Package from Sam arrived today!

Thank you, Mr Postman, you have made my day!

A lovely package from Sam arrived this morning and I couldn't wait to get a spare moment to take some pictures before opening it. Even the envelope looked tempting but once it was opened I could smell the sweet scent of lavander (I have mentioned to Sam that it was one of my favourites...).

The little envelope with my name on it (I love the butterfly and bird stamps!) contained a card from Sam and some lavender blossoms came pouring out. With every little package I got more excited, they were so pretty I almost didn't want to open them in fear of damaging the wrapping.

Thank you, Sam, for the lovely earrings, a piece of yummy lavender soap, a sweet notebook, amazing little note cards, a flower shaped candle, pretty vanilla zig-zag trim and two lovely scented bags (they will go straight into my warderobe!).

I have posted a few of these pictures on Flickr - check our some other amazing packages from the exchange participants!

Buttons and ties

Returning back home from my vacation I took with me a few things I had stored at my parents' house when I moved away (there was no way I could have taken everything with me and it is nice to keep coming back and discovering forgotten treasures...).

On top of all the sewing supplies my mother has collected over the years, I myself have never thrown away an interesting button, a piece of ribbon or a leftover piece of fabric - one never knows when they might be the very thing that puts a finishing touch to the design.

On this last visit I've discovered a box of my father's old ties from the 70's I have once saved from being thrown away - they are a collection of amazing vintage patterns and colours, some wide, some narrow (early 80's, no doubt), some have stains, some traces of wear and tear, but I'm sure I can incorporate at least a part of them in one of my next projects. The other box contains my collection of buttons; some I've bought over the years, some were cut off items of clothes that were too worn to be given to charity and some are the "backup" buttons from clothes I've purchased (and have long ago left my wardrobe).

Aaaaghh, so many ideas, so little time! I have to reopen my Etsy shop first and then it's back to the sewing machine!

A lovely package for Sam (part 1)

A while ago I've signed up for a lovely package exchange organised by Danni at Oh, Hello Friend. I've just posted some of the pictures of my package on Flickr, keeping the contents a secret since it hasn't arrived at it's destination yet...

My assigned partner was Sam, a young girl from Oxfordshire, UK, who is training to be a florist and loves country garden themes, soft colours and floral prints. I've found a couple of pretty things I hope she will like and "wrapped" them the way I know best - as a purse. I sewed a pocket just big enough to fit the present, using beige linen-viscose blend for the outside and black cotton for the inside of the pocket. I then carefully sewed fabric rose petals all over the pocket - I have bought a box of them as home decoration a long time ago, I knew they would come handy one day... To hide the stitches on the rose petals in top row, I sewed a piece of golden lace along the rim and added an elastic loop that goes around the button.

It was a race against time to finish the package before the evening got too dark for outside photography - in all the rush I forgot to take a picture of the protective wrapping the purse was put in... Maybe Sam will take one for me when she gets her present. She loves photography and has an amazing Flickr album.

There's another lovely package exchange in December - I will be sure to participate again!

The world according to Gaston

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My almost three-year-old, like all children his age, has always shown great interest in electronic gadgets adults were using in everyday life. Having mastered the phone and the DVD player it was soon time to try the digital camera...

At first we would give him an old Canon IXUS with a broken display that only showed the generic pictuire of a bird when switched on but made attractive picture-snapping sounds upon pressing the button, which was enough for a start. This past week, however, Gaston began to be bored with his camera never capturing anything so he started borrowing mine. Watching me he soon figured out which buttons to press and after a few days of happy snapping I could make this selection of his "essentials" - without adjusting or cropping the pictures in any way.

Poudre de Perlimpinpin

One of my favourite shops in Ljubljana is a little boutique in the old part of town selling French label of childrens fashion called Poudre de Perlimpinpin. Behind this funny name, which roughly translates into "charlatan's 'magic' powder", is a line of very sweet and unique childrens clothes in vibrant colours and comfortable, soft fabrics.

