Floral Dishes

I found this sweet set of floral dishes for $9 at Value Village. It's 4 round plates and an oval platter and dish; that tiny oval dish is particularly charming. The set is marked Myott and is from England circa 1930s-1940s. 

Pansy Print

The latest acquisition for my growing collection gallery wall of vintage floral prints: $3 from the Restore.

Sewing Patterns

Guess what? I don't know how to sew using a pattern. At least, I've yet to sew a project using one from start to finish without assistance...and quite frankly, I have no desire to! For whatever reason, instructions on how to be creative just don't fly in my brain. It's much easier for me to look at the final garment, and then start chopping up existing garments or fabric chunks and sewing them together, and seeing what happens. The results are usually pretty cool. So I have a nice collection of vintage sewing patterns, but admittedly it's more for inspiration and ephemera appreciation than for actual use! Though I do like to keep a variety around as a last resort sewing weapon in my back pocket, should my usual drape-and-stitch method flop, or demand precision.

Cobalt Ceramics

Fig N°1: Traditional Mexican shot glass...which I plan to fill with flowers instead of Tequila
Fig N°2: Hand-painted Delft pill box from Holland
Fig N°3: Cobalt Fiestaware plate of my great grandma's wedding dish collection from 1938
Fig N°4: Folksy embellished octagonal container with lid made in Finland by Arabia--a $1 find

Ceylon Tin

I picked up a new tin for the collection! $0.25 at the local thrift store, of course. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the kelly green and laurel details? I love this example of contemporary packaging done beautifully!

The Preppy Lemon

Right now I'm working on a surface pattern design collection of treillage-tastic lemon-filled delight! 

Swing Era Collections

I've been constantly listening to 1920s to 1940s jazz music...this is what happens when I do!

Pssst! Ebony and Ivory is already available for sale in my shop on Spoonflower as fabric, wallpaper, gift wrap, cut-and-sew patterns, and homewares. Decollect is soon to be for sale as well!

Vera Scarves

After reading about surface pattern designer Vera Neumann I went through a period of discovering oodles of her scarves at every thrift store I went to! I always chuckle at how that kind of thing happens, and clearly I started a collection. The bold stripes and such on these slender pointed scarves are so eye-catching, and I love to see her name on the corners. Vera scarves are fun and functional to tie in my hair when swing dancing!

Bound by Joy

I have acquired the full Anne of Green Gables series, in the cheery floral hardcover glory that is the Tundra Books edition! To close this delightful year of 2017, here's an excerpt from Lucy Maud Montgomery's diary on Tuesday December 31st, 1889. "Well, journal, this is the last day of the old year. to-night we will say farewell to '89, with all its record of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, and bid the New Year welcome. God grant that it may never record unfulfilled aspirations, unsatisfied longings, or ungathered flowers. Good-bye, dear old year. You have been on the whole a very happy one for me." 

Urn It

I've been playing around with this collection of thrifted urns; I love the variety of materials and textures. It makes me chuckle that an urn gives the displayed item a little bit of elegant pomp.

MATS Home Décor: Wood

This fifth and final week of Make Art That Sells: Creating Collections for Home Décor is about creating art for wood products. Feel free to check out the product designs I create here and the rest of my portfolio here!

MATS Home Décor: Ceramics

This fourth week of Make Art That Sells: Creating Collections for Home Décor is about creating art for ceramic products. Feel free to check out the product designs I create here and the rest of my portfolio here!

MATS Home Décor: Glass

This third week of Make Art That Sells: Creating Collections for Home Décor is about creating art for glass products. Feel free to check out the product designs I create here and the rest of my portfolio here!

MATS Home Décor: Fabric

This second week of Make Art That Sells: Creating Collections for Home Décor is about creating art for fabric products. Feel free to check out the product designs I create here and the rest of my portfolio here!

MATS Home Décor: Metal

For the next 5 weeks I am going to be delightfully preoccupied with taking the online course Make Art That Sells: Creating Collections for Home Décor! This first week is about creating art for metal products.

Idea Extravaganza

As a collector of magazine clippings I am prone to collaging surfaces, such as my sketchbook. Looking at layers of inspiration makes me want to get busy drawing and painting! 

You're a Gem

I've been playing around with jewel tones and February's amethyst.

Blue and White Dishes

You may have noticed that I'm a fan of blue and white dishes...here are some stunners from the collection!

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!

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!