Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope your holiday season is full of laughter, great memories, hope and peace, and that you are surrounded by those you love. I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for all of your support and encouragement this year, as it has meant the world to me. This year has been full of wonderful and new opportunities and friendships. Here's wishing you a beautiful 2010! Blessings to all of you and your families.

I'm So Excited & I Just Can't Hide It!

{Photos from Bazaar Magazine, Spring 2010 issue}

I was flipping through my January 2010 Bazaar magazine a few days ago, and came across some beautiful pages full of print trend inspiration, that I just HAD to share with you! I subscribe to a handful of fashion magazines, and for a while now, they have been sadly drab for print lovers like myself. The Spring 2010 runways were overflowing with exuberant prints...so much so that the rise of pattern and color was being forecasted as making a huge comeback. Which I ALWAYS like to see and hear!

For a little while now, due to our economic state and troubled times, print just hasn't been grasped confidently by consumers, as wearing print and bright color is a symbol of happiness and exuberance - hence the trends of gray & brown neutrals & dark jewel tones. With 2010 ahead, forecasters are predicting that we will rise above our hardships and want and need to be filled with joy - therefore causing us to express ourselves by joyful fashion.


So, what's better than one print? TWO! One of the top trends in Bazaar? Mixed prints!! YAY!
{"Spring Sneak Peak" Photo from In Style Magazine, Spring 2010}
Another favorite trend of mine is the rise of "Sorbet" shades, a.k.a. "pastels". These crept up on the runways a bit back, and it's exciting to see them FINALLY hit the market in a big and understandable way. I am SOoooo ready for my spring ensemble to be full of soft, light & airy wardrobe additions.


Speaking of sorbet & pastel shades, last weekend, Sandra and I stopped by a Free People store. The whole store was illuminated with clothing of soft & light colors, sheer fabrics with lurex and sweet prints on them, and sequins & beading everywhere. The color theme even got Sandra excited for a fresh new take on Spring - and she's not one to really like "sweet" and "soft" colors!
{Photo from Free People}

How about you? Are you excited about print making a big come back in fashion? Are you ready to joyfully express yourself with pattern? How about the sorbet & soft color trend?

Hot Blossom Wood Painted Panel Project

A handful of weeks ago, my wonderful friend Holly asked her many artist friends if they would be willing to paint a wood panel for her baby's room. She is such a dear friend, so I raised my hand to pretty-please decorate more than one panel for her - she sent me 3 - YAY!

Lucky me, she chose two of my fabrics from my Hot Blossom collection to decorate her baby girls room in: the large mum print, and the medallion print, both in the Fiesta colorway!! Being the fabulous art director that she is (um...she really is an Art Director!), she gave us a color palette to design into which composed of chocolate brown, aqua, red, orange & green. She also included snapshots of the fabrics, modern furniture & decorations in the baby's room already. Her husband then went and cut 12"x12" wood panels with rounded corners, and mailed them out to each of us. Let the project begin!


Since she used my Hot Blossom fabrics, I wanted to paint some motifs from my fabrics onto the wood panels, to help carry the theme & color story throughout the room. So I took my artwork and played around with the size and layout, printed the designs out from my computer and proceeded to transfer the artwork onto the wood panel.


Many of you probably already know this simple, quick and fun technique:
1. Take your artwork, turn it over and scribble pencil all across the back.


2. Then turn your artwork right-side-up, place it down where you want it to transfer, and proceed with drawing over the top of it. Your pencil texture will transfer the artwork onto your surface.


3. Begin painting away!


After hours of painting I shipped them off to Holly to decorate away! Baby made it just before I did though - bummer! Ha ha, couldn't plan that one! It was so fun to get away from the computer and paint with my hands. I'll have to work on another hands-on project soon. Well, now that I think about it, my next fabric collection "Glam Garden" is coming out next year, so in a few weeks I'll be sewing up some cute samples!! Stay tuned for a Glam Garden sneak peek in 2010!

Book Review: Hue, by Kelly Wearstler

Hue has been on my Amazon.com wish list for many months now as I've been anxiously awaiting for it to come out, and it finally did! I immediately ordered it and thought I'd share it with you here. (Check out my video review below for more inspiration)

Kelly Wearstler is the ultimate trendsetter in interior design. Her book is chocked full of beautiful photography of her work, which offers pages and pages of color, textural & interior inspiration. The pages are filled to the brim with photo's and no text, and are organized by color theme.

This book is not a "how-to" book with decorating tips but rather a book filled with the brilliant inspiration and beauty of Kelly's work. Overall, it's a wonderful one to add to any library!