Leila and Ben - Handmade for Modern Kids

Winners!

2010-12-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

We have picked 2 winners using the random number generator!

Congratulations
Melanie (commenter 234) who said:
I love that cap! Please!

and
Farah (commenter 34) who said:
Nice patterns! thanks

I will send both of you an email tomorrow, as it is far to late for me to still be up!!

Have a great weekend everyone, and thank you all so much for commenting!

Giveaway Day!

2010-12-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

And here we are again, another Giveaway Day!
These giveaway days are so much fun. I find lots of new blogs that I add to my daily reading. Not sure if this is a good thing...
If you haven't heard of Giveaway Day before, you should really go check it out here.

As for our giveaway...

We are giving away one copy of each of our sewing patterns to 2 lucky winners!!

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post (one comment per person please).

On Friday evening (December 17) we will randomly pick 2 winners.

Anybody is welcome to enter, these are PDFs, so the patterns will be sent to you by email.

Don't forget to leave us a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner...

Have fun!

Winners!

2010-11-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

We've picked 2 winners using Random.org!

Cindy OrDerek Terpsma and Monika Kozomara won a free Sweet Little Dress and a pattern of their choice from our store.

Our sale is almost finished, get your patterns for $4 each this weekend!

Sneak Peek

2010-11-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

Skinny pants for your little one...

...or your not so little one!

We're hoping to have our pattern available within the next couple months, sizes starting at 3M all the way up to size 10!

Sale and Giveaway!

2010-11-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

We are having a sale to celebrate being back into the swing of things! All of our patterns are currently $4 instead of the usual $6! Sale starting today until Saturday.

Also, we are excited to be blogging again and to have a new Facebook page. We are having a giveaway!
All you need to do is 'like' our Facebook page to enter.

We will choose 2 random winners on Friday November 26 at 4 PM MST.
The winners will receive a Sweet Little Dress and a pattern of their choice for free! The winners will be asked to choose a size (12M, 2T, 3T, 4T or 5T) and we will pick the fabric!

Would love to see you on Facebook!

New Motivation and New Patterns!

2010-11-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

So, after a half year break (!) we decided to get back into the blogging mode...
There has been much going on these past eight months, which includes a new baby and a new business.

As for Leila and Ben and patterns, there is a lot happening behind the scenes right now, and hopefully in the next half year we will be able to come out with 4 - 6 new patterns!
We are hoping to post some progress pictures on the blog here.
There will be giveaways of patterns and giveaways of clothing, so stay tuned.

We have also started a facebook page.

For our new patterns we are hoping to go all the way up to size 10, and we are planning to up the sizing on the Sweet Little Dress Pattern to size 10 as well.

This Sweet Little Dress was made using Flora and Fauna by Patty Young. I just love the green!

I used the bloomers pattern from the Amy Butler book 'Little Stitches for Little Ones'. The bloomers look so cute with the Sweet Little Dress! The only thing I would change next time is that I made the dress in a 9 month size, which fit her well, but the 9 months bloomers only fit her once! I do have big babies, but when making a 9 month dress, the bloomers should probably be a size up.

We are hoping to post more ideas and pictures in the future!

2010-05-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

I love houses that are aesthetically pleasing yet have room for kids too. So often people sacrifice their personal style to fit kids into their lives when there's really no need to do so.

Here's a few inspirational shots of my favourite kitchen right now - light, bright and airy. I'm absolutely loving the fireplace in the corner! So cozy.

Found via Emma's Design Blogg.

Giveaway Winner!

2010-05-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

And our winner is...

Number 26:

Bailey:
'I love the sweet little dress and the caplet! I could make a dress with a matching capelet! Oh the love!'

Congratulations! The patterns will be coming your way soon, Bailey!

Thank you all for your comments!

Giveaway! Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day ~ CLOSED ~

2010-05-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Enter to win:

A set of all of our PDF sewing patterns!

Sew, Mama, Sew is hosting it's annual giveaway day and we're participating!

To enter:

Leave a comment on this post with a comment about your favourite Leila and Ben pattern!
Spread the word by posting about this giveaway on your own blog and linking to this post and leave us a comment with your blog address for a second entry.

This giveaway is open internationally, the package of patterns will be emailed to the randomly selected winner. That's it! Good luck!

