Digital Scrapbook Paper

I've got SO many design collections, many of which go to Modern Yardage.

But, they're also perfect for scrapbook papers, and Etsy is the perfect place to sell them in digital format. Once the listing is posted, Etsy does all the work.

There's some overhead on my end, of course, formatting it all for the listings, but now that I have a process in place, I should be able to work my way through my collections.

Accuquilt Quilt Block Contest

I took my newest pattern collection, Merriweather, and applied it to a quilt block I created for Accuquilt's contest.

Fingers crossed!

25 New Patterns

Man, I get discouraged.

As a pattern designer, I am in competition with hundreds of talented people. I question my skills and abilities. I worry about making a living.  Days or even weeks can go by without a sale or a job.

In those times when I just don't know what to do next, what market to cater to, how to be better or more successful , I always seem to remember the most important thing for me as a designer:

Create beauty.

Yes, I still look for work and keep my current clients happy. But mostly, I gotta do what I do best.

So, the second most important thing is:

Design.

I set a goal last week to get busy and create 25 new patterns just for the joy of it.

Here are the first 6 patterns filling the letters of one of my favorite words.

Television Ad - Vivid Vision?

I love this Vivid Vision ad that's in black and white! Or sepid rather than black, really. 

Not exactly vivid.

I did my own version, keeping the same off whites and off blacks.

Opposites Attract - Tropical Designs

Winter is full of bright snow, indoor coziness, cold walks ... and dreaming of warm sunshine.

Maybe it's not a coincidence that I was attracted to recreate a vintage tropical barkcloth from the 40s.  If the warmth isn't outside right now, it can be in my imagination.

Happier Life

I continue to spend my free time interpreting old ads. FUN!!!

Sometimes I spend that time combing archives of images and collecting those that will lend themselves to my vision.  It's like online shopping, but it's free!

Here's a great example of my new image and the original advertisement.

This Astral lady has a great dress I could "paint" with a pattern I just created. The chair behind her worked well, too.

Pantone 18-1438 Marsala - Color of the Year 2015

Pantone 18-1438 was announced a little while ago, and when it was, designers quickly begin looking for ways to use it, for color palettes in which it works well.

Marsala is a fun one, defies being pigeon-holed. It's neutral enough for home decor and muted enough not to clash with most skin colors.

I like it as shown here with Pantone 14-5714, a color that Pantone included in its 2015 forecast.

Oh, and as you see, I've vectorized another advertisement, this time an old Palmolive soap ad.