Sunday chuckle

Beautiful handmade finds

I have been meaning to post this for a while now. What else is new right?!? :)

I found these when I was in South America (namely Brazil and Argentina) in April and May.

I just love how intricate and perfect everything is in these Latin countries. Life happens at a much slower pace which allows people to be more passionate and crafty in life (more time for hobbies & other fun stuff). I don't know if it has anything to do with how low the US Dollar has been, but I found handmade goodies to be quite pricey down there.... Totally worth it though.

I bought this table runner for my mother-in-law. It is beige in color and made of twine. Boy! I wish I could crochet like this. It totally reminds me of my grandma, who was the go-to crochet lady in town.

Look at all the detail.....

I must say though, that when I first saw it I thought it was a rug. My husband, very politely corrected me: "it is a table runner, you moron!" Just kidding... But no... really. 

The next super awesome thing I found (which I know I will never ever use because we don't have too many flies and mosquitoes in the Bay Area, but it looks cool and unique nevertheless) is this jar cover, made out of tulle and beads, that form charming palm trees....

Ok... Maybe I could use it after all. We do have some trees in our backyard and next time we have an outdoor party I can keep leaves and things from falling into our water, right?!? Totally ;)

I am a sucker when it comes to cross stitch and tropical stuff. This was a big splurge (HUBBY: if you are reading this don't worry, this is just something I say to impress my blog friends - LOVE YA), but I could not help myself. Look at all those fishies.

Now look a wittle bit closer....

It looks pretty sweet in my bathroom, don't you think?

Some knickknacks. Because a girl can never have enough knickknacks....

And finally, a completely different (at least to me) fruit basket...

I wish I had taken more pictures, but I ended up giving it to my mom.... I will however try to explain its magnificent mechanism: it is made out of wood, cut in the shape of an apple. Then they insert another piece of wood in the same apple shape that is cut like in a spiral towards the center.... So when you add weight to this piece of wood, it has a spring effect and opens in the shape of a basket. I hope this makes sense :)

What kind of treasures have you come across lately? I'd love to hear from my dearest friends!

Thank you so much for stopping by!!!

Giveway!!!

How would you like to win these beautiful hand embroidered coasters? 

Today is share day over at Wild Olive! And when Mollie told us the theme for this month's sponsor giveaway was "an imitation of something else", I would these would be perfect! One lucky winner will win a set of 2 hand embroidered coasters! Perfect for these hot summer days, don't cha think?

To enter to win, go to Mollie's blog, leave your name and a way to contact you (it's really important if you want to win!). And I would LOVE it if you were to leave a comment here as well! And if you were to become a blog follower, a Facebook fan or a Twitter follower I would seriously do my happy dance!

The giveaway will remain open until 11PM CST on July 31. One winner will be randomly chosen, and announced on Monday, August 1. Good luck!

Oh, and before I forget, I belong to the Etsy Angels team on Etsy. We work together to raise money for awesome charities 4-6 times a year. This month we are raising funds for Love for Malacia Babies and I am donating 25% of all sales proceeds to this worthy non-profit organization.

Have a great day!!!

Baby shower inspiration

Gotta love pinterest! You can find me here.

                                                       Source: bakerella.com via Ooh on Pinterest

I am going to try to make cake pops for the very first time. I am so worried because I am not a baker! Baking is too precise for me, and I ALWAYS end up changing the recipe here and there and thus ruining everything..... But these are just too cute and I may have to behave myself and FOLLOW. THE. DIRECTIONS. TO. A. T.

 

                                                                         Source: marthastewart.com via Ooh on Pinterest

I just love the simplicity and elegance... You can never go wrong with pink and white... But wait! I am going to throw some brown into the mix! I hope it turns out just as beautiful.

                                                  Source: thecottagehome.blogspot.com via Ooh on Pinterest

I love how she used mason jars instead of regular glasses. I love mason jars!

                                                         Source: charlottesfancy.com via Ooh on Pinterest

How awesome is this? Once again, doilies add a touch of nostalgia and the right amount of elegance. I heart doilies!

The baby shower I am organizing for baby Camila is only 2 weeks away. I'd better get moving!

Have a wonderful day and thank you so much for stopping by.

