Charlotte & Emily for Italian Vogue

Charlotte Benson

We’ve been waiting a long time for these images to hit our inbox...Elite London rising stars Emily Smith and Charlotte Benson take to the pages of Italian Vogue’s September Issue, shot by Solve Sundsbo and sporting some gorgeous 60’s inspired looks. Both girls are heading to NY for the shows as we speak and with shots like this in their portfolios we predict an amazing Season.

Emily Smith

Arrange This: Rustic Floral Centerpiece

Arrange This: Rustic Floral Centerpiece

Create a floral centerpiece that lends an elegant touch to a rustic container. For this arrangement a cork and plastic pot made to look like tree trunk was perfect for the rustic elegance vibe.

Supplies:
Floral container
Floral foam for fresh flowers (not the dried and artificial flower foam)
Large bloomed flowers, such as hydrangeas
Stalk flowers, such as delphiniums
Other delicate accent flowers, such as Queen Anne's lace


Steps:
1. Cut the floral foam to fit in the floral container.

2. Soak the floral foam in a sink or bucket until it is saturated. 20 minutes should be good.

3. Place the floral foam in the container.

4. Cut the hydrangeas so that they extend just higher than the containers. Sink the stems into the foam. Add delphiniums and Queen Anne's lace to finish the arrangement.

R.I.P. Corinne Day

You will be missed.

The Boys of London In Motion (one for the girls...)

Happy Bank Holiday weekend everyone! Here at Elite we thought we would brighten your day with this brilliant video, courtesy of our friends at F-Tape and featuring three of our boys. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and by the end are already planning your own version...Staff of Elite London In Motion...maybe not!


'The Boys of London' by Justin Wu for co:lab (FTAPE.COM) from F.TAPE on Vimeo.


Can you spot Nick Gardner, Michael Bamber and Korrel Kennedy?

Bow Wow WOW! Giveaway!

Bow Wow WOW!
(click the link to see inside the book at Barnes and Noble)

Here is a giveaway for
all you love to dress
your pups in
Halloween costumes!

Oct 31st will be here before we know it and the time to get stitching is soon. I'll be giving away a few copies during September and October so if you don't win the first time check back for future giveaways!

How do you enter?

Just leave a comment. Tell me about your dog. Tell me about a dog costume you have made or bought. Tell me your dogs name. Tell me anything about the last thing you made! Just leave a comment. Contest runs till Friday Sept. 3rd, 2010.


Bow Wow WOW! is loaded with ideas, step-by-step instructions and inspiration for making your own doggy fashions and costumes. This book features 36 different looks you can make from 2 basic patterns. You will also find tons of accessories and some no sew costumes.


This is the Pirate costume from the Bad to the Bone chapter. I love how his hat turned out!

Did you know that Bow Wow WOW! was featured in Rachael Ray?

Here is an Elvis version the editorial team at RR made. They followed the simple instructions found in the book.
_____________________________

The business stuff....

All items are provided by me (Cathie Filian) and are in accordance with the Blogher Rules.

To enter: Simply leave a comment to THIS specific post by telling me about your dog or a project you have made.

Your comment MUST link to your particular blog or web site or include your e-mail address. Otherwise, I won't be able to get in touch with you if you win! Any entries that do not include some way of getting in touch will be disqualified.

Deadline: Comments must be received by midnight September 3, 2010. Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.

Other rules:
1. You must have a mailing address in the United States of America (sorry international folks!).
2. Only one entry comment per person.

How it works: Each comment will be assigned a sequential number. The winning number will be selected from a random number generator, so there will be no favorites, simply a game of chance.

Elite ♥ Bora Aksu

For the second time in as many Seasons, Elite girls took to the catwalk for designer Bora Aksu in an exclusive...this time round as part of Istanbul Fashion Week. We think our girls looked incredible in the now distinctive Bora Aksu designs and would like to take this opportunity to thank our good friend, super producer Luke Foy for making all this happen again!

