Missing Internet. Missing Life.

I love my iPhone, but I can't run a business from it.

I'm sitting at B&N right now using my brother's laptop because I couldn't stand not having internet anymore. We get it on Wednesday. Do you know how many days have elapsed since I've been on a computer? I think my eye sight has worsened answering e-mails on a 3.5" screen. 

I digress. 

Updates for you:

I moved to my new place last Wednesday/Thursday. It took less than an hour to get my brother's things packed, transported, and unpacked. And our total moving experience time was roughly 16 hours. Yeah.  In my defense (Mom and Dad, I know you're gasping at that number and thinking "Oh my goodness, how did we raise a hoarder daughter?!"), not only do I have a few boxes of personal belongings (4 boxes of clothes, 4 boxes of shoes, that's pretty much it, all my income goes back into my business), I had an absurd number of boxes of an entire business. Hides of leather, fabric, hardware, tools, tables, computer/printer, photography stuff, shipping supplies, binders of paperwork.... Oh, and a few heavy duty sewing machines, thread, presses, dyes and all sorts of photography props, mannequins and fun things.  

Oh, and we considered the KITCHEN part of  "Jenny's Stuff". Just because I'm the only one that cooks doesn't mean it's all my property. No, but really, the kitchen is mine and no one is allowed in it unless I give specific instructions if I need a sous chef. Which is rare, but still, I sometimes let the boys have a crack at chopping veggies (even when they all turn out uneven, can't complain - they're helping so it's the effort that counts). And sometimes they start the rice cooker. :)

Back to my point, sorry!

I'm still setting up shop, so I will be processing orders in the next few days and am 98% confident that I will get everyone's orders out on time. Hooray! I love you, too. 

Tennis Fan? Oh, Am I.

Did you know I've been primed to be a big fan of tennis? Well, growing up, I've been exposed to a lot of tennis - my Mom played competitively and my dad would join her in some doubles matches with friends occasionally at the country club. I remember mornings when the TV would be tuned to some game and I could hear yells of frustration from my Mom as she watched. I never understood the scoring system, but was also not that interested to learn about it as a young child.

My parents even tried to enroll me into tennis lessons. I sucked. Though, I was a competitive swimmer at the time, so I was preoccupied. I think I have a problem with hand-eye coordination when I have some any type of arm extension tool - tennis, golf, hockey, you name it if my arm is artificially extended, I'm unable to accurately perceive depth.

Years fly by where I'm not at all exposed to tennis until I meet The Boy. He played varsity in high school and club tennis in college. Well well well, I witness my first French Open (last year) with him and boy does it bring back those childhood memories of witnessing someone yell at the TV in frustration.

Fortunately, The Boy explained to me everything I need to know about tennis, and I very willingly became a big Rafa fan. :) His boy is Roddick, who is also very cool (Austin, TX represent!).

And in one year's time, I think I know enough about tennis and have seen enough matches and opens to say I'm a fan.

This feature is dedicated to my parents and The Boy - who oh-so love tennis.

1. Hindsvik, 2. Sweet Love Vintage,  3. Big Apple Vintage,  4. Mitten Maker,  5. dbPhoto

You can find the Treasury in which these finds were pulled, "French Open".

Fruit Basket (made FP! yay!)

Summer is close, and I can already imagine the backyard grill parties and yummy fruit salads.

Mmm, I can taste it already. Can you?

1. Vintage Eye, 2. A Mischievous Marriage, 3. Honey & Jam Photography, 4. Anna Pociask Photography

Check out more lovely Etsy finds in my newest Treasury, "Fruit Basket".

Moving and Coming Soon

It's a mess here with the cleaning and packing going on at my place, but I'm really excited about the move to a new space with a bigger studio! And new furniture that The Boy and I picked out! And some vintage finds from some shops on Etsy that I purchased and asked to ship after I move!

Really, it's all going to be a fun process finally living like a real person and not a college student. Not that college students aren't real people, but we just don't make enough income to live in a pretty pretty place. At least I didn't. And since my brother doesn't care and is the most minimal roommate ever, we've been living like college kids for way longer than we should have since graduating.

No more futon mattress couch. No more bean bag chairs. No more bridge table and chair set as the dining room furniture. And definitely more art and decor.

I'll take pictures and share all my finds, I promise!



