Showing posts with label clutch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clutch. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 November 2009

New Bag


A new little bag with a chain. It is styled like a baguette, but meets the requirements of having a chain. I think this would be nice with a leather short handle. Something else to work on. Now just a new name needed....Petite Baguette?

Is it bad to want this bag for myself? Love it. Look out for it in the shop soon.

Wednesday, 5 August 2009

Heavenly Handbags

This is supposed to be a mobile phone charm. Even though my mobile doesn't have somewhere for a charm to go I had to have it. I think it will look fab on my key chain.

Sunday, 18 January 2009

Calm has returned

Finally my workspace has returned to "normal", and not a minute too soon as I got an order for my lovely little Grey and Moss clutch, which my husband and I affectionately call alveoli ( we're science geeks what can I say).Well you can see where we are coming from. Anyway I sold it on Folksy, I have had a store there for a while but haven't really done any real work on it. I really just signed up so no-one else got my name. I have had a couple of sales from there with no promotion, so I have decided to do a little work and see how it goes. Just spreading the eggs around.

The up side of getting my desk cleared is that I can get to work on my new fabrics.

Saturday, 3 January 2009

What have I gained from 2008?

Having your own business is hard work. I have slept less and worked more than I did when I was a student teacher and I didn't think that was possible. It consumes your every waking and a lot of your sleeping thought. I found the key to balancing it, believe it or not towards the end of the year when I was at my busiest. I, of course, completely ignored how to put it in action and remained a walking zombie.

Coming up with an idea, making it and then selling it is possibly one of the coolest things I have ever done. I gives you such a buzz it's unreal. At dinner with friends, the topic of my business was being discussed and someone said they had a fixed salary and therefore have no financial survival instincts, which I thought was quite interesting as I have fixed salary but have extremely strong & focused financial survival instincts and that has helped a lot over the last 8 months. Thanks Mum & Dad.

Everyone wants to talk about your business, even people you hardly know. What fascinates them the most is their quest for knowledge and their surprise when they discover that you do actually sell things, that those things usually go half way around the world to find their new homes and that you make money at it. The sudden openness about money is quite strange, everyone wants to enquire about your profit margins? Do you pay yourself a wage? Is it worthwhile? In the end I explain it like this. If my options are sit in front of the TV becoming a vegetable OR whizz around on the sewing machine for a bit and make a buck or 2, I know which one I will do. However I do tell them it's not for everyone, I suppose it depends how materialistic you are.

A lot of new skills. I can now use the digital camera without every shot being blurry, just the odd one. I can edit a picture without wanting to smash the computer or having to whine at my husband about how photo-editing software was only created to make me cry (although that does still happen from time to time). My sewing has improved beyond all manner and I can now do simple things quickly and correctly first time - my poor stitch ripper had a terrible time to begin with.

A more focused outlook. I started this whole thing to give me something to do so that my job as a teacher didn't get on top of me and it worked. I may now have more things to do and others may perceive I have a more stressful like but if I'm truthful I am calmer and more effective. I look forward to working on projects both in my day job and at home. It's hard work but it is rewarding looking at finished piece and even more so when it sells.

Well that's what I have gained, what about 2009?

I don't like to set my self up, so I tend to work on mini targets, but the big thing for 2009 is to get my own website off the planning board and out there. I would like to increase my sales on and off web. Possibly look at getting a few select b&m retailers selling my bags. I have had a few interested enquires but we will see how it goes on that front, I like selling online and personally at present.

That's enough of my babble for the mo, I have1 and a very tiny bit of a day left before I'm back to work. So I think I might open a little mini bottle of fizz and chill for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

the postie brings little parcels of joy

Some fabric has arrived, well a lot really, but I was only actually able to contain my self to photo this before ripping open the parcels. I am very impatient.


This is just the tip of the iceburg, I have a pile about a foot high (no joke) sitting waiting to be put away.
Oh and by the way for those who check-in from time to time, you are not going mad they did appear at the same time, publishing problems.
I must get back to some wrapping and tidying.

Saturday, 22 November 2008

Busy Busy Busy

I have been flat out lately, between work, Christmas shopping and sewing. I finally found out that I definitely have a stall at St Georges Christmas Craft Fair in Belfast, 6th & 7th December. I have been working on the theory that I was getting it and have been working on getting a decent inventory ready. As a consequence, my house looks like a fabric shop and my second bedroom has become a storage facility. I haven't been counting as I go along, but bravely checked last night and there is 100+ bags and still 2 weeks to go. Woo Hoo.


There are so many lovely bags and some new ideas I have been working on, so I am quite excited and scared all at the same time.


I have also come to the conclusion that I really need to factor in more sleeping time. I reached this decision due to the fact that I have acquired a stinking cold. When you are running a business being sick really sucks, even just from the point of view that you need some down time to get better, and during this down time all I can think about is I have so much to do. However tomorrow is another day and I'm hoping that when I wake up I will be feeling much better, as at the mo I am very motivated.

Monday, 27 October 2008

A bag for a bag-lady

People often think because I make bags I must have a lot of my own bags. Now while I do have a lot of bags, very few of them have been made by me. I often get the rejects, that don't quite pass quality control.

On Friday evening I was attending a formal and I decided late (and I do mean late) on Thursday night, that I fancied a new bag. Normally I would just pop out and buy one, however time was going to be tight on Friday, so at about 10.30 I decided to make a bag. I was wearing a cream embroidered corset top and a black ballgown length formal skirt.

