Make It In Design - Summer School - Brief 1

I'm doing some really fun things this summer. I signed up for the intermediate and advanced tracks of the Make It In Design - Summer School.

Really enjoyed the briefs so far. I felt challenged but in a good way only, and it really inspired me. When I read the briefs I started to sketch straight away and the ideas kept coming, and I knew it quite quickly how I was going to create my design.

In the intermediate track the brief was Retro Geometrics.

I love retro! But struggled a bit with geometrics, I guess I prefer some more organic shapes. Went for some flowery circles and gave them the colours I love, so that it would still feel mine.
Here are the images I submitted:

In the advanced track the brief was Water Rays.

I found this subject ever so exciting. I spent my birthday painting backgrounds and making sketches and I had so much fun with it. Here are the designs I submitted:

This week we are already on the second briefs. They were even more fun if that's possible. I already submitted my designs. Will blog about them next time. :)

I only just start to feel confident about my digital designs. It's hard to tell if I found my style yet. I'm not sure. As each subject is so different they may not look alike... but I'm hoping that with time you can notice something that connects each design.

Dream big

My return was not going as well as I thought. When I'm working on new projects like I did this week, there was not enough time to write a post. Especially when my laptop is not turned on.

I just downloaded the Blogger app for my phone to try. I'd rather post from my phone that's always with me. We will see :)

Made some pretty brooches yesterday, and this morning they went up on my website. Have a look if you like. There is a 20% off coupon code to celebrate my birthday later this month. The code is: happyjuly

http://www.iyobodesign.co.uk/mixedmediabrooch-c-47.php

Coming back

It's really difficult to come back to blogging after a long break. Have been thinking of it loads in the last couple of months, but didn't actually did it.

This post is a short one, just to say hi to you all and it intends to be the start. Hopefully from now on regular posts will appear in this place. :)

Building a life, building a home

Recently I noticed that the way I felt about our home became the most important thing I can think of. I guess it's mainly because I live far from my family and therefore it's even more important for me to build a home.

My living room was really bothering me. There was a dark glass tv unit that was gathering dust like it got payed for it. I knew it for long time that I was going to change it one day. Not only the dust, but I didn't like the way it looked either. Too dark for my eyes, nothing like cosy. It had to go.

I decided about this in the summer, but it all depended on my luck to find the perfect one in any of the local charity shops. I have been religiously dropping in those shops every now and then, I mean almost daily, just in case some new furniture arrived, without any luck.

There was a day when I was really supposed to clean above mentioned glass tv unit, but I felt like it was easier to move all the furnitures around, do some table switches between me and my daughter and after giving her my smaller work table I got hold of her 2 small tables. I needed one of them for my printer, which was originally on the table I gave her, and I used the other one for the tv. It looked ridiculous. I haven't even made a photo of that arrangement. But it made me feel so amazingly good! :)

After these changes I was sure that my dream tv stand was waiting for me in one of those shops. One week later there it was. I was not even surprised. But extremely happy. :) I already had the paint that I planned to use, so between some crocheting I started to work on the cosy tv stand project.

Now that it's all done and got a new place in the living room standing really proudly, I can say that the main problem here is solved and I finally feel happy being in this room. It feels like home. Can't wait to decorate it for Christmas :)

Something for myself and about finding my power again

As an artist I'm constantly working on some new design, art or simply sketching up ideas about future projects. During these years since I started my business I noticed that I hardly make anything for myself.

Recently I had an idea to crochet a granny square blanket just for me. I have no intention of selling it (strange feeling), and even though I can crochet I never ever made any sort of garment with this technique. And it's very likely that after this huge project will be done I'll not crochet for at least 20 years. ;)

But the feeling it gives me right now it's difficult to express. My living room needed some happy colours and I can't believe it's been in front of me daily and I only just realized that this is the change I was looking for. My Instagram feed is full of pretty crochet projects and I love looking at them so much. I'm the happiest person in the world right now, because I will soon have a beautiful blanket.

During this project I discovered something about myself. I kind of knew this before but seems like I forgot. It's that I really am able to do ANYTHING!

