Designing in Life

Designing with Spring in Mind

I'm starting to lean towards that light spring-green, and warm weather sky-blue in my designs.  Must mean there is change in the air.  I guess the daylight hours that are gradually sneaking up on us, and the thermometer that is reading in the 30s instead of the 20s, is an indication that maybe we are really heading out of winter.

Today's design ended up quite simple, but in those spring colors I'm dreaming about! 

Now would it really be too much to ask for some sunshine and a few 40 degree days?  No harm in trying!

Design Work

Each day I spend a little time on designs – why?  Because the truth is, I really like being able to create something that can be on paper.  I'm not good at drawing, and I've never really painted, so I guess that this type of art is what I'm best at.  Here is a very simple design, that I think is perfect for a small child!!

A New Life – A New Beginning

How many of you have been laid off, let go or just plain fired during your working years?  Well, until a few weeks ago, that would have been 0 for me.  But things change, and businesses go in different directions – or so I was told.

The company I worked at for 12 years was sold in September.  The founding owner died in November, far too soon to enjoy his retirement.

Two veture capialists, one from New York, the other from California bought the business with promises of keeping all the existing employees.  So much for promises.

So here I am in a far-too-late-in-life unemployed situation.  But I have never been a quitter, and really do believe that when one door closes another opens.  Finding myself with some time on my hands, I am reigniting this blog, and will let you know what I'm doing.

I have been working on some kid's designs for a while now, with the intention of trying to sell them.  I've moved forward with this notion, and am back to creating more.  Here's one.

Wish me luck on my new life's chapter!

 

Scherenschnitte

Say what???  Well, this is the German word for paper cutting.  If memory serves me correctly (who knows these days), my Aunt Marguerite (when she was younger) knew how to create pictures using this German technique.  She had two framed paper cuttings that I found incredibly intriguing.

I recently ran across Elsa Mora's (aka Alista) blog entitled, "The Heart of Papercuts."  Please take a look at it, and definitely read her bio.  I'm pretty sure you'll find her art as fascinating as I do.  Here are a few of her cuttings.

Unbelievably beautiful!!

Etsy

I think I've talked about Etsy before.  It's a wonderful site made up of crafty people selling their wares.  I've bought some things in the past, and have never been disappointed. 

Here are some things that I've been looking at:

Sea glass necklace by Beach Glass Memories.  She has hundreds of sea glass jewelry to choose from.  This is only $25.

8.5x11 print by Painting Prints, and only $22.

  My Cherry Tree is selling this vintage avocado phone for $25.  This is in the vintage section.  Not on my want list, but found it very amusing!

Cute gnome postcards by Isabelle's Umbrella.  Pack of 6 for $4.00

So if you're going to have a rainy Saturday, or just want to spend an hour cruising through the site to see what crafters are doing, check it out.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Maruca Design

I had dinner with my dear friend, Caryn, the other night.  We haven't seen each other in a while and had a lot of catching up to do.  Seems we actually closed the place, although it really wasn't very late.  So much to say...so little time.

For my birthday, Caryn gave me this Maruca Design handbag.

 

I love the fabric, the design and the color. You really should check out all the other designs she has.

I'd be the first to admit that I'm a sucker for clever copy and inserts.  These are the things that make me smile and look twice.  So, for more great handbags, definitely take a look at the web site .

Designing

My Minnesota friend, Connie, recently asked if I ever thought about doing some designs for wrapping paper.  The answer is "yes."  The question is "How do you start?"  Working full time and designing part time, I've found, is not that easy.  In a perfect world where I'd never have to grocery shop, make meals, take things to the recycling center, run a vacuum cleaner or mop a floor, there would be plenty of time to sit down and design.  I am not complaining.  My life is not so bad, it's just busy.  Anyway, here are a few designs that I made with wrapping paper in mind.

There are many more that I have tucked away.  Hmm, maybe I should start working on doing something with them.

Designs

I had been submitting some designs for consideration to a site called, "Textile Design."  Although I didn't win their recent contest, I got some good feedback from my peers on my designs.  Here are a few that I sent in.

      
    

I've also found a few companies that will create fabric out of your design.  I'm considering sending at least one to have a few yards made to see what it looks like.

Designs that Inspire

Marimekko has been around just about as long as I have.  The Finnish company has been widely known for their bold colored designs for textiles.  They were the perfect fabric for the 70's and now again, I see Marimekko fabrics all over the place.   I've seen quite a few lately that aren't quite as bold as I remember, but they are just as interesting as they've always been.
These are sheets that I spotted in the Crate and Barrel catalog.  I love the seasonal feel of the color, plus the design seems so relaxing.  I could easily wake up to these every morning!

Does this design look familiar?  Another Marimekko and I believe this one has been around for some time...like me!

Bunny Trails

Easter is getting close, so I thought I'd give you an Easter card to print and show you a few Easter designs. Last year one of my "seasonal" designs was made into fabric for ties at work.  Creating designs is not one of my jobs, however, I'm capable of doing it.  The problem that was encountered was an "agreement by consensus" one.  Because I was the designer and not an outsider, it got redesigned by committee.  I wasn't particularly happy, but since I was getting no credit and no monetary compensation, I suppose it didn't really matter.  Here are the ties:

What made me unhappy was the amount of blue background that was showing through.  The original design had another layer of eggs which mostly covered the blue, although there was still a bit that was showing.  I listened, and moved on, which is probably the best thing to have done.

So, here are two cards you can print out for Easter if you'd like.  As usual, cut in half horizontaly on the line, fold in half vertically.  And it's a pdf so it will be opened in Acrobat, which is the free version that most of you have on your computers.  Download Easter

 

Notice that the letters are cut from the original egg design, which is mine to use however I please.  And I'd just like to let you know that if you haven't had any jellybeans yet, it's certainly time to start.