Etsy Milestone + Giveaway!!

Well friends, today is a very big day for me! Back in 2007 I began listing my little sewing creations online at our favorite handmade market place, Etsy..... today I officially passed the 1000 sales mark in my LouLouBell shop! Yippee! I won't lie, I'm feeling pretty happy. I absolutely LOVE what I do, sewing and creating - and to have other people enjoy my work too means a great deal to me. Etsy has been such a great venue for me, an awesome community. I love that I can share my work with people all over the world, and my little bags have travelled to places I didn't even know existed! And I love that I in turn can support other artists and mompreneurs! Thanks Etsy! I want to thank all of my customers over the years for your support and business. 

In celebration, I want to offer a giveaway of any of the hairpin sets listed in my shop! I want to hear from you - all you have to do is drop me a line, say hello, tell me why you love Etsy, tweet me, follow my blog - you know the drill - the more you do, the more entries you get! 

I'll choose a random winner in a week's time! Thanks again to my lovely customers and Etsians for all your support!

Peony Pink Pouch Giveaway!

That's alot of P's! Well my friend Kristi of Visible Voice is hosting a lovely giveaway of 2 of the 'Peony Pink' pouches from my shop! This is open until V-Day this Sunday, so click on over here for your chance to pick up one of these catch-all pouches! 

Get to Know + Giveaway: Maramiki

Meet my latest fabric crush, Maramiki! 

Maramiki is the creation of designer and textile artist, Mara Snipes. I am so thrilled to be hosting this AWESOME giveaway - I'm holding a stack of her remnant fabrics and it is simply gorgeous - super soft and would make some really sweet creations. One of you lucky readers is going to win this beautiful little stack to add to your sewing stash! 

I came across Maramiki on etsy, and was very excited when Mara agreed to give us a little insight into her creative life. Have a read, be inspired, and don't forget to leave us a comment - say hello and let us know your favorite item from her shop...... 

Where are you from, in which city do you currently live?

I was raised in Chicago, and am back in Chicago again by way of a glorious nine-year stint in San Francisco.

How did you become interested in your craft?

I've been drawing since I can remember, little pictures with lots of detail, which is how I see things... up close, with attention to line.  I had wanted to start a creative business for years, but couldn't quite narrow down what I wanted to do.  So I decided to find something to start with, and then go from there.  That was such a liberating moment, to just dive in and see what unfolds.  I also wanted to find a way to make my drawings 'functional'... to have them inhabit everyday, useful objects. I love fabric and texture, so I took a textile screenprinting class last year, and then it clicked.  So I guess I consider myself first a draftsperson, who found a medium in screenprinting and textiles.

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?

I sell on Etsy, but also sell to a few local stores in Chicago.  My website launched last year, which has been a great marketing tool and I've gotten a lot of custom work from it.  After taking a few months off to have a baby recently, it hit home that I get back what I put into it, so it's an ongoing commitment to keep looking, drawing, designing, and pushing the envelope creatively.  When I get frustrated or stuck, I remind myself that I chose this: I left the corporate world to slow down my lifestyle and do something more personally fulfilling.  It comes with its own challenges but it was the best decision for me.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I think everything influences me to some extent, but nature is my biggest inspiration - getting outside and really paying attention to what's there. I keep a sketchbook with me all the time, and try to get ideas down as they come to me.  I also draw a lot with my daughters (ages three and four and a half), and the things they come up with blow me away!  It's so easy for children - there's no judgment, which lets things flow much more easily.  I don't try too hard to identify where designs or ideas come from, but I stay open to being moved or affected by things in my daily life: the light, air, weather, color.  That feeling of openness is in itself very inspiring.

Where do you do your crafty work? 

I have a studio in my home, with lots of floorspace, good light, and storage for all of my drawings, samples, fabric, crazy projects, and on and on.  It's pretty organized at the moment but it makes me happy to have the floor covered with scraps and trimmings - it means I've been working.

Thanks to Mara for sharing with us! 

 And don't forget to leave us a comment to enter!

A winner will be chosen at random on October 23rd -  Extra entries will be given for blogger followers and tweeters!

**THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED - Congratulations to our winner Shellie of This Little Family! 

Garden Salad Servers Giveaway!

My lovely lady Kristi is hosting a great giveaway to help you get started with checking gifts off your Christmas shopping list! Have a visit to her awesome blog, Visible Voice and leave a comment for a chance to win these super cute salad servers! 

Bridesmaid Giveaway.....

For any of you brides-to-be out there, the ladies over at Junebug Weddings (a beautiful, inspirational wedding blog) are hosting a giveaway of 3 of my LouLouBell pouches as bridesmaids gifts..... Fill them with accessories, beauty products, candies and other fun things - as a thank you gift, or a grab-n-go for all the essentials on the big day! 

PS: If you have an upcoming wedding, and LouLouBell is going to be a little part of your big day, I would love for you to share pics! Keep in touch : ) 

Get to Know + Giveaway: LeiLiLaLoo

From the sounds of it, Dana over at LeiLiLaLoo is a very busy lady, but manages to spin out such beautiful designs. I've been an admirer of her Etsy shop for quite a long time, so it was so nice to get to know a little about this artist and her crafty life. Pour a cup of tea and have a read, and at the end, don't miss details to add some of Dana's crafty work to your supply stash! 

