Soda Nation - 59 Bottlecaps of the U.S. National Parks

This week's Spoonflower contest theme is 'National Parks'. I have always wanted to do a print using bottlecaps, so I took this opportunity to make up a whole bunch of 'fantasy' soda pop brands and flavors--59 to be exact! One for each of the national parks in the U.S. Here is how the design looks on a fat quarter of cotton fabric (21" x 18").

And here are closeups of the caps. I had a great time researching each park to come up with appropriate soda names and flavors, and enjoyed going back to my graphic design roots! If you like the design, your vote would make me 'bubbly'!

2nd Annual Bizarre Bazaar: Holiday Craft Ideas That Are(n't) So Retro

It's Christmas Craft Roundup time again! All year long I gather old Christmas editions of magazines in order to showcase them around the holidays. It never ceases to amaze me how everything old is new again. This year, instead of featuring the ridiculous crafts that usually come to mind when one thinks of 1970s church bazaars (of which there were plenty in the pages of these annuals), the focus is on those ideas that actually look current. And there are many! What's your favorite?

Good Housekeeping Needlecraft (Fall-Winter 1972-73)

While I'm not a fan of the crocheted sweater, the pattern and color combos of appliquéd flowers on these "Nosegay Sweaters" is nice.

The Hamburger Hassock uses 'suede-look' vinyl for the buns, corduroy for the meat patty, and shiny vinyl for the lettuce, tomato, and ketchup.

Fun patchwork totebag. Love the criss-cross quilting.

Alphabet Comforter and Alphabet Pillows. Nuff said.

Family Circle Christmas Helps (1975)

Cheery felt Fruit & Doves Wreath designed by Jane Slovachek.

Stuffed calico letters to hang on your door for a festive greeting, designed by Joyce Denebrink.

Bold, graphic gift wrap made with sticky vinyl shelf paper! Designed by Sarina Mascheroni and Pat Weissman.

Pins and needles put the finishing touch on this cactus pincushion (left); and some fun stationery designed using pencil erasers as rubber stamps.

McCall's Christmas Crafts in Felt Book V (1977)

Mouse House--love the trim detail and the chimney bricks. Designed by Dorothy Brush.

Larger-than-life boot for decorating, or fill to overflowing with small gifts.

Small amounts of felt, fabric, and trims combine for a colorful, happy scene.

Patchwork designs are made with felt to adorn greeting cards. Designed by Constance Spates.

These charming felt cards are pretty enough to frame! All designed by Crystal Collins.

Felt and embroidery cover simple cardboard boxes.

Beautiful felt ornaments to use on the tree, or in a mobile.

Family Circle Christmas Helps (1977)

The shapes in these salt dough angel and mushroom wreaths make interesting patterns. Designed by Nancy Steiner.

An assortment of vibrant ribbons lends texture and color to this woven stocking. Designed by Constance Spates.

Colorful felt designs transform plain cardboard boxes (top); and sunny orange felt trivets protect tables and countertops.

Lady's Circle 1,001 Christmas Ideas (1977)

Not sure if there are really 1001 ideas in here, but they're definitely "down-home", as advertised.

This DIY (that's "DOUGH-it-yourself") salt dough Santa might be a bit on the creepy side, but is also rustic.

McCall's Needlework & Crafts (Winter 1977)

Nativity figures sculpted from fabric and embellished with paint and stitching.

Yes, this gorgeous table runner and matching placemats were cross-stitched. (!) Designed by Marilla Arguelles and embroidered by Michelle Cohen.

McCall's Needlework & Crafts (Winter 1979)

42 ornaments made with five different techniques. My favorite are the geometric felt shapes and the Mexican yarn craft fish, bird, Santa, bell, star, and tree.

Crocheted novelty stockings--look at those cleats and hi-tops!

Beautifully shiny ornaments are designed with embroidery floss and metallic thread.

Update: Surface Pattern Design Guide

It has been over a month since I last posted, so I thought I would update my last post about the Uppercase Surface Pattern Design Guide, with a picture of the spread on which my work appears.

You'll see familiar patterns in the first column on the right-hand page. I spent last weekend reading the whole magazine cover-to-cover, as I usually do, but this particular issue is especially beautiful and jam-packed with inspiration. Single copies of the issue are available from the Uppercase website, if you're not sure about subscribing. I'll be spending my freetime this week checking out the websites of all my faves from the Guide!

IKEA...Paper Shop?!