In the meantime, I had a teeny weeny bit of time to make two new Travelers for the shop. But I haven't installed any hardware yet, and I don't have time to do that and photograph before my parents come in today to help me pack. I have a lot of cleaning and organizing to do. Because I didn't start until last night even though my Mom reminded me multiple times to start cleaning weeks ago. Oops!

Fortunately, at this point, my parents are probably packing the car with tons of boxes, packing paper, moving blankets, a hand cart, and all at the same time cooking up some wonderful homemade foods to keep us alive for the remaining days in this place. So they won't read this and worry before they leave. They think I have it allll under control. Which I will. After I click "Publish Post". Right...now.

But I do want to say they are the best parents a kid could ever have. :)

Okay, the end, bye.

What are you up to this weekend??

Washed Ashore

This week has been full of getaway themes - flying, horse riding, and now beaching.

Okay, so I'm really in need of a vacation. In my defense, it's hard not to think about the beach; my friends Harry and Christina just came back from Cozumel, and another set (Tim and Tran) are headed on a cruise to Cozumel. Why is everyone but me going to the beach?

I'm a big beach bum and definitely will drag The Boy to the beach at some point this summer. I love the feeling of being refreshed and bronzed after a nice weekend at the beach. :)

1. Margot Bianca Batiks, 2. Ixela,  3. Vintage Scraps,  4. Dear Nana, 5. emeeme

And of course, since I've been on this Etsy Treasury binge, I pulled these artists from my latest Treasury, "Washed Ashore". :)

InStyle's Fan Favorite Bag!

Remember when I announced that I was a finalist for the 2010 Independent Handbag Designer Awards? I'm 1 of 5 finalists for the Best Handmade Bag (and 1 of 30 finalists overall) out of over 800 applicants!

Now the poll for Audience Fan Favorite is on InStyle so you can vote!

Will you vote for me?

{Click Image to go to Poll to Vote!}

Wild Horses (made FP!)

Wouldn't it be nice take a little picnic basket and blanket with you and gallop away into a wheat field for a lunch break?

Hope you enjoy these inspiring Etsy finds. :)

1. Ellen Buchanan Metalsmith, 2. Small Earth Vintage, 3. Sharon Montrose Photographs, 4. Brown Bag Vintage, 5. Sparkle Peach

Again, these beauties were pulled from my most recent Treasury on Etsy called, "Wild Horses."

{Click the image to see the treasury}

Birds of a Feather

Ever feel so overwhelmed that you wished you had hollow bones and feathers so you could just fly away on vacation and then come back to finish work?

I'm experiencing that right now.

These birds look like they're having a great time. :)

1. The Night Jar, 2. Sooooound, 3. Piping Hot Papers

p.s. I pulled these lovely artists from my newest Treasury, "Birds of a Feather". Check it out! :)

Ready to Ship!

Briefcases and Baby Ruche bags make gifts for the new Graduates. If you're needing one soon (like within the next 4 days), you can order a Ready to Ship bag and it will ship within 24 hours of cleared payment via USPS Priority, which takes 1-3 days to deliver within the US.



Find more Ready to Ship bags here.

Renegade Austin 2010: Quick Update

The Boy and I on Day 1 of Renegade Austin 2010. Look at my outfit (look familiar?).

I. Love. Renegade.

I met the most wonderful people and finally met in person some Twitter and Facebook friends! It was great meeting you, and The Boy was definitely happy when you noticed him, and got to actually formally meet him, and know that his name is not The Boy. :)

I have to make this really quick because I have A LOT of bags in the queue to make and prepare for tomorrow's big shipment. Plus, I'm moving early next week. I get a bigger studio! Hooray! I will have more space to design and make more efficiently. I'm excited and I hope you are, too. :)

I must donate lots of things, throw away lots of things, and get everything organized before my parents come to visit with boxes to help me pack up the business (it's a lot of stuff, lots of heavy stuff). And if they come over and find that the place looks like it currently does, my accountant (Mom) will be very very very very angry. And you don't want a little Asian woman angry at you. It never ends well. Seriously. She's 5'1" and is well under 100 lbs, but packs a mean punch.

Okay, back to Renegade. It was a GREAT SUCCESS and I really loved visiting all the booths (at least the ones I had time to while I let The Boy take over the booth for a bit).  I loved interacting with customers - I received the nicest compliments ever, and was thinking, "Really?! Thanks! I just make bags and hope people kinda like 'em!"

