The Gift of Music

The day after I posted last on this blog, my life was shattered. My husband of 16 years, best friend, and father of my 3 boys, Casey Crafton, was on AA Flight 5342 when a Blackhawk helicopter crashed into the airplane over the Potomac River, killing all 67 people on board. Everything in my life changed in a moment and art and design took a back seat. I do find writing so healing, and I think I should utilize this blog more often, whether anyone reads it or not. My goal is to fill my life with positivity, so this I where I will begin on my website.

Music has been a lifeline for me this year. When I lost Casey, I felt like I was grasping at anything positive I could find that gave me the smallest amount of hope for my future, which looked quite bleak, and quite frankly, destroyed. I’ve always been an optimistic person by nature. Contentment came fairly easily, and I’d see the beauty in tough situations. I was even ok with bumps in the road, all the while assuming we were becoming stronger and more resilient and would be more thankful once we made it to the other side…

But this knocked me right off my feet. This felt impossible. I felt broken and struggled to find my positivity, wondering if it was gone forever, but God continually placed blessings before my eyes, one after another, reminding me I was not alone, He loved me and the boys and there was still beauty on this earth. I refused to accept this as the new me, or my new way of viewing the world around me. It felt horrible, like everything was gray and draped in sadness. I am a problem solver by nature, but there was no way to fix this or bring Casey back. That was the worst feeling of all. All my closest friends will remember me immediately talking about fighting to find joy again. I didn’t know how, but I was going to figure it out, because my boys had already lost their dad, and I wouldn’t allow them to experience a secondary loss of the mom they knew and loved.

One of Casey’s best friends, Mark Koerbel, plays violin and was in town in the weeks after Casey’s death. I pulled out 2 violins for us to play (that alone is surprising, looking back), and while everything around me was sad and overwhelming, my emotions raw and my head spinning, I still felt love for music. How was that possible?? That gave me a small glimmer of hope that I held tightly to, and that I would revisit later on.

Casey was intertwined into everything in my life, and I felt loss at every turn. As the weeks and months marched on, I needed something to fill the quiet moments - something that felt positive, familiar and comforting with or without Casey. Since music has been something that has been a part of my life since I was a small child, I had hope that I could be fully immersed in music and not feel the loss, even for a moment. But also, it gave me a way to express my deepest loss in a beautiful way. Playing violin and singing helps me to feel connected to Casey, knowing I am doing one of the things he was most proud of.

I had wondered for quite a while how music would sound in the empty silo on the farm I grew up on. When I finally got out there to try it out, it immediately became a special place of healing. In my tragedy, I felt I was shoved out in a spotlight in my most vulnerable state, for all the world to see, with no choice in the matter and nowhere to hide. The silo, located in a place full of happy childhood memories, was a place where I could be hidden away - it provided a place of solitude filled with music and that was what I really needed, more than I even knew. Now, when I find a little time here and there, I go out there to sing or play violin.

This past summer, one day after church, I recorded this song to see how my violin sounded with the acoustics of the silo. I had no intentions of sharing this publicly, but after nudges from multiple people (you know who you are), I realized while music can be so healing, it is also meant to be shared with others. I don’t have all the fancy equipment, and honestly don’t even know the best way to record music, but this will do for now.

Music has been a gift from God and I hope this is a blessing to you. ❤️

Cover of Shallow. Thank you Sing King for the backtrack.

Andante

This pattern is called Andante, an Italian term meaning "moderately slow," often used in classical music to describe a tempo resembling a "walking pace." For the Transposed Harmony Collection, I chose musical terms to name each design. While some names came easily, others were more challenging—this one, in particular, required some thought. The motif, however, reminded me of 4/4 timing in music—I can almost hear the ticking of a metronome as I looked at it! It also brought to mind the image of walking while contemplating which direction to go. The repeated motif is inspired by artwork crafted from piano parts, much like many of the other designs in this collection.

This second colorway in rust is also available in my Spoonflower shop.

I decided to add another colorway to my shop in addition to the original 2 colorways. Mocha Mousse is the PANTONE color of the year, so I’ve been trying it out on some of my current patterns. I love the softness of this pattern color. I think it would make a beautiful wallpaper in a nursery or on bedding fabric.

