Today, our guest star is Lelanie from To Sew with Love. Lelanie comes to us all the way from Spain! I so hope that her plane flight was a good one. That is a long way to travel for an interview! As crowded as the flights are now, unless you fly with a group of friends and relatives, you are at the mercy of the airlines as to who they stick you in the sardine can-like seats with.
I once flew on a plane from Atlanta to Las Vegas with two large strangers on either side of me. Just as I finally got situated where I took up as little cubic space as humanly possible and had gotten my crossword puzzle book open, the thoughtful dude in front of me put his seat back. Sigh. It was an enjoyable flight. Especially when they gave us our snack and half a can of coke. Ever try to drink a coke without bending your elbow?
I once flew on a plane from Atlanta to Las Vegas with two large strangers on either side of me. Just as I finally got situated where I took up as little cubic space as humanly possible and had gotten my crossword puzzle book open, the thoughtful dude in front of me put his seat back. Sigh. It was an enjoyable flight. Especially when they gave us our snack and half a can of coke. Ever try to drink a coke without bending your elbow?
So with that in mind, my buddy Tom Selleck and his mustache went to an extra effort to get our Green Room prepared. We decided to make her feel at home while she is here, so we mixed up a huge batch of Spanish rice, Empanadas, Gazpacho and Paella. Since my cook, Rastus from the Waffle House wasn’t very familiar with Spanish cuisine, he improvised a bit and I’m afraid all the dishes look a lot like hashbrowns. But they are certainly fancy looking hashbrowns. So all we need is that bottle of Sangria that I bought to go along with it.
What?
What?
Apparently Tom drank all the Sangria last night when his buddy Charlie Sheen showed up for Karaokee. Ya know, you can’t have anything nice around here. I had told him to make Charlie fill out some job applications. Maybe apply on line to Monster.com or see if the local Kroger is hiring. I heard that they had several bagger positions open. Seriously, you have to start somewhere. Winning! Right? But apparently the guys decided to make use of the Karaokee machine instead. And my bottle of Sangria.
So, since Lelanie is here now, maybe Tom needs to take a trip down to the liquor store and replace my bottle. Right Tom?
Suzy: So, Lelanie, tell me a little about yourself, your family, your other hobbies …
Lelanie: The blog started as a Facebook Group and was created by me (Lelanie) and my younger sister, Laarnie. Later on, my high school friend Lhorie also joined us so we came to call ourselves the TSWL
“L” adies!
“L” adies!
Lelanie: We are all Filipinas residing abroad. I live in Spain, Laarnie in Japan and Lhorie in China. But the distance has never been a hindrance for us to form the group and later on, the blog. This is what makes the blogosphere really great!
Lelanie: My sister and I have been crafting since we were young. We learned and got most of our skills (and maybe, talent from our father who taught us almost everything from cross stitching, embroidery, sketching, etc. However, we both learned how to sew on our own, although our father also knows how to sew. Laarnie and Lhorie are also both great singers while I only sing in the bathroom!
Suzy: Your blog is a wonderful mix of sewing crafts. Can you tell me why you started blogging and where you might like it to lead?
Lelanie: My sister started sewing when I was still finishing my graduate studies. When I finished my studies, I found myself bored and in need of some creative outlet. So, my husband gave me as a gift my very first sewing machine. And I haven’t stopped sewing ever since! I began to share my sister’s new-found and passion for sewing and we started to share our creations on our Facebook page.
Lelanie: Our friend Lhorie also shared our love for sewing and began sewing and sharing with us her creations. We were all beginners and passionate with what we were doing. We created the Facebook Group, and then I opened my Etsy store which I now share with my sister and a few days later, the blog. We just wanted to share what we do and also encourage other people who might be reluctant in trying sewing and hoping that we could also inspire others the same way that some crafty and lovely bloggers have inspired us.
Suzy: Can you tell us a few things that most folks don’t know about you?
Lelanie: Well… Lhorie and Laarnie are really great singers while I used to sing in a choir. My sister and I play the flute. When we were still in the elementary, we used to sell a lot of guavas to our classmates. We used to sketch a lot when we were young and used to sell our sketches and drawings to our classmates in high school. When we were in college, we used to make a lot of friendship bracelets from embroidery floss which we also sell. We were also working students until finishing college. We both are migraine warriors and myopic. 🙂
Suzy: Since I’m kinda a crafty blog, I have to ask. Are there any particular crafts that you enjoy the most? (Maybe as much as sewing?)
Lelanie: My sister and I really love cross stitching. We also love to scrapbook. We also did a little of punch needle embroidery before when we were younger.
Suzy: I know you have a very busy life. I also know firsthand how time-consuming a good blog is. How do you schedule it all in?
Lelanie: I do almost everything concerning the blog. Since my sister’s schedule does not allow her to blog regularly and the same goes for Lhorie, so when I have time to sit down and blog like 2 hours at most (especially during weekends) then I prepare all of the posts scheduled to be published on that week so when I am so busy, I don’t have to fret about not being able to follow my schedule. I would only have to hit the publish button.
Suzy: Can you give other new bloggers a few pointers that you have learned along the way in order to make your blog successful?
Lelanie: Our blog is really fairly young, we have started our blog on November 20 so we have just reached our sixth month online and we have still have lots of things to learn about blogging. But one thing I know for sure is that if you are passionate with what you do and also if you are lucky to find really supportive bloggers, then things will surely be easier for you. I once had a cooking blog, maybe 6 years ago, but I didn’t find the warm welcome and support I found when we started the TSWL blog so I stopped my cooking blog just a few months after starting it.
Suzy: This blog community is full of wonderful folks. Can you tell me what blogs inspire you?
Lelanie: I really love and follow so many blogs/bloggers and most of them have already become our bloggie buddies. My sister also has her own favorites. And Lhorie, too. I even became friends with some of the bloggers whose blog I am following and I am constantly amazed at the so many lovely and warm people in the blogosphere!
Suzy: Can you tell us a little about what you are promoting right now? Anything coming up that you want us to know about?
Lelanie: We have a Facebook page where we promote a lot of handmade shops. We also hold a lot of giveaways sponsored by lovely Etsyians. We have a weekly craft Saturday link-up party and a monthly TSWL’s finest, a fun contest for the best craft link-up each month. We also are holding a Help Japan donation drive in Arcoíris Etsy shop where 100% of the sales from the items under the Help Japan section are donated to the Japan Red Cross.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Lelanie! It was a real pleasure to meet you! Please take a few moments and check out their sites, To Sew with Love, TSWL the Shop, and Arcoiris. The team effort and talent of these amazing women is wonderful to see. I’m betting you come away inspired!
So, lets go back in the Green Room and see if Tom has gotten everything under control.
And apparently not.
Since we now have wild music playing and disco lights. And it looks like Charlie is back, along with a whole crew of goddesses. And is that Rastus dancing on top of the table? Really? I knew Charlie was a bad influence, but this is really not what I had planned. Tomorrow, I’m going to make him go down to the local McDonalds and apply for that open cashier position. Guy really needs to earn his keep. Tiger blood only gets you so far in life.
But since the party is now in full swing, and my buddy Tom just summoned us over with a twitch of his ‘stache, I guess we will just have to make the best of it. If you can’t beat them, join them. Right?
But disco? Really?
But disco? Really?
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