the first bunch.

i'm pretty sure that there's nothing better then crunching into a carrot freshly picked from your own garden. once washed, they didn't last twenty minutes on the kitchen table.

now i'm staring with lust at the onions... willing them to grow wide enough to justify finally picking one. they must be the slowest growing veggies. seriously, i think they like it - smirking to themselves when i walk by.

okay... enough embarassing garden babble... back to the machine ;)

happy labour day!
♥ m.

behold...

i am beyond smitten. past obsessed. i'd call it a complete consumption. i've never been happier to be sewing until 2am. for the first three days i went to bed still smiling and hearing the hum. i woke-up dreaming we were streaming through long lines of thick stitches through layers of stiff canvas...

[insert heavenly choral sound here]

so it's been over one week since i brought home my baby. my frustration level has never been this low. i'm kicking and cursing only occasionally. it's true! needless to say, the workshop is both a happier and more productive place. i can't wait to dig into my pile of winter scarves. i'm hoping this year will be much less stress crazy. but then, that wouldn't really be cipolla... ah well.


fresh off the new machine, a batch of pencil/gadget cases just in time for back-to-schoolers. listed in the shop today.


happy weekend.
♥ m.

cipolla's got a new look!

after months of countless doodles and doubts, i'm finally happy with a new look for cipolla.

we've got a new logo, new packaging and tags, a new shop addy [www.cipollashop.com]... and of course, new items!

... now if only i could find the time to get our website up and running.
- but for now, we of course love and adore our fabulous Etsy shop ;)

let me know what you think of our new onion!

♥m.

the comfiest hobo

for months i've been staring longingly at the stacks of beautiful japanese fabrics on my workshop shelves, waiting for a break in the pile of to-be-sewns beside the machines...
this week the moment finally arrived. i was at last able to let my hands, scissors & needles go crazy on some beautiful cotton damask prints. and what fun i had!... making a flurry of gorgeous soft and comfy hobo bags in a delicious assortment of colours...


this is a new cipolla design [one i've been carrying around with me for six months to test out - and i love it!]. it's the ultimate hobo bag... large and cushy... convenient and stylish bubble shape... complete with zipper closure, two roomy pockets and a key clip.


these bags, and more, listed in the shop this week.

back to the machine for me...
there's always more fab fabrics waiting on the shelves...
♥ m.

accessory necessities...

lately i've been sneaking away from the sewing machine to take some time in the sunny backyard and finally have some fun with the assortment of findings I've collected over the past year or so...

new in the shop this month, we've got a nice mix of hair clips and other unique and lovely accessories.

glass owl earring studs - $5.75

fresh leaf hair clips - $5.00

as with all cipolla items, these pieces are handmade in small batches with love and care. they feature unique and/or vintage parts that i find while taking a break from sewing to indulge myself in a little shopping. and they're not just for girls! i've been working on some pins / tie clips... like this compass pin.

directional brooch or tie pin - $5.00

more to come, including cuff links and perhaps some jewellery.
though for now, back to the machine...
♥ m.

one year and counting...

for those of you who haven't been to the shop lately, now's a great time to drop by and peruse the "aisles"... we're having sales all month in honour of our shop's one-year anniversary!
a big, huge thank-you to all our etsy customers
- it has been a fabulous, fun year!

♥ m.

nel giardino...

my facination with container gardening is stronger then ever this year... from lettuce and cayennes to zucchini and spinach.


and while it's so muggy here in toronto that i begin to wilt after just a quick walk to the cornerstore, the garden is holding up well... the cipolle are six inches and counting!



♥ m.

the new girl.

i found this most fabulous old dress form on ebay (yes, i was finally lured to the dark side... but i swear it is just a quick flirtation, I won't make it a habit). as soon as i saw it i was convinced it was exactly what the workshop needed. it's looking so mechanical and uninspiring here these days... we needed some character.

the seller just happened to be in toronto too, so within a few days she had arrived... lovely and inspiring in the workshop window. she's made of wood and cast iron, with a papier mache neck and an old hand sewn cover - great details that make me feel a little connected to previous owner(s) who seem to have loved her much. and she really helps to bring out the amazing victorian details in the room... somehow the molding seems brighter, the stained glass glows. ha! i'm such a sap.

(fyi... the fab purse she's wearing now is a newer cipolla hobo design in the amazing new echino fabrics... you'll see them in the shop in the coming week or so).

♥m.

setting up shop.

im reporting back from the first days of the move. i was so excited about the new space for the cipolla workshop that i couldn't resist a little doodling of what i'd soon be setting up.

here's what it actually looked like that first afternoon...


oh the workshop it will be! i am often catching myself standing in the doorway... staring though to the window at the end of the room... smiling in a sort of day-dreamy way. the plants are loving it too.

i'm gradually un-packing more and more, adding shelves and such, neurotically organizing bits into containers and baskets... hopefully to be done within the next week or so. in the meantime i better put what's there to use, the shop is beginning to look a little empty these days...

cheers!
♥m.

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.