Category Archives: Surface Design

Feeling Fika Fine – Spoonflower Design Challenge

Fika Fine Tablecloth. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

The design theme this week is Swedish Fika. Fika is a coffee and cake break, but is much more than that. Fika is a state of mind. An attitude and an important part of Swedish culture. It is considered almost essential to make time for fika every day. And often, several times a day. It means making time for friends and colleagues to share a cup of coffee (or tea) and a little something to eat.

This design came together fairly quickly. A nice surprise. I delayed starting, sure that I could not pull it off. Doubting myself.

Fika Fine Napkins. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Fika Fine Table runner. © 2022 Sheila Delgado. — Fika Fine Napkins. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Fika Fine Pattern Sample. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

I had fun creating the treats and Latte. For the dishware I used a pattern I created a few years ago. It has the colors of the Swedish flag and seemed a perfect fit.

I added shadows and highlights to add dimension to the treats, and china. That took some finagling, but was fun to do.

Voting is open now through the 27th. Thanks so much for taking a look. 🙂

Fika Fine Close Up. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Desert Dune Buds placed at 811 of 1177 with 21 votes. I appreciate you taking the time to vote for me. Thanks a bunch! 🙂

I am so grateful I have had the energy to take part in the design challenges while also painting each day for the 30-Day Creative Gathering. I’ve had to sneak in a nap a few times, but I am managing. 😉😉🙏

Days 15 Through 20 Of the September 30-Day Gathering

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Day 20, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

I’m having fun with these. The first four were painted in acrylic or watercolor. And the patterns were added digitally in Photoshop. Not as easy as it might sound. On the vase above it took three times longer to add the collage and effects, than it did to paint it.

Day 19, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado. — Day 19, CG 9 22. 4 x 6 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Day 18, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado. — Day 18, CG 9 22. 4 x 6 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Day 17, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado. — Day 17, CG 9 22. 4 x 6 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

For day 16, I shared a work in progress. I will be sharing the final pattern soon. Here I created a plaid, which will act as the background for the rest of the design. The theme is Fika, Swedish coffee break. But it is so much more than that. Fika is all about bonding with friends and family. It can take place several times a day.

I knew that many would use the colors of the Swedish flag, And I wanted to do something different. I tried adding a weave texture, but as you can see, it darkens the colors too much.

Day 16, CG 9 22. Surface pattern © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

This landscape is watercolor, acrylics and collage. And splatter of course. 😆

Day 15, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Mixed media, collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado. — Day 15, CG 9 22. 4 x 6 inch. Mixed media, collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Here in the valley we are enjoying a rainy, dark day. It’s been raining off and on since about 11 pm. It is cool, and the rain is not evaporating. This is a good long soak.

Creativity is
inventing,
experimenting,
growing,
taking risks,
breaking rules,
making mistakes,
and having fun.
Mary Lou Cook

Otherworldly Botanicals, Spoonflower Challenge

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Well, not too otherworldly. The desert was my inspiration. There is a bloom that looks like a striped starfish. It grows in Africa, and has a horrible odor. Which of course attracts bugs. The Starfish Flower Cactus. Haha. Appropriate. Combines my love of the sea, and of the desert. It is more of a succulent than a cactus. The smaller “bloom” in this design was inspired by String of Pearls. With a twist. I love those plants. And yes, I love peas. And I do think they look like they are from a distant planet.

I created a few more blooms, but felt like I needed to keep it sparse. Like the desert. I reworked the background I had used for the roadrunner design. I copied more of the sandy, jagged markings and placed them throughout. I started with more of a caramel background. A very warm sand. But here it looks more orange. Works for fall though! And Mars is reddish orange.😂 Voting is open now thru the 20th.

So grateful for your votes! I know it is a chore. Time for me to vote, and check out the fabulous designers! 😂