In Loving Memory of Erik McCartney of the Sawmill Shop

Dear Friends,

We received unthinkable news this week, and our hearts are ever so heavy. Our creative partner Erik McCartney of The Sawmill Shop passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, February 16 and just days before his 27th birthday. At such a young age, Erik’s enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit were quite an inspiration! His prompting 8 years ago to collaborate on woodcut products, truly inspired the idea to build a family of JPD Partners in Craft. Together through his unique process, we worked to bring our folk art and illustrations on his hand-cut plaques to thousands of homes. Based in South Carolina, Erik’s homegrown business has been an anchor to our JPD Partners in Craft, and with his passing, a piece of JPD has died as well. We will sorely miss Erik, and his contribution to our collections. With his passing, The Sawmill Shop has tragically come to an end. 🖤 Rest in Peace Dear Friend 🖤

As a Tribute to Erik and the many beautiful designs he made in collaboration with us, we created a short video, directly viewable via the the following platform links: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Sincerely,

~ Johanna & JP

Bye Bye Carnival Cottage

Dear Carnival Cottage Enthusiasts,

If you haven’t heard the news yet, we regret to inform you that our Carnival Cottage collection has come to a sudden end.

After almost 5 years, Magenta Inc. made the decision to eliminate our Carnival Cottage brand. In an effort to refine their licensing portfolio, we have been informed that they are shifting away from artist licenses to focus on their studio licenses with Disney, Peanuts, and others. Due to their restructuring initiatives, further design, development and production of the Carnival Cottage brand for off-price retail distribution has been discontinued, and their strategic decision to eliminate specialty lines, removes Carnival Cottage from their boutique portfolio as well.

The remaining inventory of Carnival Cottage Halloween pieces that we worked diligently to keep Special for Boutiques last year is now being sold into big box stores this season as part of Magenta’s liquidation of our collection. Unfortunately, we have little control over how Magenta handles their remaining stock. These leftover quantities are the end of the line, and while limited in quantity, this was not how we intended to close this chapter. On the contrary, we were anticipating to grow our collections with Magenta. We truly appreciate the Boutiques and all who supported us in carrying our first Carnival Cottage Specialty Halloween collection last year. It was not our vision to shift this collection to discounters so swiftly.

As we bid farewell to Carnival Cottage, we want to Thank ALL who inspired us to create this whimsical line. At its peak, the interest and enthusiasm from our fans, boutique retailers and the TJX Companies buying team was both exciting and inspiring, and it was a thrill to dream up this collection for ALL of YOU! We appreciate the opportunity to have worked and learned alongside Magenta’s creative team to make the magic happen, and it is heartbreaking to watch it die.

Hold dear the Carnival Cottage by Johanna Parker & Magenta Inc. collectibles that you may have or find along the way, as they are no longer being made today.

Although this novelty collection is closing its tent, we look forward to future opportunities where we can share the spirit of Carnival Cottage in other ways….

Sincerely,

Johanna Parker Design

New Carnival Cottage Halloween Sample Sneak Peek!

Happy Friday Friends! So, what ya think? Would you like to add some of these whimsical pieces to your Halloween decor & festivities? It’s Johanna Parker here, and Today we’re sharing our Sneak Peek at the Sample Phase of our Carnival Cottage design process. From sketch to development and now full form, it’s a treat to see those early scribbles and mock-ups come to life! Included is a new series of stand-alone ceramic designs that also add variety when paired with our figural items. You’ll see that the canisters, bowls, mugs and such can be rotated for a playful, pattern-only look too. The coordinating party, bakeware and garden items extend the collection and bring many more possibilities into the mix. Your feedback is key as we gauge interest for Halloween 2023. Please spread the word and let us know!! Be sure to share a like, a comment and thank you for your interest! :)

Thank you!

~ Johanna

Carnival Cottage ~ Halloween Product Development

Hello Again!

I’m sharing a peek at the various steps I take with our Creative Carnival Cottage Team to turn ideas into potential products! From sketch to illustration and template creation to clay art direction, the process is a test of patience, but one, well worth the wait! I work with a team of skilled graphic designers and creative directors who help design and arrange my illustrations for print and who also prepare my concepts for the sculpture artists who manifest our designs into form. To get a feel for the product shapes, I often print the team's templates to check alignment and fine-tune design details. Hence all the paper print-outs in this video! Enjoy this glimpse at some back and forth visuals, exchanged between these creatives to build the prototypes, inspired from rough sketches, previously shared. Be sure to share a like, a comment and follow along f you’d like to see the finished results! Thank you for your interest in our process!

