Thongbai Tatong News & Updates

First leather bag of the year

2012-01-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to spend more time on making bags but there are always clothes to sew. Many of my 60s-inspired dresses have been sewn. My model is coming on Thursday to my house for a couple of hours to play with the new dresses in front of the camera for new pictures. I think about the 3rd week of January I will begin listing my new dresses.

Two days ago I took a break from sewing the dresses and began sewing a new leather bag. I was given a huge bag of small pieces of beautiful leather. They are perfect for patchwork. I chose the brown ones and sewed them together.

These four little pictures below show how the back zippered pocket was made. I like sewing a small piece of leather on the top of the inside pocket. It makes the pocket sturdier and look neat when you open the zipper, as shown on picture number 3.

The back of the bag alone is made of 10 different pieces of leather.

The front and the back ready to be put together.

Below are the front and the back, too. It will become a very unique and one of a kind bag. The leather is limited and I will never be able to make another bag with exact color combination any more.

This bag will be for sale and I really want to finish it today or tomorrow. But I have to sew a few custom clothes on the coming days, plus the photo shoot on Thursday and a birthday party this weekend. So I will continue with the bag again on Monday and Tuesday. About Wednesday or Thursday I should be able to finish the bag and post the result on the blog.

Stay tuned!

New photographs of the new dresses

2011-12-28T16:12:00.001-08:00

I adjusted the design of the new mod-inspired dresses.

Then we played around in the living room for a couple of hours.

Like this ......

Now I have to make all the sizes.

When they are ready for sale I will update it on my blog.

In the meantime, Happy Holidays ♪

Best wishes,
- Thongbai

Happy Holidays, Winter Sales and product updates

2011-12-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! And best wishes for 2012.

WINTER SALES

As I have been doing each year, the Winter Sales is now on all items in my Etsy shop with discounts up to 30%. A lot of products are last pieces which I do not plan to make any more next year. If you have had an eye on something, it is a great time to check it out.

GIFTS

I love this wonderful festive season, a gift giving season. And I have been receiving a lot of gifts already. I heard that more will come tomorrow;) I would like to share with you some of the lovely gifts I just received.

This cool silver necklace with a heart pendant is from and made by Marie, the owner of MarKhed Design, and a member of the Artisans Gallery Team on Etsy. I love that it is so cool – kind of funky- with the heart. But it is also so sweet at the same time because of how delicate and pretty the whole set is. Thanks so much, Marie.

And the next one is from and made by Joanne, the owner of Gr8 Jewellery, and a member of the coolest friendship team on Etsy, The Dinosaurs. It is a very sweet set of necklace and bracelet. I already picture myself wearing them with a number of my dresses, blouses and skirts. Thanks so much, Joanne.

And another amazing gift is from my customer!!! Liesbeth is a very creative person and makes lots and lots of lovely stuff particularly from wool and glass, which she sells in two shops: one is a real shop in her hometown in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, and the other on Etsy. Both shops are called Stilling. A while ago Liesbeth bought the A-line black and grey skirt from me.

Yesterday I received a card and a lovely fused glass pendant in my mailbox. They are from Liesbeth. The pendant was made especially for me!!! Liesbeth said that the inspiration came from the skirt she bought from me! Aren’t I a lucky girl? I am so honored and flattered. Many thanks, Liesbeth.

NEW DRESSES

Before I took the one-week holidays last month I had made some patterns for new dresses, some of which were inspired by the mod fashion of the 1960s. And in the past weeks I have been making a few of the dresses, which I have had no time to take pictures of until today.

These dresses have already been enjoyed by a number of Dutch customers, who visited me at Christmas fairs in the past weeks. These dresses will be listed for sale on my Etsy shop after the holidays.

LAST PIECES

I have used up the fabric for the brown retro-inspired dress. What I have in the shop are the last pieces. It is now on sales with a discount of 10 dollars. If you have been thinking about owning one, don’t think for too long. The dress is of a limited edition.

But no worries if it is sold out. I am bringing in more dresses in the coming weeks.

First I have to finish the dress which I will be wearing tomorrow night, on the Christmas evening. I will be dining in a restaurant in Rotterdam with my Family and plan to wear something that turns heads;) Come on, it is Christmas!!!!

Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Best wishes,
-Thongbai

Pictures of the Open Weekend in Moordrecht

2011-11-28T11:57:00.001-08:00

I would like to show you some pictures of the open house Sinterklaas Ateliers in Moordrecht, which I wrote about on my last blog post. It took place last weekend.

Yvonne's work

Helene and customers

Nian's beautiful flowers

Domi showing her products to customers

Lovely cat keeping visitors entertained

Sandra's pretty candles

The space!

I tried to keep him entertained while his mama shopped!

Customer checking out Svet's cool aprons

Customer looking through my clothes.

The main corner of T.T. products

It was a great fun and we are already planning the next one! I will surely blog about it.

Uitnodiging Sinterklaas Ateliers in Moordrecht

2011-11-23T05:51:00.000-08:00

This blog post is in two languages: Dutch and English

DUTCH

Mijn vrienden en ik gaan a.s. weekend een open huis organiseren. We noemen deze leuke handgemaakte expositie ‘Sinterklaas Ateliers in Moordrecht’. Het is om onze handgemaakte producten te presenteren en aan te bieden aan het publiek. Het Open Weekend vindt plaats in Helene’s mooie huis in Moordrecht, een dorpje vlakbij Gouda. Het huis zal je ook prachtig vinden. Deze foto is een hoekje van het huis, dat getransformeerd zal worden tot een prachtige handgemaakte expositie!

Helene's huis

Deelnemers zijn 8 talentvolle en enthousiastische zelf-makers:

1) Helene van Felt Goood met haar hippe en moderne vilt hoeden
2) Sandra van Natuurlicht met haar bizondere kaarsen
3) Mirjam van Made by Mirjam met haar mooie sieraden
4) Domitille van Les Moineaux met haar fun kinderkamer wanddecoratie
5) Nian met haar prachtige bloemen gemaakt van nylon stoffen
6) Svetlana van Moi Aussi met koele schorten van upcycled spijkerbroeken
7) Yvonne van Pourquoi Pas? met haar schilderijen en keramiek
8) En Thongbai met haar hippe en fun dameskleding!

Bezoek onze blog om kennis te maken met elke deelnemer.

Nian's folowers and Sandra's candles

Niet zal je alleen genieten van onze producten die met passie en liefde zijn gemaakt, maar ook zal je plezier hebben in aktiviteiten zoals de demonstratie kaarsgieten door Sandra. Als je oude kaarsen hebt die je niet meer gebruikt, neem die dan mee om ze in te wisselen voor kaarskadeautjes van Sandra.

Nian gaat ook een gratis workshop bloem maken houden. Hier leer je om bloemen te maken met nylon stoffen. De materialen worden voor je voorbereid tegen een kleine vergoeding. Deze materialen zijn ook te koop, zo dat je de bloemen ook thuis zelf kan maken. Ik vind het een goed idee om eigen bloemen te maken voor je huis tijdens de feesdagen. Ook is het leuk om de zelfgemaakte bloemen als kadeau te geven.

Yvonne, artist at work!

Om het weekend extra speciaal te maken, zal ik mijn gehele kledinglijn met korting verkopen. Sommige items van de vorige collectie zal zelfs afgeprijsd zijn tot 50%.

Svetlana's apron and Thongbai's sweater

We zullen thee, koffie en koekjes klaar zetten om je te verwelkomen. Als je het weekend vrij bent kom dan langs. En ik zou het op prijs stellen als je de uitnodiging kan verspreiden naar je familie en vrienden via email of sociale netwerken.

Wij hopen je tijdens de Open Dagen te mogen ontvangen.

Plaats: West Ringdijk 39, 2841 LW Moordrecht (Gouda)
Datum: zaterdag 26 nov. 13.00 - 21.00 uur
Zondag 27 nov. 11.00 -17.00 uur
Contact: Helene, 06 36 20 36 86, feltgoood(at)hotmail.com
Blog: http://sinterklaasateliersinmoordrecht.blogspot.com/

Mirjam's necklace and Helene's hat

ENGLISH

Some of my friends and I are organising an open house this weekend (26-27 Nov), called Sinterklaas Ateliers in Moordrecht, to present and offer our handmade products for sale. It takes place in Helene’s beautiful home in Moordrecht, near Gouda. You will love the architecture of this home. The very first picture on this post is one of the corners of the house, which will be transformed into lovely handmade exposition!!

There will be 8 makers participating in this activity:

1) Helene from FeltGoood selling her fun felted hats
2) Sandra from Natuurlicht selling handmade candles
3) Mirjam from Made by Mirjam selling jewelry
4) Domitille from Les Moineaux selling children’s decoration products
5) Nian, selling flowers made from nylon fabrics
6) Svetlana from Moi Aussi selling aprons made from upcycled jeans
7) Yvonne from Pouquoi Pas? selling art works such as paintings and ceramic products
8) Thongbai selling fun handmade clothes!

