September 2025

Dear First name / friend,

 

I'm home! Since returning to Southern California earlier this month I've happily been settling in to a new routine, while processing a summer bursting with fun and visits with friends new and old. After clearing some cobwebs (literally!) I was eager to get back to designing. Unsurprisingly, I found it wasn't easy just to pick up where I left off so, I started slow. I answered a few art calls, leveraging existing artwork and leaned into art books to help me get going with various analog exercises. After a little collage and some drawing, the ideas and motivation started to flow again.

 

Has this happened to you? Lulls in our creative spark can happen. Luckily they are temporary. If you're feeling like you've lost direction or momentum my advice is to simply proceed gently and allow the transition to take time. We get rusty. It's like how I remember feeling after returning to school from summer vacation. Suddenly I was supposed to do math again but it seemed like a foreign idea to my brain. Trust that the skills can and will come back. Just follow your curiosity even if it looks different. It may not be the way you are accustomed to creating, but moving in that direction in any way, will help. Whatever creative activity seems fun, peaks your interest or makes your heart flutter just a bit, is a legitimate way to start.

I just realized I may have subconsciously been welcoming myself home with this drawing exercise! It was a new way of thinking and it opened the door to my creative flow. I'm excited to be back.

It's still warm in my part of the world but Fall is upon us so I recolored a collection of patterns I created back in the Spring with a richer palette. I think they're nicely suited for home decor applications. While they are on Spoonflower, I've started looking for licensing opportunities. You can view the full collection here.

I've resumed participating in the Spoonflower Design Challenges that speak to me, like the annual tea towel calendar. I eased into it with this one since I used a drawing I already had but envisioned a new use for it. Pairing a kumquat topiary and fleur-de-lis detail with French provincial colors, I designed a set of coordinating versions, with and without the calendar. I think they make nice hostess/holiday gifts. You can find them all here.

Heads up! I'll be including a handy printable pdf of this calendar-at-a-glance for all subscribers in the next funletter so look out for that. I still have mine from last year under my desk protector.

 

Have you tried reverse coloring? If you like to doodle, you may want to try it.

 

While in Victoria, I visited a beautiful bookstore called Munro's Books in a heritage building that began as a bank in 1909. I popped in for the architecture but was smitten by the selection of arty books and cards. Glad I picked this one up - being watercolor based it was right up my alley. It's sparked some ideas for future projects. Why didn't I already think of this?!

 

All you need is a pen to get started. Even if you can't draw, it's a great way to begin. The color and basic shapes are already there - some more ambiguous than others. The images prompt you with a place to start while leaving plenty of room for your imagination. Draw what's there or what isn't. Draw outside the lines. Yay!

Reverse Coloring Book by Artist Harriet De Winton

Determined by a random number generator, the drawing recipient for a fat quarter of my Gingko Leaf pattern is: rlfh@… Congrats! Please respond with your mailing address to claim it within 30 days.

 

To give you time for a little Christmas make, the recipient for my White Poinsettia pattern will be announced next month. Be sure to check this section for your name in the next funletter.

Giveaway Fat Quarters

Until next time, happy creating!

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you know someone who might enjoy this funletter, please pass it along.

 

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