Toot Sweet! Handbags

Bag Recreation Project

2009-12-21T00:11:00.008-05:00

Recently, I was commissioned to recreate a bag that had an unfortunate accident:
PEN LEAK!

oh the horror! you can see the damage in the picture below, but also keep in mind that these photos are of the bag that i would be recreating, stitch-by-stitch:

I was able to salvage the zippers, D-rings, and straps:
You can really see the ink on the left side of the bag here:
so my work was cut out for me! new canvas, vinyl, closures, lining, and completely new construction. want to see the end result? course you do!

Here's the front:

the side panel:
Close-up of the new closures:
the back:

my fave part is the lining, which was upgraded by my client from army green nylon to fun fun fun floral cotton!

What a fun project! Can't wait for my next challenge!

<3E

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T09:33:00.004-05:00

Hello!

happy thanksgiving, all you americans :)

yesterday i spent it with my fam, and with a frien who is german! it was interesting to talk to him about the differences between america and europe in patriotism, transportation, language barriers and culture in general. it all started when he said he had just booked a hotel room for new years eve - in PARIS! (but that's only a 4 hour drive for him!)

for us, i guess the equivalent would be NYC, but a hotel room for new years in the big apple would be way more than what they paid in paris. guess we'll just stick to fireworks on the beach :)

how was YOUR thanksgiving?

have a great black friday!

♥E

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!

2009-11-27T09:21:00.002-05:00

the SALE is on! head on over for some great deals!

♥E

an article i like....

2009-11-09T12:23:00.002-05:00

...and think we should all read and think about:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33519021/ns/today-green/

what does the word "need" mean to you?

♥E

BLOG HIATUS

2009-09-28T14:42:00.002-04:00

i have decided after much contemplation to take a hiatus from my blogging efforts. all of my past posts will still be searchable and readable, but i won't be adding anything new for awhile.

thanks for understanding :)

♥E

TRADE5 $5 sale

2009-09-18T21:54:00.003-04:00

today (sept 18) thru sunday (sept 20) the trade-a-holics team is having a $5 sale!

just search etsy for the term "TRADE5" to see all the stuff we have marked down for just $5!

here are just some of the lovely items on sale now in my shop:

and there's more - check it out before the sale is over!

♥E

9.9.09!

2009-09-09T09:21:00.002-04:00

ok, everyone it's the day of all days! the last set of repeating single digit days we'll have in almost a century! (until 2101!!)

AND i'm having a 9% off sale in my shop! 9% off everything in my shop all day TODAY only!

♥E

i held my breathe and..

2009-09-08T10:00:00.005-04:00

i got an etsy treasury! holy cow! for the first time ever! i was on craftopolis.com and on there they have a really neat feature called the "treasury clock", which counts down to when the next time the treasury will be open. i saw it approaching, went there, and got one!

you should check it out:

i'm lovin the pink, i mean, it is my favorite color and all :)

♥E

The Secret Life of Bees: a book review

2009-09-01T09:31:00.004-04:00

i am a bookworm, always have been. recently, i finished reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (2002), and i thought that i'd stray away from sewing/crafting for a few moments to share my review.

(please keep in mind that i am not a literary critique, and that i personally am color-blind, however it applies in the context of this book :)

The story is set in 1964 South Carolina, during the peak of the Civil Rights movement in the South. Lily, our heroine, is a 14-year-old white young woman who has grown up until the point where we meet her being raised by her neglectful father. the little attention he shows her is harsh and cruel, and Lily spends much of her emotional energy sorting through his words an actions looking for some inkling of love. Lily's mother died when she was a child, her only mother figure a robust black woman named Rosaleen whom her father hired to care for her through her youth.

through a series of escalating events, Lily and Rosaleen run away from home and find themselves on a bee farm several towns away, run by August Boatwright and her two sisters June and May. the Boatwrights take them in and soon Lily is helping with the beekeeping and Rosaleen is helping with the housework.

a few weeks pass, and eventually Lily comes to terms with the fact that she is here because her mother was once at the same place. the story comes to rendition as August reveals the relationship she had with Lily's mother, and Lily sorts out her emotions with the help of the Rosaleen and the Boatwrights.

the story has an episodic plot, the climax coming very close to the end of the book, and finishing it only left me sad to leave the characters behind. i've left out some of the best parts such that this would not be a spoiler for you who would like to read it, but in the end, Lily finds the love she had been searching for through her whole life.

i think now i need to get the movie added to the top of my netflix queue...

