Thank you for a fun 12 Days of Christmas!

Happy 2 days before Christmas everyone! Thank you so much for a fun and festive 12 Days of Christmas celebration! We loved reading the posts and sending out the items everyone won. Thank you for the compliments on your new SophiaFredricka items!! We hope you have a happy and safe holiday filled with love!

image from christmaswow.com

xo Christa & Sarah

12th Day of Christmas: FREE Portrait Session

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Today is the 12th Day of our Christmas celebration, which means it is also the last, and that Christmas Day is in 2 days! 

Today we are celebrating by offering a second FREE photo portrait session to one lucky winner. Yesterday's winner was Jeff W! Congratulations Jeff, I'll email you with details!

Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Family portraits from this fall.
See more in my Flickr sets.

Rules for today's free photo session contest:

• Anyone can enter (even if you've won a previous SophiaFredricka contest).
• Winner may select from the following portrait sessions: kids, family (kids + parents - may also include grandparents), graduating senior, engagement, pets, and others are available, just ask! 
• Winner may choose to apply a $200 credit to a half-day or full-day session (such as a wedding). 
• Session must take place in June-December, 2012.
• Includes up to 2 hours of photography. If the session lasts longer than 2 hours, extra charges may apply.
• Includes locations within 50 miles of Chanhassen MN but I am willing to travel farther. Extra charges may apply. 
• Includes a small print package, one to six of the following sizes: 4x6s, 5x7s, wallet sets, and 8x10s. More sizes and quantities may be purchased. Books and other printed products may also be purchased. 

posted by Christa

11th Day of Christmas: FREE Portrait Session

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Today is the Winter Solstice (least amount of sunshine for us, turn on those Christmas lights!) and the 11th Day of our Christmas celebration!

Today we are celebrating by offering a FREE photo portrait session to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. If you don't win today, we will be giving away a second session tomorrow so be sure to enter again! Good luck!

Recent session with my little friend Jackson!
See some of my other portraits on Flickr.

Rules for today's free photo session contest:

• Anyone can enter (even if you've won a previous SophiaFredricka contest).
• Winner may select the following portrait sessions: kids, family (kids + parents - may also include grandparents), graduating senior, engagement, pets, and others are available, just ask! 
• Winner may choose to apply a $200 credit to a half-day or full-day session (such as a wedding). 
• Session must take place in June-December, 2012.
• Includes up to 2 hours of photography. If the session lasts longer than 2 hours, extra charges may apply.
• Includes locations within 50 miles of Chanhassen MN but I am willing to travel farther. Extra charges may apply. 
• Includes a small print package, one to six of the following sizes: 4x6s, 5x7s, wallet sets, and 8x10s. More sizes and quantities may be purchased. Books and other printed products may also be purchased. 

posted by Christa

10th Day of Christmas: FREE GIFTRWRAPPING

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration!

Today we are celebrating by gift wrapping all items purchased in our Etsy shop TODAY! No need to post a comment below, we'll wrap your items automatically. Two more days of of our Christmas celebration!! The next two featured items are family photo sessions. Watch for the new posts tomorrow and Friday and good luck!

Image from brunchatsaks.blogspot.com

posted by Christa

9th Day of Christmas: 90% off Vintage Button Earrings

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's winners were Erin and Sarah (we had to have two, check out the comments to see why). Congrats!!

Today we are celebrating our 9th Day of Christmas by offering 90% off Vintage Button Earrings to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

posted by Christa

8th Day of Christmas: 80% off Purses

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's winner was RaeAnne. Congrats!!

Today we are celebrating our 8th Day of Christmas by offering 80% off a Purse to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

I stitched the tomato pin cushion applique onto this vintage coin purse for a cute and unique look.
We have a few other designs and styles available in our Etsy shop - check them out!

posted by Christa

7th Day of Christmas: 70% off Floral Hair Clips

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's winner was Erin K, congrats!!

Today we are celebrating our 7th Day of Christmas by offering 70% off any one of the Floral Hair Clips in our Etsy shop to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Here are a few sneak peeks:

This turquoise mum definitely makes a statement, but is simple enough to wear every day too!

 

This is a sweet little arrangement, perfect for a holiday accessory.

Add a unique spin to Christmas with a red butterfly!

posted by Christa

6th Day of Christmas: 60% off Framed Floral Photos

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's winner was Jean. Yay & congrats!!

