New custom work

I have just finished listing another Mia zippered pouch in my Etsy shop - this time I used charcoal grey wool tweed, some purple red embroidery thread and a brass charm in the shape of small scissors.

The idea of the scissors cutting through "fil rouge" came from my children who are always interrupting my train of thought, sometimes with questions but often with just a "mama, look at me!"

Mia zippered pouch "fil rouge"

The pouch is lined with plaid fabric in matching colours for a bit of autumn feel...

This weekend I was also working on a custom order. Sophie from Australia wanted me to make a Mia pouch very much like the chocolate brown one with lace and leafy trim but with some added colour. A few convos and a couple of photo sketches later she chose the combination with ruby red silk and chocolate brown zipper.

(The sketch and the final result don't match in colour that well because they were taken at different times of day but you get the picture)...

The sketch

Custom made purse for Sophie

Lazy days of summer

photo Loddelina

Careless August days are almost over and the new school year is around the corner (or on the other side of the weekend).

I hope you had a lovely summer and are starting the new season with recharged batteries, ready for creative challenges ahead!

Have a great weekend,

Damjana

New in my shop

Her name is Mia - the new Loddelina zippered makeup pouch & pencil case.

It is after midnight when I am finally finished listing the three new pouches so let the pictures speak for themselves...

MIA - orange pink branch on dark chocolate

MIA - soft aqua and warm grey with brass charm

MIA - dark chocolate with cream lace and leaf

Good night!

A sneak preview

Here are the first two Loddelina zipepr purses I have been working on!

After a short trial & error period in which I had to refresh my zipper sewing skills (I adopted the first, not entirely perfect attempt, as my own make-up pouch), I have finished these two zipper purses, first two of many, I hope. I have been wanting to add a smaller pencil purse / make-up pouch to my shop for a long time and this back-to-school, pre-holiday period seemed like a perfect time. The purse measures 21 x 11 cm (8.2 x 4.3 ") and has a 20 cm (7.8 ") zipper.

While taking these first pictures I realized how hard it will be to show the true colours, the soft pale blue (pigeon blue?), salmon pink and warm gray of the first purse and the dark chocolate brown and oatmeal (is it true that in USA nobody understands what colour beige looks like?) with green (that could be olive or something even darker) of the second one...

I will try to take more flatering pictures later this week, when I add the new designs to my shop. I am also looking forward to some ideas for a name of the new design...

Treasuries by CardsAndCraft

It is always such a pleasure to have your items featured in a Treasury list and to see how they look displayed alongside with all the amazing Etsy creations. This month has been very special because lovely Claire from CardsAndCraft, London, has included Loddelina in not only one but in three of her Treasury lists!

Here are her golden, olive and orange autumn inspirations - and be sure to check out her Etsy shop, full of delicious craft supplies, all kinds of charms, beads, appliques and ribbons.

Thank you, Claire!

Organizing my workspace

I have finally managed to tidy up my sewing corner. I was putting away the new supplies I have purchased recently and realized all of my stuff needs better organizing so I always know what I have to work with and can get inspired quickly - I was amazed at all the supplies I have "in stock" but they were so well hidden that I have already forgotten about them...

Following an advice I once came across in an Etsy forum I put all my ribbons and trims

in big glass jars where I can easily see them and at the same time they provide a nice decoration for my shelves (pictured is my lace trims jar). I organized all my metallic charms, hardware (magnet snaps, loops and split rings) and large beads in smaller glass containers (which we have plenty of thanks to our love of preserves!).

I keep smaller jars in a drawer but before starting a new project I can always take them out and arrange them on the table so I have a clear view of what I have to work with. At the moment I am making some new, smaller zipper pouches / pencil purses in warm and elegant autumn colours.

Stay tuned as I list the new items in my shop very soon!

A bouquet of tomatoes and basil

Thursday is farmers' market day in my town and a perfect opportunity to stock up on fresh meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables from local producers.

On a rainy day like today I like to buy myself a bouquet of flowers to brighten my kitchen table - but today I decided to treat myself to a sweet smelling pot of fresh basil. I use a lot of basil in my cooking and the herb looks nice on the kitchen counter next to my green onion storage jar and some fresh tomatoes I also bought today. The metallic happy bears jar is actually ment for cookies but we use it to keep our bread fresh..

END OF SUMMER SALE

And in case you are interested, I have been doing summer cleaning in my shop and have lowered the prices on some of my handbags in order to make room for the new bags I am planing for the fall season.

Thanks for looking!

Flashback Friday

My summer vacation is over and I am looking forward to getting back to my sewing machine and hopefully finishing some new handbags for the coming autumn season - as soon as I get around to cleaning my work space and sorting out all the supplies that I bought recently (some pictures soon, I promise!).

But when I'm back home, I always like to remember the most fun holidays or the loveliest places I have been to. These pictures were taken in Strasbourg the first time I visited it, which was soon after meeting my husband . We later moved to Germany and Strasbourg, together with even more charming nearby town of Colmar, became a very welcome stop on the way to our French side of the family.

Just thinking about those cobbled streets and black and white timber-framed buildings, surrounded by summer flowers, makes me smile...

Link your flashback to Christopher & Tia's blog!

Toy Story

I saw this vending machine recently at one of the the rest stops on the Bavarian highway.

From a distance it looked like another one of those coin-hungry machines, filled with plush toys that a big metallic claw picks (or lets go) randomly. But a closer look revealed this particular machine was offering more grown up toys - mobile phones, USB keys and mp3 players.

I decided to keep my Euro coin(s), perhaps next time...

The claw vending machine makes me smile every time I see one - I think of the little green aliens in Pixar's movie Toy Story and their "Hail to the Claw, the Claw has chosen!"

image: fanpop.com