Back from a break—and building something new

Hey there! It’s been a little while—so long that I have a new last name. 😅Thanks for sticking with me!

I ended up doing quite a bit of traveling in April, and by the time I got home, I was feeling exhausted. So I gave myself permission to pause the newsletter while I focused on personal things and other parts of the business. It always feels a little awkward coming back after a break, but I missed sharing what I was up to.

Since then, a lot’s been evolving behind the scenes. I’m still selling my work on fabric and wallpaper, but I’ve also been gearing up the licensing side of things—specifically to support makers and small boutique brands creating handmade, limited-run goods.

In fact, I built a whole new website to help with that!

It’s been nearly three years since I left my full-time software engineering job and I haven’t written a single line of code since, so it felt kind of nostalgic (and a little frustrating at times) to dust off those skills.

I used some AI tools to help me get started, but AI is still very lacking in the web development department, plus I consume less of the earth’s resources doing it myself. 😬 So I ended up back in the code, building a lot of it the old-fashioned way and it was pretty fun!

I decided to go with a custom-coded solution so I could add unique features my clients will find useful such as customization options and anything else I want to add in the future. It will continue to evolve and I’m excited to see where it goes.

Trend Tracking 👀

This is a new section I’ll be including in these emails where I share style trends I’ve been noticing lately. I know not everyone likes to follow trends, but when it comes to designing for real-world products, they can be helpful for guiding creative decisions.

And not all trends are fleeting! Some are evergreen—like stripes and checks. These timeless styles are super versatile, and lately I’ve been noticing more playful versions of them. So I’ve been having a play myself by adding texture, breaking up the lines, or adding some variation to them.

Here are a few recent ones I’ve created:

You can find many of these in my Pattern Shop. If you or someone you know is looking for artwork for products, I’ve got designs ready to go—and they’re easy to customize with your preferred colors and scale.

I even have a few free patterns you can test out—grab them anytime from my Free Resources Library.​

Thanks again for being here, even through the quiet spells. I’m happy to be back in touch!

Talk soon,

~Rachel