New things!

I was pretty sure I'd never sew up another doll again, but my shop is almost empty and I had a friend request a ballerina-themed doll. I'm kind of excited to start working again with silly fabric and lace.

I'm also thinking of adding a couple shirts to the shop, so if you're a size 34 bust, keep an eye out for those. There are also some new small bags being made from the fabric I designed recently.

Annnnd, some photos I took while my family was in town.

Trees Scarf in the Shop

Cotton silk blend scarf featuring my trees pattern. One available!

Back by Popular Demand

The bearded boyfriend! Hooray! I got a message from a previous customer on Etsy who bought 3 bearded men last year and asked for another one. These guys are always fun to make and cause many giggles.

Also, I went with Jake and our dogs to the Oregon coast (Cannon Beach) for the day yesterday. I have honestly never seen anything quite like it. So much better than the beaches in California. It already has a special place in my heart.

(Note: my new phone takes kick-ass photos!)

New Samples In!

Spoonflower was WAY fast this time. I ordered last week and got my samples the following week. They must have been able to shorten production time which is great for me because now I'll be more inclined to order and update my shop.

So be prepared for some new wristlets, bags, and POSSIBLY some knit cowls!

Elloh Handmade x The Heart Touch Project

I worked with The Heart Touch Project last year while I still lived in California. I worked with the founder Shawnee Smith as a freelance designer doing some pro-bono work. I really liked Shawnee and the other volunteers that I met and was moved by their motivation.

From their site:
The Heart Touch Project is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the training and delivery of compassionate and healing touch to homebound or hospitalized, men, women and children.


I was especially moved by this because I remember when both of my parents did hospice work - they worked on call and long hours all of the time giving their care to other people and I always thought it was very noble. I still do. So for me to work with Shawnee again and in this way - through my creations that I put a lot of love into to give to people who can then love my creations - is really exciting for me.


So, I'd like to introduce you to Healing Hearts plush toys.

I have so many scraps from sewing my plush toys that I can't use them right away. I also don't want to let them go because I feel like they can still serve a purpose. So I decided to use them to make dolls to sell in my Etsy store and then donate the profits to The Heart Touch Project since I've already worked with them and I feel more personally invested than with any other non-profit organization.


The dolls even have a special Elloh x Heart Touch tag.

I'm really glad to be giving back. So go ahead, take a look at Heart Touch and all of the good they do. And then if you want, donate. And not through me...feel free to do it on their site. 


Caring and healing touch is such an important thing - vital to human beings. I'd just like to support them in their work. 

Shapes and Leather

What you're viewing is the completed mini-collection of wristlets featuring my fabric designs. You can see more details here. The two on the top right have soft leather backs and straps AND the blue geometric one has a shiny gold lining fabric.

These are really fun to make and pretty easy, too. I had to buy a heavy duty needle to tackle the leather parts and I was really impressed how well that worked. Working with leather with a normal needle just shouldn't happen, ever.

So there you have it. Now it's on to tackling a certain pleated monstrosity I have laying around, a ton of refashions from my own closet, a new boyfriend (doll), and a very exciting partnership with a non-profit from California that I had the pleasure of working with last year. More on that later.

Victorian Seahorses

I used more of the samples I ordered from Spoonflower to make this little wristlet. I think "wristlet" is a dumb word but that's what these things are called so I just have to fall in line again. Anyway, I really like this seahorse fabric and I like it even more when paired with gray and...

Is that houndstooth?! Yes, yes it is. Classy.

I also messed around with some paint, pearl pens, and a stencil I made.

It's just cute. Hopefully it can hang above my desk soon.

Have a good weekend!

Totally Totes Tote

Looking for my giveaway?? Here it is.

My latest project was a tote bag. I used a fat quarter of the geometric fabric I designed and made a pattern for a bag with two pockets inside. This is probably the most well-made item I've made to date. I took a lot of extra care with it and was thrilled that it came out so clean and nice.

I'm excited to get my fabric designs out into the internet world and see what people think.

