Seconds and Retired Bags Sale!

Ok guys, we’ve decided to put some stuff on sale! This happens very infrequently, as I am sure you have noticed. But, we have a pile of seconds and lots of retired designs, and it is time to clear out the shelves!

So, now until September 15th we have seconds on clearance and retired designs at 15% off. Come on in the shop and get them. Wohoo!

Pug Princess

This is Princess Lucy. She hoards all of the toys, puts them all on her bed, and then sits on top and chews on them so Abbey can’t get them. See that red “t”/jack shaped one in the middle? That one isn’t even hers, but she still steals it from Bandit (Kendall’s Italian Greyhound) and hoards it on her bed. She spends most mornings wandering around the whole shop, finding all of the toys, and bringing them to her bed.

I must say, these girls keep us so entertained!

Yikes!

Phew! This week has been like a runaway freight train! I can’t believe that it is Thursday (tomorrow) already.

Kendall started as a full-time sewer as of Monday this week. It is amazing how much time it is taking to keep up with her. I feel like I have been in the sewing room 75% of the week already, and she needs a bunch more work for tomorrow. Yikes! It is so different than when she would come 2-3 days a week after work and on her day off.

But, it is all worth it seeing our back stock shelves fill back up instead of just getting barer and barer. The first show I did when I hit this business really hard I sold over half my stock for Christmas in one day, and I feel like I have been running to keep up ever since. So, watching the shelves fill just makes me feel so very happy. Especially since Christmas is just around the corner (and yes that is how I think. I even have my Christmas decorations all planned out already!).

Alright, Kendall just left and informed me on her way out that she is finished with everything I have given her and she needs more for the morning. Oy! Off to cut!

Weather! That's Not Fair!

James and I checked the weather forecast the other day for the weekend. It looked something like Thursday: Sunny, Friday: Sunny, Saturday: Cloudy and Raining, Sunday: Cloudy and Raining, Monday: Sunny, Tuesday: Sunny, Wednesday: Sunny.

Is it true that the weather can really be against people with mon-fri jobs, or those of us who want it sunny on Saturdays to draw more of a crowd to the farmer's market? It doesn't seem possible that Mother Nature could really be "out to get" anyone, but this appears to be proof.

TGIF!

Right, thank god its Friday doesn’t really count around here since we pretty much work 7 days a week. Oh well.

So we’re gearing up for tomorrow since Saturdays are always busy with all the farmer’s market traffic. It is near the end of the summer too, so there are tons of tourists in town.

My day was absolutely FANTASTIC, since I walked over to the downtown yarn shop and picked up supplies to feed my addiction. Yes, the yarn store is the highlight of my week.

My landlord/leasing agent from our old space, who was also the leasing agent on our new space is married to Nancy, the Northwest Handspun Yarn shop owner. It is right across the street from our old building, but of course I never made it in there for yarn until we moved across town……

Anyway, I am very highly excited because I got a gorgeous organic cotton and an absolutely luxurious alpaca/wool blend yarn, both from Blue Sky Alpacas. They are both to die for, and the most I have ever spent on yarn. I also got some other yarns, plus a knitting book and yarn needles, since mine all are m.i.a. She has a great selection, and let me bring Lucy (the baby pug) in to “help me shop.” Course, all she did was sneeze and shoot snot rockets right into my ear. Lovely.

So we are off to walk the dogs, have take and bake pizza for dinner, and watch the newest season of the Simpsons that just came out of dvd. Sounds like the perfect Friday night to me!

Rebecca's Bag

So, one of the most frequently asked questions I hear is, “So, which one do you carry?” Since I always happily answer and one of my other favorite things is to see what people carry in their bags, I have decided to show you both in today’s post:

Today (as of last night) I am carrying the Large Davey Jones’ Locker in Burgundy with the black and cream striped belt.



First of all I must say, this is the most AMAZING bag ever. I have totally outdone myself, and am absolutely amazed with my design abilities! But, I will post on that later.

