I am back from the vacation

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I really missed sewing while I was on vacation in Italy. I am glad that I am now back home again and ready to go ahead with all the ideas that have been in my mind for months. I even designed a new bag when I was sitting on a hotel balcony one day.

This does not mean I am not capable of relaxing;) We had a wonderful time in Italy. I took some pictures of the places we visited. And I would not mind leaving my sewing machine again soon to have such a lovely vacation;)

October giveaway is Buddy in bordeaux red

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It was real fun hosting the September giveaway. I hope those who did not win the black Bean Bag are not too disappointed. You can always join my giveaway again and again because I will be giving away more and more of my products in the coming months.

I have asked participants of the September giveaway what they would like to see as October giveaway. There was a mixture between bags and clothes. I think another bag will be just nice.

Ladies and gentleman, I am happy to announce the prize for next month's giveaway:

Buddy - the compact messenger in bordeaux red

Buddy is my newest design and one of my favourites. I am using the other Buddy in khaki, which I will take with me to Italy tomorrow. It is so fun to use. But Buddy in red is also really cool! I just love the colors, the shape, the fun flowers, the so many pockets and the adjustable strap. Read more about it on my Etsy shop.

Buddy is available for sale on my Etsy shop for 75 dollars. But the giveaway is totally free. If you win I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world!

October giveaway begins on October 1.

Stay tuned!

I am going on vacation

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I will be away on vacation to Italy from 19-30 September. Actually, my vacation already began yesterday when I did nothing in my studio and went shopping in Leiden;) Today I am trying to clean up the house and put things back to where they belong. Tomorrow I will go to the post office to post Aimee's Bean Bag, which she has won from the September Giveaway. Then I will begin packing my suitcase. Oh, can't wait!

However, I have already made a plan what I will make after my vacation. I will sew a new jacket, this time from cotton fabric. Then I will make some shawls made of pure wool and lined with pure silk. How does that sound? Below are the pictures of the 100% wool fabrics I will use for the shawls. So fine and soft!



Then, I will add some fun and colors to the grey sky in autumn and winter. I will make some pouches decorated with bright and cheerful applique flowers made of 100% wool felt fabric. And if I am tired from sitting behind the sewing machine all day I will crochet more Animal Friendly Mink Scarves. I already started a pink one a week ago. But yeah... I still have only the tail of the mink so far. Below are the pictures of the felt fabric I will use for my pouches and the work in progress of my new mink scarf.

September giveaway winner

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I made a list of the giveaway entries with a number on each one and then used the numbers to generate a winner using a random number generator of http://www.random.org/. And the winner is number 136, that is ......

Aimee W.

Congratulations, Aimee!

Thank you everyone for your interest and participation in the September giveaway. It has been fun!! I am sorry if you did not win. But never give up! I give away my products every month. The next one begins on October 1. I will announce the prize soon.

Please stay tuned.

Help vote on this super cute "Crocs"

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In my creative world I come across great things and great people. Natalie Laurent, aka dinafragola, is one of them. Not only does she make beautiful jewelry but also takes great pictures. I especially love this picture of her crocs:

Who would have thought that you can wear a pair of crocs with a fancy dress and look super cute. This picture is part of the crocs biggest fan competition. I have just voted for her. If you would also like to vote for her please click on the picture or the link below. You do not need to sign up for anything. Just visit this link and then click "vote" under the picture:

http://www.crocs.eu/crocsfan/picture1249998235/

Please, hurry up because the competition ends on September 15!

Thanks heaps!

Voila! The new Italian silk scarf!

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I borrowed the following poem from egreenway.com to express my feelings toward this beautiful silk scarf, which I listed for sale a few hours ago:

"Come said the wind
to the leaves one day,
Come o'er the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold."

- A Children's Song of the 1880's

New Italian silk scarf will be listed tomorrow

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It has been a great joy working on this new scarf, while finishing up some custom skirts. This scarf is made of beautiful 100% Intalian silk with print featuring colorful floral painting. Below is work in progress. I will finish making it and list it for sale tomorrow!!

Flowers in my living room

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I have not been sewing new products at all in the past few days, only those made to order. After they are all done I will begin making more silk scarves, or something bigger, most likely silk wraps. I should be able to list some of them towards the end of the week. Stay tuned!

I have not been creative in terms of sewing, but I made these flower arrangements in my living room in the weekend. I think they are quite pretty.

Finally, the new knit cotton skirt is here

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Yes, It is here. Despite the dark sky and so little sun, I managed to take the pictures of the new skirt without them being too dark. It is now listed for sale on my Etsy shop. This time it comes in 3 sizes, S, M, and L. It is very neatly handcrafted with lots of love and care. Here are the the pictures.

Free shipping throughout September

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September is a free month, free giveaway and free shipping.

I just thought it would be nice to offer some discounts to my customers whenever and wherever I can. Giving away an item per month is what I can afford. It is nice and fun. Now I am also offering free shipping with registered priority mail service to any where in the world. It is only this month!

I use TNT post and this is my best deal so far. There are other cheaper services but then you have to ship many items at the same time. My business is not that big YET. This is an example of the rates TNT charges for shippings to destinations outside Europe.

1-500 grams = 10. 45 euro ( approx. $16 USD)

500-2000 grams = 19. 95 euro (approx. $30 USD)

Most of my products weigh less than 500 grams so I pay 16 dollars. Some of the bags and the Linen Jacket weigh more than 500 grams and I pay as much as 30 dollars for the shipping. My Etsy customers pay a flat rate of only 12 dollars. Those who have bought things from me may have noticed this on the package how much I had paid for the postage.

And now, no matter what the weight of the item is, everything is shipped for free!

New Arrival: red and purple tunic

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I am so excited about the giveaway! There have been so many entries already. Thanks to all participants.

Any way, I have just listed the red and purple tunic which I began making several weeks ago. I completed it a few days ago but could not find the time to take its pictures. Today it is out!