Is there such a thing as too many pattern books?

My answer to that is there are only too many when you are not finding inspiration in them and using them. Having said that, I was more than a little surprised to realize just how many I have collected over the past few years. Most of them are in e-book format and the idea of printing them all out is rather daunting - not to mention a massive use of paper. So I have set myself a task to go through each and every book and pull out my absolute favorite designs. These will then be incorporated into my pattern book that I take to events and appointments. I figure if I can get through 5 to 6 books a week I should have them all done before the Lilac Festival at the end of May (yes, I really have that many). This should give a wide selection of styles to choose from and I'm curious to see what designs people respond to. And of course, in addition to this I have some designs of my own to include as well. It looks like I will be rather busy!

A snapshot of the past year...

As the title implies, I thought I would put together a small collage of images from last year's events. Small, because I am notoriously bad at remembering to take pictures of my work! Most of these are from the renfest of which I have spoken before.

Winter is still firmly entrenched in my little corner of the world, however the warmer seasons are approaching so I have been taking stock and brushing off the cones (so to speak) in preparation. It is always fun to look back and remember what I did and what designs people loved. Part of the joy in mehndi lies in making that connection with the people I adorn and in their own joy when they are happy with the design they get to wear for the next while. Another aspect to why I love henna is the joy of tackling new designs and images, of meeting the challenge of a new request.

So as the weather warms it will be time to look forward, time to use these images as a springboard to challenge myself with designs both new and familiar. I can hardly wait!