Visit our blog to learn about each participant.

Domitille's children decoration

Not only will you be enjoying our products made with passion and love, but will also be entertained by activities like the demonstration of candle making by Sandra. If you have old candles that you don’t use any more, bring them with you to exchange them with gift candles from Sandra.

Nian will also give a free workshop, teaching you how to make the flowers of your choice from nylon fabrics. She has all the materials available. A great idea to make your own flowers to decorate your house during the festive season, or to give them as gifts.

Nian's flowers

To make the weekend extra special, I will be selling all of my clothes with a discount. Some of the items of older collection will offered with a discount of up to 50%.

We have prepared tea, coffee and yummy snacks to welcome you. If you are free this weekend please come and visit us. And I would appreciate it very much if you could help share the invitation with your friends and family via email or social network.

Adress: West Ringdijk 39, 2841 LW Moordrecht (Gouda)
Dates: zaterdag 26 nov. 13.00 - 21.00 uur
Zondag 27 nov. 11.00 -17.00 uur
Contact: Helene, 06 36 20 36 86, feltgoood(at)hotmail.com
Blog: http://sinterklaasateliersinmoordrecht.blogspot.com/

I am out of town and some new dresses

2011-11-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

I will be out of town from this afternoon until next Tuesday (22nd November). It is a short one-week holiday for me. This is where I will be going. Guess where?

My Etsy shop remains open during this time. Ready-to-ship items ordered while I am way will be shipped on 23rd November. Custom and made-to-order items will be shipped on 30th November. I check my mails regularly. If you wish to contact me, please feel free to do so. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I am more and more inspired by vintage fashion these days. I want to make more of the 20s dresses. But I don’t have the right fabrics for what I have in mind. At this moment I have lovely polka dot fabrics in dark brown, grey and black. I will use them to make some 60s inspired dresses. These fabrics combined and with a red accent.

I drafted the pattern, which was later transferred to become small parts ready for the fabrics. I will continue with the dresses when I am back from my trip and will surely update about its progress.

See you soon. And have a lovely day.
- Thongbai

October 2011 giveaway winners

2011-11-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

Thank you all the participants of my giveaway. Thank you also for liking my Facebook, following my blog, subscribing to my blog, and for your compliments on my clothes.

I am so happy to announce the two winners!

Prize 1, a silk scarf, goes to the lucky number 175!
Congratulations April!

Prize 2, a 50-dollar gift certificate, goes to number 123!
Congratulations Julie!

Thanks to everyone again for all the fun. Sorry if you did not win. But the November giveaway will be here soon. You are most welcome to join me again.

Have a lovely Autumn weekend.

Time flies

2011-11-02T04:25:00.000-07:00

Time flies .....

A-line skirt in purple, pink and grey

Retro dress in dark brown

"When you are enjoying life time flies by, when you are not it stands still, though in reflection of this stillness, the observant may note how much of it has passed, and how much has been wasted... " - Jane Wagner

October 2011 Giveaway

2011-10-29T03:29:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is closed.

The winners have been announced here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to my October giveaway. It comes a little late in the month, so I will keep it open for a couple of weeks. I mentioned in one of my blog posts that I would give away one of my scarves. And because I have not had my giveaway for a couple of months I would like to offer two prizes this time. There will be two winners.

The first prize is an extra long and fun silk scarf, valued at 29 dollars.

The second prize is a Gift Certificate valued at 50 dollars, which can be used to purchase items on my Etsy shop.

Please read the following before participating

1. The giveaway is open to everyone from any country. You can choose to make any entry, but maximum four (different) entries per person.
2. Write each entry on a separate comment, because one comment counts as one entry!
3. Leave your name and email address on each comment, so I know where to contact you if you win. The email address should be written in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.
4. If you are already a subscriber, a follower of my blog or have “liked’ my Facebook page, just tell me you already have done it, in separate comments.

Example

- I have been an email subscriber for a few months.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 1 - Tell me which of my products you like the most
Please visit my Etsy shop to view and choose the product(s).

Entry 2 – Like my Facebook fan page
Please visit my Facebook page and click the “Like”.

Entry 3 - Subscribe to my Blog
I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription.

Entry 4 - Become my Blog Follower
Become my blog follower through the link “Join this site – with Google Friend Connect” on the right column of this page.

The giveaway runs for two weeks and ends on 11^th November . The winners will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on 12^th November, here on my blog and be notified via email.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck!

Inspired by Nanako from Pig and Fish

2011-10-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

I have been admiring the work of Pig and Fish, a shop on Etsy for quite some time. It is owned by two artists, Deb and Nanako, who work together to make functional and decorative arts for the home. What I love most about their pieces is the contemporary and modern design with great attention to small details. Take this wall cabinet as an example:

As you can see from my clothes, I love colors, patterns and geometry. I find this cabinet just awesome. I love all the geometric details and how it is made to become a functional piece of art.

I contacted Pig and Fish and asked if they would help out with the mix and match of my clothes with other pieces and accessories. And I am so thrilled what Nanako has chosen for my new grey sweater. I love her urban choices:

1. Hair pins by iluxo

2. Resin ring by Metals Girl

3. Umbellet studs by Lake

4. Leather shoes by Fairy Steps

5. Tights by Gal Stern

6. Leather bag by Jennyn Design

Thank you very much Nanako for the inspiration.

For more inspirations visit:

Pig and Fish on Etsy

Pig and Fish on FaceBook

Pig and Fish on Twitter

New dress and Gift Certificates

2011-10-17T02:01:00.000-07:00

New Fabric

It took me a while before I decided what to do with this amazing fabric:

It is knitted acrylic fabric with a print of the Union Jack, and a cute Jack Russell Terrier!

How English!

You don't come across this kind of fun fabric often. I have quite a limited amount of it. So a careful plan of use is important. I thought of fun and trendy dresses with a winter length and lovely collar.

The patterns were drawn and I am mass-producing 4 of them right now:

New dress

And here is the first one made just a few hours ago!

This one is a size Medium. I magine wearing on its own when inside, or layering it with a long-sleeved T-shirt. Outside you can pair it up with a cool pair of boots or pumps, with a coat or jacket in the cold.

The back is a cute surprise!

Now I have to make all the sizes and take good pictures of it with a real person. Give me a few days and they will be available for sale.

Gift Certificates

- Do you like my clothes and think they will be a great gift for someone but don’t know what the right size or color would be?

- Do you need a last-minute gift?

- Are my clothes in your wish list and you would love to have someone else pay for it as a gift?

A Gift Certificate is a perfect answer to this!

My gift certificates are available in defferent values of 50, 75, 100 and 150 dollars. I can also make custom Certificates with exacty amounts you want to buy. Visit my Gift Certificates section for more information about terms and conditions.

The new sweaters are ON SALE

2011-10-14T00:07:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago I finalised the design of my new sweaters with a cowl neck and open-cutting detail. Later I began to sew them to keep in stock, a couple of items per size per color before I listed them on my Etsy shop and received wonderful feedback. Thank you for all the lovely comments, all the hearts and treasury features.

A few days ago I changed my mind and decided to make some adjustments to the sweaters, such as their pockets, length and neck line. And I am sewing the stock again now. For this reason, I decided to put the first items ON SALE, with USD 21 discount on each one! See them on the SALES section on my Etsy shop.

Extra long silk scarf in silver grey and brown print.

The gift-giving season is approaching and I know that silk scarves will make a perfect gift. And I made a few more of the scarves adding to the ones that I already have. I offer a great range from petit and cute to large and luxurious.

Black and white polka dots silk scarves. Left: petit and pretty. Right: large and chic

Silk scarves. Left: long and versatile. Right: petit and a darling

Silk scarf, extra long

Silk scarf: a sweatheart!

Last but not least, two textile collage scarves.

You can see all of them now on my Etsy shop. And I will give away one of my silk scarves. Stay tuned!

Products, old and new

2011-10-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my model and I had a great fun with the photo shoot in my living room. We are both amatures but were able to have great pictures. And today I listed four new items on my Etsy shop.

The first three items are fun sweaters made of cotton fleece sweatshirt jersey fabrics. They have a cowl neck and the front is decorated with my original open-cutting design - a great success of one of the recent experiments!

- Sweater in dark brown and red details.

- Sweater in grey with red details.

Sweater in military green with grey details.

Actually my first design for the autumn/winter items was sweatshirt with zippers, which I have blogged about a few weeks back. I made about 8 pieces of the sweatshirts, with three different color combos, but could not complete them right away because I had to wait for an opportunity to go to the shop to buy the zippers. While waiting, I made the above sweaters with cowl neck, which did not require any zippers!

And when I got the zippers, it took me ages to sew them on. I finally finished only 2 zippered sweatshirts!!

This one is finished.

