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

✿✿º°¨¨¨¨¨°º✿✿º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º✿✿º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º✿✿º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º✿✿º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º✿✿º°¨¨¨¨¨°º✿✿

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.

Hello July!

So, we all tend to make new year's resolutions, but how many of us actually follow through? To help me stay on track (and be more accountable), let's see how I am doing this year, shall we? After all, I only have a little over 6 months to accomplish all of my goals. Original post here.

1. Visit my family more often: I am so happy we got to spend 6 weeks together this year!I do hope I can make this happen every year. Seeing my family is kind of like pressing the reset button if you will. I always feel more positive and full of energy after I spend time with them :)

2. Spend some quality time with my grandparents (they are getting old and I feel I have so much to learn from them): I got to spend lots of time with my them this year. Grandpa is a strong willed Italian man who has so much to teach. I am so proud of him and everything he has accomplished in one lifetime. I also got to spend some time with my Grandma who is not doing too well unfortunately. She is only 75 but has been suffering from dementia for a couple of years now. I am glad that she still recognizes me.

3. Volunteer at a kids hospital or a convalescent home: Not yet and this has been on my to do list for a few years no. I need to work on this...

4. Grow Ooh Leela! and make it a profitable business by the end of the year: Work in progress. To be honest I have not made as much progress as I would have liked, and I need to focus on marketing my products outside of Etsy.... Any tips???

5. Learn how to make candles and soap: Candles check! Soap, not yet. Any recommendations?

6. Add gift cards to the shop: Check!

7. Offer gift of the month club membership options: FAIL! Well, I have joined Wild Olive's pattern of the month club.... Does that count?

8. Post more regularly: Sorta kinda happening, but not yet where I would like it to be.

9. Travel (Italy, Greece and Spain are at the top of my list): South America check, Europe not yet and it doesn't look like it will happen this year.

10. Read more books: I have read sewing books mostly. My favorite one is Vintage Notions by Amy Barickman. A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Source

11. Keep my self-criticism in check: no comments.......

What about you? How is that list of yours going?

Oh, and just to remind you, I will be announcing the All in Detail, the Embroidery project giveaway winner tomorrow evening, PDT. If you would like to enter, go for it.

And if you haven't visited Crafty Nest, you really need to! It is an amazing blog and you might just win one of my leather coffee sleeves.

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!! Ciao Bellas!

Another lovely surprise (and giveaway)!

Some of you may know that I am one of Wild Olive's sponsors. Mollie chooses a story every month, and encourages her sponsors to participate by either sharing a few lines every month and telling how we relate to it or by sponsoring a giveaway, that is somehow related to it.

When Mollie wrote about her story choice this month, I was thrilled. I knew exactly what I wanted to share with y'all.

After all, everyone wishes for improvement in their lives. Not too long ago, I wished for better embroidery skills and more creativity. And my wish came true. I am taking Mollie's wonderful class: All in the Details, the embroidery project. Mollie shares a new project each and every day, and I must say that each new project is cuter than the last. To be able to learn new skills while collaborating and exchanging ideas with different people has been an amazing as well as enriching experience. And this is what I want to give you today: the opportunity to take Mollie's class: All in the Details, the embroidery project. 

To enter to win, simply follow the steps below:

Mandatory entry:
Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment here (make sure there is a way for me to contact you)

 Additional entries:

Leave a separate comment here for each one you do!

-Like Ooh Leela! on Facebook
-Follow Ooh Leela! on Twitter

GOOD LUCK!!!

It is time for a giveaway!

I told you this week would be full of surprises! This is the first one: 

I am hosting a giveaway (and sharing a cool tutorial) at one of my all time favorite blogs: Crafty Nest. Crafty Nest is an inspirational, do-it-yourself home decorating blog, featuring one new craft each week. Monica offers step-by-step tutorials for pretty and practical crafts on a budget.

I met Monica through a mutual friend, at Sportivo Coffee Bar (yes, the same place that carries my sleeves :) Monica is a super talented and creative crafter and an amazing human being. I can't even begin to explain how excited (and extremely flattered) I am to have been asked to prepare a tutorial for her blog.

And to share the excitement, I am giving away this beautiful upcycled leather coffee sleeve:

To enter to win, visit Monica's blog and leave a comment. The deadline is in one week—Monday, July 4, 2011. 

And if you are visiting for the first time, a warm welcome to you! I hope you come back often. 

Like me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter

Have a wonderful day!

Any fabric detectives out there?

I need some help.... I bought this fabric at Joann's 6 months or so ago. The problem is I only bought 1/2 yard (lesson learned: need to be less stingy in the future) and I am about to run out. I really love it and I went back for more, but surprise surprise, they no longer carry it. No one was able to tell me who makes it or which collection it belongs to. It was like they had never seen it before....

I have looked online, and I have also been to 4 different stores, but no luck so far....

Have you seen me?

Have you seen it before? Do you know where I can find it? Are there any websites out there that provide this sort of service? Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I may even send you a thank you gift ;)

Sunday chuckle

This is going to be an exciting week here at Ooh Leela! Be sure to check back often. For now, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. May your week be as amazing as you are! Thank you for stopping by.

Meet Lola, Leela's mousy

Do you ever feel like being creative and making something when your to-do list (containing mostly non-arts-y stuff) is a mile long? Well, I am in that kind of mood today.

So to celebrate my laziness lack of productivity in the day-job department, I made Lola, a cute little mousy, who is very girly and spoiled, much like her owner, Leela.

Leela loved it so much, it was almost impossible to take a picture before she took Lola..... And.... She has been playing with Lola for the past hour. Mission accomplished I guess ;)

Ignore the dust bunnies please :)

Would you like to see a tutorial? Leave a comment, please and I will be happy to prepare one for you!

XOXOs and thank you so much for stopping by and celebrating lazy Tuesday with me!

To a Dad who inspires me so much

 
Dear Daddy, Happy Father's Day. It is such an honor to have a Dad like you. You are kind, gentle, humble, hardworking, giving, loving, honest and an all around amazing human being. I just love how you can find happiness in the littlest of things and how you give your best to everything you do. I love you so much.