Playing Catchup #1: My Entry for the Spoonflower "Conversational Wallpaper" Design Challenge!9/15/2024 Whoops! It's been busy here at the studio over the last part of Summer, especially since I was away for most of July, but here's my "first" catchup of my entries for the last two Spoonflower Design Challenges: "Conversational Wallpaper" and "Non-Directional Ditsy Holiday" (see my next Blog Post!)! Apologies that voting for these Challenges are now closed, but I just wanted to share the story behind these new designs. And you can SHOP them in my Spoonflower Shop by clicking the IMAGES below! My "Conversational Wallpaper" Design Challenge Entry: "Pasta Potluck" My “Pasta Potluck” design has a bit of a long history here at UnBlink Studio...I originally created this design quite awhile ago with a set of my Mom’s vintage glass Pyrex casserole dishes in mind (remember those?!) For whatever reason, I moved on and forgot about this design, and so it was relegated to sitting on my hard-drive... But the Spoonflower "Conversational Wallpaper" Design Challenge got me thinking about this design again, and I thought that it just might suit the Challenge theme quite nicely! I did have to really re-work it and OF COURSE, I felt the need to completely revise the COLOURS, but I now love its vintage-y, kitsch-y look all over again! If you’d like to see those original Pyrex dishes that inspired this design, have a look below, my Mom gave them to me! Public Voting for this Challenge closed Tuesday August 13 2024.   
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I just got back from an absolutely FANTASTIC (can I say it again, FANTASTIC) trip to the UK, spending time in London, the Isle of Wight and along the Cornish Coast where we stayed in the small fishing village of Polperro and hiked the gorgeous amazing Coastal Path! I really loved staying in small old hotels full of character, and came to love starting the day with a Full English Breakfast served on an outdoor terrace. Very civilized! So here's my ode to the "Full English Breakfast" which usually includes: eggs, toast, sausages (in my case, veggie), mushrooms, tomatoes and baked beans, with tea, of course. I must go back! . AND I've just entered this brand new "Full English Breakfast" food-themed pattern design in this week's Spoonflower "Yes, Chef!" Design Challenge! Public voting for this Challenge opens Thursday August 1 and you can link to the Voting Page HERE. . And a SHOUT-OUT to @claremontpolperro in the coastal village of Polperro, Cornwall. It was mostly your breakfasts I had in mind when I designed this pattern! Thank you for our recent stay and your hospitality, we loved your hotel and Polperro! Click HERE to SHOP this new pattern design in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor (it comes in several scales too)!  I DID IT! I managed to finish a new design to enter in the current Spoonflower “A Trip To The Beach” Design Challenge! I spent WAY too long revising my popular “Coastal Stories” Collection with brand new Seaside Colours because I was inspired by this theme, thus I nearly ran out of time to create a NEW design to enter. But I think these little “Shrimps” make a very nice addition to my (now re-coloured and expanded) “Coastal Stories” Collection! Public voting for this Challenge opens today Thursday March 14 and closes on Tuesday March 26. You can link to the Voting Page HERE. I would love your vote for this one just because I love these cute guys, and I bet they’d be tasty too! . See below for more print designs from my "Coastal Stories" Collection and you can check them all out in my Spoonflower Shop HERE. All are available on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in several scales!  See below for more pattern designs from my "Coastal Stories" Collection! 
At first glance, the colours of my "Aubergine" design below might not seem like me, and if you thought that, you'd be right! That's because I entered this one in this week's Spoonflower "East Fork: Night Swim & Molasses" Design Challenge which required the use of that gorgeous teal ("Night Swim") and dark brown ("Molasses") to match East Fork Pottery's seasonal glaze colours (for use on matching table linens). Public voting for this Challenge opens Thursday Oct 26 (and closes Tuesday Oct 31) and you can link to the Voting Page HERE! If you'd like to SHOP these designs in my Spoonflower Shop, just click the images below to link to the Medium-Scale versions. They are also available in a Small- and Large-Scale version too on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor!  Although I do love the East Fork colourway, see below for the version in the original colours that you will probably think is more "me"! This repeat pattern is in turn based on an "Eggplant Seed Packet" illustration I created in 2022 to submit to the Uppercase Magazine "Seed Packet" comp for Issue #53 which was all about Gardening (scroll down to see it). Ultimately, it wasn't picked (although my "Peas Seed Packet" was!). Since then, I've had it in the back of my mind to create a fun repeat pattern design from that original illustration...And here it is! OH and I renamed it to "Aubergine" just because I like the sound of that better than "Eggplant" (which is what we call this veg here in Canada).   A DITSY print is a tiny-scale overall pattern that has a tossed or non-directional layout. I don't know about you, but when I think of ditsy prints I usually picture sweet little scattered flowers (ditsy prints don't have to be floral, btw) in pretty colours...For this week's Spoonflower "Delicious Ditsy" Design Challenge, I entered my new "Tutti Frutti" design! And I must say, a typical ditsy print, this is NOT!! Love it as cocktail napkins or as a tablecloth (see below), but wouldn't it make a FUN APRON?! Voting opens Thurs Nov 17 and you can link to the Voting Page HERE! . AND I couldn't resist...I had to make those Bananas and Berries into their own designs too! So scroll down to see my new "Banana-rama" and "Polka Berries" designs. All 3 coordinate together into my "Fruit-Tastic" Collection, and you can get them on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in 3 sizes in my Spoonflower Shop! See the FRUIT-TASTIC COLLECTION in my Spoonflower Shop! 
