Love Knot Nightgown for Bleuette

This nightgown pattern was created several years ago, when I was first bitten by the Bleuette bug.  I'm posting the pattern here, but it may be a bit rough.


It will fit both Reproduction and crocheted Bleuette.  If you are not familiar with the Love Knot stitch, I recommend looking it up in a good crochet stitch dictionary, or Google it for instructions.  I can do the stitch, but I'm not the best person to try to explain it!

Enjoy the day, and enjoy the crochet :-)
 

HandmadeMN Giveaway ~ Party Girl Artwork

By Mara Olden of Dragonfly Adornments

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!


This week's giveaway is from Leah Carlson of Party Girl Artwork and is giving away this hand-painted ceramic Wine Goblet.

Leah created this rich-looking wine goblet by layering orange, yellow and gold hues onto the surface. She hand wrote the word "Wish" and embellished it with a dreamy little star. When Leah creates her ceramic art, she usually fires each piece twice. The first firing produces a piece that is hard and able to be decorated with ceramic paint. After the first firing, Leah creates original designs on the ceramic item with nothing but her imagination and a paintbrush. Once the piece is painted it is set aside to dry. After it's completely dry, she coats it with a clear glaze and fires it a final time. This firing allows the paint/glaze melt into the waterproof coating that is glass like in texture. After the second firing it is completely food safe. Take a sip and make a wish!


Open US and International.

Please make sure you include your email address
so we have a way to contact the winner!
How to Enter:
Visit  Party Girl Artwork, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it. (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments)  Don't forget to include your email address so we have a way to contact the winner!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow our
 blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on
 twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Become a
 Facebook Fan of HandmadeMN. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

7. Become a Facebook Fan of  Party Girl Artwork. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

8.  Follow Leah's blog.  Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

9. Contest ends Saturday, August 11th, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!

HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.



Retro dress outfit & GIVEAWAY


When you follow all the latest trends with excitement it is quite hard to try a more retro style.
Nevertheless, changing is always desirable.
Experimenting with new styles is one of the most enjoyable sides of  fashion.
So why not wear this beautiful vintage dress gifted to me by my aunt?
It is too different from my usual style but I couldn't avoid wearing it.
I loved it from the first sight .
It makes the perfect boho summer look for my vacations that start tomorrow.
I will be away from you for a week, enjoying summer probably on a beach with my best friend.


But before I leave I have a lovely GIVEAWAY for you from VIVI Clothes.
It's a $20 voucher for one lucky winner!!!

Mandatory:
1. Follow Fashion For Life on GFC
2. Like VIVI Clothes on Facebook here
3. Follow VIVI Clothes on Twitter here
4. Leave a comment mentioning your email address plus your facebbok and twitter name

Extra entries:
1. Follow VIVI Clothes on Fashiolista here 

That's all!!! Simple and quick!
The giveaway ends on August 10th.
And for anyone interested I would like to inform you that VIVI Clothes is looking for bloggers to cooperate with them with win actions.
So if you are looking to work with a new brand here is your chance.

Have a great summertime!
SEE YOU ALL SOON...

Fashionably yours,
Despina











wearing:
dress: vintage (gifted)
bag: longchamp
sandals: firenze shoes
belt: tally weijl
earrings: tally weijl
bangles: gifted
sunglasses: asos


All the Pretty Notebooks

This week I've finally started drafting on my new project. I wish I could tell you more about it, I really do, but I can't. All I can say at this point is that it's a completely different world from my Unearthly universe (although, in some ways, not so much, as this new novel takes place largely in Idaho--at least the settings are similar) with a very different type of main character. Which is a good thing. I love Clara, and I've had so much fun with her for the past four years, but at this point I am getting a bit tired of her voice. It happens.

Love you, Clara. Now be quiet.

One of the things I love best about a new project is a new set of notebooks. These days I often write my draft zero out long hand, so I can get away from the computer and the allure of facebook and Twitter and the tons of emails that await me every time I sit down at my desk. I get a lot more done if I slip off to some quiet place with a notebook. And, like most writers, I am particular about the kind of notebook I work with. I like me a lined journal (college ruled or smaller, if I can find it) that will lay flat on a table. I like these pens I found about a year ago from Pilot that are made of recycled water bottles-- a gel roller with a super smooth line. I love those days when I go through all the ink in a pen in one day of work.

