Top Entrecard Dropper for April

April seems to have whizzed by just as quickly as the month before; the way time flies it's astounding I get anything done these days! But before I rush off to tackle the next task, I'd like to thank everyone on Entrecard who continued to drop on me, especially the following 10, who haven't missed a single day! A Simple Life Mommy's Little Corner The Modern Mom Moms...check nyo Life's sweets and spices The Ad master Unique you Things about computer My review My gypsygoods Thank you guys!!! We have a public holiday on May 1st, so that's a nice long weekend for us! I'm currently working on a large handbag, so hopefully will have some pics for you early next week! take care...

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!

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.

* 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.

It's raining awards!

Okay, before I start hoarding the awards again, I'm going to post them here today ☺ First off, Jodi from Jodi's Journey AND Anya from Kareltje en ikke so generously gave me the Neno Award. Does anyone know who or what Neno is? Just curious...! Thank you so much to you both for giving me this award. It's so bright and cheery, don't you think? Here's what this award means:

The aims of this award: * As a dedication for those who love blogging activity and love to encourage friendships through blogging. * To seek the reasons why we all love blogging!

Well, I cerainly love blogging and communicating with so many exciting people all over the world. It's so much fun and I could happily read your blogs all day long - if it weren't for work! The weather has been really holding up the last two days - blue skies and not a cloud in sight - perfect to have a tall glass of lemonade! In fact, I received an entire Lemonade Stand from Mel over at Chinkymel's Corner! Thank you for thinking of me... Isn't this award just the cutest? You should check out Mel's newly revamped blog. She has such an entertaining style of writing, and she makes me laugh! This last and very special award was so kindly passed on to me from a really special lady - Deanna over at Timeless Things. You may already know sweet Deanna from her Pink Saturday's. Can't wait for her next pink post! Deanna's blog is also full of humor. There's nothing better than starting the day with a good chuckle. Well, apart from a warm croissant and freshly brewed tea... Now I get the chance to pass this 'Works of Heart' Blog Award on to other bloggers. This is the fun part! So, without further ado, and in no particular order, I give this award to : Melissa @ Shimmerme Blue Katherine @ The Queen Speaks Cheryl @ Favor-able Events Lisa @ Lotus Essence Nancy @ Nfall2rt Ailurophile @ Ofcats Shawie @ A Grateful Heart I love reading all of your blogs! There are no actual rules attached to this award (I think), so feel free to grab it and pass on to whoever you wish. Enjoy...

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!

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!

Garden impressions

finally, some colour...

Have a terrific day!

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 ☺

Happy Easter

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday!

Another Award (really cute)

Anya from Kareltje en ikke gave me this cute award! Anya, who lives in the Netherlands, is a fellow animal lover. On her delightful blog you can read all about her sweet cat Kareltje and other fun things happening across the border. Thank you so much, Anya, for this awesome award! If you're a cat-mommy (or daddy) be sure to stop by Anya's blog and say hello! Now I'm going to pass on this fabulous award to the following cat mom's out there in the blogosphere: Beaded Tail Fat Kat Kronicles Daisy, the curly cat From Kittens to Cats and more Pink Pooch Designs Kitt's Krafts Miss Millificent's World Purr Prints So, ladies, feel free to spread some (cat)-love... I hope I haven't forgotten anyone - there are too many fabulous cat-owners out there to count!

More technical problems and AWARD

The first thing I noticed when I opened up my blog this morning was my missing Dawanda-widget that's usually there on the right side. Then I tried to log on to the main page and I came up with ERROR. After searching the net for information I finally found a message on some other seller's site that all servers are down due to maintenance. Now, I don't have a problem with that - but it couldn't have come at a worse time. It's Easter! People are off from work for four days. It's the time when people like to browse the internet, including browsing the Dawanda shops... Also, an email alerting us sellers to this 'down time' would have been nice! Fingers crossed they're up and running soon.* Today I'd like to acknowledge an award given to me by my good friend Jodi over at Jodi's Journey. I'm a certified Queen of Blogs! I love this award! Thank you ever so much. If you haven't met animal-loving Jodi before, now's the time. And you must check out her other blog Live, Laugh, Frogs! Now I'm not sure about the rules, but as with most awards I get to pass this one on to other deserving queens (bloggers). Here they are: Mel @ Chinkymel's Corner Mel @ Tinys and Tea RK @ rkdsign88 Mea Culpa Bath & Body Kristin @ My Art and the Mom in Me Sudha @ Sudhersana Anya @ Kareltje en ikke Enjoy your award, ladies! Feel free to pass it on! *oh, I just saw my widget back up again!!!

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!

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!

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.

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???

Random thoughts

The sun is out for the third day running, which means I've spent most of my time away from the computer! So here's just a quick update and some random thoughts... Spring break is due end of the week - that's my cue to start with the 'big' house cleaning (as opposed to the daily 'little' house cleaning ☺) The gifts I've made for my blogging friends are almost done. I'm quite happy with the way the item turned out. *secret smile* Getting ready for Easter, planning meals and putting up a few decorative 'easter-y' bits (as you can see in the photos) Sketching a few ideas for new projects Badly need a haircut Okay, I'm going back out - it's still relatively cold - but the sun feels so good on my face... Until next time!