What's new?

I feel guilty for having neglected my blog readers for so long, mostly by spending too much time on Instagram... 

So to make it up, here is a thorough report of my past two weeks:

First I finished a custom order for a friend, a large nappy/diaper weekend tote, made from fresh olive branch print by Ikea. 

Next I made a cheerful iPhone cozy, lined with red corduroy - I have sold all iPhone sleeves from my shop and must make some more ASAP!

And last is this hipster bag, made from upholstery fabric with floral jacquard in black and copper brown, lined with khaki linen blend canvas. All three Loddelinas are on their way to Lyon right now, Merci :)

When I wasn't sewing, I was running errands and rushing to take my children to or pick them up from school, not much different than any other week. Luckily the school winter break starts tomorrow which will bring some new activities for the children.

Of course, there will be lots of Angry Birds sessions during the holidays:

If the warmer weather doesn't melt away all of the snow, there may be some more skiing:

And some simple pleasures of everyday Pontarlier:

Have a great start of the new week, see you soon!

Weekend!

I listed another bag today, it is a remake of my red city tote with rainbow stripes that got sold recently (thank you, cousin :) - a roomy, sturdy everyday bag, stylish book tote or whatever you want it to be...

This weekend I won't have much time for sewing - first official weekend of autumn is going to be exceptionally sunny and warm so my family will try to make the most of it (chilly, foggy mornings are reminding us that winter is not that far away...).

Children enjoying themselves at the ever changing water fountains in front of the Pontarlier town hall

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I wish you all a great weekend, see you soon!

Custom work

I finished my special order and sent it to its new home today. It is another version of Leelou bag, small satchel made from black denim and golden upholstery jacquard.

Instead of cotton webbing, I used the same fabric to make bag's adjustable strap and finished the warm look with a cream coloured ric rac trim and a piece of lace.

Thursday is also farmer's market day and this time of year stalls are full of young onions and fresh garlic, bound in beautifull small bouquets. I bought one just for decoration because I rarely use fresh garlic in my cooking (I prefer dried one; it has less "side effects" and gives the same aroma to dishes...).

And here is our Pontralier with its windows & shutters ...

... including my window with two recently planted boxes of zinnias.

Happy Easter!

Spring comes late to our part of the world so we get to enjoy these gorgeous tulips in the nearby park and all around our town at Easter time - in my opinion the municipality gardeners of Pontarlier really have a great sense of flower arranging...

Have a great weekend,

see you soon!

Night and Day

I have been trying to squeeze some work into my busy days - sometimes I have an hour in the morning and sometimes there is no time for sewing until the evening, after the children are in bed. So this is how the view from my sewing corner changes all the time:

And here is a glimpse at my latest project, a shoulder bag in salmon orange corduroy with embroidery and buttons. If all goes well I will list it in my shop by tomorrow...

Link your own button story to Petronella's Button Wednesday!

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...

My workspace

To reassure my Etsy Holiday Camp buddy Elisa that I am still pursuing our goal to add 60 new items in our shops by December 1st - here is a photo of my current work space:

A bit messy, with empty chocolate wrappers quickly put in the bin and bits of thread swept away...

Yesterday I listed the other wooly wristlet, a pale winter version, inspired by the latest EST challenge theme - snowflakes (you may see other entries so far HERE).

This morning we went to farmers' market with the children. I love chrysanthemum - and apparently, so does Lily.

In the afternoon I worked on some more house brooches. I was "sew" close to finishing two of them but then nap time was over and since it was another beautiful sunny afternoon I just had to take the children out again. The best choice was nearby cycling park, a place with nicely kept grass (thanks to more conscious variety of French dog owners) and paved, meandering cycling path where older children can safely burn their calories while mothers chat and keep an eye on toddlers.

More sewing tomorrow, I promise, Elisa!

And now - to bed.

Good night!

A view from my window

Last week we saw season's first snowflakes, mixed with rain...

