Heyy, happy weekend! :) I recently sewed a few new bags, you can find them in my DaWanda shop. :) I love all the colors and fabrics that I chose, they make me want to go to the seaside or have a picnic in a cornfield. :) Which bag is your favourite? :)
Enjoy your Saturday,
Lu
Favorite Blogs: Interview with Stef of Magnoliaelectric.
Hi everyone! Last week I started a new category in which I introduce one of my favourite blogs in an interview with the lovely person who writes the blog every Friday. :) This week, this post is all about wonderful Stef of Magnoliaelectric. We got to know each other through our blogs and soon became online friends and this summer, we are going to get to know each other, can’t wait! :) In case you don’t know her blog, yet, it’s full of bright, super aesthetic photos, delicious recipes, stories of abandoned places and lots of eye candy. Now you can read yourself what it’s all about and can get to know Stef a little better. :)
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1. Please introduce yourself. :)
Hello ladies and gentlemen, my name is Stef, I am 20&something years old and I live in Austria, Europe. I study in Vienna and I will become a teacher next year. I love everything that’s pretty & I adore cute, feminine stuff. I like books, photography, cakes, music, travelling, dancing & doing artistic stuff. – My blog magnoliaelectric is about my passion for beautiful, mostly handmade things, lifelifelife and my way to make it a little bit special.
2. Why did you start blogging?
In September 2010 I just came back from an unbelievable summer at the seaside and from a tour through Germany and I wanted to show my pictures somewhere, so I reactivated my blog magnoliaelectric which I had started out of boredom in 2009.
3. How would you briefly describe yourself and your style?
Finally there – I guess these are the right words. I am a person who has tried out a lot of styles and I think that I am now myself. I like wearing dresses; I don’t have anything against trousers, though. But dresses fit me better and I do not only love the simplicity, but I also love that you wear something special as soon as you wear a dress. I like everything that’s fitted and loose – my style is playful, sometimes more casual with a hat.
4. What is special about you and your style? What makes you unique?
Maybe it’s really something special – not unique – that I own two pants only which I wear sometimes (PS: nearly never). Apart from that, I only have dresses and skirts in which I feel comfortable. And Stef – I – is always combined with a lion’s mane. Curls and long hair, yes.
5. What is the best thing you have ever made / created / sewed / cooked / …? Please tell me about your best project it and share a link!
Mh, there are a lot of yummy things which I have tried so far. A recipe which has become one of my favourite cakes is the cherrypie – but maybe it’s not the best thing. I can’t make a decision, sorry.
6. Concerning the creative part of your life, what is the best thing that has ever happened to you?
I think the blog-thing is a big part of it because it has opened so many doors for me. I was able to publish a recipe in a book, a series of pictures in a magazine and I got to know a lot of awesome people.
7. Who and / or what inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration from and how does your inspirational process look like?
Pure life! Dropping ice cream on the asphalt, blurring moments of summer on the hot street, music, books, museums and exhibitions. Blogs, of course, and some magazines. I have a series on my blog which is called “how to stay inspired/creative”. Here you can get more information on this topic: Here you can get more information on this topic – it’s in German, though.
8. How do you organize blogging? Do you always prepare your posts in advance or do you rather spontaneously post about what comes to your mind?
It depends. I usually plan 2 – 3 beforehand. Because of my regular features, such as YummY FridaY, abandoned places or what-I-wore, I always have a basic idea which I then just have to full in. If I have to learn or work a lot, I blog beforehand for the whole time period and then I only have to activate the posts. If I have time in between, there are spontaneous posts, too.
9. Please name three of your favorite blogs to share them with my readers and briefly tell me why you like them and what makes them worth reading.
Squeaky Swing – Stefanie and I do not only share the same name, but also our love for creativity. I like her blog really much, because she shows personality, she stays true to herself and her DIYs are amazing!
Delightfully Tacky – An international blog on this list. I like Elisabeth’s blog really much, because her outfit posts inspire me and are always beautifully composed.
Gedankeninvasion – This is the blog of my brother and his girlfriend, so I’m pretty much supposed to like it, aren’t I? But I love it, because they also show adventures in abandoned places and I can see how they record the buildings.
10. Please share links to three of your favorite DIY ideas or projects (not your own ones :)).
This sweater!
These Terrarium-Placeholders.
These polaroid magnets.
11. Is there anything really important you‘ve learned through blogging and do you have any useful advice for other bloggers?
Always stay true to yourself, even when there are comments which make you doubt yourself. This is the most important thing. Do what you are good at and practice what you want to be good at. Allow yourself to make mistakes, take criticism in a good way and enrich others with your opinions.
