More Little Black Bags

Sewing done, now they just need some nice shiny hardware!



Also finished an order for a Traveler in Black Leather. Not sure why I never made one before, but now they're available in the shop!



The boy thought that today was Thursday. Thank goodness it's not. I may be the only person in the world who wishes weeks pass by slower so I can get all my orders done in time for shipment.

She Sells Sea Shells

I'm going to need a vacation to the beach sometime this summer...

1. Sarah John Afana, 2. Dawn Correspondence, 3. Heather Kent

Find more beach-side lovelies on my "She Sells Sea Shells" Treasury. 

Enter the giveaway

Let Dionne know whether you're a city girl, country girl, or in-between and you can win a $50 gift certificate to my shop. :)

Enter Here!

Fall, Already?

It's barely summer and I can't help but think about fall.  What can I say, I love browns, greens, oranges and distressed leathers.

This is a new leather in my shop - it's shiny, distressed, and has a smooth hand. It holds its shape quite nicely, too!

Here's the first of the Fall 2010 Collection.

Oh, and it's stitched in brown. Nice, huh?

His "Spot"

I taught Hubert as a puppy that anytime I place a pillow or towel on the ground, it is his "spot". Ever since I introduced that word into his vocabulary, it has been easy breezy gettin' this guy off the furniture and out of the bedrooms and my studio. I just lay a towel in front of the doorway and say, "Where's your bone? Take it to your spot" and he's running to his bedroom, picking up his raw hide and bringing it to the towel to sit and chew for hours. It's great.

Yesterday he had his bone nearby, but didn't feel like chewing. Instead he shot puppy glances at me while I was sewing and I would "Awwwww", take a break and take pictures.

The pictures are a bit blurry, because it was dark and I couldn't see well enough to adjust my MANUAL focus (the only downside to the Nikon D40, but I love it with well lit areas). 

EDIT: I should note that Hubert isn't sad despite his facial expression. Hubert was actually sleeping in these positions when I took these pictures. Each time I saw him sleeping in a cute position, I would sneak over to the ground with my camera and try to focus, then whisper, "Hubert" and he would open his eyes in all his sleepy glory cuteness and look just like this. Makes me want to smooch his wrinkly little apple head. Every time.

Habitat for Humanity

The Boy and I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity last Saturday through Samsung. 

Upon arrival we found that the house didn't have a covered roof or siding. By the end of the day the house needed to be completely weather proof. All 25 volunteers got straight to work!

We painted. 
We carried heavy ply wood.
We cut and mounted siding.
We installed hurricane storm clips.
We covered the roof and installed tarp. 
All in 102 degree weather.
For 8 hours.

I think I lost over 8 lbs of water weight over the entire course of the day (and darkened 3 shades), but we managed to stay pretty hydrated and had lots of fun! It was a great experience and we're definitely looking forward to more volunteer opportunities on the weekends.

Inside and Sold Out

Inside the Clutch, featuring my new leather tags!

I just finished a Clutch that my friend ordered for his mom for Mother's Day. Yeah. Mother's Day was like YEARS ago and I'm just NOW about to ship it. It's not my fault, actually. I stick with my 2 week turnaround, but the order just came in rather late. Really really late.

But can you blame a dude for getting his mom a gift? That's sweet enough as it is. Whether it comes in on time or not, the thought of a guy buying a purse for his girlfriend/wife/sister/mom/daughter is always super sweet and I am always happy to help with picking colors and things. :)

Now to more interesting news -- after I cut the leather for this bag, I found that I have just enough leather for only one more Clutch (with a fixed strap). That also means that the other bags in Carrot leather are LAST ONES (and ready to ship!).

If you've been eying this leather, might want to get it now otherwise you may miss out!

Hip Pocket, Ready to Ship

Clutch, Made to Order

Baby Ruche Bag, Ready to Ship

Little Black Bags

The thing I love most about my job? When a pile of fabric magically transforms into something that is completely useful that will house some of your most valuable possessions (i.e. your wallet and keys).

The steps in between a sketch to a finished bag are... pretty ugly and unmotivating. Everything is made inside out and it's not until you turn it right side out, make a last run through the sewing machine, install the strap hardware and then finally attach the strap when everything seems worth all the work.

The Boy sometimes asks if this is really what I want to do for the rest of my life. For now, it doesn't seem so bad.