Mimosa the Bear and Friends

2010-05-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

I came across these adorable stuffies from Kiss Prudence on Etsy today.

I think they would make great little friends.

Don't you just love the extra long legs?

Fabric Ideas: Sweet Little Dress Pattern

2010-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a few fabric ideas for the sweet little dress pattern:

The sleeves with this fabric:

And the main body:

Or this combination:

Sleeves:

Main body:

And this would be cute for the whole dress:

Etsy Love - Green Edition

2010-05-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

Here's my favourite green items lately on Etsy:

Room Inspiration

2010-04-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

A few favourite kids rooms...

More Etsy Love

2010-04-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'd like to order a whole menagerie of these paintings. Original watercolours, this artist, Dimdi, also accepts custom orders of your pets!

These are a few of the ones I want to order... these birds are regulars around my house.

Fabric Love

2010-04-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

What sewer doesn't love fabric? Shopping online has opened up a whole new world for a lot of us - it's easy to find designer fabric, Japanese prints, and retro and vintage fabric online when local stores just don't have the selection.

I just received 2 really fun yards of fabric from Etsy seller Kind Supplier. Located in Seoul, I know they have all sorts of fabric that I won't find locally!

I know I'll think of something to make from them...

Check it out:

Sew Mama Sew

2010-04-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

Since we've launched our website { leilaandben.com } we've been looking into places to advertise to get the word out about our site. The best thing about our website is that our PDF patterns are available for immediate download after purchase.

Here's a screen shot of our ad on the Sew, Mama, Sew! Blog. What's your favourite sewing blog?

For Meal Times

2010-04-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few cute child/baby utensils. If you have a picky child, sometimes a cute utensil does the trick to distract from the broccoli you are shoving scooping into his mouth!

Hasn't everyone done the "airplane trick" at one point? (Or at every meal!) This fork makes it easy for your little one to imagine an airplane flying above their head and "coming in for a landing!"

Cute little dinosaur set of utensils made of organically grown bamboo. And the best part? There's no dyes or bleaches, making it safe for your little one to chew on.

These Play and Learn Baby Spoons are perfect for the baby who is just learning to eat on his own. Having a spoon on both ends gives baby twice as much chance to get it right! They also feature a lip to stop baby from pushing the spoon too far down his throat and gagging (and potentially throwing up all the broccoli that just made it down).

Modern Play

2010-04-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's sometimes hard to find toys that don't look tacky in our home and the kids want to play with. That's why we love this drum set for toddlers. Wood and a pop of colour always looks good.

And this dollhouse is pretty much the stuff that toddler girls' dreams are made of...

This rocking horse is also something I would love to add to my home.

Sweet Beets - Etsy Love

2010-04-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of fellow Canadian Etsy shop Sweet Beets for a long time now. They have such a cute selection of letter-press prints and cards. Who can resist letter-press??

They've recently added to their already great shop by offering printable announcements and invitations. Here are a few of my favourites:

Modern Birds

2010-04-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Living in the countryside, we love to attract birds. There's nothing like seeing the swallows soar overhead when they return at springtime, or the bright flash of a goldfinch in the tree next to our house. My kids love to watch the birds through the window flitting back and forth from the trees to the feeders.

We've always had a number of feeders surrounding our house, but have just recently begun to mount birdhouses throughout our property. Last year we had 3 pairs of nesting tree swallows and two pairs of house wrens. This year, we'll be trying to get more birds to call our yard home!

Why compromise style when there are so many modern bird houses and feeders out there? Trust me, the birds (or at least your neighbours) will thank you.

The Bird Box:

Popoutz Peanut Feeder:

Perch Bid Feeder

Modern Birdhouses:

Recycled Glove How-to: Make a Chipmunk Softie

2010-03-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

I ran across this article on Etsy from back in 2008 and thought it was too good to keep for myself. Using a single glove, Miyako Kanamori creates the cutest little animals and she shares how to make this adorable chipmunk in a free PDF download. Check it out here!

Wooden Toys

2010-03-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

There's something about wooden toys. Besides the fact that they are recyclable and natural, they just look sweet too.

