A welcome-back surprise

My holiday is over and I am back in France - and back to work.

There are suitcases to be unpacked, pictures to be downloaded from the camera, freshly bought sewing supplies to be stored away - but not for long as I have some new sketches that I want to try out as soon as possible!

While I was away, I had the pleasure of seeing quite a few of my handbags and purses included in very beautiful Etsy treasuries - here are the last two, both from yesterday, a nice double surprise as I logged in this afternoon.

First treasury was made by LeahSawyer, a yewellery designer from Sydney, who creates amazing lampwork glass beads - each a work of art in itself.

And the second, autumn inspired treasury by sofiasobeide, the author of the cutest crocheted creatures on Etsy, features one of my favourite colour combinations, deep orange and purple.

Thank you!

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!

Antique store find

There was not much going on over the weekend and my mind is still on vacation mode, the only way to survive in this heat.
I did visit the Saturday craft market in Ljubljana but couldn't take decent pictures because of the blinding sunlight. Perhaps I will have better luck next weekend when I go back - the bright coloured stands, selling handmade pottery, fashion accessories and paper art are worth seeing again.

Talking about shopping, here is a tiny porcelain jewellery box I recently found on a dusty shelf of a local antique store in Pontarlier. The white bearded man, who runs the store, told me it is not considered an antique in his opinion, since it dates back only fifty years... But I fell in love with the lovely purple flower print (not hand painted, but still pretty) on creamy white porcelain body and the dark brass frame that snaps shut. The box holds a small, daily amount of jewellery, but I intend to use it mostly for decoration - and keep it away from the curious little fingers!

Flashback Friday

It takes around 900 kilometres and 14 hours to travel from East of France to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana in our Citroën Berlingo, packed with two small children and eternally overastimated quantities of luggage.
The voyage is long because of frequent stops for snacking, nappy changing and playing at children friendly highway rest areas. In the car we listen to The Jungle Book soundtrack in a loop, count the big trucks that we pass on the way and the children fight over who's turn it is to play with mama's iPod touch.

Before having children, my husband and I would travel the same distance with much less fuss, stopping only for coffee and bathroom breaks. Sometimes we would travel through Italy and spend a night at a lovely B&B close to Lago di Garda, another time we would drive all night and cross the French-Swiss border at the Great St Bernard Tunnel.

The mountain pass at St Bernard (yes, that is where the famous snow rescue dogs come from) is closed over the winter due to snow but even in summer there are still patches of it lying on the ground above the deserted wooden cottage, where two bored customs officers yawn at you at seven in the morning. This picture was taken in mid July 2004 and the air that morning was fresh and icy - we didn't linger too long to enjoy the view but hurried back down the mountain to the French side...

Check out Christopher and Tia's blog for more Flashback Fridays!

New in my shop

Today I finished another Pupa shoulder bag - this time I used the striped cloth only for the bottom of the bag and then paired it with medium weight canvas in dark khaki and added cherry red shoulder straps. I decorated it with some colourful embroidery thread and a button that matches the glass bead on the zipper pull in the back.

Although there are a few more bags "sketched" in my mind, it is time to tidy up my sewing corner because tomorrow is the final day of packing before my holidays in Slovenia! I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time - due to our recent move and the settling in perion in France, we haven't seen the Slovenian side of the family for over seven months.

This time the bags are going with me (they deserve a bit of a change as well) and I won't put my Etsy shop on vacation mode, so heart away! It also means I will be shipping the packages from Slovenia for the next three weeks.

I will keep posting as often as I can during my vacation - and who knows what coming back home might mean to Flashback Friday!

Footwear Friday

Today was supposed to be Flashback Friday but somehow I couldn't find inspiration on this hot July day.

Perhaps it was the heat that made my little one refuse her afternoon nap - and so at three o'clock, when I finally gave up trying to put her to bed, we went out into the sunny afternoon to buy some delicious home made ice cream from a local chocolatier.

We brought home vanilla and chocolate flavour (we can't decide which one is better so we'll have to taste them again) and on the way back I noticed the summer sale sign in the shoe shop where I have been recently admiring some pretty shoes by the Spanish footwear brand El Naturalista.

Luckily they still had some pairs in my size, so, no time like the present (and with melting ice cream helping me make a decision in record time), I purchased these leather beauties - they are made entirely from leather except for sturdy rubber soles, they have a toe-friendly round shape and are very comfortable due to soft, cushioned insoles. The natural dye that gives the shoes their lovely aubergine colour will apparently not stain the foot because of a double leather lining. This might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Enjoy your weekend!