Love Art, Craft + Free Design Download!

A new painting is in the works! Soulmates. You may have seen glimpses of this one before. It's been lingering in the studio waiting to get finished, and I'm working on it again. Stay tuned, I will reveal the final painting soon! Here's a sneak peek of the center section:

And to celebrate the month of love, I've added a new category in the RPS shop- Love-theme Art. Check it out!

A fun, FREE design download is now available: my Retro 80's Valentine digital paper pack! The collection has seven designs: Jazz Hearts (3 color variations), Heart Creme Latte (2 color variations) and Confetti Hearts Garland (2 color variations). (Note: this design download is for personal, non-commercial use only. Licensing inquiries welcome.) Enjoy!

As long as I can remember, I've had a passion for printed papers. So much that I even saved a wide assortment of stationery and cards from my childhood. This cute pastel heart letter set circa 1982 inspired me to create the retro 80's collection. Isn't it charming? I think I wrote letters to my grandma on this stationery :)

These days I still love making and sending cards. Some of my favorite tools are Molotow paint markers, Lyra colored pencils and Sharpie paint pens. All three of these have amazingly rich and permanent color.  Looking for a pop of color on a card or poster? The Sharpie neons are fun too.
Glue dots are an easy, no mess way to adhere tiny bits of paper or fabrics.

Sewers, here's a fun project to use up extra fabric. Embellish kitchen towels! Valentine's fabric makes a sweet gift, but try any type of cotton calico as well. Wouldn't this edging be cute with modern geometrics or vintage kitchen prints too?

Purchase a high quality kitchen towel, and cut a 9" strip of fabric that is one inch longer than the length of the towel. Press the edges under 1/4" on all sides, and then over another 1/4" so that the raw edge is hidden. Stitch the hem down near the top edge (this is called double-turn hemming). If you have a rolled hem foot for your machine, you can turn and sew the hem in one step.

Next, prepare the heart applique. Cut out a 5" paper heart template- fold a paper square in half and cut a half heart along the edge. Trace the heart onto your fabric and place it right sides together with another square of the same fabric. Sew all the way around the edges of the heart using a 1/4" seam. Trim off the excess fabric, and clip the curves. Cut a slit in the back of the sewn heart to turn it right side out and press. Machine applique the heart to the center of the edging strip using matching thread and a scant 1/8" seam. Optional: Zig-zag stitch the edge also.

Finally, sew the edging on the towel: Place the fabric edging strip with the right side face down on the towel  5" up from the bottom edge. Pin and sew the top edge to the towel. Turn the edging right side down and press.

And more decorative paper ideas... These next two are super simple, but just adorable. Find both of these patterns- heart chain and Danish hearts on RPS Pinterest!  This mini stapler is from the same era as my stationery too :)

 Find more free craft patterns/tutorials in the RPS Free Design Pattern Library!

XOXOXO,

Robin