Woah! I hope you had a great christmas week. I really enjoyed dinner and lunch and got guitar hero for christmas! yay! (I can't stop rockin' now)
Now I have to wait till 6th January to see the rest of presents (3 wise kings day is gifts day in Spain)

Anyways, I am back with a new giveaway. And soon with more fashion! =)

This week: $20 Gift certificate by noodlesandmilk

She has some fantastic items in her shop! Your baby will love these super cute clothes =)

The winner will get a $20 (US dollars) gift certificate and free shipping in the US.

Rules to enter:

1. Visit noodlesandmilk's shop and pick a favourite item.
2. Leave a comment in this post with your favourite item and a way to contact you (email or etsy link. Leave a contact or I won't be able to place you in the draft).
3. I will select the winner from the comments with a random number generator.
   

This giveaway ends 4th January at midnight EST. Good luck!



If you are a seller and want to offer an item for a giveaway, contact me (see contact details in last section of left column)


The new online zine VivaLaModa seems to be getting popular! People love it and I would like to spread the word, so if you want to link to it or write about it that would be great. Let me know and I can send you images or badges if you need them.
Thanks everybody!

First of all, Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays)!!!

And after weeks of working on this project, my gift for you guys this Christmas Eve is a new online fashion magazine! All focused in handmade / vintage / indie clothes, designers, etc. You will find info about new trends, designers, looks, and many more handmade related articles.
Hope you like it, it took me forever to finish lol =)

And the new magazine is: VivaLaModa
www.vivalamoda.co.cc

Click on the link to read it full size. here you have a small preview of all the goodies you will see in it!

Get your own - Open publication

I would love to read your feedback on it and what you would like to see in the next issue!

And, for those who want last minute gifts, I want to remind you of the gift guide we did about gift certificates. Buy one today and it will be emailed to you, you can print it tonight, place it under the tree and your friend will love you forever ;)

Hope you get a lot of great gifts tonight (or tomorrow) and that you have a lot of fun with your family! =)

Wohoo!! Almost Christmas and that is why I bring yo one of our most fashionable giveaways every! A feather headband!

Fancy Pheasant Headband by christinececelia

I love everything that has feathers, and I wish I could wear this any day... sadly I can' since I don't want everybody on the street to look at my head so I will have to wait until the wedding I am invited to in July. Darn!

Anyways, this headband is fantastic for any event =)

Rules to enter:

1. Visit christinececelia's shop and pick a favourite item.
2. Leave a comment in this post with your favourite item and a way to contact you (email or etsy link. Leave a contact or I won't be able to place you in the draft).
3. I will select the winner from the comments with a random number generator.
   

This giveaway ends 28th December at midnight EST. Good luck!



If you are a seller and want to offer an item for a giveaway, contact me (see contact details in last section of left column)

I know this article is probably a bit late for most of you, but I haven't put the Christmas tree yet! LOL Me and my mother are doing it tomorrow evening ;) Yes, no Christmas cheer in our house yet.. every year happens the same, christmas doesn't arrive to this house until 20th December or so.
Aaand tomorrow is national lottery day! Not the biggest prize of the year, but the day with most prizes. So, let's hope we win something tomorrow =)





How to Trim a Very Vintage Tree
by Jessica W. is a copywriter, an ice cream lover, and a nail-biter.

My grandmother’s Christmas tree was a spectacle. Every year, Granddad chose the only Douglas fir on the tree farm lot that seemed to aspire to be in someone’s home. It must have spent years planning just how to splay its branches for optimal ornament dangle. Unencumbered by an imposing “theme,” the tree was a hodgepodge of decorations, crystals and lights. It was massive but humble, and it seemed proud to exist for the sole purpose of making people happy.

Here are a few ways to create this kind of special Christmas tree.

1. Buy fresh, let it rest. The key to a long-lasting Christmas tree is cutting it down yourself. Let it rest on the porch, in water, for up to a week before you bring it inside. It will drop its first initial needles, but this kind of conditioning will adjust the tree to the indoor climate…at least according to Granddad.

2. Hunt for old ornaments. The most efficient way I’ve found is to limit yourself to estate sales. Nearly every grandmother has her own expansive array of decorations. You’re likely to gather enough for an entire tree just by scavenging one basement. Plus, you won’t have to pay antique store markup.

3. Blend old and new. My line of suncatchers called Ornamentary, My Dear (www.ornamentarymydear.etsy.com) does just that. These ornaments are new, but their antiqued silver lead-free solder and bubbly cathedral glass make them look like they’ve been passed down through generations.

4. Let there be light. Old strings of tree lights may have broken insulation, frayed wires, or any number of other problems. Avoid them. Instead, purchase brand new tree lights, but stick with white or pastel hues, not the brighter ones, and definitely NOT blinkers!