♥E

Thirsty Thursday

2009-08-27T09:11:00.015-04:00

tonight we're headed to a baseball game and the theme is "thirsty thursday". in this spirit, here are some great etsy finds:

Drinking Glass beer Bottles, Rolling Rock Recycled Glassblowing, Eco Friendly by nickpaul

Let's Drink Fill In Invitations by tuccipaperco

Coca Cola, Pepsi, Soda Pop Bottlecap Images by beffyfaye

"I love beer" pillow by sewhome

Colorful Bottles - 5x7 Fine Art Photograph Print by YSLstudio

Mojito Cold Process Soap SALE ONE DOLLAR OFF by SpiralTreeSoap

yep, some good stuff here. tonight is gonna be fun, and i am glad tomorrow is a day off :)

♥E

HomeStudio: scrabble tile pendant

2009-08-26T09:07:00.004-04:00

the other day on etsy, i came across the shop HomeStudio who makes these awesome little pendants from scrabble tiles! while there were, like, a million i wanted to purchase, i limited myself to 4 (they have special 3 and 4 pack deals!), one for myself, and three to give as gifts.

pick in the gifts was the easy part, but for myself, not so much. i realized i really wanted a sewing machine. so i convo'd the shop, and Mark there promptly convo'd me back saying that he had a b/w antique-y looking one that he could do. perfecto!

check it out:

if you order the pendant with a chain, it comes with a ball chain, but i put mine on a box chain i already had:
thanks Stef and Mark at HomeStudio! (i litereally wear this everyday!)

♥E

50 Best Websites: in love with etsy!

2009-08-25T10:26:00.006-04:00

OMG - thanks Diana for finding this great video about BROOKLYNRehab and Etsy today on time.com's 50 Best Websites:

til next time...
♥Elisa

remember that To Do List?

2009-08-24T14:29:00.006-04:00

the Toot Sweet relaunch is coming, and no one is more excited that yours truly! so remember that list of stuff i had to do before i could relaunch? let me jog that memory of you (teal=completed with notes, pink=still need to get to that):

♥ make a new lightbox - bigger, better, more kitten-proof! i'm thinking either one like this or like this. then take new pics of the inside of my bags.
→ Done and Done. see the results here and here. (the second link is to a listing that includes a pic of the inside of the bag. i did this with all of my bags.)

♥ order new business cards with my new motif
→ Done! check out my new motif on the banner at the top of my blog, and if you bump into me on the street (or purchase from me) you'll get to see how the business card turned out! (thanks to HappyDayGraphics for designing my new motif!)

♥ go thru my whole sewing room and organize, label, purge old stuff
→ Done! i should have taken before shots, because if i post after shots now, they are pretty meaningless, but nonetheless here's a rundown of what i did: donated all fabrics i will not use, sorted all notions into bins, labeled everything, switched my full-sized ironing board for an over-door model (clears a huge area in the room!), and reorganized inventory.

♥ promote! advertise in local coffee shops and businesses, plus post on other etsians' blogs. and tweet tweet!

♥ revamp the format of my listings and tags and the way i list items - i'm thinking database

♥ offer free shipping!! woo hooo!!
→ Done! check out my shop to cash in on this!

♥ photo-swatch each of my available fabrics and upload to my flickr.com fabric site- this will make choosing fabrics for custom bags super-easy!
→ Done! check it out here.

and here's a few more i thought of:

♥ design care instructions, shipping labels, order forms, and coupons and have printed.

♥ get all books in order. this will be a big task!

alright, looks like i have the rest of my work cut out for me!

♥E

Lift with your Legs

2009-08-21T13:41:00.007-04:00

back in May, i was in a car accident where i was rear-ended by a vehicle much larger than my own. since then, i have had back pain and had to go to physical therapy in order to rehabilitate. if you've ever had a back injury, you know what it means - you pick things up off the floor with your toes so you don't have to bend over and even brushing your teeth hurts like heck.

now that i am almost 100%, the whole ordeal got me thinking about how i have coped over the past few months and how i am going to be better to my body in the future. here are my findings:

1) lift with your legs. we all know this one. don't bend at the waist to lift, rather squat down, grasp, lift. this includes but is not limited to: boxes, children, pets, bolts of fabric, etc.

2) ergonomics are your silent friend. i had a ergonomic evaluation of my workspace at my day job. it resulted in a switch-er-oo of my traditional computer desk to a "sit-n-stand" air-touch table that can elevate or lower with minimal (and i mean minimal) pressure. standing relieves the pressure in my back, plus it has been shown that alternating between sitting and standing causes less fatigue that just sitting alone or standing alone:
(note: these are stock images, i cannot take a picture of the actual desk because i cannot bring a camera to work with me. and the woman in the first photo is sitting ergonomically wrong, but that is besides the point.)