Crescendo

This is another pattern from my Transposed Harmony collection, titled Crescendo. A crescendo in music is a gradual increase in the volume of a passage of music. The word comes from the Italian word crescere, which means "to grow".

Crescendo is available in my Spoonflower shop

The crescendo symbol is shaped like a less-than symbol and is shown below the musical staff.

The shape in the design resembles a crescendo (and decrescendo) symbol, and is actually based on a part inside a piano. Crescendo not only signifies a gradual increase in volume but also evokes a sense of organic growth, as the motifs on either end resemble flowers. The flowers were inspired by art I created from the piano parts. I love when a pattern design carries layers of meaning—something not as obvious but deeply personal to me, yet open to interpretation, allowing it to resonate with others in different ways.

You can find this pattern in my Spoonflower shop along with other colorways. It can be printed on fabric or many other household decor items or bedding. The photo below is a placemat set made from the pattern Crescendo, also available on Spoonflower.

A second a third colorway below are other versions of this pattern, and I really love all 3 colors!

Crescendo in Mustard also available in my Spoonflower shop

Crescendo in white also available in my Spoonflower shop

2024 Chistmas Card

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, I have found a sliver of time where I can share our family Christmas card that I designed. This holiday season was especially busy - like “there is no way I can do all this” busy - but I was determined to get the card done, especially since it’s the only time I reach out to some of our far away family and friends each year! I enjoy designing it, and I haven’t missed a year since I had my first son (although one year became a New Year’s card). This holiday season was one of simplifying - I had to be flexible and let some things go and be ok with that. But the Christmas card is something that I save, along with all the boys’ birthday invitations and I look back at them year after year. I don’t do photo albums anymore because of space, but I love having something printed in hand as most things are digital now. Sometimes I wonder if digital photos will get lost from one generation to the next. I have always loved printed photos and looking through albums of my family. I hope one day the boys and their families will also enjoy looking through the invitations and cards as much as I do.

This year I went with a simple design, minimal text and the focus on the cross. I didn’t list names, ages or add any other phrases to the card because, frankly, I didn’t have the time to play around with it, but I ended up loving the simplicity of it. The focus is on Christ and on the faces I love so much! I took the photo and let the colors of the photo predict the color scheme of the card. I wanted to have some fun with some framing shapes. I designed a few variations and ended up choosing this one. Christmas is over, but I do want to share the link to my etsy shop in case someone comes across this blog post in the future! You can purchase the Christmas Card here in my etsy shop, Oh Fiddlesticks!

Magical Christmas Photos

I had so much fun with this setup! The kids were cozy in their pjs, they read a Christmas book, and rolled around on the floor being silly. I love that I was able to capture genuine smiles and silliness. In the above photo, I added a little snow in Photoshop! I love it, because the book cover had snow on it already, and now it looks like his imagination was brought to life!

I didn’t do any Christmas/winter themed photos this year as I was up to my eyeballs in house projects, but this is something I’d love to revisit if there is ever any interest!

In the book photos, I added a little magic to make it playful! Kids love this edit! I played around with the kids holding a small light behind the book as I photographed, and then I aligned a magical overlay. I love the results!

I had a little fun here changing it up and making it look like a drawing. There was so much red in the photo, so this edit really makes Santa in the window stand out.

I look forward to taking Christmas-themed photos in the future! Always feel free to reach out on the website here if you have a Christmas photo idea or something you’d like to capture for a Christmas card!

Blessed Christmas Card - Cherish Every Moment

This is a Christmas card I designed when my boys were younger. I had just had my 3rd and last son and was feeling so overwhelmingly blessed by my family and the life that God had given me. It was a simple life but so full of love and laughter. Obviously with a newborn and life in general, things weren’t always easy, but I wanted to really focus on the blessings I had in my life. I was constantly thinking about cherishing every moment with my boys, for one, because this little baby was my last, but also because all my boys were growing and changing so quickly and the days and weeks and years were just flying by! And here I am now - I blinked, and that little baby is 7 and it’s the last year I’ll have with no teenagers!

