Little houses - keychain charms

I have been toying with the idea of making some keychain ornaments, a bit like my decorative hearts but smaller, to keep the keys company and make them easier to find in the depths of a woman's handbag.

At the end I decided to make tiny houses kechain charms with little doors and windows made of felt and freehand machine embroidery. I have a lot of leftover fabric, patches too small to make anything other than very small objects and this seemed like a perfect solution. I attached a split ring to the "chimney" of each house and am quite pleased with the three I made today (once I knew what I wanted they didn't took too long to finish).

I might try some hand stitching next time or add beads and trims to make the houses more festive - they are all stuffed with plant fibre filling so can also be used as pincushions or even christmas ornaments...

A fox? Me?

Let me present a brand new member of Loddelina family - GOGA wristlet.

She (a lady, what else) is 16 cm 6.2") tall, has a roomy, 6.5 cm (2.5") wide bottom (she dines out a lot) and closes with a 18 cm (7") zipper. Detachable wrist strap has a swivel hook and there is a small interior pocket in the lining.

I chose black denim for my first wristlet and sewed a red wool felt applique in front - in the shape of a fox (I wasn't sure if it really looks like a fox but my two year old daughter recognized it as such, which is good enough for me...).

Inspiration behind this woodland creature applique comes from Elisa, the creative force behind peskycatdesigns, one of my favourite Etsy shops, filled with unique, nature inspired bags.

European Street Team Challenge

My Mia pouch won the last week's challenge entitled "stripes" and hosted by Estella from Star Of The East - which means I get to chose the new theme!

And inspired by my new homeland (and not the famous, but falsely attributed quote), I chose:

Marie Antoinette.

OK, she was Austrian by birth, but you know what I mean, right.

Excessive, over the top wigs, jewellery, clothes, cakes, dogs and furniture. As an illustration I borrowed a picture of one of my favourite hand sewn dolls by the amazing Heather Louise from The Doll Farm.

Deadline for your entries is next Monday evening. You can send me the link to your new listing through Etsy conversations...

Let the games begin!

::::::::::::::::::::::: and here are your entries :::::::::::::::::::::::::

Marie Antoinette in Africa by LaTouchables

lacey cuff with buffalo horn buttons

Marie Antoinette wears sneakers by Ginaregina

recycled denim cuff with lace

Earrings and necklace by staroftheeast

hand knotted lace

Marie Antoinette necklace choker by helmitarha

pearls and cameo

Marie Antoinette porcelain enamel necklace by Anakit

china plate pendant

Atlantis necklace by LeelaBijou

swarovski crystal and silver plated findings

Marie Antoinette versatile lace collar by lucietales

three neck pieces in one

Cape Elletra by nauliknits

for those cold nights at the castle...

Marie Antoinette flowery necklace by DinaFragola

golden filigree base with flowers

Versailles earrings by gr8jewellery

My day Monday

Cats

Clockwise from top left: SparrowPrimitives, sofiasobeide, strays, PinkNounou

My creative space

I admit I am not the most organized person around (understatement of the month!) and it shows in the way I stock my supplies (so far I still manage to keep the new order installed recently) and in the way I design the sewing patterns for my bags...

Pictured here are a few of my old patterns, scattered on the floor - my only clear surface at the time this photo was taken. When I am designing a new bag, I draw the pattern on any available piece of paper. Sometimes I use cardstock, label all the pieces of the new pattern and neatly tie them together with a piece of string. And some other time I might use any sheet of paper that is large enough, even a page of a newspaper, and quickly make some notes and a more or less accurate sketch of the bag.

Organized or not, I like my folder of sewing patterns (yes, I have enough sense to keep them all in a large cardboard folder). Whenever I am looking for an inspiration or a little motivation push to make a new bag, I go through these old and tattered pieces of paper - and every time I am amazed at how many different purses, bags and pouches I have made so far.

It is time to design a new bag!

Etsy Success Holiday Camp Pledge

I, Loddelina, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

I think I need a friendly push to help me get my shop ready for the holiday season.

I will post about my progress in the following weeks. Now I am off to buy some supplies...

The challenge

It is time to start participating in European Street team's weekly challenge again - each theme gets picket by the last week's winner and after that we get one week to list theme related items in our Etsy shops.

This week it's all abour stripes, a theme chosen by Estella from staroftheeast.

I chose to make a zipper pouch from the most cheerful of my striped basque canvas collection - a kind of srawberry lemon sorbet with a slice of lime on top. I even found a pink candy striped cotton satin to line the pouch with...

Mia zippered pouch in pink, green and yellow stripes

The challenge winner will be announced on staroftheeast's blog on Monday at the end of the day.

Heart in the gutter?

Beauty can be found in most unexpected of places.

I discovered this heart shaped, mason-like symbol on one of the gutter grids near our house while playing outside with my children. What could be more fun than throwing pebbles through the grid and waiting to hear the sound they make?

Happy autumn!

My day Monday - The flood

It has been a while since I put together my monday mood board, a set of Etsy items corresponding a certain theme...

Water everywhere

clockwise from top left: matchstickgirl, evihan, bahaar for EuropeForCharity, designlime

... And what a theme to restart the series!

I can't think of much else today other than the horrible floods, caused by three straight days of heavy rain, that turned Slovenia into one big muddy lake.

