The idea behind this week’s Spoonflower “Pastel Cafe” Design Challenge is to “evoke the aesthetics and atmosphere of a typical Italian or French cafe one might find in the 1950s and ‘60s”! So here is my “Party Time!” entry! What do you think? Does it make you imagine Audrey Hepburn having a romantic birthday luncheon (with martinis, of course)?! Check out the Voting Page to see all the entries! It is also available for sale now in my Spoonflower Shop!

One of our favourite family recipes of all time is “Pasta Con Mollica di Pane” (or Pasta with Bread Crumbs). It’s a quick, easy, uncomplicated pasta sauce recipe with tomatoes, anchovies, garlic and parsley, sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs and it is YUMMY! We make it all the time! I originally created an illustrated recipe for this dish and posted it to the They Draw and Cook website where it was noticed and found its way into a 2020 They Draw and Cook Wall Calendar published by Amber Lotus Publishing! I also turned the illustration into this repeat pattern and entered it in this week’s Spoonflower “Noodle Bowl” Design Challenge (I think it makes fun sheets!) Check out the Voting Page here (voting ends April 14) to see all the entries!
HINT: If you want to make this dish yourself (I suggest you do!), check out the illustrated recipe in my Portfolio or at my Illustrator Page on the They Draw and Cook website!

Look what I just got in the mail! My samples of the brand new They Draw & Cook 2020 Wall Calendar published by Amber Lotus Publishing. The November page features my "Pasta Con Mollica di Pane" recipe (which is super easy to make and of course, super yummy!) Purchase your copy from Amber Lotus Publishing or on Amazon!

The next Design Challenge in the They Draw & Cook's Handpicked series is "Birthday Bash" and will be curated by Ceci Butler, Owner and Creative Director of Design House Greetings. I couldn't resist...I had to submit my "After Hours" repeat pattern which I recently re-coloured with these festive, summery colours! I thought it would be perfect for celebrating someone's birthday, right?! You can see my submission on the They Draw & Cook website here!

The wonderful website theydrawandcook.com has created 6 new design challenges for their "HandPicked" Featured Collections, curated by Guest Curators from various creative businesses. The first challenge is called "Eat the Rainbow", featuring fruit and veggies. Four illustrations will be showcased from March 11-25! Here is my submission...

My new "Ratatouille" pattern is yet another design in the collection I'm working on showcasing my love affair with fresh veggies! Here it is with my "Sweet Pea" and "Fresh-Picked" pattern designs...go make a salad!

Having just returned from Japan, I thought I would join the new group, The Colour Gang, from Make It In Design. As a warmup, I just did their first creative challenge: recolour one of your existing designs using a given colour palette that you wouldn't usually use! I decided to recolour my "Sweet Pea" pattern design, which I created just before leaving for Japan. Here is the result: the original colours are on the left ("fresh", "soft", "spring-y"?), and the recoloured design is on the right ("mod", "retro", "funky"?). So interesting how colour can really change the look and feel of a design...will look forward to more creative challenges! Stay tuned for the results!
BTW: Let me know which colour palette (left or right) you like best and why! It would be helpful to know!

I love how my newest pattern designs look on these cozy quilts! On the first one are my "Little Grunt Sculpin" and "Constellation of Starfish" pattern designs; the second one has my new "Cupcake Dreams" and "PomPoms" designs. These would make great gifts (I'd like to get one!), don't you think?

As part of preparing for Surtex (May 20-22, Booth 2524) and Blueprint Show 1 (May 17-19) in NYC, I've been revising and recolouring some of my pattern design collections, such as this "Al Fresco" Collection here, available to license! You can see the full collection in my new LOOKBOOK which will soon be available to view at Nerida Hansen Print & Textiles where you will be able to request access to view!

This is a new festive holiday card design that I designed to submit to the MATS Holiday Card Competition! The brief was to design an illustration of our favourite festive winter beverage...champagne and spices and fruit!

Just thought I would post this round-up of some of the new patterns and placement prints that I designed during the super fun 10-week Folio Focus course! Can't wait to do the course again in 2018!

This week's brief was to design packaging for a soap collection featuring abstract patterns! Here are my four "Fun Flavours" designs! 

Here is a new illustrated recipe for Pasta Con Mollica di Pane (Pasta with Bread Crumbs!) I designed for www.theydrawandcook.com. This is a great quick and easy pasta dish that is super delicious. It will be a go-to recipe for you!