Today we are celebrating our 6th Day of Christmas by offering 60% off Framed Floral Photos to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

I photographed these pretty bleeding hearts in my Grandmother's garden.
This photo would make a great gift for your sister, mom, daughter, or yourself.
Perfect for the livingroom, bedroom, bathroom, or office desk!
Check out all the framed floral photos in our Etsy shop.

posted by Christa

5th Day of Christmas: 50% off Fiber and Wood Jewelry

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's winner was Adrianne. Congrats!!

Today we are celebrating our 5th Day of Christmas by offering 50% off Fiber and Wood Jewelry to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

These earrings will brighten your day!
Check out all the fiber and wood jewelry in our Etsy shop!

posted by Christa

4th Day of Christmas: 40% off Headbands

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's winner was Katya. Congrats!!

Today we are celebrating our 4th Day of Christmas by offering 40% off a Headband to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

How fun to have this cute butterfly perched in your hair!
This is just one of the headbands available, check out all of them in our Etsy shop!

posted by Christa

Vintage button earring preview!

Thanks to the amazingly creative suggestions from our Start Something That Matters contest, I put together a sweet little line of vintage button earrings and am so excited I want to give you a sneak preview! These will be going in our Esty shop this week and featured in our 12 Days of Christmas celebration on Monday, December 19th!

posted by Christa

3rd Day of Christmas: 30% off Mobile Earrings

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Yesterday's lucky winner was Anita Smithson. Congrats Anita!!

Today we are celebrating our 3rd Day of Christmas by offering 30% off Mobile Earrings to one lucky winner. Sarah created these earrings after seeing Alexander Calder's work in Venice. They are made of hand wrapped wire and hand cut vinyl. They are so much fun to wear, perfect for someone who likes to make a fashion and art statement. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Sarah's Mobile Earrings. There are lots of colors available! Check them out in our Etsy shop.

posted by Christa

2nd Day of Christmas: 20% off Garden Art

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration!

image from myfreebiesanddeals.com

Today we are celebrating our 2nd Day of Christmas by offering 20% off the spiders currently available in our Garden Art shop section to one lucky winner. Alternatively, the winner may request to use the 20% off later in 2012 when we will have many new items. Our master designer and welder (and our dad!!) has new items in the works but they won't be ready until springtime. Post a comment to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

posted by Christa

12 Days of Christmas with SophiaFredricka!

TODAY IS DAY 1! If you'd like to pick a FREE ITEM from our shop, leave a comment and your email address below. We'll randomly pick a winner at the end of the day and let you know tomorrow by 9am. Good luck!!!

Sarah and I are so excited for Christmas, mostly because we get to see each other, it's been over 4 months and I'm almost 6 months pregnant so I look quite different!! But we are also excited to get together with family and friends, sit by the fire and drink hot cocoa, go sledding and skating and skiing and sleigh-ing, exchange gifts, and dream up new projects for 2012!

We love our SophiaFredricka customers and want to celebrate with you too! So, we created a series of featured items and promotions to celebrate the 12 days leading up to Christmas (we moved it ahead a couple days so we're not actually holding promos ON Christmas Eve or Day, for your convenience and ours!).

image from myfreebiesanddeals.com

 
Here's the details:
In the next 12 days, we'll feature a new item or promotion in a new blog post. If you're interested in the promotion, post a comment on that post. At the end of each day, we'll  randomly choose a winner and announce who it is on that blog post by 9am the next morning. We'll email the winner a code to redeem the promotion at our Etsy shop (so be sure we have your email address in order to be eligible to win!).

Day 1, Dec 11th: a FREE item - your pick! (excludes garden art and quilted items)
Day 2, Dec 12th : 20% off garden art
Day 3, Dec 13th: 30% off a pair of mobile earrings
Day 4, Dec 14th: 40% off a headband
Day 5, Dec 15th: 50% off a pair of fiber and wood earrings or a necklace
Day 6, Dec 16th: 60% off a framed flower photo
Day 7, Dec 17th: 70% off a floral hair clip
Day 8, Dec 18th: 80% off a purse
Day 9, Dec 19th: 90% off a pair of button earrings (coming soon!)
Day 10, Dec 20th: free gift wrapping on all items purchased today
Day 11, Dec 21st: free family portrait session & print package (up to 20 prints)
Day 12, Dec 22nd: free family portrait session & print package (up to 20 prints)

Rules: Individuals can enter one time each day. If there is more than one comment by the same person, we'll count the first comment when randomly choosing the winner. Individuals can only win once. Prizes can be "gifted" to another person. Prizes must be redeemed by Dec 31st 2011 unless otherwise indicated in the blog post for that day.

