Friday Picks: Halloween!

For the past two Halloweens I have forced a group of my friends to wear themed costumes (first year Fruit, second year Super Smash Bros), and I sewed ALL the costumes (of course, I was forcing it upon them). This year, I was too busy with preparing for Shop787.

Thus, I only made The Boy and my costumes this year (I'll post pictures tomorrow when we take them!), but I somehow found some requests to help with small details which required my sewing skills. :)

And now, the treats.

a. Batty Bat - Pet Bow Tie, WhiskerKisses
b. Sweet Pumpkin Spice Soy Blended Candle, JenSanCandles

c. Halloween Spiderweb Foldover Clutch, EdensWake
d. Hey Good Lookin' Pocket Mirror, PipingHotPapers
e. Chocolate Pumpkins, Vintage Confections

Happy Halloween Weekend!!

Wide Mouth Mason Jars

My brother, our friend Harry, and I went to Moonshine for Sunday brunch some weeks ago and the first thing that came to the table were our glasses of ice water, served in a wide mouth mason jar. I couldn't think of anything else except to find these exact (or very similar) glasses for the apartment. I ate three plates of brunch and came home and ordered these glasses straight away from my favorite vintage jar seller on Etsy, MidwestFinds.

My first plate of brunch with an awesome mason jar of ice water. Took this picture with my iPhone.

The jars I ordered.

I also got a soap dispenser jar, too. :)

They came in and I was overjoyed with excitement and I immediately told my brother and my boyfriend and all I got was "Wow, you bought jars on Etsy...ok..". They never understand.

Reminds me of a funny story...

I was in the movie theater watching Quantum of Solace and in the last scene, I couldn't focus on ANYTHING except where Olga Kurylenko got her shoes! I have no idea how the movie ended because I really just loved the way her chucks looked with those buckles. I've never seen chucks with buckles. Oh, and were those leather chucks? I HAD TO FIND THEM! During the last scene I focused on nothing but this actresses feet and my brain was sifting through all the stores I thought would sell them and unfortunately this was before I had an iPhone otherwise I would have been googling right then and there in the theater.

I came home and spent about an hour searching for these and finally found them, but they were over $150. And I was in college. And spending that much money on a pair of shoes is never a good idea. Oh god. What do I do? Oh well, "ADD TO CART".

Done.

Then, I wrote about it on my blog.

Yep.

It has almost been a year since I purchased those shoes and I have to say that they are my FAVORITE shoes. I wear them all the time. I love them. Well worth the money.

I love Ribeye. Most of the time.

I love steak. Namely ribeye. It's a great cut of meat and when cooked at a light pink medium, I feel like I've been lifted off into cow heaven where I see endless supplies of beautiful leather hides and ribeye steaks.

Really, I love it that much.

I'm a steak and potatoes kind of girl, and when I try a restaurant for the first time and I can't find anything in particular worth trying, I opt for a ribeye steak, cooked medium rare --I ALWAYS take 2/3 of my steak back with me for the next day's lunch and when I re-heat it, it becomes a perfect medium. Really, a 12 oz. steak is just way too big for one meal for me. And at $22 a pop, with my income (selling bags on Etsy if you're new to reading about my life), I need to stretch a dollar as far as I can.

To the point.

Remember my friends Stu and Keris? I've mentioned them here and here. They quit their engineering jobs (after being NEWLY MARRIED!) and are going to New Zealand to learn to wine-farm (is that the word for it?) for some 4+ months. How cool is that? I'm hoping they come back with lots of ideas on opening their brewery and/or winery. I will surely be one of their early investors...maybe not with hefty funds, but I can sew merchandise, like Travelers....

Well my brother arranged a going away dinner at NXNW (a restaurant/brewery) in Austin. I've heard lots of great things about this place. I've lived in Austin for over 5 years now and I have yet to try it, until yesterday.

