I decided to start a new little segment here on the blog called Loving Lately, where I’ll be highlighting brands and artisans that I’m completely smitten with. I’m kicking off today’s post with a company that I’ve had my eye on for over a year now, Freshly Picked.
At first glance, Freshly Picked makes baby moccasins. Really cool, surprisingly high quality baby shoes. But to say this brand has evolved over the last year is a rather large understatement. Freshly Picked started out modestly, the way most Etsy shops do, with one woman and a sewing machine. Through hard work, determination and a little boost from an appearance on the popular t.v. show, Shark Tank, owner Susan Petersen has proven herself to be Entrepreneur Extraordinaire.
Not only has she cornered the market on an irresistibly adorable product with superb quality and an endless array of color options, but she continues to innovate by expanding the product catalog and overall vision for the brand. In the spring of this year, FP launched their apparel collection, and this fall they are launching a hard sole version of their shoe, for older kids.
If a million and one color options aren’t enough to suit your child’s wardrobe needs, these moccs also come in some pretty sweet prints. Collaborating with such notable designers as Oh Joy!, Ashley G. and Brittany Watson Jepsen from The House That Lars Built has definitely proven to be a smooth move.
There’s a lot to love about this brand, even for those who may not have tiny people in their lives needing shoes and clothing. Their bold use of color, eye-catching styling, and street-wise collaborations have solidified their spot as trend setters in the design world. As a color-loving, print-obsessed mom (who thinks herself at least a little hip), Freshly Picked certainly has my attention.
The real question is, how long before they realize that a collaboration with Aaryn West should be on their list of 2016 projects?!
Several months ago I came across a fashion blogger that I could instantly resonate with. I could tell that Laura from Laura Jane Atelier was much more my speed than other bloggers I’ve come across; I dug her relaxed, feminine style and obvious love of vintage prints. I reached out to see if she might be interested in a possible collaboration of some sort, and to my delight, she happily agreed! Apparently, she quite likes my prints. Score!
I then directed her to my little online boutique via Print All Over Me, where she selected my Ice Cream Cone skirt for a little style feature. But really, why wouldn’t she? It’s the perfect combination of cute and quirky, and the obvious choice for sweet summertime style.
Today she posted these images of her ridiculously cute photo shoot featuring my watercolor ice cream cone skirt and an actual, real life ice cream cone. With Sprinkles. Because, duh. It’s perfect.
O.k. seriously, isn’t she the cutest?
To shop this skirt and see the rest of my designs for sale, head over to Print All Over Me! With some big changes coming to the studio, these designs will only be available through the end of the week, so consider everything a limited edition item! More details on that to follow…
All styled photographs provided by and © Laura Jane Atelier
All prints © Aaryn West, LLC
A little while back, Society6 added a very exciting item to their ever-growing catalog of digitally printed products: leggings. With all of the success and momentum behind printed textiles in both fashion and active wear, and with design-it-yourself sites like Print All Over Me popping up, it just made sense for an artist community like Society6 to add something like this to their menu.
And after having a chance to order a few for my own examination, I’m ready to shout about it from the rooftops!
First of all, they are super comfy. I am a big fan of the extra wide waistband, and the weight of the fabric is substantial enough to make me feel confident about not showing off all my assets while bending over in yoga class (let’s be honest, I don’t really do much yoga). Not only is the fit and overall garment construction top notch, but the printing quality actually exceeded my expectation, both in the clarity of the artwork as well as the color depth and saturation.
If you need further convincing about how great these leggings are, can I just remind you where they are made? Right here in the United States! And priced just under $40 a pair, I’m not sure you will find a better or more affordable selection of graphic leggings manufactured in the USA.
So support a working artist, support the local economy, and perhaps most of all – support your butt. I promise you’ll look good doing it. Be sure to check out the full selection of Aaryn West leggings on our Society6 page. Go. See. BUY.
*Images modeled and provided by Erica Pike
Lately I’ve been looking at the world through rose colored glasses. I don’t know if I can give all the credit to Justina Blakeney and her #plantsonpink, (although credit where credit is due), but it seems that nature photos awash in bright pink hues have been popping up consistently in my own photo album.
Here are a few images taken on my favorite camera app on my phone, Hipstamatic. I like this app because of all various film + lens combinations that are possible, and using the shake-to-randomize feature which often produces unexpected results. Hence a pink Lake Tahoe.
The other method I used, in the case of the pink palm tree, is an app called DeluxeFX, which has a few false color options. I thought it had a pretty neat effect in this case.
I love the surreal and psychedelic quality and think it makes for great color inspiration.
All images © Aaryn West.
As much as I love egg salad, this year I decided to do something a little different with our Easter Eggs. Since my husband and I have an pretty sizable succulent garden, the idea of creating planters out of pretty little egg shells seemed like a great idea. Thank you Pinterest.
The trick is to skip the hard boiling process and simply save your discarded egg shells from throughout the week. Just be careful to crack them in a neat circle up at the top, which is actually not all that difficult to do. You can color and decorate your shell any way you see fit. I used a mish-mash of crayons, nail polish and neon food coloring for mine.
