Crypton Throver Stars on the Today Show

Yesterday’s most-watched and re-watched “Today Show” segment featured Animal Fair’s Wendy Diamond showcasing holiday gifts for four-legged, furry friends.

In addition to pet beds, winter coats, treats, and toys, Wendy highlighted home furnishings for the animal lover on your list.

And what was top of Wendy’s list? The Crypton Throver, of course!

Wendy’s pick was especially festive: the new “Show” pattern by William Wegman.

Happy Holidays !

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Crypton Throver Does Double Duty at Play Time

When home furnishings and accessories get drafted into service as kids’ play things, the results are not always pretty. No wonder many parents are reluctant to let the living room double as a recreational venue.

But, as my favorite brother act Jack and Reeve Walsh capably demonstrate, some home accessories are durable enough to stand up to almost anything a couple of rambunctious boys can dish out. The Throver, for instance, looks elegant draped over the sofa, yet it’s rugged enough for real rough-housing. (Wish Crypton had been around when I was growing up!)

As tough as the Throver is, it’s also soft and inviting enough to earn the approval of a creature-comforts expert: Betty the tabby. She’s clearly wondering when her boys will be done playing with those Throvers so she can claim one for … a cat nap!

Posted by Julia Szabo.

The spotlight shines on Crypton in Newsweek video feature:

Last week, Newsweek interviewed our own Julia Szabo for a video feature on pet pampering. Viewers got a tour of Julia’s New York City apartment, which she’s customized for the comfort of her four – count ‘em, four – large dogs.

We spotted our favorite dog beds and pillows used as cushions on Julia’s bed, which she shares with her pack of canine companions.

Meanwhile, we learned about a new use for our multitasking  throver. We knew it comes in very handy on the bed or sofa, in the car, even on a boat. Now we saw Julia use the Throver as a handy mat on the floor, where her veterinary chiropractor “adjusts” the senior dogs, to get their spines in proper alignment.

Now that’s what we call pampering! Watch the video here.

An Apron with Star Quality

Actress Juliette Bennett is an enchanting performer, a natural entertainer who’s in her element both on stage and in film. She has old-school star quality reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn and Veronica Lake, but with an ultra-modern edge.

She’s brilliant at interpreting playwrights from Shakespeare to A.R. Gurney, but Juliette is equally enchanting when she’s entertaining friends at her New York City apartment.

With its magnificent vistas on the East River, the view from her living room window is captivating. But so is the view inside the kitchen, where Juliette recently prepared a spectacular organic, vegan curry stew, served with rice and an avocado-dressed salad.

Nothing stains quite like turmeric, that dazzling yellow spice that’s the key to a great curry. In fact, turmeric has been used for centuries as a natural fabric dye. But Juliette needn’t worry about errant yellow stains on her outfit, because she’s armed with her favorite apron.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Do you have a clan of messy eaters in your house? Are dinner time spills taking over your table?  We’ve got an opportunity for you! Recently, Crypton developed a fun line of colorful and reversible mess-free suede placemats.  Not only are they stylish, the Crypton technology behind the fabric means they are completely stain- and water-resistant, too. Although you can’t buy these placemats in stores yet, we thought it would be fun to offer our readers an exclusive opportunity to test them out. We’ll even give you the full set of four placemats – all you have to do is share your story with us.  

 That’s all it takes to receive three additional placemats: a full set!  This opportunity won’t be available for long and space is limited, so sign up soon! All signed up? Once you’ve recieved your placemat, fill out a feedback form to recieve the other three.

We look forward to hearing your messy stories!

World-renowned astrologer Susan Miller reads Crypton’s style profile

Don’t you just love astrology? We certainly do. There are so many different sources of zodiac information on the Web, each with its own particular blend of the practical and the poetic. But only one can be the best, as the saying goes, and we believe that the go-to astrologer is Susan Miller, the brilliant author and creator of Astrologyzone who is also Elle’s resident planet-reading power.

