Appropriate pattern for today, right? What's your favourite type of chocolate?
I really like milk and dark chocolate (specially the one with more than 70% cocoa).
Since I was little that I had a think for chocolate and chocolate flavoured things. Chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate ice-cream, chocolate chip cookies... Chocolate cereals.
But I found myself nowadays being a little bit weird, because there are a lot of thins claiming that are chocolate, but then, they don't taste like chocolate to me, which leads to disappointment. If I'm eating something that says chocolate I wanted it to taste like, not to just look like it...
Oh well, I hope you have a nice day with at least a chocolate or two!!
I mention this week that I should draw more cats, so... a pattern with cats sound awesome to start on that.
A couple years ago my grandmother had three stray cats in her backyard and their fur were all grey and stripes. So when I was colouring this cat pattern I remind myself of them.
Coffee & Drinks | #10
I've been thinking in creating more patterns, but with all the changes in Nuts for Paper I haven't been able to create much.
I struggled a lot when choosing the colours for this patterns. I have this tendency for blue and blue, and more blue. I still used blue, but my first urge was to use blue as the background colour.
In the end I liked the end result, but if I ever make it for a Nuts for Paper notebook I think it needs a little something... maybe a tag or something along those lines.
Shopping Cart # 11
In this one I've try it to keep as neutral as possible, but with a big pop of colour. I'm seeing myself adapt this pattern to create a shopping list. Personally I would change the background for a blueish colour, but for reason I really like the pink in this pattern!
What's your thoughts on these patterns?
*I hope this week get back to normal schedule on posting this challenge, and not be two weeks late again.
If you follow me on my other blog, or even on facebook you've might have noticed that we I have a serious obsession on books. This year I thought I was going to be good and only buy around 15 books for this year. But we're only in March and I'm already in 50 books!!! HOW did this happen? I have no idea! Well maybe... you know online shopping sucks, and it's really good in sucking you in. I don't regret any of the books I've purchased... and my excuse is that they are my birthday gift for myself... although my birthday is only in April. Oh well, but some books are already arriving and I can't wait to read them all! If you would like to see what I'm reading follow me on Goodreads
You can see that this week the theme around here is the Oscars. It doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about other things... This week have been an hectic one. I've been finishing a part of project started long time ago. It's nice to see something things come to an end and starting new stages.
As for my professional life I'm also about to start on another stage of my professional life. Emotionally the last days have been hectic. A lot of things might change in the near future. I can't lie that I'm scared, but the change is necessary. I'm on the verge of becoming a 26 year old, and though I have a face of a teenage girl, those years are long gone. I can't help myself to feel that I was more mature, focused and goal oriented 10 years ago than now. But it was easier to be that way on that time. I had a purpose- study, have good grades to go to the university. And I already knew which one I wanted to go and what I wanted to study. I had a plan and I was working on it. In the middle of university the question of what's next was imposing and I found I didn't have a clear answer. I didn't have a security net any-more. I took me some years to realise it was ok this situation, that I still had to work to build, find and pursue my dreams. That it was ok to be insecure, and that was also ok to change the dreams that I had. It wasn't a failure found out that you didn't accomplish your previous dream, just because your dreams have changed.
Is this to be grown up? It's nothing like the movies, but when in need for an escape for this reality movies and books are good way to do it.
I come to accept that I like the life I have, I also like the path I'm currently taking. I think it's the right one for me. More important, I feel that it's the right one for me. It's not like the movies, for sure, but I don't mind at all. It's mine and I'm happy with it!
This hasn't happen for awhile, I was going to talk about the Oscars and ended in a retrospective of my past and current life. You can see what I have to say about the Oscars this year in the Nuts for Paper blog. It's all for now, see you next week!
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Esta semana parece que só falo sobre os Óscares. Mas na verdade é apenas um pequeno escape, porque tenho passado bastante tempo a pensar noutras coisas. Esta semana foi bastante agitada. Estive a terminar uma etapa de um projecto que se prolonga já há algum tempo. É bom fechar certos capítulos e começar novos.
