TILDA Giveaway

Dear friends,

I have a reson to celebrate! I am finally able to offer the exquisite brand TILDA. 

I have been a TILDA fan for so many years. Tone Finnnanger books have always been an inspiration to me. For those of you who know me for quite awhile now, you would probably remember my posts with items I made from her books - the sweet Christmas Angel, the absolutely dreamy wings, that my daughter is flying with, the charming little pig, the Christmas stocking... 

I made them, inspired by the books and always a little sad that I did not have the fabric to play with.

Now I am really happy to present TILDA to you and to start our journey together in many interesting and intriguing ways, that would bring us even closer. Join me for this celebration!

I would like to give to one of you this little set of TILDA goodies. It describes my personality in so many levels. The shabby delicate tags are where my eyes would like to rest undistracted, the vintage thread cards are my passion for delicate embroidery, the fabric buttons are my obsessive story of matching things with style, the "Bumblebee" is my love for the bees and their hard work, the daisy origami flower is from my baby daughter - she knows it is my favourite flower. The most special fabric label "for a good friend" is for you all, who have been next to me since I started this diary, for you, who are just joining and for those, who we are about to find. 

I am amazed how many people create! Creating is what makes us different than every other living creature on the planet - the ability to create, the imagination and the fact that this is what defines us the most.

Please, leave your comment here for a chance to win, follow me in Instagram and share with your friends.

Stay tuned for the new TILDA collection that is coming in August. It is called HARVEST and it is absolutely beautiful.

When this amazing fabric arrives, there will be a new giveaway and many other activities that we could do together. 

Visit my little happy shop for more TILDA♥! 

Thank you for visiting! Wishing you a happy weekend! 

♥ Ivelina

I am a CHILD again

In the days of spring, it feels so easy to dream...

Maybe I am getting older too fast, or maybe I am preserving myself in memories of my childhood, or simply dreaming of one that have never happened... It really doesn't matter, because either way I feel happy and free, I feel a child again.

This envelope pouch is one selfish making. I wasn't inspired by my girls this time, nor by anything else but by the child in me. The quiet, dreaming big in colours girl in me is too invisible some time, in between being a mother and a wife and behaving as a member of the community. But in true moments like these, she is active and running, being free and young.

My love for HAORI fabric makes me create beautiful things. It inspires me to design happiness. 

I have made quilted and appliquéd items before. I wanted to use the fabric as an artistic canvas and needle-draw my sentiments. It works out absolutely perfect with HAORI. The weave of the fabric resembles very fine linen weave, just with added bonus - the texture is quite interesting. I have the blending colours and the different weave, that forms a significant pattern for changing textures. 

This fabric on the face of the envelope is from the new collection, released this spring. It comes in so many different and intriguing colours - all inspired by a specific Nature colour. 

I designed this pouch, so it expresses the freedom of one girl's dreams. The closing is a crocheted string that is kind of continuation of the kite's string. I used a little batted cloud at the end of the string. To make it heavier, so it pulls the string further down at closing, I inserted one of these flat mini-stones, I have collected at the Great Lakes. I am really fascinated by the abilities of the water to smoothen every surface to perfection, even the sturdy stone texture can not resist the persistent water hugs. 

Open the pouch and you are facing a pleasant surprise - the cutest puppy, flying with the wind...

The "old gold" Haori is perfect for representing the colour of a puppy retriever - the favourite baby of my baby daughter. 

The pouch is good for anything - most probably, I would use it to keep the most current project(s) I have on hands, until they are finished. So whether it is a recipe, or a sewing project, it fits everything. It is a perfect size for my iPad, that I carry everywhere, since it is my connection with the world and all of you. 

It really is a simple pouch, quite structured, interfaced all over with heavy weight fusible interfacing, and it brings so sincere smile to my face every time I grab and open it.

I hope you find time in your busy days to expose your inner child. It is so much fun to feel one again and there are so many ways to do it. At that moment, the dreams have completely different shape and colour, they become unleashed kites and only the mind of an adult could stop them. That to me is the real freedom. 

You know how to find me, we could play together sometime...

Until that beautiful day, be free, my dear friends!

♥ Ivelina

Fairy Artful

If you are a person who believes in magic, you have most definitely already met her. She is an amazing creature - beautiful, carrying, loving, vey rich in colour and so delicate - true fairy! 

