It's snowing at Spoonflower

60 Ways of Looking At Snow On Fabric:

In the Fabric of the week contest at Spoonflower.

See and Vote for all your favourites (this week) here

Below is my entry Titled: Blueberry Ice
- A modern shimmering update of traditional ice crystal formations, featuring a fun and graphic pattern in a bold, blueberry ice, colour palette.

If you are seeing the snow for real, 

(like so many of my lovely e-friends)
... stay safe and warm :)

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Inspired Colour Palettes

I am often asked "How do you come up with colour palettes?"



There is no simple answer to this question, but the natural world around you, is often a fabulous place to start when looking for design inspiration.

Nature holds a myriad of pattern and colour inspirations - they are literally everywhere!

- In the example here, (to find a selection of blues and greens for a beach house design) I've looked to photo's from our recent trip to France. 

- In particular the amazingly beautiful little fishing village of Cassis, located on the Mediterranean not far from Marsellie.

And voila - you soon have a beautiful selection of wonderful colours inspired by nature :)

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Wonderful Television Series

I have just watched a wonderful, television series, that explores the subject of colour.
It's available now in Australia on DVD - (I got mine online from the ABC Shop)
If like me you have an obsession for all things colour, then I think you too will enjoy the following series:

Cracking the Colour Code -"A visual exploration of how we view colours, how we make them, and the meanings they hold in our world."

Nature Safari

Boba Nature Safari – Fabric by Kristopher K  
My Entry in the Spoonflower, Fabric Of the Week contest being sponsored by NAP Inc, the makers of the Boba 2G baby carrier, which will feature the winning Spoonflower Fabric Design, as voted by the Spoonflower community from:
March 1-7. To Vote click here

Featuring a sun inspired motif at the center of a compass, this design, suitable for both boys and girls, repeats in a bright bold palette designed to compliment the existing colours in the Boba Baby Carrier range, to ensure you look stylish and chic, from Baby Treks to all out Expeditions.

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Summer Rain

Torrential rain has started falling again on the Gold Coast ...
As I actually had some batteries (with power - lol :) left in the camera, I decided to take some photo's of the rain as it fell onto the beautiful Magnolia Tree in the garden.

I wish you could also hear the wonderful sound of the rain hitting the roof ... Whatever the weather is doing where you are in the world, I hope you enjoy your day :)

Valentines Day Love

♥♥ Valentines Day Love

I've so enjoyed seeing all your wonderful blogs over the last few weeks featuring Valentines Day ideas and crafts 

- I hope everyone had a ~Love~ly day :)

We were treated here on the Gold Coast, to a beautiful sunrise and a day spent lazing about in PJ's, watching movies and reading the Sunday papers - bliss !!!

Then at the end of the day, I received a wonderful surprise ...

my Reversible Apron was featured on

The Fabric Shopper Blog

~ A blog dedicated to online fabric sources and fabric inspirations 

....

♥♥ Thank-you Rosie, for the Valentines Day Love :)

Yes You Can - Easy to Sew Reversible Apron

Reversible Apron featuring fabric designed by:
Kristopher K

Have you seen the BurdaStyle website ...?

Who is BurdaStyle you may ask? 
Well in their own words: 


"We are a friendly bunch, using the web to bring the craft of sewing to a new generation of designers, hobbyists, DIYers and anyone looking to sew."


I'm sure anyone, from a sewing pro, to a novice like me, would be able to find a variety of designs at BurdaStyle to inspire. 
From great photo's of wonderful designs to a large variety of patterns there really is something for everyone ...
Members can even upload their own creations and photos directly into the Project Showcase


Many thanks to the BurdaStyle Sewing Club from Perth, Australia for uploading BSC Perth Reversible Aprons - an adorable and "EASY AS" pattern by kaitui_kiwi (as a free to download pdf :)

Here is my version of this fun Kitchen Apron, featuring my original fabric design:
l52"x Magnolia Little Gem - Dark Spice - 1 yard panel







From start to finish this was a fun, easy and simple to follow project, that was completed in well under a day - and I'm more than happy with the result - Yeah :)

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What's the Buzz?

"Interlacing Leaves" - now available in the Spoonflower Shop.

My new design, was inspired by memories of old hand knitted woollen jumpers, and features a simple stylised leaf, that was hand drawn, then "stitched" or "knitted" together, to create the overall design and finally coloured in a natural palette of soft taupe and green :)

Also this week some exciting news from Spoonflower;

Have you heard the e-vine buzz ?

- "Heather Ross" will soon be releasing a collection of her out of print designs at Spoonflower
For more details be sure to check out Heather's blog


- And for Valentines Day, Spoonflower will be sharing the "Love" with a love themed fabric of the week competition 
♥ ♥ ♥ Oh La La ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥   

I'm expecting to see lots of lovely little heart designs, but  for all the details click on over to the Spoonflower blog and be sure to vote for your favourites when voting opens :)

I've caught the Quilting Bug

I don't know why but my thoughts have turned to quilting ...
It could be a result of watching the rain, constantly falling outside, while listening to it pitter-pattering on the roof.
Or maybe it's from seeing so many photo's from overseas e-friends of all the snow that is falling around the world ... (stay safe and warm.)
Or it could be the excitement of knowing the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are about to start.
I suspect however, it's more to do with all the wonderful inspiring quilts that I keep seeing, posted on so many of the amazing blogs that I'm following :)


So anyway .... with quilting in mind, I decided to design some new co-ordinating patterns to add to my existing designs at Spoonflower.

