packing up.

we're moving house!
and that means cipolla is moving too (to a bigger and sunnier workshop, hooray). so i'm cleaning, purging, and packing us all up... fun! (and i'm not being sarcastic, i really do love the purging and packing part).

for any interested cipollini - this means that all online purchases made this week will not ship out until monday (may 5th), when i've had time to settle in and find everything!

thank-you for your patience.
♥ m.

we're back!

my hands are back from vacation and my machine is back from the shop (apparently i over work it...).

ahh yes, that familiar mess surrounds me... doodles and to-do lists taking over the worktable, pins and fabric scraps under my feet, bits of thread on my pjs... the workshop is busy again!

as for our vacation this past week... whether i'm in algonquin park or at the beach, i always seem to spend half of my vacation taking photos of the local creatures. on this trip i was particularily obsessed with the birds.

this sleepy seagull was especially adorable.


why not, amuse yourself with a few more of my faves while i get back to work...





♥ m.

hanky love.

we're having a happy hanky sale at cipolla!

hankies in the etsy shop are on sale for as low as $7.50 each.
I'm making room for new hankies in the coming months,
so now's a great time to snatch up a bargain!

handkerchiefs are indespensible little tools - not just for sneezes, but for spills, hot coffee cups, funky pocket squares, and more.

they make fab gifts - pretty and practical, and eco-friendly too :)


chocolate cream trio - $22.50


vintage prints duo - $15.00


asian scenic hanky - $7.50

cipolla hankies are made from prewashed, 100% cotton. they are two ply, sewn carefully and topstitched for extra durability. washer and dryer safe. and damn cute!

hooray for hankies!
♥ m.

good eats.

waffles are one of my favourite things to make on a weekend day at home. i like to make a plate of them and snack while we putter around the house.


then we throw leftovers in the fridge and pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack during the week. easy and delish workshop fuel ;)


i like an eggy batter and milk chocolate chips - edges of the chocolate will get crunchy while inside it's melty and goey... seriously good eats.



back to work.
♥ m.

etsy fraud squad.

well, yesterday was quite the day here in the workshop. in the morning i found out that a new online "shop" had appeared, claiming to be a collective working with designers to sell handmade handbags. funny thing was - the bags were Cipolla's bags! images and descriptions taken right from my etsy shop (as well as from two other etsy shops). after i got over the initial disbelief - it was so weird to see everything arranged in a shop, even using the cipolla name, and me having no idea - i became horrified, nightmares of being associated with a scam that was at best collecting handmade prices and shipping out factory knock-offs & at worst taking the money and running. yikes.

i found out about this from a fellow victim who had been alerted to the shop through google alerts (i hesitate to give google even more promotion, but i have to say yay! for this service). immediately i emailed every contact addy i could find - but surprise surprise, they didn't work. i then emailed the host service, a marketplace similar to etsy without the handmade focus, and waited for a response.

but as i attempted to get back to work i couldn't stop thinking about it. i was worried for sure, but i was even feeling a little scared - i'm not very internet or e-commerce savvy - i felt a little helpless, not knowing what to expect or what i could ultimately do. the fellow seller who had also been used said she felt violated, and i think that's actually a good description. then i thought - i should post this in the etsy forums! i rarely go into the forums these days, but when you need advice or support, it seems that fellow etsians always come through. what harm could it do? i posted the issue and went back to the sewing machine for a half hour.

when i returned the thread was like 25 pages long! people expressing outrage, support, and best of all - doing detective work and sending off emails of disgust. by mid-day staff from the host service had found the thread and - though they never did answer my original email from the morning - promised to look into it immediately. etsy staff jumped right in too! and it was fabulous to know they had our back even though this was something happening outside of etsy. man, did the three of us feel the love! by the afternoon i had been contacted by the CEO of the host service and by the evening the "shop" was no more. i hope we caught it in time, before anyone had made any "purchases".

sometimes i forget that etsy is more then just a network of artists and shops - it can be a family. seriously, i'm not usually one to get too involved in the forums and i've never even been in the chat rooms, but it was amazing to read and feel the genuine concern and real efforts to help that poured out from everyone who posted yesterday. so thank-you all, you rock!

all in all it was a surprising, horrifying, frustrating, informative, and ultimately victorious and uplifting day.

not bad for a random wednesday in the workshop ;)
♥ m.


oh, and through it all, i even got my work done!











a new batch of favourite bags was finally finished and will be posted in the shop over the next few days.

opera shoes.

