Ooh Leela!: Handmade gift exchange

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!

About The Author : Leela

Leela is a 4.5 y.o. Silky Terrier who truly believes she is a baby. She is the Chief Designer at Ooh Leela!™, a dog boutique that specializes in personalized dog shirts, trendy dog clothing, beds and accessories. She is sassy and sweet, full of personality and attitude. You can follow her on Twitter and you can connect with her on Facebook

6 comments:

UnknownJuly 20, 2011 at 5:15 AM
Such a lovely collection for the exchange! The recipient must have been thrilled! :-)
myminimocsJuly 20, 2011 at 7:04 AM
WOW - Isabela your work is just beautiful!!!! i LOVE every piece you made and i KNOW Tammy is going to flip!!! i wanna be like you when i grow up ;) HUGS!!!! you rock!
Lisa July 20, 2011 at 8:06 AM
Beautiful, thoughtful gifts Isabela! I am sure Tammy loved everything.
ShannonJuly 27, 2011 at 2:23 PM
I found you from Wild Olive, but will add you to my google reader now! I love all the cute things you have up, especially the little yellow and orange purse-he reminds me in a very cool retro way of a hooked rug of an owl my mom had hanging on our wall growing up!
RedZipStarJuly 27, 2011 at 2:47 PM
That is such an insanely cute purse! What lucky friends you have :-) Visiting from Wild Olive and very glad to have found your site.
MollieJuly 29, 2011 at 5:32 PM
Isabela, your swap partner is a lucky one! And thank you for sharing an extra set of the coasters on my blog.

My favorite thing here is that little coin purse. I've seen some little stuff owls with a similar design, but this is even better because it can go everywhere!