The food was plopped in front of me and I was already drooling with savory delight to cut into my ribeye flanked by delicious fresh veggies and blue cheese scalloped potatoes. I pick up my steak knife and get to it! The first thing I noticed was that it took quite a few cuts to get a piece off. Offense #1. I cut it to see that it is a nice light purple rare. Offense #2. I shake it off because I don't mind a rare steak here and there. I'm super hungry after all. I take my first bite and I immediately get a large piece of connective tissue stuck in my teeth. Like really stuck. I move the piece to the other side and more gets stuck on the other side of my mouth. Ugh. This is horrible. Gross. What the heck. I manage finish the first piece and cut off another piece hoping the chewing will dislodge the gunk stuck in my teeth. Boy I was wrong. And there I sat, four really thick gunkies lodged in my poor innocent teeth.

These feel like spacers. Then I realize that I've never had braces to really know, but little does everyone know that when my brother had braces, I stuck one of those tiny rubber bands in between my teeth to see what it felt like and it was so agonizing, and it took a lot of flossing to get that thing out. Never doing THAT again. And parents, keep an eye on your curious second child if your first child has braces. Fortunately, my teeth came out pretty straight, see pictures below.

a. The Boy and me. He had braces, I didn't. We both have straight teeth!
b. See? Straightness.
c. Check out that alignment!

There I was, four pieces of thick connective tissue stuck in my mouth and complaining to The Boy about it as he enjoyed his juicy and tender Orange Chicken (not the kind from Panda Express, it was really really good despite the name of the dish). He suggests going to the bathroom to dislodge them, and I managed to wrangle all four of those suckers out of my mouth and come back for one more piece. It didn't have any gunk. Thank god. But I ask for a to-go box anyway because I wasn't in the mood to experience that again.

I will note that this was a room with 30+ people drinking, conversing, laughing, and ordering 30+ different dishes, so the three servers were heavily worked and the kitchen staff was managing lots of orders and trying to get them out at the same time. I understand. I'm not going to let one bad experience deter me from a second visit. I'll give it another go on a date night where it's just The Boy and me. Trying a restaurant for the first time in that massive of a group is not always going to foster the best experiences.

Plus, the beer is great! I had the Pyjnigo Pale Ale and it hit the spot. So much so I had a second.

p.s. My dad was missing his favorite work gloves after he returned from visiting my brother and me, and he e-mailed me to tell me that he found his gloves when he read yesterday's blog about my new work bench! That's good, because I really like those gloves and wasn't planning on returning them anytime soon. I was sure that he was going to purchase another pair and then find that I had them all along. I did this with a cool pocket knife that he let me use for opening packages and peeling oranges and things. Then it got confiscated at the airport! Ugh! How can I forget to take out a pocket knife from my purse, seriously. After that, my dad just bought me pepper spray because it was cheaper than losing a good knife. Then I got THAT confiscated at the airport in Boston, returning from my internship at MIT, because apparently it's a fire arm in MA. Oops, and I had it that whole summer in Boston. Did the police guy really have to yell at me, though? And threaten that I may get arrested when I return to Texas? And then he made me cry.

Really? Arrested in Texas for possession of pepper spray? I got mine at an electronics store. But then again, it is Texas. :)

p.p.s. Check out my labels for this entry. It's funny, huh?

It's Raining, It's Pouring

This past weekend my parents visited, and my dad and I built a sturdy work bench to withstand all my hammering. Using a wooden computer desk was starting to sound (and feel) like a bad idea. I've moved the desk next to my sewing machine so I can stack piles of fabric ready for sewing --which is really helping with my efficiency in sewing bags in parallel.

We mimicked the style of this one from Popular Mechanics. Except we left out the beautiful detail of using threaded rods to assemble the chopping-block style top (I don't have the tools necessary to make that in my little apartment), and sans the vice. But it's okay. I needed something that we could purchase, cut, and assemble in about two hours because I don't want to spend our entire weekend on making a bench --though when I do have my own house (with a dedicated studio) I'll invite the parents over again and dedicate an entire weekend to wood working because my dad loves helping me on projects like these. I really love the industrial look of the exposed nuts and bolts and the craftsmanship of this particular bench.