Wooden toys never go out of style and are often kept to hand down the generations. Little Sapling Toys on Etsy got my attention so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you. They also plant a tree for every toy purchased! {how cool is that?}

Ferm Living - Wall Stickers

2010-03-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ferm Living has a cute selection of wall stickers. What a cute way to customize your nursery or playroom with a modern feel. Check them out below:

Just for You

2010-03-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've decided to dedicate this post to shoes. Not cute little toddler shoes, but grown-up shoes for you! Take a look at ModCloth for the cutest indie shoes! {They also have a huge selection of new apparel, things for your home, and vintage clothing!}

Here are a few current favourites:

And these are actually Rain Boots!

Modern Retro - Kid Sized

2010-03-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

If you're a big fan of modern retro styling, check out Little Nest. They carry kid-sized furniture of all your favourite modern classics with cute names.

Here's the mini-e:

The yolk:

And my personal favourite, the cygnet:

Elusive Spring

2010-03-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Although technically it's spring here in Canada, as I look out my window it's snowing again for the third time in 3 days. I can't wait for the days that we leave our doors open all summer and wear only bare-feet outside... lounging on patio furniture on the deck... and of course laying down a blanket in the shade and having a lazy picnic with my kids. Here are a few cute picnic baskets to get me through the last days of winter and keep me looking ahead to spring.

via Crate and Barrel {on sale!}

via Acreativegift.com

via Heals {love the retro colours!}

Flickr Finds

2010-03-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

A few kids rooms for inspiration found via flickr...

The Sweetest Mobiles

2010-03-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

You can find the sweetest modern mobiles at Rare Device, an online shop with a great selection of beautiful housewares, baby items, art, and other things for you and your home. I think any baby would love to gaze up at these cute animals.

Modern Art Prints

2010-03-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

I love these minimal and unexpected animal art prints from Sharon Montrose. I've been eyeing them for a while now, but I can't decide which room of the house they should hang in... The bathroom, living room, entry way?? I think they would look fabulous anywhere, but the serene and calm feelings these prints evoke would make them ideal for a nursery or child's room.

My favourite is the little fawn print, but the rest are all so lovely too.

Yummy New Fabrics

2010-03-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

Not surprisingly, Amy Butler has come out with stunning new fabric. Her "Love" collection has beautiful colourways and is really fresh and would look lovely mixing and matching to make a sweet little dress. Visit Amy's site to see the full new line.

Etsy Love

2010-03-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've always been a big fan of the hip clocks from Decoylab on Etsy, but I just recently found out that they've added a great new line of kids clocks as well! Modern and simple, these clocks would make a great addition to any nursery or toy room (actually I might order one for my studio!) Can you get any cuter than that squirrel with the nut? Available at Decoylabs.etsy.com.

Free Vest Pattern!

2010-03-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

Yay for Freebies! We are excited to announce a free pattern that you can download in our sidebar - our Unisex Vest Pattern for sizes 6M to 5T! The vest can be made with the peter pan collar for a girly look and without the collar for the boys. Mix and match the lining and the outer fabric for a customized look.

Have fun!

New Pattern Sneak Peek - Unisex Vest

2009-07-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

We've been working on a pattern for a little vest lately. The nice thing about this pattern is that it can be made for a boy or a girl. The optional peter pan collar is cute for a girl and made without the collar it's perfect for a boy. The vest has a modern cut with simple lines. Look for it in our shop soon!

Giveaway Winner!

2009-06-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! Thanks for all the comments! It seems like there was definitely a theme going through all the comments that you want more boys patterns! We'll take that to the drawing board and hope to come out with a few boy patterns in the next little while.

We used a random number generator to pick the winning comment and the winner was ircabbit who said, "I'd like to see pants in your shop. For some reason babies in pants are sooo adorable to me."

Hope you have fun with all the patterns you will be receiving!

Thanks so much for your participation everyone!

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway!

2009-05-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

We've got a great giveaway going right now! We are giving away all of our sewing patterns to one lucky winner. That's a total of six patterns! Included in this giveaway is our Little Cap Pattern, Simple Skirt Pattern, Tie for your Little Guy Pattern, Sweet Little Dress Pattern, Retro Apron Pattern, and Little Bolero Jacket Pattern.

Here's how you can win: Let us know what pattern you'd like to see next in our shop! To visit our shop, click here.

This contest is open to everyone! The winner will be chosen randomly, and the patterns emailed to the lucky winner in PDF format. Please leave some way we can contact you (blog address, email address, etc.) so we can let you know when you've won. This giveaway is open until midnight, MST, May 31.

