go out of style, hence are always in fashion. The opposite are fashion items that are coined the term: fad. A fad is popular for a short duration but quickly loses its appeal. An example is platform shoes or cropped tops. An important note about fashion: it is always changing.

Tidbits about Fashion

· Fashion-related occupations include: fashion designers, retail buyers, stylists, apparel manufacturers, fashion journalists, apparel business management, fashion photography, and fashion marketing and merchandising.

· The four renowned fashion capitals of the world are Milan, New York City, Paris, and London. Each city hosts two fashion weeks per year; one is held in fall while the other is held in spring. Fashion week consists of runway shows that showcase the designer’s clothing collection for the upcoming season. For example: fall fashion week showcases designers’ creations for spring while spring fashion week showcases creations for fall. This cycle allows for manufacturers to produce fashions in a seasonal and timely manner.

· American fashion designers include Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Michael Kors, Donna Karen, Vera Wang, and Calvin Klein.

Sources:

"Dictionary - Yahoo! Education." Yahoo! Education -Dictionary, Colleges, Scholarships,

Homework Help, Schools, Reference,Thesaurus & More. 2009. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/fashion.

"Fashion - Credo Reference Topic." Credo Reference Home. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

<http://www.credoreference.com/topic/fashion>.

To be Inspired and to Inspire.

2011-03-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

About Us!

Gaochen and I were born and raised in the Twin Cities of MN, where we currently reside with our families. My sister and I began our crafty journey at a young age, having been gifted with the curiosity and talents from the close, nurturing women in our lives.

We began our collaboration of crafts and designs in 2006 where we began our first business venture called Little Sisters’ Creations. With handcrafted goods such as beaded jewelry, we attended local and surrounding craft shows to showcase our creations as vendors. After years of creating and selling small goods to the general public, we decided it was time for a change. With an interest and skills in fashion design, we proposed to expand our creations into a clothing line. This clothing line would have an emphasis on current fashion trends yet incorporate vintage patterns and silhouettes. Included in this vision is being able to offer moderately priced and affordable products to its clientele. We wanted a line that would attract buyers of all incomes, to present ready-to-wear fashion, and to showcase our personal aesthetic as crafters and designers. Our goal is to be inspired and to inspire, hence the name of our label.

Inspire: Using our love for handcrafted goods, we aim to utilize this in each and every creation. We take inspiration from home and garden, scrapbooking, painting, beading, embellishing, and countless other endeavors. Inspire is an essence of crafty nature and executed to its highest potential.

Fabric Flowers = Pretty Perfect Embellishments

2011-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

Fabric flowers constructed for all kinds of crafty projects! Glue them to hair bands, sew them on to cardigans, or bead them on to a necklace (like we did!). And by adding a little extra something special to the center of these flowers makes these embellishments create a statement on their own!

If you like what you see, please visit our etsy shop at www.inspirationsinspire.etsy.com