Also, I wanted to share with you the outfit I made up yesterday. I loved Kristen Wiig's pairing of a blazer with a dress in Bridesmaids and I've read a few blogs that noted it as well. I'm pretty new to accessorizing and dressing up and making an effort so I'm still really amped when I come up with something I think goes really well together but wouldn't be my first choice. AND since I work at home and don't see anyone, I must share.

Necklace: Forever 21
Jacket: Thrifted (Ann Taylor)
Dress: Ross
Shoes: Payless

AND I thought I'd show the true functionality of this outfit by posting a picture of how good it looks even when I'm fixing my hair.

Winner!

My first giveaway and the winner is actually someone I've chatted with a few times, so I'm even more excited to send her a little gift.

Congrats, Alicia, and thanks to The Tootsie Wootsie for hosting my giveaway!

New STUFF!!!

(Looking for my giveaway? Here it is.)

I'm not much of a runner or exerciser at all. I like to get my exercise by doing things I already like to do rather than putting myself on a schedule.

With that said, I'd like to relate my little experience this morning. Today was a self-proclaimed vacation day. I woke up, read, bugged my husband to wake up, woke up the dog to bug my husband to wake up, and decided I'd go for a jog with my little friend.

I put on my shiny new Puma shoes that I inherited from my sister-in-law due to some sizing misunderstandings, put on my little black workout top with a built-in bra, and some black shorts. I stood in the mirror and was already jazzed about how fit I was. I looked at myself, posed a few poses, and decided I'd make running an every day thing for sure; It already felt so good.

Finally, I'm outside with my dog, quickly running behind his little Chihuahua butt that can run at speeds I wasn't anticipating. About 2 minutes later, I'm running through the baseball field behind our house thinking to myself "This little SOB can run. Forever. WHY?!"

After about 20 minutes of recovery with a glass of water on the floor of our living room, I was decidedly against fitness, sweat, and feeling like my head is going to implode and that the lights may be dimming - are they even turned on? Where am I?

So there you have it. I'm Lorena, I'm 24, and I am not going to try to pretend that I'm some sort of crazy exercise person EVER again.

There's some new stuff in my shop! A cowboy bear with a vest and leather details, a silly floppy-eared bunny (fabric I designed on the ears), and...could it be?! Yes, the boyfriend with a removable beard is BACK! And I'm very excited.

I also got some more proofs of my designs from Spoonflower! Very happy with these - expect to see some fabric in my shop soon! Well..like in a month because it takes forever to get it.

Also, did any of you watch the Office, episode 23 recently? Did you see Erin's AWESOME shirt? If not, here it is:

Is there anywhere I can buy this? No, is there any way I can make this? I'm going to ponder the last question and get back to you. Any ideas? Seems simple enough - like you could just sew a little piece of fabric there to hold the top down and the bottom up. But it does look like it goes through the front of the shirt..hmmm

I love Erin and Angela's style on that show. They're always wearing something really feminine and making great color combos.

Elloh Handmade Giveaway!

That's right! It's a giveaway: $15 to use in my shop.

See the official rules at The Tootsie Wootsie.

New in the Shop!

Two new owl pillows. I adore them both. And did you see the wings on the pink pillow??  Yep, that's the fabric I designed. I'm excited about getting to use some of it. You can see them both here and here.

Also, lizajane (she is also the Featured Member this week on BurdaStyle!) nominated me for another Stylish Blogger Award. I wish I was feeling more creative but SIGH...I've been working non-stop this week on creative stuff - both for work and fun. I may just have to answer 6 questions and nominate a few new bloggers I've found recently.

Trust me, I have 6 more weird things about me for sure.




1. I used to paint. I was actually obsessed with painting in acrylics for about 4 years. I gave it up a year ago. I just stopped feeling it. I still draw, but I can't bring myself to paint again. Maybe I'll show ya'll my paintings.

2. My husband and I got a chihuahua today and I'm absolutely in love. I'm also a TAD bit allergic to dogs/animals. So, we're doing a test run to see how I do. I hope I don't have to give this little guy away because we're both already very attached to him.

