a fancy for flourishing fashions

A quick introduction might be in order here. My name is Amy, and I am part of the dynamic trio that makes up f13. While my background lies in graphic and web design, I am an artist and creator at heart. And, I have to be honest this writing thing is not really my forte. I am such a visual person, that I rely on my art as part of my expression, so you are going to have to bear with me as I work on my writing skills. I am a wife, and mother of twins (identical girls... "my mini-mes" as I like to say). My amazing kids and my always supportive husband inspire me daily. I am also thankful for and greatly inspired by my creative partners here at f13. I love to imagine all of the possibilities when it comes to art, and how we can use it to celebrate our personal style. Nature forms and vibrant color combinations have always drawn my attention. I think that's why I've been dreaming up these beautiful skirts based on a series of inspiring botanicals created by another great artist here at f13 - Pamela Nudel. Pam's art has a vibrant flair, and often incorporates rich textures. Her botanicals are warm and contemporary, and each of them would make a uniquely stunning skirt. Imagine them big and bold with rich textures! They would be oh so sumptuous!

These beautiful botanicals are already available as greeting cards at Cardstore.com.  

And also as wall prints in our Etsy shop. Enjoy!  

..... amy .....

celebrating : my new orange teapot

Our blog has been a little higgledy-piggledy over the past year, as we’ve tried to come up with some sort of topic that would inspire us to write regularly and that might hold some small bit of interest for readers in this content-saturated webosphere. Then one day recently, up bubbled an idea we think just might do the trick.

So today I’m inaugurating our very first soon-to-be-somewhat-regular feature: “celebrating.” As you might have noticed, we have this thing about celebrations. “Celebrate every day,” we say. Yes, it’s a little pollyanna. But it’s a great exercise in looking on the bright side, if nothing else! From the momentous to the miniscule, from the absurd to the awe-inspiring, reasons to celebrate every day abound and we’re gonna talk about what we’re celebrating at random given moments. We might be talking to ourselves for now, but hey—that still counts for something. We hope one of these days our comments section will overflow and you’ll let us know what reasons you’re finding to celebrate every now and then... if not every day!

At this very moment, for example, I am head over heels (or should I say “handle over spout”?) in love with my new orange teapot. I like to brew up a big pot of tasty herbal tea every morning and keep it at my desk. It helps me down those innumerable recommended daily ounces of H2O. This design is so perky and the color is so cheerful, I can’t keep my hands off it. It’s keeping me hydrated and happy and that’s a little something worth celebrating.

..... betsy .....

e is for elie and emma : interns extraordinaire

The summer flew by and I’m just now getting around to writing about some of our happiest news from the whirlwind that was junejulyaugust... We had our first summer interns! Elie and Emma came to us via a high school here in San Francisco and they worked with me at f13 world headquarters, providing expert help in so many ways—from production design on our cardstore.com collection, to data entry, to inspiration-scouting, to manufacturer research and more. Their skill and efficiency at this wide variety of tasks—on top of incredible creative talents, intelligence and professionalism— just blew us away.

They even contributed to our calling card collection with two of our favorite new designs, seen above (Elie’s is on the left, Emma’s on the right). Elie’s beautiful watercolor monogram design is now available for personalizing and ordering here. Emma’s cool constructivist design will be available in mid-October and also comes as a folded notecard. Order lots, order often and tell your friends... all proceeds go directly to the respective artist!

We were so fortunate to have their help and miss them dearly. A million thanks to Elie and Emma and best of luck in school this year!

(on a related note: our calling cards were featured recently on "View from the Bay"!)