Etsy Love: Summer Linen

 Hello all,
Some weeks ago, at the first sign of some warmer weather my sister and I went out to photograph this wonderful dress that I purchased from the Little Women Atelier shop on Etsy. This dress is so wonderful and breezy. It's made of 100% linen and it helps me keep cool in the summer.

Little Women Atelier is a shop inspired by the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott from 1868, and something about this dress, the Meg dress has the elegance of the 19th century. Whether it's the puffy sleeves or the full skirt, I'll leave to you to decide. Little Women Atelier is a family business, and together the incredible women of their family create magnificent dresses, fit for any lady.

When I saw the Meg dress, I knew I had to save up to get one. It is one of the prettiest and most feminine dresses I own, without it being too girly. I purchased it in pale pink, which is a wonderfully serene and delicate colour, but they have this dress in many other colours too. The dress is well-made and the wonderful linen fabric feels so soft. It's a dress that inspires slow-living, sitting in your armchair with a good, classic book, having long walks in the warm summer breeze, or baking your favourite cake or biscuits to enjoy with family and friends. Simply said, it's a dress to live in and enjoy life in.

Dress: Little Women Atelier (here)
Flats: Asos (old)

I hope you all have a terrific start to your summer. I will be enjoying it in my breezy dress.
Much love,
Mona

Etsy Love: Folksy and whimsical

Hello everyone,
It's been a while since I blogged and more than a year since my last Etsy Love post. I'll remind you of what it is - my Etsy Love posts are posts where I introduce you to some of my favourite shops and creators that can be found on Etsy.

I want to introduce to you the incredibly creative illustrator, photographer, artist, seamstress, crafter and shop owner Olga Valeska. Her style is influenced by traditional folk art and it has an air of whimsy to it - I absolutely adore everything about her and her shop. You can find Olga's stunning instagram account @olga_valeska, and her beautiful website here. Her Etsy shop has fantastic items, such as fine art prints, post cards, notebooks, home decor and hand made items of clothing, like the dress that I am wearing.

I saw this dress on instagram, and immediately thought I had to have it. I was lucky enough to find out it hadn't sold yet. The size of it was just right, on the milimetre, for me. So I instantly bought it.
When the package arrived it was like Christmas! Olga had packed it beautifully with love and an incredible eye for details. She had added a number of gifts for me in the package, such as a beautiful wooden hanging decoration and a mini wreath, as well as some postcards that are so beautiful that I want to frame them. Finally getting to the dress - I squealed with joy upon seeing it. It is just as folksy and whimsical as I wanted it to be. The dress is beautifully made with wonderful wooden buttons down the back, and the hand-embroidery is delicate, precise and oh-so-lovely! It is a comfortable and stunning dress that made me feel like a snow fairy in it. I adore it!

Olga is currently working on more items of clothing and I for one am excited about that!
She also has a sale in her shop right now! So please check it out - HERE.

Dress: Olga Valeska's shop (one of a kind)

Hood: Magic Doll (shop is now closed)
Knee socks: Primark
Boots: Ecco

Much love,
Mona

Maple and Oak Designs

Hello all,
Once again I disappeared. I'm having a very hard time fitting my blogging into my life somehow. Whether for lack of time, inspiration or content. However today I'm back with a post (as you very clearly can see), and it's half-outfit post, half-introduction (to a company).

Without further ado, I want to introduce you to Maple and Oak Designs.
Leonie, the creator, owner and designer of Maple and Oak, and I have been Instagram friends for some time, and I have secretly admired her company of fun and unique accessories. So when Leonie contacted me about a collaboration I was very happy indeed.

Leonie kindly sent me one of her rockabilly headbands from her shop, and I love everything about it. First off, red is probably my favourite colour to wear. And secondly, and more importantly, polka dots! Polka dots people! I do love me some polka dots.

This headband instantly lifts any outfit with it's vintage inspired design. It's so cute, and effortlessly so. Gosh it's adorable!

Maple and Oak's accessories are hand made from vintage, reclaimed and retro fabrics, to reduce the strain on the planet, and it came from all the way over in Canada.

In August Maple and Oak will relaunch their website and shop. You can check it all out here.

Also, check out their Facebook page (here) and Instagram (@mapleandoak). I will let you in on a little secret too. If you follow Maple and Oak, there might *wink* be a coupon code coming in time with the relaunch of the website.

