Dottie Angel’s Once Upon a Time

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Story by uppercaseyyc

Published on Dec 14, 2010 in Watch

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(Animation by Julia Pott, music By ToneKitchen)

 

UPPERCASE publishes a magazine (“for the creative and curious”), as well as books on creativity and design. While I was searching for an artist for the second volume of The Suitcase Series — a project conceived as a way to immerse myself in a topic, discover new people and see new places —  some serendipitous events led me to Tif Fussell, a.k.a. Dottie Angel. I quickly became enamoured with Tif’s granny chic style, eclectic way with vintage fabrics and amusing ramblings about her family on her Dottie Angel blog. Tif’s wealth of creativity, unique voice and beautiful products made it clear that she’d be a great subject for a book. A visit was in order.

But first, the book in question. The Suitcase Series presents in glorious detail the lives of artists and designers. The books are image-based, full of artwork, beautiful photographs and artifacts from where the artist lives and works. Small and intimate like a diary or sketchbook, each includes a special treasure. It’s a precious souvenir of a creative journey shared between the reader and the artist, and Tif was a perfect fit. We quickly headed to her country cottage.

We enjoyed some lovely days with Tif and her clan at their home in the outskirts of Seattle, Mossy Shed. During our visit, Tif showed us around the local open air market, took us to her favourite thrift store and opened her cupboards to share her immense collection of vintage fabrics and notions. We spent some enjoyable hours brainstorming about the Dottie Angel book, as well as photographing textures and patterns for the book.

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This video is an introduction to Tif’s home at Mossy Shed, from the tree-sheltered backyard suited to raising chickens and soccer-obsessed boys, to the sunlit studio in which Dottie Angel comes to life.

Want to get your hands on the visual inspiration that is Dottie Angel? Volume 2 of The Suitcase Series isn’t due out until Summer 2011, but you can preorder your copy today!

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