And this one is for me. I have been wearing it for a few times and it has been washed in the washing machine. It is still looking good. I ironed it and took its picture this afternoon:

The rest of the sweatshirts has to wait. I need time and patience to sew the zippers. And I already have a feeling that this is not going to go very fast.

Nevertheless, I could list one more skirt today on my Etsy shop. It is the Star panel skirt, in black, red and white. Great, great fun. I have been wearing one too.

A while ago I made two of these sweet gypsy maxi skirts, one of which has been worn by me. And I will list this one for sale when I could make more pictures of it. Each skirt uses a lot of fabrics. I had enough fabrics only for 4 skirts. Very limited edition indeed.

And I am still working to improve my leather sewing skills. I plan to make leather bags for sale next year. And I am now making this new bag in taupe brown and butter yellow. Delicious cow leather. I think I will sell this bag. It is very lovely but the colors are not really mine, so I won’t keep it.

The summer is gone and the days get colder. Yesterday I also took pictures of my old items to show how you can pair them with other clothes, accessories and shoes, to stay in style even when the seasons change.

Multi-purpose living room;)

Star, panel skirt in black and grey.

Black short-sleeved dress with v-neck.

Bestseller fun A-line cotton jersey skirt in black, red and white.

A-line cotton jersey skirt in black and red.

Star, panel skirt in purple and white.

Last but not least: Star, panel skirt in red and white.

I am still working on the designing and making of new autumn/winter items. I promise to surprise you with new creative and fun products real soon!

Etsy Open, leather bag, commission work and new product

2011-09-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

There has been very little movement regarding my online activities. But I have been absolutely flat out offline. Following are some of the things I have been doing.

Etsy Open in Leiden

Leiden is a small but dynamic university town in Zuid Holland province, the Netherlands. There are a lot of art and cultural activities taking place throughout the year. One of them is “Open: Makers aan de Markt” (Open: Makers in the Market) a project of the Cultural Funds Leiden. It is an event where local artists present their work to the public for a few months, mainly on the Kunstroute (Art route) of the city. Etsy also takes part on this activity in September – October this year. Led by our lovely Dutch Etsy personnel, Marta and Elles, Etsy sellers are invited to take part in Etsy Open, where we are allowed to sell our items in the shop. Participants also take part in the setting up of the shop and being present in the shop at least one full day when the shop is open. The main objective of Etsy Open is more of a meeting point for everyone to come chitchatting, sharing experiences and inspirations, than the selling of our products.

I was there one day cleaning the floor and painting the old tables. And I will be there again the whole day on the 21th of September. Visit us if you are in the area. The address is Almarkt 14, Leiden.

This is a picture of Elles. She went to a second hand shop and bought all these chairs and tables for the Etsy Open shop.

I painted three of these tables!

And now the tables are used as display shelves looking so lovely inside the shop.

All pictures courtesy of EtsyNL on Facebook.

Leather Bag

A few months ago I blogged about a new leather bag, which I was making. I finished it before my holidays already but have not had a chance to take its pictures and blog about it until today. It is a big sporty bag and you can put a lot of stuff in. Not for sale this one, I will keep it for myself!

Commission Work

I have a small number of customers whom I make clothes for on a regular basis. I would like to share with you pictures of the recent pieces I made.

One customer loves wearing clothes made of jersey fabrics because they are comfortable to wear. I made these three pieces for her after I came back from my holidays last month.

And one customer needed a party dress. Very sexy with lovely handwork decoration.

New Product

I do have a plan to work on a number of autumn/winter items. But is goes very slowly because there are always many things to do at the same time. In the past days I put other things aside and worked on my new sweatshirt. The real jacket will be made of thicker jersey sweatshirt fabrics. But for the samples I used normal and medium weight jersey fabrics.

The new design will display patterns with raw hems/edges. I first experimented on small pieces, washed them in the sewing machine to see how the edges would curl. They look great!

Then I made one sample jacket in brown and black with red accent, which was later washed in the washing machine. This is how it looks now.

Not only I have to test the fabrics but also work on the structure of the jacket itself. I found that the first jacket was a little too short, the sleeves were a little too long, neckline too high, etc.

Then I adjusted the pattern and made another jacket. I would like to share the pictures of work in progress:

I am quite satisfied so far, but still need to make adjustments, ie higher collar, sewing techniques on certain parts, etc. Now I have to go to the shop to buy long zippers that match the sweatshirt fabrics that I have. Hopefully, I can show you my real New Product soon. Please stay in touch.

Back from my holidays

2011-09-04T14:31:00.001-07:00

I have been back from my holidays for a few days now. And my Etsy shop is open again. It has been a great break. I thought I was going to work on the new clothes, but my pace has been very slow. I am now getting back slowly to my routine.

During the break Rob and I travelled with a car to 5 countries: Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary. I took lots of pictures and met many interesting people. I will blog about them in 2-3 blog posts. Here is the first lot of pictures of the places we have visited that I would like to share with you.

Venice is a very romantic city, thoug it was super crowded with tourists the day we were there.

Following are pictures of a very old but famous amusement park in Vienna called the Prater.

And below are some grand buildings in Vienna.

A wall covered with prints of drawings by local artists of Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. This wall was inside a castle.

A very colorful market in the capital city.

Also a very colorful wall ....

Maribor is a lovely, cosy little Slovenian city where we stopped while on the way to Hungary.

We visited a few places in Hungary. I liked the nature and the rich culture, where a few places in Budapest, the capital city, have been named World Heritage by the UNESCO. And yes, Budapest was one of my favourite cities, whose pictures will be posted in a separate blog post later. But here are some pictures of other parts of beautiful Hungary.

Lake Balaton is the biggest lake in Europe.

Tihany is a touristic little town on the bank of Lake Balaton. The picture above is an outside wall of a suvenir shop selling local products, a lot were made of chillies.

So sweet these two boys. Note the typical Munchen suede trousers.

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of the virtual tour of my summer holidays.

July 2011 Giveaway Winner

2011-07-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the participants of my July 2011 Giveaway. Thank you for sharing your favourite things about summer.

There were altogether 110 entries. I put a number in front of each of them and used these numbers to generate the lucky number via www.random.org.

And the lucky number is... 110
This makes ... Erica ... the winner.

Congratulations Erica!

Thank you once again to all participants. Sorry if you did not win. I will giveaway my product again when I come back from my holidays in September. You are most welcome to join again.

Colorful summer mood

2011-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

My holiday is approaching and I am in such a good mood thinking of the days that I will allow myself to be super lazy, touristing in different cities, on different beaches and mountains. This good mood could also be caused by reading all the comments of the July Giveaway participants who shared about their favourite things in summer. The words that come up often are: sun, long days, flip flops, ice-cream, beach, no school, comfortable summer skirts and dresses, picnic, garden, mangoes, birds, watermelon, swimming, flowers, fresh fruits, etc....

Then, last week I found my skirt included in this beautiful summer color blocks featured on the Elite Sixteen blog.

Elite Sixteen is a small but active Etsy team of about 70 members, who support each other in promoting handmade movement and products. I am so happy and proud to be part of this wonderful team. Featured on the above color blocks are

1) My Star skirt from my Thongbai Tatong shop
2) Fabric flat quarter by Gretchenmist
3) Wrapped headband by WhiteRabbit7
4) Screen printed card by HomesteadingRoasters
5) Ceramic bracelet by Koraart

Oh summer....

I don't want to think that summer will be over. But that is life;) When I come back from my holiday I should make more clothes for autumn and winter. The skirts should be longer. I will make some tops or blouses, yes with sleeves. I want to make jackets or cardigans too. Hopefully it will happen this year. I tried to make some warm clothes last year and it did not work well because my skirts sold well and I kept sewing more of them.

At least this set of clothing will be available in September. I have been working on it for a few months now. The design has been finalised. Now I need to make all the sizes before I list them for sale. My inspiration came from art deco fashion - the flapper style, with loose fitting and drop waist. This time it is a dress style but has two pieces, the blouse and skirt. This way both pieces can be worn more often when combined with other clothes.

The blouse is very comfortable. It has bell sleeves and black elastic lace for waistband allowing you to adjust whether you want to your waist low or high.

The skirt is made of 10 panels of fabrics and has a very wide hem circumference.

I will blog about it again when I am ready to put it in my shop. I hope you will stay in touch.

Shop will be closed during my holidays

2011-07-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

It is summer and a great time to go away for a few weeks. I will be having holidays in August and my Etsy shop will be open until 27 July. The shop will remain closed for the whole month in August. During this time I will travel around in a few European countries and will surely bring back some pictures to show you, just like what I did after my holidays in Czech Republic last summer, on

this post,

this post, and

this post.

But this picture below I have not shown to anyone yet. It was also taken in Czech Republic last year. Don't you love the IRONY!

I will also try to spend some days working on new designs during my holidays. Hopefully, I can introduce them to you when my shop is open again in the beginning of September.

Please stay in touch and have a wonderful ♪ SUMMER.

July 2011 Giveaway

2011-07-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is closed.
The winner has been announced here..