Most of the rivers have burst their banks and even Ljubljana, the capital, was severely flooded, some towns are still cut off by the high water and there are many landslides threatening to wipe away roads and people's houses.

images: www.rtvslo.si, www.siol. net

Apples

I love apples, any kind but most of all the juicy, crispy and slightly sour varierties.

Yesterday, after bringing a full basket of fresh Gala from farmers' market and ending up eating half of them with my children, there were, well, apples on my mind.

So today, as soon I had a couple of hours to myself, I made this Mia pouch from a piece of rusty red and orange striped canvas. The apple is embroidered in orange and light aqua thread and the pouch closes with olive green zipper. Since I was in a hurry I didn't bother to change the thread too often but I think the aqua blue looks quite nice against the dark khaki lining...

Tomorrow I'm buying more apples!

*...a few moments later*

The apple pouch just got featured on this yummy harvest treasury by Fairyfolk - thank you, Donni!

Autumn leaves

My oak trees are turning gold...

New Mia zipper pouch with freehand embroidered leaves in warm autumn colours on chocolate brown wool. The purse is interfaced and lined with dark khaki canvas and closes with an orange zipper.

Busy week ahead

Farmers' market, Pontarlier

I spent the entire weekend with my family - there might not be thant many warm&sunny days left - so no new listings in my shop.

But there are a few unfinished projects on my sewing table including a library book bag for my son and also his fourth birthday is coming up (time to review my cake recipes) so it is going to be a busy week ...

Happy monday!

I love to read

A short while ago I made a custom Mia pouch for Sophie who told me she loved it (thank you, Sophie) and asked me if I ever considered designing a reading glasses case. She was looking for a sturdy eyewear protection (because the hard case she uses now looks like a truck has run over it, as she put it) but she gave me the idea of offering a softer, yet still well padded version in my shop.

It was time to put the collection of my father's old neckties from the 70's and 80's to use...

The result is this padded eyeglasses cozy in dark chocolate wool tweed (slightly striped), originally intended for men's suits, adorned with a piece of rusty brown vintage necktie and two matching buttons. The case is lined with dark aubergine padded lining and is approximately 18 cm (7") long and 8 cm (3.2") wide across the opening. It closes securely with an elastic loop.

I am still testing the new design and thinking of ways to improve it so I was very thrilled to get a message from lovely Dominika @ PanicaLab this afternoon - she has included the new eyeglasses cozy in her I love to read treasury!

Thank you!

Don't stop me now ...

"... Cause I'm having a good time", said Freddy Mercury a long time ago.

And it is fun, spending every minute of my free time sewing & taking pictures, trying to list one new item in my shop every day or so. Larger bags take at least two to three days to make and at the moment I am busy with the smaller Mia pouch, determined to make as many zippered purses as I can before Freddy's energy runs out.

I start in the evening when the children are in bed; I match together a few different fabrics, trims and zippers, think about the new design a bit and then go to bed. In the morning I come back to the sewing table to see if the colours I had put together last night still match by daylight. I try to finish the pouch by afternoon the same day, stealing half an hour here and there between my chores, and then take pictures of the finished design before the light runs out and the intense evening family time begins. If it's not my turn to put the children to bed I use my evening to prepare the pictures on the computer and list the new item - or leave it 'till the next day and list two at the same time...

Here are my latest additions:

First pouch is made of striped basque cloth in forest green, deep sage and purple with brown leaves on the trim*

and the second is another wool tweed experiment, this time with embroidered acorns on the front and lace in the back.

I recently purchased a nice stamp that says "Handmade" and have already tried it out - on the paper I use to wrap my purses ...

... and stamped, with more permanent ink, on the inside of the pouches.

* The credit for the first Mia purse in forest green goes to my husband: it was him who, while peaking over my shoulder the other evening, suggested I sew the ribbon with leaves horizontally and put the Loddelina label in front rather than sewing it on the side.

Thanks, Mr Loddelina!

The colours of Alsace

Last week my husband and I spent a couple of days in Alsace - the home country of storks.

We stayed at a budget hotel in Colmar (and rather spent the leftover money on delicious food) and on the second day drove a few miles further north to a small vine - growing town ofRibeauville. It is just as beautiful as Colmar but much less crowded so we could enjoy our walk and take pictures without ending up having (too many) tourists in them.

Everywhere we turned there was a podstcard-perfect view and at the end we couldn't say which house, street or doorway we loved more. Even with the harsh midday sunlight, the pictures I took with my tiny camera still came out ok.

The flowers and the colours of Ribeauville are an endless inspiration - may they spice up your September creativity!

Harvest inspiration

Two more Mia pouches are in Loddelina shop!

I love the new design, it is small enough to make in one day - my working hours are scattered between housework and two children - and I get to express myself differently with each purse.

The first one is made of cream white upholstery fabric with a patch of Ikea printed canvas that inspired me to add some embroidery & beads in the back in matching orange and aqua.

The second one was inspired by the tag "harvest" that Etsy admin sugested for the coming season - I used warm grey fabric with burnt orange silk and some cream lace. To add a seasonal touch I embroidered two trees in the front and added some olive green trim in the back.

To show that the harvest tag is really hot at the moment, Sherri from SherriConley (check out her shop for some amazing photography!), featured the orange pouch in her Harves Time treasury just minutes after Mia was listed.

Thank you, Sherri!