They ship internationally (yay) and have a whole myriad of wonderfully funky, quirky accessories. I've personally got my eyes on the hood scarves and felted ponchos (as well as the rest of their rockabilly headbands).

Headband: Maple and Oak Designs (here)

Blouse: Miss Patina (old)

Dress: Closet via ModCloth (old)

Shoes: ModCloth (here)

I love when you can feel the heart that goes into a creation, and with Leonie's Maple and Oak the love, hard work and fun is tangible.

Hope you're all doing great.
Much love,

Etsy Love

I adore Etsy. I think the idea of Etsy is brilliant and I love the many incredible things you can find there.

In this post I wanted to share with you two of my favourite Etsy shops. These are not my only favourites, but just two of the shops that I love. I have previously mentioned two other Etsy shops that I adore, Frostbeard Studios (mentioned here) and Sara R Rocha's shop (mentioned here). Today I'll share with you one shop that belongs to an amazingly talented illustrator and another shop that belongs to a very skilled crafter.

The first shop is the illustrator Morgane Carlier's Etsy shop, that you can find here. The new banner to my blog is made by Morgane and I got it through Etsy, and I could not be happier with it. It captures me in one image and in my mind it is perfect!

Morgane's art is quirky, happy and girly! Just the things that I like! She's got a unique style that brightens the surroundings! Apart from the beautiful blog banner, I have also got a Mary Poppins print in my home from Morgane and a tote bag with the most yummy-looking sweets illustrated on it.

Morgane is a total professional. She is sweet and works efficiently and quickly. I have only ever been way beyond happy when I have purchased from Morgane. And I have even developed a relationship with the exquisite Morgane, and I can now call her one of my darling friends. You can find Morgane's shop right here. Morgane's website is here and Morgane's instagram is @morganeca.

The second shop I want to introduce you to is The Mad Girl Shop belonging to the lovely Madison Steward. Everything from delicate cross stitching to brooches and scarves can be found in The Mad Girl Shop. Madison is such an expert knitter, and makes the most beautiful scarves and ascots, one of which I had to get as it has wonderful leaves knitted in it and it is in my favourite colour, mustard yellow. It is the most perfect autumn ascot, I want one in every colour.

The ascot is incredibly well-made and I am astonished by the handiwork that has gone into it. The beautiful dainty leaves are astounding, and it's warm and comfy too. I also have my eyes on these incredible Hogwarts scarves that Madison knits, that look so nice and pretty. The HP fan within me has a beating heart for anything to do with her house and Madison's Ravenclaw scarf is flawless. You can find Madison's shop, The Mad Girl Shop, right here and her instagram is @madisonsteward.

Dress: River Island (old, similar from Mod Dolly here)

Ascot: The Mad Girl Shop

Have a lovely Halloween weekend!
Much love.

Lovely limited edition dress from Windram Design

This lovely rust coloured twirl-worhty dress is from Windram Design. It's a limited edition dress and only five will be made!

Everything from Windram Design, this dress included, is handmade with care and precision. Helen Windram, the creator of Windram Design, has been making and selling her dresses for the past year and all of the designs are her own, which gives them an extra touch and unique flair. This lovely dress in a linen/viscose blend had the most special and lovely freehand front stitching that adds a quirky element to the garment, which is something that I appreciate a lot. The adorable puff sleeves are so cute and absolutely beautiful. And I adore the skirt of the dress so very much! The skirt is so full, it drapes beautifully and it is the grandest dress ever to twirl in!!

I like my clothes to be unique and a bit whimsical, and Helen has a natural talent for making beauty in fabric with distinctive details. Helen's designs are timeless and classic with exceptional attention to details. Her garments are so very flattering and incredibly comfortable. I feel fantastic wearing this dress and it makes me feel very beautiful. And the twirling really is magnificent in this dress! So if you, like me, are planning to twirl all summer, this is the dress to do it in!

This dress is also a very versatile piece, I feel like I already have several outfits ready with just this one dress! And I can't wait to pair it with tights and a cardigan for the colder months. By sewing one-of-a-kind dresses, Helen's garments feel exclusive to the wearer, and I personally value that feeling very much.

You can find the dress: here

Remember, it's a very limited edition dress, so make haste!

Windram Design's etsy shop is here.

Windram Design is also on facebook and instagram (@windramdesign), check it out!

Now I'm going to go twirl some more in this lovely dress.

Much love!