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Welcome to my July 2011 Giveaway.

This month's prize is my Le Petit Jardin bag as pictured below. It is a cute bag with an adjustable strap (the bag hanger not included;), valued at 49 dollars. It is now totally free. And I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world.

How to participate:

This giveaway is open to anyone from any country.

♪... I would love to hear what you like most about SUMMER.... ♫

Please leave a comment below and write as little or as long as you like. There is a limit to one comment per person.

Do not forget to include your name and email address in the comment, so I know where to contact you if you win. The email address should be written in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.

Example:

- I like summer because I love working in the garden with all the plants, flowers and vegetables.
- Linda M
- lindam at hotmail dot com

The giveaway runs for two weeks and ends on 27 July . The winner will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on 28 July, here on my blog and be notified via email.

Thank you for your participation. And good luck!

New skirts: I waited so that things aren't wasted

2011-07-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

As I continue making new clothes I accumulate a lot of small pieces of fabrics. It pains me to throw them away, no matter how small they are. I put all the left over fabrics in a BIG box. Some of the tiny pieces are cut into my T.T. appliqué flowers. When the box is full I sort it by putting different kinds of fabrics in different plastic bags. The room where the fabrics are kept gets smaller and smaller, as the pile gets higher. I knew that one day I would put these fabrics in a good use. I never had the time. So I waited.

While making other pieces of clothes I tried to design something in my head with the left over fabrics .. a skirt, a dress, a scarf,… something that uses small patches of fabrics.

A couple of weeks ago, I pulled some of the fabrics out of their plastic bags and mixed them on my table. I would make new skirts, I thought.

The fabrics in the middle are the left over from making these clothes.

I made a skirt pattern and looked for the fabric pieces that were big enough for the pattern. The smaller ones were put back in the bags.

The result was lovely new skirts.

Very modern, youthful and super comfortable.

These photos were taken a few weeks back. You might have already seen them here and there.

Now all sizes are made and they are ready to rock the summer;)

I have been wearing the black/grey one and the purple-ish one. I wore the back and grey one to a birthday party last Saturday. My in-law liked it very much. So I made one for my sister-in-law and one for my mother-in-law, both in black and grey.

If you would like to own one as well, check back my Etsy Shop tomorrow, when I will list them all for sale. And all these new skirts will be sold with a discount as part of the ‘Christmas in July” promotion as well.

June 2011 Giveaway Winner

2011-07-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to thank all the participants who took part of my June 2011 giveaway.

Thanks so much!!

There were altogether 320 good comments this month. In order to draw the winner, I put a number on each comment and used a Random Generator from random.org to pick the lucky number.

And the lucky number is .... 160

The winner is .... Jana from Helmitarha ....

Congratulations, Jana!!!

Sorry for those who did not win. But you are always welcome to take part in my giveaway again each month. July 2011 giveaway will be open for participation shortly.

My Creative Space: Leather bag in grey and red

2011-06-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is Part # 1 of my work in progress with my new leather bag.

See the finished bag on this post.

The bag is made of lovely cow leather in dark grey color.

It has red T.T. flowers on the front.

And the back has a large zippered pocket.

Red piping will be used for both the back and front for good structure and lovely red accent.

Yummy red cherry print lining.. going well with the red flowers on the front.

I need to do more sewing.

Then I will surely share the progress again on the blog. Stay in touch.

Christmas in July Sale

2011-06-24T01:07:00.000-07:00

I am participating in an event on Etsy called "Christmas in July Community Sale 2011'. Everything in my Etsy shop has been put on Sale with a discount from 20-30% until the end of July or while stocks last.

Shopping tip: Etsy members who participate in the Christmas in July Community Sale 2011 tag their sales items with the word 'CIJ' and/or 'christmasinjuly'. Search these words and enjoy your shopping.

Customers' pictures

2011-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Do you remember Jenn from Toronto? Here is another picture of her and her mom wearing a T.T. polkadots silk scarf. Thanks so much, Jenn.

This T.T. Boho chic poncho went all the way to Hong Kong. You can look so cute in my poncho, do you know that?

And do you also know that wearing a T.T. skirt will make you look like a princess?

Catching up

2011-06-20T07:59:00.001-07:00

This looks like it is going to be a longer blog post. I have not blogged for a while because it has been rather busy over here. Today, I would like to share with you what I have been up to in the past weeks.

I made another leather bag. This one is a wallet model but has a shoulder strap as well. I have been using it for many weeks now.

Summer is a great time to sell my skirts in the sun.

(Photo courtesy of Zelfgemaakte Markt)

And Etsy is such a wonderful market place and social community. Two weeks ago I had a pleasure of receiving a visit from Brenda and her husband, who live in Switzerland. Brenda has an Etsy shop selling beautiful handmade jewelry called L’indecise. They stayed with us for one weekend.

Following are pictures of the weekend. The first one was an old windmill near my village. The second one is the Scheveningen beach. Both pictures were taken by Brenda. And the bottom picture is of Brenda herself learning how to make her own T.T. skirt in my studio.

This was really an Etsy weekend. On Sunday I cooked a big dinner and invited two other Etsy sellers and their partners (and one cute girl) to join us. One was Swee from Swiedebie and the other Nancy from Nancy van den Boom.

And I received lots of ♪ presents;) One example is a wearable original art from Nancy. It is a beautiful necklace with an original oil painting on each side of the pendant.

And here are pictures of flowers from Nancy, cute brooch from Swee and Swiss chocolate from Brenda.

That was a lovely weekend. And then, last weekend I had another visit from friends from Australia. One of my guests loved coloring.

And it was time to take some more pictures of the skirts. It took place in my house. This is my living room and I was the person behind the camera.

It was sunny and we had some shots in the garden too.

Yes, I have been BUSY.

Picture of a custom-sized flapper dress with short sleeves.

Picture of a skirt with tulips

Last but not least, my current project. I was testing the fabric. Washed it in the washing machine. I also made a sample skirt and blouse and washed them in the washing machine. Looking great.

That is it for today. I have two more things to blog about: firstly, my ‘really’ new skirts made of left over fabrics which are rather environmental friendly, and secondly my new leather bag project.

See you again very soon!

June 2011 Giveaway

2011-06-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is CLOSED.
The winner will has been announced here.
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Welcome to my June 2011 giveaway.

Summer is a great time to wear skirts. And I would like to giveaway my skirts, but it is hard to choose which skirt to give this month.

Therefore, I decided to give ANY skirt you would like to have, if you are the winner. At the moment of writing this, there are 12 skirts available.

Take your pick. If the sizes I offer do not fit you, I can make one for you based on your body measurements. I will ship it to you for free, too, wherever you are in the world.

However, some of these skirts are last pieces. Sizes and/or custom made can therefore be limited. Feel free to browse through my Etsy shop and see what is available.

Please read the following before participating

1. It is open to everyone from any country. You can choose to make any entry, but maximum four entries per person.
2. Write each entry on a separate comment.
3. Leave your name and email address on each comment, so I know where to contact you if you win. The email address should be written in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.
4. If you are already a subscriber, a follower of my blog or have hearted my shop, just tell me you already have done it, in separate comments.

Example
- I have been following your blog for a while now.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 1 - Tell me which skirt you would choose if you were the winner
Please visit my Etsy shop to view all the details and pictures of my skirts.

Entry 2 – Add my Etsy shop to your Favourites.
Please visit my Etsy shop and add it to your Favourites

Entry 3 - Subscribe to my Blog
I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription.

Entry 4 - Become my Blog Follower
Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page.

The giveaway runs for three weeks and ends on June 30 . The winner will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on July 1, here on my blog and be notified via email.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck!

Inspired by Sandra from Azulado

2011-05-17T01:22:00.000-07:00

Sandra lives in Portugal and specializes in the preservation and restoration of ceramics (tiles and earthenware). I love her little Etsy shop called Azulado. It is full of lovely jewelry and housewares items inspired by nature.

I own many pieces of her work and now have an eye on a few more especially the little blue and red bowls below. The blue necklace on the bottom right picture is what I already own.

As you can see from the clothes I make, I love colors. And about these bowls I like the combination of the rich blue and red colors, the shape of the bowls and the little red flowers. They would go well with any home from a modern one to a country one. I am thinking about them being used for small jewelry pieces such as rings and earrings on your dressing table.

I love Sandra’s sense of creation and style. So I asked her to help choose items that she thinks would go well with my purple/pink/grey skirt. These are her suggestions.

1 Reversible non-slip headscarf from Moaning Minnie
2 Sterling silver & felt pendant necklace from hold out your hand
3 Scratch duo ring from Lunatic Art
4 Grey canvas bag from Bayanhippo
5 High maple point Mohop handmade shoes from mohop

Thank you, Sandra, for being such a great artist and inspiration.

Visit Azulado and Azulsupplies and be inspired.

What kind of mood are you in?

2011-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

I listed two new skirts yesterday in my Etsy shop. They are both designed for totally different moods.

