A good idea?

I have had a few good ideas this week, and all at once, which caused quite a headache. The most important idea I had was to join the "Do what you love" e-course, which means that I will starting the first module on 23rd April and for sure you will be hearing a lot about it on my blog.

Another bright idea I had was to create a new label, "A pattern a day", which means just that. I will be posting one design everyday for the month of March. It will be a good exercise for me to design and "finish" a pattern everyday. It will give me a chance to experiment with different colours, techniques and styles, without having a definite brief to follow. This means there will be no creative restrictions... can't wait. So remember to look back tomorrow for my first pattern, and, please feel free to comment!

Jelly Wellies

I have mocked up a pair of wellington boots (well actually only one... but as you know they come in pairs!) using my Moon jellyfish design. I would love a pair of these myself to go walking along Lincolnshire beaches in the winter.
The excuse for my Jelly Wellies is to let you all know my results in the Spoonflower Jellyfish Competition. I was placed 58th out of 226 entrants with 177 votes!

Starfish Flip-Flops

Do you remember my Starfish design?
Well I mocked up some Flip-Flops to celebrate my result in the Spoonflower Ditsy Competition. I came 28th with 320 votes and there were 214 designs entered in the competition.
There is still room for improvement but I am very pleased.
I can imagine that a pair of wellington boots would also look great with this design on them... to walk along the beach in the winter months.

"Flowery" Moon Jellyfish

Just for a change I am posting my entry for the Spoonflower Competition, this weeks theme... "Jellyfish". I have chosen Moon Jellyfish as inspiration for my design, they are also known as common jellyfish or saucer jelly. They can grow to 25 - 40 cm in diameter (I had imagined them to be smaller) and they are easily recognisable by four horseshoe shaped gonads. Capable of limited motion they tend to drift with the current. In my design I have experimented with gradients try to create a "glowing" effect, I don't know how this will print up on fabric? As a result I find the design very "flowery", my Moon Jellyfish remind me of floating flower heads!
Look closer on FLICKR or SPOONFLOWER.

P.S. My Art Deco Lion was placed 75th out of 275 entries with 211 votes in the Spoonflower Art Deco Competition. Thats quite bad but defending my design I still like my Lion's head, I think the colours let the side down. Hope to do better next time round.

Starfish or sea stars

Here is my entry for the Ditsy Sea Creatures competition at Spoonflower. I am really happy with my colour palette this time round, (unlike my Art Deco entry, see previous January post). I don't have much more to say about this design, just that I chose a subject which was graphically interesting and I made a "scattered" ditsy pattern from it!

Anyway I like it... I hope you do too.

It is possible to see a bigger version on FLICKR or the repeat pattern on SPOONFLOWER.

Decorate a snowman today!

When deadlines are looming and your schedule is tight, when you have cooking, cleaning and maybe a little ironing to do as well, my advice to you is... make a snowman! I have been itching to make a snowman all week, but with minus temperatures and limited time to spare I cheated a bit and "decorated a snowman" (well two really). It only took me half an hour (can you tell?) but I feel much better for it :)