So I settled for a cream silk with black embroidery and I lined it with bright pink fabric. Here is what I ended up with.




It was just perfect and I was really pleased with it. It got plenty of admiring glances and a few people were hoping I might make one for them.

Monday, 13 October 2008

A Weekend of Sewing

This is what my work room looks like after a weekend of sewing. Little scraps and debris lying everywhere.

The floor under my sewing machine

A used tube of glue buried under some scraps

A discarded empty spool

When I am making my bags and I am doing the corners, I am left with these little squares. They remind me of little beaks, with a mixture of colours and textures. I usually keep a few sitting on the shelf above my sewing machine, for inspiration and because they make me smile.So after a major weekend of sewing what was the outcome?


16 pretty new bags, all waiting to be framed, some made with new fabrics, which have not yet hit my shop, including some lovely new Japanese fabrics. These bags are destined for a different venue, but more of that later.

Friday, 15 August 2008

A New Design

My new 8 inch frames arrived a few days ago and I was happily waiting until the weekend for a chance to design a new bag for the frame, when I got a request for something a bit different. After a bit of thinking I came up this




It's perfect for notes and cards instead of a wallet, a stylish make-up bag or just as an ultra slim clutch for your mobile, lippy and cash. I haven't definitely decided on name for it yet but I'm thinking ......"Baguette Bag" - chic and tasty but not crunchy.

It wasn't what I had bought the frames for but when it was finished I just loved it and really wanted to keep it all for myself, but it's not to be and it has to go to it's new home, but I think more will follow soon and I might just have to keep one for myself :0)



Friday, 8 August 2008

Rainy Days


I ordered this fabric, among others, from karaku on etsy.



I just love it, it's so cute and arrived in record fast time, I have already created this



Rainy day clutch

It's fab and very appropriate for the current weather we are having over here. It is a slight redesign of my medium clutch and it worked out really well. Unfortunately, or fortunately from my point of view, it has got snapped up. Look out for more Japanese fabric clutches in my shop.

Wednesday, 6 August 2008

Bye Bye Order

I got a massive order the last week ish, 8 clutches all going to new homes. A bride-to-be had purchased them for her bridesmaids. It took ages to get them all ready and packed.









Here they are ready to be labelled and posted



It's always a bit sad but exciting when they go off to the post office.


It did make me think about how nice it is to get pretty things in the post and how much I really like it when parcels are nicely wrapped instead of being bunged into a tiny plastic mailer. Plastic mailers are fine for supplies but for handmade things????


Of course my big problem at present is my pup's intense dislike for anything that comes through the letterbox. My normally sleepy, sweet cocker turns into an "urban terrorist", growling and barking (!) at the letterbox. He snatches the post and gives it a good shake just to make sure it will not attack us.


We are now at the stage when we will have to think about an external mailbox and "safeplace" for parcels. Grrrhh dogs are a pain in the ear but you gotta love them.

Tuesday, 22 July 2008

Mini Clutches

I have been working on new mini clutches for a while now, they look great especially in some great new fabric.


Red polka pvc



Black and white spots
Heart to Heart

Multi circles
Now that I look at them I notice they all have red interiors and there is a strong spot theme going on.

Sunday, 22 June 2008

Parcel Packaging

Imagine my joy when I checked into my ETSY store and discovered 3 sales tonight. I had just turned out and packed 3 custom bags, so I had to start to do more parcels. Here is what they look like when packed.

First each bag needs to get its little hanging tag.

These are from moo a great place for fun cards.


Then they get wrapped in tissue paper and get a little MOO sticker




Then they get put in a plastic baggy (to keep them dry in case the box is damaged)


with a handwritten note and some business cards.





All nicely boxed and taped ready to go to a new home.

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

New Things

I am always up for trying new things, so this week I decided to give PVC a go. I came across a lovely bit of red polka dot PVC in Laura Ashley which I just couldn't resist. I thought it would be really odd to sew, but it wasn't and it made a lovely little number.




I think it's just fab, great for a day at the beach as one needs to look stylish at all times, or for makeup at the gym. The possibilities are endless but we will have wait and see if the world shares my love.

Friday, 13 June 2008

weekends

What did you do last weekend?

I did.....






I cut all weekend and will have to do more this weekend :0(

What will you be up to?

Thursday, 12 June 2008

My favorite bags

Every so often I make a bag that makes me go oohh! Sometimes it's something I have come up with, sometimes it's a request that gives me ideas.


This is a fab clutch made from Black Monkwell, everytime it hits Etsy it sells and it also goes through non-etsy sales, only a few more limited bags are left in this material, it will be a sad day when the last one is cut.




This was a custom order that I made during the week. I would never have put these two colours together, I always line this material with orange, but I think this will make an appearance in my shop.






Thursday, 22 May 2008

Some Pretty Things

I have been working hard at starting my own business making clutch handbags. This is something I have been playing about at this for years, making bags and giving them to friends and relatives as presents. People have been telling me for ages that I should be selling my bags, but I just didn't believe anyone would buy one.

A couple of months ago I found Etsy.com, and I saw an opportunity. I had always intended to sell online because everyone has been telling me that's the way to go. Etsy allows me to have a large international market and to get some passing trade.

I set up my little shop about 4-5 weeks ago and I have had 6 sales, not quite retirement material but a good start. What has been great is that it has given me a profile and this has lead to 4 custom orders in the last 10 days from people I know.

Call back soon for an update on how things are going.