What kind of mood would you be in to wear this smashing color combo skirt?

And this one?

I was in a spring mood when I made this top for myself. It is one of a kind.

I hope you can find the right clothes for your moods in my shop.

"When there is an incompatibility between the style and a certain state of mind, it is never the style that triumphs.”
- Coco Chanel

Thongbai Tatong: fun handmade clothes for a decorative state of mind.

April 2011 Giveaway Winner

2011-05-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

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Thank you to all participants of my April 2011 Giveaway. I am very happy to announce the winner of the A-line jersey skirt in black and grey.

This month there were altogether 197 good comments. I put a number in front of each of them and then used the numbers to generate a winner.

The lucky number is .... 18 ....

And the winner is .... Eva ...

* Congratulations, Eva. *

May Giveaway is coming soon!

My Creative Space: Leather Briefcase # 2

2011-04-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

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This is part # 2 of work in progress with my leather briefcase.

See part # 1 here
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Some of you might still remember that I began making a black leather briefcase in February. It was going well until I the flapper dresses took all my time and attention. After 10 weeks with a break here and there from the dresses and the skirts, my briefcase is finished.

It is beautiful, sturdy and stylish. It comes with four pairs of interchangeable T.T. flowers.

I have not decided yet whether I will sell it. I will weigh my feelings for a while. Also, I already have so many bags. Should I sell this one and make another one for myself? Will I have time? Or do I really need another bag?

I would like to use more of my clothes-sewing time for making leather bags next year. Then the bags will be for sale because I cannot keep them all to myself, and also I have to earn the money I spent on the materials back.

If anyone has some advice or thoughts I would love to hear. Should I sell it or keep it?

Celebrating my 2nd Etsyversary

2011-04-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

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Time flies and my Thongbai Tatong Etsy shop will be two years next month, on May 23.

To celebrate my 2nd Etsyversary I am offering FREE SHIPPING to worldwide destinations on all items on my Etsy shop, including the sales items.

It has been wonderful 2 years of a lot of fun and adventure. Also a great learning process for me in mastering my crafts and running a handmade business. Without the support of my customers, friends (in real life, online via my Etsy shop, blog, social media sites) and family I would not have been here.

I am ready and look forward to my 3rd year, to learn, improve and grow.

Thank you very much, everyone.

Postcard from the Netherlands

2011-04-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

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My silk scarf with black and white polka dots has been quite popular. And I thought I should make it also in a smaller size for warmer days. I began cutting the fabric. But the the weather outside was so beautiful. The sun was shining and I decided to have a little walk in my garden.

I could not help but fell in love with the blossom tree near the canel. I ran inside the house and came back with my newest skirt and a camera.

Here is a lovely shot of my skirt and the blossoms. On the top left you will see some kids playing in a boat. Everybody was crazy for the sun.

On the right of the photo below is the 'only tulip' in the garden. (Did I say I live in the Netherlands? The land of tulips?). For some reason, only one tulip decided to come out this year!!

I like the close up photos of the flowers. The petals are very delicate and pretty.

Even insects could not resist admiring the blossoms.

While the scarves waited patiently....

April 2011 Giveaway

2011-04-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

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This giveaway is CLOSED.

The winner has been announced in here.

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Welcome to my April 2011 Giveaway.

This month I am giving away this a-line cotton jersey skirt in black and grey, valued at 65 dollars. If you win you may choose to have any size, or even a custom size. And I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world. To read the description and see more pictures of the skirt click here.

Please read the following before participating

1. It is open to everyone from any country. You can choose to make any entry, but maximum three entries per person.
2. Write each entry on a separate comment. More entries = more chance to win.
3. In each comment tell me EITHER which item you would wear in the summer, OR followed my blog, OR subscribed to my blog, plus your name and email address all in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.
4. If you are already a subscriber or a follower of my blog ,just tell me you already have done it, in separate comments.

Example
- I have been following your blog for a while now.
- Linda M. - Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 1 - Tell me which of my clothes "you" would wear a lot in the summer.
Please visit my Etsy shop to view my products.

Entry 2 - Subscribe to my Blog
I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription.

Entry 3 - Become my Blog Follower
Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page.

The giveaway runs for two and a half weeks and ends on May 11 . The winner will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on May 12, here on my blog and be notified via email.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck!

T.T. silk scarf in Toronto

2011-04-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

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Do you see what I see? This is beautiful and stylish Jenn from Toronto, Canada.

Her mom bought this silk scarf from me last year and gave it to her as a present.

It always make me so happy to see how my products are worn by my customers. I love how Jenn mixes and matches the scarf with her clothes turning a grey scarf into a lovely and youthful piece of accessories.

Fashionista!

I am very inspired by Jenn's photos and her style. I told her that I would love her to model for my clothes. Isn't she a great model!! So stylish and photogenic.

These are only a few of Jenn's lovely photos. She blogs regularly on what she wears. Visit Jenn's blog and be inspired.

March 2011 giveaway winner

2011-04-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

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Thank you very much to all participants of my March 2011 giveaway for the a-line jersey skirt in grey and red. There were altogether 242 good comments. I put a number in front of each of them and used the numbers to generate a winner.

The lucky number is ... 23

And the lucky winner is ... Allison

Congratulations ♪ Allison ♫ !!

I am sorry if you did not win. But I give away my fun items every month. You are more than welcome to participate again. I will write a post for the April giveaway soon. And this time the prize is another fun skirt in black and grey. And you can choose any size too, even a custom size!

Check out more details and pictures of the skirt, click here.

Let’s support this amazing artist

2011-03-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

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You all know that I am sewing for a living. I am so fortunate that I have been received very well by both local and international customers on Etsy. But turning arts and crafts into a business is not an easy thing, at least for me. It needs high creativity, a lot of time, knowledge, energy, concentration, and constant inspiration. There have been moments in my clothes designing and making life that I was tired, burnt out and just wanted to give up. But I am a fighter and cannot see myself doing anything else than sewing. I am so thankful to my family, friends and customers for their trust and support. And I am still here.

At this moment there is one artist, also a fighter, who needs help and support from us all. Her name is Paula. Seeing what she is going through reminds me of my tough times. And I was so thankful to all the support I received, which made me hang in there and survive the periods. I think Paula would appreciate such support too.

She was once a well-paid massage therapist, who became unsatisfied with life and decided to leave everything behind and began a self-searching journey living in different places in the States and Canada. One day she began making arts from metal objects she found from garbage sites. That was when she found her true love for arts and has been teaching herself in the past years how to master her work. Each day her love for her arts grows stronger. Her work has been shown in several art galleries and exhibitions. Below are just a few examples of how Paula has turned garbage into such decorative and functional pieces of arts. See complete collections of her work on her personal website: http://paulaart.com/

Because she wants to spend more time making arts, Paula neglects other paid jobs. But her work does not always sell well. This forces her to take a cleaning job here and there, so the bills are paid and she is able to spend more time in her studio again. I admire her spirit and strength, how she fights for what she loves.

Paula has been living with her partner, who is now leaving her to live somewhere else. She has almost no money and takes on some cleaning job again so she can afford moving to a new place and pay for the rent of her own. Paula is an honest and extremely open person. She writes about her situations on her blog. If you have a minute, please read it. It is very sad but also powerful and inspiring.

I don't know Paula in person, but only online mostly via our Etsy shops. I am writing this blog post to help spread the word about her amazing work. Maybe you or someone you know would like to buy her lovely home décor items, for yourself or as a gift.

Paula is also organizing a fundraising activity. You can donate 15 dollars or more to her to have a chance to win her original pieces of art, valued at 700 and 550 dollars each. Here are the pictures of the prizes.

I think helping her is not only supporting someone who makes beautiful arts but also to help towards our environment, where rubbish can be recycled and turned into arts. You will not be able to save the world, but it is the attitude and action that counts, no matter how small or big the action is.

- Paula’s Etsy shop for found object flowers: Click here.
- Her Etsy shop for home décor items from recycled objects: Click here.
- Her blog: Click here.
- Her personal website: Click here.
- Participate in her fundraising giveaway: Click here

Free Worldwide Shipping March 21-27

2011-03-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

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To celebrate the Euro Week on Etsy, March 21-27 , I am offering free worldwide shipping on ALL ITEMS on my Etsy shop, including the sales item.

Offer ends on Sunday March 27, or while stocks last.

March 2011 Giveaway

2011-03-10T00:08:00.000-08:00

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This giveaway is CLOSED. The winner will be announced shortly.
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Welcome to my March giveaway. Let's get ready for fun in the sun by preparing the right wardrobe for it. This month I would like to give away one of my bestseller skirts - A-line jersey skirt in red and grey, valued at 65 dollars. If you win you can choose to have any size. If you wear a petit size, plus size or maternity size just let me know. I will make one just for you and ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world. Vist my Etsy shop to check out more details and pictures of this fun and arty skirt.

