to say that this contest was a battle to the end well, just wouldn’t be accurate. from the second our ugliest pillow finalists went live there was a clear winner from start to finish. almost 5,000 of you voted and today we have our winners. so congrats to the following entrants who will receive new thomas paul pillows (above), courtesy of pillows and throws, to replace their seriously hideous pillows. thanks to everyone who voted!

first place goes to lauren’s lace terror- who swept the contest with ease. she had a commanding lead on her opponents and kept her edge throughout the week. congrats to lauren who will receive 2 new thomas paul pillows to replace her sad, sad lace pillow.

second place goes to kelli’s kissing ducks. i think we all felt a little sorry for this pillow and it’s creepy kissing ducks so we can be at east now knowing that kelli will have a new pillow to replace her duck disaster.

third place goes to kristen’s scary stag. i’m not sure if it was the weird fraying fringe on the pillow or the woodsy stag itself, but this was your vote for third place and now kristen can replace her sad stag with a new thomas paul pillow. congrats!

alright! after wading through so many ugly pillows i was starting to lose my faith in pillow designers, i’ve narrowed down our ugliest pillow contestants to a top 10. and now it’s your turn to vote! who has the ugliest pillow of them all and deserves new thomas paul pillows from pillows and throws to replace their hideous eyesores? click here to vote, or follow the link under each contestants name. funny side note: we had at least 20 repeat entries from last year- i guess it’s hard to say goodbye to ugly pillows sometimes.

deadline: voting will be open until 8am on tuesday morning, november 18th!

contestant one: chicago make collective’s rabid raccoon pillow (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant two: kristen’s scary stag pillow (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant three: kelli’s kissing ducks- ’nuff said (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant four: kate’s patchwork nightmare (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant five: delaney’s tired pooch pillow (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant six: ohren’s washed out pillows in need of a wash (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant seven: alicia’s creepy clown pillow. this pillow’s creepy smile is totally giving me the willies. (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant eight: jenny’s fish-fiasco (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant nine: kristen’s pillow graveyard- where many bad pillows have gone to die (click here to vote for this pillow)

contestant ten: lauren’s lace terror. all that lace. ack! (click here to vote for this pillow)

just a quick reminder: today (at 10pm EST) is the last day to turn in your entries for the lena corwin “printing by hand” contest at d*s. if you have a cool space in your home that uses print and pattern well, send us a photo (via email right here- title: lena corwin contest) and you could win one of lena’s pillows and a signed copy of her new book, printing by hand. click here for more details and to enter. [images above and below submitted by michelle and rachel- stay tuned for more this week!]

stay tuned for a new sneak peek next! and click here to view yesterday’s fantastic sneak peek (which was tough to catch due to the horrible server crash we had yesterday)

to say that i am thrilled and honored to be posting a sneak peek into lena corwin’s long-awaited first book: printing by hand (STC Craft/August 2008/27.50) would be a massive understatement. i’ve been a huge fan of lena’s since the moment i first saw her work and could not be happier to see that her book has turned out exactly like i knew it would- sheer perfection. from the front cover right down to the last project printing by hand is a sheer joy to read and is sure to become a favorite among design and diy enthusiasts alike.

one of the things i’ve always admired about lena is her ability to create and blend patterns beautifully. from her pillows and plates to the fabrics in her own home, lena has always had a way with print and pattern. so it makes perfect sense that her first book would be dedicated to that very skill. printing by hand (available for pre-order right here!) is a fantastic book of print/pattern-based projects using stamps, stencil, and silk screens (all hand-done by lena herself). i love the wide range of projects in the book like printed napkins, hand-printed bed sheets, custom printed notebooks and even a gorgeous how-to for hand-printed stencil “wallpaper”. if you’re a fan of print and pattern you simply will not want to miss picking up a copy of lena’s book. it’s chock-full of beautiful projects that are just as pretty to look at as they are easy to complete. i plan on tackling the dresser project (shown above) asap but that stencil wall is calling my name too.

to celebrate the launch of lena’s book, printing by hand, we’ll have having a contest to find the reader with the best use of pattern in their home! starting today, i’ll be accepting submissions for the contest- all you need to do is send an email right here (title: lena corwin contest) with photos of your favorite use of pattern in your home. [please note: due to shipping costs we can only accept domestic, usa, entries at this time] all photos must be attached in a zip file or as individual files (no flickr links or flash pages, please) and should be of your own home. in honor of lena’s book, what we’re looking for is homes that combine print and pattern in a way that is fresh, modern and fun. i’ll be accepting entries via email until next tuesday, july 22nd at 10pm EST. finalists will be voted on by readers and 5 winners will be chosen and awarded the following prizes:

• 1st prize— one 18″ “field” pillow by lena corwin AND one signed book
• 2nd prize— one 13″ field pillow by lena corwin AND one signed book
• 3rd through 5th prize— one signed book

the contest will be a fantastic way to celebrate lena’s new book and showcase some of the incredible homes out there that use pattern in creative ways.

last but not least, lena was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to do a little interview with me, the results of which are posted after the jump. so to read lena’s full interview (and see more photos from the book!) just click here or click “read more” below. thank you to lena and her publisher for allowing us a little sneak peek into her new book. if you’d like to pre-order a copy (regular sales open tomorrow) click here to place an order.

click here for the rest of the post, lena’s interview and more photos from lena corwin’s printing by hand.

read more …