Inspired Design Style: Wildflower

The beauty of late summer meadows, sprinkled lightly with color amidst an earthy richness
brings forth a rustic vibrance that is light as honey, yet rich as wine. There's a unique glow this time of year as the days shorten slightly. In the garden, many plants have now completed their cycle and August wildflowers take center stage.

1.  Rose, Black Eyed Susan and Daisy bouquet, from our garden
2. Claude Monet's "Garden at Argenteuil", one of my favorite paintings!
3. Bleeding Heart and Trillium arrangement, our garden
4. Felt/embroidery flower basket wall hanging, a Robin Phillips Studio pattern
5. Antique basket of lavender from my collection, our garden
6. Kanzashi folded fabric flowers, so fun to make
7. Garden bed inspiration: Lavendar, Pampas grass, Yarrow and Sedum
8.  Floral candleholder, wicker mat and old crochet runner, my heirlooms and thrift store finds
9. Beaded sunflower picture frame,  peyote stitched flower
10. Patchwork table runner, embroidered linens and wood inlay frame, RPS pattern and antiques
11. Arrangement inspiration: Bacopa, Butterfly Weed, Dracaena
12. Sunflower!, my favorite August flower
13. Dahlia, pansy and vinca vine in my old clay pot planter, our garden
14. Primrose printable design (design downloads RPS shop)
15. My grandmother's wildflower painting, circa 1970
16. Our bird garden/wildflower bed: Black-Eyed Susan, Salvia, Penstemon, Crocosmia, Hyssop
17. Old crochet, wicker, shells and silk flowers, my thrift store finds and antiques
18. My painting "Sun Spirit", 6" x 8", oil and mixed media on canvas
19. Flowering Thyme, our garden/pond
20. Etched pewter platter, Violet china, shells, silk flowers, my thrift store finds and antiques

And a wildflower-inspired table runner....

Use your favorite floral prints in 2-1/2" squares. The finished mat is 22" x 22" with 4-inch border sashes. I used Clover's Yo-Yo Flower Maker for the small flowers and the large flowers are based on the traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt block.

More wildflower design ideas:

-multi-color accents paired with earth tones
-small flower motifs
-Impressionist style prints
-old paintings
-wicker and weathered wood
-vintage pitchers and clay pots
-layer wicker mats, crochet and old-fashioned lace
-country plaids
-Gardens: Try a wildflower bed with long stems such as Salvia, Lavendar, Black-Eyed Susan, Sunset Hyssop, Purple Coneflower, Aster or Daisies. Small groundcovers like violets or thyme and grasses are great for borders and rocky areas.

Enjoy the summer while it lasts and happy designing!

A Touch of Fall

What a magical time of year it is as the first leaves turn. Now the days have a slight wind and we bring out the quilts on the sofa. Soups and stews simmer in the kitchen, and I just want to nest inside. I love adding seasonal decor touches to cozy up my home. Around the studio, I'm getting into many fall-inspired projects!

 I use my Fall Country Apples pillow case as a table centerpiece too. Find the country apple sewing pattern here. To match it, I found this cute wicker mat and the orange vintage crochet at a thrift store a few years ago. My husband, Columbia River Tile and Stone, makes these beautiful granite candleholders. This one is Baltic Brown granite- so perfect for fall!

Love this designer- Country Cottage Needleworks,... Apple Orchard pattern

And....I'm excited to announce a new cross stitch pattern of my own- Variegated Fall Leaf! This one is really fun and simple with just eight thread colors. It goes pretty fast with a stitch count of only 38 x 35. If you're new to cross stitching this is an easy pattern to start with. I used 11 count Aida cloth and framed it in a 6x6 (4x4 opening) bronze wood frame. Then I added on a black ribbon to hang it with. It's perfect for a small corner or shelf. Or it could be sewn as a motif on a bag or table linen...
Find the fall leaf pattern here!

 Vintage fall fabrics, aren't they sweet? I used these them to make simple potholders and a decor pillow. I find them everywhere from thrift stores to estate sales. Some are handed down from family and friends. Aren't those the most special?  For the hot pads, I make them large and strong with four layers of natural cotton batting for extra support. Make sure to use 100% natural materials for your potholders since synthetic fibers (polyester and poly/cotton blends) melt in the oven. I learned this by accident once ;/ Stay posted for a free downloadable potholder pattern, coming soon!

 Here's a fun country-style design idea: Apple Picnic pillow. I alternated 2.5 inch plaid fabric squares with a vintage apple print. Try any fall fabric matched with a plaid print for a similar look. I use a 1/4-inch piecing foot for perfect piecing. For the center, I hand stitched a lace motif on denim. It has an old-time look to it that I just love! I cut the flower out of an old piece of lace and then stitched around the edges with white thread. You could also iron it on with fusible web too. This simple pillow measures 9x9 finished.