As I work on my current Christmas card, I still feel so full of gratitude. Our life isn’t perfect, and we have had all sorts of ups and downs, but I still find myself overwhelmed with all that I’m blessed with. I’m so thankful for my husband and how well he takes care of his family and how much he loves each one of us. I’m excited about new creative ventures and future possibilities. I’m thankful for friendships and memories made this year! I’m thankful we now have my family AND my husband’s parents living close to us. I’m thankful for things I’ve learned this year and the way God opens and closes doors to guide us through life. I’m thankful for a cozy house and food on the table. We have hopes, dreams and goals for the future, but we are in want of nothing, really.

I focus our Christmas card on our boys (rather than the whole family) because I look forward to taking the photo of them each year and honestly, family photos don’t always happen each year. I zoom in on those faces each year, and I’m reminded of all that my husband and I are blessed with. My boy are learning and growing, and they are healthy and happy. They have made new friends and have been good friends. They’re surrounded by a great grandparent, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who love them and support them. They love God and have a beautiful church family and many friends who add so much to their lives. They love each other and they love life. They’re crazy and full of energy, drive each other nuts on some days, but they have kind hearts and they love each other fiercely. Each day holds it’s challenges, but they’re learning skills to carry them through life with strength and positivity. I hope they always see how blessed they are, because even through the hard times, there is always something to be thankful for!

Now that I’m getting all emotional, back to business - you can find this Christmas card design in my etsy shop here. I’m working on getting different Christmas card designs up in my shop. I’d love the chance to design your Christmas card now or in the future! I typically come up with a couple of unique designs each year and add them to the collection of designs I’ve done over the years. And I’m always open to new ideas if you would like something unique designed!

I hope you all have a holiday season full of blessings and thankfulness and you are able to cherish each moment amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday. This year I am trying to simplify and enjoy what really matters - spending quality time with my family and making simple memories. Kids grow fast and people pass away, so make the most of each moment (without stressing yourself out about it!) and have a beautiful holiday season!

Peachy Keen

I entered the current Spoonflower design challenge: Western Americana. The prompt was “to celebrate the rich heritage and rugged landscapes in this adventurous frontier to create a crowd-pleasing design that looks like it would belong on home decor and apparel use cases you’d see in a saloon, on a ranch or at a rodeo.”

I decided to submit a more feminine design. Maybe one you’d see in a girl’s bedroom or maybe on her horse blanket or a dress she may wear.

I added this pattern to my spoonflower shop and named it Peachy Keen, an old western phrase. I have other color variations I’m playing around with as well that I will add to my shop at some point, but this color scheme best fit the challenge.

Time Flies Birthday Invitation

This “Time Flies” invitation was a design idea I had because, at the time, my son at the time was obsessed with airplanes. We live near a model rc airplane field, and I would take him to watch the guys fly and their planes and he would yell, “Airpane!!!” and point at them. It was the perfect theme for his 2nd birthday party.

I always take photos of my boys for their birthday invitation before I design them, and let the photos inspire the design. Here are a few that I didn't use but that I think are pretty cute. He was in his own little world playing with his “airpanes”.

I also put this invitation in my etsy shop. You can find the listing here. Below is the an example of an invitation I designed on etsy for someone, based on the original design. I love that they used this design for someone who actually was a pilot!

Cadence

A cadence is a rhythm, or a flow of words or music, in a sequence that is regular or steady, much like this blender pattern I designed and named Cadence. It is part of my Transposed Harmony collection, and is available in my Spoonflower shop as fabric in rust and mustard. It works well with the other patterns in the collection, or as a minimalistic standalone pattern. You can also buy wallpaper and other home decor in my Spoonflower shop as well.

I think it works really well at a larger scaler as a wallpaper and really makes this office space vibrant and fun. I could definitely see myself working in that space (although it probably wouldn’t look quite as neat if I did)! I also think it could be a fun wallpaper in a playroom as well with more playful decor. If you are going for a more subtle look, but don’t want just a plain paint color on the wall, I think it would be a great alternative as a wallpaper! It’s a very versatile design and could really be used in so many ways.

I like to show my blender patterns with one or two of the other patterns in the collection to see how they can work together.

Transposed Harmony Collection Logo

While still in the design process for my pattern collection, I named the collection Transposed Harmony and I designed a logo for it. A logo isn’t required for pattern design, but if I ever decide to license this collection, it’s good to have a logo to represent it. It could be used on websites and even printed on the selvage (the edge of the fabric where the pattern is not printed), if licensed for fabric.