We hope you're excited about how we decided to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with you!


posted by Christa

Luke at the Newark Museum

This past Sunday I had the pleasure in accompanying my friend Luke Hayes to the Newark Museum to see his art on view. Luke makes quilts and they are works of art, amazing layers of colors and textures creating photo realistic portraits. The Newark Museum purchased his 'American Gothic' queen sized quilt and it is now on display with multiple historic and significant quilts in an exhibition called 'Patchwork: from folk art to fine art'.  Luke and I had a wonderful day with our friend Ariel and meeting up with the curator Ulysses who gave us a private tour of the museum, saving Luke's piece for dessert.  It was well worth the wait! His quilt looked great in the gallery and was definitely an eye catcher. Ulysses said people will jump when they see it, because the image is so realistic they think there are actually two people standing there.

Luke standing next to his 'American Gothic' at the Newark Museum

a view of the exhibit and Ulysses, Luke, and Ariel

detail of 'American Gothic' courtesy of Luke Haynes

With all Luke's quilts, he uses recycled clothing as his fabric, mixing patterns, textures, and fiber content. He then creates high contrast portraits of himself, friends, historical figures, or everyday objects and machine appliques them on top of a traditionally designed quilt background. The result is a 2-D domestic object filled with depth and meaning, contemporary with a sense of strong history. You can see more of his work and read all about him here and on his blog.

A self portrait of Luke entitled 'Tradition' photo courtesy of Luke Haynes

posted by Sarah

A winner has been chosen: "Start Something That Matters" by Blake Mycoskie

"Thank you!" to everyone who stopped by our blog, read my review of Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver and Founder of TOMS, and especially those of you who left comments! I loved ALL the ideas so much, Sarah and I have a lot to work with for our upcoming projects.

image from couponfrugality.com

The winner of Blake's book and the first edition of her suggested item is Erin! She suggested inspirational quotes in antiqued frames. What a great idea, and a unique twist to some of the framed photos I previously had available in our Etsy shop. I'm planning to put together some fun new items that will be available in early 2012.

I was so inspired by the other suggestions that after a little dreaming, sketching, and playing with my art room supplies, I created a sweet little line of button-jewelry! Each of the the ladies who left a comment will be receiving some new button-jewelry as a thank you and I plan to add some of these to our Etsy lineup too.

If you ever have new ideas or would like your own custom item made by Sarah or myself, don't wait for another book contest! Contact either of us and let's put our creative caps on - it's what we love to do!!

posted by Christa

FIT

Today I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum with my good friend Mary. FIT always has something interesting in their two fantastic galleries. Today we saw The Great Designers: Part 1 which had a lovely collection of clothing designed by fashion icons such as Coco Chanel and Isabel Toledo. One of my favorites was a dress by Boudicca. It was a very structured yet simple ensemble from their fall 2006 collection.

Boudicca, fall 2006, photo courtesy of FIT

The second and larger gallery had an exhibition featuring the wardrobe of fahionista Daphne Guinness. I am still unsure who this woman is, why she is famous, and why she has so much money to be a couture clothing collector, but her taste is very exquisite, risque, and avant garde. Many of her pieces are designed by the legend Alexander McQeen so it was great to see so much of his work up close and personal. The layout of the exhibit was very dramatic yet allowed the viewer to see many sides of each garment with the use of mirrors and transparent walls. Most of her collection is black, white, or red, full of structured details, beads, and rhinestones, and most of her shoes are fashionably made without heels.  I loved the show, but am glad I don't have the need to wear sequined cat suits and platform shoes everyday. If you didn't make it to the MET to see Alexander McQueen's exhibit last spring you must go to FIT to see this exhibit, it's free and way less crowded and make you appreciate the ease of wearing sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt.

Daphne Guinness, photo courtesy of fashionindie.com

Nina Ricci shoes, photo courtesy of FIT

posted by Sarah

Sneak peek: hair accessories for the holidays!

I am giddy-excited to give you a sneak peek of these festive hair accessories! It was so fun to shop for the supplies, create the designs, and assemble these sparkly, colorful pieces. I wore one that I made for myself to work yesterday and received TONS of compliments. I can't wait to get these into our Etsy shop and see who gets to own and wear them this holiday!

I'd love to hear from you, what color scheme is your favorite to wear? What makes your hair and eyes sparkle? Or what would you absolutely HAVE to buy as a gift for that special girl/lady in your life?

posted by Christa

Book review: Start Something That Matters, by Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS

As an official participant in TOMS' "Books for Bloggers Program", I read Start Something That Matters, am telling you what I learned, and am giving a second book away (along with a handmade item from my Etsy shop), FREE! Find out how to win the free book below.