Yes, I'm a pen murderer. At least these pens are refillable.

I've found that one novel typically takes me 4 notebooks, to get from the first draft through the last draft of major revisions. I'm getting quite the collection, see?

Not all of my notebooks, but some: the bottom one is for Maggie's story, which I've been jotting down for a couple years just to understand Maggie and her past, the white and green is 2 out of the 4 of Hallowed, the 4 green with elephants is Boundless, the black and white composition book is--can you guess what that might be? If all goes well you might get to find this out in December or so-- and the top, my new project!!)

So, yay! New project! I have been refraining myself from working on this new book for almost a year now. The story is burning bright in my brain, and I only hope I can get it down fast enough, so it does not burn out before it's all on the page. I have about 50 handwritten pages of notes on the characters and their world so far, just waiting for me to pick it up for serious and draft.


I am so ready! Let the fun writing begin!

An invitation to the garden

By Sharon Parker, Arty Didact

Photo by Penguin Palace
Let's linger on the patio this evening and feel the lazy breeze wafting across from the southwest, as the humidity drops out of the air and onto the grass and the temperature falls with it. The sun sinks below the treetops, then pauses for a moment while everything takes on a rosy hue.

Weary late-summer male bumblebees, evicted from the hive, crawl into a flower to sleep. The moths and fireflies come out to play.

The lilies and nicotiana release their fragrance.
Note card by Cindy Lindgren

Hear the "cheeeep" of chimney swifts darting about high above us, snatching a meal on the fly. Was that a bat swooping low over our heads feasting on mosquitoes? Bon appetit, my friends!

Do you see how the white and pastel flowers begin to glow as the reds and darker blues and purples gradually disappear? As everything darkens and the mosquitoes finish their evening repast (*slap!*) and finally subside, those light-colored flowers float mysteriously on invisible stems.

Tile Candle Holder by My Little Chick
Now the swifts return to their chimney and the bats to their roost. The crickets, moths, owls, and frogs remain outside with us. Shoo that moth away from the candle flame; it's mistaking it for a flower.

Let's pour another glass of wine and sit a bit longer; evenings like this are just too rare; the moon is waxing, and tomorrow's Saturday.

Winter is long in Minnesota; the summer has been hot and sticky. These Minnesota artists know how to capture the charm of the summer evening garden.
 

(Click on the image to view the treasury on Etsy.)

New In-Beauty and Jewelry


They say beauty comes from the inside but we girls put some effort on the outside to make it sure.
Shopping for beauty products is one thing I truly enjoy since I have a thing for cute beauty packages especially when they smell like heaven!
A few days ago my boyfriend gave me a wonderful beauty box from Fresh Line Cosmetics (I have talked to you about Fresh Line here) as a gift which included a pomegranate product collection such as a shower gel, a body milk, a soap and an aromatherapy fizzy ball.
They are organic and handmade plus they all look and smell amazing. Cuties in pink!
My new face cream moisturizer by Avene is a the lightest cream I ever tried. Just what I need for July's hot summer days. 
Also I bought some new, totally perfect for summer, jewelry in gold and orange shades. The turquoise ones are my mother's gift.
Finally I renewed my cosmetics collection with a new Sephora body cream, a mascara and a pink lipstick and I received a yellow nail polish from Models Own.
Well, that's all from me!
What was your latest beauty purchase???

Fashionably yours,
Despina













Endlessly and YA Author Week

Hi, y'all! Today I'm off to do a YA library event and signing with Kiersten White, Marie Lu, and Robin LaFevers! Love those ladies and their books!


Yes, for some reason they put up a copy of my UK Hallowed, but hey, it's all good. If you're coming to Oceanside, see you there at 4pm! Be sure to get a few of my Unearthly temporary tattoos!

