MY SKETCHBOOK

Cupcakes, Cookies + Critters

BIRTHDAY PARTY TABLE LINENS

pink-cupcake

Introducing "Sweet Celebration," or "How I accidentally designed party-perfect sustainable table cloths, napkins and placemats."

Sometimes the path is not a straight line. Take this table-ready design of yummy goodies. The original motivation for this creation was an art prompt from Spoonflower’s Design Challenge “Delicious Ditsy.” I started with cupcakes and cookies with the intent of a creating birthday party themed design, but then took a bit of a detour with some cute animals. I’m easily distracted and I liked the soft paint effects I had chosen for the sweets. The style seemed perfect for a collection of woodland friends.

 

Inspired by our local wildlife
How cute is this? Racoon Tee Concept
Sweet Celebration Progress

I decided not to enter the intended challenge with this design, and instead submitted Avocado Toast. For me, the real value of these contests is the push to create something different. Often, as in this case, it leads to other ideas that are seemingly unrelated.

The critters have not yet been used en masse in a finalized design, but I’ve extracted them, one at a time, to use in other projects. Likewise, I was able to put the treats to use, as a few months later another design challenge popped up, “Birthday Party Table Linens,” which suited Sweet Celebration perfectly.

Ultimately Cupcakes, Cookies and Critters was a worthwhile exploration and time well-spent. I love, love, love the idea of having a set of sustainable party table linens that are not going to get tossed in the trash. The Sweet Celebration print is now available on a wide array of fabrics, wallpaper (how cute would this be on a bakery wall) and home decor from Spoonflower. Available for licensing, too!

Sweet treats

The “Sweet Celebration” design is now ready to be served up on sustainably printed table cloths, napkins, and placemats from Spoonflower. Available in a large and small scale. Find on fabrics and wallpaper, too!