Etsy Finds: Green

1. Wallis Designs,  2. Jennifer Dickerson Photography,  3. My Selvaged Life

I can't get enough of this luscious color. Kind of makes you want to sip on a yummy cocktail on the beach, doesn't it?

You can find more pretty greens in my new treasury, "Green".

Black is Back

As a designer, it's hard to predict the color trends each season, but the last thing I expected for June was every other sale to be a black bag.

Fortunately, many of them came at the same time because then I can make them all at once because I use black thread on these lovelies. Although thread is not hard to change out, it's the only time I use a different thread color. So far...

Black leather and a clipboard of orders to make

Sad that I spent so much time making bright summer colors that are ready to ship. Maybe the fact that you don't have to wait 2 weeks for your bag to ship might convince you?

Yes way

Hubert

I named my iPod "Pugs not Drugs" when I was in college.
I bought a t-shirt from Fossil with gold embroidered Pug mug, $$$, and "Notorious P.U.G"
I bought a book from Urban Outfitters, Pug Mugs
A few years later, Hubert entered my life.
I bought custom earrings/ring from Plastique of Hubert's profile.

Just now, I bought this t-shirt from Gemma Bear.

Am I officially The Pug Lady?

Image from Gemma Correll Illustration

Where can I find a knitted sweater with a Pug face on the front?

Etsy Finds: Red

I've been on the hunt for red items to collect to finish off the look of our living room.

Here are a few lovely finds currently in my favorites - one of which for my ears rather than the living room. :)

1. Petit Plat, 2. Doodle Birdie, 3. la Vintage Maison

Eggs, Smoked Salmon and Toast

When I lived a lot closer to Samsung, The Boy and The Bro would come home for lunch, which meant that I would actually eat lunch. Now that no one is depending on me to make something, I tend to lose track of time and not eat anything until the guys get home for dinner.

But now that Wimbledon is playing in the afternoon, it might be enough for me to prepare something to eat. :)

I made sushi rolls all weekend, so I had some leftover smoked salmon to  use in some yummy cream cheese and lox toast. Unfortunately, I ran out of cream cheese. I made sunny side up eggs instead!





The mustache etched glass is from Bread and Badger.

Speaking of Wimbledon, I made a treasury dedicated to the start of it today! 

We're comin' to Chicago!

Mark your calendars for Renegade Chicago from September 11-12th because The Boy and I will be setting up shop! :) :)

I would love to meet you there!

Kayaking Lady Bird Lake, Austin TX

Happy Friday!

I'm ending this week with a lot of work. I have a pile of fabric that needs to be made into Travelers (see pile above), lots of paperwork and data mining to do. Data mining? Why yes, my boyfriend is a wonderful engineer/data geek and has assigned me the task of sorting through ALL MY SALES (since September, when it started full-time) and noting bag color, hardware color, fabric type, and some other variables so that he can help me develop some models for ordering materials for my shop.

This happened because I just happened to tell him that I had to rush order two of my linings because I ran out "all of a sudden." And from that moment, I was lectured about how manufacturing works. He is an engineer in manufacturing. Large-scale manufacturing. Samsung Semiconductor manufacturing to be more specific (they make memory for all your cool devices like your iPhone). 

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, he is in failure analysis (like QA) so I am never short of advice on how to improve my products and productivity. Anyway, his lecture pertained to something along the lines of building models that can tell you when to order what product and estimate when you will run out of certain materials depending on historical trends.

Really?

How have I been keeping track of my inventory in the past (currently), you ask?

Well, when I'm making a bag and need to add a trigger snap, I open the "trigger snap" hardware drawer and notice that there are only 4 left, so I put in an order for a few hundred more and pray that the materials arrive before the deadline of the next bag shipment.

He's treating me to a wonderful date night tonight, though! We're renting a Bollywood movie and making sushi rolls for dinner. Yummm!

Happy Friday! :)

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved

Images from IGN

The guys and I watched E3 2010 a couple days ago, and I was pretty bored of all the new games (I'm not a fan of FPS games) but then. Then! Kinect was announced for the Xbox360 and the slew of games that followed got me squeaking for an hour or so while we watched.

The best one? Your Shape: Fitness Evolved.

Back story.

The very first biomedical engineering class I took started out kind of like this, "We are here to engineer devices which will eventually make surgeons obsolete." We all laughed awkwardly after that statement (mainly because 40% of the class was pre-med), but fast forward five years later, I'm convinced. There are a great number of surgical procedures that are heavily robot-assisted (LASIK, Prostate removal) and can work with greater precision compared to a human. It's getting there.