I am impressed with Blake's background (he has been described as a serial entrepreneur - how cool!) and his tenacity (figuring out how to make shoes in another country and then ship them to the US to market them, with no background in manufacturing, fashion, or anything else related to his mission at TOMS - that takes drive!). It just goes to show that if you have an idea and are willing to find the right people and ask them to help you, you can make any dream come true. At first, Blake just wanted to help kids, but this became so big that it's now his full time gig!

More than once I was brought to tears (read the story about Pam on page 49, and the section on Trust). Blake's parents obviously taught him to think with his heart AND his head, and to be guided by his soul. As a new parent, that's something I hope to teach my kids. The stories about his family also helped me remember how dear my family and friends are, and that they are truly my greatest treasures.

I've been inspired to take action! My sister and I have a small business where we re-purpose materials into something new and usable. We want to do more, so this holiday we are donating $1 for every purchase to Make a Wish Foundation. We hope to make a small difference now, and make this idea grow.

Want to read the book and be inspired?? Enter to win a FREE book, & a FREE SophiaFredricka item!!

How to enter the contest:
1. Visit our online shop
2. Post a comment to this post (below) with a suggestion for a NEW ITEM IDEA
3. The winner will receive a copy of "Start Something That Matters" AND the first edition of the item they suggested

Forward this to others who would like to read it and enter the contest!

See what others are saying about the book:
Helen's Book Blog
Wall Street Journal
Huffington Post
LA Times

SophiaFredricka "Start Something That Matters" contest rules:

• Comments must be posted to this blog post by midnight November 30th, Central Time.
• Winner will be chosen and notified by Friday December 2nd.
• Winner needs to respond with shipping address and whether they'd like their name shared by Sunday December 4th, 2011 or they forfeit the book and their item. A new winner will be selected.
• Winner needs to have a valid shipping address. 
• Winner will be announced on the SophiaFredricka blog on Monday December 5th.
• Prize will be shipped via FedEx by December 12th, 2011 using standard shipping.
• All rights to the new ideas are reserved by Christa Haeg, Christa Bahr, LLC., and SophiaFredricka with no obligation to acknowledge or pay any type of fee to the contest Entrants or Winner. 
• No cash value.
• Void where prohibited.

posted by Christa

Great gift ideas for kids

Sometimes it's easy to find the perfect gift [or gifts!] for kids. But sometimes you're looking for something special and it can be a challenge! I poked around Etsy and found great gifts available this holiday season!!

Check out my favorite gifts for sweet little girls ...

by gush4plush

and my favorite gifts for busy little boys !

by ArmadilloDreams

While you're at Etsy, check out the latest in our shop: SophiaFredricka! We have lots of new items for the holiday and free shipping on your second item. Happy shopping!

posted by Christa

'Still Life With Iris' Costume Renderings

I am working on an exciting project with Yellow Tree Theater in Osseo, Minnesota. Yellow Tree Theater was started three years ago by Jason and Jessica Peterson, University of Minnesota Duluth alumni and my classmates. They invited another fellow UMD alum Andy Frye to direct a show this season, he chose the magical play Still Life With Iris, and asked me to be the costume designer.

This is a big undertaking me being in New York and all the actors, other designers, and theater in Minnesota, but I love the play and my friends so much I couldn't turn it down. Still Life With Iris opens in February 2012 and runs from the 3rd through the 26th Thursdays-Saturdays 7:30pm and Sundays 2pm. If your in the area you need to check it out!

I am sharing some of my costume renderings I did for the play and you can check out all my costume renderings in my online gallery here.

Now, Still Life With Iris is a fantasy children's show with a dark twist. There are three worlds that I decided to design vastly different.

Nocturno is a land where everyone who lives there works during the night to create things we see in our everyday life. For example there is a Flower Painter, Rain Maker, and Thunder Bolt Bender. Each person wears a coat that holds their memory, if they get a rip in their coat they will forget something and if they take it off they lose their memory completely. I designed the coats with DIY handmade style and my family in mind, cozy, colorful, full of little details, trims, and buttons.

The Goods are the rulers of Nocturno and they get what they want. What they want is the best of everything. So this means the best chair, the best shoe, the best little girl and so on. They are dangerous, mentally unsound, and intoxicatingly sexy. They wear formal high fashion garments that are sleek and a bit off putting.

