"Found" vessels for flowers

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"Browsing around recessed bookcases, kitchen shelves, dark closets, even the basement, to find a vessel for flowers can turn up some really wonderful discoveries! This vintage Rookwood Pottery compote has a lovely Celadon glaze that is echoed by the various succulent heads."

I just saw this great tip from Robin Wood Flowers. Using or repurposing bowls, baskets and other containers can inspire a creative floral masterpiece. I'm on the hunt now!

Newsflash: Ikat is not a famous designer

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Source: phelans1.wordpress.com via Margot on Pinterest
Well, that may not be a newsflash to some of your more design-savvy readers, but it was to me. I've been drawn to this particular style of fabric design for a few months and was going to give it a try on my own (with the computer of course). This week my sister enlightened me that it was indeed NOT a famous design house in the Netherlands (I swear, this is what I had decided in my mind) but a TECHNIQUE of weaving. Thank goodness I didn't say THAT in public around all my fancy designer friends! Wait, I just did just admit that in public. Well, may my ignorance be your knowledge to gain now.

Basically, the ikat technique is ancient and refers to a resist dye process (kind of like tie-dying) where you bind part of the thread so that the dye does not soak into the thread. After the threads are colored with dye, then they are woven into the fabric or tapestry. The definitions I'm reading keep using the word "waft" but I have really no idea what that is. I maintain the right to keep some blissful ignorance on the subject, especially since I'm not going to dye my own threads. Or learn to weave. Yet.

I like the ikat look because it takes my favorite design style (repeat patterns) and makes them softer and less hard edged. Sometimes that's a nice touch. So, packed with a dangerously little amount of knowledge, I'm going to see what kind of ikat designs I can come up with this afternoon.

Here are some of the ikat inspirational images I found today, with more on my Pinterest pattern board.

Source: access.decorati.com via Margot on PinterestSource: lulisanchez.com via Margot on PinterestSource: greenwithglamour.com via Margot on Pinterest

I'm heading to Surtex this month

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Surtex is a convention in New York city for surface and licensing designers. My rep group A Fresh Bunch will be showing our wares and I'm thrilled to have been chosen as a senior designer in the booth. I have joyfully spent every waking moment creating and refining patterns and designs that I hope will appeal to companies needing fresh new art for their products.

I realized that I feel most at home creating patterns like this. I'm eager to refine my technical skills, though. I've already learned so many new things on my design software that my brain feels like it's increased it's neuron connections by about a million. It felt a lot like parts of my brain were being ripped open like velcro--not exactly painful but a little uncomfortable. But as I say, this old girl can still learn some new tricks! I just hope I didn't push out some important information in order to gain the new knowledge...I'd hate to leave my children at soccer because that pick up time was replaced by a design in Illustrator.

This is my promotional piece showing off one of my favorite new designs called "La Bella Vida". I was inspired by everything I love about colorful Mexican embroidery and quilting. I think it would make great tween bedding for Pottery Barn, don't you? (yes Pottery Barn, I'm talking to you!).

Pancakes :)

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American cook chef

Slovenian cook chef

 America vs Slovenia












You know every now and then you have that hunger for something delicious in the morning. Well, Melissa and I had it for some time now. We wanted to make pancakes, and because it’s much nicer to make pancakes for more than just two, we invited some friends over to my place and we had the most delicious breakfast in a while. 
Susanna, Alina, Veronika and Cathrin came this morning and enjoyed this meal with us :D It was great start of even better day :)But the biggest reason for this cook off was comparing European (or let’s say mine) pancakes and American pancakes. We wanted to see which ones are better. But as it happened, we did not come to conclusion. Surly we all enjoyed it. And there is just no way to see which ones are better.  I mean, how can anybody who enjoys food as much as I do, decide. There is just no way. Everything is good. :)

 Result

To conclude this useless blog, I can say that after long week, this morning was a healthy change.
Thanks to Alina for the pictures. :)
Enjoy and smile!

Game design workshop with Gareth Noyce and Lassi Kurkijärvi

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As one of my courses here in Tampere, I’m taking online course Game design. Name already tells you all about this course. It’s a course about games, and how to design them in concept stage. We learned about basic structure of game design. What we need to have good concept before we go to development stage. After few tasks on the basic stuff, we split in groups, and started to work on our designs. Each group, hat at first, 25 different game ideas. I know’ your thinking, what 25 ideas, why? Well, we are all full of ideas, and sometimes is hard to know which are and which are not good. Also sometimes we get too attached to some ideas, and don’t realize that they are not so good. To get easier trough selection process we gave comments on ideas from other groups, and other groups commented on our ideas. At the end of this stage we had few ideas, that got best comments and we could decide on our best idea and develop it in detail. So, for last two months we worked in group, to get all parts needed for great design. And this week, on 30. 11 and 1. 12, we had workshop to present our design. 

Gareth Noyce and Lassi Kurkijärvi (photo by Heidi Mäenpää)

To evaluate and comment we had two guests who know a lot more about game design that we, because they bout work actively in game industry. Gareth Noyce who is Development Director at Ruffian Games  and Lassi Kurkijärvi who is manager of Mobile Development at Sanoma Digital. So two really capable guys gave comments on our designs.

 

 

 

My team, The SuperSmash Foreigners was on second day of the workshop as first presentation. We were prepared and confident that our concept is the best, awesome and brilliant (it was actually in presentation):P.  And everything seems to be true. We did presentation in best possible way. Explained all aspects of the game and show also some sketches. When we finished, we got best possible feedback. Gareth and Lassi were really satisfied with concept of the game. Gave as some advice how to go on, and encourage us to develop the game.

SuperSmash Foreigners at work (photo by Heidi Mäenpää)

We are really proud with what we achieved. (more on game and team in next post)

After workshop, we also had party, where we had fun. Played some guitar hero and DJ hero, drink few beer and talk. It was nice to talk to Gareth and Lassi, about what they did already in there carriers. But the best part was when I realized that they are two most awesome guys. We told us the most funny stories from past. At some point in the evening we compared photos from young years (that was actually my fault, because nobody believed me that I had black hair) (and also Heidi was sure that I’m 25, end then I had to show her, what a big difference my hair do). It was amazing :D The best, most random night in my life.

 

See you around!