With that thought, I see this new game, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, which calibrates your dimensions and will cater the game to you. It works with the angles of your own body. I mean, that pretty much beats what a fitness instructor can do for you in a class of 20+.

I remember when I taught Yoga and Pilates, I would walk through a class of 25-35 participants to make sure everyone is in proper form, but it's really difficult to correct poses in a class that size. At some point, I have to go back to the front of the class and move on to the next pose. It's tough, and this game makes fitness easier for your body and fitness level.

I totally convinced the guys to get Kinect when it comes out and we'll be getting this game (and Dance Central) for sure!

But the downside of not having a human teach you (or perform surgery on you)? You take away the emotion involved in what's happening. There is that very small detail that a surgeon knows that a robot doesn't. Not all bodies are exactly alike and there are always anomalies present once the body is open. Only a surgeon can react according to those circumstances and I don't think that the algorithms that run these robots have all of that quite yet.

Same with a fitness instructor. We know that all fitness instructors are different, which is why we favor some and avoid others. Not everyone will love the instructor that the game instructor was modeled, so it's not for everyone, but I think this is a great step in the right direction of making fitness games which can cater to one's body.

And seriously, this game is totally worth buying and playing everyday. :) 

Here's the video from the conference.

Doing Laundry

1. Shower Treat Soap, 2. Simply Hue Designs

Aside from being able to practice my folding skills acquired from years working in retail, I can always find a few $$$ in change in my brother's and The Boy's pant pockets.  And I willingly keep it as tip for doing their laundry.  I also don't have to pay the washer/dryer rent, but that's besides the point.  :)

New! Leather Tags

Well well well, doesn't this look fancy schmancy?

I ordered a maker's stamp that has been laser cut on delrin for making leather tags for each of my bags -   just one of the many steps taken to increase the professionalism of my business.

What do you think?

p.s. I haven't trimmed the piece into a tag yet. I also haven't applied this matte sheen to it either. I just couldn't wait to take a picture after I stamped it. You get the picture though, right?

New: Traveler in Nautical Stripes

Just in time for the summer vacay.




Get it here.

Our Living Room

As promised, I'm sharing the newest decor for my first post-college place. We tossed the foldable bridge table set we used as dining room furniture, the futon couch we used for our main couch, and all the mis-matched furniture. We started with a fresh new living room with a red accent wall (our options were slate blue, mocha, or red).



The couch and chair are from Ashley Furniture - it was literally the only non-traditional piece they had in the showroom, and we were completely sold on the price. Originally, we were 86% sold on a couch from CB, but decided to shop around a little more when we found a sofa and chair (with delivery) from Ashley for less than one sofa from CB. It's our first place - can't spoil ourselves yet! Plus, this guy's made of microfiber, and since I make a lot of Travelers with microfiber, I know how much wear and tear it can withstand and how easy it is to maintain.

The side table and coffee table are from the STRIND series from IKEA.

The touch lamp is from Target.

As far as accessories, I've only so far added my Cardboard Safari Bucky from PopDeluxe and some milk glasses from me & mike on Etsy.

Across from the seating area is our built-in entertainment center. It's completely undecorated at the time except for one cubby.



The typewriter is a garage sale find. I found this lovely letter N at Vintage Embellishment on Etsy. It works for both my last name and The Boy's. Convenient, huh? The glove mold is from Our Hoard House on Ebay.

Over the next few months, I will be collecting some finds to populate the remaining 7 cubbies (2 of which are 3X the length of this one). 

That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed the little tour. :)

Summer Knits

It's knitted and still perfect for the summer! :)

1. Old Age Vintage, 2. Knit Knit, 3. y0omii, 4. Pleasantly Plump Knits, 5. Yes Jess, 6. Jasmine Creations

You can see more lovely knitted finds on my newest treasury, "Summer Knits".

Isn't She Lovely?

I really love how Keiko paired the Baby Ruche in Blush Pink with that lovely top and skirt. And those shoes? I think I need a pair of those heels.

Image from KeikoLynn

Birthday Recap: Part II

We rented a party barge, made 5 gallons of Mai Tai, grilled hot dogs and spent Sunday afternoon soaking up the sun and swimming in Lake Travis with our closest friends. A Sunday well spent!