And here I'm not talking about my multi-talented self that starts all sorts of projects and enjoys them without limits, then can't decide which one to continue with. Which is very disturbing at times, but also satisfying as I never get bored. ;)

BUT, I'm talking about my abilities to create the life I desire, to make my dreams come true. I now feel it again that it is possible and I am determined to make it happen.

I'm not sure where I lost it. But I'm so glad I found it again.

Do you believe in your dream creating abilities? If your answer is "not yet", try to think of a project you would love to do but feels very scary to start. (I never thought I'd finish a granny blanket ever) And be determined to show it for yourself that you can do it! It will help you believe in yourself! Do let me know how you are getting on, I would love to hear about your success. :)

Enough silence

I had another long blog silence and it's really difficult to start again, but by now I missed my blog very much so here I am, hopefully here to stay this time.

I have big plans for my blog and finally the tiny pieces started to come together and make some sense, so the intention I had for this blog when I started it (and stopped my design blog at the same time) hopefully will finally happen.

There were some difficult times for me recently when I was confused about everything around me. It is very hard to write about things like this. Especially that most of the problems stem from lack of money. There we are again. I have been stuck with these money issues for long time and seems like nothing gets solved until they are gone. I really hope they will be gone for good very very soon.

I'm grateful to have an amazing daughter who does wonderfully at school (already in year 1). I'm grateful for being able to do what I love. But there must be more to life than school runs and time spent at home. There are so many things I would like to improve in our life but I can't. Money is a big issue.

I have a strong vision about our little home too. I would like to change a lot of things, and I'm mostly thinking second hand furniture, as I would like to paint them. But I can't do any of these changes just yet.

I would like to make my daughter's life special, but can't afford ballet lessons what she would really like. And it's really scary how fast time goes, she is 5 and a half already. It all makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong, and don't really know how to get it right.

I have been through a long thinking phase recently and this is what I found:

I HAVE ENOUGH

At least this is what I am going to focus on. Even if it isn't completely true at the moment. And the money must follow. Problems will be gone. Beautiful changes will happen. I will feel relieved.

It would be possible to make all the money I would need to get rid of all my debt in a minute, if I sold all the products on my website or Etsy shop. But as an artist I have to create. All the time. I can't live without making something. As you can imagine I shouldn't really spend any money on supplies. Believe me, I don't. I have loads of things at home. And my recent efforts are in creating with what I have. I may come up with some different things and I enjoy it quite a lot. It's great to make something I don't usually make. And I can only hope that you all will like them too. Now I only need to sell some of them (or all for that matter)

Recently I made some really cute stud earrings:

See more here

And the newest experiments are these pretty christmas tree ornaments:

I'm making these for an upcoming Christmas fayre, but if you are interested feel free to contact me. They are made of patterned papers and their front and back (same pattern) were sewn together for added texture. On their front there is a sentiment with an aged look. Pure shabby chic.

It felt really good to write this post. I'm looking forward to being around here more from now on. 

Global Talent Search

Sorry about the long silence I had here in my blog. I have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks and the lovely summery heat didn't make it easy to sit at the computer either. Which might be not a bad thing, I think sometimes we need a little time off the computer... it's not that easy though, few weeks ago I couldn't have imagined not to turn on the laptop for days!

While I was doing the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design Ecourse with Rachael Taylor back in May I heard about a very exciting competition. It's organised by Lilla Rogers, the best art agent in the world and I immediately knew that I was going to take part.

On 1st July all participants received the email with the brief and we had 3 weeks to complete and submit our entries. Though the subject was nothing like I usually do, interestingly the ideas started to flow into my mind straight away. The first day I wrote down all the important details I had to keep in mind and also my ideas that I wanted to include in my artwork. Next day I made a sketch that actually looks kind of the same as the end result, which means I made it the way I wanted it to look like. I'm very happy with it.

The brief was to design a journal cover with the theme: playground.

Here it is:

Now we have to wait until 1st August to find out if we are in the next round. I have very big hopes I'm there. Please send me a few prayers or cross your fingers for me, it would mean so much to me to be there! Thank you!