The loveliest of flower bouquets at the Pike Market in Seattle. One just needs to pause and appreciate these colors and textures!

Seattle, Washington, in November 2016  
Photo credit: Martina Sestakova

I take a lot of photos of shapes and textures I come across during my walks or travels. On an August 2016 trip to Prague, Czech Republic, I snapped a photo of an old wall. It was falling apart but I loved the stones sitting on top of each other and holding each other's weight. A few months went by and I ended up using this photo - after an extensive computer alteration - as background in my World's Windows collection of infinity scarves. So, keep your photos - they may turn out to be useful one day!

This pine cone literally hit me in my face as I was strolling through a forest. With my eyes locked on the path, I walked right into it. It's like nature was telling me, hello, I am right here, look up! I am not one to just walk away, so I snapped a photo of this lovely pine cone. I walked on only to arrive at a cute set of more cones nested in a bed of leaves. 

Days later, walk forgotten, I was browsing through my photos. And there they were - something got me thinking that the lovely shape, layers, and color shades would be great in a textile collection. I got to work in my sketchbook and created a variety of pine cone inspired images. I used various media to test out textures and colors: pens, pencils, markers, crayons, watercolor paints ...

Pages in my sketchbook added up quickly as I got obsessed with pine cones! I came up with a lot of patterns. I put them up on a wall and strolled around for days to see which ones I was most drawn to. In the end, I selected three fabrics. Take a look below at the final result! 

Do you like my pine cone collection of pillows? Will they make for a perfect addition to your home? Check out my store and shop away! And since I love going on walks, I bet there will be more inspiration and more textiles. So, keep coming back!

Barbara Kruger is a staple of American conceptual art. She focuses on photographs overlaid with declarative captions. The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC honors Kruger with an exhibition of her art - this exhibition is on show until January 22, 2017. And that date is coming up fast so rush over there!

The exhibition is called "In the Tower: Barbara Kruger" and is in the East Building. I stopped by to see this show not too long ago and it is still with me in my thoughts. Kruger is essential as an artist in her ability to confront us as viewers of her art - she catches our gaze and presents photography that has visual power and true wit. 

I took a history of graphic design class and Kruger's A picture is worth more than a thousand words was a topic of one of the lectures. Her work changed our world: our perception of photography and its role in publicity and news and information transfer. I personally believe that Kruger's work is important during this time in history: she challenges our views, what we may have learned from our society and what we may have not ever questioned. 

If you have a free moment, I urge you to go see it. The National Gallery of Art is an amazing art venue and their Kruger exhibition only ads to their amazing art selection. 

A splendidly symmetrical reflection of great egret as it pauses on a lake at sunset.

The Everglades, Florida, in December 2016 
Photo credit: Martina Sestakova

2016 was a transformative year in my life. I left an established career to delve into an adventure: to start my own textile/pattern and accessories design company. Most people write business plans and crunch numbers. I set goals as to how I wish to feel about my new life. Sounds un-business like? Maybe, but that's what works for me. My goals were to feel joyous and to be proactively creative. Interestingly, these two goals are a great starting point for curiosity, productivity, and the drive for a business adventure.

Though I set these two goals last year, I will continue to focus on them in 2017. And ... I also believe these two goals apply to you and here is why. 

​What do I mean be feeling joyous?

Happiness seems to often be to something outside of us, to a prosperous career, to a happy relationship. But joy, which is my favorite word (and the Czech word RADOST is the name of my company), is the pure feeling of being alive and being able to experience life as it comes our way. It is both a source and a cause of delight. I think it is essential that we are consciously choosing to draw on our ability to feel joy. Joy, in its various forms (mainly as creativity and inspiration), demonstrates itself in all of my textiles. Fabrics are a way for me to express my ideas and to bring them to you. I bet you have someting you love that enriches other people's lives. You may bake the best banana bread or your smile may just light up the room ... No matter what it is, I know this idea (and goal) of joy pertains to you. 

What do I mean by being proactively creative? ​

Many people say they are not creative but I believe everybody is indeed able to create new things. I view creativity as the ability to find solutions to ideas. My idea may be as to how I can best express a color within a pattern that brings joy to my customers; your idea may be as to how to fix a broken glass. It does not matter what creative endeavor you engage in; what matters is that we proactively seek solutions and thus constantly learn new things. Again, I know this matters to you. 

To sum up, it's like a circle - draw on your ability for joy and you will be creative; focus on creativity and you will be joyous. So, let's dive into 2017 and wrap ourselves in joy. 

May 2017 be filled with new horizons, new friendship, and new opportunities! 

Costa Rica in January 2016  
Photo credit: Martina Sestakova