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

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!

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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Where Women Create Holiday Teaser...

Have you picked up a copy of the November 2017 / January 2018 issue of Where Women Create Magazine yet? If so, turn to page 70 for an 8-page article featuring Johanna Parker Design! We received the exciting news at the start of this year that we would be included in the holiday edition. Keeping in mind the release date, I quickly switched gears and made a collection of winter-themed originals to include in the mix. When summer rolled in, JP and I blocked out some time to take the photos of my studio space, and now we're in print! It's been a long time coming, and those that have acquired a copy to read my story will know why. We submitted plenty of photos for the editor to choose from, and obviously not all could make the cut. So, I am including several more here for you to enjoy! It's a beautiful magazine, so please keep an eye out for the issue on the stands or order yourself a copy directly from Where Women Create - HERE! Enjoy the peek into our home and my cozy sunroom studio space...

A sneak peek at my article intro includes me sitting at my drafting table where I illustrate…

This was the secondary portrait photo we took, showing me surrounded by my space

An old family shelf now houses both art supplies and one of a kind folk art pieces.

We enjoyed taking the photos for this article. I styled and composed most of the images and JP helped adjust the settings and played with the various camera and lens technicalities. In my opinion, it really does take a team...

This vignette shows a snapshot of various holiday art projects all grouped together. It's a fun mix of my printed graphics, rough pencil sketches, a painted art panel, pattern repeats and illustrated gift tags ~ All a variety of designs that I could easily delve into on any given day!

We chose this mischievous pair of holiday folk art characters, a rare, grinning red cat candy container and a standing snowman, to accompany me in my portrait.

A hand-me-down hoosier hutch from mom is now the keeper of art supplies, fabric swatches & collectibles that inspire new designs.

In the corner, the bare bones of an old lampshade offer easy hanging for a handful of my original ornament bell characters.

An original owl sculpture, perched atop a decorated ball, keeps watch over my studio space.

Like I say in my article, my sunroom studio space is by far my favorite. Even though I have been sculpting my folk art originals for well over a decade, I've only been crafting in this sunny room for a couple of years. Get the issue to read more about my journey through time to find the right inspired space for making my art.

A wall nook of my hanging aprons creates a soft backdrop for my jolly ball-shaped Santa and winter kitty ornament bell. 

A closer peek at my shelf reveals a sweet penguin kettle cup and an owl ornament bell. Everything from feathers to vintage pottery and glassware add functionality and design inspiration to where I sit to sculpt and paint.

Paintbrushes and pens surround a sweet Santa egg cup character.

I'd be remiss not to include a holiday crossover or two in the mix. Here, a ghost of Christmas Past howls from the corner of the room. With a cobweb collar and holly-winged bats, the lines of Halloween and Christmas begin to blur....

A festive snowman egg cup whistles a merry tune!

A jolly snowman head, donning an illustrated top hat, sports an enchanting smile.

Collectors interested in adopting some of the one of a kind pieces pictured here and within my magazine article are encouraged to Join our Mailing List for news and updates coming soon. We will be releasing pieces in a couple different ways during the month of December. At random, collectors will be able to CATCH a special one of a kind, directly from our website. And, we will also be hosting a few select auctions, again here on our site, and accepting your best offers. Stay tuned for more information once we finalize the details.. 

Many thanks to Where Women Create for including us in their current edition! I am honored to be included amongst a medley of talented artisans. It's a joy to realize a dream, and we appreciate our friends at WWC for supporting that vision. 

Now, go get a copy!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays...

~ Johanna, JP and Jack

 

 

A Glimpse at the Glens Art Walk...

I have been waiting for this moment to add a hearty blog post, chock-full of Halloween eye candy! As it turns out, the 3rd Annual Glens Art Walk is just the subject matter for this playful scene. Many many thanks to ALL of you that joined us! From both near and quite far, we enjoyed your company, and it was a pleasure to bring smiles to so many faces! Many weeks led up to the unfolding of this special event, and we were graced with such a lovely fall day. Shoppers enjoyed the warmth of the sun and autumn's palette of changing leaves as they walked from one home to the next. JP and I are so thankful to our hosts, Robert Hickler & Ann Lederer for allowing us to perform our annual Halloween invasion. :) We hope it was a happy haunting! We took lots of photos this time around, and I am thrilled to have a place on our new website where I can share them in the format of my choosing. You can click on each picture for a light box view. Enjoy and do share your feedback too!

Yep, that's me striking a Halloween pose :)

I stuffed old tins, vintage pottery and baskets with my new ornaments!

A grinning black cat candy stand to go with your sweets!

Cubbies were lined with Halloween mugs, candy stands, shelf sitters, candles & other delights...

Frightful or Fun? Heads of Frankenstein, toothy-grinned Draculas, spooky black cats, mummies and owls were all there to tempt collectors of my vintage Halloween style!

