new things

A couple photos from this past week - some new patterns I was working on for the shop just before Ian arrived, and some new summer clothes for Oscar from Zara and Target (I know, still can't get enough of the stripes). Sometimes a trip to Target by myself really hits the spot when I just need to get out of the house for a bit.

color and pattern

Couldn't stop taking pictures of the beets I was preparing the other day. The colors are so vibrant and beautiful.



I've been playing around with patterns a lot the past couple of days, trying to decide which ones to use, and what kind of goods to make out of them.

2010 pocket planners!

Finally.. they're in the shop! I'll try to keep them in stock for as long as I can, but expect that I'd have to close the shop for a bit when the baby arrives. It's been over 6 months since I've updated my shop, it feels so good to be doing this again!

Pack o' pretty paper

There's something exciting about seeing a bunch of cute patterns next to each other. I think that's part of what makes quilting and patchwork so much fun. So I thought I'd put together a few of my patterns into little paper packs for the shop. People can use them for whatever they want - cards, gift tags, collages, scrapbooking, etc. Most of the patterns appear in my pocket jotters or planners, but there are a few that are new.





Now if only they would magically turn into fat quarters..

Spoonflower

My Spoonflower swatches came in the mail over the weekend!



I had read that their colors typically come out a bit less saturated, which definitely is the case, but it's fun nonetheless to see some of my designs on fabric. I might play around with the colors some more and give it another go before ordering actual yardage and possibly putting it into the shop. We'll see.

I'd really like to move towards textiles one day, but am uncertain about how or where to begin. Screenprinting designs myself would be so fun, but it seems very labor-intensive and also somewhat limiting (size of fabric, number of colors, etc). Yet professional digital textile printers (or textile screenprinters) would require me to order a lot of yardage before the price per yard is anywhere near reasonable. Starting with something simple that I screenprint myself makes the most sense right now. It'll take me time to gather everything I need and to get familiar with the process though. Must be patient!

Alameda flea

I went to the Alameda flea this weekend and got an eyeful. The place is huuuuge, filled with all sorts of vintage goodness. We managed to walk through most of it - here are some things that caught my eye.







I ended up buying these vintage textiles, which the seller said she got from Germany. She had a lot of gorgeous prints to rummage through, all fairly large pieces. Many looked like they were drapery at one point. I absolutely love these two pieces, and am so excited for all the things I can possibly make with them!

A Merry Mishap

A Merry Mishap is a beautiful new design blog that I recently discovered. I love how clean everything looks, and in addition to her amazing finds, Jennifer's got that DIY spirit in her. Check out her grocery tote! I love it.

So imagine how flattered I was when she asked me to guest blog for a day! Guest blog I did and boy was it fun. Thanks so much for this great opportunity, Jen!

Last set of jotters

Okiedoke, here's the last set!

More jotters

Here's the second design for these little jotters -- probably the boldest of the three designs. I'm really liking these two colors lately - reddish orange (similar to the color of the paper flowers) and yellow with just a hint of green. Actually, I've been liking most yellows that I see.. except maybe orangey-yellow.

Pocket jotters

Wow, I've really been neglecting this blog - but for good reason! I've been working hard on my Etsy shop opening the past few days and making good progress. I'm done making everything for my initial inventory and just have a few things to take care of before I go live with it all - product photos, descriptions, etc etc. I'm going to give little sneak peeks of my first collection here over the course of this week, and will soon set a date for the actual opening.

Here is the first set of pocket jotters - small, perfect-bound notebooks with original patterns for the cover.

You make my day

I really really love these fabrics. I'm just not sure what to do with them yet. Lately I've been leaning towards less "colorful" patterns. I still like Amy Butler-esque patterns, but there is just something about quiet patterns like these that hit the spot.
















Lara gave me a "you make my day" award - how sweet is that? It's been moving through blog-land pretty quickly, which reminds me what a small craft/design blog circle this really is. I'm definitely enjoying it!

So here are 5 blogs that make my day:

Devon of Devon Industry. She makes the neatest little softies and has been doing some really nice things to her place.
Tia of silvercocoon. Amazing jewelry designer.
Jenny of Wiksten-made. She has such a great eye for fashion and makes gorgeous clothes.
Ah-yi. Her prints are so beautiful and she weaves (yes! weaving!) the best scarves.
Anh-minh. I love her posts - simple and inspiring.

Kinokuniya finds

Recently I stopped by the Kinokuniya book store near me to browse around. I didn't see anything that I *had* to have in the crafts section, so I was wandering over to the stationery when I saw this and stopped dead in my tracks.
















I love Japanese patterns. How can anyone resist a cover like that? Of course I had to buy it.






























It's too bad I can't read Japanese, but I've been flipping through this book quite a bit, trying to figure out what makes these patterns so appealing. I love how they're so simple, often just one or two repeating elements and colors. It's been good inspiration for me while working on my craft faire goods.

Something else I picked up at Kinokuniya -- I'm thinking maybe they would look cute if they were framed in 3 small, square, dark wood frames...