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

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

HAPPY 2016!

Happy New Year ... & Welcome!

Mira Jean Designs began as a New Year's Resolution. For years, I had dreamed of designing textiles and launching my own business. In 2014, I decided it was finally time to make it happen and took concrete steps to turn the dream into a reality.

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome you to my new blog. (In 2015, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to launch a blog ... nothing like working right up against a deadline!).

I invite you to follow along (Mira Jean Designs is also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), share your thoughts as we experience the days and new year ahead, and most importantly .... Thank You! for your business and support.

Here's to a colorful 2016! May you find comfort and beauty in your home; and inspiration in children's art, the everyday, and nature all around us.

Warmly,

Kate Hougen
Founder & Designer
Mira Jean Designs, LLC