Friday, February 5, 2010

Behind the Design - Heart of Light

Good morning!  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  I got a lot accomplished on my 'to-do list' which is always nice. 

This week's Behind the Design features Rachel, author of the wonderful Heart of Light Blog, a daily read for me, and designer of beautiful and girly fashion accessories.

Where does your inspiration come from?
It just sort of grows.  I often see a fabric that I love and then I'll start thinking about the texture and I'll play around with it and something comes out that I love (or, sometimes nothing comes out that I love and then I start playing again).


Do you have a spot you like to go that helps you feel creative?
There's no one spot in particular.  I ride the bus to work every day and I find that I get a lot of good ideas during my morning commute.  I'm awake and my mind is clear because I don't have to focus on anything around me.  When I'm at home I tend to be too distracted to think much.


Where do you do most of your work?
I've been doing most of my work at the dining roomt able, but we just moved to a new place that has an extra room that I can use as a workspace!  It's amazing to have all of my things in one place and I'm working on getting it set up for maximum productivity.


How did you come up with the name for your business?
Heart of Light is the name of my blog, which I started about a year before I started my business.  It's a reference to my favorite stanza in the T.S. Eliot poem The Wasteland.


Your favorite thing to make?
I love everything I make, but I think making the custom ruffle belts for brides is my favorite.  The silk is so luxurious to work with and I love knowing that the belt will be work on such a special day.


What is your all time favorite design from past or current collections?
I try not to play favorites, but I have a sneaking fondness for the rosebud pin corsages.  I love brooches - they're such a simple way to make an old coat or cardigan feel new again.


You couldn't run your business without _________?
My family.  Everyone has been so supportive while I've been working to get this busines off the ground.  It's amazing.

What advice do you wish someone had given you when you first started your business?
It's going to be rough in the beginning.  No matter how well prepared you think you are, things are going to come up that you haven't thought of.  But it will be fine.

Coffee or tea?
Tea!  Unflavored black, with milk, no sugar.

Favorite magazine/blog/daily read?
I couldn't possibly pick a favorite.  I read over 200 blogs daily!

If you could follow one person around for a day, who would it be?
I'd love to spend a day with Barbara Kingsolver.  She's one of my favorite authors and I have a feeling her days are just beautiful.

Do you have any hobbies or creative outlets other than your work?
Definitely.  I write a bit, just for fun.  I crochet, which I love, but I don't sell any of those pieces.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, money and time being no object, where would you go and why?
I'd love to go on a long trip around the world.  But if I had to pick one place, I'd go back to Greece for a long stay.  My family lived there when I was a baby and I spent several months there in college and I felt perfectly at home.  I still get terribly homesick for Athens.

If you had to spend a year on a deserted island, what 5 things would you take with you? 
My childhood copy of the Narnia series, because I never get tired of re-reading them.  A big blank notebook, to fill with ideas.  My favorite afghan, because I'm always cold.  Our family's fox terrier, to keep me entertained.  My camera, because I can't go anywhere without it.

Thank you Rachel for participating!

Photos courtesy of Rachel, Heart of Light

Rachel can be found at:
Heart of Light Etsy Shop
Heart of Light Blog
Flickr

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rather cool blog you've got here. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to this matter. I definitely want to read a bit more soon.

Best regards
Steave Markson

The Design Boards said...

Thank you for your kind words!

Rachel said...

Thanks for having me! It was a fun set of questions to answer.

Kristin @ Petal and Thorn said...

rachel is an beautiful gal, inside and out! i also like that she's a science nerd on the side :)

Unknown said...

i love rachel- she is so incredibly inspiring. definitely one of my favorite daily reads! xo

The Design Boards said...

She is so inspiring, her blog is one of my favorites!

Char said...

i didn't know anyone else is as crazy as me reading 200 blogs a day.

love your work.

stephschneider said...

Very cute feature! I love reading Rachel's blog each day. The items in her etsy shop are adorable.