buds & stems - a feeling of connection

This is my new Buds & Stems collection (coming soon to Spoonflower). Just three simple little patterns that I love so and came about through the work I've been posting for my shop. It's like spring truly invaded my work (not a bad thing for sure!). I tried coming up with another pattern to make it a balanced set of four but it wasn't happening. So I let the group stay as is. I notice that I've been doing that with other parts of my work — I'm not forcing things. I'm just letting them be.

This year in particular I've been letting things develop more naturally and working on truly listening to my inner creative voice. You'd think that I'd have that well taken care of by now. But I can tell when I'm falling off the rails my work doesn't feel as genuine. One thing that has helped me a lot is that I've been conscious about staying offline for longer periods of time. The less I look at Pinterest, random web sites and blogs, the more I can see myself in what I'm designing. Don't take me wrong — I love seeing what other artists are creating (specially when it's in a medium I don't work in), but time away is time to recharge and it really works.

So, here's to more work that is truly me.

Have a great day everyone!

• • •

TIP:: I didn't have dark blue ribbon so I made one out of thin strips of blue card stock. I wrapped the gift with one piece, used another one for the bow and third tiny one for the center of the bow. I was going to make a typically symmetrical ribbon but this lopsided version seemed more interesting to me. That's it!

joy collection - svgs and printables

The first collection of the year is called Joy. It includes SVG cutting files and printables in two colorways — yellow and red.

I wanted to create a group of patterns and shapes that would coordinate all the way through different product lines. This collection is included in my Society6 products as I showed you the other day and will be coming soon in the manner of fabric and gift wrap on Spoonflower (still waiting for samples).

My ideas for the printables (8 letter-sized sheets of each pattern):
- To wrap small gifts
- Make envelope liners
- To make cards and hangtags
- To decorate scrapbooking layouts (including pocket scrapbooking like Project Life)
- Anything else you can come up with!

I'm pretty proud of this collection and if truth be told it does make me joyful when I look at it.
I hope you enjoy it too!

---

The Joy Collection is free from now until 1/11 with the purchase of $5.98 and above.
Code: thankyou
Important: Make sure to add the code to the GRAY Shopping Cart link at the top of the website home page.

joy collection - svgs and printables

The first collection of the year is called Joy. It includes SVG cutting files and printables in two colorways — yellow and red.

I wanted to create a group of patterns and shapes that would coordinate all the way through different product lines. This collection is included in my Society6 products as I showed you the other day and will be coming soon in the manner of fabric and gift wrap on Spoonflower (still waiting for samples).

My ideas for the printables (8 letter-sized sheets of each pattern):
- To wrap small gifts
- Make envelope liners
- To make cards and hangtags
- To decorate scrapbooking layouts (including pocket scrapbooking like Project Life)
- Anything else you can come up with!

I'm pretty proud of this collection and if truth be told it does make me joyful when I look at it.
I hope you enjoy it too!

---

The Joy Collection is free from now until 1/11 with the purchase of $5.98 and above.
Code: thankyou
Important: Make sure to add the code to the GRAY Shopping Cart link at the top of the website home page.

partridge in a pear tree

Wow. I just checked to make sure that was right. It's been almost 6 months since my last post here and a year since I posted any new products in my shop. It was a crazy busy end of school year, long summer (with a nice break to visit Colombia!) and then starting off the school year again with a freshman in high school and a new middle schooler. Phew. 

I didn't forget about the blog or the shop, but after quietly making it past my eight (8!!) year anniversary in May I thought I would call it quits. I was THIS close to deleting every single post here (I'm still tempted by the need to just start fresh!) and closing up everything but I decided the let time slip by in order to think things through.

I really needed the time away. It was great to focus on family and daily life and do what needed to be done there without any other self-imposed work. Now that everything is starting to settle into a semi-routine I can come back here with a clearer mind, new ideas and with positive energy.

So here we go again...



First up is a the Partridge in a Pear Tree collection. It started with the colorful bird on the large gift box and the rest evolved from there. I knew I wanted something graphic with a folk flavor to it. My favorite thing about this set is that it really stands out. I still love, love working with white, but the striking red is a definite booster to this design. I really like how the tote bag turned out and I'll be placing an order for myself—ha!

Sometimes a design comes together without much of a plan but it's smooth sailing all the way—this was one of those designs—and I love it when that happens. I think that's when the true me shows up and just has fun.

