When I first started creating surface pattern designs, one of the things I was most excited about was seeing my artwork on real products.
Something I could actually hold in my hands.
And one of my favorite products was a coffee mug.
I love my morning coffee, and there's something incredibly satisfying about drinking it from a mug featuring a pattern I designed myself.
Later, when I started participating in craft fairs, I discovered something interesting.
Some of my most popular products were also the simplest and most approachable.
Coffee mugs and wrapping paper were especially popular. I also offered greeting cards, notebooks with my designs on the front and back covers, and tote bags.
But I kept my assortment pretty small.
I didn't want to invest in a huge amount of inventory, and my goal was to sell as much as possible whenever I participated in a craft fair.
And here's something I think is worth remembering.
The things you love and use in your everyday life are often the very things other people love, too.
I love coffee mugs. I love beautiful wrapping paper. And I loved seeing my original artwork on those products.
It made creating repeating patterns feel even more exciting because I could imagine all the wonderful ways those designs might be used.
And that's what I want to talk about today.
Because there's something very special about the moment when a pattern you've created on your computer becomes something you can actually hold in your hands.
There's Something Magical About Holding Your Own Artwork
If you've ever created a repeating pattern, you know how exciting it can be to see all those little motifs come together on your screen.
Maybe you've drawn flowers, leaves, stars, or little geometric shapes.
You've arranged them, played with the colors, and finally created a design that repeats beautifully.
That's a wonderful accomplishment all by itself.
But then imagine seeing that design on a coffee mug.
Or a tea towel.
Or a piece of fabric.
Or a roll of wrapping paper.
Suddenly, it's not just something you've been working on inside your computer.
It's a design you've created that now exists on a real product.
And that can be such a powerful experience.
I think it's especially meaningful when you're just beginning your creative journey.
Because sometimes it's hard to appreciate how far you've come when all you're seeing is a file on a screen.
But a physical product?
You can pick it up. Turn it around. Admire the colors. Show it to someone.
You can actually use it!
And every time you do, you're reminded that you designed the artwork yourself.
The Wonderful Feeling of Saying, "I Designed That!"
Here's another thing I love about having your designs on real products.
People notice them.
Imagine a friend coming over for coffee and admiring your mug.
"Oh my gosh, where did you get that?"
And you get to say:
"I designed it myself!"
Isn't that the most wonderful feeling?
You don't have to be selling your artwork or running a creative business to enjoy that moment.
It's simply the pleasure of knowing that something started with your own imagination and became something beautiful and useful.
For women who are discovering their creativity later in life, that can be especially exciting.
Maybe you've spent years making things for other people, taking care of your family, or working in a completely different field.
And now you're creating something that is entirely your own.
That deserves to be celebrated.
Why I Love Designing My Own Christmas Wrapping Paper
Now, coffee mugs are wonderful, but there's another product that I've had an enormous amount of fun creating over the years.
Christmas wrapping paper!
I absolutely love wrapping presents at Christmas.
And I'm the sort of person who likes to use different papers for different gifts.
I've always enjoyed how beautiful all those packages look together under the Christmas tree.
We don't have an enormous tree because our ceilings aren't particularly high.
But that doesn't matter one bit.
There's something so lovely about seeing a Christmas tree surrounded by beautifully wrapped presents.
And at some point, I started thinking:
Why am I going out and buying somebody else's wrapping paper when I can design my own?
So that's what I began doing.
I've created all sorts of Christmas-inspired repeating patterns, and one of the great joys of the holiday season is being able to wrap presents in paper I've designed myself.
Some are traditional. Others use more unexpected colors.
And seeing them all together is such fun.
It's also a wonderful reminder that surface pattern design doesn't have to remain a digital activity.
Yes, we use computers to create the repeating patterns.
But what we're really creating are designs that can live on all sorts of beautiful, useful products.
A Sample Shows You Things Your Computer Screen Can't
There's a practical reason for ordering samples, too.
A pattern can look absolutely beautiful on your screen and feel quite different when you see it printed on a product.
The colors might look a little different.
A motif you thought was quite large might look surprisingly small.
Or perhaps a pattern that seemed busy on screen looks absolutely delightful when it's printed on wrapping paper.
This is especially interesting when you're working with repeating patterns because they can appear at so many different sizes.
Imagine a design filled with tiny Christmas trees.
On a computer screen, you might be looking at just a portion of the repeat.
But when you see it on a large sheet of gift wrap, suddenly you get a sense of how the design looks across an entire surface.
You can see the spacing between the motifs.
You can see how the colors work together.
And you can decide whether you love it exactly as it is or want to make a few changes.
That's part of the creative process.
Ordering a sample isn't just about checking whether something printed correctly.
It's also about discovering how your artwork feels when it becomes a real product.
You Don't Have to Start With Something Complicated
If you've never ordered a product featuring your own artwork, I wouldn't start by making it a big project.
Choose something simple.
Maybe it's a mug.
Maybe it's a tea towel.
Maybe it's a little piece of fabric.
Or, since we're heading into the holiday season, perhaps you'd love to create your own wrapping paper.
There are print-on-demand services that can print individual products featuring your artwork, so you don't necessarily need to order a large quantity.
You can begin with just one thing.
And please don't feel that it has to be perfect.
I think sometimes we wait far too long to celebrate the creative progress we're making.
We tell ourselves that we need to learn a little more, improve our drawing skills, or create something more sophisticated before we're ready.
But seeing something you've designed on a real product can give you the encouragement to keep going.
And that's valuable all by itself.
Your Creative Invitation This Week
Here's something I'd love you to think about.
If you could see one of your own designs on any everyday product, what would you choose?
Would it be a coffee mug that you could enjoy every morning?
A tea towel hanging in your kitchen?
A beautiful scarf?
A piece of fabric for a sewing project?
Or perhaps your very own Christmas wrapping paper?
Don't worry about how you would make it just yet.
For now, simply imagine how it would feel to hold that product in your hands.
Because there's something really special about seeing an idea that started in your imagination become something real.
And who knows?
One day, someone might admire it and ask where you bought it.
And you'll be able to smile and say:
"I designed it myself."
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