Here are some of the most frequent reactions from Renegade goers. 

"These look exactly like the pictures on Etsy!" Thanks? Should they look different?

And, "Are you on Etsy? I've seen you on the front page a few times!" :)

And, "OMG, this is SOOOOOOOOOO SOFT!" while endearingly cuddling with one of the leather Baby Ruche bags. Yes, I do agree that most of the leathers I use are so soft and buttery. It's hard to describe these in pictures and words and sometimes you just gotta touch.

And, "Did you model those pictures? You should consider that, too!" Aww, very flattering, but 5'2" girls with long torsos and short legs don't often make it big. But I am my cheapest model for the shop. :)

And for some good news.

The Boy and I will be applying to other Renegades in the future. Like Chicago, SF, and NY.  I was convinced by enough vendors from out of town that my bags need to travel the US and be seen and touched in person, and I totally believe them. If you see my Map of Sales, there's a dense population along the California coast and in New York that carries my bags on their shoulders, and I want to meet them! :)

Michelle, are you excited? Can I stay with you? :) Just kidding. But not really.

Can't wait to meet everyone!

Oh, and everything green, blue and brown sold out. That was actually surprising because I thought pinks, yellows, and oranges would go first because it's almost summer, and seeing those colors in person and how much they pop, I thought it would reflect differently from my Etsy sales. But I guess I can always extrapolate based on my current sales...

Can't Find It? Design It Yourself.

I wanted to offer Renegade goers a way to design their own bag with me in my booth and have their order shipped straight to 'em in two weeks!

Thus, I made swatches.

I hope someone orders something. It was way fun doing this - reminds me of spending hours at Home Depot and figuring out how I'm going to renovate the next space someone let's me have at. ;)

Leather, Hardware, and Lining Options

New: Briefcases

Did I mention these make great Grad and Dad gifts?

Briefcase in Oxford Tan

Briefcase in Black

Moreover, I've been neglecting my little Hubert for the last couple days preparing for Renegade. [Sigh] His little pug face is so hard to resist when he quietly naps near the door so that we can go out on a walk.

This is what I have to see every time I look out my studio door into the hallway.



Fine, let's go on a walk...

Etsy Finds: Easy Breezy Blue

I've been working non-stop to prepare for Renegade. I have to say that it has been a little stressful. Yes, that's the understatement of the week. I sew sew sew, and take a break to make and print signage, and then go back to sewing, then take a break to check e-mail, and then go back to sewing and installing hardware. I still have my displays to design and assemble.

I needed some air. Fresh air. Fresh summer air.

Thus, I made a Treasury called "Easy Breezy" and I was particularly drawn to the blues, so I wanted to feature them a day early for my "Friday Finds".

Also, yesterday, BOTH of my Treasuries that I posted in MaryMary's call for Treasuries for Grads and Dads were featured on the Front Page! I was ecstatic! I was a little sad that Treasury East was down yesterday because I couldn't receive any comments on the treasuries, but still...

You can find them both here: Grad Gifts, Gifts for Dad

1.Sweet Poppy Cat , 2. Autumn Equinox, 3. Veda Arts, 4. Factory Girl Ashli

Austin Renegade Craft Fair: THIS Saturday & Sunday

Join me and over 200 artists and designers from Austin and beyond for the biggest hand made craft fair you'll ever attend (probably).

I'll be there (without Hubert), with lots of bags and some surprises for you!

It's FREE to attend, so just drop on by. :)

Some booths I can't wait to visit...

1. Half Pint Salvage, 2. Squid Ink Kollective, 3. Berkley Illustration

Pile O' Baby Ruche Bags

This is the most Baby Ruche Bags I've ever made at once in the history of me. I will photograph these for the next few hours and then go straight to bed.



But really, I won't sleep because I still have to cook dinner, and work on signage for the Austin Renegade Craft Fair on SATURDAY! THIS Saturday!

Are you coming? I hope so. These babies (plus more) will be waiting for you to try them on.

Isn't This Romantic?

Keiko Lynn in Baby Ruche in Blush Pink

p.s. She hand made that lovely dress. You can visit her shop, Postlapsaria.

Ricky Colson

Ricky Colson is an amazing artist I had the honor of meeting this past weekend. I looked at his website and am completely mesmerized by the amount of detail in his paintings and drawings.