The box and wall art collection are now available as SVG cutting files in my shop here.



I'm waiting to get a sample of this pattern from Spoonflower in order to offer it as fabric and wrapping paper. I can't wait to see how it turned out.

• • •

It's great to get the shop going again. I hope to post new collections on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on my schedule. Like I said before it was great to be away but trust me, some days I was just itching to make something, draw something — anything to get my hands going. For those of you that visit my Instagram stream you were a witness of most of that and those of you that still hang out here a bit—thank you! XO

partridge in a pear tree

Wow. I just checked to make sure that was right. It's been almost 6 months since my last post here and a year since I posted any new products in my shop. It was a crazy busy end of school year, long summer (with a nice break to visit Colombia!) and then starting off the school year again with a freshman in high school and a new middle schooler. Phew. 

I didn't forget about the blog or the shop, but after quietly making it past my eight (8!!) year anniversary in May I thought I would call it quits. I was THIS close to deleting every single post here (I'm still tempted by the need to just start fresh!) and closing up everything but I decided the let time slip by in order to think things through.

I really needed the time away. It was great to focus on family and daily life and do what needed to be done there without any other self-imposed work. Now that everything is starting to settle into a semi-routine I can come back here with a clearer mind, new ideas and with positive energy.

So here we go again...



First up is a the Partridge in a Pear Tree collection. It started with the colorful bird on the large gift box and the rest evolved from there. I knew I wanted something graphic with a folk flavor to it. My favorite thing about this set is that it really stands out. I still love, love working with white, but the striking red is a definite booster to this design. I really like how the tote bag turned out and I'll be placing an order for myself—ha!

Sometimes a design comes together without much of a plan but it's smooth sailing all the way—this was one of those designs—and I love it when that happens. I think that's when the true me shows up and just has fun.

The box and wall art collection are now available as SVG cutting files in my shop here.



I'm waiting to get a sample of this pattern from Spoonflower in order to offer it as fabric and wrapping paper. I can't wait to see how it turned out.

• • •

It's great to get the shop going again. I hope to post new collections on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on my schedule. Like I said before it was great to be away but trust me, some days I was just itching to make something, draw something — anything to get my hands going. For those of you that visit my Instagram stream you were a witness of most of that and those of you that still hang out here a bit—thank you! XO

pattern making soothes the soul

I hope you don't get tired of seeing these because this is what I'm into right now. Building my pattern collection is taking over any free time I have. I'm taking advantage of the creative momentum while it lasts. I get into a focused relaxed state when I'm working on them. Maybe that's why they're so addicting!

The top pattern, Just Seeds (in Evening Blue and Clear Day) is something that originally started from a sketch of daisies that I worked on over the weekend. I love how the background color changes the look of the design so radically. I couldn't make up my mind over which I preferred so they're both uploaded in my Society6 shop.

On the Farm (in pink and blue) is part of a collection of four patterns that will also be coming as fabric and wrapping paper. Some of you may remember me posting previously but it wasn't really finished until now.

Now that I think about it I think these two patterns show off my two illustrative sides. I love organic more natural looking shapes but I also enjoy exploring the more graphic and clean lined side of things too. It's more exciting to explore in two completely different worlds!

Happy Monday everyone!

before the pretty

...comes the hard work. I'll be showing you a little something new tomorrow. It's looking rather wonderful, if I do say so myself.



I've never made it a secret that sewing isn't my thing. It gets me nervous to sit in front of the sewing machine. It doesn't feel like a friendly place for me. Nothing like what I feel with paper and cutting tools in my hands. Regardless of that, I've always been surprised at how giddy I feel when I get some fabric (even in just swatches) with my designs on it.

The most recent package from Spoonflower was no different. This is called Segments and it was completely inspired by this box which evolved from this piece I made ages ago. I know it's a bright set for this time of the year but I just couldn't muster a muted palette. Another trio of colors is coming.

I also posted Slope (I have to reshoot the photo). It may appear a bit delicate at first, but I can see it being used for larger scaled items, like curtains, sheets or large cushions.

I got small swatches that I can use for sachets but I'm waiting for a larger piece of Segments in navy for cushions for our room. I'll show it to you when it's done—soon!

• • •

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.  ~Author Unknown

s is for summer & s is for slow

We're in slow mode around here. But you know what? I like it.