Please read the following before participating

1. It is open to everyone from any country. You can choose to make any entry, but maximum three entries per person.
2. Write each entry on a separate comment. More entries = more chance to win.
3. In each comment tell me EITHER you have hearted my Etsy shop, OR followed my blog, OR subscribed to my blog, plus your name and email address all in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.
4. If you are already a subscriber, follower or have hearted my shop, just tell me you already have done it, in separate comments.

Example
- I have added your shop to my favorites.
- Linda M. - Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com Entry

1 - Add my Etsy shop to your favorites Please visit my Etsy shop and add it to your favorites. You will need an Etsy account to do this. Signing up for an Etsy account is simple and only your e-mail address is required. Entry

2 - Subscribe to my Blog I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription. Entry

3 - Become my Blog Follower Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page.

The giveaway runs for 4 weeks and ends on April 5 . The winners will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on April 6, here on my blog and be notified via email.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck!

This is how you wear them

2011-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

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I know I am behind my schedule. But here is my little flapper and her art deco inspired dresses!!

Some of these items are already available for sale on my Etsy shop. The rest will be gradually added.

I would love to hear your opinion about the new look of Thongbai Tatong.

PS: All of these pictures were taken by me against the wall between the dining room and the kitchen. Can you see my mannequin trying to hide behind the wall somewhere? Lolzzz...

New dresses: Let's begin with black, red and grey

2011-02-21T06:04:00.000-08:00

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I am back from my holidays and my Etsy shop is open again.

During the break I went to Barcelona, Spain, for a few days. It was great and I was so inspired by many things particularly the arts and some artists. I shall blog about it.

I have been in a good mood in the past days, mainly due to the fact that the batteries are still fully charged. A couple of close friends asked me recently how I cope with my work because I spend a lot of time sewing. Sewing can be boring but if you work on something that you are passionate about, something you love, you will not get bored.

It also works with other aspects of my work. When I design something new I begin with something I really like, something close to me. I don't know if what I like will sell. What I know is that when I work on something I am passionate about I will work with joy and the results are better quality of work.

You might have noticed already from my Etsy shop that my favorite color combination is black, red and grey/white. I have many clothes of my own with these colors. In the past weeks, I also had a lot of fun making these red, black and grey items.

This first dress is greatly inspired by Art Deco fashion, emphasizing symmetry. The dress is elasticized around hip area, making it versatile and allowing you to adjust where you would like the waist to sit.

This dress is a dark grey version of the black one I have been selling. It is for someone who likes lighter colors.

Another Art Deco inspired dress. It is sleeveless, has a dropped-waist and a belt.

Oh, red and black flapper dress.... my favourite.

I have been selling this skirt in the Netherlands for a few months but have not had a chance to take its pictures properly for my Etsy shop.

I will need about a week or so to make more pictures of these pieces on a real person. Then I will list them for sale.

I will be adding other colors as well. In fact, I began making another skirt in green. It will be nice for spring and summer. I still have to sew the waistband yet.

I also have new fabrics in green, light blue, lila and light purple. 2011 will be a very colorful year.

Stay in touch!

My Creative Space: Leather Briefcase # 1

2011-02-08T06:52:00.001-08:00

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This is part # 1 of work in progress with my leather briefcase.

See Part # 2 here.

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I am on vacation now. My Etsy shop has been closed since a few days ago. I am taking a few days off. Later I will be working on my new dresses which I plan to list for sale towards the end of this month.

I have time to catch up with a lot of things, including reading the books I bought a while ago and making a new leather bag.

This bag is a briefcase model and made of beautiful crocodile embossed leather in black.

It has raw edges, a top handle, an adjustable strap, T.T. changable flowers on the front, and silver-colored hardware.

It is a detailed work with lots of parts. Each part has its own pattern.

Because the bag will have raw edges, I painted the edges for a neat and beautiful finish.

There is a large zippered pocket on the back.

It is professionally made with profesinal materials. Viledon and texon are used for the interior.

The adjustable strap has double leather.

The top handle is neat, thick and strong.

And there is so much to be sewn. Stay tuned for Part # 2.

January 2011 giveaway winner

2011-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

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Thanks so much to those who participated in my January giveaway. There were altogether 136 good comments. I put a number in front of each of them and used these numbers to generate a winner.

And the lucky number is 68..... Making Ruri the winner!

Congratulations Ruri!!!

Sorry to those who did not win. But you are always welcome to participate in my next giveaways. I will post my February giveaway soon, since I am now officially on holidays;) and have more free time.

The prize for the February giveaway is an A-line cotton jersey in grey and red. Pick your size. Click here to view the skirt.

January 2011 giveaway

2011-01-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

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This giveaway is closed. The winner is announced here.

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Welcome to my January giveaway.

This month's prize is my Boho Chic poncho valued at 53 dollars. It is now totally free. And if you win you may choose to have either of the two poncho's I have made, and I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world. See more info of the products on my Etsy shop.

Please read the following before participating

1. It is open to everyone from any country. You can choose to make any entry, but maximum three entries per person.
2. Write each entry on a separate comment. More entries = more chance to win.
3. In each comment tell me EITHER you have hearted my Etsy shop, OR followed my blog, OR subscribed to my blog, plus your name and email address all in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.

Example
- I have added your shop to my favorite.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 1 - Add my Etsy shop to your favorites
Please visit my Etsy shop and add it to your favorites. You will need an Etsy account to do this. Signing up for an Etsy account is simple and only your e-mail address is required.

Entry 2 - Subscribe to my blog
I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription.

Entry 3 - Become my blog follower
Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page.

The giveaway ends on February 1. The winners will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on February 2, here on my blog.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck !

PS: I have already decided the prize of my February giveaway. It is the A-line cotton jersey skirt in grey and red. Choose your own size, even a custom size!

Winter Sales now on

2011-01-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

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I would like to invite you to browse through my Etsy shop and take advantage of the winter sales.

Some items have only one or two pieces left in stock, and I might not make them again in the future either because I have run out of the fabrics or I prefer making new styles.

Sales go on til the end of the month, or while stocks last.

Tribute to the Roaring Past

2011-01-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

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Do you remember the streamlined, drop-waisted dresses the New Woman wore during the Flapper period? It was the time women celebrated their lives and freedom after the end of WW I. They enjoyed life so much and even let go of their waistline!!

Nowadays, when you talk about flapper dresses you are more likely to think of those shiny glittering bling bling dresses, which people wear to fun fancy parties. It does not have to be like that!

I am bringing back the fun of the Roaring Twenties and the flapper-styled dresses. My clothes will not be over the top! They will be practical and wearable and lots of fun. You can wear them at home, to the super market, going shopping, taking the kids to school, to work, and evening out.

These two dresses are only examples of my new collection. More fun will come soon.

Please keep in touch!

December 2010 giveaway winners

2011-01-04T14:27:00.001-08:00

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Thank you very much to everyone who participated in my December giveaway. We now have the lucky persons who have won my two silk scarves!!!

There were altogether 203 good comments. I put a number on each of them and used the numbers to generater the winners.

And the lucky numbers are ........ 4 ....... and ........ 197 .....

Congratulations VA and Cerena-Leigh!

Sorry for those who did not win. But the January 2011 giveaway is coming soon! Stay tuned;)

25% discount for my blog friends

2010-12-21T00:18:00.001-08:00

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I would like to thank you all who have subscribed to, followed or read my blog. It has been wonderful having your company, support and encouragement.

As a token of appreciation I would like to offer you a discount of 25% on all items (excluding shipping fee) even on sales and free-shipping items in my Etsy shop.

I have created a coupon code: BLOGFRIEND

There will be a space for you to enter this code upon checkout and the price will be automatically reduced.

This offer is exclusively for my blog followers, subscribers, readers. But if you would like to share this code with other people, you may do so.

Offer ends on Sunday, December 26.

Thanks so much once again for being my blog friends.

Two silk scarves giveaway

2010-12-20T01:06:00.001-08:00

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
The winners have been announced. Click here.

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Welcome to my December giveaway.

This month I would like to give away two of my silk scarves, each valued at 28 USD. There will be two winners. Each winner may choose to have either of the scarves. I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world.

See more pictures and info. of the scarves on my Etsy shop.

Please read the following before participating

1. It is open to everyone from any country. You can choose to make any entry, but maximum three entries per person.
2. Write each entry on a separate comment. More entries = more chance to win.
3. In each comment tell me EITHER you have hearted my Etsy shop, OR followed my blog, OR subscribed to my blog, plus your name and email address all in words without symbol @ to avoid spam to your mailbox.

Example
- I have added your shop to my favorite.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 1 - Add my Etsy shop to your favorites

Please visit my Etsy shop and add it to your favorites. You will need an Etsy account to do this. Signing up for an Etsy account is simple and only your e-mail address is required.

Entry 2 - Subscribe to my blog

I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription.

Entry 3 - Become my blog follower

Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page.

The giveaway ends on January 2. The winners will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on January 3, here on my blog.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck !

