Merry December

Hello, dear friends,

There are few weeks left till Christmas and I hope your feet are staying warm, your mind calm and your spirits high!

November came and went, together with my birthday, first 25 cm of snow, cold cold mornings with ice covering my car, our cat Luna walking around with a satellite receiver around her neck (at six months it was time for her sterilisation) and times spent nursing one or the other family member that got sick.

December started with children rushing downstairs every morning to open another little surprise box in their advent calendar, I am making my last custom bag for this year, also finishing up little holiday presents for the family and the children are helping me with Christmas decorations.

And tidying up my sewing supplies gave me an idea to offer something new in my shop: keychain tassel ornament or purse charm, made from different ribbons, trims, handmade beads and metallic charms from my collection. The tassel is lovely to look at, to touch all the different textures and to hear it jingle between your fingers - yes, there is a little jingle bell attached to every one of them.

Veseli December

November je mimo (prvi sneg, moj rojstni dan, mačka Luna s satelitskim krožnikom okrog vratu - čas je bil za sterilizacijo, negovanje prehlajenih članov družine...), zdaj je čas za bolj prazničen december, odpiranje predalčkov v adventnem koledarju, izdelovanje božičnih okraskov z otroki, šivanje še zadnje torbice po naročilu za letos in tudi nekaj novega se je znašlo v trgovini - pisani trakasti obeski za ključe. 

December

Busy, crazy and fabulous december is here and I am sorry it took me so long to find time for this post.

I had to prepare the advent calendar for the children - we made the frame last year so I only had to find interesting little surprises (that were not all chocolate) to put into the red paper bags. Besides that there was a lot of snow shoveling going on, this week we've had 30 cm of fresh snow and it is still coming down strong, they are predicting another 30 cm over the weekend...

My instagram gallery shows the begining of snowy season, the view from my window is much whiter as I write this post. Tigrou the cat likes to play in the snow to a certain point (the snow now reaches up to his ears) but once his paws get cold he is happy to spend the next few hours sleeping by the fireplace. And there is nothing better than watching the snow outside while enjoying a cup of coffe by the cozy fire - it is very hard to find motivation for anything else...

 This week we started decorating the house, we put up our little Christmas tree and hung a simple branch on the wall which I then decorated with little metallic bird ornaments - I like the simple, clean look and we might keep it the whole year round, perhaps changing the ornaments each season.

Have a nice weekend!


December

Nori, besni in krasni december je tu in čas mi polzi skozi prste. Prejšnji konec tedna sem pripravljala adventni koledar za otroka - leseni okvir z mrežo smo naredili že lansko leto, letos je bilo samo treba najti dovolj zanimiva mala presenečenja (ki niso vsa čokoladna) za v papirnate škrniclje. Poleg tega skoraj vsak dan besno kidam sneg, ki ga je v zadnjem tednu zapadlo že 30 cm in še toliko ga bo menda preko tega vikenda... Moja instagram razglednica kaže šele začetke sneženja, zdajle je slika že precej boj bela. Mačku sneg sega do ušes in rad se igra v njem, a le dokler ga ne zazebe v tačke in potem gre oddremat eno rundo pred kamin.
Ta teden smo začeli z okraševanjem hiše, postavili smo malo smrečico in na steno obesili vejo, ki sem jo odrezala v bližnji giščavi še preden je zapadel sneg. Nanjo sem obesila kovinske ptičke in rezultat nam je vsem zelo všeč - morda vejo kar pustimo za stalno.

Imejte lep vikend!

Giftwrapping

These days I am adding mostly smaller items to my shop; tree ornaments, brooches and zipper pouches - they make perfect Christmas gifts :-)

I offer free giftwrapping for all my items upon request and I also attach a handmade blank card for a personal message - just let me know in the message to seller that you are offering your Loddelina design as a gift.
Yesterday I posted a larger order of such little gifts and it is on its way to a lovely customer in Budapest - thank you again!

Te dni dodajam v trgovino manjše izdelke, kot so hiške okraski, broške in torbice na zadrgo - imenitna darila za praznike :-) Če želite svojo Loddelino podariti, mi to sporočite ob nakupu in brezplačno bom zavila vsa darilca in dodala prazno voščilnico. paket takšnih darilc sem včeraj oddala na pošto in že leti proti Budimpešti...

Week in pictures

Taken from my Instagram album:
Another week deeper into winter and the streets of Pontarlier are putting on their Christmas decoration. Somebody in our house doesn't seem to be impressed by approaching holidays - Tigrou enjoys quiet time when children are at school...
Sunsets are particularly picturesque this time of year and there are some lovely winter flowers and branches growing near our house, perfect for a bouquet.

And tonight I listed four new items in my shop: three sets of Christmas ornaments and a new zippered pouch. You are welcome to take a closer look!