5. Round up icicles. You can use crystal icicles, but my grandmother’s plastic ones looked just as good. Or, if you ever come across vintage lamp crystals, purchase them for an elegant interpretation of an old standard.

6. Go for garland…maybe. That’s up to you. One word of caution—choose thinner garland; thick, bushy tinsel garland looks more 1982 than 1952.

When you’ve gathered everything you need and the tree is ready to go, spend an afternoon bringing your elegant evergreen to life. Make some mulled cider, turn on the Victrola, and create a spectacle of your own.

Copyright 2008 by Ornamentary, My Dear.



Thanks Jessica for writing such an amazing article! =)

I'm back to blogging! Sorry I have been missing these last days, between editing the online magazine and the job hunt I don't have much free time. It's so weird how fast time flies when I am not doing anything real (you know, being at home all day in the internet lol).

Anyways, I am back today to bring you a fantastic recipe, this time for a drink. A very typical spanish drink! (NO, not sangria, that I will show you soon so you can drink it on New years eve lol)
Agua de Valencia! =) It is made with Cava (Spanish drink similar to champagne, usually cava is cheaper than champagne hehe - If you can't find Cava you can probably use cheap champagne or something similar) and very very easy to make.

Hope you like it, believe me, it is yummy!!

Read the recipe at Hand Made Europe Blog!

All your friends will enjoy this drink at your next party ;)

This week: Keychain Lip Balm Holder by BeaG


This is a fantastic idea! Perfect for the winter, to always have your lip balm on hand. And she has different models too so your bigger lip balms will fit too.
The winner will choose 1 keychain lip balm holder from BeaG's shop.

Rules to enter:

1. Visit BeaG's shop and pick a favourite item.
2. Leave a comment in this post with your favourite item and a way to contact you (email or etsy link. Leave a contact or I won't be able to place you in the draft).
3. I will select the winner from the comments with a random number generator.
   

This giveaway ends 21st December at midnight EST. Good luck!



If you are a seller and want to offer an item for a giveaway, contact me (see contact details in last section of left column)

Yup, I'm addicted to bags! What woman isn't? And if it is not bags, it is jewelry, or shoes, or all of them! =)

I selected a few of my favourite bags, hope you like them! Most of my favs are big bags, I love tot ake tons of thing to work lol. I don't have any clutches because I don't see the use of something I can't hang on my shoulder, and I attend zero fancy parties so... maybe for a wedding...

Sellers, left to right, top to bottom: PurpleFlowerDesigns, emmapardos, takae, EmmaGordonLondon, tsurubride, mehran, minus, dearcollection, pego, TamamiKoBag, lifestylewithlove, tippythai

I specially love pego bags, I bought one in Spring, wear it everyday and LOVE it! You can read my product review here. And TamamiKoBag, I have been eyeing her bags for months now! Waiting for the right moment lol ;)

Yesterday I hosted at the Etsy chats a fashion chat were we had quite a lot of fun! I showed some of my favourites in bags, clothes, accessories and jewelry.

So today I bring you a selection of my fav clothes, which I think would be great Christmas gifts for the women in your life, or your yourself! =)
There is a little of everything: dresses, shirts, coats, jackets, vest. The only things I didn't add is trousers and skirts. Mainly because I never buy a pair of jeans without trying them first, and I'm not a skirts girl :D LOL

Sellers, left to right, top to bottom: Ureshii, LittleHouses, sarahseven, katsai, yellowcake, missbrache, heirloom08, kaoriyatsumoto, kimenna, seedclothing, idea2lifestyle, joodito, lizarietz, hopee, replicca, isadoraclothing

Now if only I had a fancy party to go to so I could buy one of those dresses... ahh!

Hope you liked the selection!

This week: People are People Adjustable Ring by bakasartysta

It's such a cool ring! =)

A beautiful and bright ring to go with your favorite sundress! A yellow glass glob is collaged to create a truly ooak ring! Coated with gloss for protection. Mounted on a gold plated adjustable ring base.

Own this beautiful piece of wearable art!

Although it is coated to protect from water damage, I still recommend not submerging it in water just in case :)

Rules to enter:

1. Visit bakasartysta's shop and pick a favourite item.
2. Leave a comment in this post with your favourite item and a way to contact you (email or etsy link. Leave a contact or I won't be able to place you in the draft).
3. I will select the winner from the comments with a random number generator.
   

This giveaway ends 14th December at midnight EST. Good luck!



If you are a seller and want to offer an item for a giveaway, contact me (see contact details in last section of left column)

This week: Keychain Coin Holder by BeaG
It is lovely! Now I will never be without coins when I go to supermarket or gym (evil lockers!!) With this sweet little keychain coin holder I will always have at least 1 euro to save me ;)


Fashion Chat Event!

