Minty Maddness

I'm loving minty green at the mo, but as it seems, who isn't?? Hardly an Autumn colour but i can't seem to get away from it.
Mum dropped me off a box full of old fabric that had been sitting in a cupboard for years. She used to sew a lot when we were kids, but not much now. In fact I have her sewing machines "staying over" at my place on an almost permanent basis. Anyway, in this box was the remnants of our old green curtains in our room when we were kids. Mum had made the curtains and (wait for it) the paint on the walls was the exact same colour! So this fabric is a rather gorgeous colour so I decided it should be the next Biddy Skirt
Here's the newest addition to Oli e Lui's 2012 Collection...

If you are a Facebooker user and want to be updated with new things from Oli e Lui, here's my Facebook Page  go ahead and hit the like button :) If you are interested in buying one of these you can email me at olielui@gmail.com or message me on FB

Oh, and to add to the mint theme... my lovely talented friend Jess, designed these fabulous new Business Cards for me. I just LOVE them!

 

Front. 

Look! She even drew my designs on the washing line.

Back

Love the bow tie.

Happy Weekend!

Overwhelming Support & New Styles

I have been blown away by the support I have had since launching Oli e Lui on FB to friends and family and anyone else who has been interested. I was really nervous to start this as an actual business (not that its officially registered... lets not tell the tax man just yet!) but its been about 5 weeks and I have been kept very busy. I am only just keeping up. It's given me a fabulous alternative focus, other than my boys, which has given me a much needed boost. Although there has been one continueing frustration along the way - but I won't go there!

Here are a few new styles from last week (a bit late on posting them)....

"Biddy Skirt" Made with vintage fabric.

Skirts are adjustable to two sizes with a wooden button on the back.

"Linen Luies" in navy. Fabulous roomy butt. 

Designed to fit for longer with roll up cuffs..

Contrasting striped linen for cuff.

These one's I'm calling "Naram Pants" - my version of Harems :)

...

Biddy Bibs. Front and back views.

Oh, and a Sheep Sack requested in red for a baby shower gift.

Right I'm off to bed. More Biddy Skirts to sew tomorrow, plus the usual daily grind!

Introducing... The Sheep Sack

It has hardly been summer this year and already the weather is turning wintery. Most of NZ is feeling a bit ripped off in the summer stakes. I know I am!
So what better time to start making Merino Wool clothing. I have always put my boys in Sleep Sacks. They are fantastic! Babies and toddlers always wiggle out of their blankets and often wake themselves up from being cold. Pop them in a sleep sack and it not only adds extra warmth under blankets, it also makes it harder for them to wriggle out of the covers. And if  they do - well they'll be wrapped up in merino wool :)
There is a market coming up in April so its given me a deadline (oh how i need a deadline to be productive!) Here are two new "Sheep Sacks" I've made for Oli e Lui.

 They are made with beautifully soft 100% NZ Merino Wool inner and 100% Cotton exterior, with a merino fabric sheep on the front :) Priced from $55, depending on the thickness desired. 

to be available on Etsy soon..

Etsy Shop & First Etsy Sale - Woohoo!

Well I have had my Etsy Shop open for about 2 weeks now and I have watched the stats waiting with baited breath for my first official Etsy Sale.... And last night I made one - Wooohoo! Sales have been steady through my Facebook Page from Family, Friends and friends of friends, but it's super exciting that a "stranger" has purchased something. I am now full of motivation... and I so needed it. I am the worlds best procrastinator! And Pinterest is all to helpful in that department...

Another exciting thing to happen with Oli e Lui is I now have labels! Oh, how I feel so professional now!

Oli e Lui

Made in New Zealand

Pined and ready to go...

Happy Friday everyone. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. A rainy windy storm is hitting the north island of NZ this weekend so perfect for a sewing mission!

Ciao.

DIY Light Shades

We had serious hideous light shades in our hallway. 90's frosted glass domes - you know the ones! I have been thinking about what to do about them for some time but I didn't want to go for the easy option of buying purpose built light shades.... So I went to Pinterest and pinned some inspiration. I love how pinterest opens my eyes to what things could be rather than what they are. All I had in my mind was something vaguely resembling a shade...  Then out shopping I found these woven food covers....

All I did was cut out a whole in the top and Voila!

Total cost: $20 and about 10 minutes :) 

I now can glance up while I walk through our hallway without cringing! Which reminds me there are plenty more DIY improvements to be made.. What next? 

Sweet Striped French Canvas Shoes

I was given a small strip of this lovely striped deck chair canvas from our old neighbor and landlord  in Wellington. It's from a gorgeous shop called Madder and Rouge this is the fabric here. It's crazily expensive fabric... like $155 per meter! Anyway this gorgeous fabric sat in my stash for sometime and I thought I would eventually use it to cover an old chair I had. Then looking for baby shoe inspiration, I saw this gorgeous pair of shoes on pinterest and bingo I married the shoe pattern I've had forever and the canvas up to make a pile of shoes good enough to eat! I love how every pair is different to the next yet it's all out of one piece of fabric. These are part of my new Oli e Lui collection.

These are my fav.

Currently selling for NZ$25 per pair :) To View the others see here. You could even "like" Oli e Lui on Facebook. 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. xx

Say Hi to "Oli e Lui"

I haven't blogged much lately... not for lack of things to blog about but we didn't have a computer for over 2 weeks and since then I have been madly trying to sew for my NEW label. I have decided to bite the bullet and start a kids clothing design business for real. I'm calling it Oli e Lui. And I have even ordered labels... feeling flash! Here are a few things I have made in the last few weeks to start with....

 100% cotton long sleeve top. sizes 1-5 years.

 100% Organic Cotton tights, great for cloth nappies.

Floral Bib.

I have started to create an Etsy shop so I can sell my things on there, but it's quite full on to set one up... shop policy, paypal accounts, design...  

I have started a Facebook Page just to get it out there... Now I just need to find more time to sew!

Oh No Not Another Doily Idea! (oh but this ones a goodie!)

I'm sick in bed today, this is day 3 of an awful flu type thing. Hot and cold sweats are so much worse in 27 degree heat! I always seem to get sick after a crazy busy spell. I can almost pinpoint when it will happen. And what a crazy busy spell its been! Two (very last minute) craft fairs in which I had no time to plan, Luca's First Birthday, family staying, Christmas presents to make and then Christmas! Cleaning our house to rent it out over New Year, packing up and staying with my parents, 3 nights at Gisborne's New Year festival Rhythm and Vines (this has been going for 9 years in Gisborne) this year had a sell out crowd of 29,000. I have gone to all but 2 of them. We were given VIP tickets this year and I have to say I will not be going cattle class again. I am getting too old. Anyway so it has been a very very very busy couple of weeks and I am now utterly exhausted. Lucky I have a few creations up my sleeve to blog about, and keep me from feeling totally useless while I am stuck in bed!

Yes, another Doily Idea! Organic Cotton Stretch with Doily Knee patches. I had these little doily circles left over from my DIY Doily Dress and came up with idea for my Cousins newest addition, a little girl who was born in December.

Just simple Organic Cotton Stretch with a doily circle on each knee

Girls clothes a so much fun :)

Happy New Year Everyone.