Boho Chic poncho

2010-12-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

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I have been making a couple of ponchos from knitted fabrics, which are lightweight and soft. I will list them for sale on my Etsy shop either tomorrow or Monday. Here are some photos.

November giveaway winner

2010-12-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

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Thanks so much to all of you who have participated in the giveaway of my ruffled silk scarf.

There were altogether 184 good comments. I gave each comment a number and used these numbers to generate the winner.

And the lucky number is .... 133 ....

Which makes Nury (username daer0n) the winner!!

♪ Congratulations Nury!!! ♫

Sorry for those who did not win.
But remeber I giveaway my products every month.
Please join me again.
December giveaway is coming soon.
Stay tuned!

My creative space: Leather bag # 4 (final)

2010-11-30T23:39:00.000-08:00

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This is part # 4, the last part, of work in progress with my leather bag.

See part # 1 here.

See part # 2 here.

See part # 3 here.

And here it is!!

Each year I make one special piece of work. I really have to call this leather bag my product of the year. My last year’s product of the year was a woolen coat. It took me so long to make too, but the result was rewarding.

Some more pictures of the leather bag.

Neat zipper closure

Very roomy

There is one zipper pocket and one cell phone pocket inside

Close up to the detail work on the handles

This bag is ONE OF A KIND.
Now available for sale on Thongbai Tatong Etsy shop.

Free worldwide shipping this weekend

2010-11-26T03:22:00.001-08:00

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My whole Etsy shop is on Free Worldwide Shipping promotion NOW.

The offer is part of the Black Friday through Cyber Monday Weekend, 26-29 November.

Shop early.

Save money.

Delivered on time for Christmas!!

Enjoy shopping and Happy Holidays!

Ruffled silk scarf giveaway

2010-11-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
The winner has been announced: here

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Welcome to my November giveaway.

I give away my product every month. This month's prize is a very sweet ruffled silk scarf. It is my bestseller scarf, all already sold out and this is the last that I have saved for you!

I was selling it for 43 dollars. It is now totally free. If you win I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world;)

Example

- I have added your shop to my favorite.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 1 - Add my Etsy shop to your favorites

Please visit my Etsy shop and add it to your favorites. You will need an Etsy account to do this. Signing up for an Etsy account is simple and only your e-mail address is required.

Entry 2 - Subscribe to my blog

I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the e-mail subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription.

Entry 3 - Become my blog follower

Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page.

The giveaway ends on December 3. The winner will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on December 4, here on my blog.

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck !

My creative space: Leather bag # 3

2010-11-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

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This is part # 3 of work in progress with my leather bag.

See part # 1 here.

See part # 2 here.

Even though there are only 24 hours a day to do everything I have to do for my business and my family, my leather bag is coming along slowly but surely.

The handles are prepared with a thick cord inside.

I used the red leather to decorate the handles. It looked OK but a little boring.

Brown would look better. So I changed to the brown leather.

And I like the contrast. It is more fun!

Two more steps to go: 1) sewing the lining and 2) putting everything together. There are ♪ skirt ♫ orders to sew in between;)

My creative space: Leather bag # 4 will follow very soon. Stay tuned!!

A bag from Koej

2010-11-21T05:43:00.001-08:00

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About a week ago I won a lovely bag from Judith Brouwer, who sells on Etsy under the name Koej. She gave away a bag to one of her Twitter followers. And I was the winner!!! Oh so lucky. Most of all I could choose to have any bag in her shop.

And do you know which one I chose? This is what was handed to me by the postman. The packaging is very very cute.

And I found this inside: a lovely bag nicely and securely packed accompanied by the designer’s note.

Taa…Raa… Super very cute. The bag is so well made, has a very handy size and the fabrics are so beautiful and yummy.

Will go well with my jersey skirt and beautiful urchin cuff from Star of the East.

Judith received a formal fashion design training from a fashion design academy. Her products are original and professionally made. Following are just a few of them.

Visit Koej to check out more of Judith's amazing creations.

Or follow her on Twitter under account name Zjudiet, and be the first to know of her new designs and her next bag giveaway! I will be there too;)

* Ciao ♪

New bags in the store

2010-11-19T12:49:00.001-08:00

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I was in a bag mood in the past two or three weeks. I thought bags would make great gifts during the gift-giving season.

The first two bags are new design. They are cute and fun minimalist bags. They are also practical with an adjustable strap. The front displays a small cute garden, so I call the bag Le Petit Jardin.

And the next two are my Our Gardens bag in grey, smokey black and white, decorated with bright red flowers.

Be brave, wear that red lipstick and put on your red shoes.

With double staps

With an adjustable strap

All are now available on my Etsy shop.

New scarf and new skirt

2010-11-14T06:37:00.000-08:00

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I made a new A-line jersey skirt. This time it is classic black and light grey. I wanted it to be very minimalist so no exposed hems. I made one of each size (S, M, L, XL) and am planning to make more in the coming days. Custom order for other sizes or plus size is also available. See more details on my Etsy shop.

It is time to say farewell to the lovely ruffled silk scarf. I have run out of the silk fabric and there are only two more scarves left in stock. One is for sale now and the other will be the prize for the November giveaway.

I will write the giveaway post in a couple of days ' time. I hope you will join and who knows you might be the winner of this lucky last scarf.

I am trying to find a replacement. Today, I made a new silk scarf with a different color fabric. This one is rectangular and has ruffles at the bottom. It measures 51 inches (130 cm.) long and 17 inches (44 cm.) wide.

It is also very soft, sweet and pretty. I will make some more but will change the design a little and maybe make it a little bigger. So this makes this current scarf one of a kind.

Don't you think it will make a perfect Christmas gift? See more pictures and information on my Etsy shop.

My creative space: Leather bag # 2

2010-11-10T02:20:00.001-08:00

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This is part # 2 of work in progress with my leather bag.

See part # 1 here.

And it is looking good.

Nice size

Front pocket so cute and T.T.

Changable T.T. Flowers

Reinforced bottom, plus studs

And I am very positive that it will be completed before Christmas ♪.

My Creative Space: Leather bag part # 3 will follow soon!

Visit me at craft fairs

2010-11-10T01:38:00.001-08:00

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I sell at selected craft fairs throughout the year. If you would like to see my products in real life, feel them, try them on please come and visit me at the next fair. Or if you are in the area please drop by and say "Hoi".

This list is updated regularly.

...........

October giveaway winner

2010-11-02T11:52:00.001-07:00

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Finally we have the winner of my Sweet Scent of Autumn scarf.

There were altogether 165 good comments. I put a number in front of each of them and used a random generator from random.org to get the lucky number.

And the lucky number is ..... 123!!

This makes Marlowe O the winner.

Congratulations Marlowe O!!!

Thank you very much to every participant. I am sorry if you did not win. But I do give away my product each month. I hope you will join me again in Novermber. Stay tuned!

♪

My creative space: Leather bag # 1

2010-10-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

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I know I should be focussing on my clothes, some of which are half-finished!

But I do not want my creativity to die slowly by not being able to do what I want to do. I am still making clothes and can meet deadlines of custom orders. Only now and then I let myself carried away by my new venture: leather bags.

My new bag so far. Hopefully it will be done before Christmas;) Work in progress will be posted next week.

Every Thursday many artists and crafters around the world share pictures of their Creative Space. Visit Kootoyoo's blog for more infomation. Click here.

Shop Europe for Charity

2010-10-16T06:32:00.001-07:00

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In response to the humanitarian call for help due to the recent natural disaster in Pakistan the European Street Team on Etsy (EST) opened an Etsy shop on August 28 called Europe for Charity. Huge thanks to Baahar for the initiation. All the products that are for sale on the shop are donated by the EST members.

You can read more about the shop, where the money goes to etc., on the Shop Policy page. Click here.

Here are examples of our lovely products.

These are so cute, too!!

If you like something red. Here we go.

I received a message from Baahar about a month ago that we could already collect our first 500 dollars from the sales. Yaayy!!!

Some lovely bags.

Please help us to help others. New items are donated regularly. There may be something that you would like to buy for yourself or as a gift.

For more information about the European Street Team please visit our website:
http://handmade-europe.com/

New products listed next week

2010-10-10T07:37:00.001-07:00

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These are four new products I have been working on in the past 6- 7 weeks, which I will begin to list for sale on my Etsy shop next week.

And FYI, October is a free-worldwide-shipping month!

They are fun items to make and also to wear. I own one of each and have been wearing them to everywhere! I wore the second one (green, black, grey) to the movie Inception last night.

Long-sleeved, cowl neck, red accent

Long-sleeved, cowl neck, can be worn as top or dress

Long-sleeved, pretty and flattering

Feminine, fun and flattering - can be worn all year round

Fun, pretty and sexy;) Been available for a few weeks now

Textile collage scarf giveaway

2010-10-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. The winner is announced on another post. Click here.