1. Before we departed from the dock
2. Enjoying a Mai Tai on the top deck with a pouty face
3. Before my brother (you can see him behind us) pushed us in the water
4. I'm happy. :)

By the way, those cloud earrings are from That Bear is Knitting.  They're the cutest!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

Birthday Recap: Part I

That's the Mero! Photograph by Carlton Wade via Chef Josh Watkins

Well, turning 24 wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm really glad that I got to celebrate it with my friends! :)

The birthday weekend started off with a trip to The Carillon with The Boy. We ordered the 6 Course Tasting each and we had everything paired with wine. Yes, 6 servings of wine. I don't know if I remember the last course. Just kidding, it was delicious!

This was our menu:

Course 0
Smoked tenderloin with traditional tomato confit (jam) & Tomato sorbet with basil

Course 1
Hamachi Crudo with hazelnuts, currants and ponzu

Course 2
Seared Mero (Argentinian Sea Bass) with spinach and shiitake mushrooms in a really yummy orange sauce that I forgot the contents of... :(

Course 3
Crisp Pork Belly with diablo glaze, asian pear salad, and fried mint

Course 4
Bacon Crusted Sea Scallop with butter poached fingerling potatoes, sunny side up quail egg and bearnaise

Course 5
Texas Coffee Rubbed New York Strip with roasted parsnips, candied garlic and mesquite syrup

Course 6
Guanaja Chocolate Terrine with burnt orange reduction and cardamom cream

Course 6.5
Cardamom Creme Brulee

Unfortunately,  I don't remember all the wines, but I do remember we had the High Note Malbec at some point between course 1-4 and with dessert my favorite wine of all, Michele Chiarlo Nivole Muscat D'Asti.

Our experience was delightful and delicious as always. Our first time was for Valentine's, the second for our One Year Anniversary, and this time was for my birthday! :)

Though our best experience ever was our second time - we had a wonderful server, Christof who started us off with a bottle of champagne, ended it with a yummy goat cheese cheesecake with "Happy Anniversary" piped on the plate, and then got to meet the Chef du Cuisine! You can't beat that, right?

Following dessert we waddled our way down town to 219 West for my birthday Chocolatini. Then I passed out.

Not really, we met up with some friends for a fun night of dancing! Then we decided that we were too old to stay out until last call and went home, happy and full.

Part II coming next!

Cupcakes, Yum!

Yep, having that craving for another trip to Hey Cupcake!

1. Heather King Photography, 2. Heidi Adnum Photography, 3. Silverdays

Check out my Cupcake treasury for more delicious finds!

The Briefcase: Featured at The Holiday Lookbook

Here's the news that I promised from Monday's mention of fun things happening this week.

Etsy showcased my Briefcase in Distressed Wintergreen at The Holiday Lookbook 2010 yesterday as one of the many hand made products you can find at Etsy. What an honor to be able to be able to represent!

The Holiday Lookbook is "a gift fair held twice a year where the media can stop by and explore the newest and most notable products of the season. This press preview is an exclusive opportunity for select brands/product to present their new products and services to invited media outlets, in time for holiday gift guide coverage as well as opportunities for timely on-air segments."



Sharing this news with you on my birthday was the best way to start the day! :)

Now I wonder if there were pictures of the booth. I hope my Briefcase did OK. Kind of nervous it wasn't photogenic if there were photos taken of it. Now I sound like a worried mother...

I'm 24

Image by Meredith Winn

I always imagined I would give my greatest contribution to the world at age 30, and then sustain it starting at 40+.  I borrowed this idea from the Field's Medal requirements.

Six more years to make a miracle! :)

But honestly, I can't believe I started this business while I was still in my junior year of college (studying engineering of all things) and now it's my full-time job. I am so thankful for all the support I've received from many people along the way - including my parents, brother, boyfriend, dog (he sleeps by my feet and transfers encouraging energy me way), friends and internet friends I've met in the last two years. It's been a great journey and I'm excited to continue it for as long as I can continue designing and making.

And now I leave you with one of my favorite pictures of Hubert - the day that I brought him home from the airport to be a part of my family the summer that I started my business.

His paw pads were pink! So cute!

Shop Update: More Ruche, Pleat

Hehe. Got the little word play there?



I found a big box full of bags that I finished but forgot to photograph before the big move, so I photographed some them in the new studio! More to come tomorrow.

Shop Now

Introducing: The Backpack

I'm really excited to launch this new bag (a day early!) after a year from its inception. I've sketched this piece over and over again in my notebook - changing the dimensions, hardware, and style. After making the first prototype in two-tone red leather (Yep, I make my prototypes in their final material. I also took math exams in pen.), I made very few revisions, and finished it last night. Here it is: the final product.

