I'm so grateful.....

I want to give special thanks to all my customers and new friends who visited me and made a purchase this summer at the Chesterton European Market! I am so grateful to you for your kind words and purchases....and I hope you continue to like the item or items you purchased from me.

Because this summer has been so successful, I really haven't had the time to add to the blog, or to post new items on Etsy....everything has been selling so quickly!

The next event I'll be doing will be the Celebration of the Arts show at the Schoolhouse Shop in Furnessville, just north and east of Chesterton. This is the 19th year for the annual show, and I'm honored to be part of it!

Yes, I'll have more wine

I'm on this mission to start a world-wide trend: to have everyone use a fabric wine bag when giving a gift of your favorite vino! Makes so much sense....much better presentation than a paper bag, adds a touch of elegance to your gift...and the bag is meant to be re-gifted!

At the markets this year, about one-fourth of my sales have been from wine bags. Aaahhh...trend is building. Last spring I shopped for fabrics that I thought would sell for this type of product. I found a couple of prints with wine bottles or glasses, a couple of spring/summer floral prints, some sports fabrics. Seems to be working...someone will come in to buy one with a fabric from their favorite team, end up buying four...or five...or six.

Tell your friends! Spread the word! Drink more wine!!

Buttons anyone?

For some time now, I've wanted to start a photo set on my Flickr page that features all the buttons used on my purses. When I first started making the purses, I used the buttons and a loop for the purse closure; now that I use zippers for closure, the buttons are just the best decoration...kind of like jewelry adornment for the purse.

A few of the buttons I've used are shown on this blog post; to see the whole set, visit my Flickr page, and click on Buttons!

Great Day at the Market!

I can't tell you how thrilling it is when someone purchases one of my products... it really gives me chills every time!

Featured here are some of the people who bought a purse, pouch or gift bag at the Chesterton European Market today....thanks to all of you!

Remember the important things

It was so much fun watching this group last May while visiting a friend. The dynamics in a family or community has always intriguied me. There was a young one in this group with an injured foot, but there was always an adult close by nudging and encouraging...so touching.

Now appearing in the right place

Early last Saturday morning I listened to the weather channel predict strong and severe storms throughout the morning, so I decided not to do the outdoor market that day. Too bad for me...it only rained lightly until 9 am, then was clear the rest of the day!

However my free Saturday led me to do some needed cleaning and organizing in my studio. I traded in my deep plastic bins for easy opening and stacking plastic drawers---I can't believe all the fabric I found! Now when I need some green or pink or navy or beige lining for a purse, it will be so handy. I probably shouldn't buy any more fabric for a year---yeah, right.

A Positive Quality

I've always been a fan of the "Attitude" statement by Charles Swindoll; you know the one that states "I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes."

Here are some positive statements by other Etsy shops about why they are going to have a great year...

"I'm not a factory so everything will be one of a kind! The person sitting next to you will never have one just like it." http://www.raindance.etsy.com/

"My sculptures are unique. They provide brightness when all else is stark." http://www.feralglass.etsy.com/

"My spreadsheets are designed to be simple for you, but employ the benefit of complex coding behind the scenes that allow them to do so much more than one would normally be able to do with excel." http://www.simplesolutions.etsy.com/

"I'm a successful artist in business for herself." http://www.sherrytruitt.etsy.com/

"I am doing what I love, and really believe in my products!" http://www.cheylocreations.etsy.com/

"My paintings bring life, beauty and color to peoples homes :)." http://www.sallytrace.etsy.com/

"I feel I'm developing a unique and recognizable look and feel to my shop. Plus, I LOVE what I do!" http://www.thebeadaerie.etsy.com/

"My displays show off the beautiful jewelry you already have. There are not many jewelry stand crafters here on etsy..." http://www.bonnieshop.etsy.com/

"I am having a super year so far! Craftshow sales are triple of last year. I have 3 goals this year and I think I am going to reach them all. Two for sure! http://www.gypsymoondesigns.etsy.com/

"Our clothing is colorful and fun..many parents tell us that the kids don;t want to take them off!One little girl wore hers everyday at the beach. My mantra was "If I can sell one, I can sell two" and we've sold many." http://www.boygirlboygirldesign.etsy.com/

"I know I'm going to make it because I refuse to NOT make it. Perserverance is a choice." http://www.magicouture.etsy.com/

"There are ups & downs every year. Things will go up again, & I'll make it then. :)" http://www.angelamichelledolls.etsy.com/

Thanks to all for your great ideas! It feels good to share good energy!

Lovin' Laurel Burch

The bright colors, the unexpected shapes, and those eyes...yes, I think it may be the eyes on the animals in all the Laurel Burch designs that attracts me the most.

I bought some of these delicious fabrics with various cat poses recently and made up some of my Amelia Hispter Travel pouches with the fabulous felines. It was a profitable purchase--sold four out of five of them at the market yesterday! I purchased enough of each fabric to make about six of each....guess what I'll be sewing this week?

Creating a New Design: the Caryn hipster

I just love the creative process...probably even more than the finished item. I've wanted to design a new hipster pouch for some time now, and received the final needed inspiration last week when talking to my good friend Caryn. Caryn actually embodies all the things I see in this pouch. My narrative for this product is "A free spirit, casual and practical with a distinctive flair." The Caryn pouch will feature three pieces of coordinating fabrics, usually discontinued upholstery samples, pockets on the back and inside, zippered top for security, and designed to be worn with a long strap diagonally across the body. Perfect for shopping, travel, nature hike or that memorable concert.

I always start with drawing out what the final item will look like, then cut templates for each pattern piece.

Then I look for fabrics that will coordinate...these all came from a store that had discontinued this pattern.

The first four of many Caryn pouches, I believe! They came out even better than I expected. Final size for this pouch is approximately 7 1/4 inches by 7 1/2 inches.

Thanks Caryn, for being so inspirational!

Funny and Absurd...thank you George Carlin

I was just scrolling through the forum posts on Etsy, when I saw the thread title "Don't tag stuff as Vintage that is from WALMART."

It made me laugh and reminded me of all the the wonderfully funny and absurd statements I love from George Carlin...here are a few of my favorites:

Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Rest in peace George...we will remember you!

Outdoor Markets Begin!

For the past two weekends I have had a booth at the Chesterton European Market in Chesterton, Indiana. This is their 7th or 8th year of the market, which they do every Saturday from the end of May through October....I do the market only a few times during the summer. Here is my booth as set up on June 14, 2008.

It has been a good season so far, with sales made to local people as well as some who were visiting the area from all over the country. I always say that every time I finish a purse, I want to keep it, and that certainly is the case with these purses, just some that were sold over the past two weeks.