We made this desk large enough to fit large bolts of fabric for easy and precise cutting. It is made of some 2x4's and 2x6's that I had from other furniture projects in the past and we finished it with an oak top. I was planning on taking the top outside to sand and seal today, but the rain has postponed those plans.

But since it IS rainy and there's a lovely overcast above, I did want to take the opportunity to take pictures of some new neutral fabrics I'm adding to the shop... because an overcast does make for very lovely photos.

Linen in Brown
Upholstery Suede in Army Green


Upholstery Corduroy in Mustard
Upholstery Corduroy in Army Green

I'm really looking forward to photographing my bags on this new table. It's so lovely! Oak has such lovely grains, and you'll be able to see more details when I sand and seal it. :)

Have a wonderful Monday!

Friday Picks: Vendor Fair

I've been preparing for Shop787, and my work area is quite a mess.

Installing metal snaps to Travelers.

To better prepare I generated a checklist of items that needed accomplishing...

1. Activate my cell phone to process credit cards. Check.
2. Make signage for products and accepted credit cards. Check.
3. Order shopping bags. Check.
4. Create simple database on laptop to enter e-mails for subscriber updates. Check.
5. Order business cards and postcards. Check.

That I have to make a lot of bags (since my Etsy shop is mainly made-to-order). In Progress.

As I was thinking about all these things, I realized early this afternoon that it was Friday (wow, the week passes very quickly...) and I needed to assemble a Friday Picks list! So what better than how to prepare for a vendor fair!

a. Gray French Velvet Ribbon, Kiwii
b. Vintage Fork Easel, WHIMSYlove
c. Vintage Children's Metal Shopping Cart, cutfromthesamecloth
d. Cactus Jewelry Display, saraschalliol
e. Industrial Grey Metal Drawer, MODERA

a. Finish your gift wrap with velvet ribbon, and you'll win the hearts of your customers.
b. Display your signage on these neat Vintage Fork Easels.
c. Shopping at a vendor fair would be so much easier with this Vintage Shopping Cart.
d. Display your handmade jewelry and ornaments on this ultra mod Cactus display!
e. This Industrial Drawer is a great place to display items like ribbons and cards.

p.s. There are just FOUR Travelers in Boho and Brown (the ones pictured in the first image) left before they are gone forever! You can get one in the shop, or try your luck at Shop787 before they sell out!

SQUEEEEE!!!!

Poor kid had to listen to me squeaking with delight as I took these pictures.

Hubert and The Traveler.


Hubert looks out the window to bark at everything.

And now that I'm looking at these pictures, I should probably rephotograph that Traveler.
Note: overcast skies makes for better pictures. Counter intuitive, huh?

The Briefcase

I have been asked (many many times) to make a messenger bag for dudes. I know they're hip and cool and everyone wears one, but I can't bring myself to make one because of just one feature on the bag... that flap on the front. It's really a non-value-added feature to the bag and I can't rationalize its function (isn't it just a piece of wasted fabric?). Plus, it's my job as an engineer to be able to translate a "Customer Want" into a functional and marketable product with features that customers need and will use.

The product must also be efficiently created to minimize wasted material and unnecessary additions. If there is an addition to the bag that is not functional for the customer, then the customer shouldn't have to pay for it. For instance, I used to make these bags with removable straps but no one ever removed the straps to just use it as a tote, so why pay for the additional hardware and labor?

I had a similar experience in my senior design year when my team and I were asked to redesign a surgical tool for use in the operating room. One of the design requirements requested was that it be a "single-handed-use device". Alright, so the product should be small and compact --that will be value added to its ergonomics, but in this particular case, the operation is highly technique sensitive and requires great stability. So what was the surgeon going to do with his other hand during this procedure? Nothing. Thus, we made it small and compact, but two-handed use to ensure the procedure would be done carefully and correctly. We ended up with a sexy product and presented it to the president of the company and received great feedback on its design. You may see it in the future. :)

Back to the topic...

