Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Treasury Tuesday


Today's anchor piece is a handbag handmade by Lynda Lye at the Etsy shoppe littleoddforest.




Here is what she has to say about herself.....

Once upon a time, in this little odd forest... (littleoddforest)                                                        { HOW }
Hi! I am Lynda Lye, a Singapore designer. I started my company Forestprints Design in Aug 2004, and launched my website (www.forestprints.com) in Oct 2004, followed by my indie lifestyle label, littleoddforest, affectionately known as LOF by friends and fans. I LOVE design, and wanted to do something on my own that i could take pride in and truly love, but got no such satisfaction slaving away in design firms. Many things in the world today tend to be too de rigueur, slick and cold, and I was looking for more things quirky, odd and colorful with more personality. So I embarked on this journey, born from daydreams of escaping monotony and constraints, to bring my imagination and creations to life. My main aim is, among others, to help make the world a more beautiful place to live in! With 4 mini collections yearly, LOF aims to be a lifestyle embraced by many, especially handmade lovers and craft connoisseurs from all over the world who appreciate a little dose of fun in their everyday life!

{ WHY }
Since a child, I have been influenced by childhood fantasies of bizarre fairytale adventures, set in magical enchanted forests, filled with imagery of talking animals, imaginary creatures and trees, creating this strange little world of colors and endless possibilities in my head. Thanks to my artist-painter dad, who began reading loads of incredible tales to me when I was still in my mother's womb.

{ WHO }
Preferring to draw and cut freehand, I have always been an artsy-craftsy kid, doodling cutting and gluing away as early as when I was just a wee 4 year-old, scaring adults by snipping away with scissors and knives, even my own nails and hair! A Science major throughout my school years and one-time Economics degree dropout, I finally flew off alone to college in Chicago for 4 awesome years and got my Bachelors in Fine Arts degree (BFA) from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago, after much bumming around and feeling lost. I majored in Visual Communications, but got to dabble in a little bit of almost everything 'artistic', including painting and fashion, all thanks to a flexible curriculum, an experience I will truly treasure all my life.

{ GOODS }
I design and make only what I like! We are the anti-orthodoxy of big brands, shiny leather bags and all things flashy. Everything is produced in limited numbers, with many one-of-a-kind creations, made with lots of love and sweatshop-labor free. I strongly believe in good quality and usable hand made goods, and am annoyed when handmade is associated with flimsy arty impractical items that will not last. I love using vintage/out-of-production materials, and playing with various combinations to make each piece unique. Besides being a staunch supporter of indie designers, artists and small businesses, my unbridled passion is in pervasive creativity. Not wanting to be tied down by mere labels or be dictated by my degree/training, I hope to fuse my love for all things design, be it product design, the graphic arts, packaging or fashion, with my own sense of style. I will lay my hands on everything if I could!

{ WORK |
This is a one-woman business. I do it all, from managing the website to eeky paperwork. Creatively, it is just me, myself and I. I design everything, from the products to graphics and marketing peripherals including my own website which was coded from scratch by my coding genius, Brandon. As things grew, I have managed to hire a precious little crew of both full and part-time worker fairies and gnomes, including my dearest awesome mum, without whom all of these would not have been possible! I also founded CRAFThings in 2006, an online handcrafted craft supplies store to help support craftsmen of SE Asia, but have since trimmed it down here as a handcrafted craft supplies category. I also started a mini label or creative-distraction outlet, if you may, in 2008 - PeppyWanders, just so I can refresh my creative juice
for all things forest-ty!

What others are saying about her....

“I bought two items and they were both fantastic! Quite aside from the products, though, I was really happy with the friendly and speedy customer service, and how willing they were to work with my requests! Absolutely great, I am so happy with my purchases and I will definitely be purchasing more items and recommending the store to my friends! Thank you!

“Hoots all around for this beautifully made and fab looking purse! So cute!! Will look great with all sorts of outfits. You are amazing Lynda!

“This is one of my favorite household items. What a lovely idea! I love hand made pictures and designs, but was really surprised at the quality of this product. It's very well made, very professional. Big stores should be buying this. Lynda, I would encourage you to make more designs of trays and similar items like this. Your product competes with similar items I've seen by Issak designs and habitat. I will be back for more. Excellent price for a really colourful, well made, quality product. Many thanks, I smile when I lift my tea from your lovely tray, first thing in the morning and last thing at night! Alison


Until next week happy hunting everyone. 




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