Monday, April 27

I ♥ Cupcakes

Beginning of this year I swore I would cut down on my fabric purchases, except for custom orders. I promised myself I was going to use up what I have, even re-and up-cycle a couple of fabrics - not easy for someone who admits to being a fabric junkie ☺

Last week I went into the city for an appointment, and of course I couldn't pass up the chance to visit the largest fabric store there! It was hard, but I actually managed to leave the store without the usual huge bag full of assorted fabrics! I only bought a few supplies, i.e. boring zippers, which doesn't count, right? ☺ 

Back home I have used up a fair amount of my fabric stash for gifts and such, plus I made some pencil cases with appliquéd motifs (great way to use up scraps), one of which is my cupcake pencil case you see here:

I will be making a few of these with other motifs. All my motifs are drawn freehand on heat-and-bond paper, which I then proceed to cut out and iron onto the the main fabric. I don't use a template, so even if I repeated a motif, they wouldn't look exactly alike.

Happy Tuesday!

Sunday, April 26

Why is it that...

...whenever I come home from grocery shopping - * the kitchen towel is lying in a heap on the floor? * there are small, wet paw marks all over the kitchen counter? * the table cloth is all askew? * and the fruit are outside of the bowl?
It wazzint me.

Thursday, April 23

* YOU'RE A STAR* wristlet

I made this wristlet from pre-washed dark blue denim. Denim is a sturdy fabric, so I made sure to use a thicker needle - standard ones will break when sewing the layered end parts of the detachable strap! I have used a contrasting orange coloured thread typically used for jeans. The bag is fully lined with a green-beige cotton print and the front panel is embellished with sparkly stars. When I made it I had all those hard-working highschool graduates in mind who are in the middle of their finals right now! This star-spangled bag would make a fab little gift.

Sunday, April 19

I've been featured

I've been featured - or, more to the point - my bags have been featured on The Spotted Sparrow Yay! Thanks, Julia, for featuring me on both your English and German blogs! Julia is an American living with her husband right here in Germany, about three hours drive from where I live. Julia is a fellow Dawandian. In her shop she offers vintage-inspired, handmade paper-goods. Here are some of my faves: There are many more pretty cards, tags and notebooks to admire in her shop!

Friday, April 17

Lucky number 8 - a fun tag!

My lovely friend Deanna over at Timeless Things tagged me the other day. This tag revolves around the number 8 - which just happens to be my favourite number! Deanna has a gorgeous blog with many beautiful images. I never miss her Pink Saturday where she features splendid pink items that are guaranteed to make you drool...! Don't miss out on your 'pink fix' - check out Deanna's blog! Ok, here goes... 8 Things I Am Looking Forward To: 1. hotter weather 2. my rambling rose blooming (pale pink) 3. visiting my mom this summer 4. fresh strawberry cake 5. new fabric arrivals 6. new craft book out in June 7. my own website (hopefully) 8. our trip overseas in October 8 Things I Did Yesterday: 1. worked 2. finished a small sewing project 3. played with Sammy (my cat) 4. cooked a meal with asparagus (yummy) 5. thorougly cleaned the dining room and re-decorated 6. washed my hair 7. talked on the phone with mom 8. read a little 8 Things I Wish I Could Do: 1. walk around barefoot 2. eat sushi 3. sew to my hearts content 4. change our bathroom tiles 5. put up a shelf by myself 6. meet a friend who lives far away 7. visit my mom more often 8. write neatly 8 Shows I Am Currently Watching: this is a hard one for me, because I don't watch much TV, so I'm just going to list shows that I enjoyed very much... 1. Perfektes Dinner (perfect dinner) reality TV show in Germany where 5 people visit each other's homes and cook dinner. The person with the most votes gets the cash! 2. Gilmore Girls reminds me a little bit of the town I live in! 3. Hund, Katze, Maus (dog, cat, mouse) a nice show where various animals are portrayed; also shows rescued animals and proper dog training. Very entertaining! Okay, I'm going to pass this tag on to the following blogging friends (no obligation!) Cindy @ The grass can be greener Erika @ NICO * Designs Kat @ Candles, Crafts and Whatnot Abby @ Simply Charming in SC Have fun and happy weekend!

Wednesday, April 15

Garden impressions

finally, some colour...

Have a terrific day!