Sunday chuckle

Disclaimer: this was sent to me by my husband (who happens to think this is one the funniest videos ever - bad hubby).... I don't, in any way shape or form, think us gals are bad drivers (although I must say that this is a funny video indeed). I think we rock! Have a great weekend!

Handmade gift exchange - the gifts I made

 

Seriously, I think this was the funnest part! I just loved getting to know Tammy, and then thinking about what I was going to make for her. The possibilities were endless!

At first I wanted to make something I had never made before, but when she mentioned that she had visited my shop and that she really liked my needlework, I thought, why not stick to what I do best? That is when I decided to make a dish towel, and add a bit of cross stitch to it.

I think I may have been drinking a glass of wine when I thought about this, so grapes seemed like a great idea!

I choose a light pink waffle weave towel that came with an aida cloth insert. Then I stitched and stitched and stitched: red and green grapes. I also added a purple and green trim above and below the grapes to frame my work, if you will.

But I could not stop there. I wanted more more more! And I happened to see this on Etsy one day . And this is how these coasters came to be:

The dandelions are hand embroidered, using regular as well as satin embroidery floss (I learned about satin floss in All in the Details, the embroidery project). I. HAD. SO. MUCH. FUN. drawing the dandelions and then stitching them up.

Because I wanted to keep them simple and sweet, I used some super cute yellow fabric I had in my stash for the back of the coasters. Unlike the coasters I saw on Etsy, I ended up top stitching the borders. 

And although Tammy said she did not want to use them because they were way too cute, I do hope she enjoys them.

And last but certainly not least, I have really been into purses lately! I have recently purchased some patterns from Keyka Lou, and this is what I came up with the night before I mailed Tammy's package off (apologies for the photo quality - it was quite late at night by the time I was done).

This way she can store all her loose coins in one stylish little coin purse.

I think the orange and yellow fabrics scream summer, don't you agree? I just love how the pearl snaps and the little bow give this little lady so much personality.

A few finishing touches later...

And it was ready to be mailed!

I had so much fun participating in this handmade gift exchange. And I was so lucky to have such an awesome partner to work with!

What about you? What kind of fun projects have you been working on this summer?

So glad you stopped by! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

This month's charity: Love for Malacia Babies

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As many of you already know, I belong to the Etsy Angels team on Etsy. There are about 15 of us that get together 5-6 times a year to raise money for worthy causes.

This month, starting on July 15th, the Etsy Angels will be raising money for Love For Malacia Babies (LFMB). Ooh Leela! is donating 25% of all sales proceeds to this wonderful cause.

LFMB has done so much already for so many families and they need our help! Make a purchase from any of the stores listed below and a portion of their total sales will be donated directly to LFMB to help them do what they do best....support parents with children that have Malacia.

Can you possibly imagine having a baby and knowing something is wrong and no one seems to know what? That is sometimes what it is like when you have a baby with Malacia. Malacia is described as: "Airways carry air from the nose to the lungs. Some children are born with airways that are too soft. Soft airways do not hold their shape, and air does not flow through as well as it should. There are three places where airways can be soft: the voice box, the windpipe, and the breathing tubes. A person may have softening in one, two or three parts of the airway. This softening is called Malacia."

From the founder of LFMB, LeeAnna, "Almost 2 years ago we created a support group on Facebook, while we were living in the hospital with our youngest son. The group has been such a great support for over 200 people. With the support group we have reached 3 different country's and just about every state in the United States. With so little support found elsewhere we decided to take it a step further. In March of 2011 "Love For Malacia Babies" received their EIN and prepared to file for non profit status. LFMB will one day be able to help families who have Malacia babies. There are so many things we would love to be able to do."

Shop with the Angel's below and help us help them! Happy Shopping!

www.loveformalaciababies.org/

Sewinggranny - sewinggranny.etsy.com

Ozarknana - ozarknana.etsy.com

BeadedTail - beadedtail.etsy.com

MamaJody54 - mamajody54.etsy.com

AJStuff - ajstuff.etsy.com

Beadz N Stonez Jewelry Supplies -beadznstonezsupplies.etsy.com

Crochetbymsa - crochetbymsa.etsy.com

Ooh Leela! - isabelafelix.etsy.com

Craftsbychris - craftsbychris.etsy.com

Wildlifer78 - wildlifer78.etsy.com

SilkCreekGallery - silkcreekgallery.etsy.com

Maranda - maranda.etsy.com

H & J Star Creations - Handjstarcreations.etsy.com

Jewelry Designs By CBL & CO. on ArtFire - Jewelry Designs by CBL and Company

Jewelry Bargain Boutique on ArtFire - Jewelry Bargain Boutique

My Mini Mocs - MyMiniMocs.etsy.com

Starwaves - www.starwaves.etsy.com

You can also visit our Charity Forum Chat Thread on Etsy to find out more and to chat with us, and to see how our efforts are progressing throughout the month!

