Etsy obsession of the week: Swiedebie

Morning everyone,
Sorry for my absence this weekend - we travelled up to suprise my mum for Mothers Day, and I seem to have been struck down with a head cold, which has left me lethargic and not really feeling up to posting. Hopefully normal services will resume now!

When you aren't feeling your best, sometimes you need an overload of cute to perk you up, and this is where my Etsy obsession of the week comes in: Swiedebie does the most marvellous adorable things with felt!

I love pandas (I look like one most mornings because i'm a slob with the eye make up remover!) and I want this little fella to pop my business cards in; they say you should make your cards and yourself as memorable as possible when meeting new people, and what's more memorable than a fat sleepy panda guarding your cards?

The creator of these little cutesy pieces of whimsy is Swee Leng who lives in Holland with her husband and daughter, but originates from Singapore. Each piece depicts her inner-child world, and looking at each piece wakes up my (not often sleeping) inner child too!

I'm like a teenage girl when it comes to anything cute and although I'm a bit too old to adorn my bag with cute keyrings and badges, I definitely still want to! These plushes remind me of the shoes made by EmandSprout (You can read my interview with their creator here) and I think if you only wear or use one at a time (strictly one at a time!) you can still make yourself smile by adorning yourselve with a little animal cuteness. I would love this babooshka doll in brooch form to add to my peach lace blazer.

What do you think? Does there come a time where you have to put the cute back in the cupboard, or are you never too old to adorn yourself with sleeping pandas?

Love, Tor xx

Fabfrocks interviews: Lindsay from EmandSprout

Hi All,

As i've already mentioned on this blog once or twice, I have a major shoe crush on the etsy store EmandSprout. Their chihuaha shoes have been one my mind at least once daily since the first time I saw them, and they give a fresh take on the phrase "putting the fun into footwear."

So imagine my delight when the lovely Lindsay Gibson, owner and designer of EmandSprout (which was lovingly named after her two cats) agreed to do a short interview with me for your reading pleasure:

How cute are Lindsay and her enviably thick fringe!?

TB: Tell me a little bit about your background:

LG: I've always been a crafter at heart! I know it sounds so cliche but I've just been into making stuff since I was a little girl. My earliest and fondest memories of being crafty were making Valentines Day mailboxes for card swaps in school, you know the kind you make out of shoeboxes? I remember always staying up all night making sure my box was perfect! Fast forward 10 years and I ended up going to art school and graduated with an emphasis in graphic design. I worked professionally as a designer until my interest waned because I wanted to start working for myself instead of for someone else. Plus I'm a terrible morning person, ha! ;)

........................................Lindsay's workspace: where the magic happens!

So about 5 years ago I taught myself screenprinting and created a line of screenprinted t-shirts under the name Kid Pirate. The success of that business allowed me to do extra things with my spare time, and so Em&Sprout was born! Em&Sprout just started as a little side project, but after seeing the response people had to my shoes it's sort of grown into something alot more special that just a side project.

TB: When did you start making your wonderful shoes?

LG: It's been a little over a year now!

TB: Why did you choose to focus on designing shoes?

LG: The shoe idea just popped into my head one day, I didn't really choose to focus on shoes - it just came to me and I went on my whim and made them! I ended up really liking the idea of making cute shoes especially for us grown-ups! Why should only little girls get all the fun shoes?

TB: A bit of a cheesy question, but what is your inspiration?
LG: Animals!! I'm a huge animal lover. Especially my two cats, Em & Sprout (Emily Pussyfoot & Beansprout Sassypants) who the shop is named after! Other than animals I find inspiration in so many things including: Candy wrappers, 80's cartoons, classic arcade games, halloween, monsters, silliness, vintage toys, carnivals and fairs. All things colorful and wacky with a twisted sense of humor :)

TB: What is the most bizarre custom order you have ever received?

LG: Puffer fish maryjanes. They had these huge red fishy lips and I made it's fins coming out the sides of the shoes. They were pretty crazy but the girl loved them. HAHA!

TB: Of all the designs on sale in your store, which is your favourite and why?

LG: Definitely the zombie cats because they're a little cute and a little creepy. How can you not love a little kitty with a gouged eye?

TB: Who are some of your favourite fashion designers?

LG: Betsey Johnson, Erin Fetherston, and basically anyone who has a young, flirty, whimsical aesthetic. An indie label I admire is Kelly of I'm Your Present, she is so fabulous and creative!

TB: As your design style is so cartoon focused, I have to know who your favourite cartoon character is:

LG: This is seriously the hardest question ever, but I have to go with Rosie the Robot from the Jetsons. I watched that show so much as a kid and I have such a soft spot in my heart for her! She was so warm and hilarious, the show wouldn't have been the same without her. I could go on and on about all my other favorite characters but I'd never shut up so I'll stop now! ;)

TB: Describe your fashion philosophy in less than 20 words:

LG: Your personality is your style, be comfortable in your own skin, and don't worry about what others think!

I love Lindsay's style philosophy as much as I love her favourite designer (Oh Betsey!) but not quite as much as I love her fabulous shoes which you can buy here and here.

Happy shopping!

Love, Tor xx

Oh by the way, if you are a designer, illustrator, blogger or creative-type and you would like to be interviewed on the blog just drop me a line at torberry00@yahoo.co.uk and I will be in touch!

Em and Sprout shoes: Like, want, nope, need!!

I've been so so sensible with my new season clothes shopping. (As you'll see when I post them tonight - the bf is playing photographer to show them off in the best light!) Everything can be mixed and matched, follows similar themes, is versitile for wearing to work and also for play. I like to think that i've really thought it through and combined fashion with practicality.

If only I could do the same with my new season shoes. I know I should be opting for chunky heels and manly flats like these and these. I know that these highly wearable offerings have the potential to see me through until summer when I can whip my numerous pairs of beloved gladiator sandals out. But I can't stop thinking about the collection of Em and Sprout pumps. Childlike, sickeningly cute (in fact they are actually sold on a website called sickforcute.com) I just can't get enough of them. I defy you not to fall in love:

These are just some of my favs but the cute shoe possibilities seem endless! Click on each image to go to the shoesies on the site.

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These shoes would make my feet happy! I want the minnie ones for my holiday to disneyland, the pac man ones for wearing with jeans and making the bf laugh, and every cutsey animals for wearing with my floral dresses.

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Imagine smiling every time you looked at your feet? And you don't need a lot of mullah to buy these shoes! At just $22 a pair (plus the etsey shipping costs, sadly!) these are so barganialicious, cheaper than primark barginalicious, that, despite the fact I know I need one pair of sensible wearable leather shoes, i'm trying to justify buying them all!!

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Who says money can't buy happiness?

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Love Tor xx