New Fabrics On the Way

I'm happy to report that I've managed to get back to the drawing board. In the next few weeks, I will be adding to "Charlie and the Chocolatier" and "Brave Little Alice."

I also will be unveiling my first fabrics for my Wizard of Oz-inspired line. Like the previous lines, I will be pulling from some of the same colors, so you can mix and match. This line will be predominantly red, blue, and green with some yellows and pinks.

If you have any suggestions for future fabric lines, please leave me a comment below.

In a Bit of a Flunk

As you may have realized, I'm not good about posting and keeping up with the blog. And that's probably how it's going to remain. I may pop into your inbox at least twice a month, because frankly, that's about all I can do. 

I've missed reading children's literature, and I've missed writing it, too. I sat down recently and picked up a manuscript that I had worked on last year. It centers around an eccentric librarian and a curious children's library. It's a dash of Hogwarts, a bit of The Phantom Tollbooth, and a smidgeon of Alice in Wonderland. I'm not sure what to make of it. It was an idea that came out of my dream of becoming a librarian and my hope to inspire readers to keep at it. Naturally, I've had every intention of finishing it, but because of a fateful computer crash, I've had to start from scratch. It's a painful process, even worse than editing. It is the constant pulling at my brain to recreate an entire book. In my everyday reading, I'm so caught up in the academic side of books that when I sit down to write, I feel distant from my audience. My narration is cold, and my humor is lackluster. I feel as if I am relearning how to speak. 

Needless to say, I know my art is suffering as well. My hands are out of practice, and nothing comes out the way I want it to. That is why I haven't been working nearly so much on design. I want to create. I want to design. I want to express myself again.

That's all for now. I'm hoping to get some more Charlie and the Chocolate Factory designs headed your way. Thank you all for your support!

Collection Highlight: Peter Pan and the Lost Boys of Neverland

Hey everyone!

Today, I just want to highlight my most popular collection, Peter Pan. Honestly, I'm not sure why this is so popular, but I hope it shows a revival of classic children's literature. The idea of never growing up appeals to kids and parents who realize that childhood is short.

For the color scheme, I chose to go with mostly greens and blues. I added some purple in later designs so it could also be a bit feminine. The best part about working with the Peter Pan story is the variety of characters. You have pirates, indians, fairies, and mermaids all in one story. Because of that wide variety, I can easily made designs that appeal to boys and girls, just like the story of Peter Pan.

Truth be told, I have never been too fond of the film adaptations of Peter Pan. I feel like there was always that missing quality that J. M. Barrie's storytelling had that turned Peter Pan into something completely magical for children and endearing for adults.

Here's a few of my highlighted designs from this collection. To see the full collection, click here.

 

Summer Reading List

Hello everyone!

As you may have guessed, my designs are often based on what I read. That makes design research just reading books. So for fun, I thought I should share my summer reading list (and maybe hint at a few upcoming design ideas).

The 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Great Gasby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
The Wonderful Wizard of Ox by L. Frank Baum

If you have any suggestions, leave them in a comment below!

Charlie and The Chocolatier

Hello everyone!

I'm super happy to announce that the first fabrics of Charlie and The Chocolatier are now available to purchase!

Here's a sneak preview of some of the designs.

The Chocolatier

Square Candies that Look 'Round

Visitors to the Chocolate Factory

And there's more to come!

See the collection here on my shop.

I'm Back!!!

Hey everyone!

I have been on a long hiatus, thanks to school and work. But I'm happy to announce I'll be back to designing and posting updates about my designing journey. There will be a bunch of new designs up as soon as the proofs come in. I also started a new collection based on Roald Dahl's masterpiece Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I recently read the book and fell head over heels in love with the quirky Willy Wonka. I had avoid the book because growing up, I was scared on the crazy boat scene in the movie. However, I felt the need to give the book a chance, and it was so delightful and led me to love the old movie as well. So the first designs of that collection will be available at the end of the week.
I also designed a companion fabric for my very popular Doctor Who-inspired "Quotes From a Mad Man in a Box." I also added a few new fabrics to my existing literary collections based on Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, abd Peter Pan. In addition, I'll be releasing to the public my Professor Layton-inspired collection "Puzzles and Gears."

So stay tuned for more posts and more fabrics!

Choosing a Color Scheme

Hi everyone!

I'm back again for a quick post about choosing a color scheme. As a person who just loves color, I find it hard to narrow myself down to just a few colors. Here's a few things I like to do when choosing a color scheme for a collection.

1.  Pinterest
Like I said in my previous post, Pinterest is a great place to start to find colors that look good together. Literally all you have to do is type in "color scheme," and voila! Several hundred color schemes to get you started.

2.  Find colors in your inspiration source
This is probably how I choose most of my colors. For example, the Queen of Hearts is obviously going to be red. Then there's Alice, whose dress was originally yellow but was change to blue by Walt Disney. I decided to go with blue for my collection, because it created a nice contrast to the red. In my Anne of Green Gables-inspired collection, I immediately have green as an obvious color choice. I have one Doctor Who-inspired design, so royal blue was my first choice of color.

3.  Listen to music/audiobooks
Sounds trigger my mind to think certain colors or shades. Think about the dainty classical dances featured in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice soundtrack. Would you use neon colors or lots of highly contrasting colors? Probably not. What about the adventurous soundtrack of Lord of the Rings? Would you use pastels or even bright colors?

Well, that's all for today. Leave me some tips about how you choose your color schemes in the comments below!

-Lauren