Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year guys! and farewell to 2013 (thank god!!)

I am entering the new year with piles of plans big and small for the brand and I look forward to sharing them with you.  Dont get me wrong I am glad to see the back of 2013 for various reasons but it was not all bad in 2013!  In fact I can celebrate the fact that my work is now stocked in the lovely Galway shop, My Shop Granny likes It, and I will be doing the weekly Sunday Market so onwards and up!
In the meantime I have loads of amazing fabrics in stock which I will share some new prints and some old but all bright colorful and perfect for the crafts you are contemplating as part of the New year new you plan.

I am planning to overhaul my website (omg where to start) and plow on with trying to get my prints out there and into the hands of fabric hounds, quilters, interior designers, fashionistas and crafters everywhere xTara

New prints in at last!!

Hi Guys!!

My new prints have arrived at last and just in time to brighten up my days!!

  I have had a funny year, been so broke I thought I could end up out in the streets, Ive been barely keeping it together with a family bereavement, stress about the kids being at home on the summer holidays it was all getting to be a bit much!

When these prints finally arrived it was like a breath of fresh air they are so beautiful and I am so excited to be using them to make some cute pressies for the holidays.

 So now I am sending out a request please!! Please Please please buy something from me! I am sick of being skint, my work is bright and colorful and would be an excellent gift for any crafters, sewers, quilters, grannies, hipsters, old fellas. I can make items special order, I can make a cushion, handbag, headband, or scarf in the print of your choice. Come on!

I will be back in The Galway Market on Sundays, and my work is available from my website, etsy shop, or facebook.   If you are in the Galway area my work is for sale in the new Irish Design shop, 'My Shop Granny Likes It'  on Abbeygate St (near Sally Long's).

My new products will be up for sale mid October and in the meantime all my fabrics are still available to order, you can choose the fabric type, scale of the print to suit your needs.

http://mariposatextiles.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MariposaTextiles

keep up to date with my news!
https://www.facebook.com/MariposaTextiles

Spoonflower book Bird theme fabric fun!

I recently was having an auld gawk at the Spoonflower Blog (luv it by the way) When I noticed they had put out a call to textile designers to submit Bird themed projects. You could submit a print you have already done or create a print for the theme using, found objects, drawing, digital, photo manipulation, collage, basicly the skys the limit!  I was just about to head away to a friends wedding in France(so lovely!!), so with the brief in mind I kept an eye out for bird like imagery, objects, collage bits. While on the plane over there was a gorgeous photo of a restaurant where they had loads of vintage lamps hanging down from the ceiling, I thought they looked just like cages/ feeders and I ripped the magazine and robbed the page (sorry next passenger, and restaurant too eek).   I did loads of drawings and drew a few dodge looking birds until I finally managed to get 2 decent looking fowl.  I have used loads of lamps in my work before it was nice to have such a selection it would have taken me days to draw them, yet alone find 17 different ones woop woop for collage!

I used to do a lot of collage while I was in college to try and convey my ideas about installations, paintings, I loved mixing collage with hand drawn things I would photocopy and then cut up.  I often use to paint on top of it all sometime I had something amazing and then I would wreck it by piling even more crap on top (I'm a maximalist right)  The amazing thing about using collage and found object is the freedom to pillage about, nothing is sacred, you can use whatever you want and openly acknowledge it.   With the advantage of a camera and Photoshop the cutting and photocopying has now become easy peasy!

I love found objects and my house is full of tack tack bric a brac and kitsch pictures.  I was inspired to try and make like a geisha garden by these two little geisha figurines and I also had a vintage tacky geisha wall picture, I was delighted to discover that I had loads of little bird images in old books, a vintage tile with love birds on it needless to say I had loads of fun. Its amazing when your using images which you didnt draw and your not precious about the cool things you can create!  I will be getting the fabrics printed ( I think there is 7 of them) and I will have them up here they are so cute!!!

 I also used an old embroidery I made years ago which has no purpose and is quite garish but I just cant seem to be rid of it, it has now excelled as a crazy looking succulent cacti.

Fingers crossed I get a call back eek, just had a look in the terms and it says they will tell people in March 2014, so I will be suffering for months!

International Quilting Festival of Ireland

Hi guys!!
  Im having a lovely weekend at the quilting fair meeting loads of fabric fans getting a few positve affirmations loving the quilting crowd!

I have some amazing handbags made and a large selection of quilting cottons available come down have a look!! My stall is located beside the Bank of Ireland (right near the atm hint hint)