3) level it out. in my sewing workspace at home, i put my cutting table on bed risers so it would be at a better level for standing at. since i sometimes work there for prolonged periods, i also put a bar stool beside it so that i can perch on it if i feel the need.

this is how i've been coping, and it's been a great help in my recovery process since my injury!

♥Elisa

DIY dishwasher indicator

2009-08-20T22:15:00.005-04:00

james and i have been having some issues lately with trying to remember/communicate whether the dishwasher is currently loaded with clean dishes or dirty dishes. since the dishwasher is magnetic, i decided a magnet indicator was in order.

i decided also to show you how to make one for yourself! this only took me about 20 minutes (takes me longer when i photograph); it would be a great project to do with kids and to personalize as you like!

1) choose an unused magnet off the fridge (reuse!)

this one looks good (it's my high school hotline number...i graduated quite some time ago and live about 5 states away...perfect!)
2) gather your supplies: mod podge, sponge-brush (sorry it has paint residue on it), scissors/paper cutting tools, brownish paper, white paper (plus stamps and pads, we'll see these later)
3) cut white paper to proper width. you'll only be covering half of the magnet with each color.
4) glue the white paper to the magnet.

5) repeat the cutting and gluing with the brown paper.

this is what you should get:
6) here's where you can really personalize it. i got out the stamps! i wanted to keep it sweet and simple, so i used my lil' letter stamps:

7) stamp "CLEAN" on the white side of the magnet:
8) stamp "DIRTY" on the brown side, upside-down from the word "CLEAN". that way when you have clean dishes in the dishwasher, you face the "CLEAN" side of magnet up (so it can be read), or visa-versa when the dishes are dirty.
you should now have this:
you can really do anything on either side! a little picture of stacked dishes versus dirty dishes would be cute, use your imagination!

here's mine in action:
shoot - now i have to unload the dishwasher...

♥E

reduce - reuse - recycle - ship!

2009-08-14T22:48:00.018-04:00

as you know, i got married recently, and we were very blessed to have received many beautiful gifts from our doting friends and family. we registered at both macy's and bed, bath, and beyond. i tell you this not because we have an incomplete registry (you know you've been stocking up on those bb&b 20% off coupons!) but because it leads into my weekend craft project for tootsweet.

"crafts??" you say, "but i thought tootsweet was about sewing purses and whatnot..??" well, my dears, it is. BUT being the recycling waste-not-want-not fool that i am, i saved ALL of the beautiful purple paisley swirly wrapping paper that our gifts came wrapped with, in hopes of doing something fabulous with it. (i mean, look at it, how could i not??)

and i came up with....BUBBLE MAILERS!! that's right, it's simple, it's easy, it's sooo pretty! and here's how you can do it at home too:

1) collect your supplies:

that's bubble wrap, spray adhesive, scissors, wrapping paper, and brown scrap paper to spray on (plus you should do this in a well ventilated area. i did it on my back lanai)

2) be sure to have a friend to pop the extra bubble wrap for you :)

3) cut a piece of bubble wrap approx. 16 inches by 24 inches. lay that out on the wrapping paper and cut the paper such that there is a one-inch perimeter around the bubble wrap.

4) spray the back side of the wrapping paper with the spray adhesive.

5) place the bubble wrap in the center of the wrapping paper. carefully press it down - don't pop any of the bubbles!

6) fold the paper/bubble wrap fusion in half, bonding three sides of the paper perimeter.

7) be sure to leave one side open so you can stuff it for mailing!

8) cut the edges flush for a cleaner look.

9) voila! cute and pretty REPURPOSED bubble mailers!

hope this help spark your creativity :)

♥E

Handmade Wedding Part II: Bridesmaid gifts!

2009-08-11T20:44:00.007-04:00

so it's time for my next edition of my diy wedding - bridesmaid gifts!

of course, a gift made with my hands is much more from my own heart than something bought from a store. now, this may not be the case for you, but my friends know me well enough that it would have been weird for them to receive a gift that wasn't handmade (they have gotten many over the years, some a little too "creative" to be considered cool).

i decided to go a somewhat trendy route and made each of them a "wedding day survival kit". it consisted of:

a heart-felt thank you note :)
1 large tote beach bag (that i embellished with each girl's monogram)
1 bottle of watter
1 back of chips
1 granola bar
1 "airplane bottle" of their fave spirit
1 pair of flip flops
1 handmade makeup bag, containing: mouthwash, lip gloss, hand sanitizer, Q-tips, safety pins, bobbie pins, and lotion

i made each girl the make up bag in a color/pattern scheme that i knew they would love. i even made my friend P's with a remnant from the skirt i had made for when i stood in her wedding. ::tear::

the girls loved these, and i loved that i could give them something that i made with love :)

♥E

New Lightbox - DIY!