Left-Luke

Back To School Tie-Dyed Tote at Michaels!

Love this tote? Wanna make it? It is as easy as 1,2,3! Head over to your local Michaels Craft Store and pic up the compete instructions. Look for the instructions in the fashion and Rit Dye aisle.

A few behind the scene pics of the making....

Make This: Re-vamped Cupcake Stand

Designed for Plaid!

This little cutie began as an outdated holiday themed cookie stand and a cotton print thrift store skirt. Before I began the revamp, I washed the skirt and scrubbed the cookie stand clean.


What You Need:
Folkart Acrylic Paint – 643 Azure Blue
Mod Podge - matte
Cookie Stand
Primer
Wax paper
Printed Cotton Fabric
Foam Paintbrush
Scissors
Ribbon

Steps:

1. Disassemble the cookie stand. Prime all the parts individually and allow to dry.

2. Paint the stem with two coats of azure blue paint.

3. Cut the fabric slightly larger than the plates. Working on wax paper, coat each piece of fabric with mod podge (both sides). Place the fabric over the top of the plate and smooth with your fingers. Allow to dry. Once dry, trim the edges so they match with the plate. Repeat for the other plate.

4. Pierce the fabric over the plate holes and reassemble the cake stand. Add a bow to the top.

5. Wipe with a damp cloth to clean.

Beauty on the streets of Paris

We can’t keep up with the stream of September issue gems featuring Elite models that are flooding in! Our latest favourite comes in the form of Constance Jablonski’s beauty story for Vogue Paris, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and co-starring some rather fabulous Dior and Buccellati diamonds. Following her captivating Estee Lauder campaign, Constance lends her face once again to beauty as she demonstrates A/W’s most dramatic makeup trends as she travels through the streets of Paris...not even Vogue can resist a cheeky Eiffel Tower tourist snap!

Blog Hop Winners and Release recap

Wow! Did you all enjoy the release last week? I'll be honest, I am still trying to recover! My kids went back to school on Monday which added a huge "to do" list. Needless to say, I am very late in posting the winners of the Blog Hop.

The winners for the Blog Hop of 2 Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps of your choice are:

From Angelique's Blog:

Stacie http://craft-princess.blogspot.com/

From Tracy's Blog:

Sue http://sueashspot.blogspot.com/

From Jeanette's Blog:

Riet http://rietsblog.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Ladies! If you haven't already made contact, please contact us by Saturday, Aug 28th to claim your prize.

The winner of the WHOLE RELEASE for the Spread the Word Drawing is:

Here are your random integers:

20
Timestamp: 2010-08-25 17:26:01 UTC

Congratulations Mary Lou!! Please email at LaceySoLiving@bellsouth.net with your mailing address!

If you missed the blog hop, check out the awesome cards created by the awesome and talented Design Divas for the release!! Each album is broken down by each Fairy. I love how the same stamp can be used in so many different ways and for so many different seasons!!

Angela

Hannah

Lacey

Nichola

Don't forget that our current Triple Play Challenge will run through noon EST/5pm GMT on Thurs Sept 2nd.

Turkish delights

That's right. We've descended upon sunny Turkey with an army of Elite girls, ready to take over Istanbul Fashion Week. Helen, Sadie and Laura (above) will join seven of our other finest faces for the Bora Aksu show this evening. Stay tuned for all the footage.


www.boraaksu.com / www.ifw2010.com

Elite London's on a Scottish manhunt

Following the success of soon to be Topman campaign star Louis Galloway, Elite London will be supporting our friends over at The Model Team in Glasgow who are on a mission to reinvent the image of a Scottish male model. Yes we will be helping them move away from the stereotypical kilt wearing, porridge eating images that we are so used to seeing and get more Scottish boys on the catwalk and into campaigns through The Model Team’s Male Model Competition which launched last week in association with Harvey Nichols Edinburgh. Inspiration for all applicants comes in the form of Elites rising star Louis Galloway who is taking the first steps in transforming the face of the Scottish modelling scence by landing the Topman campaign which will be revealed next week. For more info on how to enter visit http://www.modelteam.co.uk/

you can take the boy out of Scotland....but we failed to remove the tartan...