Also, big happy book birthday to Endlessly, the amazing and fantastic end to the Paranormalcy trilogy by Kiersten White. I am totally going to give Kiersten a big ol' awkward hug and say congrats! Because it is a great book. I blurbed it, actually. Like this:

“There’s not a character in YA fiction that I enjoy reading more than Evie’s. Endessly had me in its clutches from the first hilarious page to the last breathtaking sentence. A fun, heartfelt, and dynamic ending to a marvelous series.”

So yeah, I dug that book. A lot. Check out the trailer.

VIVI Clothes



Looking for a chance to change your style???
Had enough of all the girls wearing the same clothes and accessories as you???
If you need to make the difference I recommend you VIVI Clothes, one of the most unique clothing companies.
Fashion in VIVI Clothes comes straight from Japan's and Korea's latest trends.
Personally I totally admire how fashionable and stylish those girls are.
I mean they all scream elegance and originality!!!
In their online store you will find a great range of clothing and accessories and many inspirational looks too.
As an eternal fashionista myself I couldn't help it but spend my morning trying to find the best of the best from their collection.
So here are my top VIVI Clothes choices.














Well these are just a few of their wonderful items.
Aren't they simply gorgeous???
Coming soon: VIVI Clothes surprise! 

Fashionably yours,
Despina


HandmadeMN Giveaway ~ BathNBeads

by Monique Parent, Glass Garden Designs
Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner! Thanks to all who entered and we wish you good luck with this week's giveaway!

This week's giveaway is from Kris of BathNBeads. She is giving away this set of pretty pink cherry scented bath bombs.
This pretty pink set of three bath bombs has a black cherry fragrance and a few heart sprinkles added for a sweet touch! Drop one in your bath for a fragrant, aromatherapy experience. Or, add some handmade soap and massage bars for a spa gift set. Kris makes the bath bombs half spheres so they will go farther than one large bomb. One lucky winner will receive 3 half spheres individually wrapped for gift giving weighing a total of 6 oz.

Open to US and International.

Contest ends Saturday, August 4th, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

How to Enter:
Visit BathNBeads, pick your favorite item and leave a comment on this post about it. (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments)

          Please make sure you include your email address
                so we have a way to contact the winner!

For Bonus Entries:
Please leave each in a separate comment, as each comment is an entry (To qualify for extra entries you must do step one above).

1. Visit other HandmadeMN team members shops (listed in the sidebar here) and leave a comment(s) here with your favorite pieces.

2. Blog about this giveaway with a visible link back to this posting and comment here with a link to your post.

3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment(s) with a link to your tweet(s).

4. Follow this blog (you want to do this anyway to learn about upcoming giveaways!). Leave a comment here letting us know you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment anyway, as each comment is an entry.

5. Follow HandmadeMN on twitter. Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

6. Become a Facebook Fan of HandmadeMN. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

7. Become a Facebook Fan of BathNBeads. Comment back here with your Facebook name. Existing fans just leave your Facebook name here.

8. Follow BathNBeads on Twitter.  Comment back here with your Twitter link. Existing followers just leave your Twitter link here.

Contest ends Saturday, August 4th, at 12:00 noon Central. One winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!

HandmadeMN members are not eligible to win.

The Very Busy Spider

Ever so often, I read this book to my son:

It's about a spider building a web.

On every page, a new animal shows up and asks the spider to hang out with it: "'Quack, quack,' said the duck. 'Want to go for a swim?'" But the spider never answers. She is always very busy spinning her web. This goes on and on, page after page, from morning until night, the spider not responding to anybody, just spinning and spinning and spinning, until finally she finishes her web. Then an owl flies by and says, "Who? Who? Who built this beautiful web?" But the spider doesn't answer then, either. She's asleep. "It had been a very, very busy day." And thus ends the book.

I am so totally the spider right now.

(Eric Carle, by the way=genius.)

So. I have turned in the next round of revisions for BOUNDLESS. Over the past several weeks many, many people have tried to get my attention, and I have not responded. So sorry for that, people. I was very busy spinning my web.

Revisions are usually tough and slow for me, but THIS revision. Oh dear Lord. So many threads. So many characters and their arcs. So much to set up. There were days a pesky fly flew into my web and thrashed it to shreds. There were days when I was inexorably trapped in the web and I started to feel suspiciously like the pesky fly. There were days I honestly considered whether this web-spinning thing was a healthy career decision. 

