I woke up like this

Bird Talk and Pumpkin Patch!

Yes folks its finally here!! Bird Talk!I have waited so long to get this it seems even though I really didn't but as you know from my website and biz cards and recent illustrations I am obsessed with birds! I will have my booth in the Licensing Expo filled with them.  

My head is swimming with the fun things I will be making with this fabric for that show in June.. Yikes did I just say June? I am so overwhelmed with work and meetings before that show that I think by the end of it I am going to have to take a week off just to recover.You can get my Bird Talk at many sites now including Fat Quarter Shop, and Fabricworm.

I also wanted to let you know that over at the Clothworks blog they are having a contest using my Woodland Friends II collection, you could get a chance to be in a magazine and win some nice cash too! Please go over and check it out. I am excited to get the fabric with the owls.. I have many plans for that one too. I can see a really cute kitchen collection with them as well as some fun goodies for my boys.

I recently received strike-offs for my other collection coming out.. Beetle Boy that I think you are going to scream when you see it!! I will be making a ton of things with this one.. I think its the most fun collection I have created to date. If you have a little boy you are going to want to have this one for sure!! I am not sure when this one will come out, possible late fall or winter but its worth the wait. Right now I am working on my 6th collection!! Wow I cannot believe I am on my 6th collection already, thats just crazy, anyway I am hoping to finish that up right before my show in Vegas. You see why I am feeling crazed, I am in over my head with work. If things continue this way I am really going to have to get an intern in here.

Well onto to some other fun products that came in a week ago as well....

Pumpkin Patch for Boston Warehouse.

This is a redo from a collection that I did for them back in 2005 which was one of their biggest sellers they decided to bring it back with a twist. This time there are salt and pepper shakers and fun bowls and a chip and dip plate. The old collection had drink stirrers and platters and candles which I still have in my office and attic for prosperity. I pull out the plates every year when I show them on my Halloween mantle.. remember this picture from one of my old blog entries?

This display I do every year for Halloween and at night the orange lights behind it give it a great glow. I make the picket fence out of black foam core, its very easy to do and the the branches are just spray painted black and put in containers full of sand. I add in some real pumpkins and thats it.. so much fun!

So there you have it folks.. this little bee has been very busy. I am going to be going to NYC next week for meetings with my stationery clients at the Stationery Show and seeing old friends at Surtex as well. I have a few other key meetings as well I am preparing for and hopefully I will come back from NYC with lots of good news to share. I never have a problem going to NY infact I am hoping to move my family back to the area in a year or two. That is our window to go back otherwise we will ride it out until the boys go to college and go back then. I am not sure how the boys will take it if we move but judging how easily they make friends I think it shouldn't be a problem. I have been back home for over ten years now and I finally convinced my husband to move back ( he loves it here) and I am working extra hard to make it happen. 

Okay I must get back to work.. I don't want to disappoint all my clients this week and next week.. I hope you all have a great day!

Ellen

   

The Rejects-Bird Talk

Hello all, I know its been awhile since my last post, but I have been busy working, and traveling. I just came back from a weekend in NYC to see old college friends which was nice but very exhausting at the same time. I wanted to continue to show the rejects of the fabric lines I create for Clothworks. I am sure that many of you never realize how many prints are actually created for a fabric line. I always shoot to create about 6-8 different actual prints and then do the colorways for them. Here are a few that did not make it into my Spring 10' group Bird Talk.

I am very excited about this collection since it has some of my favorite bird characters. You can find many prints of these fun birds in my shop.

I cannot tell you why I became obsessed with birds this year, maybe its because we have so many here on my property or maybe its just because they are fun to create. I have some more fun birds coming up in my next Fall collection Woodland Friends II and who knows maybe even some more in Spring 11'. Sometimes I just get stuck on a particular character and go with it until I become bored with it, and so far the bird is not boring me.. so you will be seeing more of them! I can tell you I have moved on to creating some other fun animals but that will all be revealed later! Until then enjoy the birds!!

Ellen

Midwinter Garden

Look what I received the other day!! My Midwinter Garden fabric collection! What a great welcome home surprise. I had been on vacation in LA last week and came home to this. I have so many ideas for these fabrics one of which would be a great summer dress. I am not the best sewer so I will have to source that one out.. but I do have some other fun projects I will be making and will be sure to post them!

You can find the collection here at the Clothworks website. I am sure they can tell you what stores near you are carrying it.

Its almost Halloween and I am busy making goodies for the kids school parties and have to still carve out some pumpkins for the actual day.. I hope everyone has a great Halloween!!

xoxox

Ellen

Woodland Friends is in the house!

Look what I got last Friday!!! Yes my Woodland Friends collection finally came in and I was soo excited to get it, it was almost like Christmas here. I opened the box in front of my boys and they already started shouting out things they wanted me to make with it. I was laughing because as much as I would love to sit and sew some fabulous critters for them I am in way over my head with work these days, I can barely clean my house!

I am so happy at the way the collection came out, the feel of the fabric is so soft and lush and the colors much more vibrant that I thought. The fabric is printed in Japan so the quality is top notch. I think Clothworks did a fantastic job, so much so that today on Twitter I hear that some people can't get it! Wow! I had no idea, but glad to hear it.

I am currently working on the Woodland Friends II collection and let me tell you this is even more adorable than the last!! I spent an entire week on one design and I am in love with it! A week for me on one design is allot, I am so used to pumping out work and for me to work day and night on one is not usual, but in this case necessary. I am not sure if the Woodland Friends is sold out so go here and see.

Okay time to get back to work and finish the Woodland Friends II collection! Have a great weekend everyone.

xoxox

Ellen

Woodland Friends

Well folks I finally got around to showing you one of my new fabric collections due out this October, Woodland Friends!

I had allot of fun creating this cute small collection and some of the other patterns I designed for this were not put in but in the next upcoming Fall collection they will be brought out- can't tell you what they are just yet, but I know you will love them!!

I also created a kit that will be in Quilts and More magazine to promote Woodland Friends, this is a childs chef apron and oven mitt. I had so many other ideas but with my regular designing job its hard to do everything.

Many of you would I am sure would like some other elements to go with the cute Hedgehog so I created a print that I am selling in my shop, and some other items will be coming soon!

Here is the print!

You can get it here!

I hope everyone likes this collection as much as I do, and be sure to check back to the shop again for some more exciting things to go with it. Its been a whirlwind around here working after coming back from NYC and all my meetings, hopefully I will get caught up soon to bring you some more goodies.

Have a great weekend everyone!! Hopefully you have better weather than we do here in New England- we are sick of this rainy/dreary weather.

Ellen