New Colorways

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but Powerball mania struck here Wednesday evening and I found myself racing to 7-11 to buy a ticket. It was after 9pm and the place ... was ... packed! Just goes to show, we still have a lot of dreamers out there. I love it.

For those of you that have been following along for a bit, you know that every Friday I aim to share a new textile design in the works. This New Fabric Friday's design also gives a peek into our process.

Lately, I've been experimenting with new colorways for existing designs. For example, changing the red in my “Indigo & Marsala” design to a green. At first, I wasn’t sure how it would look … but after playing around with a few different colors, I found a sage green that seems to fit right in. 

What do you think? Which one do you prefer? Did you stay up late to watch the Powerball numbers? Have a great weekend!

(On the left: original Indigo & Marsala design on the left; the new color way with green on the right)

We're on TV! Made in Arlington

Last fall, I was contacted by Arlington County with a request to participate in a new series they were launching in 2016, called “Made in Arlington.” Initially, to be honest I wasn’t sure if I would say yes! I am an introvert by nature so the thought of being on camera was nerve-wracking. Then I viewed the producer Jeremy Carpel's work and decided nothing ventured, nothing gained. We talked about story lines and set a filming date.

The series is now airing on Arlington cable TV. You can view our segment anytime here.

My favorite part in the video is painting with my kids, John and Mira. At Jeremy’s request, I asked John ahead of time if he would participate. John said, “I’ll think about it." If you know my son, you know at times it can be difficult to convince him to do something he does not want to do. I crossed my fingers and hoped he would be a good sport. On filming day, John got off the school bus and said, “Mom, you have ten minutes.” Nothing like filming under pressure!

Thank you! to the producer Jeremy Carpel of Plumshot Productions & Arlington TV. Jeremy's calm demeanor made filming easy -- and to Susan Soroko, Arlington Economic Development's Director, Creative Economy, for making it all happen. (It was Susan who, when she first heard about the new series in the works, said to Jeremy: ‘you should check out Mira Jean Designs’). It takes a village.

Have you ever been on camera? Do you have an artist’s interview you’d recommend?

On my Desk

I recently discovered Artifact Uprising through Twitter, a website where you can design your own cards, prints and stationery. Their products are 100% recycled and made in the USA.They also make it super easy for those of us who love visuals and can’t resist taking pics everyday on our mobile phones, to create: a link on their site gives you easy access to your Instagram images. From there you can quickly arrange and create.

This 2016 card literally took me five minutes to make. (Okay, maybe 10). It features images from my original textile collection, paired with a peek of new designs I’ll be launching later this spring -- and of course a little bit of nature, which never ceases to inspire.

What’s on your desk? Did you make a New Year’s card? Happy 2016!

#2015bestnine #brandsiadmire #madeintheusa #ecofriendly #shareyourstory #artisan @artifactuprising #natureinspires #ilovecolor