Transposed is a musical term that means to write or play (music) in a different key or register from the original. A non-musical definition is to transfer to a different place or context. I had considered using the word Repurposed, but Transposed was the perfect replacement since it’s a musical term and gave the same idea I was trying to convey. The piano was repurposed from a working instrument to art and then from wall art to a pattern collection.

The definition of Harmony is the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progression having a pleasing effect. It also can mean a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity. Harmonious patterns is what I have worked hard at designing in this collection so they can be used in multiple combinations and for many different purposes.

Visually, the lines in the letters of the Transposed font reminds me of the lines on a musical staff and compliments the motif used as the O. Transposed looks more structured like music on a staff would be, while harmony is a more fluid script font to stand for the way that music sounds. Music can be very technical, but there is a fluidity to it where the musician has the liberty to add emotion and stretch the timing in a way that is unique to them and the way they feel the music. I think the structured font of Transposed and the fluid font of harmony really compliment each other nicely.

I also wrote a statement that I think fully encompasses the inspiration behind my collection as well the meaning I’m trying to convey.

This collection effortlessly blends the vintage allure of an old family piano with motifs inspired by its intricate inner mechanics and its musical past. While the piano is no longer creating music, its creative transformation inspired a collection that harmoniously weaved a tale of family, music and repurposed artistry.

Legato

I named this pattern Legato. Legato is an Italian term meaning tied together and is a musical performance technique. Legato is used in music to connect the notes together smoothly and I think the designs in this pattern smoothly connect in this repeating pattern. The open space in the pattern gives a little room to breath compared to some of the busier patterns in the collection. Legato is now available in my spoonflower shop. You can find it here.

I think this pattern could work really well at a larger scale as a wallpaper or a smaller scale on home decor.

It’s very pretty on paper as well! The pattern leaves a space where you could write to and from and maybe even a little note - no tag needed!

It’s pretty on a table runner as well! You can find this in my spoonflower shop here.

I also designed a 2nd colorway in a dark blue-green. This pattern is also available in my Spoonflower shop. You can find it here.

Where the Wild Thing Are - Wild ONE Birthday Invitation

I wanted to share the first of many of my custom birthday invitations. It’s one of my favorite things to design! I started when my first son turned one (he’s 12 now and we are still going strong!) and I have designed something new and fun every year after that. It’s a great bonding time as we always talk about what they’re into that year, plan and execute a themed photoshoot with some rough ideas of what we might want, and then I let the photos inspire the design. It’s been so fun bringing their ideas to life and I love that I also can extend the ideas to other parents and kids by listing some of the designs in my Etsy shop.

front of the birthday invitation

This is an invitation I designed for my son’s Wild One birthday party. His middle name is Wilder, and while he isn’t as wild these days, he certainly was when he was one, as you can see in his photos! This theme is available in my Etsy shop. I offer various printable for a Where the Wild Things Are themed party, a birth announcement, t-shirt designs and more. Multiple items can be customized with your own photo as well. You can find the invitation here.

back of the birthday invitation. Like I said, he was wild!

I also designed several table signs to be used for a party. This one is available in my etsy shop here.

Scroll through some photos from the party to see some of the things available in my shop. Signs, food cards, party favor bag topper, and t-shirt designs!

In my Etsy shop, I have this printable file for the King of all the Wild Things shirt. Also available is this printable file for a Brother of the Wild Thing t-shirt. I printed on iron-on printer paper meant for dark tshirts and transferred it for his 2 brothers. I am always happy to customize t-shirt designs to say sister, dad, mom, Grandma or whoever else you need to make a birthday t-shirt for! This file can also be used for any other purpose you may have for the graphic.

Printable file is available in my Etsy shop!

Below is a crown yourself sign for your party, also available in my Etsy shop. You can also buy crowns on Amazon for the party guests, and a special crown for the birthday boy or girl.

Another way to use this invitation is as a pregnancy announcement! I had this request through my etsy shop and I love it. So adorable!

This is another custom option to use on the backside of the invitation.

I hope someone is inspired by this blog post and lets the wild rumpus start! It’s a super fun theme - think bugles on all your fingers as claws like we all used to do as kids! Was it just me?