The Tunnel of the Unwanted is where everything goes that no one wants. This includes three colorful characters Captian Also, Third String, and Ray. They each have a sad story of how they came to the tunnel and hold a nasty grudge against anyone they meet. They wear their most prize possesions on their back and resemble horders with their collections of unwanted items.

posted by Sarah

Something special about handmade: yo-yo quilts, wall quilts, and tablerunners

There's something special about handmade items for the creator and for the recipient. These items often hold special meaning and energy. And I think the more time and skill required, the more special they are!

Our Mum creates amazing handmade quilts using her own imagination, patterns, and ideas from others. She has a few of her items for sale on Etsy. The most popular right now are the yo-yo quilts and you can see why! Yo-yo's are so fun and playful!

Closeup of Mum's floral tablerunner

 Posted by Christa

DIY furniture: give a table a new look

I recently bought this table at a local garage sale for $3. It is in great shape and was made locally in Minnesota. I think the curved drop-leaf sides give it great character and I couldn't resist it even thought I thought the wood was terribly boring. I brought it home and got to work on changing that!

I disassembled all the hardware and put it in an old cake pan. Then I wiped down the sides of the table and leaves. I sanded the surfaces I planned to paint (basically everything except the bottom/inside. Then I painted it a medium yellow (I almost painted it red, but was painting some cabinet doors yellow, so I used the same paint). After I painted everything and gave it a chance to dry for a few days, I got to work on antiquing the table. It's really simple - I just added a black walnut stain with a clean cotton rag, let it dry for a few minutes, and wiped it off. I let the stain dry for a few days and put the table back together (Joe helped with this part).

I'd love to know what you think! Would you take on this project or like something like this in your home? It's totally our style. I'm curious how unusual that is!

DIY and found on Etsy: Halloween Decor!

Halloween is right around the corner, are you ready for this fun and spooky holiday? I came up with a fun theme for the three of us this year - I think it will be a hit!

Here are some fun and inspiring decoration ideas for your house, yard, or your moster bash if you're hosting this year.

Our creepy, crawly, and cute golf ball spider with industrial nail legs. http://www.sophiafredricka.etsy.com/

spooktakular outdoor decorations

a plethora of creepy-crawlies to make anyone's skin crawl

the ultimate collection of Halloween garden art

friendly and scary 8-legged friends

a creative collection of handmade gothic items

eco-friendly meets creepy

by Christa

DIY: Pullover Sweater into a Cardigan

Here is one of my favorite DIY fashion sewing projects: making a pullover sweater into a cardigan. I love cardigans because they are so easy to layer and taking them off means I don't have to take off my glasses or wonder what does my hair look like now! I have broken down the steps so you too can change that lovely sweater you never wear into you new favorite piece of clothing!
This is also just in time for my class ReClaim Your Closet I am teaching at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn on Saturdays in October. There is still room if you want to sign up and learn hands on sewing techniques to alter your own clothes.

Step 1: Make bias strips from fabric

My favorite technique in making a cardigan sweater is to use a knit fabric and cut bias strips to use as a binding around the cut edge of the sweater. Bias is the true diagonal 45 degree of fabric. You can easily find it by using a a ruler and a square. Draw diagonal lines the length of your sweater from neck to hem plus 2" of seam allowance. Each strip should be 3 wide.

Step 2: Stitch on either side of the center front of sweater

Find the exact center of the front of your sweater by laying it flat on a table and measuring equally from each side seam to center. Make a line of pins from neck line to hem.

Stitch on either side of the pin line with a size 3 stitch length. Then cut directly in between the two stitch lines. This will be your opening of your new cardigan.

Step 4: Bind the cut edges with the bias strips

Start by laying the bias strips face down on the right side of the sweater lining up the cut edges. Pin the strips to the sweater and stitch the bias to the sweater. Stitch about a half inch away from the cut edges.  

Now it is time to bind the edge of the sweater. Wrap the bias strip around to the inside of the sweater and tuck under a half inch of seam allowance. Pin as you fold under the seam allowance, then switch the pins to the right side of the sweater. Pin right along the edge of the bias making sure to catch the bias fold on the inside of the sweater.

Stitch right along the pin line, right where the the sweater and the bias meet. The stitches should catch just the edge of the bias fold on the underside.

Step 5: Last step hand stitch ends of bias

Trim the ends of the bias and tuck them inside. Then hand slip stitch the ends shut and give it a good press with an iron and your done!

Now you have a super cute cardigan sweater!

Stay tuned for more re-fashion DIY tutorials!

posted by Sarah