Sinister Shabby

Launching March 1st, Sinister Shabby will be my first full design collection for 2016.  The main collection features recognisably Shabby Chic florals and palettes with a subtle hint of something creepy.  Winged insects such as bees and wasps, and bird and human skulls lurk in the background of the main designs.

 

There is also a dark side to Sinister Shabby, a second colourway that's far more moody and far less subtle.

 

 

Both collections are available in full as fabrics, and some of the designs are also available as wrapping paper in my Spoonflower shop.

 

A selection of both the normal and dark collections are also available on select items in my Redbubble shop.

 

Over the coming month, additional products and projects will become available in these patterns, so stay tuned to my instagram (@liliflorapretty) and Facebook (come and give me a like!) to find out more.

 

Let me know in the comments on any of  my social media what you think you would do with some Sinister Shabby fabric!

 

Take care,

 

Emma

Subversive Shabby

One of my favourite shops here in Tasmania is Flywheel.  On the High St of New Norfolk in the beautiful Derwent Valley, the shop is centred around a letterpress printing business, and features a wonderful collection of vintage and high-end stationary and printing accoutrements.

I've been working on some very pretty, very classically Shabby Chic designs, which is nice, but I felt like something was missing.  A visit to Flywheel inspired a quirkiness, a twist, that I needed to make it truly mine.  Victorian era style 'etchings' printed onto cardboard tags in their own letterpress studio, and wonderful old-fashioned anatomy posters gave me the start.

Later that day I shared two pictures on Instagram that got me the most likes I've ever received:

 

I've paired the skull with one of the Shabby Chic designs which will form part of a collection to be released at the start of March:

In the meantime, I've also been experimenting with some fantastic Derwent Inktense pencils I received for Christmas and shared this picture on Instagram:

And now I've combined the skull with this more dramatic palette to create a stand-alone print which is available for sale as a digital download on Etsy here.

It's also available on select Redbubble.com products in my shop here.

This sort of one-off image that doesn't really belong in a collection is a lot of fun, and expect to see more off-beat twists on classically pretty styles in the future!

Take care,
Emma.

re-launching into the blogosphere!

My, it's been a while since I've been here!



Autumn Macabre repeating pattern collection

I have so much respect for those craft bloggers that can come up with a new project, make it, document it and write it up every single week (sometimes multiple times per week)!  I burnt myself out trying to do it, and also lost sight of what I should really be focussing on first, which is to build a portfolio of patterns and prints first, and then worry about what they may be useful for second.



Serene Botanicals repeating patterns

To that end, I knuckled down to completing the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design modules 2 and 3.  Such a fantastic experience, packed with invaluable resources (access to WGSN!  OMG!  I didn't think I was into following trends, but it's just so wonderfully fascinating!), not to mention the supportive Facebook groups who still share our experiences even though the course is over, as we each step into the Surface Pattern Design world in our own ways.



Shabby Peony pattern collection in blue

My way, as I've said, is going to centre around developing my portfolio first.  Trying to write blog posts and manufacture my own products from my fabrics was just taking up way too much time and energy, and I found I'd stopped drawing.  Not good when drawing is what I love.  So instead of doing that, I've turned instead to sharing my work on Spoonflower, Behance, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy and my brand new Redbubble shop.  This means I can create art and patterns, but still have a product focus, without being a manufacturer myself (at least, not yet!).


Shabby Peony office supplies mock-ups

As you can see, I've been hard at work on different projects, producing work fairly consistently.  Now I just have to get consistent at sharing it!

Currently, I'm working on sketches for a Christmas range of patterns (a bit late in the game? probably! This year has just flown, hasn't it?) which will also be versatile enough to use at any time of the year!  I'll share as soon as they're done!

Take care,

Emma