The clother are usually quite pricey but this time they had a clearance sale of last year's winter collection and I was lucky to found this little dress for Lily, my one year old. I took size 18 months so it should fit her perfectly when the cold weather arrives -it is made of thick and soft cotton jersey, perfect for a winter playdate in the park.

The official Poudre de Perlimpinpin website is still under construction but you can see a few more photos on this blog, dedicated to designer labels of childrens fashion with that little extra something.

A postcard from Ljubljana

Every time I come back to visit my hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia, I like to just stroll down the familiar streets, sit down for a coffee at the river bank and snap a few photos. After having lived abroad for some years, I've learned to appreciate the tiny details one usually takes for granted in their own hometown and I try to see Ljubljana through the eyes of a tourist.

I've recently come accross a beautiful blog Servus München, written by Emily, an American expat in Munich, Germany. One of Emily's passions is traveling and she posts delightful reports of her many travels, accompanied by beautiful photographs. She visited Ljubljana a while ago - you might enjoy reading her impressions and looking through the pictures she took on her visit.

Holidays

A view from my kitchen window

(taken last Spring, before the nature woke up completely

- and before I had time to wash the windows...)

I've decided to put my Etsy shop on vacation mode for the next two weeks.

First I thought it might not be wise since I've only opened it a short while ago and can't afford to miss any potential customers. But the thought of taking everything with me in case I an interested buyer comes along, packing the handbags, the tags, the wrapping materials (and still forgeting some), perhaps being late with sendidg the item because I haven't checked my emails often enough, ending up with a negative evaluation ...

OK, it is not a very likely scenario but I don't want to start my business that way.

So for the next two weeks I will be getting some new items ready to put on the web (I guess it makes sense to launch them after the Summer break so more people can see them) and also working on the old ones (I have to think of some catchier tags...).

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Odd socks

Looking through some old back-up CDs of pictures (what a mess, now I put everything on external HD) I came across this illustration-riddle I once made for a children's magazine in Slovenia. It was about a sock that gets lost in the washing machine and now children have to point out the one that's missing a pair.

I've made quite a lot of these illustrations straight after college, while I was trying to earn some money (there is no money in illustration) and figure out what I can do with my diploma in fashion design. Soon after Loddelina was born and I started expressing myself through sewing but never stopped loving to draw. Perhaps I can join these two passions in my future work - I'm already making some sketches...

And by the way, there was no great money in designing handbags, either. So I ended up being a journalist and writing about fashion and lifestyle. I have gained tons of experience and met my husband through work. Can't complain!

These are a few of my favourite things

Enjoy...

Clockwise from top left: illustration by Nicole Wong at PainterNik, bridesmaids earrings by Mollusa, The bandit bag by The small object and painting by artquirk.

Daily Painters

I've recently added a widget to my blog called Daily Painters Art Gallery - it introduces some very talented contemporary artists with different styles, painting techniques and favourite subjects. Some of those artists also sell on Etsy.

I love flowers so here are a few of paintings with flowery theme - though the gallery also features lots of amazing landscapes and portraits.

Michael Naples

Jacqueline Gnott

Jinghua Gao Dalia

Nicole Smith

My first Treasury feature

Wow, I just found out that one of my bags has been chosen for the Treasury on Etsy!

The selection was made by wonderful Elisa from Pesky Cat Designs - her bags have been featured on Etsy's front page 9 times last month so I'm very flattered!

Elisa's Treasury, entitled A stitch in time, features my Nana orange purse with embroided flowers, along with some amazing creations from fellow Etsians.

Felt flowers

I've made these felt flowers for my daughter's mobile last year - I've attached them to strings and let them hang over her bed. They are about 7.5 cm/3 inch in diameter and made of felt, stuffed and embroided with colourful yarn.

As soon as she could stand up and reach the flowers, I had to take them away. Now they are waiting to be a part of another project - any thoughts?