We all went crazy when IKEA started offering textiles in their stores, but now there's something new to go gaga about: the IKEA Paper Shop! Gift bags and gift wrap, ribbon, tags, stationery, notebooks, stickers, journals, paper lanterns, and coveted decorative tapes...get ready to have your mind (and budget) blown! The shops are currently only in Sweden and UK stores, but will hopefully come to the US and other areas soon! Pictured are some of my favorite items, but you can view the whole range here.

It's a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod World

Before I get to the main subject of this post, I want to say a big heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who voted for my Geek Chic design in the Fabric8 contest! All of the 100 semi-finalist entries were amazing, so I am honored to be in the Top 8.

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The past few days I poked my head above the water of the ocean that is Geek Chic coordinates to take a quick breath and design something completely different for this week's Spoonflower contest: Mod Wallpaper. When I hear those two words together, I immediately think of flowing geometric designs from the '70s, in oranges and yellows...remember when groovy wallpaper was even printed with silver foil, so some of the elements were mirror-like? But 'mod' can also refer to the mod culture of the '60s, with coffee bars and jazz...and even perhaps a bit in line with Midcentury Modern and TV's "Mad Men".

There is a specific 'rule' in this contest: Use only three colors, and optional black OR white. I had an idea of the motif I wanted to do and tried it in more of a late-'60s, early-'70s color palette and style, but found that it worked better using a more late-'50s, early'60s palette. I chose GOLD (D49F11), PINK (E9B8A7), and GRAY (C8C6C5), with the optional BLACK. One thing I love about the computer is the ability to try different orientations and palettes in just one or two clicks. The final pattern I chose was not at all what I had originally envisioned, and I love that! Although now that I think about it, having so many options can also make it difficult to choose a favorite.

I think there will be a wide variety of patterns in this contest, as the term 'mod' can be interpreted so many different ways, but I can't wait to see them all! You can vote for your favorites starting Thursday, May 23, 2013, here.

Above: Choosing a color palette. I will probably do all of them eventually--which one is your favorite?

Geek Chic: Dorky But Cool

It's that time of year again: time for the Robert Kaufman Fabric8 Contest. In this competition, the judges from Robert Kaufman Fabrics and Spoonflower pore over hundreds of designs (one entry from each designer) and choose 100 semi-finalists. Then the general public votes, and the top eight designers then create a collection around the original design. The general public then votes again on the collections to determine a winner, who will be given a contract to work with Robert Kaufman!

The theme for this year's contest is "Geek Chic", so I went back to my '80s roots and focused on fashion and hobbies of the hipster dweeb, naming the collection after the term coined by Judd Nelson's character, John Bender, in the ultimate '80s flick "The Breakfast Club". Using hand-drawn illustrations, as if doodled in a notebook or *gasp!* on a desk, the collection features cameras (perhaps thrifted for 25 cents before the obsession became mainstream), calculators (everyone turned into a nerd when the calculator became a necessity in the trigonometry classroom), record players, Swiss fashion watches, combs we'd put in our back pockets, hi-top sneakers, and of course, "The Cube". All of these things have become "cool" again, perhaps even more so, some 30 years later. The ultimate revenge for those of us who have always been geeks at heart!

The first design shown below, "Make It Snappy!", is the print I'm entering into the contest. It features a collection of vintage and retro cameras, including those resembling the Brownie, Polaroid One Step, Canon Snappy (my first camera)...even a couple inspired by Fisher-Price toy cameras. These may not have been geeky at the time, but collecting them now is all the rage for geeks like me. To me, "Geek Chic" could be defined as "dorky and cool at the same time." And it seems kind of dorky-yet-cool to go back to using analog objects now when digital cameras and apps for processing and sharing are the mainstream.

Make It Snappy!

Cal Q. Lator and High Energy (Gray)

Apple Pi with close-up

Hi-Fi (Black) and All-Stars (Gray)

May the Cube Be With You and Magic Cube

Hi-Fi (White) and High Energy (White)

Geeky Stripes (Black on Grid) and Oh, Goody! (Black)

All-Stars (White) and High Energy (Red)

Hi-Fi (Yellow) and Oh, Goody! (Pinstripe)

Swiss Time and Geeky Stripes (Color)

I've had so much fun working on this collection, not only because the subject matter is so nostalgic, but because it is different from anything I've done with surface pattern design. Doing the drawings and then seeing them come together with color and in patterns...I could get used to this! There are just too many geeky-but-cool things from the '80s--I have a feeling I'll be doing a second collection!