Thanks Sew, Mama, Sew, for hosting the May Giveaway Day!

New Pattern - Sweet Little Dress for Babies

2009-05-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a little preview of a "new" pattern that will be added to our shop soon. The Sweet Little Dress will soon be available in a 3M, 6M and 12M pattern.

New Pattern

2009-05-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

We're back! We had a great break and now we're back with a new pattern - the promised Little Cap Pattern! Great for boys and girls, this modern cap fits snuggly around the head and can be made with lightweight cotton in the summer and wool and flannel in the winter.

Taking a Break...

2009-04-02T12:20:00.001-07:00

We're taking a break from Etsy for a couple of weeks. Things have been going great, but we need some time to refocus and adjust our priorities. Not to worry - we'll be back soon!

You can also still get our patterns over at You Can Make This or Artfire while we're having a little "down time". Right now all of our crochet patterns at You Can Make This are on sale for a limited time! Yay!

Not Just to Tell Time

2009-03-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

I have an obsession for clocks... not that I always want to know what time it is, but there are so many cute clocks out there! For instance, I came upon this sweet one the other day... isn't it great with the frames? I think it would make a very cute clock for in a child's bedroom.

They also carry this clock, another one of my favourites:

Available online at Dutch by Design.

notNeutral

2009-02-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

Sometime family mealtime can be a little stressful. Why not make it a little more fun for your little one with these cute dish sets from notNeutral? Available at Modern Seed.

Dwell Sale

2009-02-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

I've posted about Dwell Studio before, but I was just browsing their site today and came across some great deals that were too good to keep to myself! Dwell has a fantastic SALE section with most items 50% off the regular price! A few of my favourites were this hooded towel and coordinating bib and burp set. So soft and feminine!

I also loved these placemats... They would look so good in my dining room!

What's New at Leila & Ben!

2009-02-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! This blog has been completely neglected! We hope to post quite regularly soon to let you know what's new and coming at Leila & Ben and also to share with you some of our great finds for modern kids!

We hope you are all having a great New Year so far - I can't believe it's already February! We've added a new pattern in our shop here at Leila & Ben: the Simple Skirt Pattern. This is a great pattern fro beginners and can be whipped up in an hour or even half an hour if you're fast! It makes a cute gift or is also great to make a few to coordinate with your little girl's wardrobe.

I'd also like to update you on a new pattern that we are working on and should be in our shop soon! We really wanted to make a hat pattern that could be for girls and boys and we think we've succeeded in this little cap pattern. Look for it in our shop soon!

Momoll: Modern and smart things to inspire your kids.

2008-10-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Outstanding wooden modern toys and furniture at Momoll, a Swiss based company with beautiful European styling. And the good news: they have retailers across the world. Maybe there's one in your neighbourhood!

I was especially drawn to this little car garage...

... and this simple playhouse.

For the Baby's Bedroom

2008-10-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

I came across the cutest little hangers today. Apehangers by Our Children's Gorilla are very clever and would very sweet hanging on the wall displaying your child's favourite outfit. You can find them at Huset.

I also fell in love with this Nassu Face "Binki" Holder by Seimi - so simple, yet it would be so handy! A lot more sanitary than just tossing the soothers on the shelf. Even little ones can learn to use the holder. Also available at Huset.

Yay! We have a Winner!

2008-10-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Brandy from the Nettles Family has won our giveaway! We'll send out your dress early next week for your little one.

Thanks so much for participating everyone! Check back for another giveaway before Christmas!

Fall Giveaway!

2008-09-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

To say goodbye to summer and hello to fall, we're giving away a Sweet Little Dress! We have these three new dresses in varying sizes (from 12M to 5T).

How can you win a sweet dress? Just link back to this post in your own blog AND leave a comment here telling us which size you'd like to win and a way to contact you if you're the winner!

The contest closes on Monday, September 29 and the winner will be announced soon after.

Good luck!

The Sweet Little Dress Sewing Pattern is also available at our store leilaandben.etsy.com so you can sew your own little dresses!

Welcome to Our New Blog!

2008-09-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our New Blog! If you'd like to read all of our old posts, go to babyleila.blogspot.com to read them there.