Summer makes me put the breaks on whether I want to or not. Reading, trips to the pool, riding bikes, board games, drag me away from the computer and anything related to work.

I have managed to work on some behind the scenes things and this new Bloom Tea Light Cover—which would also be a nice way to hold party favors.

It gives me a small sense of satisfaction to see something in paper again. I've been on my computer for other design work (web site!) for far too long at late hours of the night.

My thing for candle light is showing again, isn't it?

One other thing...

Remember my Just Leaves fabric? It is now available for sale at Spoonflower! I haven't been this addicted to a pattern in quite some time. It's time to crank up the heat on my next group of patterns. We'll see what I focus my sights on in the coming weeks.

Off to finally crack open my collection of Jane Austen books! I need some of that right now.

Is anyone willing to share a summer reading recommendation? I'm craving some new reading materials.

For now, happy afternoon!

the first one

A lot of sun, playing and relaxing, that's what last week was all about. I'm so glad I decided to take the week off. Its feels so much easier to slide into our summer routine.

The new fabric I just got from Spoonflower has me totally entertained. I've been wanting to add some graphic looking cushions to our bedroom and I couldn't find anything I liked. So, I fell back on my leaves once again. I love how these new cushions are going to look in our room. This is the type of simple sewing I like to work on.

I'll be able to put this pattern up in my Spoonflower shop, as soon as I get a new sample of the fabric. I had to correct a couple of mistakes I made with the repeat of the pattern.

So here's to my first project of the summer—and involves sewing no less.

• • •

Thank you!

Last week the new Paper Dolls blog used my Mini Dollhouse as their challenge for the week. Check out all the work they put into their houses. Thank you so much for having me Tamara & Thienly!

Happy Monday everyone—while I head back to put away the remnants of yesterday's birthday get together for my Mr. Z. [Beans always taste better when they're in a traditional bowl + basket!]

recycling project - wine tag

I was clearing out some projects and found this small one that I made a while back. It's a quick way to spruce up a gift of wine. I put this in the recycling column because I made this using remnants of other projects. I'm sure anyone that has crafty materials can put this together without getting anything new.

Sadly I give more wine away than enjoy it myself. Mr. Z is not a wine drinker and I just can't see myself opening a bottle just for me. Wine just tastes better while sharing it with others.

Materials
- piece of white card stock
- ruler
- pencil
- Xacto knife or scissors
- 1 3/4" hole punch (or use a compass and cut out a circle)
- bone folder
- 1 1/4" x 7 strip of patterned paper
- glue stick
- sewing machine
- narrow strip of linen



I measured and cut out a 2.5" x 7" piece of white card stock. I used the glue stick to attach the patterned paper over the long half of the rectangle. I punched a hole about 1/2" from the top border of the tag and scored a horizontal line at 2 1/2" from the top.

The last thing I did was sew the linen on the card stock with small stitches and pull some threads from both sides.

Done!

new patterns on spoonflower

These are two designs that I've posted on Spoonflower. One is an older design and the one on the right is the latest one I played around with in the spring.

Some of you may wonder about my occasional ventures into fabric. The truth of the matter is that I really would love to see these on paper. While that happens (if it does, that would be another can of worms—albeit an exciting one to tackle) I like my patterns to at least see the light of day.



The fabrics with yellow in them will become cushions that are badly needed around here. We'll see if I like them when I get them done. Aside from our yellow kitchen our living room, studio and entrance spaces are decorated with neutral earthy tones and I know these would seriously jump out. But it doesn't hurt to try, right?

• • •

Thank you to OhDeeDoh for including my Alphabet Flash Cards in an adorable grouping of school-inspired decor.

recycling project - 4th of july wreath

Here is a simple project that uses all recycled materials. The video was shot in April (for Going Green with Yolanda Green) and was on the air this past weekend.

Materials:
- Two different sized circular objects (in this case - large plate and Tupperware cover)
- Two sheets of cardboard that are slightly larger than the largest circular object
- Pencil
- Xacto blade
- Cutting mat
- Scissors
- Cardboard tube
- Glue
- Fabric scissors
- Old t-shirts in red, white and blue
- Three white stars cut out of white paper
- Tape



This wreath was created for a 4th of July celebration but the colors and size can easily be changed to suit any holiday or celebration that you have throughout the year. I can easily see this wreath at twice the size and monochromatic or multicolored in a different pattern.