3. I wanted to be a forensic scientist for the longest time but then I found out that I have a definite fear of blood. Only other people's blood, too. So that career choice was definitely out.

4. I taught myself a good amount of French and a lot of American Sign Language when I was about 10 or 11. I don't remember any of it but I really loved both languages.

5. I don't speak Spanish and never have, really, even though I'm Mexican and both of my parents AND my white husband speak Spanish fluently.

6. My worst fears are spiders, heights, and being attacked in the shower/bathroom. Spiders and heights both make me feel nauseous and bring me to tears. For our honeymoon, we hiked Angel's Landing at Zion National Park in Utah and when it got to the knife's edge of the hike I was paralyzed with fear and everyone walked by me while I cried. I was pretty ashamed.

So there you have it. The terrible, terrible details about me.

Now go visit these bloggers, whom I nominate.

Ashley at Refurl (just found her blog recently but I'm def a follower)

Fiona at Hop Skip Jump

Prudence Rabbit

Poppalina

Paunnet

And Audrey at Audzipan Anthology

Have fun!!

Girls Girls Girls

Two new dolls I finished last week - Courgette and Aubergine (Zucchini and Eggplant). Sort of a series, sort of just an idea I had floating around in my head for a while.

By the way, have you noticed the triangle trend in design/art? I'm sure you have.

High Seas

I know I don't often post other people's work. I feel like there are a ton of blogs that already do that and we probably already read the same ones. But, I think I could make an exception for someone's work that really made a difference to me for whatever reason.

Cartoon Monster creates kinetic wood sculptures that involve boats and the ocean. Some pieces are really tiny and some are huge. I can't really explain to you how these sculptures moved me. I saw a video of one of them in action and I could not help but get a little teary-eyed. Maybe wooden toys remind me of being at home with my family, or maybe it's the lighting in the photos, or maybe (now I'm probably going to read too much into it) I feel like the boat - just tiny and sometimes really alone but still moving quietly along on the big ocean. There's something about how the little fragile boat just keeps sailing.

Either way, I love these. Especially this one. It's almost like the fantastic things a child can dream - sailing your boat through the stars.

Lya Doll

Lya is my most recent plush creation. She's cute and simple, with triangle hair and a separate skirt tacked on to her body. I'm torn between using this pattern for future dolls or just keeping it organic and making them all completely different. We'll see.

See more photos here.

Nerdy Rabbit

Going to take a break from the rabbits for a little bit but I had to share this guy first. He's made out of fleece so he's really soft. I also love how I have a scarf JUST like his. See more here.

Earring Round-Up

I'm not into accessories very much, especially if they're sort of over the top or too dangly or big or make too much noise. I usually have to remind myself to wear one of the few necklaces I have or a scarf. But I will wear earrings everyday. I hadn't bought earrings in a few years, so I decided to do a little shopping on Etsy.

The fun thing about buying from Etsy is the care and detail taken in the packaging of the items. It's so nice to get a little gift wrapped up in a box with ribbon and sometimes a few extra goodies :) A few of these sellers, too, I've continued to talk to and read their blogs, so it's a lot more personal.

1. White Drop Earrings from Sparkling Bliss
2. Pebble Gray Sterling Silver Studs from Allison Moore Designs
3. Gunmetal Bow Earrings from Reverberate
4. Silver Lotus Flower Earrings from Piixl Jewelry
5. Olive Pom Pom from SoukySuz

Friday Feature

I'm featured over at Mama's Sewing Room as her Fabulous Friday Feature! Thanks, Kathleen!

Leaping Rabbit

Meet my newest creation. This rabbit is a foot long and is really winning my heart every day that goes by.

Also, check out this tutorial on how to make your own fabric labels. Pretty cool.

New Monster: Bobby

This guy is pretty special to me. For a couple reasons. One, his hair is purple and it came from a stupid  looking purple bear. Two, his tie flips up into his face sometimes. And three, his feet are webbed. Favorite monster creation so far.