Cheers,

~ Johanna

It all Starts with a Sketch!

Hello Friends!

It’s been a long while since I’ve added a post to my blog. But, Jack, if he were here, would meow, purr, share a few nose-bumps and encourage me to share! With that, it’s no time like the present to return and share what I’ve been creating…..

You’re in for a Treat! I’m taking you behind the scenes for a peek at my creative process, designing new product concepts for Carnival Cottage! Be sure to share a like and leave a comment if you’d like to see more! Truly, it all starts with a sketch! More to come….

Happy Haunting,

~ Johanna

Enjoy a behind the scene peek as licensed designer Johanna Parker sketches character concepts for Carnival Cottage Halloween products.

FUN with Spoonflower's Fill-A-Yard!

Hello Friends! It’s been ages since I blogged, and now I remember why…. It takes forever to put together an informative post!… From the planning and photography, to the text and editing, yes, it’s a long process, especially for someone who has an endless to-do list.. But, this feature article has been brewing in my mind for several months now, so it’s time to make the time to share and inspire!

As many of you you know, I have a Spoonflower Shop with a growing collection of fabric designs. We really love this source as our Go-To for very unique prints, catered to whatever quantities and fabric types desired. Recently, I started playing with Spoonflower’s new “Fill-A-Yard” feature, and I LOVE it! As a designer, it’s a great way to order my samples in various sizes. This way, I can proof the colors and check the repeats at the block size of my choosing….

Here’s a portion of my most recent designs on a “Fill-A-Project.” (…and yes, I’m standing in our bathroom because the lighting was just right!) Out of several different templates, Spoonflower’s “One Yard Cheater Quilt” option was my choice for this order, and I filled it up with a medley of new designs. I chose to print on their new Petal Signature Cotton, and the results are crisp and the colors, accurate! Yay!!… I plan to cut these swatches apart and photograph them by theme.

Another idea for a “Fill-A-Project” is to arrange matching prints in a coordinating motif. You can alternate designs in a playful checkerboard pattern or scatter a medley of styles into various sized blocks. With this particular template, you can print up to 42 designs in each 6” square. Or, choose to allow some surrounding squares to extend your favorite patterns into larger areas. Arrange them as you wish, place your order and then Quilt it! That’s why they call this one the Cheater Quilt!

The key to a great “Fill-A-Yard” project is to Create a Collection FIRST! Choose from any of my existing Designed Collections, or curate your own from the various designs in my Spoonflower Shop or search Spoonflower’s vast website for something specific and mix and match. Then, choose your Project Template and start arranging your design. It’s that easy…

Screen Captured Example:

I communicate best through images, and hence, visual aids are key. Above is a screen capture of a work-in-progress Cheater Quilt project. At right, is the “Pink Halloween” Collection that I chose to source this particular project from. At left, is the quilt template. Simply click and highlight a specific design from the collection at right, and then click a block on the quilt. From there, arrange and fill it up! …What FUN!

My first “Fill-A-Yard” order was back in early February. I needed to order proofs of my latest Valentines-themed designs, but I also had a No-Sew project in mind. So, I combined those to-do’s into one yard! You can see my V-Day & holiday print blocks covering half of this yard, and my aqua cherry print running along the other side of the yard’s length for my No-Sew experiment. Enjoy Before and After photos below of how that idea turned out!…. (Notice how excited Jack was!)

Here’s what I meant by “cutting the yard up into swatches” for photography. How fun are these playful folk art snowman prints?! I hand-painted these guys during the holidays, and then created the repeat in photoshop. I asked our friends on Instagram what color combos they preferred, and based on popularity, we added all 3! We always appreciate the feedback :) You can click on all of these photos for a larger view…

Again, here are more matching swatches, grouped together in a Valentine’s motif, all cut from my initial Fill-A-Project. Again, I was able to create the block sizes of my choosing. Photos of the actual prints are helpful to communicate the fabric color, texture and quality….

