A Handmade Journey {Love By Hand}

So, I've done it! I started my new creative journey for the year. I hope you'll join me over at Love By Hand, a new creative blog celebrating my love for handmade. I'll be featuring sewing tutorials, a few no-sew fabric projects and unique ideas for handmade gifts to show the special people in your life that you care.

I'm so exited about my new endeavor and I hope you'll join me!

Handmade Hot List: Neon {A New Weekly Feature}

I’m so excited to launch a new weekly feature today – the Handmade Hot List! Each week, I’ll pick a theme and bring you the hottest handmade items, for yourself or gifting. Ever since joining the handmade community, I’ve been amazed at the talent and creativity of other handmade artisans, that I have almost solely used other Etsy shops for all of my gift giving for all occasions - birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers and Christmas.

So, without further ado, here is the first Handmade Hotlist – Neon! When I first started seeing this trend come back, I immediately thought of the 80’s and my neon wigwam socks. I was SO not ready for that trend to return, but, with these 5 items you’ll see that the trend can be sophisticated and super fun!

Neon Bubble Necklace by DolorisPetunia on Etsy

First up, a gorgeous hand-dyed necklace by Deloris Petunia. This necklace is amazing, and can you believe the colors are hand-dyed? I love it because it is right on trend with all of the bubble necklaces popping up.

Screen printed Neon Pillow Cover by ElRanchoRelaxo on Etsy

I just LOVE this screen printed neon pillow cover. I love the balance of the neon geometric print with the pale linen, and I love the back detail that features wooden buttons. Simple, yet packs a great pop of color.

Neon Pave Tear Drop Earrings by RocksPaperMetal on Etsy

How cute are these simple tear drop earrings? I just love the idea of wearing these earrings as a way to "class up" a neutral outfit this fall. These would make a great gift for a girl who loves her accessories!

Modern Wooden Salad Bowls by Wind and Willow Home on Etsy

There is nothing I love more than kitchen accessories and these wooden salad bowls are amazing! I think I love them more because the pink matches the Love Elaine logo.  And, what is even better about these bowls is that the pink neon isn't paint - the bowls are hand-dipped in a soft rubbery plastic, which makes the bowls non-slip!



Neon Arrows print by Amanda Helmer on Etsy



Arrows are super popular right now, and I love this print in bright neon colors as a way to add color to a room without going overboard. It would also look great in a baby nursery or kids room. Check out her shop for other cute prints.

Hope you enjoyed the first Handmade Hot List! What was your favorite? Have you embraced neon? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas for upcoming hot list posts!

Project Finish Line

Hi all - I'm back! Back from vacation (more on that later) and back to blogging - I seriously cannot believe March 6 (20 days ago!) was my last post.

Why such a hiatus? Well, I've been busy sewing. And emailing. And calling Mom with excitement (!!!) and LOTS of panic. Two and half years ago I started Love Elaine as a way to feed my addiction for fabric, and make a little bit of money doing it. And now, the business is taking off in ways that I could have never dreamed in my wildest dreams!  Since I like to wait on announcing news until its "official official" as in, signed, sealed and delivered, you'll have to stay tuned for announcements on some of my biggest news. (Sorry to tease, I just like to have all the facts when putting it out there for the world to see!)

In the meantime, I can share a lot of finished projects to keep you all at bay. In no particular order:

Here is my entry into the Moda Sliced Design Competition back at the end of February (I told you I was behind!) The details were at Moda Bake Shop and you can see all the entries in their Flickr Group. I wasn't selected for the final 4 or honorable mentions, but I had SO MUCH FUN coming up with an idea and executing it.

Next up are two Amy Butler Birdie Sling tote bags I made for a friend and her cousin about to embark on a Cruise! This bag is so versatile - it can be a beach/pool bag, or a tote when heading to the farmers market for the day. And, its so fun and stylish! I love how it looks so different depending on the fabric used! I can't decide which is my favorite - I love them both for different reasons!

I finished up another set of letters - these are for an adorable 4 year old as he moved into a "big boy" room to make room for a new baby brother or sister on the way!

There is a serious baby epidemic (and I'm not complaining) going on this spring! And I just love it! Great story about this bag is that a friend of a friend purchased a bag for another friend (confusing I know) 2 years ago at one of my first trunk shows. Fast forward, and when that friend was expecting baby #2, friend who received the bag contacted me to make a purple baby bag as a gift! I just LOVE when things like that happen! And, I'm in love with the Love Elaine baby bag - this purple is so sophisticated - its sure to be a cute bag for mom when the little ones get bigger! And, I'm super bummed because I made another bag this weekend for a shower, and in my true last minute fashion, I finished it two hours before the shower and didn't get a picture. But, its in SUPER CUTE pink and green. Stay tuned for listings in the shop of these great bags!

Part of my super exciting news is that I started working with a local professional organizing company here in Richmond on some product development for a conference. Their conference was last week, and let's just say our products were a HUGE hit. Below is a sneak peek of the custom Utility Apron sample, which, I'm keeping for me, as its in my signature plum and grey!! I'll be posting more photos of the products and the company in the coming weeks!

