Scandinavian Play...Introducing Solveig

There are many nationalities in my family, however the majority is Scandinavian.  I adore Scandinavian style, prints, and color.  Plus, being a Minnesota girl, there is no end to the multitudes of inspiration around me.  Scandinavian prints and textiles have a real vibrancy and playfulness to their design.  I thought it would be fun to play a bit with Scandinavian inspired elements and see what might develop.  I must say I am quite pleased with the way this collection came together.  And how fitting is the name Solveig?  I just LOVE it!  I also played a bit with some mockups to see how the patterns would look on pillows, cushions and lampshades.  I feel that Solveig would be absolutely wonderful on home decor items and would love to see that become a reality.  I hope you enjoy Solveig as much as I do! 

What could be better than fresh picked daisies and a bowl full of fresh blueberries?

With Christmas behind us and temps in the negative digits, I have decided to set my sights on summer inspired prints and illustrations.  I am feeling the warmth already!  Two of my all time favorite things that remind me of summer are daisies and blueberries...and oh how pretty they are together!  Wouldn't these patterns look lovely on tea towels and sun dresses?!  And, who doesn't need a summer backpack to take on a hike or to the beach?  I would love this backpack!  Bring on the warm weather....PLEASE!!

Yesterday's doodles became "Calliope"

Lindley Lupines....Lovely

I absolutely love the lupines!  The smooth round petal like leaves and the towing pillars of striking flowers can completely take over a countryside.  They are so majestic!  The tall stalks appear to be standing at attention, reaching up to touch the sky. Lupines are definitely one of my favorite flowers.  I had lots of fun searching for inspiration and sketching these flowers tonight.  Lupines come in many colors, most often deep purples, reds and pinks.  However, I chose to color them with a more muted palette of greens.  I felt the shapes and textures were already so bold and could stand alone, without a ton of bright colors.  Hope you like them.

Refreshed and Refocused

Inspiration leads to design for me.  So, I have been taking this summer to refresh and refocus.  Many hours have been spent walking through gardens, forests, sandy beaches, and my own backyard just observing the flowers, leaves, bugs, and critters around me.  I have really enjoyed watching my children discover new things in old places.  Nature always inspires me.  I naturally look for patterns and designs in everything I see. Organic shapes and patterns seem to jump out of the woodwork...literally at times.  I have been sketching like crazy, and tonight I sat down at my computer for the first time in over 2 months.  It felt so good to create again.  I felt inspired...and this is what I designed.

Crazy for Maisy

Oh my, it has been way too long since my last post!  Running kids, summer sun, swimming, golf, soccer, vacation.....so much to do...so little summer!  I have been trying to squeeze every bit of the sunshine out of summer which has taken me outdoors most days.  However, recently we had a cold snap and I was able to sit, sketch, and design at my computer.  Ahhhh.....so WONDERFUL!!  Oh how I have missed that!  Well, this is my new collection that I have quickly fallen head over heels for.  I pondered and searched several days for just the right name, and basically the name found me.  I LOVE IT!  I would love to know what you all think of it too.  Please feel free to leave me a comment.  Thanks so much!!