As for the No-Sew Project, we recently mounted some work lights above my studio workbench. JP found these great vintage aluminum brackets, just perfect for the space. But, the unsightly black cords were, well, just that. So, my solution is often “fabric to the rescue!” That’s been one of my Go-To, Fix-It solutions for many years! Just cover anything unsightly with attractive fabric!

Back in the 80s when I was just a kiddo, my mom and I would tear fabric into long strips. We’d wrap all sorts of stuff to create rag baskets, rag balls, rag necklaces and the list goes on. You could say that were very raggedy back then! :) Recently, visions of those rags resurfaced, and that’s when I picked a playful print from my Spoonflower Shop, and added it lengthwise across a portion of my fabric order, with visions of rags in mind….

Here’s the before photo of my “Cherries and Dots on Aqua” fabric…

A few quick pencil tick lines, spaced one inch apart, helped me layout my strips..

Just a snip and a rip at each tick mark, and soon enough, I had a series of long bandage-like strips to start the mummy wrap!

 
 

BEFORE, we see the contrasting black cord in all it’s bla bla bla boringness….

……and AFTER, we’ve got playful, colorful, swirling JPD Style!

Here’s a side by side…… The color and whimsical print just makes me giddy! While the boring black cord, just hurts my eyes. I prefer to customize my world with color and pattern whenever I can.. :)

That’s me, touching my mummified cord… And no worries, all of the wrapping efforts happened while “unplugged.”

BOOM! Instant style!…. Well, it took a couple hours and some pre-planning, but who’s counting? :)

Jack approved too! I like how the cords blend in more with my color palette and decor. Upon a closer inspection, you can enjoy the cherry patterns too… Fun from a distance and up close!

Well, I hope I offered a few tips and inspiration with these fun ways to order and play with Spoonflower’s unique fabric! The picture above is the other portion of my recent “Fill-A-Project” order. Yet another yard, it’s a medley of prints for my proofing and marketing. It includes a set of my new retro spring designs as well as last year’s Top #13 Cycling Challenge print and more folk art florals! Sure, it’s a hodge podge….. But, if I’m gonna cut it all up, who cares, right?

The ideas for Filling-A-Yard are endless, and I just wanted to share my excitement! If you have a project such as pillows, this is a great way to block out the alternating fabric for the fronts and backs and maybe add in some strips of blending prints for any trim work, playful patches or ruffles. Test it out, and see what creative ideas bubble up! You can thank me later… hehe!

PS: Share photos of your finished JPD-inspired projects so we can feature you in our Customer Gallery. Happy Sewing or in my case, No-Sewing!

ENJOY!

~ Johanna

How - To Halloween Hats!

Have you ever wondered how I make my conical paper hats? We have several spooky sweet decorative hat designs in our DIY Printables Shop for you to try your hand at, but if you’ve never made one before… well, it may be a wee bit daunting. GOOD NEWS! Abby from @KatPaperLove on YouTube & on Instagram surprised us with her How-To Videos! She shows us how easy it is from start to finish to make these vintage style delights that feature my illustrations! I have been wanting to make a similar video that walks you through the process, but I’m always designing new things. And well, I just haven’t had a moment to play with that! So, we are grateful that Abby picked our signal and jumped on it! Thank you!! Please check out her following YouTube links for crafting inspiration and secrets revealed to making these vintage style delights:

Vintage Halloween Hats ~ 100 Days of Katoween (Day 24)

DIY Vintage Crows from the 99 Cent Store! - 100 Days of Katoween (Day 25)

NOTE: Abby used a clever combination of both our FREE Print & Share Cat & Owl faces as well as our new “Black Cat & Jacks Halloween Hat” design, available in our Store. The results are clearly spooktacular!

We hope you watch and are inspired to try some for yourself!

Happy Crafting,

~ Johanna

 
Watch & Learn HOW TO make these Vintage Halloween Hats on Abby’s KatPaperLove YouTube channel!

Watch & Learn HOW TO make these Vintage Halloween Hats on Abby’s KatPaperLove YouTube channel!

 
 

It all starts with printing our high res digital download and cutting it up from there! Once you purchase the file, you can print as many as you wish for personal use.

 

Screen capture from Abby’s How-To video, showing how she uses her glue gun to make the magic happen…

Once she finished the hat, Abby added my freebie cat to embellish the look!

 

Voila! Vintage style Halloween can be yours at home with a few simple crafting supplies!