This one is Marie's Garden - Square
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And I've called this one Rustic Stripes

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And I'm planning to co-ordinate these new designs,

with my existing designs (from top) 

"Marie's Garden" 

"Lucky Four" 

and 

"Rustic Floral"

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Now I have to learn to have patience, while I wait for the proofs to arrive from Spoonflower. Then I can check these new designs for colours and repeats etc ... and finally all being good, I will be able to order enough fabric, to start quilting - YEAH .... 

In the meantime I will be playing with possible quilt layouts and will also be searching for some easy, basic (square) quilting tutorials.

(If anyone knows of any, or has any other cool tips for a new quilter, to make this daunting process easier, please let me know :)

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The Top Ten - for 2009

It's been raining cats and dogs here on the Gold Coast, (see news story - here)
with localised flooding and reports of up to 400+ mm of rain .... so today I decided to stay indoors and keep warm and dry.

As a result, I decided to add up my top 10 selling design for 2009 - according to volume of sales.

Thank-you so much, to everyone who has supported me, in so many different ways, on my new journey, encouraging me and inspiring me to continue on with designing pattern repeats for textiles - I am loving every minute of it, I can't wait to see what 2010 brings, and I can't thank-you all enough :)

OK .... starting at number 10, and counting down;
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#10 - Paper Daisy - Bronze




















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# 9 (Was a tie between) - Disco Dots - Night

and - Dragonfly Dance - Olive Green

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#8 - Ink Bubbles - Silver Birch




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#7 - Dragonfly Dance - Tan





















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#6 - 52"X Magnolia Little Gem - Sage

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#5 - Rose Blush

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#4 - Marbled Repeat

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#3 - Paper Daisy - Lovely Linen

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#2 - Jewel Mosaic

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and finally ..... (according to volume of sales for 2009) is ...


#1 - White Wild Rose

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New Fabric Design, Blogged on the Colourplay Blog

I got a lovely surprise to find one of my new fabric designs, has been displayed on the Colourplay Blog: Under the title "Design Your Own Fabric"
What's even more lovely, were the words that followed the four featured available @Spoonflower fabrics .... "These are my top four favorites...so hard to choose!!!!" 

- wow - and thank-you :) 

- check out the Colourplay Blog (here) 

Featured Kristopher K Design:
Magnolia Little Gem - Arctic - 2 Yard Panel  

- White Magnolias in a bold contemporary pattern, increase in size as they fall down 2 yards of fabric. This design has been sized to suit all (varying widths) of Spoonflower's wide range of natural and organic fabrics. 


Detail of Design: 
Magnolia Little Gem - Arctic - 2 Yard Panel will be available to purchase @Spoonflower, in a variety of colours, once proofs have been checked :)

I'm thinking I should also design a "3 yard" version of this design, suitable for floor length curtains etc .... ?


© All rights reserved.

A bit of blogging fun :)

Detail of the Louvre, in Paris - home of the "Mona Lisa"


I was quietly catching up with some of the blogs I follow, when I came across a game (here) 
If you would like to play along, here are the rules:
Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!



1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain – do small ones count?
9. Held a praying mantis 
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - I love Paris <3
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch – quilting, knitting, crocheting
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning – only once, but once is enough!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables – love home grown veg
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill – guilty on this one :)
24. Built a snow fort - umm does a snowman count?
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon - I wasn't designed to run - lol
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - England, France, Scotland - but still to visit ancestral towns in Sweden, Ireland, Wales, and Portugal.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - trying to learn French
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangeo’s David
41. Sung karaoke – only once, but once was probably enough - lol
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted – many times as a child, by the artists in the family.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie - well tv, does that count?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia – someday.
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy – I still have my favourite book, the first one I could really read all on my own "Frog and Toad are Friends"
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - yes saying slow down, slow down.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - several times for my design work.
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone 
99. Been stung by a bee

Okay – who else wants to play?

French Inspired Fabrics

French Inspired Fabrics

Marie's Garden 

- Aqua and Pink combine in this textural floral fabric design, inspired by the beautiful pink dahlias, blooming in the summer gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, France :)

(Designs From Top)
"Marie's Garden" 

"Lucky Four" 

and 

"Rustic Floral"

For regular readers, it probably comes as no surprise that, J'adore France - I often wonder what it is exactly, that pulls at my heart strings so, and beckons me to dream of all things French. Is it the architecture? The colours? The light? The History? The Art? The sound of the language? The smell of fresh bread and patisseries? The seemingly endless images of style extraordinaire? A mixture of all these things, or something else, more elusive? All I really know for sure, is that France constantly inspires and delights me. 

Below are some holiday photo's, from a recent visit to the wonderful and inspiring Chateau de Versailles France :)

The Petit Trianon - the domain of Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette's Garden

Entrance - Chateau de Versailles




Apollo Fountain

Chateau de Versailles Facade

Orangerie

Steps from The Orangerie

Garden Walks

Sunset at the Chateau de Versailles - view towards the Pond of the Swiss

Bubbles in the Garden at Dusk

Nightfalls on The Grand Canal

Fabrics by Kristopher K - are available online 

@ Spoonflower
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