...The mountains were a curious sort of place where the air seemed crisper and the sky more blue. As the little girl walked up the trail, she listened to the melody of the birds and tried not to show how tired she was.
Reaching the top, she stepped out into a clearing and gasped at the view. As her eyes traced the mountain peaks, they reminded her of the soft and hard peaks when Mama made meringue. Could even these majestic mountains be the handiwork of the King?...
This post is the Great Smoky Colorway, the Blue Ridge Colorway can be found here. SHOP these patterns on Spoonflower, HERE.
My family moved to the Great Smoky Mountains in the Fall of 2018. We came from sunny California and unpacked right in the midst of the dreamiest Leaf Season. Leaf Season is what the locals call those fleeting weeks where the mountains light up in orange tones and the leaves begin to fall. (Tourists flock to our small town to take scenic drives and selfies along the Blue Ridge Parkway during this season.)
As we began to explore our new home, we kept saying things like "It looks like landscapes in a calendar! It doesn't look real." Autumn turned to winter and we had our first snowfall only about six weeks later. Our home became a winter wonderland where the trees shimmered with frost and the ground was blanketed in white. Soon, it was Spring and we were amazed at how quickly the mountains turned shades of green and the leaves sprouted out again. Like many before us, the beauty of four seasons quickly captured our hearts and the mountains became home.
However, it wasn't just the breath-taking views that captured our attention. As we began to meet the people in our town, we realized that there are some very special folks that call the mountains home. We met farmers, baristas, pastors, and fellow homeschoolers. We met artists, musicians, engineers, and shop keepers. We met friends that quickly became like family. The people we met only made the mountains even better.
This mini-collection (and the Blue Ridge Colorway) were inspired in part by the views and the people of Haywood County, North Carolina. I referred to landscape photography by my friend Joseph Thomas of Carolina Photo Art to draw the repeating mountain scene. I was inspired by the local fisherman and campers to draw the trout pattern. The painterly leaves are a nod to that first Autumn when we moved here and the abundance of art galleries in downtown. The pink monarchs were an obvious choice based on my kids delight in the size of the bugs here (ginormous!), and the rusty orange gingham is influenced by proper Southern Hospitality and church potlucks.
[Truly, y'all haven't lived if you haven't been to a church potluck in the South.]
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