Featured Artist For The Month Of July

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks for participating everyone.

T-shirts are always comfy to wear especially during summer. And through the years, T-shirts have evolved from just a simple undergarment to a form of personal expression.

There's thousands of t-shirt designs out there but there's always one that stands out. Something unique that will captivate our interest and lead us to buy it and add it in our collection. Or just maybe it simply becomes something we would love to wear.

Unique designs like the t-shirt design of our featured artist for the month July, Simone ELum.

Simone is a Fashion Illustrator and Designer. After completing her Fashion Design degree she launched "Simone Elum". It's a unique collection of her 'fashion art' inspired clothing, accessories, stationary and fine art.

One of her best sellers is the Sweet Girl Tee. It's a fashion illustrated tee of a sweet young girl daydreaming about her true love. The design is simple but captivating.

And PBF Collection got the privelege to review her latest design which is the Sweet Girl V neck Tee. The moment we received the package from Simone. We noticed that it was package really well. Everything was professionally done with great looking hang tag, business card and a nice hand written note. For us, hand written notes always add a nice personal touch.

As for the Tee...it's absolutely great. The black jersey fabric heart has this cute white handstitch, the screen print of the young sweet girl is totally perfect, another great added touch is the black fabric stitched to the folded sleeves. The t-shirt itself is soft and comfy. This Tee is perfect for summer and it would look great on your favorite shorts, jeans, or skirts.

So to get to know more about Simone Elum the artist behind simoneelum.com. We had a little interview with her:

PBF: Tell us a bit about yourself?

SL : I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago, an island in the Caribbean. I've always loved fashion since my mom designed and made most of our clothes. She used to have a lot of fashion magazines lying around and of course, I enjoyed going through them, tearing out designs I liked and trying to redraw them and add my own touch to them. I studied Fashion Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design and that's where I also met my husband who is a Graphic designer at heart and does all of my graphic design! We started our business in July 2009 after moving to Los Angeles from Georgia. I am a fashion designer but art is my first love so I decided to put both of my passions together in my line of 'fashion art' inspired items.

PBF: Besides creating and designing, what else do you like to do?

SL: Of course I spend most of my time drawing and designing but when I am not busy doing that, I like to read, go to art shows, cook, take road trips and watch romantic movies.

PBF: What first made you want to become an artist?

SL: I loved the fashion illustrations in the Vogue Pattern books when I was growing up. I was always inspired to draw like that and have been doing fashion illustrations since then! I liked the feeling of being able to create something beautiful for others to look at.

PBF: Please describe to us a bit about your creative inspirations.

SL: I am inspired by fashion, photography, personalities like audrey hepburn, music, the caribbean, romantic movies, other fashion illustrators like Arturo Elena, David downton and Sandra Suy.

PBF:Besides Etsy do you have a website or blog where we can read updates about your designs?

SL:Yes, you can visit www.simoneelum.com or my facebook fanpage 'Simone Elum' for updates. . Please click here.

PBF: What advice can you give to inspiring artist?

SL: Get really good at what you love doing and be prolific. Always believe that what you have to offer is valuable and be able to take criticism and learn from it. Passion is necessary to continue being an artist so always find ways to be inspired to create! Connect with other artists, ask for advice, see what others are doing but be true to your own style.

PBF: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

SL: In ten years, I would like to have a family, a thriving business, to still be an artist and making a difference in the lives of others.

There you have it. Please be sure to check out Simone Elum's website and Facebook Page Simone Elum for new items and learn more about her creations!

And the good news is...Simone has decided to award one of you ladies with one of her new tee design! The winner will received the Sweet Girl tee in V-neck.

And winner can choose t-shirt sizes from xxs up to xxl.

Here are the entry rules for the Sweet Girl T-shirt giveaway:

1. (This is the mandatory entry) You'll receive 1 entry for visiting Simone Lum at Etsy and telling me what your favorite item is! Make sure you leave your EMAIL address in this entry.

2. You'll receive 2 entries for adding Simone Elum in your favorites.

3. You'll receive 2 entries for adding/liking Simone Elum in her fan page.

3. You'll receive 5 entries for following our blog and telling us that you do. Leave a comment with your username.

4. You'll receive 1 entry for grabbing my button and putting it on your blog. Leave a link of your blog in the comments.

5. You'll receive 2 entries for updating your Facebook status and including the link to this giveaway. Leave a comment with the link of the status.

6. You'll receive 2 entries for adding/liking us in our PBF Collection Fan Page.

7. You'll receive 3 entries for blogging about this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link in a comment.

Please remember that the more entries you have the better chances you'll have in winning this giveaway.

All entries must be received before 11:59 on Friday, August 13, 2010. A winner will be drawn using a random number generator and I will send her an e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be choosen.