A nível profissional estou prestes a começar um novo capítulo. Muitas mudanças podem-se registar brevemente. Não posso esconder que estou um pouco assustada, mas a mudança é mais do que necessária. Estou prestes a fazer 26 anos, e apesar de ter cara de menina, esses anos há muito que desapareceram. Não deixo de sentir que há 10 anos atrás era mais madura, focada e orientada para cumprir objectivos. Mas também era mais fácil de o ser na altura, visto que tinha um objectivo e planos para seguir. Queria ir a universidade X, tirar design. Era só uma questão de trabalhar nesse sentido. A meio de universidade as dúvidas sobre o que fazer a seguir começaram a atormentar-me a cabeça. E descobri que não tinha uma resposta certa. Já não tinha a minha de rede de segurança. Demorei alguns anos a perceber que era uma situação normal, e que tinha que continuar a trabalhar para encontrar e construir os meus sonhos. Que não faz mal sentirmos inseguranças, e que também não faz mal mudarmos os nossos sonhos. Se nós crescesmos, é perfeitamente normal que os nossos sonhos crescem e mudem como nós.
É isto que é ser adulto? Não é nada como nos filmes, no entanto os filmes e os livros são excelentes para quando se quer escapar à realidade.
Sabem o que descobri recentemente? Que aceito a vida que tenho, e que até gosto bastante dela. Gosto deste caminho que escolhi. Acho que é o caminho certo para mim. Sinto que é o caminho certo. Não é como os filmes, de certeza, mas isso não me interessa. É o meu caminho e estou satisfeita com ele!!
Algo assim não me acontecia à algum tempo, eu ia falar dos Óscares e acabei por fazer uma pequena retrospensão sobre a minha vida. Se quiserem ler sobre o que escrevi sobre os Óscares podem sempre espreitar no blog da Nuts for Paper. Por agora é tudo, até para a semana!
You are probably thinking something like put we're still in the winter, and next is spring, why are you already making things about fall/autumn?
Well because I was challenge to. Recently I created another cover for Nuts for Paper planner with autumn theme. I've also been thinking that I would be fun to create more botanical patterns. I've always been a fan of some flower patterns, and I'm thinking it might be fun to create a few of my own making.
This time it's a fall and leaves themed pattern. But next time? Who knows? It might something more spring time. We will see. See you next time!
I'm quite happy with my sketchbook this week. I've been doing at least one sketch a day. Something I've missed a lot in the past months.
Usually for these type of sketches I'll find inspiration online, through the blogs and websites I scroll.
One thing I've really missded was to draw people in street style.
Of course my new babbies, aka my new Copic markers also we're a plus on going back drawing. Between those, poscas and watercolours I can actually make some really nice things.
For Nuts for Paper we had a custom order for a plannwe autumnal elements. After I had the line art for the digital versions I had this urge of painting them.
Recently I've also found out that drawing trees and trunks is quite relaxing. Now I laugh at my old self for so many years avoid drawing trees. "- You see now, it's not that hard! You just have to keep drawing them."
I've also found out that I like to make little squirrel cameos over the custom order illustrations (when it's possible of course). In the doggy illustration that I've shared in Nuts for Paper blog, I've also added two squirrels. In this case there was only one, but it's quite the main characther in the back cover. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have a photo of that planner too.
I was trying to get in to this year's Carnival theme in my hometown. I'm happy with the result of pattern, but still not in the mood for Carnival. Oh well, maybe next year.
What do you think about these patterns?
*Did you notice I've been using a lot a pink lately? And it's not even my favourite colour at all!
Are you in mood for romance?
This pattern is a special one. It was create for a special photo album, a polaroid album created at Nuts for Paper. One of these I'll show the portrait illustration too. But for now here's the romantic back cover!

It's not a secret that I like (and like here mean love) food. So I was very excited when the oportunity to create this pattern came.
The original artwork was for a pattern from a planner for a Nuts for Paper custom order, You will be able to see it this week's Thursday Bits. The cover is illustration portrait of too cute rats.
In conversation with the future owner of that planner we decide for the back cover would be fun to have a pattern. There is this common knowledge of the relationship between rats and cheese, so the cheese would have to be there, but if you ever had a rat you know that most of the time you feed it with raw green leaves vegetables (like spinach) and grains. We decide to go with cheese and spinach.
Can you guess why I was thrilled with this? Because I also love cheese and spinach, it's one of those things I wouldn't mind eat all days for the rest of my life.
And this is the 4th pattern in the 52 Week Challenge Pattern Design that I'm doing this year.
Other Patterns in the Challenge can be checked in the INDEX






