I switched to it last night because, as I have mentioned several times, I am getting back into knitting (big time) and I have been carrying projects back and forth to work. I have one of our mocha and orange knitters that got pen on it, so it is mine. It has been great while the knitting project stays at home-- I have a whole host of reasons why I adore that bag-- but I have been carrying my small davey jones’ locker AND the knitting bag everyday, and I needed to consolidate to one bag. I thought I would give it a try, and voila:



I put my 2 different colored yarns one in each pocket on one side for tangle-free travel and knitting, dropped my wallet and calendar on the other side for easy access, and pens, stitch markers, etc are in the fourth pocket. It works absolutely perfectly. And, those pockets with yarn are deep enough that there are 2 balls in each, since I am doing a double strand in each color to make the knitting a little thicker when it is finished.



Of course then, there are the 3 outside pockets. My ipod and cell phone fit perfectly in the side two:



And my knitting magazines for inspiration are in the front pocket.



I love, love, love this bag. Makes sense why it has quickly become the most popular size and style in the sash bag line!

Squirrel Nut Zippers

We always try to play music in the shop to create the right “atmosphere.” We generally stick with a mix of big band swing/frank Sinatra/billie holiday/esque plus some mellowish modern music like the shins, the decemberists, Andrew bird, etc. Course right now we are playing Sublime, breaking all the rules! It generally keeps it pretty interesting in here, there is enough that I stay interested all day, and we can switch it up most days so we don’t ever get tired of any one thing.

One of my favorite bands ever is Squirrel Nut Zippers. Remember them from the 90’s swing revival? There big song (I think) was Hell from their album Hot. They are just super upbeat, pretty retro, and the sort of the epitome of my musical style. I think if I were in a band, my band would be like squirrel nut zippers. Of course I am a musician, and play the harp, which is nothing like squirrle nut zippers, so it is funny that I think this. But, if I were in a band, that would be my ideal sound.

So I mention this because we have been open for two and a half months in our new space and I have had at least 5 people comment and ask if we are playing Squirrel Nut Zippers just while I am working the shop. No one ever asks about any other music playing, just squirrel nut zippers. All of our music is on random, so it probably plays one of their songs every 15-20 songs too, so I think it is particularly interesting. I guess there must just be more closet squirrel nut zipper fans out there than I realized! I find this fascinating, and though you all might as well.

Hope the weather is as beautiful everywhere else as it is here, and that you are getting time to enjoy it (not sewing purses like me!).

Getting Up Early

Hello, hello! Whew! Today has been one of those days where your feet are running before they touch the ground, and the rest of the day continues at that pace. I can’t believe it is after 5pm already! Especially not when I got up over 12 hours ago!

What you have to understand is that I am not a morning person. In no way whatsoever. None. Anyone who knows me knows not to come within a mile radius of me until after about 9am, and even then it is barely safe. But, I am starting a new habit, and oddly enough, loving getting up early. It just gives me so much more focus, and then about this time of the day when I am no longer as productive as the morning, I don’t feel guilty. This is really big news. Huge, actually.

It has been a great day, even if it has been hectic. The Aye Captain Tote has been the bag of the day, as just about everyone in the shop has tried one on in front of the mirror. And every time someone picks it up, I realize how cute it really is.

Alright! This post has taken me nearly an hour to write, can you believe that?! I have a new timer, and I am timing myself on everything to keep track of productivity. It is very, very interesting to see.

A Day Off?

Hi all! Yes, we actually took yesterday off, and didn’t do one drop of work all day. Of course, now with an almost full kitchen at work, we have no food at home, so we did have to come into the shop for breakfast. But then, instead of staying and working, we went for a lovely long walk with a good friend, her three year old and 9 month old kids, and our two dogs. It was so very pleasant.

Just a quick announcement that for the first time ever, we are offering SECONDS: bags with slight aesthetic imperfections, nothing structurally unsound, that wont effect your bag in any way other than price. Most of the bags are 40-50% off. Check out our Etsy Store for the first few, and continue to watch for more special discounts in the next few days! Those of you who ask for sales, here’s your chance at discount persnickity stuff!

Gloomy Saturday Afternoon

Where did the sun go? It was out only shortly today, and now it is getting gloomier and gloomier. We are planning to go out and watch the Perseid meteor shower tonight. I hope it doesn’t get too cloudy to do that.

