Pattern Design.
Play is for grown-ups too.
I’m a big kid at heart and I am drawn to anything fun, quirky and creative. Children’s design and illustration is an area I naturally gravitate towards so I have been working on developing Natty Noo Designs.
Natty Noo was my childhood nickname. I grew up in the 80’s in an age before digital distractions. Boredom was a familiar friend which nurtured my creativity. I filled long, fuzzy summer days with inventions and ideas; blanket forts, cardboard box cash machines, homemade costumes, puppet theatres, pirate maps, secret dens, jungle safaris and tea parties with stuffed animal friends. Imagination and resourcefulness ran wild.
Today I find myself reliving this play and freedom with my own children. It helps me tune in and pay attention to the small things that are often overlooked because life’s responsibilities can often be overwhelming. Simple joys like the feeling of the tide sucking your feet into the sand and rushing between your toes. Or the smell of wet grass and tangled roots. The magic of a frost covered playground. The taste of a hot cup of sweet, milky tea. Discovering those little moments of play that bring joy.
Natty Noo Designs is a homage to childhood adventures. It’s having a good old belly life and not taking life too seriously. It’s finding fun in the mundane. It’s discovering treasures in the cracks of the sidewalks. It’s growing up slowly and learning to grow back down again.
Each collection of designs has a little story; a feeling; a new adventure.
I’m hoping one day to take my quirky and adventurous little designs to fun, sustainable and lasting products. I want my designs to become a memorable visual to the lives of new little explorers.
“Big kids” collections.
To the Moon & back.
Buckle up and blast off into outer space to meet friendly planets, see retro luna modules and satellites, and navigate asteroid belt. This quirky collection celebrates a child’s fascination with the our solar system and beyond.
Nor’Easter.
The rain may be pouring, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. So grab your waterproofs and embrace the wild forces of nature. Smiling rainclouds, colourful raindrops and decorative drizzle gives this collection a cheery outlook on a dreary day.
Put the kettle on.
Pull the out the Bone China and silver spoons, cut the crusts off the sandwiches and crack open the custard creams —it’s time for tea! This collection of patterns captures the special feeling of afternoon tea and scones shared with friends.
“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”
— Pablo Picasso