Preview for "V"!!

I don't have much time to write tonight.......our recent vacation to the beach was wonderful beyond words but I am BEHIND on everything else in my life. There is nothing like taking time out to be with my sweet husband and kids though. It hit me that I am a much better Mommy on vacation solely because I don't expect them to pick up after themselves so much. I'm attempting to bring that "laid back vacation Mommy" back to our house for a few days but after one crazy-mopping-bonanza I realize that she is slipping away from me quickly!!

On to "V"s purse! She wanted her Natasha tote a little bit smaller so I took about half an inch off all of the way around and added a button closure. We were discussing color schemes and fabric and she was drawn to black and white. I know there are some gorgeous black and white damasks out there so that got me excited to incorporate and then she looked at me and said

" With fuchsia!!" and my heart skipped a beat. There is nothing like twisting the usual with a little bit of unexpected! More shocking to me- it was a color combination that I had not used before and had not even thought of. That doesn't happen that often!!!

The cherry on top of this order was that she ordered a matching make up bag to go along with it and that always makes me drool a little. Get ready for my wallets that I am working on and should be offering soon!

I'm secretly hoping that "V" hates this purse and the next time you see me I will be walking around wearing it!! In the meantime- "V", it was a pleasure getting to work with you and I really do hope you adore your purse as much as I do!!

The Natasha Tote is $45

My Make-up wristlet bags are $18 but $15 if you order along with a purse

A Natasha Tote for super cute "F"!!

So, "charms" on my bags are all my current rage right now (see the charm hanging off the above purse on your right). I love the braids- I love adding beads- I love making your purses more individual- love it all.

So imagine my excitement when I was asked to surprise a friend of "A.M."s with a custom purse along with a peace sign charm! The girl loves peace signs and I was hooked. I have just made random design charms so far- actually making "something" or a sign that is indicative of the purse owners personality?!....LOVE IT!!!

The best thing about this order was that I got to catch a quick glimpse of "A.M."'s friend before I made it, her name is "F". She is adorable and has tons of her own style!! I got so excited about making this for her because I could see that she was a little adventurous- which I am too so I always love that!

I was so happy with how it turned out- and was thrilled to find out later that "F" loved it as well.

"A.M." has ordered lots of purses and dresses for her niece from me and she makes drop dead, drool over yourself jewelry so needless to say she is insanely creative. She also has a generous heart and puts TONS of thought into the gifts that she buys. She is such a kind soul and I totally look up to her, respect her and love to eat up her ideas that she gives me!

As always, thanks for the order "A.M." and I hope you enjoy your special purse "F"!!!!

Natasha Totes are $45 and to add a charm is an additional $7.

Yvette's Small Satchel bag!!

I have been dying to make a purse for Yvette- I love her wit (see her blog at http://yvette-unedited.blogspot.com/) and totally adored talking to her when she was writing an article about my business (see http://www.examiner.com/x-10270-Pasco-County-Parenting-Examiner~y2010m3d5-Artistic-Pasco-mom-creates-a-stir-with-oneofakind-handbags). It really has been a pleasure getting to know her more recently!! I had never exactly "met" her though so I couldn't really surprise her with something.

When we talked about her style she gave me something that I don't usually get......hobo, hippie, not fru-fru, urban, didn't need a large bag (seriously- rarely hear that. It seems like we all always need more space!!) just enough room for her book (she has time to read!! she's a goddess to me already!) so I was completely intrigued and was more than excited to work on it!!!

My style is more similar to hers than "girly" but still not exactly like Yvettes....the hardest and most fun part of my "job" is making MY style mesh with YOUR style and I was more than ready to see what I could come up with.

As you can see, the bag has a long messenger strap that will be ultra-comfy and hands free. This is not a heavy bag that you can fit the world into...it is sleek and functional.

I have been really looking forward to mixing these fabrics for the past several months but I never found a project that totally fit but i felt inclined to take a chance on Yvette- when I walked in to meet her for lunch the day that I gave the purse to her I knew in an instant that my instinct was right!! She was going to knock this purses socks off- she was SO cute and yes, very urban-hippy in an exotic, gorgeous kind of way. I was SUPER happy with how well it "fit" her and I think she feels the same way!

Just a little FYI- I still work from patterns sometimes but more and more often I make my own patterns. This bag is 100% Yvettes! Thank you so much Yvette for the inspiration and your magnetic personality. I hope there are more lunch dates to follow!!

xoxo-

holly

Yvette's Small Satchel bag is $42.

More Natasha orders.....I told you she was addicted :)

These are more Slings that were ordered for gifts that I somewhat recently finished. I'm LOVING the bright yellow and hot pink fabric from my favorite designer- Anna Maria Horner.

Slings are $45

It's been a while since I posted and I'm in the mood to talk! Natasha, gorgeous trim and adjustable straps!

I have talked about Natasha before in posts....seeing as she is undeniably addicted to bags and dresses for her daughter I will definitely be posting about her again! I LOVE Natasha. I totally met her through business and I know that sounds kind of weird but I'm crazy about her and how thoughtful she is and how easy she is to talk to- she is my kind of chick!! Here is a quick example of the caliber of person that Natasha is......

-She ordered a purse for her close friend as a gift.

-I wanted to use it as an example at my recent party (can't wait to blog about the party!).

-She happily lets me keep it as an example and comes to the party to support me and pays for it at the party.

-We plan to meet at a mall at a later date to finally supply her with the purse.

-She drives to mall- I drive to mall. All of our kids are with us at the mall.

-I bring all of the purses for the other friend I was meeting at the mall in a giant bright blue Ikea bag.

-Totally forget Natasha's.

-Twice I have jipped her of the "paid in full" purse (and hello- I remembered the other purses but not hers??!!).

-She giggles, I can totally tell she doesn't care at all for her inconvenience because she is just cool like that.

-Has to meet me AGAIN to get the purse. Never once even batted an eye at my craziness, was completely supportive and even brought my daughter gifts at our meetings.

But I hear the friend likes it a lot, and in my eyes, Natasha hangs the moon. (she also has her masters, is a teacher, has a very cool mom that makes cute bows for anyone with daughters out there and a precious 4 year old little girl)

On to her order.....the first bag is one of my most ordered items. It is a very roomy tote and Natasha knew the style of fabrics she was looking for. She was loving the funky gold/bead trim that I have been playing around with recently and I was really happy with how it turned out.There is not that much of this trim left and please remember in the fabric world- fabrics, trims, handles, etc. can come and go faster than you think. The good thing about that is it makes your item extra-special. Anyhow- get the trim while it's hot if any of you want it used in your bag! Since this "bag" doesn't have a name/label yet I am going to get really creative with this one and name it after my rocking friend- The Natasha Tote.

The second bag is my Miss Karen's Multitasker with one huge difference- an adjustable messenger strap. This was a new one for me- messenger strap, no problem- adjustable, not really a problem.....just new to me, so it took me some trial and error to figure out. Now, you can make your strap as long or short as you need depending on the situation. I made another one for Natasha's friend "M" but I am bummed that I didn't take pictures of it. "M" is so seriously cute that I can't stand it and she makes my bag look incredible!!!So, if any of you ladies would like to add Natasha's adjustable strap to a purse for you let me know- I should be able to add it to almost anything. Thank you Natasha for requesting it!

Hmmmmm- I have so much more to post but I'll stop talking for now. Xoxo Natasha- you are a gift girl.

Natasha Totes (the purse on the top of this post) are $45

Miss Karen Multitaskers with an adjustable strap are also $45