How fun would it be to experience life as tiny as these, where soap bars and lingerie would be geographical obstacles?

ADDED: Someone asked about where to find his work for purchase. Here's the link to the Wally Workman Gallery where some of his pieces are for sale.

I'm a Nominee!

Two pieces of great news came this morning.

The first being my Briefcase in Army Green Leather is in today's Etsy Finds e-mail about Leather & Lace.

The second being that my Briefcase in Wintergreen Leather is one of the 5 finalists (of 800 entries) for Best Handmade Bag for the 2010 Independent Handbag Designer Awards at Parsons in NY! Whoa!

{Click image to view video of nominees in separate window}

I realize the competition is really tough, so I am not super confident I can win this category (I mean, look at those other bags, for real?!), but it's great honor to be among those beauties!

Stay tuned for a poll from InStyle Magazine to vote for your favorite bag for the winner of the Audience Fan Favorite.

Big big thanks to Kate for informing me about the IHDA Competition! :)

New: Traveler in Navy Linen

You know how I've been in this mood to get on a boat? Well, I took the first step in preparing myself for a little party on a boat by making a nautical Traveler.

Navy linen, brass hardware, and a little white zipper - perfect with a little white eyelet dress and red fringe cowboy boots (Hi, I'm Jenny and I am addicted to boots) and a wrist full of gold bangles.






Check it out it here; it's READY TO SHIP!

Friday Finds: In the Garden

My parents are avid gardeners - my dad's got a real green thumb (which I did not inherit, unfortunately). Everything I plant tends to die because I forget to water it or keep it near sunlight, or give it too much sunlight. So I usually settle with cactus and lucky bamboo because they require very little water and sunlight. :)

But the summer brings back memories of being back at home, waking up on Sunday mornings to the scent of freshly cut grass seeping through the screens of the open window, and the smell of coffee and eggs coming from the kitchen as my mom prepares breakfast. I peer over the stairs to see that parents are at the table, and mom plating our breakfast. I open my brother's door and yell (quite obnoxiously) to wake him up. He begrudgingly gets out of bed and mumbles something about punching me in the face as he waddles downstairs to eat breakfast.

Oh, the memories of being back at home.

1. Brown Bag Vintage, 2. Catherine Reece, 3. Say Your Piece, 4. Carvel Country Soaps, 5. Sarah John Afana, 6.  Small Earth Vintage

Samsung 3D LED TV

We're big fans of Samsung here in my household (my brother and The Boy are both engineers there), so I was really happy to see the new Samsung 3D LED TV commercial because it showed an artistic side of the company that I've never seen.

Thinking back, I've always been a Sony fan - three of my last digital cameras were Sony, and I really adore the Sony Bravia commercial with the bouncy balls (which is also how I found out about Jose Gonzalez).

Well, after seeing the new Samsung commercial, I think they've definitely put themselves in the running for artistic commercials that connect with people.  And I'll be begging the guys to get this TV for our new place!

{Click image to view commercial in separate window}

Here's the making of the commercial (I love DVD extras, making of's, and the sort!).

New: Baby Ruche in EGGSHELL BLUE Leather

This leather has an incredibly soft and buttery feel. I love it. I wanted to keep it, but I have such a limited quantity that I have to list each piece I make - because I know they will find great shoulders to rest. :)

Baby Ruche in EGGSHELL BLUE Leather

p.s. The Boy has reinstated our Thursday Date Nights! Thank goodness. Whether it be just renting a movie to watch on the couch, or dressing up and going downtown for some drinks and dancing, it's much needed exclusive time to break up the hectic week.

Tonight we're going to Reverse Happy Hour at Kona. Sushi and Sake Bombs, here I come! :)

Baby Traveler

This little guy is so cute. I am in love with anything miniature. This is a custom order Baby Traveler, but I think I'll be making more of these little things for the shop.

Doesn't he look so cute?



Perfectly fits an iPhone, keys, and some cards/cash in the back pocket.

Boots, My Weakness

I made a vow not to buy any boots until I couldn't handle it anymore. Worst vow terms ever, I know. I keep them vague so I don't feel as bad when I break them.

To satiate my strong desire to click "ADD TO CART", I've decided to share with you my little Boot Wish list. Because my birthday is coming up. And The Boy now follows my blog. Eeey! So many opportunities to drop subliminal [obvious] messages of my favorite little things I love.