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It is autumn and I am giving away the "Sweet Scent of Autumn: a textile collage scarf", valued at 48 dollars. It is now totally free and if you win I will ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world. Visit my Etsy shop for more details and pictures of this super cozy scarf.

Please read the following before participating

1. The giveaway ends on October 31. The winner will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/, and will be announced on November 1, here on my blog.
2. It is open to everyone from any country. You can make only one or two entries, but maximum three entries per person.
3. Please do not forget to leave your email address, so I know where to contact you if you win. Write the email address in words, no @ symbols or you will get a lot of spam in your email.

Entry 1 - Which of my products do you like?

Feel free to browse through my little Etsy boutique to see my products. Then write 3 things in a comment:

1) The name(s) of the item(s) you like
2) Your Name
3) Your email address – all written in words without @ symbol

Example :
- I like Buddy, the compact messenger bag.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 2 - Subscribe to my blog

I blog about once or twice a week. Subscribe to my blog via the subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription. Then write three things in a separate comment :

1) Tell me you have subscribed. If you already are a subscriber write that you already are;)
2) Your name
3) Your email address all in words - without @ symbol

Entry 3 - Become my blog follower

Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page. Then write three things in a new comment:

1) Tell me that you have signed up to follow my blog. If you have been following my blog just write that you already are a follower.
2) Your name
3) Your email address all in words - without @ symbol

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck !

October FREE SHIPPING month

2010-09-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

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Let's celebrate the arrival of Autumn, the romantic season.

I love autumn, not only because it is a beautiful season with rich-colored trees, but also because it is time to shop for new warm clothes;) not to mention new shoes and bags.

And if you would also like to go shopping for clothes and bags that I make, you are welcome to visit my Etsy shop, where new warm items are being added regularly.

And to make autumn an even more special season I am offering FREE SHIPPING on all items to anywhere in the world. This offer is good for the whole October!!

Wishing you a nice ♪ and beautiful ♫ autumn day.

- Thongbai

Amie and Buddy

2010-09-22T08:24:00.001-07:00

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Buddy the Compact Messenge had a makeover. He has now two applique flowers, closes with a snap button and has altogether nine pockets, one of which has a zipper closure.

New Buddy comes with a new friend call Amie, who Buddy refers to as "Ma petite Amie".

Both Buddy and Amie have the same features except Amie's flower is a lot bigger than those red ones of Buddy's.

And I never stop making more of the textile collage scarves. This one is super pretty. Imagine carrying Amie and wearing this scarf. Umm... not a bad combo.

Everything will be listed for sale tomorrow on my Etsy shop.

August giveaway winner

2010-09-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

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Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my August giveaway, and for all thanks to your wonderful suggestions what I should add to my shop. I will make more warm clothes, and maybe some trousers!!?? too.

There were altogether 137 good comments. I put a number in front of each of them and used the numbers to draw the winner.

And the lucky number is 96, making Stephanie the winner!

♪ Congratulations, ♫ Stephanie!!!

Sorry if you did not win. But my September giveaway begins next week!!! I hope to see you again.

Til then, take care ♪.

End of summer sales

2010-09-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

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I participated in two craft fairs last weekend. The weather was very nice and the ladies loved my skirts and dresses as always. Some of them already bought my textile collage scarves.

Now I will not have any more craft fair until the end of the month. So I have time to sew more new autumn/winter pieces.

To celebrate the arrival of autumn, I am offering a discount on all items on my Etsy shop for one week. Sales end on Wedensday, September 15.

And yes, even my new dresses are also on sales!

First long-sleeved dress for this season

2010-08-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

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Here is something warmer for the colder days. This flattering dress is made of knit viscose print and knit cotton in black. It has a deep v-neck and comes with a black belt to adjust the waist and add a cute look if you make a bow on the front. Will go best with black leggings or coolest with long black boots.

Visit my Etsy shop for more pictures and details.

Cotton skirt giveaway

2010-08-26T23:36:00.001-07:00

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This giveaway is closed.

Read who the winner was. Click here.
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Welcome to my August giveaway!

There is still time to enjoy the sun and some fun skirts before autumn comes. I am giving away my best seller skirt again. The skirt is normally 65 dollars, and it is totally free. And I ship it to you for free too, wherever you are in the world. You can choose any size, and if you need a custom size I will make one for you as well. Visit my Etsy shopfor more details and pictures of the skirt.

The last winner of this skirt is Sue and I made a custom skirt for her. She was so kind to blog about it. Read here.

Please read the following before participating

1. The giveaway begins on August 27 and ends on September 15. The winner will be drawn using a random generator from http://www.random.org/. I originally planned to announce the winner on September 12. However, I am extending the giveaway for 3 more days and the winner will be drawn on September 16, here on my blog.
2. It is open to everyone from any country. You can make only one or two entries, but maximum three entries per person.
3. When leaving your email address please write everything in words, no @ symbols or you will get a lot of spam in your email.
4. If you wish to contact me please do not leave a comment on this post. Kindly write to thongbai(at)thongbaitatong.com or leave a message on my Etsy shop.

Entry 1 - What other products would you like to see in my shop?

I would love to hear some suggestions about new items I can add to my current collection. Any particular colors or designs? Maybe something for the winter? Feel free to browse through my little Etsy shop to see what I already have. Then write 3 things in a comment:

1) Things that I should add to my collection
2) Your Name
3) Your email address – all written in words without @ symbol

Example :
- You should make a hoodie for the winter.
- Linda M.
- Lovelylinda at hotmail dot com

Entry 2 - Subscribe to my blog

Subscribe to my blog via the subscription form on the top right of this page. Please do not forget to check your email to verify the subscription. Every time I write a new post you will receive an email for the update. Don’t worry about me overloading your inbox;) I only write one or two blog posts per week. After subscribing, please write three things in a separate comment :

1) Tell me you have subscribed. If you already are a subscriber write that you already are;)
2) Your name
3) Your email address all in words - without @ symbol

Entry 3 - Become my blog follower

Become my blog follower through the “Follow” link on the right column of this page. Then write three things in a new comment:

1) Tell me that you have signed up to follow my blog. If you have been following my blog just write that you already are a follower.
2) Your name
3) Your email address all in words - without @ symbol

Thank you for your participation. And Good Luck !

Artsy Cozy Wrap - a textile collage scarf

2010-08-24T02:30:00.001-07:00

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This cozy wrap is so much fun and super soft!

I am geared up for the days with less and less sun.

See more details and photos on my Etsy shop.

New collection for Fall/Winter

2010-08-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

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It is coming together very well now!!! I need one or two more days to clean up the mess in my studio, sort out the pieces I have made, and write a good description for each of them. Then everything will be available for sale. Check back my Etsy shop often;)

In case you were curious what I have been making, here is the preview!

Machine washable

2010-08-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

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I made a dress, washed it in a washing machine, and let it dry in the sun. Everything remained perfect.

My new dress is available for sale next week.

The Cadeau Bag is available again

2010-08-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

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Many months ago I made a number of the Cadeau Bags. After they sold out I never got around to make them again, mainly because I was more concentrating on my clothing items.

I love the design on the front very much and thought I should make more of it.

So, yesterday I decided to make the Cadeau Bag again, but this time with a new lining. I used the cotton fabric which I used for my Dutchie skirts, that is the one with the print featuring Dutch boys and girls, windmills and tulips for the lining of the bag. It looks so colorful and pretty!!

Now available on my Etsy shop for only 69 dollars.

Sweet Scent of Autumn - a textile collage scarf

2010-08-03T03:04:00.000-07:00

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About a month ago, before I went for my holidays in Czech Republic, I bought a new lot of fabrics for my new collection. Some of the fabrics will be used for new clothes and others for autumn/winter accessories.

Between jumping in and out of the country I managed to make one scarf, which I call "Sweet Scent of Autumn - a textile collage scarf". I took some pictures this morning and the scarf is now available for sale on my Etsy shop.

It is very very very soft to the touch, long and versatile.

My batteries are fully charged!!!! More items listed soon!!

♪

♫

My holiday is over and the shop is open

2010-08-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

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My holidays ended yesterday and I begin working again today. I am making new jersey dresses and scarves. I finished one scarf today and will post its pictures tomorrow.

Today, I would like to share some pictures I took during my holidays in France with you. We flew over the Alpes and spent the past 5 days driving around Nice, Cannes, Saint Tropez, Grasse, Monte Caro (Monaco) and Ventimiglia (Italy).

These are my favourite photos. Click on them for a close-up look.

Advertising board for the 8th "Festival International de la Photographie de Mode en Beaute" in Cannes

8th "Festival International de la Photographie de Mode en Beaute"

Cannes

Rob trying to have a conversation with a bird in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo

Saint Tropez

A colorful pottery shop in a French village on the Alpes

The Mediterranean Sea , along the coast Nice - Cannes

Perfume factory in Grasse

Perfume factory/shop

The whole village smelled like lavender.

Sponges outside perfume/soap shop