Feel free to reach out here on my website or through my etsy shop for any design request or new birthday theme ideas!

Forte

In music, forte is an Italian term that means loud or strong. It's a dynamic marking that instructs musicians to play a passage with a strong volume or intensity. Forte was the first pattern in the collection that I designed with a dark background, and I felt that it gave the pattern a boldness that the others didn’t have.

I also designed a second colorway of this pattern in a dark blue with teal accents. I love how it compliments the hero pattern in the second colorway. I think all 3 of these patterns work so nicely together!

Williams Boys

I photographed these handsome brothers at an apple orchard. Their personalities really shine through in this photo! I love how striking the photo is in black and white and how it looks printed on canvas and hung in their home.

I had the opportunity to photograph them another time as well for school photos, as they were homeschooled at the time. It was chilly, but they were troopers!

I took a variety of close-ups and full length photos, but these are some of my favorites.

Rhythm

I love the simplicity of this blender pattern titled Rhythm. This pattern rhythmically repeats like one would count the beats in a measure of music. I also love the negative space of this pattern that shows up in squares, diagonal intersecting “lines” and diamond shapes. While this pattern could be mixed and matched with other patterns in the collection, I actually think it stands alone quite nicely in both tan and rust. Both blender colors are available in my Spoonflower shop.

Rhythm in tan available on Spoonflower

This soft beige would be perfect for gender neutral baby clothing, but I also think it would be a great pattern for curtains to subtly compliment a room’s decor.

This rust color is a bolder version of the pattern.

Rhythm in rust available on Spoonflower

I tried a more subtle shade on a onesie and I really like it! It is not in my Spoonflower shop, but I think I will add it as another option.

Photography with Vintage Vibes

There is nothing better than getting my boys out in nature to just GO! It is a freeing experience to leave all the structured activities and technology behind for an adventure in nature. To go where the earth is beneath their bare feet, and where imaginations can run wild! It’s something we try to do as often as we can. My favorite way to photograph children is to follow them around while they play outside. It brings out a side of them that is so carefree, curious and fun!

Knox’s clothing really brings a vintage vibe to these photos, reminding me of a time in history when life was much more simple.

I’ve always admired vintage clothing. My favorite decade of clothing is probably the 40’s. So classy! Someday - maybe in another stage of life - I would love to photograph people in authentic vintage clothing! It won’t be my focus for now, but aways feel free to reach out if you have an amazing vintage outfit or hat that is just begging to be photographed!

If you are looking for a photographer for a childhood adventure, don’t hesitate to reach out here!

Honey Jar Label and Flyer Design

I grew up around beekeeping, but as much as I loved bugs of all kinds as a child, I was scared of bees. I do, however, have great memories of extracting the honey with my dad. You’d think I’d have gotten into beekeeping before I did, as I loved gardening and my little backyard farm, but between the apprehension around bees, and the time I just didn’t have without a baby in my arms or a toddler in tow, I never considered it as an adult…until the pandemic!

Over the pandemic, I realized my youngest was old enough to not be attached at the hip and to follow the directions “stay over there!” My husband was temporarily working from home, the kids were temporarily doing schooling from home, and we would be home a lot more than we used to be, considering all that was happening in the world around us. I was in my happy place being home and surrounded by my family, animals and projects and this seemed like a good time to try something new! I decided to get some hives of my own and start beekeeping with my dad and my middle son, who always loved insects and especially loved hanging with the adults.

Our little side-kick

The first time I was surrounded by swarming bees, my heart was pounding, but I remained calm on the outside, finished the job, and learned to trust my bee suit! I quickly got over my apprehension of bees - exposure therapy, I suppose - although you’ll still see me in a bee suit when I’m out tending to my hives. I find honey bees so fascinating and have learned so much! I thought maybe it would be a short, educational phase to get through the pandemic, but I have come to really love beekeeping, spending time with my dad and teaching my kids, as well as sharing some experiences and honey with family and friends. I am still learning more each year, but also find myself challenged each year with something new - who knew beekeeping could throw so many curveballs! I certainly didn’t.

Our first package of bees!

I learned that wearing a hat with a brim kept the netting off my face so the bees wouldn't sting me through it! It does not feel good to get stung in the face and they know how to find the vulnerable areas!  

