What's up, compai?

You've may be wondering what the heck we do with our time here at Compai, you already know our new book is coming out in the Fall-- but what's going on all summer long?
Well, Faith and I begin teaching at THE CHILDRENS ART INSTITUTE on Monday, and for the last couple of months I have been consulting a women who will be opening up a ridiculously beautiful shop called 'Tavin'--in Echo Park. It will be a mix of vintage and new designer-- right up my ally!

I want you to go check out the Tavin blog because there is a chance to win a stunning pair of golden slippers just for signing up to follow the blog-- plus I'd love to get your feedback of how you like the Tavin blog, the look and feel etc-- from all of my trusted Compai-istas.

It's nice to be living the Shop life again, for those of you that have been following Compai for a while, you know that Faith and I had a boutique for recycled and vintage clothing in Florence, Italy for a number of years, and I didn't realize until now how much I miss it--
Grazie and let's talk soon-- we have some exciting things going on right around the corner!
Oh and I almost forgot-- TAVIN will carry selected pieces from the Compai limited edition collection! YAY!!

99 ways...BRASIL!!!

A little bird (whose name is Google Alert) told m that the Portuguese version of 99 Ways...T-Shirt and 99 Ways...Denim just hit stores in Brasil... Obrigado and we cant wait to see the Compai creations all of our Brasilian friends will make! Please share them with us!

I came across this blog that said:
Os livros produzidos pelo grupo Compai, surgido em Florença, Itália, em 2002, quando Faith Blakeney e Justina Blakeney abriram uma butique especializada em reabilitar roupas usadas e abusadas. Então se juntaram a Ellen Schultz e formaram um grupo de jovens que, além de promover desfiles e vender roupas, propõem discussões de idéias para inovar em design e incentivar uma consciência maior em relação..

Not quite sure what it says... but thanks for posting COMPAI!

The L.A. River Waste Symphony

The Fruits of our River Clean-up:

L.A. River Waste Symphony from Jason Rosencrantz on Vimeo.

What did you do on Earth Day?

I always struggle with the whole "Earth Day" concept...On one hand, I love that one day a year people become more conscious about what we are doing to our planet, on the other hand, every day really, really should be earth day.

I spent the day down at the almost beautiful Los Angeles river. The river looks green and lush from afar (albeit not sooo full of water) and like most rivers, there are ducks and geese and all kinds of wildlife-- but then once you actually get down to the river, reality sets in. Plastic bags are caught on virtually every tree branch, plastic bottles, tires, and even really weird and random litter like pots and pans, soccer balls, curling irons and other bits of electro-waste were all over the riverbank, inside the river, and even floating alongside the little duckies.

The scariest thing about the experience was that upstream, there were some families actually fishing in the river for food.
I spent the day collecting trash there and stay tuned to find I what I did with my trashy stash....HINT: Compai never ran into trash that didn't inspire us to make something!
Happy Earth Day everyone!

Compai on Zem's list!

If you aren't familiar with Zem Joaquin's blog ecofabulous-- you should get on it! They are the go-to source for all things fabulous in the eco world! We were super excited to see that our Denim book was on Zem's list! Thanks Zem-- and I hope you all are getting ready for EARTH DAY!
xxx
Faith and Justina

The Capri-Sun Dress spot on The Morning Show

If you missed the T.V. spot now's your chance to see it! Not sure how long it'll be up for ... so check it out HERE now! (They even pronounced my name right! woohoo!
xxxx~Justina

Compai Dress on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet!

Hey Compai-istas!

We just found out that our fabulously green CAPRI SUN dress design will be featured tomorrow morning on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet,
which is nationally syndicated on FOX!

The segment is scheduled to air around 9:50am - 9:55am ET; check it out!
And, if any of you have Tivo and can help us record the segment, we'd be really grateful.
hugs, kisses, and happy crafting-
F & J

WOWZERS! ABC7, FOX & CNBC!?!?!!

My google alerts were buzzing this morning alright! We're completely blown away to have our recycled Capri-Sun dress blasted all over the mainstream media! We are SO excited, and so grateful, and hopefully-- all of this media attention will help garner a lot of bids on the dress for the online auction benefiting the Boys ang Girls club of America, still going on for two more days! This dress will really give someone a dazzling look for their prom this year! Wow, I never thought my name would be on the fox business website...it's too much! xxx -Justina

New Tutorials and more happy updates

First of all, thanks to all of you who cast votes for the "Refashioned Bags" Cover. You guys are so insightful and helpful so THANKS!

Next up... We are very pleased to announce that the COMPAI Capri Sun Dress has 9 bids !! We are so excited. You have until April 4th to place your bids....so GO, GO, GO to Ebay Giving Works Auction and place a bid to win this 100% upcycled dress-- it's a real F%&!ing show stopper. Trust. --and don't forget that all of the proceeds go to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Also, in the mood to make stuff? Check out our new tutorial for a comfy tote on idealbite.com!
it... Fits to a Tee!
we love you!
xxx F and J

Refashioned Bags...which cover do you like?

