Full Circle - Dutch Hearts

Finally we arrive at "Dutch Hearts," part of my "Dutch Garden" collection, a distillation of the original "Dutch Heart". 

This pattern transports me to a 1960s garden party with ladies in their summer shifts and perhaps a mother - daughter matching set. 

www.nybg.org

I hope you've enjoyed this early garden tour with me! Yes, we've circled back to the New York Botanical Garden circa 1966. I highly recommend checking out their post From the Library: Mad for Mad Men, the Garden in 1966.

You can view the entire "Dutch Garden" collection here and all my other prints at my Spoonflower shop. Each is available as fabric, wall paper, wrapping paper and decals.

Dutch Garden

Continuing down the tulip path… here are two prints from my new Dutch Garden collection on Spoonflower:

I love connecting the dots of inspiration that lead to a new design, especially when those connections are unexpected, yet so right, at least in my mind (for instance Cake Plates).

A few years  ago, my Pennsylvania Dutch surroundings (see If you ain't Dutch) inspired me to come up with the print below called "Dutch Heart." Recently I decided to revisit the design, but wanted it to have a looser, hand-drawn feel that would work as a repeat print. Ideas were coming together but the magic happened when I stumbled upon my muse (keep scrolling)...

© Sara Smedley 2014 all images above

Thank you Redd Foxx! XO

Don't forget, you can view the rest of the Dutch Garden collection here.

Tulip March

© Sara Smedley 2014

Quite a while back, I promised to share the inspiration for my Spoonflower print collection, "Tulip March." 

www.nybg.org

While researching mid-century landscape design one day, I came across a post on the New York Botanical Garden's website titled, From the Library: Mad for Mad Men, the Garden in 1966. Included were photos from their archives. This contact sheet is from a 1966 Dutch-themed exhibition.

Mid-century! Dutch! Tulips! Three irresistible sources of inspiration to me. This visual step back into time was all it took to set me on the tulip path once again, as you will soon see.