As I was discussing all the design requirements that The Boy wanted for a laptop bag, he stated the following:

1. Fits 6 lb. 15.6" laptop
2. Zippered closure
3. Front Pocket with flap
4. Adjustable Strap
5. Handles on top

Sounds like The Briefcase to me.

Oh, I translated the "zippered closure" into a more functional flap with metal snap closure because really, I don't think anyone will be swinging this bag around and upside down. Plus, I think it's better this way --much easier to open and close on the fly.

You can see the interior here. And size-comparison to the Traveler.

This bag was made with saddle leather, so it is really tough and can handle lots of abuse. I only have enough for one Briefcase, but I'll be looking for more.

Holidays are just around the corner and hand makers are going to be busy busy making your gifts in time for December! So get them in early and save yourself the pressure (and us, too). :)

Friday Picks: Science

I was cleaning, rearranging and reorganizing my room so that I could work more efficiently. As I was emptying, moving, and re-filling shelves, I found the single souvenir that survived from my college years in Biomedical Engineering, a text book titled Tissue Engineering by Clemens Van Blitterswijk (we called him CVB). I sold all my other books back to get money to purchase my books for the next semester. This was the only one that remained...

And with that, I dedicate an entire Friday Picks to the topic of science, and my memories of college.

a. large DNA bangle, bethtastic
b. Vintage Pyrex Lab Glass Beaker, ethanollie
c. caffeine molecule necklace, molecularmuse
d. Antique Anatomy Model, shavingkitsuppplies
e. Brain Cufflinks, voodookingdesigns

a. This DNA bangle reminds me of all those times in lab during my 3 years as an undergrad researcher (summer internships, 7-month co-op, semester-long 20/hr/week lab work). I always ended every experiment by "running a gel" to make sure the DNA was correct after all the experimentation. Oh, gel electrophoresis, how you've helped me so.

b. We used glass beakers all the time. The time I remember it most when I had to make I-have-no-idea-how-many little test strips of gel mixed with varying amounts of calcium to test whether the overall tensile stress of the product was increased with increased calcium. Fun experiment. Got to work with an instron. I won't tell you the result in case you'd like to figure it out for yourself. :)

c. Really, you just needed a lot of caffeine to survive exam week. Although our entire class shared the same schedule starting junior year (when we were taking all BME classes), and all the professors knew this, they still scheduled exams on the same day/week. Not sure why. Possibly because they were cruel.

d, e. This antique anatomy model should have been in my dorm all through my years in college. I especially needed one for Engineering Physiology for the section of the brain. You wonder why Neurosurgeons make bank --they have to memorize a lot. We had an ophthalmologist as our professor for this section and not only did we memorize all the lobes (high school bio, kids, high school) but you know how the brain has all those squiggly things? Well those folds have names. And each sulcus we had to memorize. Along with the gyrus next to it. And the tracts and where they go. And how they all connected to the spinal column. And if whatever vertebrae were severed, how would the patient be affected. Really, and our exam looked a lot like a bunch of pictures like this, with blanks and we had to write down what part of the brain it was.

And not only that, but we had to diagnose case studies. Something like a 43-year old woman enters your office complaining of spells of blurred vision associated with headaches predominantly right-sided with sharp pain radiating from the retro-orbital region, and has slurred speech from the left side of her mouth and recalls experiencing numbness on the left side of her face. She has experienced milder spells of tremulousness, diaphoresis, and weakness. What's your diagnosis?

But those cufflinks make a good gift for anyone who loves the brain. That squishy mass of tissue that controls everything we do. :)

p.s. Here's a picture of my room. I took this picture with the Pano app on the iPhone.

Click to see more details and "notes" on Flickr.

Ready to Ship

Ships within 24 hours of cleared payment. If you're in the US, get it in 1-3 days, 6-11 days for outside the US.

Baby Ruche in Red Leather with Adjustable Strap
Antique Brass Hardware
Black Microbrushed Cotton Twill Lining

It's quite a beauty.

