Signs of Spring

Ahhh....signs of spring. The crocus popping up in the yard...



......and the major cleaning going on in the house.

As some of you know my husband, Chris, has been out of the country for several weeks. Now I wouldn't say I'm a pig, but the girls and I do tend to lower our standards a bit when he's gone. I have my "things" - I have to have the sink smile back at me in the morning, empty and sparkly. But with mud season upon us I must admit that I have all but given up on scrubbing the floors. Dark espresso stained floors are gorgeous and make me happy enough that I'd do it again but they do show e-v-e-r-y thing.


Maybe it's the hint of warmer weather- or let me be honest - the impending arrival home of my husband, but I've gone into a cleaning frenzy. I'm talking scrubbing the baseboards kind of cleaning which, if you know me well, is not my normal routine. I even got the girls their own pairs of glamorous cleaning gloves in an effort to encourage a little more enthusiasm around here for cleaning.


I will share a new trick with you. I purchased some cute little lemony hanging sachets at Home Goods recently. When I got them out of the package the lemon scent was hit-you-over-the-head overwhelming. I immediately hung them in the Garage just outside the Mud Room door to deal with at a later date. It turns out that when you walk past the sachets and into the house you are met with a lemony cleaning kind of scent that makes it smell like I just scrubbed the Kitchen! I think I'll go back to the store and stock up in case of emergency. Just don't tell my husband my clever secret.

A "Dandy" New Print

I'm so excited to introduce the new "Dandy" fabric which I'm adding to the line for spring. I addition to the big scale white on navy and white on bright green, I've just approved a sample of a new, pale sky-blue color way that is dreamy. I thought I'd show you how this print started.

This is a picture of the seed pod that my daughter, Mugsy, and I found on a wintry walk last year. It's almost bald now because it's been sitting on the base of my monitor for a year )and been the target of the cat from time to time) but when it was whole it had lots of those cool little spikes.

I thought the pod would make a beautiful block print. Then I thought that a whole field of these pods drifting down a run of fabric would be stunning so on to the computer it went. A few (million) strike offs from the mill later and here's the final product. "Dandy" is a large repeat on a heavyweight cotton twill - great for upholstery and pillows. Enjoy!

And here's the original "pods" in the island colorway along with "sticks" in light blue. This organic cotton sateen has such a smooth face it almost looks and feels like silk.

Fishin'

School O' Fish pillow in the Chairloom window in Ardmore, PA



and on Griffon's new dog bed! The finish on this organic cotton sateen is just beautiful.

Before and After

Before....


....and after!

Captains chairs take on new life with "sticks" twill fabric. They look fresh and new!

Speaking of before & after, I had the pleasure yesterday of visiting the new Chairloom showroom in Ardmore, PA. Proprietor, Molly, is THE expert at transforming furniture to better than its former glory. Classic and unusual sofa and chair frames have been updated with gorgeous, contemporary fabrics. I was inspired and I returned home wanting to re-upholster everything in my house. Luckily, neither time nor budget will allow that. So for now I will just dream about where I would put that raspberry sofa...
visit www.chairloom.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Victoria Larson Textiles Launches New Collection of
Eco-Friendly Fabric Designs

A Fresh, New, Independent Textile Line

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, February 10, 2011—Victoria Larson Textiles today announced the debut of its first fabric line featuring cheerful designs printed with water-based inks on natural fabrics. The new fabrics expand upon Larson’s already successful designs for home accessories.

Larson’s patterns are simple, bold and often whimsical and include themes reflecting the sea, the garden and classical architecture. The designs, which usually begin as watercolor or block prints, make classic references and re-interpret them in a modern way. Columns become a graphic, geometric print. The oval cut-out from a favorite garden stool is translated into a bold, large-scale design. Larson’s classic yet modern personal style is reflected directly through the fabrics. The colorful patterns are unique and represent Larson’s true joy in design.

Colorways include hazy gray-blues; bright, grassy greens; deep plum and navy; and this year’s Pantone color of the year, honeysuckle.

The eco-friendly fabrics feature designs printed with water-based inks on natural fabrics, including 100% organic cotton sateen and 100% cotton twill. Unlike conventional textile manufacturing, Larson’s North Carolina mill uses digital printing which entails little waste of fabric, ink, water or electricity. Equally important to Larson is that all production takes place in the United States

Although this is her first fabric offering, Victoria Larson is no stranger to the world of textiles. She currently produces a popular line of home accents and other goods. Larson’s popular “Heads” and “Tails” pillows, which sport two halves of a block print fish, are the cornerstone of the line. “Victoria’s talent as an artist gives her a unique ability regarding what works in terms of successful scale, proportion and color combinations,” says Molly Andrews of Chairloom in Ardmore, PA which carries Larson’s designs. “I love these beautiful, fresh fabrics as they can be used for a variety of projects such as upholstery, window treatments and pillows.”

The textile launch includes over 20 fabrics in several different colorways. Fabrics retail for about $58 to 60 per yard and are available immediately. Trade pricing is also available upon request. Fabrics in the range are appropriate for both residential and apparel applications and can be viewed at www.victoria-larson.com.

About Victoria Larson
Victoria Larson trained as an Interior Designer at the Maryland Institute College of Art and has worked in the field for 15 years. She also holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Maryland. Her designs are inspired by her travels around the world from New Zealand to Italy to the British Virgin Islands and reflect her love of beauty and nature. The textile line is the culmination of Victoria's life-long passion for art and everything stylish.
Images of the textile line can be found at www.victoria-larson.com
Samples are provided upon request.

Inspiration

Inspiration comes from everywhere - my travels, my garden, my children....even my dog! I have always tried to carry watercolors and a sketchbook when I travel so I can capture little moments to take home with me. I often go through these old sketch books for themes that become fabric designs. Corinthian is a case in point.
I've always been fascinated with architectural details and columns in particular. Maybe it's because Annapolis has so many. Or maybe it's because columns are both structural and beautiful. But whatever the reason I've got volumes of sketches and photos of column details so it was natural that one of the columns was transformed into a fabric design.

Introducing the New Fabric Line!

After years of work and planning, I'm proud to say that the new Victoria Larson Textiles line is launched! I feel like a proud new parent (luckily without the sleep deprivation and mess).

The line features over 20 designs and colorways organized into 4 ranges; garden, sea, architecture and ride.

The big news this week is that Molly Andrews, the clever gal behind Chairloom, has opened a showroom in Ardmore, PA, and some of my fabrics and pillows are there. Please check out Chairloom's facebook to check out the beautiful offerings. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chairloom/87791918276