Have you participated in the Toasty Teal mosaic challenge yet?

If not, you still have time. Why not spend a little quiet time this weekend just playing with colours for fun? If your pre-Christmas schedule is like mine you just might need a few moments for a coffee and some colour therapy!

This morning I have done exactly that. I started out with the idea that I wanted to do a really rich purple and teal colour board. As it turns out, I couldn’t find enough purple fabrics that I liked in Bobbie Lou’s Fabric Factory, so my mosaic evolved into this….. More teal and pink. But that’s ok.

Isn’t it fun? And pretty? And a little bit dark and mysterious, like a walk in the woods in late autumn? I’m calling it Teal Magic.

You know that I like to do things with a twist……

Do you want to know what made me pull this particular collection together? Well, as I was trying to create a purple and teal mosaic I discovered a number of fabrics that have disguised or hidden motifs in them. And I was transported into a world of childhood stories and fairytales – a feeling of mystique and intrigue. So I decided to pursue this mood, and while not everything that I found and loved fit into my nine final picks, I had a wonderful time exploring my memories and these fabrics.

In the end I chose these 9 fabrics for Teal Magic because:

• the elephants and feathers reminded me of the story of Dumbo. When I was a kid I had “Dumbo” and “The Colour Kittens” on vinyl records, and I loved, loved, loved listening to those read-along stories. (The Counting Elephants fabric is by Dear Stella and Panache in Fresco is by Art Gallery.)
• So, once I had the elephants and feathers, I had to have the leaf print called “Eek” by Free Spirit. There is a mouse hidden in those leaves!!! Timothy the mouse was Dumbo’s best friend. But there are also so many other literary and cultural connections between mice and elephants, I wouldn’t know where to start boring you with them. Insert your own favourite(s) here.
• The hare from the Tortoise and the Hare story is included (I would have loved to add the tortoise fabric as well, but the colours didn’t do what I wanted, so eventually I had to let it go). This collection is by Free Spirit.
• There are water droplets, lanterns and hidden butterflies to add to the mystique of this collection. These fabrics are: Water Droplets in Aqua by Me + You/Hoffman, Lively Lantern by Cotton + Steel, and Atlas in Amethyst by Free Spirit.
• Finally, a good dose of unicorns and birds in the woods. Why is it that woods are full of magic? Then again I suppose,, why not? (The fabrics are Magic Folk by Michael Miller and Illusionist Vine by Art Gallery Fabrics).

Even though they didn’t make the cut, they are still amazing……

In the end there were still no pineapples or snails in my second teal collection, just like the first. Although I admit I was still sorely tempted on both counts. My daughter said I had to have the water droplets fabric, which in the end counted out the snails. Not that she was all that happy about that either….  Rachel, if you are listening, my 9yo wants 10 slots in the challenge, please!!!! lol.

And I am 100% taken by Stone Cold Critters by Free Spirit. Even though it didn’t fit. There are animals hidden in that design! Just too clever!

Your Turn

So there you have it. A little peek into my slightly dreamy state of mind this morning. Christmas is a time for reminiscing…. it is nice to slow down for a few moments and think back to some of the magic that touched my childhood, teal or otherwise.

Got a few moments to play? You can find the mosaic challenge instructions at Stitched in Color. And the fabrics at the challenge’s sponsor, Bobbie Lou’s Fabric Factory. You have until the 10th to have a play with making an ebundle of your nine favourites under the theme of Toasty Teal. You might even win fat quarters of them all. Good luck!