Teden v slikah
iz mojega Instagram albuma: mesto Pontarlier se odeva v božično okrasje, maček Tigr se za to ne zmeni in uživa v dopoldanski tišini, ko sta otroka v šoli. V tem času so sončni zahodi še posebej slikoviti in okoli hiše najdem lep pušeljc suhih vej za v vazo!
In v moji trgovini so štirje novi izdelki, trije kompletki hišk okraskov in ena nova puščica na zadrgo. Vabljeni na ogled!

Shop news

Hello,
it is nice to see you again, I am back from my autumn break with two new items in my shop, another set of Christmas tree ornaments and a flat zippered pouch with branch embroidery and a little hungry bird.
Our cat is especially concerned about birds (he keeps staring at them through the window...)
so don't forget to buy some bird seeds before the real winter cold comes and have a great start of the new week!

Živjo,

lepo vas je spet videti, sem že nazaj z jesenskih počitnic in v trgovini sta dva nova izdelka, set božičnih obeskov in puščica na zadrgo z vezenino lačnega ptička. Našega mačka še posebej skrbi za ptice, ki jih ostro opazuje skozi okno, zato ne pozabite kupiti ptičje piče preden pride pravi zimski mraz in imejte lep začetek novega tedna!

Christmas tree ornaments

I love my little house brooches and have a lot of fun making them, picking little fabric leftovers and matching them with tiny pieces of wool felt. The truth is they don't sell as much as they seem to be popular by Etsy treasury makers, but I don't give up :)

This holiday season I decided to try out another tiny house design, a set of three house ornaments, embroidered with holiday message of love, hope and peace. Ornaments hang from a long organza ribbon and are ready to attach to a tree or any other place in your home.

So far I have listed two sets of ornaments in my shop, there are more in the making, so stay tuned...

Okraski za božično jelko

Rada imam moje male hiške broške in uživam, ko zanje izbiram ostanke blaga in koščke volnene polsti. Sicer se še daleč ne prodajajo tako množično, kot jih sestavljalke zakladnic na Etsyju uvrščajo v svoje zbirke, a jaz se ne dam :)

To predbožično sezono sem se odločila preizkusiti nov izdelek, set treh majhnih hišk z izvezenim sporočilom ljubezni, upanja in miru. Hiške okraski visijo na dolgem traku iz organce in zo pripravljene za obešanje na jelko ali kamorkoli drugam v vašem domu.

Zaenkrat sem v trgovino dodala dva seta obeskov, a v delu jih imam še nekaj...

Merry Christmas!

Love, 
Damjana

Still here...

Hello, dear friends,

I must apologize for not posting much lately, things have been a bit hectic with the last week of preschool and all the Christmas preparation - but now the holidays are here, and most importantly, Mother Nature sent us snow to slow things down, stop us from rushing around all day, make us stay at home and enjoy each other...

So that is what we are doing this weekend, frolicking in the fresh snow in the morning and going to the town Christmas fair merry go round in the afternoon. I must admit I have been more faithful to Instagram than Blogger this past month - hence these square images...

I hope you are enjoying your weekend as well, I will see you soon!

December

Last night I was up till one finishing my double advent calendar for the children. Papa Arno made the light wooden frame (90x130cm, 35x51") with screwed in metalic hooks on which we strung a simple white cord to make 24 intersections. Children helped me make the tags and when they went to bed in the evening, I added two sets of red paper bags with small presents inside, attached with red polkadot ribbon for Lily and brown for Gaston.

I didn't grow up with this tradition but always found it fun for the small children who have a hard time waiting for Christmas (my son has been asking me about it since his birthday in September...). With this simple countdown tool they will discover a little surprise every morning of this holiday season.

Have a nice Thursday and don't forget, Loddelina December newsletter will be out this weekend, there is still time to subscribe and get fresh news about new items and shop promotions!

New design

I have been meaning to add a mobile phone / gadget cozy to my shop for some time now but never knew which size to chose to make it as versatile as posible. The decision was made a few days ago when my husband came home with his brand new iPhone :). I made a test cozy for his phone, making it just large enought to fit the device snugly so no velcro or magnetic closures were necesarry. There is a small pocket in the back for a card and the cozy is lined with soft and thick wool cloth for extra padding.

The second case (the first was plain, no nonsense, masculine version) I decorated with Christmas tree embroidery and red corduroy applique on charcoal wool cloth. I quite like the result and will be adding a few iPhone 4 and 4S cozies to my shop next week. Other sizes might be available upon request, I am always open to suggestions. Stay tuned...

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

... says the song.

And on top of that I wish you a relaxing time with your family and friends - so we can all meet back here in ten days, with recharged batteries, tidy creative space and head full of fresh ideas!

I might not have time to post much in the next week so I leave you with some Christmas market images from our town Pontarlier (currently under 25 cm - 10" of fresh snow) with its charming little labyrinth of wooden stalls and rows of Christmas trees and from nearby city of Besançon with its giant wheel that attracts huge crouds every day.

Besançon

Pontarlier

Loddelina shop will be on vacation mode until 28th of December.