We are adding the finishing touches for our new book that comes out this fall called Refashioned Bags....We've been working with our graphic artist friend Sarit Melmed on creating the PERFECT cover. We've narrowed it down from about 50 covers....but cant seem to pick THE ONE. Would you help us out by leaving comments on which cover is you fave and why? Thanks so much!

Compai for Capri Sun and Terracycle

Making clothing out of unusual materials is our thing here at Compai, so when we were asked by Terracycle and Capri Sun to re-fashion a dress out of Capri-Sun pouches for a fashion show-- we couldn't refuse! The dress took a couple of weeks to put together- I had to replace the zipper 4 times!! But after breaking only about 80 needles, and trying it onto every tiny friend that I have-- it all came together! Check out the pics and then... guess what?? You can actually own this one! It's on auction at ebay-- and all of the proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of America! -- So it's really a win-win- situation! So go ahead and get to bidding here!












(This one-of-a-kind dress--designed entirely out of CAPRI SUN pouches--was the featured creation at the CAPRI SUN Ready to Re-Wear Runway Show on March 25, 2009 in a show hosted by teen sensation AnnaSophia Robb (Disney's "Race To Witch Mountain") at the Miami-Dade Boys & Girls Club.)

Little ol' me on Apartment Therapy

I was honored last week to host editors and photographers of the epic blog "Apartment Therapy" in my new bungalow in Los Angeles. My little pad will be featured in their new book on small spaces due to come out next year. (EXCITING!!) Well, this morning I awoke to my mug on their site...and a few candid snap shots from my apartment. I am thrilled to be featured and the fact that my little DIY apartment is getting some notice in the design world is totally flattering.
Thanks Maxwell!
~Justina
Clich HERE to read the story!

The economy, DIY, and my new website

No need to go on about how tough times are. I know everyone's feeling it in different ways. I was sad to hear this month that both Domino and CRAFT: Magazines would cease to exist in print, and although I think that online publications are great (and more eco-friendly) I'm absolutely obsessed with print magazines. On the other hand, I think that we'll find that the poor economy won't hit us DIYers as hard. We are used to being creative, resourceful, and doing things with little to no budget-- in fact, we thrive on it. Which brings me to my new website, one that I designed myself in true, DIY fashion. So check out http://www.justfordesign.com and leave comments below to tell me what you think.
So much love to all of our crafty compai-istas and good luck to all of the editors, stylists and writers who are back out on the job market.
hugs,
~Justina

Take flight with me on Etsy!

Go to the virtual labs on ETSY at 5pm EST to chat live about handmade crafty goodness. And check out my favorites here for a sneek peek of whats in store!

Shop Live Tomorrow with me and Etsy!

COME SHOP LIVE WITH ME ON ETSY TOMORROW- and see what handmade stuff I love!
(that $5 subscription to Venus Zine ain't a bad deal either!)

New Compai Video Tutorial-- Valentines Day Special! Make Panties and a Sachet

SPREAD THE LOVE, COMMENT...BLOG IT!
You know the drill!
Thank you compai-istas and Happy Valentines Day!
MUSIC BY MR. SANDWICHES. DIRECTED AND EDITED BY (MY VALENTINE) JASON ROSENCRANTZ

DIY Computer Carrier- Tutorial

A once-Polo Keeps your Laptop Cozy

Sweaters are not just for keeping warm this season. This DIY project helps you turn a polo-style sweater into a computer bag. Store bought laptop bags can be bulky and unattractive, but this bag stands out as a cheap and chic alternative. Check out the tutorial on Venus Zine HERE

♥DIY VALENTINES DAY IDEAS♥

Well, it's that time again. Valentine's day-- not always a great day for lovin'-- but always a good day for craftin'-- so here are a few ideas and inspirations to help feel the love...
Can you feel the LOVE?



If you've opened any fashion mags this month, you've probably seen this I heart Versace dress. Why not recreate a more casual version of the look and sew zippers onto a T-shirt or sweatshirt in the shape of a heart? Also, add heart applique's onto T-shirts or dresses made from fabric scraps, also cut out tiny hearts from the shirt--

Marc Jacobs inspires us with his Andy Shopper...Why not take an old tote and embellish it with suede hearts? All the love without the pricetag!
Other crafty ideas?

Why not make a pair of silky boxers for your beaux from a couple of old scarves? You'll find a tutorial for boxer-style shorts from scarves in our 99 Ways... Scarf book... cheap, easy, green and-- sexy!



Why not use Readymades's rad Pendant lamp tutorial that can be found here, but instead of a round balloon, use a heart-shaped one, as pictured above!

♥HAPPY VALENTINES DAY AND HAPPY CRAFTING♥

Happy Inauguration...Aretha's hat...and HOPE

So excited this morning to wake up and watch Barack give a jolt of hope and excitement to the whole world....and let's not downplay the joy it brought all of us to watch Aretha Franklin sing in this hat. Warms my heart.

Faith for Compai Collection SNEAK PEEK

Some talented people got together and shot my beautiful sister (and compai-ista) Faith, in Compai originals, and Compai Archive, clothing. I couldn't wait to share a few of them with you...even though I am supposed to keep them on the under... What do you think of the raw (un-photoshopped) pics? (I'm giddy)
love,
Justina