I have met her just few months ago but it feels like we have been friends for years... I would say, since my matured young years, since I have started understanding myself, since I have found myself. She popped out of the blue (I love that expression - maybe because blue is my favourite colour, maybe because it is the colour of the sky, and I have always wanted to experience the birds' freedom...). She grew like one of those wild flowers in my garden, the ones, that people consider a weed, but I am waiting for the time, when the bloom comes out. It is so it happens that green unknown leaves start coming out of the ground, just next to my beautiful roses. I patiently wait for the blooming moment. It takes weeks before the tiny white head sneaks out of the leaves, proud and tall but so afraid, busy to hide back in the comfort of the green blanket. But I notice the beautifully shaped crown of petals, so tiny (almost invisible, if you don't look closer), and so delicate. 

It takes one deep breath to be able to enjoy this tiny wild flower, it takes a heart to accept it. It always brings me so much more joy than the roses. I take a really good care of them and they become spoiled and capricious... They take my care for granted, and I love them, no matter what,...I love them so much...

But this beautiful, humble, unpretentious little flower fills my heart with unrecognized until that moment love - so thrilling, it finally helps me discover the feeling of birds' freedom. 

With her magical powers of the Fairy of Nature, she helps me fly, she helps me love unconditionally, she inspires me for greatness! 

I felt so blessed when I received a package from her. I have never, before in my life, received such a surprise. Out of the blue (it is true, I love this expression), the most beautiful things come to my door. How important I felt at that moment, I can not explain. As I said, she made me feel like I was flying... 

Every little thing she sent was very well collected, with so much thought and love.

Can you believe how well my thread will be treated?! Spa treatment for my thread, thanks to my sweet charming fairy. I can not wait to try the fancy appliqué needles. I am still wondering how she knows I like appliquéing. 

Have you noticed the gipsy wagon? How on earth she knows I love the gipsy style? How is it possible that she knows so much about me?

I have been admiring her little clasp pouches for so long now and she sensed my true love for them. It is so much cuter in person. I will carry this bijoux with me all the time (with my lucky penny inside) ...like my special friend I have met recently, who will carry her cute little needle organizer, made with so much love by the most magical fairy ... :) 

The trivet I received just melts my heart completely...

She has poured her heart there - every stitch tells me a story about her busy enchanting life, and I can fell the passion she made it with...

I love this mini! 

I honestly feel that any word I write won't be expressive enough to describe my feeling for it. Sometimes, it is just the eyes that speak, and the heart. 

She had read the post I wrote about the snowdrop and how this little flower brings memories from my childhood. This amazing trivet, made with so much love, has a special place in my heart and home. I can not stop dipping my eyes into this sky blue - my favourite colour... 

My magical fairy, with the most sparkling blue in her eyes, that is a perfect reflection of a summer sky, with her warm big heart, that loves the world... she is a blessing!

I feel so happy and light hearted, I feel pixie dusted ...

Thank you, my lovely friend! My world is so much more beautiful place with you in it! ♥ 

Thank you all for visiting me in this fresh, early morning!

 ♥ Ivelina

Sweet Violet

My beautiful girls grow like flowers! They make every day of my life feel like blooming spring. I have certain flowers in my mind every time I dive into their eyes. They are absolutely, gorgeously, lovingly speaking with their eyes - I could see sunny days there; stormy summer nights with lightnings, thunders, darkness, all of it; windy, carrying away petals moods; bright and crisp rainbows; rejuvenating spring rains... all of their character is so well expressed in the eyes. But every time, no matter how strong the wind blows, or the rain whip-lashes, I see the deep colours of my flower. It doesn't matter how young and fragile the flowers is, it is always there, in their eyes. This flower doesn't bend because of the stormy wind, doesn't burn because of the sun, and never, never stops blooming. 

My sweet violet is eleven now and every thing in this world has to have a reasonable explanation to her. I grow wiser. Do you know how difficult is to respond to every single question? I can not invent things because she looks into books for answers, so I better be ready for every question thrown at me - about life, about anatomy, about relationships... Hard, hard questions...

She is my sweet violet! I made this little mini-pouch for her ♥

Girls always have treasures. Since very little girl, she has been collecting sticks and tiny rocks. There are pink boxes, full of these, heavy boxes... Today her treasures are tiny origami foldings - all shapes and colours. I am not sure what will follow after, probably certain lipstick shades, eye shadows, nail polish... She will always have a mini pouch for her treasures. And I will always look for my sweet sweet blooming violet in her eyes. They grow so fast... !

Materials used:

for the embroidery:

18 ct DMC linen in colour tea

DMC embroidery floss

for the pouch:

HAORI dark green yarn-dyed fabric for the face

HAORI light green yarn-dyed fabric for the lining

LECIEN green jelly clip kiss clasp for the frame

light weight batting

Technics used:

Machine sewing

Hand-quilting 

Embroidery stitches to attach the embroidery pattern

Glueing - the frame

This is another project I am making with HAORI and every time I am impressed with the ease of hand-quilting this fabric offers. It is the pattern of weaving that makes it so unique. Instead of drawing lines for the quilting, I just follow the weave. The result is beautifully textured product, accenting the pattern of the fabric, without exposing the quilting stitches. I always use an embroidery thread in colour that perfectly matches the colour of the fabric, so I could only accent the weave of the fabric, without overshadowing it with my stitching. 