A Halloween assault on the eyes! EEEK!

The old white shelves that house my originals here came with our 1939 home. It served as a double door to hold canned goods in our basement. Whomever made this years ago would be stunned to think an artist showcases her one of a kind folk art in each nook, but that's how I roll! I love it :)

 

I think this has been the busiest fall on record for our biz! In between a medley of photography requests for Artist Features as well as  Q & A's, responding to the influx of inquiries from our new website, (some of which I still need to tend to!) a mounting list of licensing deadlines, and many other distractions, I was really biting my nails over completing this year's collection of Halloween folk art originals in time for the show. I had to forego a few pieces that just weren't going to meet my timeframe. And, there were quite a few long days in the mix. But, in the end, I was able to complete 22! With a goal for 30+ sculptures, the shelves may look a little bare, so, bear with me :) We did what we could without completely losing our minds. But, I did come close a few times... Despite my Halloween-mania, I think this year's collection of one of a kinds turned out quite swell :) Farewell my little dears and enjoy your new adventures!

JP shares a smile at his new and improved check-out station! We had a nice tucked away space to process orders, store trays of reserved pieces and a wrapping station in the back. 

My displays were overflowing with all the latest characters that debuted this fall! We had a medley of Halloween ornaments, shelf sitters, ceramic plates, mugs, candy bowls, salt & pepper shakers and the list goes on! That's why I called it the Halloween invasion... 

The other white cubby shelf is a recycled find. We cleaned it up and for several years, it housed our collection of music CDs back before iTunes was a thing. Now, it's become basement storage, but it works just perfect for this event. We do shuffle a lot of stuff around when doing a show. For example, tins on my dresser that hold earrings and such, get to take the day off and display ornaments instead. Vintage lamps are pulled from their plugs and glow in another home! We also grab stools and carts that function for us at home and use them as props for Halloween. Needless to say, our house gets a little stripped when we do the big move, but it's an excuse to dust and clean before it all gets put back! And, we're only carting these goods just a few blocks away. Love the ease of that!

An old suitcase reveals my embroidered punkin peep guest towels, a stack of illustrated plates and candy bowls!

Glass candy jars with candy corn pair sweetly with their shelf sitter buddies...

BOO! My meringue-topped ghosts in various shapes and forms have been a popular fave with this collection...

Beyond my spooky display, an open door lead the way to Ann's colorful painted silks...

Across the way, Robert and Ann gave us a portion of their front window to share some Halloween magic. You can see that Robert jumped into the Halloween spirit and made some metal spider webs and skulls.. It's contagious!

Another peek at my front nook....

Approaching visitors were greeted with Robert's contemporary wall art as well as our vintage wagon filled with harvest delights. My giant spiders brought some smiles too :) Later, Ann tucked in her silk laden dress form to complete the scene...

From spooky to sweet, Robert Hickler added a touch of Halloween to his metal cut-outs this year!

 

A place for bats and owls to take roost....

We had a steady flow of folks dropping in to see the various creations that we all had to offer. It was a perfect day for a walking tour!

Halloween collectors came in clusters to see the latest collection!

A variety of snowflakes, skulls & bats were scattered across Robert Hickler's table...

You can find a giant version of this sculpture by Robert Hickler in Fort Collins' Old Town Square, winning the People's Choice Award!

You can enjoy more of Robert Hickler's portfolio on his website. He has been very  busy in his shop making all sorts of magic, including large scale installations for various public places. The mantel guitar sculpture was quite the marvel, and Robert will do commissions at various scales. 

The hue happy colors of Robert's contemporary sculptures, marry nicely with his wife Ann Lederer's hand-painted silk scarves. Beautiful patterns and floral whimsies by Ann were displayed on racks in their back sunroom...

Ann Lederer points out her handmade cards while an attendee caresses her lavender-filled eye pillow, all made of painted silk. They smelled divine too...

Their back sunroom proved to be the perfect spot to highlight Ann's colorful work, capturing the light!

More captivating hand-painted silk scarves by Ann Lederer greeted guests upon entering her space...

More captivating hand-painted silk scarves by Ann Lederer greeted guests upon entering her space... Ann does not have a website, but you can reach her by EMAIL, and yes, she does all sorts of commissions, specializing in Prayer Shawls, Challah Covers, Huppahs as well as many other special occasion painted silks for all walks of life.

Year 3 at the Glens Art Walk was a charm! Thank you ALL that attended and came out to support our creative endeavors! We enjoyed seeing you! 

At the end of the day, JP played a little air guitar for all of us on one of Robert's sculptures! Teehee! We hope you enjoy the photos! Mark your calendar for 2018 - When the first Saturday of October rolls in, we will roll it out again :)

Happy Haunting,

~ Johanna