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I’ve entered my “Fantasia” floral print in the current Spoonflower “Pantone Color of the Year: Fabric Palette” Design Challenge! The Challenge was to design fabric for an upholstery use using "Mocha Mousse" (the 2025 Pantone COTY) and the Pantone "Subtle Contrasts" Colour Palette! This palette also includes some beautiful blues...Which I was happy about! You can link to the Voting Page HERE. Public voting ends Tuesday Jan 14! . AND keep scrolling to see some of the other "Fantasia" colourways (some are not yet available in my Shops, but check back soon)!  If you want to SHOP my "Fantasia" in this colourway (Medium-Scale) in my Spoonflower Shop. Just CLICK HERE! It also comes in a Large- and Small-Scale on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor too! 
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SO when I first created my new “Garden Sprites” design I certainly didn’t envision it in this neutral-y colour palette (beige and brown, WHAT?!) BUT that being said, when I saw that the next Spoonflower Design Challenge is “Pantone 2025 Color of the Year: Monochrome Wallpaper”, which required that the Pantone COTY “Mocha Mousse” be used as the dominant colour in the design together with their “Relaxed Elegance” Colour Palette, I thought HMMMM...I wonder... . My “Garden Sprites” design with Mocha Mousse is now available in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in several sizes AND yes, I did enter it in the Challenge! Public voting opened Thursday Dec 19 (and closes Tuesday Dec 31)! You can link to the Voting Page HERE! And if you'd like to SHOP this design on Wallpaper, CLICK HERE! Don't forget, it also comes in a Small-Scale and Medium-Scale version too!  
Very honoured to be included in the “Discover 20 Surface Pattern Designers Available for Licensing” List, just released by Creativehowl on their website! Click the IMAGE below to see the List and while you’re there, be sure to take a moment to check out all the other surface pattern design resources available there! With thanks to Jonas Welin.  Warm and Cozy Cabincore! My Entry for the Spoonflower "Cabincore Wallpaper" Design Challenge!12/9/2024 The current Spoonflower Design Challenge is “Cabincore Wallpaper” and I’ve entered my “Birch Tree Stripes” design which features an abstracted forest of birch trees in warming cozy colours! Public Voting for this Challenge is now open until Tuesday Dec 17. You can link to the Voting Page HERE! . “Birch Tree Stripes” is also now available in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor in 3 sizes!   OH and I really thought this design would also make a gorgeous dress for AW 24/25! So here is how I envisioned it, I think this would make a great holiday party dress (in a Small-Scale, of course)!...What do you think?  I’ve entered my “Western Bighorn Sheep” design in the current Spoonflower “Western Americana” Design Challenge! CLICK THE IMAGE below to go to the Design Challenge Voting Page! Public voting closes Tuesday December 3.  Graphic T-Shirt Design for Friends of the National Arboretum Fall 5K Run in Washington DC!11/24/2024 On November 10 2024, the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) Fall 5K Run was, well, RUN in Washington, DC, and every participant received their Race T-Shirt which I helped design! I'm a runner myself, and whenever I participate in a race, it's always fun to receive the registration package which usually includes a great souvenir Tee! Although I didn't run in this race, I loved seeing the T-Shirts out there! . PHOTO CREDITS: Beth Haubach and Friends of the National Arboretum, Washington DC.      Happy to announce that I’ve partnered with Lumos Bike Helmets in the launch of their newest NYXEL Smart Bike Helmet! Check out their Kickstarter Campaign! Becoming a backer of their campaign lets you vote on the exclusive colours and designs that will ultimately go into production! They’ll release new colours and designs every Tuesday during November (I'll post mentions on my Blog when they go "live"!). This first week the theme is, appropriately, “Cycling”. Here is my vintage bike design, called “Lovely Day”, that’s been included this week! Fun!  QUESTION: Can you tell what words are scrambled up in this new print design that I created for babies and newborns? I’ve entered this one in this week’s Spoonflower “Welcome To The World” Design Challenge! Public voting opens Thursday Oct 24 and you can link to the Voting Page HERE. Note: I forgot I actually entered the Pink version, but it comes in Pink and Blue, as you can see! . My concept for this one...The scrambled letters are meant to convey a heartfelt message (okay, okay, please resist any “funny” answers to my question!), but also nods to childhood development, learning letters, reading and playing with toy blocks! . To SHOP these designs in my Spoonflower Shop on Fabrics, Wallpaper and Home Decor, click on the images below (links to the Small-Scale versions). Both colourways come in Small-, Medium- and Large-Scale versions! 