Speaking of the shop - I've updated the shop with new Spring Aprons! Have you seen them yet?! A hint - there is grey and yellow, as well as teal and orange. And there might be birds involved! I hope you'll head on over and check them out! I'll have more on those tomorrow - yes, tomorrow! I promise ;)

A Yo Yo Quilt for Grandma

Most of you know the story of Love Elaine, and for those of you who don't, I'll give a quick overview. Elaine is my middle name, as well as all of the women in my family - Mom, both Grandmothers and my sister. And, Love is my paternal Grandmother's maiden name. I really wanted the name to reflect family, as I've been blessed with very strong (my Dad would say "Strong, Stubborn German Women") in my life, and they've been a huge support behind getting Love Elaine off the ground.


So, keeping that in mind, I wanted to do something special for the upcoming Mother's day for my Grandma (my Mom's Mom), as I am a compulsive special gift-giver. And, if it can be handmade by me or someone else, it ranks high on my gifting list!

Each Mother's Day I host a brunch and gather all the women in the family. Men are welcome but they usually steer clear, as its lots of laughing, awes and just plain girlishness going on!  A while back my Grandma mentioned wanting a Yo Yo Quilt, and I come across a Yo Yo Along at Sew Take a Hike and got an idea.

To make a Yo Yo quilt, you need approximately 1,008 Yo Yos for a 63x81 quilt. Which sounds totally overwhelming to just one person, but between me, my Mom, Aunts and Cousins, there are 10 of us girls. Problem solved and idea hatched!

Yo Yo Making Kits for Christmas

For Christmas when I knew I would see everyone, I made up "Kits" with a Yo Yo maker, needle, and thread along with fabric from my scrap bin - so there would be no excuses for non-completetion! Notice the "big" packs in the back? Those are for me, my mom and my Aunts - since we have more sewing "experience" we figured we'd do more than the rest,150, with the less experienced making 50 each by the deadline of April 1 to give my Mom and I a month to put the quilt together. Luckily for me, everyone thought it was a great idea!

Large Yo Yo Maker - Makes making Yo Yos a breeze!

I have about 50 Yo Yos completed, and they went together super fast using the Yo Yo maker. But, one thing I realized is that I bought the "large" Yo Yo maker, and you really needed the extra large/Jumbo to make the size quilt in the Yo Yo Along. So, the quilt will end up being a bit smaller. I can't wait to see everyone's progress and I'll be sure to update here once we get all of them together, and start putting it together.

Have you pulled together family or friends to make a special gift or project? I'd love to hear about it!

Handmade Valentine's Gifts, Yes Please

Since becoming a seller on Etsy, I've made a conscious effort to support other sellers by giving handmade gifts for all occasions throughout the year. The upside is that the item is still meaningful to the gift recipient, but I didn't necessarily have to make it myself (and to be honest, most of my friends are probably thinking NO MORE BAGS when a celebration for them comes up!). So, for today's post, I wanted to share a few things on my Etsy Favorites list for Valentine's Day. HOMEWORK: If you know my boyfriend, feel free to tell him that anything on this list will be a WONDERFUL gift for Valentine's Day on Monday - I don't even care if its late!

Have a Heart Necklace by Lauren at JerseyGirlDesign

Interesting tid-bit is that Lauren and I were sorority sisters in college at Virginia Tech, we're both Jersey Girls and now we're both successful Etsy sellers! There are lots of great things in her shop and on her blog. Head over there and follow it - she has an item of the week each week with free shipping! AND, she featured yours truly as an Etsy Shop of the Week :) I'm glad I can return the love - and so fitting that Valentine's Day is coming up!

Smitten Dessert Pedestal by Linda at Burlapandblue

I'm completely obsessed with dessert pedestals right now, and I recently purchased 3 pedestals from Burlap and Blue for Mom for Christmas and her birthday - she of course LOVED them! I first met Linda at Chesterfest this past September (although she doesn't remember) and as an experienced and successful Etsy seller and blooger (seriously, follow her blog - you won't regret it, its awesome!) she has taken me under her wing and has been a great craft-mentor!

Fill in the Blank Printable Valentines by Lindsey at eythink

Lindsey is a new seller on Etsy but she is a wonderful graphic designer, as well as a friend! We worked together here in Richmond before she moved to DC to teach and basically just start a new adventure! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! You can see Lindsey's site here.

Honeysuckle Tula Pearl and Rose Ribbon Necklace by Twillypop

(*Friends Take Note - anything from this shop would be a GREAT gift for me anytime in the future. Just sayin'!)

Shabby Chic Personalized Carved Heart by TheLonelyHeart

Absolutely LOVE this :)

Give Handmade This Holiday

For the first time, Love Elaine will be a vendor at the Richmond Craft Mafia's Handmade Holiday on December 12th! Please come out and Give Handmade this Holiday! Your friends and family will thank you for it!