Tuesday, April 14

Rosy Wristlet

Anyone who has been to my Dawanda shop will know that I love fabrics with rose prints! This romantic wristlet is made from two toning fabrics - a soft rose linen and a bold pink rose print. It is fully lined with a fine pale pink cotton. The strap is embellished with a sweet flower trim. The size is perfect to carry the bare essentials - house keys, credit card, compact and cell phone. Alternatively it can be used as a make-up bag. Use the strap to hang on a hook, if you haven't got much space in your bathroom! Hope you all had a pleasant Easter. Now it's back to work for most of us! Until next time ☺

Sunday, April 12

Happy Easter

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday!

Wednesday, April 8

Cherry zipper pouch with flower charm

There was enough of Sandi Henderson's cherry fabric left over to make two zipper pouches. One to match my new purse, the other for my shop. This size is just right for my compact, lipstick and mascara - I don't carry a lot of make-up with me when I go out. Both the front and back panel is embellished with a decorative trim in matching colours. If you look at the second image, you will notice a tiny pink flower charm, which I have attached to the zipper pull. You may have noticed that I love adding little details to my bags, be it charms, hearts, colourful trims or bows. Today I sold the last of my sleepmasks. I'll need to go through my fabric stash to find some suitable prints - it seems smaller prints work and sell better than large ones. Guess I'll be staying in and sewing tonight!

Monday, April 6

Vintage Cherry

I finally finished this very special handbag at the weekend! Why is it special? Well, for one, it took me ages to work up the courage to cut the Belgian vintage fabric! When I spotted it years ago I immediately fell in love with the discreet all-over rose pattern and the soft taupe colour (the photo doesn't do justice to the colour). The fabric is a cotton/linen mix, which I washed on delicate cycle prior to cutting. Second, I was looking for a fresh print to match it up with and finally settled on this cherry fabric by Sandi Henderson. I'm glad I could also finally make use of the oversized button I'd saved. Third, I spent ages working out the neat pleats at the top. And finally, it's special...because this bag is for me! Yes! I've been wanting to make a bag for myself for the spring/summer season for ages. And it had to be fairly large. This bag is quite roomy with the bottom width measuring approx. 40cm (16 inches). I made up the lining from the rest of the rose fabric and added a pink/white polka dot fully lined pocket inside. The entire bag is stabilized with interfacing. Well, now that I've got that done I can continue working on bags for my shop! Oh, and a quick note to Entrecard advertisers: I've got so many of you lined up - please give my non-paying Entrecard bloggers a chance on my widget too!

Saturday, April 4

Some computer issues...

Well, the three days of sun were GREAT while they lasted. Today is back to being cool and drizzly. I've had some issues with my computer lately - it seems I can only open certain blogs with Mozilla, while the rest are fine on Opera. I use Opera for my work all the time, so now I have to switch back and forth between browsers just to be able to read my favourite blogs! Entrecard has introduced the ad network in its beta version today, which might explain why the ads I've placed (the regular ones, not paid) have gotten zero clicks! Strange. On to more pleasant news. Dawanda has introduced a new hot trend in their 'trends & themes' category: polka dots. Well, as most of you know, I love polka dots and use them frequently for my bags. I was (pleasantly) surprised when I saw they picked one of my minibags with the birdie appliqué...although I had this minibag tagged as tartan. Funny that. Okay, the birdie is made up of polka dot fabrics, so fair enough :) You can see my bag in the first image of the middle row. It's the tartan one, just in case anyone mixes up plaids with polka dots. hehehe. That's it from me. Better get the house cleaning started and the grocery shopping done, so that I can get down to some serious sewing! Have a terrific weekend.

Thursday, April 2

Sew Darn Cute

Arrived via Amazon today : yet another crafting book for my bookshelf! The title of this book says it all. Some of the projects in this book are so cute it hurts! Author and seamstress Jenny Ryan knows about cute: you'll find lots of Japanese Zakka fabrics here; the ever-popular yo-yo's in various sizes; and one of my favourites - tote bags with appliquèd cupcakes. Too cute! Projects for all sewing levels are included: from headbands to handbags, from baby bibs to doll's quilts - this adorable book has it all. The close-up shots are gorgeous, and just looking at the pretty fabrics really get my 'creative juices' flowing. Books like these keep me motivated and inpire me to think up my own creations (that's the best part). Before I sign off: I can't seem to load some of my favourite blogs on Entrecard! What's up with that? It's annoying. I've tried opening the blog on my hubby's computer - same thing. Has anyone else experienced this while 'dropping' or is it just me???