It will be a lot of fun! You and I will discover tons of new trendy and cool stuff! Fashion ideas, questions, suggestions, trend alerts, decoration tips, dressing tips, gift ideas, anything and everything will be discussed, and I will try to show you my most fashionable finds. Come and join for 1 hour of fashion and shopping fun! (There will be virtual hot chocolate lol)

Finally scheduled for Monday 8th December at 7 pm GMT (UK time). That is 8pm in central Europe, and 2 pm EST time.
It will be held at Etsy chats
Look for the chat room named: Fashion & Handmade
and enter password: blog

Hope you can make it! Thanks! =)

Well well... seems the crisis is getting to the IT sector! Most of the projects I was interviewing for are now cold dead. SIGH. Will I ever get a job before the crisis ends? Cause if 2010 arrives and I don't have a job yet I might have killed myself in the way. :@

So I have too many hours to think about stuff now and I have too many crazy ideas (in the good sense).
Some of my projects right now are:
- Keep working on the customizer project
- Make the online magazine (yay! Im really excited about this)

Aaaand... why would you care about this? Well, first of all I need collaborators to write for the online magazine. Interested people, please contact me.

And second of all, I love the shopping event the Storque and Etsy are doing every night and since I think it is a great idea, I think we could do the same! Organize a fashion & handmade chat/shopping event. Hosted in the Etsy chats so we can showcase items.
I love to find great and unique pieces, as well as fashion stuff and clothes, so if you need help with shopping for your mother/father/brother/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/wife, etc, I think it could be a great opportunity!
I will help you out pick some great items for this Christmas or for yourselves, and talk a little about fashion!

** EDITED! Previously wrote 8 pm, it was wrong, I meant 7 pm **
So... who wants to come? I would like to host it on Sunday or Monday evening by 7 pm GMT (UK) time. Who is in? Please comment if you are coming or would rather host this on a different date (state if you rather have it on Sunday, Monday or another day). I wouldn't want to be there by my own! Once I know the date I will post it in the blog.

I will bring my fav items and selections to the meeting =)

Yup! I finally joined the gym next door and hopefully will be going every week morning (ehem)

So... just looked in my closet and I don't have any cool (or at all) sport clothes. See what I found in Etsy.

Sellers, left to right, top to bottom: phippsart, designsbyamber, InspiredByMe, gaiaconceptions, Ahpeele, HerbanDevi

Apart from that, I have been all week (and many more weeks) working on a web application to customize items (hey, I'm a bored Computer Science kid). What does this mean? Well, I created a sample page where customers can customze the colors of my silk earrings. For now this is all up for testing, and as soon as I finish the main page and shop pages, I will ask around to see if any other seller would like to have their items here to make their customers life easier =)


Please take a look at it here: http://customizer.zendfree.com

Play with it all you want, it is only a test page. What do you think? As a buyer: would you like to use it? As a seller: would it be useful for your business?
Thanks a lot! I need input/feedback on this tool to see if it has any future, if sellers are willing to use it, before I start building the administration part. (The graphic part still needs some improvement but I'm on it lol)

Oh, and also need a NAME for it! So far I named it customizer, but it doesn't sound cool enough :P - Help me!

And finally, one more thing. I love to design catalogs, covers, etc, so I thought I could transform the monthly newsletter into an online magazine to combine both my passions: design and fashion. I'm not interesting enough to write more than 2 - 3 pages so... anyone wants to collaborate with an article related to handmade and if possible: fashion? Anything could fit in: kids, decoration, fahsion, beauty, .... Contact me if you want to help!


*EDITED*

Ooops forgot one thing! If you live outside Europe and would like to get one of my items for Christmas, tomorrow is the last day I can ship it and assure you it will arrive on time. Please make your Christmas shopping by 4th December.

Sorry last week was a little slow! Hope you enjoyed the thanksgiving weekend and do some holidays shopping today :) (It's cyber monday!) oh, and, Hello December!

This week's giveaway: Somebunnie Loves Me by Paper Girl Productions

They are super cute!!!!!! I love plushies, and these ones are fantastic!

A few words from the artist:

The winner will receive ONE plush bunnie made by yours truly..Paper Girl Productions...taking the world on one plushie at a time.

The plush bunnie stands approx 8in tall and is completely handmade one stitch at a time from my own original pattern. Comes from a smoke free home and pet free home for the bunnies are unfortunately allergic to other animals.

Rules to enter:

1. Visit Paper Girl Productions's shop and pick a favourite item.
2. Leave a comment in this post with your favourite item and a way to contact you (email or etsy link. Leave a contact or I won't be able to place you in the draft).
3. I will select the winner from the comments with a random number generator.
   

This giveaway ends 7th December at midnight EST. Good luck!




Also: We are extending the deadline for the giveaway: Key Fob by SewMuchDetail until 7th December too. It's a fantastic keychain, and you still have 1 week to participate!

And finally: I am running a sale! I have marked down all my summer and winter silk shirts from $44 to $30, a %30 discount! Check them out here.