Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, urban baby bonnets. In Colette's words:
"unique & totally original fabric combinations define our hip, artsy approach to kid’s apparel design. we’re more than just a store, more than just a brand. we move beyond craft and commerce. we believe what we’re doing is art. like you, we’re mamas, too, and we think we’re still kind of hip. we’ve done all of our own product design. our kids have done all of the product testing. with UB2, you get an honest product with distinctive design flair. everything we sell is handmade. no sweatshops, no outsourcing, just beautifully handmade, heirloom quality clothes & accessories for your little one. try us out. join the project. all the cool kids are doing it.
I recently opened a fabric store on Spoonflower where my custom designs are featured."
SouleMama: If you could spend a day with any crafter/artist who would it be and why?
Colette: I would love to spend the day with Sarah Watts, the amazingly talented designer from the new Cotton + Steel fabric collection. Her work is AMAZING (check her out!)...and I would love to talk to her about how she develops her designs and how she moves them from a mental design to a finished fabric. I am sure she'd have a ton of advice for a newbie fabric designer like me, and I am sure she'd be an inspiration!
SouleMama: As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?
Colette: As a kid, I always wanted to be an artist, but never believed I could. How sad is that?!? I thought artists had to "draw things that look like things"...and I couldn't do that (not well, anyway). It wasn't until I was much older that I realized being an artist is a frame of mind and a way of seeing the world, not one's ability to reproduce reality. even when artists DO reproduce reality, what makes their work interesting is the way their eye, their vision impacts the ultimate product. my art is all about color and composition, about using form and color to express my own unique vision of the world. my animals are eclectic, deeply designed. they don't look like real animals... but their shapes are borne from nature.
I'm thrilled to be doing what I'm doing! i LOVE designing hats, and I love designing fabrics even more!
So... to be an artist now, doing fabric design, designing products, desgning advertisements and marketing materials... it's literally a dream come true. I never thought it was possible... but I always wanted to be an artist!
SouleMama: Is there a creative pursuit you haven't explored yet, but would like to?
Colette: Yes! I've just begun the process of designing my own fabrics. I love birds, especially owls, and so they've been the focus of most of my work. I recently attended quilt market in Pittsburgh and showed my collections to some of my favorite fabric companies-- and I had really positive feedback! RIght now, I'm trying to complete 3 collections...with the hope that I can find a company who'll partner with me to bring my designs to my bonnets, caps & dresses. I'm a total newbie at this-- learning Illustrator as I go... but I've been drawing animals for a long time, and I have about a MILLION fabrics stored up in my head! Getting them out of my brain and onto fabric is both a dream and my current obsession!
For today's giveaway, urban baby bonnets is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:
To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8:00 am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is...
I love her bonnets. So sweet and old-fashioned yet modern. I would love a winter one for my little boy.
Posted by: Regina Cocco
Thank you, urban baby bonnets!