"Banana-rama" (above left) and "Polka Berries" (above right) are part of my
FRUIT-TASTIC COLLECTION! If you don't know, FIKA is the Swedish tradition of taking time for a coffee and cake break every day. But aside from what you eat and drink, it's really more about taking time to pause and socialize with friends and colleagues. Sounds pretty good to me! I've entered my new "Fika Swedish Pastry and Coffee Break" pattern design in this week's Spoonflower "Fika (Swedish Coffee Break)" Design Challenge! Look closely so you can see just how fun these flowered mugs of coffee and pastries are! I created them in a puffy "balloon-style", using a tool that I just recently discovered in Adobe Illustrator. Voting for this Challenge opens today and closes Tuesday September 27. You can link to the Voting Page HERE. BTW: I couldn't help trying this Illustrator tool out on a few other designs. Scroll down to see the fun results! All these pattern designs are now available in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in 3 sizes! Click the images below to see them in my Spoonflower Shop in Medium-Scale (Small- and Large-Scale also available)!  Fika Swedish Pastry and Coffee Break  Breakfast (I LOVE the fried eggs!)  Cupcake Dreams (adapted from an earlier design in a "flat" style which is also available in my Spoonflower Shop!) I've entered my "Happy Harvest" design in this week's Spoonflower "Petal Solids Coordinates: Optimism" Design Challenge! The idea behind this Challenge was to use at least 1 of the 3 given colours of Watermelon, Marigold and Lemon Lime, to create designs to coordinate with Spoonflower's Petal Signature Cotton Solids fabrics. Link to my Spoonflower Shop HERE. And if you like, check out the Voting Page HERE! BTW: Both my "Happy Harvest" and "Shrooms" designs come in a few other colourways too! Scroll down to see them. All are available for sale in my Spoonflower Shop! You can click the images below to go directly to that design in my Spoonflower Shop! 
Here is my entry for this week's Spoonflower "Vintage Recipe Wall Hanging" Design Challenge, called "Chop and Toss"! I thought as far as recipes go, chopping and tossing is about as easy as a recipe gets! Although I've added a version specifically designed for Wall Hangings (and Tea Towels too, see below) to my Spoonflower Shop, I've also added this repeat pattern in 3 sizes to my Spoonflower Shop, so it's available on fabrics, wallpaper and home decor too! I really think this would make super FUN kitchen wallpaper (or a fantastic apron)! What do you think?! VOTE HERE (voting ends Tuesday October 12)! AND NOTE TO SELF: Never throw anything away! This scribble design is adapted from one I did quite a few years ago (just had to change to colour palette!). I always loved it, but it never seemed quite right for anything...until now! Click the images below to see the Wall Hanging in my Spoonflower Shop!   This is my entry for this week's Spoonflower "Vegetable and Herb Gardens" Design Challenge! I call this one "Ratatouille" because it's full of eggplants and squashes, just like a classic ratatouille recipe! Eat your veggies! Check out my Spoonflower Shop and if you want to see all the entries this week and maybe cast a vote, check out the Voting Page too! . LAST DAY! Just a reminder, Spoonflower is offering BOGO 50% OFF Wallpaper Rolls, but this SALE ends today Friday June 18! Link to my Spoonflower Shop in bio! 
This is my entry for this week's Spoonflower "Charcuterie Board" Design Challenge! So many delectable things to include, but after I finished I realized I forgot to add cheese (you need something to eat with those crackers)! So I had to make my co-ordinate "Cheese, Please!" design to go with it! Link to the Voting Page to see all the entries and my Spoonflower Shop where you can buy these designs in my Shop in 3 sizes (Tiny-, Small- and Large-Scale!) on fabric, wallpaper and home decor! ADDENDUM: TOP VOTED! This design was voted #21 out of 478 designs! Thank you to all who voted!
This Week's Spoonflower "Day at the Lake" Design Challenge...because someone has to bring the food!7/16/2020 For this week’s Spoonflower “Day at the Lake” Design Challenge, someone had to bring the food, right? Here is my “Picnic” design! It would be great on tablecloths and runners, but why not pillows and I think it makes a super fun blanket. What do you think?! Check out all the summer inspiration at the Voting Page! 
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! 
And now for something completely different...My entry for this week's Spoonflower "Pop Art Citrus" Design Challenge! This one is called "Lemon Tart" and is a revised version of a design I did awhile ago but never did anything with. I thought it would be perfect for this challenge! I think this design would be great on kitchen items...but why not sheets and pillows?! If you want to see all the fun designs this week and vote, you can link to the Voting Page here!  I just submitted my new "Party Time!" pattern design to this month's "Birthday Bash" Handpicked Design Challenge from They Draw and Cook! Presents, flowers, cake, balloons and...martinis! I see this as giftwrap or a really fun apron, what about you?! This design is now available to license!   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!   |
AuthorJackie Tahara of UnBlink Studio Archives
October 2024
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All images on this website are Copyright © Jackie Tahara. All rights reserved.
If sharing, pinning or blogging my images, please always credit me and link back to my website. Supporting artists is a good thing to do! Thank you!
If sharing, pinning or blogging my images, please always credit me and link back to my website. Supporting artists is a good thing to do! Thank you!