I have a little roadside stand where my boys sell vegetables, so after we extract honey, I keep some, gift some, and put some out for sale to cover all our beekeeping expenses and to give us a little extra cash to replace equipment as we need it. It’s no money-maker at the scale we are beekeeping, but it is very rewarding. The honey is wonderful and as fresh as we can get it! It is appreciated by honey-lovers and local people who struggle with seasonal allergies. The pollinators are appreciated by the gardeners and farmers, and the time with my dad and sons is irreplaceable and very meaningful to me.

I designed honey labels for us as well as a flyer to hang out at the stand. It is printed on a durable, waterproof material, so I haven’t had to update it since I designed it over 4 years ago. The sticker labels are also waterproof, which is necessary as they sometimes set outside on a shelf by the road and get rained on. After purchase, they can be rinsed if they get sticky. With 3 boys who make themselves tea and peanut butter and honey wraps, ours definitely gets sticky!

We had a variety of glass and plastic jars, so I designed several different sizes that could work on multiple jars. With the exception of the 2 oz bear, I left a small white box so I could write in the ozs or lbs. I used a photo of the hives on the farm I grew up on - Maegog Farm - and the place where my dad was already beekeeping. When I started beekeeping with him, we added a few more hives at my house, which is down the road from the farm. Maegog Farm is still our hub, as we have a room dedicated to extracting honey and storing all of our equipment.

The honey extracting process! When we extract, I try to let friends and family know in case they want to get involved!

Notice the difference in honey color that we get from year to year!

I definitely find a lot of inspiration in beekeeping and in the honey bee itself. I plan on designing a pattern collection in the future inspired by my experience with beekeeping!

Allegro

This is a fabric mockup of 2 color versions of my pattern design I named Allegro.

Allegro means “at a brisk tempo” in music, and this busier pattern has a brisk movement back and forth. All my patterns in this collection are named with a musical term. Since the musical staff is made up of lines, I want to have one “stripe” pattern that would mirror that, but since I’m not that fond of actual stripes typically, this is my version!

Musical staff

This pattern design was based on some of the pieces that are shown in this wall art below I made out of piano pieces.

I think this pattern would be cute on a baby onesie! If you sew and you decide to make anything with my pattern, I would love to see it! Please tag me on IG @rachelcraftonart

Newborn Delaney and Big Sister Elliot

Photography has always been a love of mine starting as a young teenager with a 35mm film camera my parents let me use.

While it’s not something I regularly do, or something I want to pursue full time, I occasionally will photograph newborns. When I had my first son, I realized how much I love newborn photography. As a more introverted-leaning person by nature, but also someone who is very comfortable with babies and children, I found that newborn and child photography was the perfect little niche for me! The babies didn’t need me to be a smooth conversationalist (good thing lol)! They just wanted a warm room, soothing music and some snuggles before being put in a cozy prop to sleep (I’m not going to lie, it’s not always that easy), and toddlers and small children were put at ease with just a little bit of silliness…and I always bring snacks! I love the planning - putting together colors and wraps and props - and then photographing those precious little faces!

These are some of the pictures from a photoshoot I did a couple of years ago. She was the sweetest baby!

Big sister Ellie was a cute as can be with those gorgeous blue eyes!

I almost always design a birth announcement after a newborn photoshoot, so the parents can print them as a card, or post the picture on social media or send it in an email or text to family and friends.

Family Cookbook and 90th Birthday Apron

About 10 years ago, the day before I went into labor with my second son, we got my Grandma’s “labor of love” sent off to the printer! She had compiled a family cookbook full of family recipes, history and photos. I was able to design the inside and outside covers and the divider pages for the cookbook.

The photos on the front and back cover are of my grandma when she was a little girl. She loves to cook and she loves to talk on the phone, so the photos were the perfect representation of her. The photo I scanned for the front cover had been hand-colorized many years ago, and I was able to scan the black and white photo on the back cover and colorize it to match.

A few years ago, I was able to take these photos of my Grandma with her cookbook. They are special photos I will cherish always.

This past June, we had a 90th birthday party for her and I was able to get some aprons made in her honor using the same artwork, but adding the words “90 Years of Love and Laughter.”