 

Abby shares a few tricks to help shape the hats and adorn the tops… She printed these at a smaller scale to add more variety to the group.

Just roll, glue and press… Abby takes the fear out of the project..

Make them large or small and festoon the objects in your home with a little Johanna Parker Design style!

Many thanks once again to our creative guest feature, Abby @KatPaperLove for jumping in and sharing her talents and tips with us! You can peek at her artful creations at @artista.kat as well. ENJOY!

Vintage Tuesdays

Let's face it ~ I LOVE Vintage things... The artistry of the past certainly intrigues me. People often ask what inspires my art, and although I don't keep a stack of old magazines and books on hand from the 1930s, I do seem to easily tap into the spirit of the Art Deco era. It's no wonder that I was drawn to our 1939 cottage home with its authentic archways, nooks, vintage stove and old fixtures. I don't belong in 2018 in a world of shiny, sharp-edged products and disturbing blue-lit screens. I love the amber lighting of the past and all the flowing lines and curves of the artistry that crafts-men and women poured into their work. You'll see these elements reflected in my folk art, over and over again. 

Our house is filled with many family mementos and vintage finds that I have collected along the way. Yes, dusting is a chore, and that doesn't happen as often as it should. But, I do love to surround myself with these delights. In honor of my passion for pieces of the past, I recently started a Vintage Tuesday feature on my Instagram page @jparkerdesign. Each Tuesday (time permitting) I'll post a little snippet of something timeworn in our home that brings delight to me. If you have an Instagram page, follow along and join in by posting photos too! Use the hashtag #VintageTuesday :-) I'll see you there! Happy Treasure hunting!

~ Johanna

Source: https://www.instagram.com/jparkerdesign/

New Fabric ~ Sneak Peek!

Sewwwww, I'm thinking that the timing is PERFECT to Give the Gift of custom, American-made, designer fabric to Mom! Luckily, I've added 30 NEW designs to my Spoonflower Shop!... Themes range from Floral to Halloween, and there's even a Heart scatter in the mix. JP and I snapped some pretty vignettes to show some of these yummy combos. This time around, I designed larger focal prints as well as smaller coordinates that work great as blenders for quilts, trim details on apparel, fashion accessories, pillows and the list goes on. I hope you will enjoy these and find them useful as you design & create!

*Gift Idea* ORDER NOW to receive swatches or yardage in time for Mother's Day!

She'll dance in delight over your thoughtfulness, & maybe she'll even make something for you too! WIN WIN, right?! We think it's a great way to inspire creativity, support artists & support made in America. So, GIVE it a try :)

Visit my Spoonflower Shop for over 120 designs!


Questions? Feel free to ask away! 

For now, ENJOY a medley of photos that we hope will entice you to place an order and get to making something special! Orders may take up to 2 weeks for production and delivery. So, place your Mother's Day orders now  :)

Pictured here are playful designs from my Hooty Tooty Fruity Collection!

Choose from 50 Johanna Parker Halloween prints! Here are a few of the latest designs incorporating purple in the mix...

Loving these new Spooky Vintage Black & White prints...

More yummy Halloween Designs, NEW to my Spoonflower Shop!

Zooming in for a closer look at:  Wild Bats on Purple small

American & German Made Fabrics!

A fun & festive pair: Wild Bats on Orange small ~ and ~ Purple Bat Frame Jack-o'-lanterns

Halloween's not complete without webs and spiders! Directly above are: Spooky Swirl Gray Cobwebs on Black ~ and ~ Black Widows Red Webs small

These 8" x 8" swatches are all printed on Basic Cotton Ultra

Ghost Frame Spooks ~ and ~ Faces of Halloween pair well like costumes & candy!

Spooky Swirl Cobwebs on Gray offers a haunting neutral effect...

Make something Unique!

More peeks at my fabric draped ironing board reveals a large grayscale version I call:  Ghost Frame Gray Spooks ~ and a hint at:  Spooky Bat Skeleton leaves us wanting to see more!

Although Halloween is my love, so are Flowers! Whimsy Floral Stripes is simply delightful in print along with the rest of my Hooty  Tooty Fruity pairings....

We will SHARE photos of your finished projects to INSPIRE others, so please SHARE with us!

HAPPY CREATING!

~ Johanna ~

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