Sigrid sweeps the board

Superstar Sigrid Agrens career reaches dizzying new heights this Season as we see her front three major campaigns. Prada, Alberta Ferretti and Celine all chose Sigrid to represent their brand and its not hard to see why...a true flawless beauty, Sigrid is one of our most in demand models and looks set to dominate Fashion Week in September.

Sigrid for Alberta Ferretti

Sigrid for Prada

Watch out London...Rivers in town

Its not only the Elite girls that are dominating the campaigns this Season...Elite Londons freshly formed mens board is also home to a few A/W campaign stars. Check out River Delfin in American Eagle Jeans, epitomising dressed down LA cool in this Calvin Klein-esque, black and white group shot.

River is also fronting the campaign for Spanish label Bershka and we cant get enough of these super fun shots showcasing the brands winter collection.

River himself will be in town next week and we can hardly wait to see what London has in store for our boy.

Trip to Seattle and Inspiring Crafters!

Mt. Rainier was so beautiful...she took my breath away!

Don't get me wrong, I love airport rides in town cars and taking limos to parties, but I also love public transportation. Before I left for my trip, I researched what was the best way for me to get into town. I decided to take the $2.50 Link. It was so worth the pocket change. Not only did I get to see different parts of Seattle, I also got to see the Sports Stadiums and the The Rainer Beer Factory, which is now an arts community. The ride was about 45 min to my destination, air conditioned and pleasant.

One thing I noticed immediately was all the beautiful flowers that grace the city!

My first stop was to The Elliott Baby Book Company. They are a famous Seattle independent book seller that has been in business since 1972.

So many books!

Oh La La....Look what I spotted! My latest book - 101 Snappy Fashions!

Next stop was for lunch with the amazingly talented writer Jennifer Worick!

We gobbled up the most delicious food, chatted all things craft industry, sipped on wine and swapped tales.

Simple Gifts

I was lucky to snag a copy of Jennifer's new book! If you are making gifts this holiday then this is a go to guide with project ideas for everyone.

Next up was a little exploring the public market. I have been here a few times and every time, I go into sensory overload. The weather was beautiful, the people were colorful and the smells were heavenly. Food, coffee, jams, flowers...and of course fresh fish and seafood.

City - City

Beautiful pepper and garlic bouquets and wreaths. They were only $18!

Fresh fish!

Lovely produce!

Mushrooms...

Yummy! I picked up a pack of chocolate linguine. We have tasted it raw and it is delicious. We are planning on serving it with fresh whipped cream, sauteed bananas and chopped chilled raspberries.

Back at the hotel! Nothing like crab cake room service! They were divine!

I was delighted that the Creative Confrence of Entrepenures was being held in the historical and fabtastic OddFellows Building. The space reminded me of theater and dance spaces that I ran around in back in Des Moines, IA when I was a little girl. Big cellings, hardwood floors and a history.

The reason for my trip....cce!

The conference kicked off with a bang! We all learned so much from each other. I was the second speaker of the day and I spoke on how I climbed the "glitter and glue ladder" and the positive effects "cold calling" had on my career.

Mingle and snack time.

Links to speakers and peeps I met!

Meagan Readorn of Not Martha

Garth Johnson of Extreme Craft

Claire Joyce of Clairejoyce

photo by Joeff Davis from Creative Loafing

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood Of Craft Sanity

Faythe Levine of Handmade Nation

Kristen Rask of Plush You and Schmancy Toys
(she was also an organizer of the event!)

Narumi Ogawa of Mister Funky

Tamila Morgan of Urban Farm Naturals