See you soon!

Christmas time approaches

The last christmas decorations were being hung over the streets of my town today and lights will soon be switched on - I am looking forward to that because the evenings are now really getting dark and gloomy.

Seeing those snowflakes and other winter decorations made me think of another November four years ago when I was in South Africa - skies over Cape Town streets look quite different, with elephants, giraffes and other savanna animals walking by.

Unfortunatelly we left the country at the end of November, before we could see the festive African look in person, so I found this image on flickr for you...

Greeting cards

I like to shop for gifts on Etsy and it is always nice when the seller includes a little something extra for me in the package, knowing that I will be giving the purchased item away.

My recent customer bought three zippered pouches she intends to give as Christmas gifts - it made me think it would be a nice idea to include a little blank card with each item so buyers could add a personal message to the handmade present they give.

That little extra something for the customer who ends up giving all the goodies away will remain a secret ;) but here is how my little cards look like: I bought small lavender and aqua envelopes and put a piece of cream cardstock in each, drawing little winter birds and flowers on them.

At the moment I am trying out a new design, a small shoulder bag to add to the Loddelina family - so far the only fresh thing in my shop is a cheerful Mia pencil case, a perfect companion to this messenger bag.

Quiet days

It's was bank holiday today in Germany and the streets have been empty for almost four days now, ever since the shops closed early in the afternoon on Thursday.

Christmas day was cold and cloudy so we decided to take the children to the Augsburg Zoo, one of the few establishments that never close their doors. The park was emptier than usual but still lively enough so the animals weren't completely bored - some of them didn't even notice the damp weather.

I like Augsburg Zoo - although not very large, it is well designed so the animals have spacious and very dynamic living areas with nice, easy-on-the-stroller paths running through the park (not to mention their lovely restaurant-biergarten where we always have lunch after the long walk).

And here is all that was left of our Christmas gift wrapping. I did it in a bit of a hurry, trying to hide it from the children. I wanted them to distribute the presents and since they can't read yet I drew our "portraits" on small paper cards and glued them to the parcels...

In the meantime, in the land of Etsy, Loddelina got featured in three lovely treasuries, one of them making it to the Front Page! Thank you so much, Jackie, Aldona and Rhiannon!

Merry Christmas!

Clockwise from top left: nouveaudesigns,

lisagrace, recycledparts, AmyGaines.

Bloggers ornament exchange 2009 - update

My ornament exchange partner Donna of Brynwood Needleworks has already received her ornament (wow, that was fast, five working days from Germany to Florida!) so this post won't spoil the surprise. I can't wait to get her handmade creation...

I was glad to take part in this exchange (you can see more participants HERE), it was great fun designing a simple, but elegant christmas ornament. I wanted to make more of them and offer them in my shop in sets of two, that is why I asked my blog readers to help me decide which messages to put on (thanks for your help, the winners were joy and peace).

But I have been so distracted lately, the news that has been official for some time has only now reached the top of my mental to-do list: early next year we are moving to France!

I will tell you more details when I start the serious preparations for our move; at the moment I am dealing with the boring stuff, like cancelling all sorts of contracts and notifying everybody about our departure. The day after tomorrow we leave for a 10-day visit to Slovenia and in the second half of December we will try to enjoy our last Christmas season in Augsburg.

Moving with the whole family is a stressful business but I am looking forward to making a home on a more permanent location and settling down with my husband - five years, four appartments, three countries and two children later it is the right time...

The Christmas market

Augsburg, Rathausplatz, via Augsburger Christkindlesmarkt

Today I spent the evening at Augsburg's Christkindlesmarkt - the Christmas market with Gaston and Lily. Days are getting so short now that there is no point in going to the playground after four since it gets dark before we manage to get the children dressed and actually leave the house...

Augsburg's Christkindlesmarkt has a 500-year history and each year they try to think of new ways to decorate the city. The city centre, which is closed for traffic all year round, turns into a river of lights and little wooden stands where they sell pretty handmade christmas ornaments, toys and little gifts, with every fifth stand or so offering refreshments. The air smells of sausages and sweet&spicy Glühwein, warm wine that also comes in alcohol-free version for children.

Homemade Christmas tree

I love this homemade Christmas tree I found in one of the magazines.

It is so easy to make and doesn't take up as much room as the real (or plastic) tree.

This decorative ladder can be made out of a few branches you find on your walk through the woods or local park. Just screw the branches together securely before tying them with a nicer looking string, hang some handmade ornaments (you can find plenty of those on Etsy...) and attach some metalic candle holders you get in a hardware store (or simply wrap some simple all-white Christmas lights around the branches).

And don't forget the presents...

2009 ornament exchange

Check out this lovely Christmas ornament exchange...

I'm in!

Another Treasury feature for Ola

My Christmas inspired wooly tote bag got featured in this festive treasury made by Rachel - her Etsy shop rachelwhelton is full of yummy Christmas gift ideas...

Thank you!