The perfect bag for a trip to the farmer's market or a weekend getaway. This bag is for the refined woman who tip toes on the raw edge. Did I mention it gives moms two free hands?

Oh, and I have to share with you my new photo station.

I found this beautiful little corner in my studio that is perfect for product photography. The table you see is my sewing table, so I get to see this pretty view each day as I sew for hours and hours. Yesterday was a very gloomy and rainy day, but I opened the aperture a bit and I think the photo came out lovely. What do you think?

Birthday Wishlist: A Few Favorites

Enough said. :)

1. Monkeys Always Look, 2. Santoki Vintage, 3. Fluffy Pink Bunnies Vintage, 4. Augury, 5. Tortilla Girl

Coming June 11th

Ready to Ship

Among the 20 bags that are ready to ship!

SHOP NOW

Whimsy and Spice

I know I'm sweet - it runs through my veins. Literally. I found out that my blood glucose levels were a little higher than my doctor was comfortable with, so I had to minimize the sweet treats that I often buy on Etsy, namely from a particular confectioner who makes really sweet treats with a dash of spice.

Then guess who decided to become a featured seller...

Back story:

I made my first order from Whimsy and Spice some months ago and was instantly hooked. They became my go-to place for sweet treats (with a dash of spice) and then my doctor raised concerns about my blood glucose levels and wanted to run more tests to make sure. This means more $$$ that my insurance won't cover. 

Fortunately, I'm a biomedical engineer and am a certified fitness instructor, so I've taken enough classes about glucose to understand what I need to do. Minimize the simple sugars, stay hydrated, and increase the exercise. Done. I'll come back during my yearly exam and see that my blood sugar levels have decreased. Voila! Some hundred dollars and 2 hours of time saved on skipping a glucose tolerance test. 

Back to the main story.

Last week, guess who decides to sit on Etsy's front page ALL WEEK and taunt me? Since I've been so good about avoiding sugar, I decided to reward myself with a sugar overdose and slowly increase my blood glucose one mg at a time. ;)

Really, when my order came in my brother and The Boy were like,

"Uh...aren't you supposed to -"
"It's my BIRTHDAY WEEK! Leave me alone!" as I lovingly hugged the box, unwilling to forfeit the goods.

So I photographed them before I indulged in a Hazelnut Whisky Sandwich Cookie.



If you are also concerned about me becoming diabetic, I assure you that I will share 2/3rds of these treats with The Boy and The Bro. Because I'm so sweet. *wink!*

Fun Week to Come!

1. Becky M, 2. Gateline Salsa, 3.The Fancy Lamb

This week is going to be a bit busy. I'm going to finish all the remaining orders from the end of May this week, and then dedicate my remaining free time to unpacking my studio, living room, kitchen. Really, it's been two weeks and there are still things that need to be unpacked and organized.

Then, Friday is my birthday! I turn 24. The Boy is treating us to our favorite restaurant, The Carillon for a 6 course tasting. :) :)

Also on Friday I get to share some cool news about a bag from my shop that will be showcased at a particular event by a pretty big company. Vague, huh? I can't spill the details until Friday - I promised.

Sunday we're throwing a big boat party, on a party barge for our closest friends to celebrate The Boy and my birthdays (his was June 1st). Hooray!

Lots of sun, fun, beer and BBQ on a boat. Can't beat that.

Good News Sunday

Well, two pieces of good news for today!

The Boy made it into today's Etsy Finds: Man Cave. :)

{Click to see Etsy Finds Feature}

And Rafa won the French Open.  He played like a god.

{Click to see image source + article}

"Our New Pet"

My dad has occasionally mentioned wanting a puppy now that my brother and I are all "grown up", graduated and living our own lives in Austin. Each time, my mom lets out a big sigh, and then cringes at the thought of having anything alive and shorter than 5' living in the house. Let alone a PUPPY. I couldn't imagine having a puppy again - Hubert was a lot of work when he was a puppy. Potty training, obedience training, and all the time and effort spent educating and socializing him...I can't imagine having a another one. Hubert is so well-behaved and well-trained now. Can I raise another one like him?

Well, when I received an e-mail from my dad with the subject "Our New Pet", I freaked out a little bit.

Then I was relieved when I saw the photo attachment.



An inanimate Hubert. Phew.

Hubert is pictured right. Ain't he the cutest?