Mock Up Designs Party Dress

I am loving my new Mock Up designs, with a paper doll dress up feeling. They make me soooo happy and they are pretty cute to boot!

The Party Dress Mock Up is showing off my Hello Spring Swatch that I did for a Skillshare class Surface and Pattern Design class with Bonnie Christine. I thought it had a nice festive party feel for Spring or Summer!

You can find the pattern on Spoonflower, I am ordering a proof so it will soon be for sale.

That 70's Lemonade Stand

I am now taking the mid modern thing too far, yup I said it, the 70's. Garish colours, Go Go boots, flared outfits and all.

If I had actually been a teenager instead of a newborn in the summer of 1974 I may have worn an outfit like this... 

Check out my latest Spoonflower entry for the weekly challenge inspired by the iconic summer beverage- Lemonade. Voting starts Thursday!

Go ahead Vote- you know you want to!

Summer in Palm Springs a Retro Design Inspiration

Prompted by the Make It in Design Summer School I came up with this design...  Fun retro and reminds me of lounging next to the pool in Palm Springs... 

A forever Retro Shape: Ogee

Just for Fun, a mock up.

The Make It In Design Summer School is an amazing resource for surface and textile designers. Every two weeks a prompt is sent out full of inspiration, suggestions and resources. There is a range of ability from the never even touched Ai or PS and do everything by hand to seasoned professional who are just wanting something creative to build their portfolios with. I consider myself new but not quite new and am using the great online community to inspire and gently nudge me to keep at it (even though I could quite easily throw myself into shibori and indigo full time)! There are so many wonderful Designers out there.

(Oh yeah.... Don't forget to check out my Etsy Shop Scrappy Carp Living for a mini sale... For your use couponcode SOFTOPENING, 15% off orders of $5 or more....)

Just For Fun, Someone suggested I add Toes By the Pool As additional inspiration!

Also Next to the Pool In Palm Springs!

Top 5 favourite things for Summer

Like most good Pacific North Westerners as soon as the sun is out, I grab my flip flops and go the....

No 1. The Beach

I will attempt at least once a year...

No 2. Camping, but lets be honest I much prefer a cabin near the beach with a great fire pit.

Every chance I get it is...

No.3 Oysters and think Pink Wine (Try the Kumamotos from Taylor Shellfish Farms).

 

No 4. Cherries, we are starting to get Eastern Washington Cherries and we are loving them! Do you see the peep looking one? It was delicious.

one of my first illustrations in illustrator 

And finally...

No 5. Patio Dining under a deep Blue Sky, what's not to love about eating outside- especially when someone brings you a glass of rose and oysters.

looking onto the Herald building from the patio at
Rock & Rye Oyster House

What are your top summer activities?

Throw Back Thursday, Summer Inspiration

I am just about always living in the past, I love retro (most things), mid century modern and now some of the more wilder side of groovy 60's and 70's.... Yes I said the 70's what is not to love?  Thick chunky platform shoes, macramé, large psychedelic flowers, large rimmed dramatic sunglasses and lots of beads.  I thought I would do a throw back Thursday that celebrated summer!  This is how I remember (well maybe not, I am one of the two babies in the picture) Family Summer Camping trips. This photo is circa 1975

I think I will leave much of the hair and the not so well fitting shorts, but you got to love those lawn chairs!

And finally some illustrations based on my retro summer inspiration!

Wednesday Is a great Day For a Cocktail : Attitude Adjustment Hour!

Wednesday is a Great Day for a Cocktail

As summer gets nearer and nearer, the days longer and the temperatures warmer the husband and I like to sit in the backyard enjoying what we call attitude adjustment hour.

Lounging under the most Beautiful tree.

This is a mini ritual that we learned from his Gran and Granddad. Two amazing people with a beautiful outlook on life. Each evening they would lounge either in their living room or on their deck staring out onto the great pacific ocean, he would have a little something (I can't remember if he had one type or switched it) on ice and she would have a glass of white wine.

Cheers to two great people….

Aviation Cocktail.

We like to mix it up a little and use the excuse of making fancy classic cocktails to buy different kinds of spirits, liqueurs and bitters...

The Aviation Cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Gin (you can even buy a Gin of the same name Aviation)
• 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
• 1/2 ounce freshly squeeze lemon juice
• Dash of Creme De Violette
• Lemon Peel for Garnish

The intensity of colour comes from the how big or little your dash of Creme De Violette… Don’t be scared by this ingredient, it is lovely!

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with some ice, swirl and then gently shake. Serve in martini glasses with the lemon peel garnish.. Viola a subtly kissed violette Aviation!

For Further readind about the Aviation you can read David Wondrich's Book Imbibe: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash….