Some New Projects

I've expanded my project list with about 20 new ideas just this week. In some ways it's good. I love to be busy all the time. In some ways it's bad, because some ideas that were good just die when better ones come along because this list is so long.

Made this little owl for a friend's baby shower. I definitely love him and I'm excited to give him away as a special little gift.

And I decided that even though everyone's doing the owl trend in design and even though I swore I would never hop on that bandwagon, I do like the one I made and I might have to make 2 or 3 more. The problem is, I think people follow the owl trend and don't even know why. They just know that it's like the deer and cupcake (which I've also done) and whale trend and that they should like it. Or maybe they do know why they like it. But I doubt it. Working 2 years in marketing tells me they don't know why they "like" it, they just follow. But as a designer, I can't ignore the trends and I can't ignore the fact that I made a darn cute little owl. I just hate trends...

Did I repeat myself a bunch just then?

Lately, I've also fallen in love with applique. Maybe madly in love. This the first half of a table runner. (Triangles, another trend I can't ignore, but I've always loved geometric shapes.)

Just a new pattern for you. Thinking it'd be more for baby/girl stuff.

A new illustration. I did the drawing a while ago but hadn't digitized it until recently. It's strange yes. Probably makes you feel uncomfortable, yes, but I definitely have that creepy side to me. That's the versatility of a designer for you.


Have a great Friday!
My rabbit is showing at Eve-N-Odd Gallery tomorrow night. I can't wait to see more pictures.

Girls Girls Girls

Two new dolls I finished last week - Courgette and Aubergine (Zucchini and Eggplant). Sort of a series, sort of just an idea I had floating around in my head for a while.

By the way, have you noticed the triangle trend in design/art? I'm sure you have.

High Seas

I know I don't often post other people's work. I feel like there are a ton of blogs that already do that and we probably already read the same ones. But, I think I could make an exception for someone's work that really made a difference to me for whatever reason.

Cartoon Monster creates kinetic wood sculptures that involve boats and the ocean. Some pieces are really tiny and some are huge. I can't really explain to you how these sculptures moved me. I saw a video of one of them in action and I could not help but get a little teary-eyed. Maybe wooden toys remind me of being at home with my family, or maybe it's the lighting in the photos, or maybe (now I'm probably going to read too much into it) I feel like the boat - just tiny and sometimes really alone but still moving quietly along on the big ocean. There's something about how the little fragile boat just keeps sailing.

Either way, I love these. Especially this one. It's almost like the fantastic things a child can dream - sailing your boat through the stars.

Weekend Recap

The weekend started out with a bit of thrifting, then turned into a fun night out with friends. The next day, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at a place in town that we'd been eyeing. And it truly was all we hoped it would be. I haven't stopped dreaming about that food since. And who can beat a restaurant that has booths lined in cowboy print fabric? Who?!

I also got a nice mini tour of Utah Valley University, which made me lament the fact that I didn't try a bigger, nicer university when I had the chance to, 7 years ago. But, then I remembered how much I hate school and how much I loved having a degree after 18 months.

P.S. that petrified cat is the scariest/worst thing I've seen in person.

My Fabric is Finally Here!

Hooray! Yesterday I received my little fabric stash with my own designs from Spoonflower. It took what felt like forever but it was totally worth it. I ordered without looking at their color guide (I know, I know), but my colors still came out just as they are on screen. Some of the line work on the seahorses print is too dark and not very visible - that's probably the only color that's off. The quilting weight sort of feels like not-so-great muslin but I'm still very pleased with the product. I now have a better reference for sizing and what-not, so I'll be reordering a few of these and some new ones in a month or two. I can't wait to start cutting up these little samples for some new projects!

Oh, and Jake moved all my stuff upstairs into one of our spare rooms and I'm already loving it. I still have to "unpack" but I'm looking forward to getting attached to this little room.

New Site Design

For a graphic designer (or at least me), redesigning your own portfolio is just about the hardest thing to do. How do you choose to represent yourself? Do you want to look trendy and cool or buck the trends and do something ugly or weird? Do you make something unlike the rest of your work or pay no attention at all to the design and let your work speak for itself? Or do you just use one of the million template sites out there for designers?

So you can see, now, how it's big news that I redesigned my website and it actually made it's way online. It's the other side of Elloh Handmade: Elloh Design. Where it all started. I'm hoping to keep up the textile design and illustration and get some new clients/work, but this is simply just a show-and-tell :)

Lya Doll

Lya is my most recent plush creation. She's cute and simple, with triangle hair and a separate skirt tacked on to her body. I'm torn between using this pattern for future dolls or just keeping it organic and making them all completely different. We'll see.

See more photos here.