Sadly I didn't make the CHA summer tradeshow in Chicago this year. With Terry studying for the Bar Exam round the clock and Baby Eva only 7 months old (and still nursing!) the trip just seemed too daunting. Especially excruciating because after slaving away for months on fresh artwork for Basic Grey it would have been nice to see my babies premiere. It's one thing to work on the designs in my quiet little home office sanctuary, and entirely another to see the final product in actual print hanging out for all the world to critique. yikes. My palms practically sweat just thinking about it. But it's nice to finally be able to share with friends and family why i've been missing in action as of late, so without further ado here are my latest lines: Eva, Urban Prairie, and Offbeat.
Eva was inspired by the Victorian Era, Marie Antoinette (love Sofia Coppola's creative take on that!), and all things lusciously girly. The berry tones were something I wanted to try because I hadn't seen many papers in that yummy palette, and I really wanted to tie it all together with lovely watercolor textures. There are some great pages already in the BG Gallery, and I especially love the creations by Kelly Goree and Nic Howard.
Urban Prairie was inspired by European Folk Art and childhood memories of the hours upon hours my Mother spent toll painting. I remember being wide eyed in amazement at how a few little brush strokes, seemingly random, would suddenly take the shape of a beautiful flower, bird or butterfly. My goal was to make the line cutesy and fun, but with a modern twist.
judging by my usual artwork, which admittedly leans heavily to girly patterns, pastels and pink, you'd never guess that i have an obsession with mid-century modern furniture and decor (if i win the lottery my house will be fully furnished in DWR!). So this line was inspired by my love of clean Modern design and funky retro colors. I totally adore this page by Cindy Tobey.
The best part is that all of these lines come with co-ordinating rub-ons, stamps, stickers, buttons, and brads! For some great images of all of the products released by BasicGrey at CHA check out the aussie scrap source blog.
Each of these lines are so different that i'm left wondering what style people are liking the best... and having missed CHA i'm feeling a bit in the dark. So, if you have a moment, i'd love you to leave a comment and let me know what you think!