You know, there’s nothing quite like waking up and seeing one of your designs filling your computer screen. Especially ones that you didn’t put there. That happened to me three times this past March!

The first time was on March 4th on Make it in Design’s blog: Pattern Design Showcase Part 2- Module 3 (Sept 2015 Class)

Then on March 9th, I woke up to this:

And on the same day I saw this!

I was scrolling along and then BAM! Hey, that’s MINE!

As one friend phrased it, Print and Pattern, it’s like the holy grail of Surface design sites!

And when I wasn’t being taken by total surprise I was working on another Skillshare class. Honestly, I can’t get enough of this stuff!

Is it too last week to talk about New Year resolutions?

… Well. I’m doing it anyway. And I’ll be”Outrageously Joyful” doin’ it! That’s my mantra for 2016. “Outrageously Joyful”.

Last year I declared 2015 was my year to live fearlessly. And I have to say, I did more things that made me cringe, want to hide and hold my breath BUT I also had a year where I felt more alive. A year that felt I was headed in a direction that I intentionally wanted to go. I was driving the boat instead of going with the flow. It was AWESOME sauce!

So what’s this got to do with cleaning my toilet and being outrageously joyful? The two usually don’t go hand in hand (at least not in my world).

When my world opened up with being fearless, I learned SO freaking much! But you know what happens when you learn stuff, you realize how much more you NEED to know. Three quarters of the way of through 2015, I realized there’s a lot of back end stuff I need to set up to for myself to move forward. Some of these things are big, some are small. Some things that I can get done lickty split and some things will be a grind. I have a lot of ground to cover and as I’m doing it I want to be outrageously joyful doing them. Reminding myself this is what I want, this is what I’ve chosen…

Here it goes: Yay! Cleaning the toilet! I’m so glad I have a toilet and I don’t have to go outside in the cold and use an outhouse. I LOVE indoor plumbing!!!

2015’s recap, left from right:

1. December-I released my # sewinglikeamothertrucker Hard Core Cassette Tape Pattern
2. November-Finished Module 3 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design!
3. July-Released my free Match Needle Book with a kit for the Pacific Northwest meet up in Seattle (Circa 15 provided the fabric for the kits)
4. February-Working in Module 1 (The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design) I designed my first ever repeat. I broke into giggles when it worked! I used cut paper (because I was being way to precious with my drawing)  and have since framed the cut out. I proudly display it in my studio.
5. September-A show of my Fabric Stash Drawing Project at Dry Goods Designs in Seattle. A dream come true!
6. June-A design from Mod 1 (The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design) was featured on Print+Pattern (Brain completely exploded!!! Wildest dream came true!!)
7. January-My Fabric Stash Drawing Project was featured in Love Patchwork & Quilting. After being mentioned on Flossie Teacake’s blog, that happily fell into my lap.
8. Pretty much the same thing as #2.
9. July-This is the cassette tape book cover I swapped at the PNW meet up in Seattle. It was won by Jonna. Who’s Jonna? Jonna, tested the cassette tape pattern for me (and many versions of it!) We met in person for the first time at the there. She’s as lovely in person as she is online. She’s @bespokeoutlaw on Instagram. Definitely check her out, her feed is amaze-balls! Just like her!
10. 

Oh and not on the list but definitively a 2015 highlight, I was hugged by a Sea lion! It was an “Outrageously Joyful” hug!

No really. Literally. It’s wrapping paper.

You know that moment, it’s very bitter sweet. The last present. It sits in your hand. You know, this is it. After this, it’s done. Of course you’re more than grateful for your wonderful family sitting around you and the gifts (especially the unexpected ones that have blown your mind). Half of you doesn’t want to open it… but you do. You clean up. You put away your gifts and you incorporate them into your life.

And so has come the close of my year long course, “The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design”. And just like that last present, it’s very bitter sweet. Honestly I didn’t want it to end. But it has.

I’m so very grateful for the gifts it’s brought me. Like trust. Trust, in myself, in my drawing, in my colour and design choices. In allowing myself to flash people who I am (literally at times I’ve felt very naked). I’ve created pieces I never knew I had in me. I had an inkling but was to afraid (or distracted) to try. The response to my new work has been concrete. I know I’m on the right path.

And like the end of Christmas morning, I’ve been sorting, reorganizing and started using my new gifts. Nope, these presents aren’t going to collect any dust. They’re going to be loved and used. And not just to be polite.

A huge thanks to Rachael Taylor, Beth Kempton, the whole Make it in Design team and to my classmates who were and are endless sources of inspiration.

So yeah, I guess, that’s a wrap!

I’ve been reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. It’s a great book! In it she talks about “scratching” which basically means, research and digging in. Although, I’ve come to think of it as literally scratching. Once I’m given a challenge, like this project, my brain gets itchy. My thoughts itch and won’t be satisfied until they are scratched (until I can come up with solutions to the task at hand). Here’s how it went on this project:

When I looked at this brief, my brain instantly scratched Chanel. I’ve always adored Chanel. My mom wore Chanel No.5 when I was a kid. If I ever catch the scent it teleports me back into her arms. So there was that… Then I thought of grosgrain black ribbon and blush pink. One of the most feminine colour combinations in my humble opinion. I began to draw bows and ribbons.

When I saw my black line ribbons on pink stationery it was so boooooooooring. I began to itch again…what did I need? More motifs, more colours? Yes but I also needed more info to scratch. I remember seeing an Elizabeth Olwen Silkshare class about creating fabric collections. It was brilliant. It really helped to fill in the gaps. I also checked out Creative Bug with Denyse Schmit, Heather Ross and Lizzy House. Again brilliant.

I began to put more thought into the feel of this collection. I wanted it to feel feminine but not foofy (technical term), strong but not loud. Fresh, uncluttered… understated was a word that kept coming up.  Although, it was kind of hard thinking in terms of words. Which is why I turned to collecting images on Pinterest. That’s where I found these sometimes funny, always unyielding and insightful Coco Chanel quotes. I researched her too. Love or hate her, she was a bit ahead of her time, I think, in so many ways and not only in fashion.

I knew right away I wanted these quotes inside the notebook, journal and diary. I love when there is more to a book than meets the eye. The text for the quotes, I wanted in white so they were quiet. Next the background colours started to come. My bows were still in black…. It didn’t work. It was hard but even though it was something I wanted in the beginning, I decided to loose the black ribbon and go all white, like the text. I’m so glad I did.

Then came the envelopes. I met a friend for coffee one afternoon. I had a huge grin on my face when I saw her. The first thing that came out of my mouth was, ” I MADE AN ENVELOPE!” She looked puzzled but saw how happy I was and joined me in my celebration!

The very last itch was, what to call the collection. It’s one of the itchiest problems but also one of the most satisfying. I’m not sure how I didn’t see it from the beginning. It was there all along, waiting patiently and quietly… Understated.

I’ve registered with The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design! All three modules!

I’ve spent the last four years drawing and studying fabric. Don’t get me wrong, my Stash Drawing Project is still on going but I have to admit after completing my 2014 Calendar project with Esmari I felt a little like, “Well, what now?” Then, somehow, I stumbled upon a link from Elizabeth Olwen talking about this online class she took. As soon as I saw it, my instant gut reaction was, “I want to do this!” I nonchalantly told my husband about it on the phone, enthusiastically and immediately he said, “You should do that!” I was surprised by his gusto and certainty. Class starts on the 12th of January but I’ve also preregistered for a mini course that starts on the 3rd called “Developing your Signature Style”. It lasts 5 days and it’s FREE!

So there you have it, I have declared 2015 will be my year of living FEARLESSLY!