Always Tomorrow

In the well-sung words of Clarice the doe, "There's always tomorrow/ For dreams to come true/ Believe in your dreams/ Come what may...Tomorrow is not far away!" Here's to an uplifting, creative 2017! Happy New Year!

Greenery Machinery

My Greenery Machinery design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Limited Colour Palette Sewing challenge, celebrating Pantone's colour of the year! I was inspired by my 1953 Home Ecomonics textbook.

Hallelujah Chorus

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." 

--Isaiah 9: 6

Merry Christmas! Hallelujah!

Vintage Norwegian Mittens

These are my grandma's Norwegian mittens from the 1950s. I love the sweet fair isle!

Tiddleybokken Chalet

Tiddleybokken is chillin' in his Retro Chalet!

Tiddleybokken Bakery

Tiddleybokken is sneakily hoping that his friend Gingie (and the intricacy of Lace in Gingerbread) will distract from the fact that he ate all the Hershey's Kisses. 

Tiddleybokken Toy Shop

Tiddleybokken, the mischievous Christmas elf, being oh so industrious in Santa's workshop. (I suppose he may have been inspired by the Leggy wallcovering to put his toes up for a bit!)

Christmas '48

My great-grandmother wrote this on the back of her desk. Note her teacherly penmanship! I absolutely adore finding little scribbles like this--it's insight into past lives, and past Christmases!

The Sugar Plum Fairy's Adventure

This is my children's book cover illustration in response to a contest prompt from Lilla Rogers Studio. You may have noticed the little Make Art That Sells image on the side of my blog. I'm thrilled to say that I am taking MATS A & B, Assignment Bootcamp, and Creating Collections for Home Décor, which will bring me into fall 2017 with creative goodness! I'll probably be sharing some of my projects here and there along the way, so stay tuned! Here goes a long-awaited artistic adventure!

New Artisan Designs in Shop

These new designs celebrate elegant craftsmanship! They are available in my shop as fabric, wallpaper, gift wrap, cut-and-sew patterns, and homewares! Here's Old Masters

Mother of Pearl

Bobbin Lace

Smooch

My Smooch design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Ditsy Mistletoe challenge!

Quilter's Connection Magazine Feature

If you're interested in learning more about my surface pattern design process and background as well as my With Glowing Hearts collection, I recommend you check out Quilter's Connection Magazine #30!

 See pages 8--12 for details on how I became involved in the exciting world of bolt fabric!

While you're leafing through, take note of the excellent quality of this magazine--Heather, the editor, does a great job ensuring that the layouts, fonts, photos, writing, and stories are captivating!

Frosted Frolic

My Frosted Frolic design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Snow Day challenge! The way hedges and topiaries look in the snow fills my heart with joy, so it was satisfying to capture that in this design.

December Bulletin 2016

Angelic chords, a flutter of creativity, and leaps into a hushed, snowy blanket

Linda Underlovelies

P.S. This is the tag on the '50s crinoline below. I do believe all lingerie should be referred to as underlovelies!

Christmas Mannequin

I decorated my "tree" with vintage lace, crinoline, fur, and chandelier crystals!

Sleepy Sketch

My talented friend Anni drew this guy! Beautiful line work, isn't it?

Happy Monday

Happy Monday--have a fun '50s graphic!

Yardage

My Yardage design is up for voting in Spoonflower's T-Shirt Design challenge. It illustrates Spoonflower fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap getting snipped into swatches--complete with spoons and flowers--in honour of the wonderful company and the creative community it represents!

Tea Town

The intricate details, colour combinations, and metallic accents on tins thrill my soul, so I decorated my growing collection of tins for Christmas! 

The Eternal Mind

"A book is a portion of the eternal mind caught in its progress through the world stamped in an instant, and preserved for eternity." --Lord Houghton (1809--1885)

I Vow to Thee my Country

Troops in the field of Nepean High School in Westboro, Ottawa, Ontario. In majestic honour of all in service.

Retro Chalet

My Retro Chalet design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Alpine Chalet Gift Wrap challenge!

With Glowing Hearts in Stores

My With Glowing Hearts quilting fabric collection is hitting the stores! Quilters, be sure to check out the quilting competition, and happy creating to all other patriotic crafters!

Poinsettia Post

My Poinsettia Post design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Poinsettia Gift Tags challenge! This design is meant to be ordered on woven wallpaper, since it is peel-and-stick, so that you can simply cut a tag out, write the sender and receiver names on it, and slap it onto a pretty little gift. 

November Bulletin 2016

Rustic surroundings, regalia, and hints at holiday

Buried Questions

Old graveyards intrigue me and cause me to ponder innumerable questions about past lives and secrets.

I could wander through the headstones for hours in retrospection.

My favourites are the tall, beautifully carved, white marble stones from the mid-1800s.

I'm especially fond of the ones that point to a life in Christ.

Lace in Gingerbread

My Lace in Gingerbread design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Lace Gift Wrap challenge!

Carbide Willson Ruins

 This 1911 mill is an enthralling structure of abandoned ingenuity!

Its massive, warped window frames have an elegant industrial feel.

Salt patterns on the stone

Contemporary cave drawings

So much rough texture

A grand spot for photoshoots

Inspiration: Sweet Country

A rustic baby blue rocker and spindly potted blooms