But really, buy these so I don't have to.

1. Dear Golden Vintage , 2. Marie's Vintage , 3. Becky Drolen Vintage , 4. Santoki Vintage , 5. Flower on the Wall Vintage , 6. 20 Twenty Vintage

Okay, now I will stop window shopping and get back to work.

Build a Sign for Vinyl Banners

I rarely sell at craft shows, and when I do, I get asked the same question, "Are these hand made?" (Obviously, these folks haven't browsed Etsy to see how AMAZING handmade products really are.)

And sometimes people walk by and keep walking and as they're about to leave, I can manage a "These are all hand made by me," and they stop and say, "Oh really? Wow!" and manage to stay a little longer.

After 5+ hours of answering the same question, The Boy frustratingly says to me, "You need a banner that says 'Handmade' on it!" 

I got one.

There's a little surprise at the bottom. Visit me and be happy!

I went to Build A Sign and made a Custom Banner.

I have to say, I'm really impressed with the interface of the banner builder. I am a user interface geek. It's gotta be smooth, modern, and easy-to-use. I did some comparing on prices, and I think these guys are the least expensive, and you can get 10% off (I filled a survey at the beginning). They're banners are really affordable and mine was ready to ship out the next day. They're located in Austin, so it arrived even faster!


I'm really impressed with the quality of the banner, and excited to use it for my booth for the next few fairs I'll be vending. Hopefully it'll answer the question some people have, and also help people remember/identify my shop.

And I may also bring one of my sewing machines for extra proof that these bags are handmade.

p.s. Come and visit my booth at Renegade Craft Fair - Austin. You'll love what you see (in the red section). :)

Hello, Sailor.

It's sunny and hot outside; I must get on a boat soon.

{Click image for matching treasury with more great Etsy sellers!}

Brody Red Silk Camisole with Navy Bow, Hopeless

Painted Shoes - Anchors Aweigh Vintage Pumps Size 7, Scholarly Articles

Moby Dick, Library Science

Mother's Day: Priority Shipping Upgrade

Order a Ready to Ship bag today and your order will be automatically upgraded to Priority shipping so it will arrive in time for Mother's Day! US orders only.

Traveler in Black White Damask

Baby Ruche in Black Leather

Clutch in Gray Leather

Traveler in Zebra

Paper N' Stitch Features!

Wow, I must thank Brittni of Paper N' Stitch for featuring my shop as the Shop of the Day today, and writing a lovely post about my shop on her blog. Check it out!

You'll find a little discount code that you can use, too. :)

{Click image to go to my shop on Paper N' Stitch}

{Click image to see the blog feature about my shop!}

I said I would post some good news today (not related to this good news just now), but I think it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

In other news, I received even better news this morning in my inbox, but I can't share it until later this week!

I know, I'm confusing, and I'm still trying to process everything. But I will tell you that this week is a good week so far. :)

I promise I will keep you updated!

I Heart Parks and Mustaches

I love the outdoors - even more so now that I have my new camera to play with! The Boy's department had a family picnic yesterday at Emma Long Park. It was so much eating Rudy's BBQ (my favorite BBQ place ever) and photographing all the games and activities.

Have a look see!









By the way, that's The Boy. I know he will kill me for posting this picture, but I really like it. And I was trying to test out taking pictures with the sun behind the subject. :)

Oh, and also, don't be weirded out by his horseshoe mustache (which I really like!) but the engineering guys in the department decided to grow different mustaches for Stephen's going away week (he's going to law school). It wasn't Stephen's idea (I don't think), because he can't grow facial hair. Or just very little in the 1.5 weeks that they had to grow their 'staches. See pictures below:

Germain (Tom Selleck Mustache)

George (Handlebar Mustache, still in the works)

Stephen - Nothing obvious. I think he tried for two weeks. :(

p.s. I didn't realize that the mustaches were so weird until The Boy and I went out with some friends a few times this week and each time, someone would stare for a while and finally say, "Okay, what's up with the mustache?"

I like it. I hope it stays (though it probably won't).

I love when guys have facial hair. What about you?

The Best Cure

Pho at Pho Dan and an Almond Milk Tea with Pearls from Short & Sweet. The Boy got a Papaya Milk Tea with Pearls. :)