Spring Shopping!

Just a few more days until our baby arrives and the shop has never been busier! Sales, custom orders, wholesale inquiries. And we still have 2 more days left on Euro Week!

Between orders and redecorating our bedroom - new bedspread and linnen arrived yesterday, yay! - I finished a new bag yesterday:

I love the bold print in classic black and white combo! You can find it here. And don't forget that you can still use the coupon EUROWEEK10OFF and get your 10% discount until tomorrow evening!

More Saturday shopping? Check out Sandra's lovely blog here.

It's Euro Week!

 

 

 

down my street - A4 cityscape Print
by lauraamiss

From March 21 through March 27, 2011, Etsy is going to be celebrating the European art and artists with special home pages full of products from throughout Europe.

To mark the occasion, many shops including b*lota, will be running a week-long discount so be sure to check it out!

We are also donating items to the European Street Team's charity shop Europe for Charity which is currently benefiting Japan via Architecture for Humanity.

Saturday Shopping Day

With the new addition to the family unit arriving in just a couple of months (!), babies are definitely on my mind. Sorting through my daughter's baby clothes, checking that I have enough bedding for the crib, tracking down the maxi cosi. Baby fever has also reached my studio and I spent yesterday making new baskets:

Not only are these adorable but they are 100% environment friendly, from the organic cotton prints to the interfacing, to the upcycled soft leather handles! You can find them in my shop.

For more Saturday shopping ideas, check out Zsazsazsu's blog!

And we are back!

I can't believe it's February already. Where did January go?! Anyway, we are back and buzzing with plans and ideas for new projects and dreaming about Spring! 

Unfortunately, it's still pretty cold and gray in the Netherlands, so to cheer myself up I decided to use some beautiful floral prints and bring a little Spring to my studio:

Large Frame Clutch - Plum and Pink Vine on Natural

Cluch in Floral Navy, Marigold, Turquoise and White on Natural

You can find all new listings in the shop!

Shop Update

The last 2 weeks have been a little slow for us. We spent a week in Lisbon,  where we had amazing, Summer-like weather.

Unfortunately, I brought back a cold and spent the first couple of days nursing it. Finally, I started working on a custom order.

I am very pleased with the results!

Today I am starting on a new custom order, this time a laptop sleeve and I am hope that I will be able to add some new clutches to the shop next week.

Stay tuned!

Week Round-up

The days are getting shorter, temperatures are getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn color. Autumn is definitely in the air. At least in Holland.

 

And even though I will miss the long Summer days and trips to the beach, we have been very busy at Casa b*lota! Supplies have been ordered, new fabrics picked and the sewing has begun.

Here are some of the new listings for this week:

1. Dainty Daisies Storage Fabric Basket2. Small Clasp Purse - Wizard of Oz on Natural

Summer Vacation!

photo: www.casa-jolie.com

The countdown has started for our holiday! Last orders are being finished, bags are being packed and arrangements are being made for our 2 kitties who will be home alone for a couple of weeks.

As of Friday the shop will be closed but until then, we are having a sale, so hurry!

We'll be back in mid-August, fully recharged to face the busy season head on. Until then, happy Summer!!

Summer Inspiration

With the hot weather finally arriving in Holland, and after our family weekend by the seaside, beach has been on my mind a lot! And so I decided to put my inspiration to good use and make a versatile summer bag.

I used a funky laminated cotton print - a remnant, so this is truly a one of a kind bag! I lined it with a complementing turquoise cotton fabric with white polka dots an d added a zippered pocket.

It is a big bag and waterproof, making it not only great companion for the beach or pool but also later in the year, when the rain comes, for shopping.

Available on my Etsy shop.

Vespas galore!

1. Messenger Bag - Echino Scooters

2. Shoulder Bag - Echino Scooter in Black, Sage, Blue and Beige

My new favorite fabric: Echino by Etsuko Furuya Scooter. Can't get enough of it and plan on making a TON of bags out of it! Have ordered more already.

Etsy iCandy

 

1-Wonder no.4, Metallic Print, Matted to 11x14, Limited Edition 

2-vintage 1950s satin evening coat turquoise blue to golden yellow

3-Two Vintage Aqua Blue Ball Canning Jars

4-Set of 4 original wool pebbles

After a disastrous week and weekend, I am glad it's Monday again! And to get this week started in the best way possible, here's a pretty mood board in summer colors. Unfortunately, the weather outside is less blue and more gray but I am in high spirits, so who cares? I have a busy week ahead of me, with orders to fill (yay!) and fabric to buy (double yay!).

I will come back later and post photos of my work in progress. Until then, I hope you have a great week!

P.S. Did you know that b*lota has reached 120 fans on Facebook and that the shop has been hearted by 113 Etsians? Seriously!

Treasure Hunting on Etsy

My learning curve in all things Etsy has become increasingly steeper in the last few weeks. Especially since opening my shop and joining the Dutch and European Street teams, I have been discovering new things everyday! Treasuries, what they are, who makes them and what for, is just one of them.

So, what is the Treasury? It's an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery of handpicked items. Members can feature their favorite items, items selected on a theme or just whatever they like. Etsy’s staff (“Admin”) often choose whole or partial exceptional Treasury lists to promote to the featured, handpicked items on Etsy’s home page. 

They are a lot of fun to make and the more you make, the better and prettier they get! I try to make them as beautiful and cohesive as possible and my primary goal is to promote quality items from European sellers and fellow teammates.

I have also had a few items featured in a treasury last week and one of them actually made it to the front page, which was super exciting! Plus, I got a million views on my shop and tons of hearts!!

I am currently featured in 5 treasuries and I am keeping my fingers crossed that one of them will end up on the front page again, bringing in all those new viewers that might not otherwise find b*lota! And wouldn't that be a shame?

Grand opening!

My Etsy shop is open! After weeks of preparation, sewing, fretting and stressing, I finally started listing.

It's been really exciting, and I keep going back to check the number of views, number of hearts, or just to look at the pretty pictures! 

It is taking me a some time to list all the items I made for this batch so expect a few more things in the coming days and keep checking the shop or my fan page for updates!

iCandy

1 - Threes A Crowd;
2 - Constellations Polar Bear;
3 - Happy birds cushion on linen;

4 - Minty Peach Necklace

I have been really busy setting up my Etsy shop Etsy shop and I am thisclose to start listing but until I do, here are a few pretty things I spotted online in the last few days!

First listing all set to go up!

 

I am getting ready to launch my Etsy store! I finished making the first two items yesterday, and will be sewing like mad in the coming days so I am ready to start listing before the end of the month!

It has been a busy week for us. I have registered my company, opened a bank account, upgraded my PayPal account andam almost done with the shop policies. Once I have my bio ready to go, I am all set. At least for the first stage. 

On a later stage, I want to go live with my website, Facebook fan page and post more consistently on the blog. So, I have a lot of work ahead of my! If my daughter cooperates and sleeps solid 3h naps each day and my husband picks up the slack in the weekends, I might be able to get it all set by May. Wouldn't that be something! 

Of course, with all the excitement of opening up the shop comes a lot of insecurity. There are so many talented people out there, selling wonderfully crafted things that it is hard to not get discouraged and give up! What if no one buys anything? What if they come back and demand their money back? What if, what if? So, I make everything as perfect as possible and hope for the best. Worst case scenario, I won't have to get stressed about Christmas shopping. And if it works out, well, that will just make each successful sale that much sweeter!