Sunday Showcase - Schatzi Brown

hi guys and welcome to the first of my Sunday Showcase features!  here i will be showcasing some of the amazing work from my fellow classmates of the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design course...

todays designer is the wonderfully talented Schatzi Brown (otherwise known as Tanya Brown).  based in New York she has a background in Surface and Textile Design.

she has a beautiful blog where you can follow her work. i love her pattern story feature, it's like a growing look-book, full of so much inspiration! ...the same with her pinterest collections...gorgeous mini-moodboards of all varieties...i could stare at them all day!

Tanya incorporates so many elements into her designs - hand drawn motifs, painting and digital elements - it gives her a totally unique style. i absolutely love her palettes - just so rich and yummy!

if you want to own some of Tanyas work she has a number of her designs available as iPhone cases, laptop skins, and canvases on society6, and she has prints for sale on etsy:

QUICK LINKS:

W: http://www.schatzibrown.com/ 

B: http://schatzibrown.wordpress.com/

F: http://www.facebook.com/tanya.z.brown

T: https://twitter.com/#!/Schatztibrown

P: http://pinterest.com/schatzibrown/

E: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SchatziBrown

S6: http://society6.com/SchatziBrown/cases

ABSPD graduate!

yay me...i graduated!

i can't believe the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course is over...it has flown by! it has been the most amazing course, and it could not have come at a better time.  created and run by two hugely talented ladies - Miss Rachael Taylor and Miss Beth Nicholls - it has been such an incredible few months, i never thought i would get nearly as much out of it as i have.

my ABSPD first range: Breezy Stars

they shared such a wealth of knowledge, far far more than i ever expected to get out of the course to be honest. i really feel like things are starting to happen... i've had some amazing feedback on the work i have done throughout the course and privately, which has done nothing but boost my confidence! i have 'found my style' and have so many projects planned i just don't know where to begin!

stationery range: April Petals

i am currently freelancing with an agent under a studio name, but now that i am loaded with all this new information i feel like things could start changing and i could actually become my own name...Mel Smith Designs will be unleashed! one step at a time but i really think things will soon start to pull together and one day i will get to my dream - i'll have my own little boutiquey shop on a cutesy high street, with my adorable little dog by my side selling glorious pattern on every surface imaginable!  [sigh]!

so all i can say is thank you so much to Rachael and Beth for putting their heads together and coming up with this most incredible course, it really has been the most inspirational journey (overwhelming at times, but in a good way of course ;)  and thank you to all my classmates! we have been such a great group and so supportive of one another...i can't wait 'til our meet-ups and to see where we all now go...it's all so very exciting!

blog hop special!

hello, hello, hello and welcome!  you've probably just joined me from the wonderful Tammie Bennett on todays blog hop.

it has been an amazing few months for me all thanks to joining the incredible Art and Business of Surface Pattern designs e-course run by Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholls.  so much information has been shared and so many doors have been opened...

my website is up and running and you can follow me on my facebook page.  i have had the opportunity to enter some amazing competitions:

i was a semi-finalist with this Summer Burst fabric design based on watercolours for Fabric8; my Spring Fresh paisley design for the Beta Fashion and Topshop scarf competition; and i have received great feedback for my Wallpapered design entries.  

i now have some products for sale on society6 featuring designs from my new Black Border range...

...and i will have a new etsy shop opening very soon with lots of handmade goodies from notebooks, to ear-rings, recipe cards to magnets, all featuring designs from my brand new Bold & Beautiful ranges, as well as my Zinnia, Kaleido, and Henna ranges. please do pop along!

the course has been so inspiring - i would highly recommend it if you have any interest in surface pattern and want to pursue a career in the field, whether it be freelancing, studio work, or self-employed. visit here for full details.

i have so many exciting things planned for the upcoming months, i can't wait!

so why not visit one of my fellow e-course classmates - the fabulous Michelle Drew...and if you want to see the full list visit Claire Smillie back at the start...enjoy! 

charity event!

my family held a small charity event this weekend for family and friends to raise money for Harefield Hospital's new MRI scanner.

headed by my mum we sold plants, handmade garden tubs & troughs, and cake goodies baked by our own fair hands! and i thought this would be a great opportunity to display some of Mel Smith Designs handmade products as well! notebooks, gift-cards, buttons, jewelry, and magnets featuring designs from my Zinnia collection and the Bold & Beautiful collection were all on display and went down a treat - we raised £265.75!

my products will soon be available on etsy...watch this space!

tulip fever!

my good friend alice recently visited amsterdam for tulip season and it looked absolutely stunning, as the photos show! there were so many beautiful colours and displays I wasn't quite sure which to pick, so i selected just a few of my favourites...

i think i'll definitely be taking a trip next year to see for myself...gorgeous!

thanks for the pics al! :)

pattern at the park

i also took a little trip to the olympic village - free tickets to the BUCS athletics tournament! the park was amazing, still a little way to go to finish everything off but the majority of it was in place...landscaped beautifully and with what looked like giant crayons in the river it was actually rather peaceful...i'm sure that will all change when the real olympics reach us!

and obviously i had a nose around at the architecture...the stadium, the velodrome, and the aquatics centre all looked amazing - plus there's a little snap here of the recently completed shard, taken on the way home...an absolutely stunning building, i was quite in awe...

designing women

i visited the wonderful fashion and textiles museum this weekend with my good friend caroline as they were showcasing some amazing work from the leading ladies of design dating back to the '50's and '60's - my favourite era!

huge lengths of fabric were displayed around the rooms, alongside magazines from the time, and recent book features. works from Lucienne Day, Mary White, and Jacqueline Groag to name but a few.  gorgeous prints in gorgeous colourways...i was in my heaven!

a small display of vintage handkerchiefs and scarves were displayed in the upstairs workshop, accompanied by recently released design book 'the printed square'...a must buy!

a third room was dedicated to all things Sanderson - prints and books, and a video featuring unique access to their studio focusing on their Fifties range.