What is your favourite flower?

What inspires you to make beautiful things?

You could find happy cute notions and gadgets for project-making in my little shop HappyDashesAndDots .

Thank you so much for keeping me company in this beautiful morning over this strong fresh coffee! 

Always happy to hear from you,

♥ Ivelina

"Apple Bloom" Mini-Purse

"I am so blessed to witness

And to see the clothes they wear, 

For spring shall pass too quickly

And the fruit they soon shall bear, 

Yet now I stand in awe

And I'm so grateful I can browse, 

The apple blossom white that hangs

Upon these orchard boughs."

Andrew Blakemore

The most beautiful blossom of all to me is the delicate poetic flower of the apple tree. Some things in life just can not be described. The beauty these blossoms exude is so big for a terribly short amount of time. What they turn into afterwords is a celebration of the Nature and Nature's miracles.

This little purse is totally inspired by the blooms of my front tree and the young apple tree that I keep protected under my window. I tend to explore their behaviour and learn more about these babies. There was one year of sabbatical they both took last year. None of them bloomed, preserving their power for growing the tree itself, without producing any fruit. This spring, they come back to their natural way of growing and pleased my eye with the most beautiful dress of apple blossoms. What  wonderful days to witness, what beautiful days to enjoy!

My love for TILDA fabric and creations resonates so magically with this season. The collection of "Apple bloom" makes this purse so unique, but what I love the most of it, is the bold blue frame jelly clasp. Tilda design is never simple, it has a screaming feature on every single pattern. In this particular design the delicate blue dots, that mach perfectly the blue flowers, made me choose this colour of the kiss-clasp. It is an original jelly clip by LECIEN.

The inside of the purse is lined with warm green "Apple Bloom" by TILDA.

The mini-purse is going to my shop very soon. Check my happy little corner here for more information!

Thank you so much for visiting!

Wishing you wonderful days!

♥ Ivelina

Spring Apron "Geranium"

Spring is a beautiful season! It is always so long anticipated. Just at the end of the waiting, just before the buds on the trees explode into beautiful leaves, I am so anxious to start planting and taking care of my garden, that sometimes, I couldn't breath. 

Today is one of these beautiful days that come after cold weather and heavy rain, and it feels a lot like a day, devoted to garden activities. My annual plants are still babies, but I have this little Geranium guy that needs to be nursed and comforted :) It is too early for him to go in a big outdoor pot, but he is big enough to participate in a fashion show. 

This apron was mostly inspired by the beautiful HAORI fabric. As soon as I started working with that fabric, I was dreaming apron - all variations. This is the first of many, I am sure. And the silent colours of these solids were screaming for an accent, that I chose to be this cross-stitched design by Véronique Enginger. 

I have written so many times about the texture of the fabric, but I am never sure that it is quite enough said. In this apron, I used two solid colours, that are perfectly smooth and in unison with the natural ceramic pots that I mostly use for my plants. No glaze, no colour, just pure well cooked ceramic. So much like the fabrics I like. For the belt though, I think I went 'crazy' :))) This is one of my favourite weave patterns from HAORI. There are these little embroidered-looking threads spinning around, completely changing the look of the fabric. So lovely!

I stitched the beautiful Geranium pots on a 32 count linen. It is such a pleasure to work with tiny count, because the result is pleasing. The design looks more like a picture, but it is so much better because of the texture. Véronique Enginger's designs are always so romantic and vintage looking!  

My garden is my safe place. I find piece in here. I feel close to Nature. I love working in here so much, so I get to enjoy spending time in relaxation. 

Yes, the garden is still young... But I know it will be beautiful in a day or two, I will get to see it grow and bloom, and am ready for such happiness and excitement! My heart grows bigger with every flower growing, I love stronger with every bird, visiting my garden and life always surprises me with its beauty. 

Feeling protected under the shade of the Serviceberry bush. 

My true spring has started! 

Hope you all have wonderful time in your garden or anywhere you feel connected and in love!

Thanks for being my guests sharing this fragrant tea and sugar cookies! In case you need the recipe for the cookies, you could find it in my sweet kitchen Tablier taché. In case you would like to wear the apron, you could find it soon in my little happy shop.

Stay happy,

♥ Ivelina