If you'd like to have a small laugh at my expense here is a blooper reel that I'm included in at the very end. All I have to say is that the camera man, Scott, is the most patient person EVER! The amount of retakes we do because of my mess-ups is quite awful. So, go ahead and laugh. I did.

bit of this, bit of that

As I've said before I typically have some sort of side project going. For this week's "just for fun" work I'll be tackling a bit of fabric and more embroidery. This time the fabric I'll be using has already been printed for me (via Spoonflower). We'll see if the idea I have in mind pans out.



This is a cut out of my stamp flower. As you can see part of it is missing (oops!), but I wanted to see what it would look like on paper. I can fix what's missing and then what? Frame it? Maybe.





I had the intention of doing so but at the urging of a friend's request I've decided to add a set of Full Bloom flower cards to my shop. I'm offering them as a set of 6 cards. Each is stamped individually and never in the same exact place. They are all one of a kind, if you buy a set it will be entirely unique.



I promise there will be no more flowers for a while!

children's themed fabric

Remember the pattern designs I showed you a couple of weeks ago (which also match my alphabet flash cards)? They are now available for purchase on Spoonflower. I can't wait to see how these patterns take life in sewing projects. I'm not even sure what I'm going to use my sample for yet. My little C was eyeing the animals for bedding for her dolls!

Animal Friends | Circles & Rods | Sweet Stripes



It feels a bit strange to put my designs on fabric since I'm supposed to be the 'paper person' but I see how this can work for different projects. I'll stand back and let you have all the fun. I've had my fair share with the design process.

alphabet quilt

So here's a little quilt idea using my alphabet flash cards artwork. I can't say it was my idea. It was Heather who suggested I do something like this. I don't think this is what she imagined but this is what turned out (so far). The idea is to offer this as a quick way to make a type of 'cheater' quilt. I will sell the front and back, fully designed and printed. The customer will add the batting and do the quilting. For customization, I can replace the year with the baby's name.

I love this idea because I've never made anything remotely resembling a quilt and there may be others out there that would appreciate something like this too. I hope this doesn't offend the sensibilities of those of you that have. It would definitely be a quick job for anyone with sewing experience. The only problem is that I don't know how cost effective this is. I'm still trying to figure that out and see if there is any interest.



For now I'm going to make this for my little C but in dolly size. I'll probably have to change the color to something more girly. She's all about pinks and purples. I know it looks rather simple but in my mind the quilting is another design element and the texture of the stitches will add to the whole look. Right now this image just looks very flat.

I'm going to keep the gray and use a rich/subtle raspberry color to replace the blue for little C's quilt. One of the patterns (still working on them) will be for the fabric on the back and the ABC rectangle on the right will be the front of a small pillow sham. The dotted lines show where I'll quilt it. Click on the image to see it slightly larger.

• • •

Thank you so much for all your comments to yesterday's post! You are all so generous and I feel so encouraged by your words. I'm really touched. As every comment came in, I couldn't help but smile every single time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

quiet

I love Friday evenings and I love rainy ones too. Tonight we happen to have both. Perfect.

It's been a long busy week but I just wanted to pop in a wish everyone a great weekend. Enjoy it!

I leave you with a random photo I had handy. This is a paper lamp I made last year. It inspired the floating pods fabric that I designed last November.

EDIT :: My apologies, but I had to remove the photo. I will repost when the time is right.

collaboration is always best

For a while, I've been wanting something made by the kids that wasn't just framed artwork. Printing my designs on fabric gave me the idea of making a pair of cushions for our room with fabric designed by little C & D. I didn't have a plan yet but the thought was pestering me.

Yesterday, as we were headed to the grocery store, little C was drawing on a pad (she carries paper and a pencil everywhere we go—I wonder where she got that from). She kept lifting up the pad for me to look at her drawings. Even if I'm driving I must look or else! This time she at least waited for a red light. It turns out she was drawing houses and the thought just clicked. I knew exactly what I wanted to do so I asked her to draw me 5 houses. I gave her no parameters. Just give me 5 houses. She drew one per page and added a sun, a moon and some birds to some of them. She drew these on the fly (in three minutes tops) while in a moving car. I absolutely love the birds!



