in celebration of halloween here are some etsy finds to get you in the mood. starting with a super cute pumpkin from carol esther (above), and below trick or treat printed fabric pouch from emikomono.
frankenstein shoes from emandsprout above, and below digital halloween patterns from vink.
ive rounded up some of my recent store snaps featuring a selection of halloween designs. john lewis (above & below) went for the stylish option of black & grey with spindly and spooky looking winter trees. other popular colours include standard orange & black, or as sainsbury's plumped for lime & purple. in case you are planning your own halloween designs heres a list of traditional must-have motifs : black cats, haunted house, pumpkins, witches, cobwebs, spiders, bats, and owls.
ive been browsing the shops looking at christmas designs this week and am busy gathering together all my photos ready for next week. now is the time to gather this sort of research and then bring it out next spring/summer when you start thinking about xmas 2009. whilst in accessorize i couldnt resist also snapping these non xmas items.
macrina busato is a madrid based designer and illustrator, who works in her studio 'tavita design'. macrina works on prints for home furnishings, paper goods, apparel and more, and chose a freelance career when she became a mum. recent sucesses included coming first in a european competition (see next post) and macrina is now working on a handmade lampshade collection. macrina doesnt currently have a website but if you'd like to get in touch you can email macrinabusato@telefonica.net.
here is an example of one of macrina's patterns in action with this print created for textura. this fun kitchen print was the winning design in the 'textura pattern european contest' ( in the jury were designers such as julia rothman and caitlin hinshelwood) and will be available in more than 100 textura interior shops. products include aprons, oven gloves, tablecloths and napkins. 
london based textiles graduate kate beckett has just finished creating her online portfolio, and has added a shop selling her hand printed stationery. 
im a massive fan of card company caroline gardner, so i was excited to see their new christmas selection. they always have the most vivid and interesting colour schemes. i will certainly be looking out for these in the shops next month. click here to see more, and to find out about purchasing or stocking caroline gardner designs.