Where are you from, in which city do you currently live? 

I am from the Netherlands and I live in Amsterdam for over 10 years now. 

How did you become interested in your craft? 

When it happened I don’t know there were always Picasso and Chagall books lying around at home, so I got interested in arts & crafting when I was very young. I must have been 5 or 6 years old when I painted my first oil painting on canvas. It was a still life with a nude , which was inspired by Picasso. So there is no exact how or when…it was always there. 

Where did your shop name come from?

My son came up with that when he was 1,5 years old. He could not pronounce his own name for a long time, so he said his name like ‘Leililaloo’. I chose it as my brand name because I very much like the sound of it & the fact my son came up with it. 

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job? 

I am sad that I don’t sell at Etsy full time YET, although it does fill up my time full time when I am at home. I still have to work part-time (as a nurse), I do that 20 hours per week, the other 60 I work on Etsy :) 

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Besides my greatest source of inspiration, my two children, the internet is a great place to be when you need a fill of inspiration. On the net I feel I can find incredible amounts of inspiration from fellow crafters and artists.  

Where do you do your crafty work? 

I work from our living room. It’s looks more like a studio then a living room. But we have no other space where I can do my thing. We are a family of 4 and live in a one bedroom apartment on the 6th floor. Although we would love to move to a bigger place I found out one can get used to situations that are not perfect. The children are used to my materials being around everywhere, and I am used to having to clean up my workstation all the time from leftover crackers and puzzle pieces. On top of that my husband also has an Etsy shop, so he uses the whole living space we have as his wood workshop as well. And he works with piles of wood and two big sawing machines, so just imagine the way our apartment looks most of the time! 

I just love her story of how her shop came to be named, super cute! Dana has very generously offered 3 meters of her beautiful hand printed ribbon to one lucky winner! So, have a look at her very lovely shop here, and come back and let us know your favorite piece, or what you would use her ribbons for? A winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, Sept 10. Extra entries will be given for blogger followers and tweeters!  

**This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Nancy McKay, and thanks to all who participated!

Get to Know + Giveaway: Designer Lana Kole

I came across Lana Kole's beautiful textiles in my never-ending search for fabulous fabric. Lana designs the textiles you can find in her shop at lanakole.etsy.com. 

I was interested to know where she gets her inspiration and how she decided to put her designs on fabric. So here's a little preview into her creative life. Read on to the end to see how you can enter our first giveaway on LouLouBell! Lana has generously offered two fat quarters of her gorgeous new summer line! 

Where are you from, in which city do you currently live? 

My name is Lana Kole. “Lana” means a beautiful place and “Kole” means a victorious people. I am building my business on the conept that people can be inspired to dream, create, love and laugh through the beauty of their surroundings. I was born in a small city called Washington, D.C. You may have heard of it. I currently reside in Baltimore, Maryland, which is a fabulous little city just north of Washington, DC.  

How did you become interested in your craft?

As a girl, I loved making any and everything. I loved painting with water colors, making handmade cards, yarn and paper jewelry and jewelry boxes. I loved drawing and creating things from odds and ends I found around my house. I also loved doing science projects. Not so much because science was fun, but because it was an opportunity for me to make a really spectacular display board! To this day I consider myself to be a “serial crafter”. I still love making and learning to make all sorts of things. My Dad is a painter and printer, who fostered a healthy sense of entrepreneurship in me. He would say, “Be an entrepreneur, not horse manure!” It sounds really funny, but it did the trick! My decision to specialize in surface and textile design derives from a healthy addiction to color, texture, beautiful patterns, and making people smile.  

Where do you get your inspiration? 

My design aesthetic derives from a love of nature and modern art. I am inspired by color combinations and different sites that I capture with my camera in my spare time. 

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job? 

Yes, I do sell on Etsy full-time in addition to selling here locally at craft shows. I am also a wife and mother of a 1 year old boy and a 2 year old girl… which you can imagine are 3 full-time jobs (smile).

In addition to being a textile designer, you can also find the cutest and inspiring wall decals and graphics in her etsy shop. And bonus, you can use her fabric in your own projects for sale, just be sure to give a little credit to the designer! 

So, if you LOVE Lana's designs as much as I do, here's your chance to get your hands on some free fat quarters from Lana's collection! Leave us a comment after visiting Lana's site, let us know what your favorite fabric or surface graphic is, or just say hello! Extra entries will be given for followers of my blog or Lana's, or fellow tweeters! 

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, August 25! 

Lana can also be found in these places: 

web: lanakole.com
blog: lanakole.com/nterior
twitter: twitter.com/lanakole
facebook: facebook.com/lanakole

**This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to our winner Alice, and thanks again to the very talented Lana Kole for sponsoring!

Amy at b-line is generously hosting a giveaway of one of my LouLouBell woodgrain zipper pouches! Hop over to her blog to check it out! Entries are open until Aug 3. While you're there, have a peek at Amy's gorgeous jewelry! So pretty!