this december my family pooled resources and floored me on xmas morning with two tickets to the opera - fabulous, ridiculously expensive seats and a classic italian work: tosca. over the past year i have been daydreaming aloud about going to a show (after all, i pass the opera company building almost every time i take the tram). of course, it was one of those things that i didn't expect to make happen any time soon - so when i opened the gift i was so surprised i actually teared up (which of course just made my brothers' smiles even bigger as they watched).


so as i waited for the months to pass (the performance was in february), i prepared. i treated myself to new moisturizer and lip gloss at the pharmacy (so indulgent, i know!)... oh, and another round of black hair dye too. i had a great dress that i bought in the fall... but i dragged vic out for a few hours of shoe shopping. i wanted to really make it a big deal... i even wore nylons! and then a few days before the show i resolved to make myself a new bag - i often feel like the cobbler who's kids don't have shoes, so it was a fun change in the workshop.

i made myself this purse and wallet (below) from a fabulous plush velvety silvery remnant that i picked up at a local fabric shop months ago. i made a few extras for the shop too, so go check them out if you're a fellow fan of silver-grey goodness.

i wore a simple black 1950's inspired sweater dress, and my shoes made me happy with their fab little cut-outs and just the right amount of toe cleavage. vic was in black as well, wearing the silver poppy tie that i bought her from fellow etsian toybreaker (favourite!). we were sharp and shimmery in our fab black and silver splendor, and the cutest little femme/butch stereotype couple you ever did see! we were feeling so indulgent we even splurged on surprisingly delicious coffee and cookies at intermission. all in all it was a most fabulous night.



much love to the famiglia.
♥ m.

i ♥ emma.

a couple of weeks ago i stumbled upon fellow etsy shop emmaklingbeil and fell in love with many of her paintings.
never being one to resist an impulse buy, i bought my favourite one heart strings (above) right away and impatiently waited for it to arrive.

and the wait was worth it. opening the package was like opening one of those great xmas gifts that you knew was under the tree - unwrapping slowly, savoring each new peek of it before you tear another strip off.

her paintings are moody and lovable. they're creepy and cute, gloomy and fantastical (hmm... this is sounding exactly like how vic describes me...) - they make me grin and imagine things. and many of them, like this one, have a fabulous little frame and shadow painted around the edge that i just adore.

this has got to be my favourite etsy purchase to date!
i am so happy with it, i can't say enough about it. i already have my eye on another one. and at under $60 for an original piece, what more can i say?

so go on and check out her shop!
emmaklingbeil.etsy.com

♥ m.

finalmente.

yes it's true, i'm finally getting to work on a new batch of bags for the shop. this weekend i finished a few with my tree applique. this one is my favourite of the bunch - i love the blue/grey and caramel colour combo, and the soft corduroy combined with the sharp embroidery. yum.

keep watch this week - as i finish more bags, i'll be listing them in the shop. i'm determined to get to some swallows, and sea creatures...

night.
♥ m.

balcony inspiration.

i've been having trouble these last few months finding time to sit down and draw up some new appliques. batches of zombies, crows, and trees are keeping my fingers busy.

one thing i've been meaning to do for a while is a little homage to the squirrels who hound our back balcony, feasting on the scraps vic's always putting out for them and keeping me company while i take my coffee breaks in the kitchen. they're so cute they almost make me forget how they tore up my garden each morning this past summer.

a few mornings ago i snagged a pic of this little guy.


he definitely made my morning - looking so content with his food find, depite the cold and horribly windy day it was. i took a few minutes to plan a new squirrely inspired item. i had a few yards of a fabulous cashmere blend on the workshop shelves, leftover from my batch of december scarves, it was a dark chocolately brown that seemed perfect.

the result was a cute and cozy new scarf, available in my etsy shop.



back to the machine!
♥ m.

stamped.

i love stamps. i love drawing little images for them, i love carving them, and i especially love pressing them down on the paper (or fabric) and seeing the result.

i'm an instant gratification girl and this is instant gratification in the best way. in less then an hour you can go from a doodle on your napkin to a fun stamp you can use for almost anything.

this weekend i was a hermit in the workshop messing around with new stamps i had made friday night.
yes, i stayed home friday night and made stamps.
moving on...

here's what i made this weekend - love to the hanky!




[above] the heartfelt hanky is red eco-friendly ink hand-stamped on crisp white cotton. it is available in my etsy shop now.

and you can wrap it all up with a gift wrap and card pack that i make with a smaller heart stamp.



♥ m.

valentine treats.

i've just completed a few batches of valentine inspired goodies. some not-so-conventional items that are a little less sappy and a lot more fun.

if you're planning to buy a treat for your valentine - forget the hallmark trademarks - go for something unique and unexpected that's sure to make them feel special.

available in the shop today.


