Back and opened for business

I am back from my summer break, we spent two weeks visiting Slovenia, relaxing in my parents' garden, admiring my mother's flowers and enjoying her cakes (she made this red currant one for my husband's birthday).

Second week of our family vacation was a bit slow due to me catching yet another throat infection (being sick in the hottest part of summer is no holiday) so I am extra glad to be home again, back to my sewing machine, my garden and, oh well, my pile of dirty laundry...

Loddelina shop is again opened for business and I am looking forward to starting some new projects - more to follow...

Have a great week ahead!

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Spet doma po dvotedenskih počitnicah v Sloveniji, kjer smo uživali na vrtu mojih staršev, občudovali mamine rožice in se sladkali z njenimi tortami (tole ribezovo je spekla za možev rojstni dan). Drugi teden počitnic mi je pokvarila zoprna viroza in biti bolan v najhujši vročini ni noben piknik zato sem še toliko bolj vesela, da sem spet doma, kjer me čaka šivalni stroj, moj vrt in seveda gora umazanega perila...  

Loddelina je odprla trgovino in komaj čakam, da se lotim novih projektov - več sledi...

Lep nov teden vsem!

Summer holidays are for:

:: daydreaming in the grass (no four leaf shamrocks found, better luck next time)

:: trying on a new look (these are the glasses frames I chose in the end)

:: having coffee at the streetside cafe (while your children attend a pavement workshop)

:: enjoying all the different colours of Ljubljana (even if the weather is way too chilly for this time of year)

:: buying some pretty jewellery (I fell in love with this gorgeous labradorite stone set in silver)

:: and adding a shiny kitchen appliance to my mental wish list (I had no idea KitchenAid mixer come in all the colours of the rainbow!)...

:: :: ::   Have a nice weekend!   :: :: :: 

: : : : : : 

Dear Friends of Loddelina,

Welcome to a special 

three-day SUMMER SALE 

on all handmade Loddelina designs,

including the latest bags, wristlets, zippered pouches and more

at

www.Loddelina.Etsy.com

Please use the special coupon code during checkout:

SUMMER15

to get a 15 % discount on your purchase!

:: enter SHOP here ::

SALE starts this Saturday, July 2nd (10 AM Paris time) 

and ends Monday, July 4th (10 PM Paris time)

: : : : : : 

New in my shop

Here they are, the three new hipster bags I made over the last weekend - all three are now available in my shop.

All bags have adjustable cotton webbing strap, large zippered pocket inside and a d-ring for attaching keys.

Warm grey upholstery canvas with orange starfish applique and buttons

Olive green floral upholstery fabric with repurposed men's tie applique

D-ring and small interior slip pocket

Blue denim-like cotton blend canvas with aqua blue starfish applique and buttons

Today is Button Wednesday on Petronella's blog (from Etsy kraplap shop) - check out this week's button beauties!

Happy Wednesday!

Work in progress

I am having another one of my sewing weekends!

With the husband and children gone to grandma's, I have a house to myself. That means I have set my sewing station on the kitchen table, where I can cut the fabric and sew while I watch TV. And thanks to Elisa from Pesky cat designs, who has infected me with the sudden need for some British humour, I have spent the whole morning clicking through episodes of Keeping up Appearances on Youtube. It is hilarious even if you don't keep your eyes on the screen all of the time...

Here is my progress so far:

I have finished one new hipster bag in upholstery canvas and upcycled men's tie and have two more bags just a few stitches away - they will both have a starfish applique in front and cotton webbing adjustable straps. I hope to be able to take pictures before the dark and list them tonight!

Stella Maris wristlet

The weekend is almost over and I still have some tidying up to do before my family returns (and muffins to bake like I promised the children).

Here are two new summer wristlets I listed in my shop today. I call them Stella Maris, starfish in Latin, and I must say I am very pleased how the corduroy applique in salmon and robin egg blue on two tone beige canvas turned out.

I have already sketched some more starfish inspired designs but they will have to wait for the next sewing break...

A busy weekend

This weekend it is all about Loddelina. Thanks to my husband, who took the children to grandma's, I have a whole weekend to sew!

Ok, almost the whole weekend because there are other urgent things to be done, like reorganizing my pantry (to make sure I restock on food that is actually missing and stop buying more and more pasta that I already don't have room to store anymore, for instance).

This morning I dedicated some time to call a few of dear friends I made during our stay in Germany - we were able to catch up without constant interruptions from children who always want to take part in the conversation...

Later I prepared my sewing table and started work on a new design (I have cut the pieces and fused the interface the evening before). But my stomach reminded me it was time for lunch so I had to take a break - my abandoned sewing table didn't look very attractive but that is how interfaced, double stitched insides of a tote bag look like...

I cooked some pasta, what else (to make more room in my pantry), spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce with cubes of fresh mozzarella on top. It is one of my favourite 20 minute dishes and I often make it for my family.

After lunch I hurried to finish the bag (I will do the dishes later) and here it is, a sneak preview of my canvas summer tote with handmade starfish charm. It has interior zippered pocket, slip pocket for mobile phone and a swivel hook for keys. It closes with a magnetic snap and makes a perfect medium to large summer bag.

I intend to make two more starfish themed designs this weekend and I hope to have them all photographed and listed on Sunday.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

New in my shop - small zippered money purse

As soon as we adjusted our clocks to summer time, my mind switched as well and now I have sea, sun and sand in my head all day long.

To let some of the summer spirit out I created these two zippered purses in fresh colour combination of navy blue, white, sand and red. The zippered money purse is a little smaller than my other zippered pouches, only 15 cm (6") wide on top, 11 cm (4.3") tall and measures 3 x 12 cm (1.2 x 4.7") on the bottom. It fits in the palm of your hand and can store anything from gadgets, cash & cards or makeup.

The first two purses will be availabe in my shop later tonight and there are more to come in the next few days!

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

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!

A summer hello!

I feel a bit guilty for having neglected you, my blog readers, while I'm on vacation - so I bring you some flowers to make it up to you!

These pictures were taken last Saturday at Ljubljana's central market place where the flower merchants are nestled at the side of the Cathedral of St Nicholas. This time of the year their stands are full of happy sunflowers and bouquets of dried flowers that will outlast the summer.

And while driving around the nearby villages, I could admire even more pretty flowers, a traditional window and balcony decoration of most houses in Slovenia. Somebody felt that even this old, abandoned house deserved some cheerful flower pots...

Ljubljansko barje, the marshes south of Ljubljana, are also in full bloom right now with delicate and colourful wild flowers gently swaying in the wind.

Show me your summer flowers, I would love to see them!

Flashback Friday

With this week's flashback photo, a sweet souvenir of summer holiday by the Croatian coast a few years ago,

I wish you a wonderful weekend!

For those of you who wonder about the teddy bear in the picture: he was just minding his own business on the washing line, soaking in the warm rays of the afternoon sun, when I walked by on my way to the beach. The picture was taken in the beautiful village called Valun, on the Croatian island of Cres.

If you want to play along, link your own flashback post to Christopher and Tia's blog.

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.

Seagulls

I started planning my seaside holidays today and this pillow by Olive seemed just the thing to put me in the right mood. I love the colours and the details - you have to look closely to see what I mean... You can check out these seagulls and other fun stuff at her Etsy shop.