I drank a lot of iced tea. Which helped me stay up into the wee cool hours of the morning when the house was quiet and I could think. And then I would lie in bed later trying to turn off my brain, which insisted on revising my book, even when I'd clearly told it to stop. Even in my sleep, I revised. I often woke with a dull headache and the sense that I had been working all night.

I am a morning person, by the way. I suck as a night owl.

I am, quite frankly, exhausted.

Stay tuned for the Grouchy Ladybug, is what I'm saying. . .

But, at least for now, it's turned in. I am finally free to work on a new project. (and possibly a new, NEW project that is Unearthly-related. I shall tell you when I know. . .) And this is great. I have been wanting to work on my new project for almost a year, and I can't wait to really dig into it.

Tonight my husband came into my office to warn me about a spider on the back patio, who was building an enormous web. My husband thought it would be, er, icky, if I walked into that web on my way to water the lawn in the morning.

"He's out there now, building it?" I asked. For some reason I think of this spider as a he. Don't ask me why.

Yes, he was.

I went out on the patio and located said spider-and-web. My husband was right; it's a big web. The supports easily stretch across a ten-foot space, with the center positioned to intercept any unlucky bug who happens to make a suicide-run for the porch light. (Well played, spider. Well played.)

I've seen this spider before. He's a very large orange and black orb weaver, with stripey legs exactly like in the Eric Carle book. I have resisted the temptation to squash him, because he eats many bugs, and he's not doing any harm or trying to get in the house to bite my babies. He's a good spider, and I have just read Charlotte's Web to my son and James and The Giant Peach and I am supposed to be okay with good spiders. (Embarrassing side note: someone recently asked my son about reading Charlotte's Web. He said he never wanted to read it again. Because it -and I quote- "makes Mommy cry like crazy." Seriously, though. Those last lines: "It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and good writer. Charlotte was both." I could start sobbing right now. . .)

Ahem. So back to the patio spider. I haven't ever seen a spider building its web before, not in real life, anyway. So I stood there for a good twenty minutes and watched as the little guy worked to fill in the web. Around and around and around he went, the glossy threads occasionally catching the light. And I noticed one thing right off:

Part of the web is easy for the spider. Starting from the bottom left, he just cruises along, goes a little bit, secures the thread to the support, spins a bit more, secures, climbs the left side, secures the line, goes across the top, spins, secures, spins, secures. No problem, right?

Until he hits the top right, and he has to go down.

Then the spider falls out of his rhythm, he wobbles, the entire web dangles unsteadily as he lowers himself, secures the line, twists and waves his legs frantically and looks all kinds of unbalanced, then finally reaches the bottom and hiccups across two more anchors before he finds his groove again.

Every single time.

I can practically hear the little guy cussing: "Oh for $%^&&**$*!!!! This stupid #$^*&#$&!!! web!!!!" And toward the end there he was looking so very tired. Like, "Please, please, can't this web  be finished now? Pant, pant. I need a vacation." But on he went, until the web was done. I wish I could have taken a picture of it for you, but it would not show up with my camera. Trust me, it was glorious.

It made me smile. Because I am so totally that spider.

This web building stuff is HARD. Even for spiders. And they were made to spin.

(This web is a fair approximation of what both my spider's web and BOUNDLESS look like right now. . .)

Join me tomorrow morning where I forget about the web and walk right into it on my way to water the lawn and run around screaming and swiping at myself. Because that's going to be fun.

''Make Love'' T-Shirt


This is my latest gifted t-shirt.
One of my mother's friends bought it for me and since I tried it on I can't help but think of changing it for another one, maybe closer to my taste. 
It's an one size, oversized top but it looks like it's too big for me.
Truth is I love the logo and the colour so it's kind of a hard decision.
What do you think about it?

p.s. Thank you all for your wishes in my previous post. Loved reading them.

Fashionably yours,
Despina 











wearing
t-shirt: rallu
shorts: pink woman
sandals: doca
scarf: fullah sugah
earrings: tally weijl
ring: alexi andriotti accessories
bracelet: gifted
sunglasses: asos