We're in Fast Company! It's all about the Kids

A few weeks ago, a friend let me know about a writer working on an article for a national magazine regarding careers and kids. The story angle was intriguing: how having kids helped one's career. I immediately reached out to the writer to see if I could help. Fast forward to last week, and ... we're in Fast Company! You can reach the full article here.

I am proud to be part of a story that celebrates the contributions kids make to one's career -- and to help contribute to a healthy dialog on work/life balance. I also love that it all came about via a tweet. Thank you to Patricia Fuentes Burns for connecting us! And to writer and author Laura Vanderkam for the opportunity. It takes a village - and Twitter!

Speaking of kids, I also wanted to share with you one of the latest custom kids' creations from the studio, this new pouf and pillow pairing we delivered last week:

The little artist was about 5 years old when he painted this figure on a 5 x 7 canvas. I love that it's now a custom fabric, pillow and pouf -- something that his family can enjoy in their home, for years to come. Of all of the textile design work I do, it's these custom creations I enjoy making the most. Thank you for letting me share this latest one with you!

Happy Leap Year,
xo, Kate

Local Love

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! How did you celebrate? The past week or so was a bit of a whirlwind. Last Sunday, I kicked off the Valentine's season by co-hosting a very special arts & crafts class for kids along with my wonderfully talented friend Heidi Drake, founder of Happy Lucky Kids. 

Heidi and I teamed up to design a workshop at our local Arlington Mill Community Center, thanks to the generous support of Arlington County. Kids made Valentine's Day cards inspired by fabulous bloggers we love (thank you, Gabrielle @ Design Mom and Julia @ CutOuts Studio!), painted "dream cloud" mobiles, and more. The workshop was so much fun; kids' artwork never ceases to delight. 

(photo courtesy of Happy Lucky Kids)

Next up was a very special event at The Nest Egg in Fairfax, VA on Thursday eve. The Nest Egg is a beautifully curated home furnishings and gifts store. If you're in the area and haven't been, it's worth a special trip. Here's a peek of what you'll find:

(photo courtesy of The Nest Egg's website)

Owner Ann O'Shields and her team make everyone feel at home. The boutique also offers interior design services, helping clients with everything from fabric and wall color selection to full room designs and installation. 

Ann and I worked together over a decade ago -- long before she opened The Nest Egg and I started designing textiles. I love life's unexpected twists and turns! It was such a pleasure to be at her store and a part of its February "local love" promotion. I also love that on the ottoman by our organic throws, I found this coffee table book ... a new one for my Amazon wish list. :-)

Finally, in celebration of all things local, I announced a very special Valentine's Day promotion at The Nest Egg and to my e-list -- and wanted to share it here with you, too: enjoy 10% off any MJD purchase, now through the end of February. Code is: IHEARTYOU.

Happy February! Hope Cupid was good to you. 

xo, 

Kate

Pattern & Play

I just looked back at my last post ... mid-Jan. Guess that's what happens when a blizzard hits!

It's been a whirlwind few weeks as we hunkered down for the big snowstorm, built igloos in the front yard with the mounds of fresh snow, enjoyed sledding and time with friends (okay, and maybe a little wine) and then (finally!) dug out.

In the midst of all the snow, I also stayed focused on new year's goals. I took a 2-day Pattern Camp workshop hosted by the talented artist & surface designer Jessica Swift, to help hone my repeat pattern design skills using Photoshop and Illustrator. As a self-taught designer, this course was a great opportunity to learn more about these two programs. Jessica is a wonderful teacher.

Another resource for my textile design work has been The Textile Design Lab, run by Michelle Fils at Pattern Observer. I reached out to Michelle in early January to introduce my work ... and am honored to be their featured designer! You can read the full post here. 

How did you spend the blizard? Are you making progress on your new year's goals?

Until next time, xo,  -Kate