My cat is as obsessed with fabric as I am :)

For a firm, non-lumpy pillow, make your own pillow insert. This makes such as difference, and you can remove the pillow for washing later. Sew a casing out of two pieces of muslin or lightweight cotton that is one inch smaller than the pillow. Stuff it and then insert it in the pillow case.

Make the pillow case removable by adding snaps to the end closure. For larger pillows, I like to make a slipcover opening on the back or a zipper, but since this one is so small I used snaps.

Happy Fall!

Art, Craft, Design, Photo and Decor Inspiration!

Lately I absolutely love Pinterest. It's the perfect place to collect all my inspirations which find their way into my art, patterns and designs. I also share new art and designs here all the time. If you haven't found me there yet,  check out http://pinterest.com/rphillipsstudio/.

Here you'll find ......

inspirational messages
animal art
quilt and cross stitch patterns
cottage and country home decor
pillows
romantic scenes
vintage housewares
gorgeous cottages
romantic/whimsical/fantasy painters
folk artists
flowers and gardens
fabric and lace
nature photos from my travels
fairies and angels

and more!

Do you have an inspirational board? Feel free to share it here too :)

Fun Design Idea- Altered Cards

Here's a quick and fun way to customize cards! I wanted to make some special thank you cards for friends and family. So, I took a few cards I already had at home and embellished them with scrapbooking supplies. 

I used fancy scalloped scissors for a decorative edging and glued on a patterned paper border. Then, I added on lace trim and flower buttons. On the inside, I made mini paper collage shapes and strips with Japanese and Baroque wallpaper style papers. I used an exacto knife, art markers and star stamper for the accent designs. :)

Follow RPS  #craftydesignideas on Instagram for more inspiration. :)

Beach Cottage

A magical summer weekend at a beach cottage on the Oregon coast. I love the ocean, the mist, the sights and smells. I could get lost on the beach forever! The way driftwood washes on the beach and the ripples in the sand. Fresh fish to fry and eat, games and movies, and a sky that never ends....

Cape Perpetua State Park, many fun trails and views!

The dogs swam and played and fought over sticks and frisbees :)

Inside the cottage, we put together a Charles Wysocki puzzle. I love his sweet, folk art America scenes :) Had to get another one to work on at home!

And cottage inspiration came home with me.... Here's the start of my beach cottage quilt table runner. First I created the pattern and measurements on the computer, and then started piecing. I hope to have the pattern available for sale soon. Stay tuned for more details!  Update: The Beach Cottage Table Runner sewing pattern is now available in the RPS gift shop!

A super cute beach cottage pattern from Country Cottage Needleworks, I had to get this one! I just love the effect of the variegated threads in the trees and roof. Crescent Colors Willow is used in the trees.

The Old Beach Cottage ©2012

And finally, I started a new painting inspired by the cottage, still working on the details....
See more of my art on RPS Facebook,  where I post new images often. Happy July!

Fast Moving Days and Aloha!

Radiance © 2012

A busy time recently, first working on new websites, new paintings and an article/interview and then off to Hawaii for 10 days in April! Above is one of my new pieces, Radiance, and three more paintings I'm about to finish I will post soon.  I'm excited to unveil the new websites I designed for artists, and one for a non-profit...

www.heidedavis.com
www.donnasaurina.com
www.childfoundation.af

Also, I'm so excited to be featured in the May issue of Professional Artist Magazine. See the article on my website.

Our trip to Hawaii was absolutely incredible, we spent time on the Big Island (Hawaii), Kauai, and one day in Waikiki/Honolulu (Oahu). We went off the beaten path to see a lot of nature, animals, art and quilts, unique sites, and also to try local food, which is a delicious combination of asian/polynesian. My favorite was the poke, a raw fish and seaweed dish :)

condo in Kauai, oceanfront

Kauai, Waileua Falls

Kauai's Grand Canyon

Plumeria flower, National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Kauai

Many Hawaiian quilts feature flowers or breadfruit tree leaves, which symbolize abundance :)

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu

Endangered Nene goose, Hawaii's state bird

Pele's (Volcano Goddess) flower, the Lehua blossom

Pele's fiery caldera, Volcano National Park, Hawaii

Rainforest, Volcano National Park

And finally some Hawaii art/craft inspiration... I brought home this beautiful hibscus needlepoint canvas to stitch, quilt patterns in cross stitch, and art cards by visionary artist Francene Hart and Warren Rapozo, a contemporary hawaii painter.  When we got home, I started an ocean waves table runner in crochet inspired by the beautiful, mesmerizing oceans.  The table runner is small shell stitch, and the five shades of white and blues will repeat in rows. The pattern is from this book 280 Crochet Shell Patterns. 

And I found some gorgeous Hawaiian fabrics! Now to plan a hawaiian quilt with these.... I might use light yellow squares as spacers between the fabrics.

:)  Lots of Aloha to you!!  :)