Whew! Saturdays in the shop are super busy! We had both the farmer’s market and La Bella Strada, Bellingham’s attempt at a street fair this weekend, so there are lots of people out and about. And we had three custom orders picked up today, and I always love to see people’s reactions. It makes me feel good.

I love to talk to all of our customers too, and find out more about where are bags go. One customer today is a nurse who spends three months in a location, and then moves on to another location. She just moved here from Hawaii, and will be moving on to Seattle in just a couple weeks. She bought a sash bag with extra scarves so that she can have one bag and match it to all of her outfits. And then there was the three year old purse addict who got to pick out bags for her two aunties’ birthdays tonight. I love it!

So, all in all it has been a great day, even if it is getting gloomier. We have two movies to watch to keep us up until the meteor shower tnoght. Oh boy, that means lots of knitting for me! Oh, have I mentioned I am hitting knitting big time all of a sudden? Yes, which means lots of new fall persnickity surprises in a knitting theme for you! Just wait!

The Small Hey Sailor Handbag

Alright, I hate to do shameless self promotion, but I am totally in love with our new sash bag line, and I plan to tell you the things I love about each and every size. Not all at once though. Tonight you get to hear about the small Hey Sailor Handbag. One of my most favorite is the black bag with a white with red dots scarf:


Ok, what I love about this bag. For starters, it is so darn cute with that little cut out handle. It is perfect for a night out bag, and because you can change what scarf you have on it you can have one “going out” bag that matches all of your “going out” outfits. Or, if you have no life like me, carrying the small hey sailor handbag to the grocery store can feel like a black tie event!

What else do I love? It closes with magnets in the reinforced handles, so it opens really wide, and snaps shut on its own. It has 4 interior pockets, with a black nylon lining, so even though it is a cute small bag, it is super functional and keeps you organized.

The a-line shapes makes it so classic, yet the built in belt loops make it easy to make more funky, or more sophisticated depending on your personal style, or mood. It is even cute without a scarf!

What will it hold? The basics: a weigh anchor wallet, cell phone, comb, compact, and lipstick.

Each one of our new Sash Bags is made with high quality leather-like vinyl. It is buttery soft, it comes in four beautiful colors, it is waterproof, wipe clean, and fabulously durable. Plus, we guarantee all of our sash bags, just like the original line.

This bag would be perfect with a drapey red satin ribbon bow, your little black dress, and red necklace and shoes for an always right dressy outfit.

The hey sailor handbag is also perfect for a girly everyday kind of bag for those who travel light, or a special gift for a fashionable teen.

Alright, thanks for reading. Now you can see why I am excited enough for the self-promotion post!

A little bit of history

I was looking through my pictures on my computer the other day for something, and found my OLD studio pictures that I thought you would enjoy.

This is august 2005 in my about 100-200 sq ft studio in my old house:





This is august 2005 in our first shop, about 500 sq ft:





And here we are august 2007 in our new 3000 sq ft location:





Oh boy, a sneak peak at some new designs!



What a mess!

Some days here are so excruciatingly long that I feel like we have made no progress and should be a lot further along with our business than we are. Then I see these, and realize just how short it really has been, and what a roller coaster it has been. Then I realize why I am so tired, and feel much better.

Alright, This is Ridiculous

I am here. I am sorry I haven’t been updating. Everywhere I go people are like, “Oh Rebecca, I have been reading your blog, and I love it!” And I feel guilty every time. So here I am, and my new goal is to be here everyday. I certainly have enough to say, and enough going on!

Here’s one I hadn’t seen before in our old space, within the lovely locked building, and not next to a bar. Oh, did I mention we are next door to 2 bars in our new space? Certainly leads to an interesting night crowd. I realize why we moved into our old space within a building, where we weren’t visible from the street and where we worked late nearly every night……

One of our sewers who comes Thursday nights left a few weeks ago at about 10:30 pm, and immediately called us on her cell and told us to look out in front of our storefront side:





It was a concert, in our doorway. We were going to ask them to leave, but they were actually pretty good. They thought we were nuts for taking their picture, but hey, they were in our doorway! Those are their girlfriends hanging out on the wall there.




Bellingham certainly is an interesting town, more stories to follow!