Susan is uncannily, astonishingly accurate in her forecasts, and her invaluable insights can help enormously when you’re planning important professional or personal initiations (especially when Mercury goes retrograde, as it’s getting ready to do now). But another one of Susan’s great strengths is her tremendous sense of style. Susan knows fashion and beauty, and she passed that gift on to her talented daughter Chrissie, the clothing designer whose hip label Sophomore is getting lots of buzz, and deservedly so. 

Style runs deep in the Miller family, and in Crypton’s family too. As it happens, Crypton was incorporated on January 21st, which falls under the sign of Aquarius. Did you know that everything on Earth has a zodiac sign – not just people, but cities, buildings, and works of art? It’s fun and informative to use astrology to learn more about a person, place, or thing, so when Susan shared this style profile of Aquarius, we sat up and took notice:

Individual, innovative, inventive, and interested in objective investigation into the unknown, Aquarians are hot-wired into the field of new technology and research… Even the fabrics that Aquarius rules are always the ones that are new – Lycra and Spandex, plastics, space-age materials we put on astronauts, or any and all materials that are yet to be discovered.

How appropriate that the Super Fabric, engineered to resist stains, moisture, odors, and bacteria, turns out to be… Aquarian! It’s written in the stars: the product of high technology and careful scientific research, Crypton is futuristic fabric that’s designed to perform.

Have to go now and … check out my horoscope!

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Featured Etsy Designer: Studio Cherie

This week, Life on Crypton is showcasing Etsy.com (see our post from yesterday). Today we bring you an interview with Cherie, the designer-sewer extraordinaire who is behind StudioCherie. Selling duffels, bags, pillows and other fabric goods, Cherie’s bright colors and unique designs (she is happy to do custom items) have kept her busy creating since April 2008.

Recently, Cherie has come out with a brand new line of products containing Crypton Suede in the cathedral quilt-style. In addition to table-runners, she now has tote bags and pillows to complement the line. Interested crafters can also purchase PDFs of many of Cherie’s designs to create at home on their own.

In addition to running her online shop full-time, Cherie is also a mother of three, and a regular blogger (you can read her blog at http://studiocherie.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Q. How did you originally get started with designing and creating items for sale?
Cherie: I created the baby changing bag I had always wanted for myself (and no one ever made while I had babies in diapers.) Everyone at a friend’s baby shower got excited about it. One of the gals suggested I apply for a patent. It just snowballed from there.

 Q. Describe the sort of things you enjoy making– what are your favorite items to create?
Cherie: Furniture, doing upholstery and slip-covering are my favorites, but I ran out of room at my house. Bags are great too. A bit of portable creativity that still has high function value.

Q. Where do you get inspiration for new ideas?
Cherie: Usually my creations grow out of something I need myself. The duffle bag came out of my own need, and its popularity tells me I am not alone. Sometimes it’s more of an invention thing – like frame purses, I was always curious about how those are made, so I took some apart, learned from them, and redesigned from there. There are also times when an idea will simmer in the back of my mind for a long time, and when the right materials or tools appear, I just have to move forward.

Q. How would you describe your design style?
Cherie: Practical and fun.

Q. We’ve noticed you often work with Crypton in your shop what draws you to Crypton Fabrics?
Cherie: Did I just say practical and fun? I love how Crypton stays clean, which is a huge plus for home décor and for bags. The color range of Crypton makes it fun and easy to pair with the popular designer quilting fabrics which are my other favorite material.

Q. How has Etsy changed the way you do business?
Cherie: Etsy is a vibrant community of crafters and artisans, collectors and socially conscious consumers. Within that community I am able to tailor my offerings to the needs I see. There is a real satisfaction for me in connecting with the people who use my sewing patterns or buy the things I have made. Etsy is engaging from both the buyer and seller perspective.

Q. What are the challenges for your business?
Cherie: I am itching to expand my line like crazy right now. I have so many practical and fun ideas. I want to keep selling both patterns and finished products, but I am going to need to get help to do that if I expand my offerings.

Q. What’s next for StudioCherie?
Cherie: One or two helpers. More patterns more products.