The current Spoonflower Design Challenge is “Wallpaper Backsplashes” and I took that theme literally! I entered my “Splatter” design (Abstract Expressionism for the walls?) in this colourway, and I want to thank everyone who helped me decide which colourway to enter! Public voting is open until Tuesday Oct 22 and you can link to the Voting Page HERE! I'd love your vote for this one! And if you'd like to SHOP this design, you can check it out in my Spoonflower Shop by clicking the IMAGES below!    I was kinda surprised late on Sunday Sept 1 to find out that entries for the next Spoonflower “Refined Bohemian Wallpaper” Design Challenge would close Tuesday Sept 3. Usually, the Challenges happen every 2 weeks, and since the last one closed August 27, I expected the next Challenge entries would close Tuesday Sept 10 (ie. I should have had another week to create a new design)! So it was a BIT of a scramble, but I did manage to enter my new “Bohemian Garden” design. If I had had more time, I would have fussed ALOT more over this one, but ya know, it was kinda liberating to not do that! Maybe there’s a lesson learned in that, something about spontaneity perhaps?! Public voting for this Challenge closes Tuesday Sept 24, so you still have lots of time to vote! Link to the Voting Page HERE! Click the IMAGES below to SHOP this design in my Spoonflower Shop (it comes in TWO colourways too!)  Of course, I couldn’t resist adding an alternate colourway of my "Bohemian Garden" design to my Spoonflower Shop too: Neutrals, Lavender and Mauve on Powder Blue (see below)...Maybe this 2nd colourway is more “Refined” after all, hmmm, what do you think?!  Playing Catchup #2: My Entry for the Spoonflower "Non-Directional Ditsy Holiday" Design Challenge!9/15/2024 Whoops again! To continue on from my previous Blog Post, here's my "second" catchup of my entries for the last two Spoonflower Design Challenges! Apologies that voting for this Challenge is now closed, but I just wanted to share the story behind my new "Festive Garlands" design. And you can SHOP this design in my Spoonflower Shop by clicking the IMAGES below! My "Non-Directional Ditsy Holiday" Design Challenge Entry: "Festive Garlands" When I check out all those mouth-watering racks of single-sheet gift wrap in stationery stores around the Christmas holidays, it’s usually the “non-traditional” designs that catch my eye. So, for the Spoonflower “Non-Directional Ditsy Holiday” Design Challenge, I just felt the need to do something a little different, ie. something that would catch my eye in a shop BUT would still say “Holiday” to me! So here is my brand new “Festive Garlands” botanical pattern design that has some Christmas colours and festive sparkle-y bits! What do you think? Does it say “Holiday” to you (or maybe “Festive” or “Party Time” or...)? Click the images to see this design in my Spoonflower Shop!  
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.     Back in 2015 (or was it 2016?), before I even knew “surface pattern design” was a thing, I somehow (and I have no idea how) stumbled upon the online courses offered by the team at Make It In Design (MIID). Online learning was unfamiliar back then, but reading what MIID promised to teach me (ie. surface pattern design, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, licensing, agents, and so much more), really lit a lightbulb in me, and I signed up for all the courses MIID then offered (Modules 1, 2 and 3 plus the Ultimate Portfolio Builder). Over the years, I’ve participated in their Live Hub membership; taken many other courses they later offered; made so many connections with the community of designers that grew around MIID; and was even an invited panelist for their “Superstars of Make It In Design” Live Panel Discussion in 2022. I also met co-founder Rachael Taylor in person at the Guggenheim in NYC when I attended Surtex 2017 (or was it 2018?)
But now the team that started it all for me has just announced they will be closing the MIID doors forever as of December 31 2024. I understand the online course landscape has changed dramatically since I took those first MIID courses, and maybe we’re all a bit weary and sceptical of how many courses are being advertised to us now, but MIID was one of the early pioneers of online creative courses, and I will always always be grateful to them for building my confidence, and starting me on this creative, inspiring and successful journey. I would just like to say to them, "You will be missed", and I wish you all the best in your new projects. You can read the MIID Closing Announcement HERE (until December 31 2024). 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)!  ILLUSTRATORS FOR HIRE Member I recently applied to join Illustrators For Hire (@illustratorsforhire) and was accepted! As an IFH Member, I'm joining a curated group of select professional illustrators and surface pattern designers. Check out my Florals + Plants and Patterns pages there! Get in touch with me if you'd like to discuss working together on your project! 
CREATIVEHOWL Surface Pattern Designer Directory You can now find me listed in the Surface Pattern Designer Directory on Creativehowl (@creativehowl)!  |
AuthorJackie Tahara of UnBlink Studio Archives
June 2025
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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!