The Zoo is a Great Place for Surface Pattern Design Inspiration

 The ZOO,
with all it’s wild, wacky and weird animals,
not to mention its beautiful flowers, lush greenery
and unique landscapes, is a great place to get
design inspiration, especially for surface pattern design. 

I recently had the opportunity to go to the Ft. Worth Zoo with my cute little niece and nephew. We had a blast!

That’s me with the big sunglasses; my daughter holding my nephew and my cute niece with the big yellow bows. 

My nephew was fascinated with the bears!

And I saw some animals I had never seen before, like these striped antelope.

Do flamingos only have 1 leg?

And what day at the zoo would be complete without elephants?

Here is a surface pattern design collection I created using inspiration from the Zoo.

And here is some mockups to show how these patterns might look on infant bedding or in a nursery.

This surface pattern design collection will debut at Surtex 2012 where I will be represented by A Fresh Bunch in booth #444.

What is YOUR favorite thing about the zoo?

God will never forget His promises

As I was designing this cute elephant, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness.

Thank you, LORD, that you promised to never leave me or forsake me.

And thank you that you are faithful to all your promises and loving toward all you have made. 

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsakeyou.”

Psalm 145:13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promisesand loving toward all he has made.

My Favorite Things Giveaways – Winners Announced

My Favorite Things Giveaway #4 – Zebra Print Thank You Notes

It should come as no surprise to you that one of my favorite things is pretty paper and cute stationery. The only thing I like more than designing beautiful cards and stationery is sending cards to my friends. I love showing my heart-felt appreciation through a hand-written thank you note. I also love to receive hand-written notes in my mailbox. They always warm my heart and  bring a smile to my face! And those who know me know that nothing “plain” will do.

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So today’s giveaway is for those of you who, like me, like to make a statement not only with your clothing wardrobe, but also with your stationery wardrobe. My Wildly Fun line of invitations and stationery (and especially anything Zebra Print) has been my most popular line this year. So today I am giving away a set of 10 Zebra Print Thank You Note Cards with Red Accents (envelopes included.)

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My Favorite Things Giveaway #4

To enter the giveaway:

1. LIKE my fan page:  Joyful Heart Design and leave a comment on my wall, stating the approximate number of cards you sent per year.
2. Visit my newly revised website and sign up for my newsletter. (Sign up box is on lower left.) Subscribers will receive a coupon code for 10% off their first order.
3. Copy the following promise and paste it in the comments below. (Either Facebook comments or regular blog comments section, whichever you prefer.) “I promise that, if I win this Zebra Print Thank You Notes Set, I will send out all 10 Thank You Notes. I will not let them sit on my desk or in a drawer forever.”

For additional entries:

1. Post on Twitter or other social networks to let your friends know about this giveaway, too. Then add another comment below letting me know where you shared this post.
2. Subscribe to this blog (buttons are on upper right.)
3. Blog about my Giveaway. Then leave a link to your blog post in comments section below.

Contest deadline: Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010 at 12 midnight CST. US entries only.

Winner will be announced on Thursday., December 23, 2010. (I will only ship to a US address.)

Be sure to enter my other Giveaways as well:

Giveaway #1

Giveaway #2

Giveaway #3