The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap 2014

I took part in this for the first time this year. You can read more about it here.
The theme was "CREATE" and the only rule was that it had to contain some stitching!
I cracked open the still-sealed-after-2-years box of my sewing machine and tentatively got to work!
This is my postcard ....it was fun!

 I am a button lover and avid collector (and you may know that I sell them too on Etsy!) ...so I went with the idea that the possibilities of what you can create with buttons are virtually endless!
I drew a mason jar and used cellophane to make the "glass" popping some lovely buttons inside.
I added lace, Jute twine, brads, layers of different pretty papers, washi tapes etc and of course plenty of stitching!
We were supposed to include something innovative with paper and although not unique - stitching on paper is a first for me.
I even decorated the envelope with washi tapes (which you can see poking out from under the postcard below)!

My swap partner is called Alisa and she lives in Melbourne, I hope she likes my card!

I'm looking forward to receiving my own little piece of Happy-Snail-Mail from Alisa over the next few days!
I'll be sure to show you.

Love Sally 
xox

The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design Inspiring Quotations competition

I entered a competition today.
I have been doing a brilliant e-course (The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design), in an attempt to resurrect my career as a Textile /Surface Pattern Designer.
It's been almost 9 years since I worked full time as a designer (in another lifetime pre-kids!!).
I am rusty, my technical skills need updating and certainly my confidence does. The course does all this and gives you great tips, contacts, resources and probably best of all great support from your fellow students in the private Facebook group for your module.

I have done modules 1 and 2 and will shortly be beginning module 3.

The students and alumni were offered the opportunity to submit a design giving our own testimonials in a typographic style, but using our own style.

I'm afraid I left mine until the last minute and rushed the typographic part, but it was fun and I was quite pleased with the result! I based my design on that feeling you got as a child of not being held back by fear - the feeling you can soar or fly up to the sky on the swings! Do you remember that?

Here it is.

Here is one of the others.

By Tasha Goddard

Did you enter to?

Have you tired any e-courses?

Well, wish me luck!
{The next little design project to work on is the Great Big Postcard swap.....}

Sally
xox