Zombie's need love too. Gray cotton duck pillow with black Zombie applique and red velvet anatomical heart.



Thief of hearts. Gray cotton duck pillow with black Raven applique and red velvet anatomical heart.



In search of love. Gray cotton duck pillow with black Zombie applique and red velvet hearts.

you'll find these pillows, plus more
freshly sewn goodies in cipolla's shop.

♥ m.

zombie army.

couldn't resist a pic while working on a new batch of zombie goodies this weekend.

soon you'll see where they end up -
for now, back to work...

♥ m.

wool and windows.

seems i jinxed things with my last icy post. everything has melted in toronto and i was quite comfortable in an unzipped hoody on my walk to the post office this afternoon. but enjoying this warmth makes me feel so dirty...

i ♥ wool.

if you're a sewn fresh daily newsletter reader - you know i have a weakness for wool and other gorgeous natural fibres in traditional tweeds, herringbone and houndstooth...

sewing up scarves is really just an excuse to spend time fawning over these fabrics. though i'm in wool shop withdrawel lately - since the workshop shelves are still full from stocking up before xmas i haven't needed to explore the stores.

so i'm pushing through the last of the fabrics, if only to have an excuse to go buy more ;)

new in the shop today - classic black and white houndstooth scarves in either crow or spider applique:




drop by the shop to take a closer look at these and other cipolla appliqued scarves.

♥ m.

winter

it's now definitely winter here in toronto. january has brought the familiar cold that i was happy we missed out on in december. not that i can complain. after all, i get to stay cozy inside and appreciate the beauty of icy workshop windows. not having to schlep to and from work diffuses a big chunk of my hatred of winter. kudos to all you who make the trek to your workplace each day.

january also means playing with the goodies i got in december. and since i'm a december baby i get double the presents this time of year, so there's plenty of fun stuff to amuse me during the new year's months when i avoid leaving the house. here are some of my favourite december acquisitions...



bret and jemaine are my sewing buddies.


my brother introduced me to them and now i'm totally hooked. i've already been through the season once again since getting this under the tree. i love this show so much vic has developed a jealous twitch whenever i mention jemaine. i should make a foc inspired applique... hmm.


my new cipolla coffee cup.


i can never resist buying stuff for myself at a show. i bought this adorable cup from fellow vendor little flower designs at bust magazine's craftacular. check out her site here.


geekery indeed.


this wiimote pillow was actually a gift to vic from me. i bought it from fellow etsian zelas, and it has a permanant place of honour on our couch.


best mom ever.


wishlists do work. this painting was in my etsy favourites, though it sold shortly after i added it. turns out my mom was paying attention. she had it wrapped and ready for me to open at my birthday lunch. how fun to be surprised by something i had looked at for so long on the computer screen. the painting is by laurali, and is perfect wall candy for the workshop admist the predictable scratchy newsprint sketches and notes to self.


skin sos.


i bought several of these lotion bars as gifts for family, and of course kept one for myself. they're the perfect remedy for my painfully dry hands this time of year. you can find these (and many delicious soaps) at 4th ave soap co's etsy shop.


too pretty to eat.


vic is dangerous in a candy store. this is just one of the goofy goodies she bought me this xmas. it really is too pretty to eat, though i hate keeping chtotkes so i'll dig into it soon. perhaps on a late night sewing binge - it's bound to inject a little life into me [insert bad joke womp-womp sound here].


you must watch this.


i watched this entire 4+ hour series yesterday while doing computer work (in theory anyway). i barely got anything done and instead found myself totally amazed by the camera's detail. i am a major nature geek and i love spiders, so this series was a fatal combination for me. but i think anyone will be enthralled. bbc's life in the undergrowth.


sewing porn.


the newest addition to my unintentional collection of sewing books, quilt national 2007. though all this inspiration can become a little overwhelming when trying to fit some new design sewing time into cipolla's schedule.

though it doesn't photo so well,
this quilt by Anne McKenzie Nickolson is just wicked.




cozy feet.


netamir rightly calls these slippers walking in a blanket. she handmakes them to order in your own size and colour choice for $39 and just a couple weeks wait. i put them on as soon as i got them and if it weren't for the snow i would have even considered keeping them on when i left the house.


guilty pleasure.


i have a lot of embrassing secret loves and guilty pleasures...
from madonna's horribly eighties disco ball album to doritos.
but it all pales in comparison to my addiction to king of queens.
kevin james causes irrational fits of laughter that can make me sew crooked lines.


hope your january is filled with fab goodies.
♥ m.