Handmade gift exchange goodness

Thank you Tammy, my handmade gift exchange buddy, for such amazing gifts! G-I-F-T-S! That is right! Boy, was I spoiled (and giddy), when I got the package she sent me last week.......

Tammy is an amazing knitter and card maker. She sent me 3 handmade cards (one of which had a lovely note from her), a beautiful vintage looking mailing tag, decorated with buttons, a flower and some lace, a lovely brown mug rug (that is adorning my office) and 3 dishcloths/potholders.

We exchanged a few emails and although I don't recall giving her so much information about what I like she absolutely nailed it. I love the colors she chose and the materials she worked with. Tammy, thank you so much! Your package is on its way and you should get it today/tomorrow. I will post pictures of what I sent Tammy over the next few days so as to not spoil the surprise.

Sunday chuckle

And if you must sleep in the kitchen, why not make it pretty with one of my dish towels? I am having a huge sale in my shop. Check it out.

Have a lovely Sunday y'all.

You are my sunshine my only sunshine......

Thank you to Annie, from My Mini Mocs for this lovely and Sun-Shine-y Award!!!

Rules

Thank & link back the person who gave you the award.

Write a post about it.

Pass it on to 10 bloggers you think really deserve it.

These are the bloggers who bring a bit of sunshine to my life every single day:

Bearing Fruit

What'chu talkin' 'bout Willis?

Sew Vintage Sew Fun

 The Split Stitch 

Sunrise Folk

Wild Olive

Crafty Nest

Mona's Handcrafted Gifts and Quilts

My Mini Mocs

Lily the Smelly Frenchie

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Fabric notepad cover

When I saw this I knew I had to had to had to make one.

So I used my favorite fabric (funny story... I have been looking for it non-stop.I even found someone on Etsy who made a makeup pouch out of the exact same fabric. I convo'd her immediately, but it turns out she doesn't know anything about the fabric other than where she got it from 6 months or so ago - Joann's....).

I also used some linen and a fabric covered button.

I also used some of my favorite pink and white polka dot fabric. The inside pockets are a great addition since they allow me to carry my business cards and Ooh Leela!'s flyers. I chose to add only a couple of pockets (unlike the Cottage Mama), because more pockets would have made it too hard for my sewing machine to handle.

I took it to work the other day and all of my colleagues asked me where I got it. I (very proudly) said: I made it (huge smile)....

It took me about 2 1/2 hrs. to make it. I really like how it turned out. What do you think?

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Awesome finds

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope all of my American friends had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Ours was pretty low key: we watched the parade, and went to the movies afterwards. Don't tell hubby but I fell sleep for what seemed like 45 minutes. I don't think he noticed since we were both wearing 3D glasses. lol Transformers 3 doesn't excite me very much.....

I am always on the lookout for things that inspire me in some way. Here is some of the things I have fallen in love with as of late:

Linen pincushion by Namolio on Etsy

Source

Daydreaming Pig print by Jane Heller on Etsy

Source

Mousy Little Pouch by Blueberry Bandit on Etsy

Source

Felt cell phone case by Felt Lang on Etsy

Source

VW Bus print by Shabby Photographer on Etsy

Source

What about you? What inspires you?

Have a lovely week!!!

And the winner is.....

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart to all of you who participated. I am so amazed by the number of responses and the amount of love I have received over the past few days!

Now, without further ado, the following lucky winner will get to take this amazing embroidery class, All in the Details, the embroidery project:

Angela, from Sew Loquacious:

"Hi! I came over from Mollie's blog and I'm so glad I did! I've become a follower and will head over to Twitter and FB in a sec.! Take care, Angela" 

Angela, congratulations!!! You will receive an email (containing your login details) from Mollie over the next few days.

You may still be able to win a super cool and stylish leather coffee sleeve. My other giveaway is open until the 4th of July. Check it out.