Chairity Event

I'm busy working on my contribution to the first ever Etsy Dallas charity spotlight event Sit Down to Stand Up for Kids: Little Chairs for a Big Cause. Me and other Etsy Dallas artists will be decorating the chair shown above, and they will be auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. 

I've got a plan in my head and my idea sketched out, and now I just have to make it happen! More details about the event here. Mark your calendars!

WHEN: Thursday October 13th from 6:30 to 9:30
WHERE: Blue Room @ Southside on Lamar

new to the shop...

I've listed a few new tee designs in the shop. They're also available in a few other sizes, which I'll be updating soon. I'm also working on photographing some new dresses and shirts for the shop as well. All in good time...

on the wall...

We're getting the nursery ready for our new addition, so I've picked up some artwork from Etsy to spruce up the walls. I'm so excited about this print from the shop Megan creates, which I thought had the perfect message for the little one!

Image from Megan creates

what's in the bag...

Here's a shot of the giveaways I just finished putting together that will be included in the swag bags for the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash. The bags will go to the first 50 people in the door. 

I racked my brain to come up with something that I wanted to do for a giveaway - the small muslin bag holds a purse-sized sewing kit, and the piece of paper is a 20% off coupon for anything purchased at the show. I'm really pleased with how they turned out.

This will be my first Etsy Dallas event to participate in, and I'm so excited! And the show was voted "Best One-Stop Shop" by the Dallas Observer. So mark your calendars for November 21st from 1pm to 7pm! And get in line early so you can get your hands on one of those bags.

front and center...

I've just listed a new style of blouse, the Bridget Ruffle Front Blouse, in the shop. It's great not only for the Indian summer, but is cute layered over a long sleeved white tee or turtleneck for the winter as well. And each shirt features a few vintage buttons from the button stash. 

I'm making these up in a few different fabrics for the October Market this Saturday, and for the Urban Street Bazaar next weekend. Come check them out!

life gets in the way...

Since I returned from LA, life has gotten in the way of blogging. Which is how it should be I suppose! I have been really busy, and can hopefully share some of what I've been working on soon.

I've been trying to photograph some new items - and newly listed in the shop are the Sea Creature tees, pictured above. More to come soon!

thank you!

A big thanks to Indie Mom for featuring the Little Birdie Mobile and the Fabric Flower Brooch on her blog! I'm sending good thoughts her way as she anxiously awaits her new arrival!

labels...

I've posted before about making labels for my garments. My method has worked for a while, but as the amount of clothing I am making has increased, I realized I needed to come up with a solution that's not so time consuming. So I contacted Etsy seller WorldwideLabel to get them made. It was a fairly easy transaction for anyone looking for clothing labels and not wanting to buy a huge quantity, and it took about four weeks from my initial order to delivery. All in all a good experience. And I'll be really glad I got these in a few weeks when I'm delirious from the all night sewing in preparation for Renegade!

etsy pick friday: and furthermore

I realized the other day that I never know what time it is. I don't wear a watch, and the clocks we have in our house are in two rooms that I don't spend a lot of time in. I spend most of the day in my studio when I'm sewing or in our living room (when I'm cutting fabric or on the computer). So rather than move the microwave (which has a clock) into my studio, I'm thinking that this Doily Clock from Etsy seller And Furthermore is just what I need to hang up to make sure I'm never late for an appointment again.

etsy pick friday: laura davis design lab

I first saw (virtually) the cool stuff from today's pick Laura Davis Design Lab on Etsy, then I saw her pillows and mini wreaths in person at Make. (Hooray for a local pick!) Laura is a graduate of the MFA Furniture Design program at Savannah College of Art and Design, and is currently a furniture and product designer at JC Penney. Somehow in her spare time, she is still able to find the energy and creativity for the little works of art in her Etsy shop and at ShopSCAD! 

Right now, I am really loving this bird hat. Maybe I could name the two little birds Loop and Lil?

etsy pick friday: charlotte cramer

I may have to put the spending hiatus on hold in order to pick up a gift for my valentine for Valentine's Day. I've found the perfect gift – this terrarium set from Charlotte Cramer. These terrariums come with rocks, dirt, charcoal, moss, lichens, a little heart and some crystal flowers, and an instruction set for you to take care of them yourself. 

I think my valentine will love putting these on his desk at the office, so he can get his gardening fix, even when he's at work!

etsy pick friday: ac bohman

For the first Etsy pick of the year, I've found a great artist from Charlotte, North Carolina - AC Bohman. To keep track of your days this coming year, check out her 2009 Desk Calendar. I love her use of typography and color that is modern, yet traditional at the same time, and is also mixed with simple but striking illustrations and patterns.

She also features stylish little customized note card sets and envelopes. I'd like to try this year to write more handwritten notes rather than emails, and these notes would help to make that happen in a fashionable way! You can also check out her blog for a peek at her custom stationery work.

etsy pick friday: handmade julz

Today's Etsy pick is a bit of a Six Degrees of Separation pick – my friend Rob forwarded me the email newsletter for this Etsy artist, who happens to be a good friend of his. I'm glad he did! 

