Introducing My Mini Holiday Collection. Available Now.

The other day, my son asked me to create a pattern for him so we could order a custom blanket from Spoonflower. I asked him what kind of pattern he had in mind, and without hesitation, he pointed to his Christmas sweatshirt from last year. “This,” he said, excitedly showing off his red hoodie adorned with a frazzled Christmas tree and a pair of googly eyes bouncing around. That moment sparked the idea for my holiday collection.

At first, I had one question swirling in my mind: How do I turn this into a pattern? The sweatshirt was fun and quirky, but it didn’t exactly scream “repeatable design.” Still, I was determined to figure it out. I started by sketching a few cartoon-style trees, keeping things lighthearted and fun—just like the original inspiration.

The First Attempt: Bold and Bright

My initial sketches were vibrant, with bold colors and heavy line work. I wanted to make it feel festive, but I also wanted the design to have a playful feel that matched my son’s favorite hoodie. Once I took these sketches into Adobe Illustrator and started vectorizing them, I hit a snag: the bold black lines didn’t feel right. They seemed too harsh for the soft, whimsical vibe I was going for, and the trees felt a bit too busy.

I realized I needed to scale back a bit and rethink my approach, but I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea yet.

Redesigning with Subtlety and Playfulness

I took a step back and began again, this time with more color forward approach. I focused on two shades of green that I thought worked beautifully together, adding subtle variations of tone to try and create depth. I used these two colors to form the tree shapes, layering them until I got a silhouette I was happy with. Instead of relying on heavy outlines, I just let the shapes of the trees speak for themselves.

The real breakthrough came when I decided to add the large googly eyes—just like the ones on my son’s sweatshirt. Suddenly, the design began to feel more lively and fun. The eyes gave the trees personality, and it felt like the playful spirit of the sweatshirt had truly come to life in my design. After that, everything else started falling into place.

The Magic of Design: Iteration and Evolution

What I love about creating patterns is how they evolve during the process. As I added in stars, ornaments, and other festive elements, the design began to feel like something that could be printed on anything—from fabrics to wrapping paper, even holiday decorations. The repetition of the elements worked seamlessly, and the pattern began to take on a life of its own.

This pattern wasn’t just about making something visually appealing. It was about capturing the joy and excitement of the holiday season, and translating that feeling into a design that could bring smiles to people’s faces. The trees, with their wide eyes and bright colors, became symbols of celebration and fun. It was a simple, yet heartfelt tribute to a holiday tradition that I knew my son would love.

A Lesson in Letting Go of Perfection

One of the most important lessons I learned from this process was the importance of letting go of perfection. When I first started, I wanted the design to be flawless from the beginning. But through trial and error, I realized that sometimes, the beauty of a design comes from the process itself—the small adjustments, the happy accidents, and the moments when you let your creativity flow freely.

In the end, the pattern turned out to be something I was proud of, and it became the foundation for my entire holiday collection. But what made it even more special was the connection to my son’s sweatshirt, and the joy of seeing something he loved inspire a creative project that I could share with others. I’m excited to introduce the:

Cheer & Charm Holiday Collection

The first pattern, “Christmas Sweater,” is the hero of the collection. With its bold red color and large smiling trees, this pattern is my son’s sweatshirt – now transformed into a festive holiday design that’s full of cheer and silly.

Next up, “Cheerful Ornaments” is a blender pattern that adds the perfect touch to your holiday designs. Featuring playful, rainbow ornaments, this pattern brings an extra pop of joy to any seasonal project.

Then there is “Light up the Season” which captures the joyful colors of a string of Christmas lights. A holiday favorite turned into stripes. It’s ready to brighten up your creative space.

Last but not least is “Starlit Pines” inspired by a favorite place of my, the tree farm. These rows of trees come to life while waiting to join a family for Christmas day.

What’s Next?

This holiday pattern collection marks just the beginning of my creative journey. I’m excited to continue experimenting with more festive designs and to see where these patterns can take me. Whether it’s creating new collections for different holidays or expanding my designs into a wider range of products, this project has been a reminder of why I love pattern design: it’s not just about creating visually appealing art—it’s about telling stories, sparking joy, and connecting with the people and moments that matter most.

As the holiday season unfolds, I’ll be sharing this collection across my social media platforms, and I hope it adds a little extra holiday cheer to your season. I’m so grateful for your support, and I can’t wait to share more creative projects with you in the months ahead.

I’m thrilled with how this collection came together. Building any collection of art can be challenging—even when inspiration strikes unexpectedly, but what started as a simple idea from my son soon blossomed into a charming mini collection for the 2024 holiday season. If you’re interested in purchasing any of these patterns, they are available now on Spoonflower. For licensing information, feel free to reach out to me via email here.

❤ Kelly