Summer 2011 resolution

It is HOT here in New York!!! Summer has jumped in with full force without giving a spring any chance, as always. So here is my resolution(s) for this summer, starting tomorrow, June1st:
1) Loose 10 lb. And get toned all around, especially my stomach.
2) Fill my Etsy shop with 100 fabrics.
3) Blog everyday.

I put it all in this post for the purpose of actually doing it. Now it is officially announced, I have no other choice but to make it happen. Wish me luck!

Also, wanted to share with you pretty awesome chairs I found on Etsy. Aren't they just adorable?? They sing HAPPY SUMMER to me! :)))

I am back!

Oh, wow, it has been a loooooong while since I blogged, for a dozen of reasons: I took a break from my intensive fabric design, put my Etsy shop on hold, and cared for my kids with never-ending colds and ear infections, I also did things around the house that I needed my attention. Oh, I also went on a GREAT, desperately-needed vacation - Jamaica!!! Ya Man!!
 So now that I am back, and the winter colds and sniffles are gone, and my kids are well enough to attend daycare, I can finally DO things. Things that have been neglected for some time now... Like various closets and storage organization, backyard garden prep, window treatments for my living room and the most dreaded.... re-painting of the exterior staircase railing. And as if this task wasn't time-consuming and extremely boring enough, our railing is very intricate with swirls and twisted rods making up diamond pattern...ogghhh... The paint was selected and purchased LAST year, but I must admit after testing a very small portion and realizing that it would take hours and hours of painting,  I dragged this out as long as I could.... till now. I have to face the beast. I cannot wait any longer or otherwise the paint will go bad. So I have decided to break this up into segments. I will dedicate 1-2 hours everyday to finish this project.And I'll report here my results.

On a brighter note, I have a couple of new fabric designs I wanted to share:

This is what I have been working on today: Fishing Theme! The real question is who is fishing whom?

And these are the once I was able to create really quick in the last month: Ice Cream ( appropriate for upcoming summer, right?)

And my first take on the Black & White theme: Gentleman's Necessities

I am currently waiting for the sample to arrive, then I will make them available in my Etsy shop.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and hopefully we will make it to the HomeDepot to get something I can plant in my garden. After really hard work of turning the soil and digging up boulders and concrete pieces of varying size left there by our lovely contractors, it is time to actually do the fun part! My daughter cannot wait!! ;))

Happy weekend!

The very best wishes to you, my friend!

Today is a special day.Today is a birthday of my very special friend. She truly is the nicest person I have ever met. Not only she is beautiful as a young woman,but she radiates this sort of magical beauty from the inside,which makes people to fall in love with her instantly. Her tact and patience and politeness have no limits, I've never seen her aggravated or rude no matter what the situation is. Just a decently good person all the way to the core, which is so rare these days.
Dear Nadya,
Happy Birthday, my friend!
Your positivity, openness,sweetness and endless creativity inspire me always!
I am honored to be your friend and wish to be more like you everyday :)
May all your dreams come true, as they are pure and selfless and kind. 
S dnem rozshdeniya!

P.S. I was so bummed we could not make it today to share this day with you guys. Really hope to see you soon. ;)

Grey day

Today was a grey day.
Today I found out I did not get into top 10 for M.Miller contest. But I was of sort of prepared, so it wasn't the end of the world.
Another sad news, today I was supposed to be on the plane to Jamaica....sunny beach...sand...sleep....quiet...
But.................. my husband and myself are down with cold/flu-like symptoms and feeling terrible. The trip got canceled.
 These season-changing sicknesses, running noses and coughing never seem to end. First, the kids, now us.
 I miss sun.
I miss warmth.

P.S. Image above of my latest fabric design "Rain Clouds"  - I wish my grey day looked this pretty.

One more day of waiting....

Today is the last day to vote for top 10 finalists for the Spoonflower+Michael Miller super life-changing contest. And I am so nervous! I keep telling myself it's no big deal if I am not in top 10, but... who am I kidding, hell, I want it really bad!!!! The wait is killing me slowly.....
As I've mentioned before, regardless of the outcome, I will have my collection completed and available for sale in my Etsy shop soon. Here are some of the coordinates (along with the original) that I have created so far:

It's not final, but pretty much direction I want to go. What do you think?

I am a semi-finalist!!!

So I have been absent for a loooong time, sorry!!!!
But I have a good news to share: out of nearly 1000 entries on Project Selvage contest, I got into the top 75 semi-finalists! Big Yey!!! Here is my entry for the "Baby Boy" fabric design that passed into the next round:

The top 75 designs were selected by Spoonflower and M. Miller judges, now the voting is open to everyone, to select the top 10. 

This is where it gets tricky - a lot of people use every possible social media to advertise their designs and practically beg for votes, some even host giveaways in exchange for votes ( !!!) Now, I don't see anything wrong with announcing the news about the contest and displaying one's design while providing a link to the voting page, however if someone wins just for the sole reason of having tons of friends and followers on Facebook who vote as a favor, that's not fair. It's a big contest and for some talented designers out there this win could the big break, a life-altering opportunity, and I think it should be well-deserved, not well-promoted. Oh, well, we'll see what happens...

Either way, I have started to work on some coordinates for my entry design, so no matter what the results would be, I'd have complete collection of "Baby Boy" fabric coming to my shop.

Now, if you genuinely like my design and want to see it pass to the next round, you can vote for it here.

My clown has finally arrived!

I ordered a fabric with my "Little Clown" design on a fabric a have not tried before -  organic cotton sateen. Oh, you should see it in person: soft, smooth with a hint of pearly-slightly glossy finish! So delicious! What a luxury bedding it would make! Check out how my design looks on this fabric:

Up for sale now in my Etsy shop.