Handmade Julz is the creation of Portland designer and artist Julie Briggs, and features graphic rings, bracelets and necklaces. You can choose a ready made piece, or you can choose one of her images, and have it applied to the piece of your choice. She also has little screenprinted pieces of art, if jewelry isn't your thing. I'm thinking I may pick up the little ring above, in honor of the movie we watched the other night. Check her out here.

etsy pick friday: lesliejanson

In honor of what I'm doing this Sunday, I thought I'd type the word "marathon" into the Etsy search engine to see what came up that tickled my fancy. I'm glad I did because I stumbled on this week's Etsy pick, lesliejanson. I found this pillow, which is made from vintage feedbag cloth. Her shop is full of great handmade pillows made from vintage textiles and other treasures made from repurposed items. I also love this pillow, made from a vintage handkerchief. When I look closely, I can even see a tiny snippet of my hometown, Wichita Falls! For the holidays, there are also some great vintage ornaments that would make beautiful additions tied to the top of a package for that special someone. Check her out here.

trim a tree...

New item posted in the shop - we whipped up several sets of these sweet little ornaments to sell at the Bazaar. He even helped. 

I used this great old set of alphabet stamps that a friend of mine found in his closet to stamp the letters for the words on the ornaments. In the photo, the ornaments are sitting on the wooden box the stamps came in. Nowadays, if you buy a set of alphabet stamps, they come in a plastic tray. In the good old days, they came in a beautiful wooden box. 

etsy pick friday: urban street bazaar

This week, my Etsy pick is all of the Etsy vendors at this weekend's Urban Street Bazaar, including me! There will be handmade clothing, jewelry, art, candles, skin care, home decor and stuff for pets, and I'll have some new stuff made especially for the holidays. The Bazaar runs Saturday, from 11am to 10pm, in the Bishop Arts District. As I've told you before, the District has some really great places to eat and they'll be featuring specials for the event. I highly recommend the Trio of Fries at Tillman's and I've heard great things about Bolsa, which I really want to try. So make a trip for lunch or dinner and also get some Christmas shopping out of the way! Stop by and say hi if you make it down!

etsy pick friday: clementine press

One of my favorite things about Etsy is that it gives people all over the world access to artists and studios they would never have access to. It makes it easy for the average person to buy affordable, original art. One day when I was browsing the print section of the Etsy site, I came across today's pick of the week. 

Clementine Press is a one-woman letterpress studio located in LA's Koreatown. A lot of the prints have a slightly musical bent to them. Check out her shop. We have the print pictured above "Hit Song", hanging in our sewing studio/music room, and I would love to buy a few sets of the records to hang on our Christmas tree!

etsy pick friday: drikab

In my "old life", I had a bit of a handbag addiction. I would buy bags in every  color, shape and size. Since I quit my full-time job to start Loop and Lil, I've become a lot more discerning in the clothing and handbags I buy (since starting your own business doesn't make you rich instantly!), and I am much more excited by handmade things than anything I can find in the store. So lately I've been browsing Etsy to find handmade gifts, and things to put on my wishlist for Christmas. During my browsing, I found this week's etsy pick – DrikaB.

DrikaB makes great handbags, totes and cool little pouches. I love her mix of colorful fabrics along with upholstery webbing. Many times in the fabric store, I've stared at those rolls of webbing trying to figure out how to use them – I love how she uses it as handles in her bags. They are the perfect mix of modern and traditional, and completely original. 

A DrikaB bag will definitely be on the top of my wish list for Christmas this year! Check them out here. 

etsy pick friday: nerdbomber

This week's Etsy pick is Nerdbomber. I first found Nerdbomber at their booth at the Urban Street Bazaar in April of this year, and couldn't help but pick up one of their book clutches. The clutches come in a wide variety of colors, and are made from vintage Reader's Digest books, along with vintage plastic buckles. Cute, but brainy, right?

We also checked out the Nerdbomber shop when our niece had a birthday earlier this year, and picked up one of their tote bags made from vintage t-shirts. She loved it. And it isn't always easy to find a gift that will please a tween!

In addition to the clutches and totes, they also have funny greeting cards made from old Reader's Digest pages, great little pouches, and other random vintage finds. Check them out.

etsy pick friday: nate duval

Well, I haven't come up with a new name yet for Loop and Lil Etsy Pick Friday, but I'll just go ahead with this anyway!

As I've mentioned before, because of my husband, music is a large part of my life. When I was looking for a birthday present for his most recent birthday, I did some poking around on Etsy, and came across this. I knew it was perfect for him, as the Mountain Goats are favorites of said husband, and I thought he would love the kaleidoscope. He loved it! 

In addition to gig posters, Nate Duval's Etsy shop also has screenprinted t-shirts for adults, t-shirts for babies and toddlers, and art prints. I know I would love these prints regardless of the bands represented, but it certainly doesn't hurt that we happen to listen to most of the bands too! Check him out if you need some colorful, original art for your walls!