Can you believe that winter is fast approaching?  The temperatures are dropping day by day and I find myself more and more inclined to hibernate in bed!  Today happened to be especially rainy and stormy with massive winds battering everything outside.  Scary!  I am snuggling indoors, thankful that the internet allows me to connect with you folks despite the weather and distance.

This weather also makes me pretty lazy and groggy feeling and real work assignments are starting to pile up! However, I seem to have no issues working on creative distractions, such as the doll panel fabric design for the latest Spoonflower theme. I have seen many cute girl doll designs and matrioska doll panels, so really wanted to go in a different direction for my design.  I thought it would be nice to create something for a little boy and have been tending towards eyes closed, mouth open type of faces.  I designed a singing doll boy, winter themed and although it is compact enough to be cut to exact shape, I added the snowflake background so I can make a doll/pillow.  What do you think? Bit blurry in this graphics but you can also see it within the spoonflower designs.

I still have to learn a bit more regarding colors printed on fabric, because many times the swatches arrive looking quite different from the intended design colors.  Either way it is exciting to be able to create your own fabric designs and get them printed.  I will be testing this design out and making little pillows for a plushie show this December as well.  BTW, did you know Spoonflower now allows you to buy fabric direct from their website?  A whole new world of fabric designs, so cool.  I just put up my birdies pattern for sale here.

Posted on October 12, 2009 at 3:45 pm | designs, patterns | 7 comments

Been super busy and distracted lately, but still managed to whip out a quick pattern.  It’s always fun to create something, no matter how simple or small it might be.  I had grand plans for this month, but finding it difficult to keep up in any way.  Hmph!  However, it is never the end of the world and I know it doesn’t help to stress or freak out. I might freak out a little maybe…hehe…

I always find it somewhat calming and relaxing to tackle a small task.  One step at a time, right?  So here are my happy germs…a random pattern swatch!

Posted on October 7, 2009 at 2:01 pm | patterns | 6 comments

Ever feel utterly overwhelmed and bogged down by all the tasks on your to do list? It is in these specific periods that I feel the most vulnerable and depressed.  I start to doubt my abilities and work results, driving myself deeper into a black hole.  Thankfully, there are ways to get yourself out of these downpoints in life.  Perhaps it is even a natural rhythm, the ups and downs in the rollercoaster of life.

This week has been filled with many events both personally and professionally. I think many can relate with the feeling of drowning amidst everything happening around you, seemingly flashing by before you can even remotely digest it.  I was caught in this wave of events, but gladly I am now able to revive myself with a new workspace and a little organization.

My new iMac was delivered today, so I was forced to make room for change. This one element allowed me to step back and reset my entire work area, which in turned helped me to reset in general. Not only did I clean-up and organize my physical space, I also had to start afresh and setup my new computer. It’s amazing how helpful it is to start from a blank slate. Sometimes you just need to reset everything to revive yourself. Here is my new workspace so far:

Everyone is so busy these days, we often forget to step back and relax.  Try organizing and changing your workspace a bit – you’ll be surprised how helpful a little change can be.  Do you have a never-ending to do list? Try prioritizing and only listing specific next step tasks, rather than something broad like finish the project.

I am feeling refreshed now that I have a revived workplace and organized files.  Now onward to those specific priority task items!  If you need some printable helpers take a look at my free goodies.

Posted on October 1, 2009 at 3:47 pm | thoughts + discussion | 4 comments