12. What is your biggest dream or most important goal you want to achieve?
In my life? In the end, I want to be able to say that I have lived through everything that I wanted, that I made my dreams come true, maybe that a book carries my name, maybe that I have brought up children, maybe that I have published a series of pictures in a huge way. Whatever it might be, I want to be proud of myself and satisfied with myself.
Thank you, Lu, for choosing me for this series – one of the best parts about blogging is finding friends like you.
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Dear Stef, thank you so much for answering those questions! Can’t wait to meet you in summer! <3
Lu
(All photos in this post belong to Magnoliaelectric!)
Happy Birthday, Hanna!!
Happy, happy birthday, dear Hanna, may you have an absolutely awesome day!!!! Although we cannot see each other today (damn long distance friendships ;)), I hope your day is special and our package arrives on time! <3
Dear readers, today’s my friend Hanna‘s birthday, we have known each other since 9th grade when we became best friends! Since we finished school, we haven’t been living in the same area anymore and we can only spend weekends together, but this long distance makes the time we spend with each other more special.
Can’t wait to see you in July, enjoy your birthday!!! <3
See the amazing swap package I received!!
Hello! :) Most of you who have been reading my blog for quite a while know that I LOVE swaps! :) My first swap was about two years ago with Claire of HeartHandmadeUK after we got to know each other trough Indie Biz and were relatively new to blogging and to the DIY community. My second swap was a pretty big deal, I organized a huge swap this past spring and invited some of my favourite bloggers and my third swap partner was Mona of ansteckend anders, she sent me a super cute brooch which was prettily packed.
Then, a few weeks ago, I commented on the beautiful lace mats of Eni of Mein Morgenstern (translation: My Morning Star) on Instagram and she offered me to send me some. We exchanged a few mails and decided to prepare a little swap, we wanted to send each other a little box full of handmade things and materials.
When I opened the package she sent me, I was soooo completely overwhelmed, there were sooo many pretty things inside (look at the photos above and below!!), full of beautiful details and super cute stuff! She sent me an amazing handmade bag, a super pretty pouch, beautiful vintage fabric, a pillow case, a tiny (phone) pouch, organic tea, buttons, a hair bow, a headband, lace mats, a vintage coaster… When opening the package, one could immediately feel how lovingly it had been filled with all those precious things, thank you again so much, Eni!!! <3
I sent her a handmade mini pinboard, a pouch, fabric, a hair bow, too, handmade felt pinwheels, a tiny, handmade notebook, a fabric key chain, a button and two little bags made of vintage fabric which were filled with little zippers, nail polish and wooden beads. :) I really like the package that I made for her, but I LOVE the package she made for me!!!
I love swaps so much, if you haven’t ever participated in one, you should definitely give it a try!!
Lots of new photos.
Hey, time for new phots. :) I love Instagram so much (find me as
@luloveshandmade), it’s perfect to document tiny, precious moments of
everyday life and it’s one of my favourite toys. :)
1. Mogli and Lotte, old friends. They got to know each other when she was a little baby, now she’s way bigger than him! :) // 2. + 3. Outside with Mogli, enjoying the weather. // 4. Vintage dress and favourite shoes. // 5. + 6. Crafty afternoon with my new friend Kathleen, making tons of felt pinwheels. :)
1. Our beautiful balcony. // 2. Tired doggy baby. // 3. Dinner on the balcony, I brought the cord chair outside, so comfy! :) // 4. I needed new, biometric photos for my new passport and they turned out better than I had expected. :) // 5. Wearing the handmade wooden beads bracelet I made about 10 years ago. // 6. Girl’s date, visiting Cupcake Berlin. <3
1. Homemade raspberry-lime lemonade, my favourite. // 2. Summer colors! // 3. Snack time. // 4. Colorful yarn. // 5. I finished a custom order, a young miss wanted a doggy bow tie for her wedding. // 6. Working on a patchwork pillow case for Mogli. <3
1. Colors! // 2. I love this car – let’s go to the seaside! // 3. Maritime look. // 4. I handpainted a few new mugs, because all had been sold. // 5. Bed corner’s makeover – I loooooove my new color concept!!! // 6. Outfit of the day.
1. Girl’s evening: watchting the season’s final of Germany’s Next Topmodel and eating lots of tasty mediterranean food. // 2. One of my favourite dresses. // 3. Amazing sky. // 4. I met one of my old schoolfriends, we had a super afternoon!! :) We have been knowing each other since 5th grade and have been best friends for years when we were younger and now we meet each other so many years later. <333 // 5. Doughnut time. // 6. Color blocking outfit on the occasion of the European Championship, watching the German team play. :)
I loooove this season SO much, it’s warm enough to wear pretty, short dresses, one can eat lots of ice cream, fresh fruits, there’s blue sky and one can spend lots of time outside in the sun, there’s nothing better than summer! <3 Life’s good! <3
I hope you’re fine and enjoying this season as much as I do! :)
Lu