Oh, and by the way, my turnaround time is now 3-5 business days from cleared payment!! My clip board where I print out all my orders is finally empty a WEEK EARLY! Amazing. Pays to work on the weekends, huh?

Tough Bein' a Cowboy (girl)

As I've stated before, I have a weakness for leather, fringe, and red. Basically these boots shown below. They're from 20TwentyVintage on Etsy and I LOVE them!! They fit perfectly and are brand new (it was one of those rare deadstock finds)!!

New Cowgirl Boots with Clutch in Red Leather

I'll be sporting these two accessories with my new navy blue T-Shirt Dress from American Apparel at some point in the near near future.

Moreover, I tried to catch a Treasury yesterday but it went so quickly I missed it! So I waited in front of the computer for a good half-hour and finally caught one. Hah! Take that, Treasury West!

It's a guy-friendly collection of finds inspired by my new boots. :)

Click to see more details!

So This is Wholesale

This is what a wholesale order looks like. 15 Custom Bags shipping to Honolulu, Hawaii today!

Back to work. I've got 6 bags in the queue before I can start stocking up (and designing new things) for Shop787! If you're in Austin or the surrounding area, check it out! You'll be able to see my bags in person! Ooo!!

I Heart Autumn

I really love Autumn colors. Browns and oranges make me happy. Here are some more new items in the shop! Hope these make you happy, too!

Traveler in Brown and Tan Houndstooth Wool Suiting


Mama Ruche Bag in Carrot Leather

Red Wine and Custom Design

I had a custom order request for a bag to match the wine color in a wedding dress that was being made by an Etsy seller!

I eagerly searched through my stacks of upholstery leather and I found this really small piece among the pile of beautiful upholstery remnants and this matched perfectly! It is a super soft and squishy leather that feels amazing, not to mention it has a great leather smell (which I've been told my entire room smells of). I had just enough of this lovely color to make her custom order bag, and one more! So I've listed that last one available in this leather as a Made to Order --you can customize the lining and hardware!

Woohoo!

And while I'm on the topic of Custom Orders, I thought I would discuss this option a bit more for those who haven't quite found that perfect Fall/Winter bag yet.

What does a custom order entail?

1. You like a design in the shop, but want it in a different color or fabric type.
2. You like a design but want the dimensions tweaked a little.
3. You like a fabric type in the shop and want a custom-designed bag.
4. You're a personal shopper for a celebrity client and need a bag from a fresh new designer.
5. You're Apple, Inc. and need a hip'n'trendy Traveler for your iProducts (I do wholesale).

I have lots of ideas on new bags to make for my shop, but haven't found the time (because I'm always sewing Made to Order items) to create them. I take opportunities from those who want to try something that is not offered in the shop to make an item so that I can photograph it and then off it goes into the loving arms of its owner, and then I can use those photographs to offer more options in the shop! Quite efficient, yes?

Custom Orders start with a Down Payment.

For leather items, a $10 down payment is required to add your order to the queue; $5 for non-leather items. This ensures that I have some sort of commitment when starting on your unique item! If after I design the bag and you change your mind...well, I haven't decided on this because ever since I have stated this requirement, I haven't had a single customer change their mind [knock on wood].

And of course, I require this because of past experiences. In the past, I have made HIGHLY customized items and for some reason, the customer never purchased it or changed their mind.

Remember: Every piece that ships out of my shop has been designed to excruciating detail of dimensions that are crafted to ensure minimal waste and scraps, cut with titanium-coated shears, shaped-pinned-clipped to meticulous detail, carefully stitched with a professional sewing machine, photographed in multiple angles in natural lighting, modeled, marketed, lovingly wrapped, packaged and shipped by me with a handwritten personal thank you note tied onto each bag with a pretty little ribbon.

This is a one-woman business, and this 23-year old does all the work --from engineering and design to marketing and selling. My time is very limited and I work 80+ hours a week (and still manage to feed lunch and dinner to three boys --The Boy, The Bro, and The Bear --which is my dog, Hubert, whom I often call "Hu-bear" to sound French, and it just became "Bear") to ensure that each customer loves their bag.

