My Creative Process

I thought I'd do a post sharing a little bit of how the elliven designs come to life!  I find it interesting to see how people get work done and such, since everyone does things so differently.

First off, I'm a very visual person.  I picture things and can see them clearly, but sometimes have a tough time trying to explain my vision to others....perhaps I need to learn how to do this.

I'm inspired by so many different things.  Pictures, nature, paintings, fashion....it's amazing where you can find inspiration don't you find?  And for that reason,  I always have a pen and paper nearby.  I have three notepads for the shop (yes, really).  One that I write my "to do" list on, and the other two are for sketching ideas and for jotting down measurements, etc.

My lists can be messy and probably only make sense to me.  Sometimes I'll look back on a list or sketch I've written and wonder what the heck I was thinking, but whatever works right?!

Here's a peek at the lists I have going right now....

I sometimes have a clear idea of what colours/fabrics I want to use before I begin sketching out a design.  Other times I sketch the design and then think of which colours I think would work best.

I'm beginning to use solid fabrics more and more.  For those I'll come up with the colour combos and then I'll begin searching for the fabrics either online or in local shops.  Crossing my fingers that I'll find what I'm looking for.  I'll sometimes find other shades/colours that I hadn't intended on using, but love them so much that I need to work them into my designs.

For printed fabrics, I usually choose the ones that catch my eye, ones that I absolutely love and want to work with.  So for those, I scour online shops and local stores to see what's new and available.  I sometimes have a main colour that I'm looking for, but for the most part, it's just whatever catches my eye.

Once I've done my searching I then pair the fabrics to make sure that the colour combos will work.  It's one thing to picture them in your head and another to have them in hand.  The shades may not work well together, or I may not be able to find the exact shade I'm looking for (that's never fun).

Here are a few of the combos I've recently put together:

you're already familiar with these combos

a peek at what's to come

it's not too early to think about fall is it?

Now, I can't show you everything...otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise!  I not only think about the fabrics I'll be using, but the embellishments and zippers are key factors in the overall look as well.  I have a slew of gorgeous zippers that I can't wait to put to use!  It's so awesome when you see everything side by side, and so fun when you're design ideas work just as you had hoped!

I'm really beginning to focus on having seasonal lines to make things easier.  The spring line was the beginning of my new design plan and I'm loving it!

The summer line is next and I can't wait to share it with you (I know, I keep saying this, but it's so true!).

I will only be offering a limited amount of each line, so make sure that you snatch the ones you like up before they are gone!

That's it! I hope you enjoyed this little peek at my creative process!

Cheers,