in the mood for flowers

first things first: today was the birthday of a very creative friend of mine, so we needed a cool gift wrap. the other day aiki (my 2 year old daughter), with some help from her resourceful daycare teachers, had printed heart shapes for valentine's day using a cardboard roll. i thought it was a very clever idea and we used the same technique to make our gift wrap.

so that's what she was up to. what did i do? other than planning, setting up, guiding, supervising, encouraging, and cleaning up?

i am happy to be finally able to say that i have been working on this moodboard for the 50's inspired floral collection i am currently working on.

50's floral moodboard | 1. alexander calder,  tapestry 2. alexanader calder, blueprint for mobile 3.  marianne mahler, linear flowers 4. lucienne day, plantation 5. marianne mahler 6. ruth adler schnee, lamplights 7. paul klee, park bei lu 8. paul klee, fruits on red 9. alexander calder, mobile | colors and names from pantone fashion color report fall 2013.

while i am not really sure how effectively my moodboard captures 50's floral patterns, i like how it focuses on the influences of textile designers of that period. obviously, it's not supposed to be a comprehensive visual summary - and of course i focused on the characteristics that most suit my style; simple, bold shapes, thick lines, grid like arrangements, yet a sense of playful movement. the overlapping motifs and shapes will be a challenge for me, because i usually prefer solid backgrounds. but i welcome restrictions, since i am not able to create anything i consider to be valuable without specific boundaries and purpose. sticking to this moodboard will be tough, but i think it may result in better design. 

the color palette is based on the pantone fashion color report for fall 2013, which can be downloaded here. i envision that the orange and purple will create a warm mood, while accents in green will add playfulness and lightness. the dark gray is a good color to have if i want to balance things out. and i thought black and white would be necessary to evoke the 50's. 

but i started to sound too serious! the truth is i am not sure about any of this! all i want to do now is start developing motifs. the rest will come later, and we'll see if anything i said will still hold once i'm done.