When you receive a bag from me, you know that you're getting a one-of-a-kind item that has been made with lots of love, care, and attention.

So, how fast will I receive my bag?

The turnaround time has remained at 7-10 business days from cleared payment for some time now. I ideally try to give myself the weekends off, but I end up working them anyway, so you receive your bag faster than the estimated time line, but I like to keep it at this time line to account for any emergencies (like me getting sick, family things come up, I run out of supplies, my sewing machine breaks...).

For custom orders, after the down payment is received, the bag enters the queue, and upon completion, you receive a link to your listing which contains images of your bag. Then it's ready for your purchase. Done!

Interested in having your own personalized custom bag? Convo me!

I recently finished a Made to Order Baby Ruche Bag in Black Leather and rephotographed it with the face of the bag towards the sunlight. Now you can see all the details! Yay!

Psssttt. The holidays are just around the corner, so keep an eye out for another entry with details for deadlines to order your Custom/Made to Order bags so you can receive them for Christmas!

Gorgeous Etsy Treasury

I discovered this Etsy artist, SweptFromTheSea, when I found one of my bags on an Etsy Front Page in July. I recently had the honor of being featured in one of her most recent treasuries featuring Red and Black (which I feel is VERY Front Page worthy!). Check out my Baby Ruche Bag in Red Leather featured among all this bold and beautiful finds!

[Click the image to see more details from these wonderful sellers!]

This treasury has been so tastefully assembled --so romantic! I'm really lovin' that Paper Flower Kit. I would buy the entire contents of this collection if I could afford it! :)

p.s. And speaking of red, I have a total weakness for leather, fringe, and red. I've been eying these boots for a while and finally caved. I swear, I will stop buying shoes TODAY! Starting next month. ;)

p.p.s. I have this love-hate relationship with Etsy. I sell lot of bags with the site, but spend it right back there.

Reminds me of when I used to work at Banana Republic when I was 16. I finally quit when I was 18 and think all of my paychecks went right back to that store. I worked 20 hours/week, so you can imagine how much clothing I accumulated over the years. I got lots of retail and sales experience though! And two closets full of Banana clothes to show for it. Good thing I can still wear it all...

Friday Picks: Fall Harvest

Well, based on my latest batch of Travelers, there's an obvious indication that it's Fall! Lots of oranges and browns; I love it. Now all I need is a big mug of hot chocolate with one of these scrumptious dulce de leche vanilla marshmallows.

Travelers, before they get their metal snaps!

Since I've been seeing brown all day, I figured I might as well make a treasury to feature all those pretty browns you can find on Etsy.

Click to see the treasury and take a closer look of these wonderul items from these wonderful sellers!

Now I'm off to give myself a haircut and get ready for Date Night with The Boy! :) :)

We'll be at ACL tomorrow, will you? I'll be sporting one of my Travelers, too. :)

Natural, Stone, and Pantone

I feel like I'm constantly ordering supplies. Seriously. I am probably going to be the cause of severe back pain for the UPS guy. Just thinking back in the past month, the guy has delivered a very heavy sewing machine, a large 60" tall bolt of fabric, and now 2 bolts of fabric. This should last me a couple months, though. So no large supply orders coming in anytime soon...

Pictured are bolts of the current fabrics I use to line the bags in my shop: microbrushed cotton twill in Natural and cotton canvas in Stone. And I also got a Pantone Color Guide so that I can better describe the colors of my bags. A past customer actually suggested I include the Pantone Color number for each of my bags so that it can help customers with different color monitor settings than mine. Good idea! I shall surely try as best as I can to do this. Though this one only has about 500 colors, and unfortunately doesn't contain many of the colors of the leathers in my shop...but it's all good. A good investment nonetheless.

Now back to work! I'm working on a leather Clutch in Plum! It's darker than the one offered in the shop last month. It'll be in the shop today! :)

* Updated

As promised. The Clutch in Dark Plum leather is in the shop! :)