Life with a Dash of Whimsy

Print: Sara's etsy shop

I've met many great people through instagram, I've made friends that I consider to be really close to me. One of the friends I've found is the illustrator Sara (@sararrocha) from Lisbon. She is the sweetest and kindest lovely lady you'll ever come by, and her art mixes real life with fantasy. I have personally added some of Sara's amazing art to my wall at home, and I am also the owner of four lovely brooches made by Sara, through her etsy shop.

Brooch: Sara

Dress: Zalando (sold out)

I first got into contact with Sara because of our mutual love for the film Amélie. Sara makes the most darling Amélie brooches (that I am wearing in a photo below), and I knew the second I saw it that I needed it. That's when I also saw the rest of her astounding work. Sara turned out to also be a complete sweetheart, and I am now happy to be able to call her my friend.

Amélie Poulain by Sara.

Brooch: Sara

Cardigan: ModCloth

I recently got some new pretties from Sara, that have gone up on the wall and on my shirts. Her brooches add the right amount of whimsy to any outfit.

A wandering Alice.

Brooches and print from Sara's etsy shop.

Brooch: Sara

Scarf: Knitted

Blouse: ModCloth (sold out)

Print from Sara's etsy shop.

Customised portrait by Sara.

Blue Persian by Sara.

Because it is fun to know more about the artist behind the art I asked Sara some questions, and you can read her answers below:

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I have a passion for little pleasures that make me happy, like drawing overtime in the company of my boyfriend (who's also an artist) and my cat. I also have a passion for cakes, dresses and shoes. And I love to research for new art supplies, new books and films. Drawing and painting are some of my ways to express myself and to make people smile.

Q: Have you always illustrated and where did you learn to illustrate?
A: I have always loved drawing and sketching - ever since I was little! I started working more enthusiastically in the last few years. I learned to illustrate on my own. I'm a self-taught artist.

Q: Did you always want to be an illustrator?
A: I have always been creative. Since I was a child I have been obsessed with drawing. But apart from illustration I'm also a professional lawyer, it allows me to afford my art work.

Q: You have a very special and unique drawing style, when and how did you develop it?
A: I have developed my main style all my life. I don't stop creating, I wish I could spend more time drawing and giving life to all the projects I have in mind.

Q: Where does the inspiration behind your art come from?
A: Everywhere. A lot comes from my daily life, cinema and literature.

Q: When did you start your etsy shop, and how come you opened a shop?
A: I started my etsy shop last year. I had been thinking about starting this project for a while but the support I have found in my boyfriend, family, friends and the amazing community from the social media was very important for me taking the step.

Q: What are your goals for your art?
A: I hope to continue to show my artwork to a wide range of people and to be part of wonderful projects such as doing an exhibition and publishing a book illustrated by me, someday.

Illustration by Sara.

Marie Antoinette by Sara.

Sara's art reflects a colourful and charming world that is slightly brighter and slightly quainter than reality. Her unique and sweet art embellishes the world, and brings a creative and fanciful flair to any day.

Floral sunshine

Spring is officially here. It might not be very obvious in the weather (it snowed for a good 20 minutes yesterday), but the ground has awoken and flowers are slowly growing out of the earth.

I love the changes that Spring bring to my wardrobe. I enjoy folding up the warm sweaters and replacing them with lightweight dresses and full skirts.

Dress: Gertrude Made

A new addition to my wardrobe is this beautiful, yellow floral dress from Gertrude Made. It all started when I saw a beautiful dress on the instagram feed of Gertrude Made (@gertrudemade). It was one of the most beautiful dresses I had seen, and it reminded me of a dress worn by the character Chuck on the too-soon-cancelled television show Pushing Daisies.

Picture reference

The wonderful dress was sold out before I even managed to see it, like so many of Cathi's (the heart and hands behind Gertrude Made) dresses are. However, Cathi was the sweetest ever and managed to find a vintage fabric with beautiful yellow roses on it, and suddenly a dress was in the making.

Cathi makes all of the dresses from vintage fabric with her own patterns, and the results are always incredible. I am so in love with this dress that I hang it outside of my wardrobe just so I can see it some more. The dress makes me feel so beautiful, and if it is one thing that makes the dress priceless it is that. Knowing that it is handmade with love is the icing on the top.

Those who follow me on instagram will have seen this dress, because I sang loudly about my love for it. But I felt like it needed a blog post of its own. If you want a special piece of clothing that is beautiful beyond compare I suggest you check out Gertrude Made. I will also say that this isn't a sponsored post, I just had to share the magic in fabric that Cathi does with you!

Lots of love, 

Mona