But my suncatcher charmed the clouds away and the new week started with crisp, hardly-above-freezing cold, yet sunny weather!

I finished another wristlet today, made from charcoal grey wool cloth - cold weather makes me want to work with wooly fabrics again, but the colours are a bit too sad so I try to cheer them up with some hand embroidery.

One more wristlet is waiting by the sewing machine - I hope I can list it tomorrow, so far it doesn't feel quite finished, I have to take another look at it tomorrow by daylight to make up my mind...

My creative space

This post was supposed to be about the new zipper pouches I have been working on lately - but instead of sewing I was happy to receive guests this weekend, a German family we became friends with during our stay in Augsburg. They arrived on Thursday and shared Sunday breakfast with us before they had to go back home. The flat looks quite empty now after three days spent in the company of four children under 4!

So instead of a photo of my sewing table I will share with you a picture of our front door from yesterday afternoon...

Now back to work!

Bird music

On daily walks through Pontarlier I try to explore my new hometown as much as I can.

I have already found my (so far) favourite chocolate shop where they sell delicious macarons, a crèmerie, where they sell fresh milk (you bring your own bottles) and some lovely home decoraton shops that make me want to live in their shop window.

Sometimes it is not what the shop sells that interests me, but how they decorate their wondow. It is easier when all you have to do is arrange many attractive items together, but so much more difficult when you want to presend an abstract, intangible thing.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find these happy birds in a window of a shop that sells concert tickets. The musical birds, not two completely alike, are made from what looks like polymer clay and their colourful wooden houses make a perfect background.

I like the red&white polka dot house with a blue roof best. Which one is your favourite?

Welcome back!

Phew, after weeks and weeks of internet blackout I'm back online - and my Etsy shop is opened for business (thank you for looking!).

And here are some pictures of Pontarlier, my new hometown in the East of France - that mailbox makes me smile every time I pass the house with the blue shutters...

The sewing machine hasn't been unpacked yet, there are many other priorities, but my sketchbook has some new ideas I am waiting to try out as soon as I set up my working space.

I met some very interesting people a few weeks ago at the local craft market - I couldn't resist buying a few items (could anyone?) and I will have some pictures for you in my next post. Stay tooned!

Slowly settling in...

I have missed blogging this past week and my regular posts will have to wait for another week or so until our internet gets connected...

...but in the meantime, while I enjoy a paper cup of coffee at the local wifi equipped fast food restaurant, here is a glimpse into our ever-moving-international-multi-language household:

While dissembling our furniture (which is mostly Ikea) my husband packed the screws, belonging to each piece of furniture, separately. This box contains the screws for our bed (le lit in french), Arno marked it screws because we mostly speak english to each other and to know which bed they are for, he put the word parents ("Eltern" in german).
As long as we all understand what's in the box...

Having Ikea furniture is very practical for a family on the move. We never know how much furniture we'll be able to put into a new appartment so assembling only two thirds of a large warderobe or fixing one cupboard on top of another for more space is a very welcome option. Also, when some pieces get damaged in transport, we don't stress too much - it was time to replace them anyway (not to mention the children wear&tear factor...)

I hope my next post will not take long,

have a great week!

My day monday

Carnival

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Cockwise from top left:

thedollfarm, olivedear, CafeBaudelaire, ladyinthetower

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Tomorrow is Carnival Tuesday and in Slovenia, where I grew up, people would always look forward to dressing up in costume and joining the processions and festivities, children and adults alike. We didn't know Halloween back then but for "Pust" or "Fasching", as they say in the German world, my mother would ask my brother and I what kind of costume we would like and then she would make them for us.

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Carnival time is also a time of doughnuts and just as we were leaving Germany I took a picture of this lovely and colourful sellection of "Krapfen" at our local Augsburg bakery...

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I will miss the Krapfen but I may have found an even tastier replacement - these yummy home made macarons from a charming little patisserie in Pontarlier, called Aux Petits Gourmands...