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

My Summer Sling for "A"...

How I know "A" is like the Kevin Bacon game- she knows friends of mine from 2 different parts of my life and she is also in the INCREDIBLE interfaith bible study that I go to.....or maybe that is just living in New Tampa- don't we all know a friend of a friend who ends up knowing you? Such a small circle out here. I always think of that when I yell at my kids in public- surely SOMEONE who knows me is within earshot and I'll be sticking my foot in my mouth soon enough.

Anyways- "A" has twins so she does need a decent size bag I'm sure. This Summer Sling is just the normal Sling but modified originally for my sweet friend Summer. The "basket" of the sling is simply smaller so you get all the style and ease of the Sling without such a giant space to fill up. It is still very roomy though! The inside space is pretty flexible- for "A" we added an inside zippered pocket on one side and another set of open pockets on the other.

Thank you "A"!! and thank you Summer for being my source of inspiration!! xoxo!

Slings are $45

One group of friends, lovin' the same purse all with their own style-

This order has been so cute to me- it started with "M", who ordered a Miss Karen's Multitasker (her post was Preview for M!) and then her girlfriend "H" followed up with her own order in a gorgeous Alexander Henry fabric (see the purse on the left) and now we are on to "J" (who this post is for!) in my very, very favorite designer Anna Maria Horner. All three of these girls are incredibly nice and have been a joy to work with!! I'm tickled pink that they all have their very own personalty in one of my purses, especially since this purse was invented by such a great friend of my own (I sure love you Karen!!). It makes me think about how inspiring my friends are and how enriched my life is because of them. I'm sure the three of these women feel the same! I hope you all enjoy- thank you so much!

Miss Karen's multitaskers are $42

I have to post fast tonight because I have lots of sewing to do but I recently finished my new Laci dress and I wanted to share it. I'm super excited about piecing the fabric strips together so I can get more creative with mixing fabrics (I know not for everybody but soooooo for me!) and the little gathered sleeves- to die for!! I can make it without the tie at the empire waist if requested.

These will cost $50.

Preview for "A"!!

"A" has TWINS! How do you make a purse good enough for a girl with young twins? I was able to meet with her at KidzClub while our children played and I got a glimpse of the giant backpack full of gear that she carries with her. I was so happy that she picked this style because it has such great outside pockets and I really think it will meet her needs. Can you see how there are two giant pockets on each side of the outside? Plus the big one in the middle and I lined the entire inside with pockets as well. TONS of space. "A" also wanted her bag to be a crossover so she has her hands free when needed (I'm such a fan of the crossover myself- I can carry baby "M", carry toddler "L" too and hold the big guy's hand while STILL having my purse attached to me- I'm sold!). So I made the straps extra long for her and it fits just perfect on your side.

Another great thing about "A" is that I had made a purse very similar to this for myself (but I keep holding onto it for inventory and examples) so I am clearly crazy about these colors and fabrics and you gotta love it when someone is on your style wave length!

I hope you like it "A"!! Thank you!

$42