I'm still fiddling with it but this is close to the pattern that I will be getting printed for the first of my cushions (maybe even placemats? gifts for grandparents?). Now to play with color. I want to keep it really simple.

I can't wait to see what D comes up with. I don't want to show him this yet so he's just as spontaneous and doesn't plan anything. I'll ask him to do the same - draw 5 things. That's it.

Before I leave (house chores are calling my name) a big thank you to:
- Nichole who posted three of my templates on her blog! Here, here and here.

- To Sew, Mama, Sew for including my to-do list holder in their list of gifts for multi-taskers.

- To Whip Up for including my magazine bowl in their list of boxes and containers tutorials.

Things that caught my eye recently:
- I LOVE this
- There are calendar round-ups popping up everywhere but this one in particular is really good.

The kids will be home next week for the Thanksgiving break so I don't know if I'll be around here much. For now, I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!

pods and seeds

I've been in a creative rut of sorts so I was so happy to get these new designs from Spoonflower in the mail yesterday.

Garden Seeds Little C said these looked like watermelon or pumpkin seeds.


Blue Mod Spoons


Floating Pods - I'm going to be using some of this orange fabric for a cushion. I've been using these pods shapes for a while. I really like them for some reason.


I'm working on a little something else that I may get done this week. I feel like I've been moving in slow motion lately. Very slow motion. Maybe it's the weather. After what seemed endless days of perfect weather it's finally rainy and gray here (ooh! the sun just peaked out from behind the clouds).

I was just thinking that I can't believe Thanksgiving is around the corner! Before you know it November will be over and my month of projects will be complete. I've gotten a lot done and a lot of good ideas for the new year.

One last thing, Crafty Synergy is still blocked by Blogger (it's visible but I can't post). I'm beyond frustrated so I may jump ship to another platform very soon. I'll keep you posted!

fabric 2.0

On Friday evening, I drove to downtown Houston and joined a friendly group at the Fabric 2.0 event hosted by Caroline Devoy and Kathy Miller. I felt like a fish out of water, surrounded by so many people involved in the fabric world, but I loved being there. The view of the sunset from the 24th floor of the Hilton terrace was an added bonus.



I finally got to meet Michelle Engel Bencsko, Jessica Jones, Caroline Devoy and Paula Prass and her daughter Jennifer. They were all as friendly as I imagined them to be (and more!). I chatted with Lizzy House and Kim Kight. I briefly met Heather Bailey and Patty Young and I was, I'll admit, too chicken to say hello to Jay McCarroll.

L-R: Michelle, me, Jessica


I have to say that I wasn't quite sure what to expect (specially since I had never met anyone in person beforehand) but it was a wonderful experience to see the faces behind some of the blogs and work that I admire so much. I know I'll be stating the obvious here, but I'll say it anyway: blogs are great but people are SO much better. It was a real treat to match personalities and voices to the words that I read almost on a daily basis.

I hope that the Houston Quilt Market experience went well for everyone (so sad it isn't open to the general public) and that the fabric lines will be very successful now that they have all been officially introduced over the weekend.

It was great meeting all of you!

playing catch-up

Remember my lofty ideas of having my fabric designs all ready to go? Well, all that got postponed as you can tell. I only have two new colors of the previous fabric design to show you for now. I realize they're not really fall colors but it's hard to get into the cooler spirit of things when we're still in the 80s around here. I'm selling them as fat quarters for now because I'm trying to find a more reasonable alternative for selling these by the yard.



So what's up for the weekend? I will definitely tackle my office. No big decorating involved though. More of a purging that needs to happen asap. Making 33 projects for the book put a serious dent into my efforts at staying organized. There are sheets of paper and sample projects everywhere. The minute I finish this post that's what I'm tackling today—oh yeah, and that thing called laundry.

After I pick up the kids from school we're off to a birthday/halloween party. D is going to be Darth Vader (he's all about Star Wars nowadays) and our girly girl wanted to be a ballerina this year. The countdown to being able to use their costumes for the first time this year has finally come to an end. Thank goodness—now just looking forward to the after-party sugar high.

Thank you to Apartment Therapy for featuring yesterday's cereal box organizer and a huge thank you to Natalie at Craft for featuring A Little Hut as part of the series of 'blogs we love'!!! I'm so very flattered. What a great way to end the week. And welcome to those of you that are new to my blog. I hope you stick around for a bit and look around.

Have a great weekend everyone!