Pretty Notions: Travel Sewing Kit

This precious little sewing tin was found over at DribsNDrabs. I love that it's an altered Altoid tin and the embroidery is all done by hand, very pretty. It's teeny tiny at 3.5 x 2.25" so you can take it along with you anywhere in your purse, or keep it in your desk at the office, and it comes with everything you need for any stitching emergencies....even scissors and nine different colors of thread! What a cute little gift this would make or stuck in someone's Christmas stocking.... Yes, there's only 15 shopping weeks left until Christmas! 

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!

Pretty Notions: Handmade Bias Tape

This dandy bias tape is hand cut by Molly of ShastaCreations. Some of the striped ones remind me of the carpet that was in my room when I was a little girl, or of those cinnamon candy sticks - you know the ones! Her fabrics are so nice and for being handmade, are comparably priced to that which you would find at your local fabric shop - she has a good variety too. I love the idea of being able to use someone else's handmade products in my own projects too! 

Pretty Packages

 

There's nothing I love more than receiving packages in the mail (which makes my online shopping addiction super dangerous!). Even when it's something I ordered, but it comes from someone who you can automatically tell has put love and care into wrapping it up all neat and sweet! I ordered these vintage doilies from sweetvintage78 on etsy, who took them from a vintage table cloth, hand cut them out and dyed them in the gorgeous colors! Her package was tied up with string when it arrived to me, with a darling little flower button and a little thank you tucked inside, I just loved it! And then I had a lot of fun sewing up this tiny coin purse and I secured one of the doilies to the front. Isn't it pretty? Thanks sweetvintage78 for a great sewing product, I highly recommend you visit her shop and get your own cute package in the post! 

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!

Tools of the Trade: Pretty Pins

How adorable are these?! I admit that sometimes I don't always pin when I'm supposed to, if I'm in a rush to do some stitching. But these cute little pins  I think would easily change my mind - I especially love the flower topped ones, but Nadelwerk carries a large variety to choose from, including hearts, toadstools and glass topped ones - they're all so pretty!

Pretty Notions: Organza Flowers

These are just so darn pretty! Wear them in your hair, pin them to your coat, sew them on your bags and purses! Oh I just love them.... Lovely layered organza flowers handmade over at supplier's etsy shop, in every color of the rainbow! Her whole shop is just bright and cheery ♥