2009-08-10T16:06:00.007-04:00

remember that list i had of all the stuff i had to do before i could relaunch Toot Sweet!? well check this one off: i made a new lightbox!
it cost me:
$13 plastic bin
$.88 poster board
$9.84 x 2 clip lamps
$6.72 daylight lightbulbs
------------
$40.28 TOTAL

not bad! considering for the size i need to photograph my handbags, i was looking at $60-$100 just for the light tent - i'd still have had to purchase the lamps and bulbs on top of that!

here's the result:

i got the metal clip lamps, as the plastic ones have broken on my in the past. i like the fact that this is a translucent bin - it's solid so the kittens can tear it and i can prop or store it where ever i need to without ricking damage. plus it's opaque enough to where i don't need a sheet over it to diffuse the light.

and here is one of the awesome pictures i cant take in it:

all i had to do to adjust this picture was crop and hit "auto-contrast" in Picasa. to give a point of reference, usually, i have to adjust the fill-light, shadows, highlights, color temp (because normal lightbulbs make the pics very yellow), and sharpen the image*

*the reason i don't have the sharpen the image is because my camera is more steady due to the use of a tripod, which i bought off overstock.com for about $40 (you can get them cheaper, but i liked the reviews for the one i bought the best - always read reviews!)

hope this helps with you out there who need a lightbox alternative!

♥E

was it any different?

2009-08-06T09:22:00.011-04:00

Ah, the swinging sixties. the hippie era. free love and mod fashion. let's face it - i'm young. i'm don't know much about the 60's, but when it comes to style, no one can say that Twiggy didn't have it going on.

so as i'm preparing for the Toot Sweet! relaunch, i'm working with a graphic designer on a new logo for TS!, as well as banner, avatar and business card design. the logo will go on all printed material - this is how i will brand myself.

these pics are the ones i sent to my designer as ideas to work from. for the logo i'm thinking of a drawn mod girl holding a handbag, maybe wearing big sunglasses and being all Twiggy-esque. then having some mod-ish flowers in the background, but washed out a bit. since i already have turquoise and deep purple as accent colors (white and black mainly), i'll keep with those colors for my brand.

i'm really excited - aren't you?

♥E

Handmade Wedding Part I: hankies!

2009-07-29T19:19:00.014-04:00

ok, here it is, my first post about my semi-handmade wedding! with a glue-gun and sewing machine, i was able to make it something truly unique!

Handmade Wedding I: Hankies!
so as you know, i had my dress made for me by a wonderfully talented seamstress in indianapolis, sarah barrett. she had quite a bit of remnants leftover from the dress that she sent along to me, since she knows i sew. all in all there was the ivory silk for the main part of the dress, the silk lining, and the lacey beaded trim.

my dad says to me, "you could make a matching purse out of this for the wedding!"

good plan, daddy-o! except that i was going with a gold vintage theme, and had a (yes, you guessed it) gold vintage purse to carry that day.

SOOO...i decided to make...hankies! for my parents, jamie's parents, and both of us (counting...2...4...5,6..yep that's 6!). i set up a little assembly line and got stitchin'!

All lined up and ready to go:

i cut a 8x8 inch square of both the main silk and the liner, and sligned them right-sides-together. then i added a 3inch piece of trim diagonally across one of the corners, between the main silk and the liner. pin in place!

then i sewed all around the perimeter of the hankie, leaving about an inch opening. be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end (around the inch opening). it makes turing the hankie a lot easier.

after i turned each, i pressed each one flat (not ironed! what's the difference?).

after pressing each hankie, i returned to the machine and again sewed around the perimeter, carefully tucking the 1-inch opening inside, closing off the hankie.

(like my ring? there's a wedding band with it there now :)

back on track - when the whole perimeter was stiched, i snipped threads and ta-da!

look how pretty that is, eh? so i folded them up and packed them real pretty-like into thier own boxes, with pretty little ribbons. (of couse i neglected to photograph this part, but just imagine...)

i pinned mine to the handle of my bouquet like so:

happy sewing!

♥E

Toot Sweet Re-Launch is coming...

2009-07-28T13:44:00.008-04:00

i've decided to re-launch my shop on etsy! how exciting, right? i'm moving towards more of a design-your-own-bag type of shop, with add-ons and customizations. i am going to offer my best-selling designs, and YOU will be able to customize each to your liking!!

so here we go - new beginning, new start, new list of things to do!

♥ make a new lightbox - bigger, better, more kitten-proof! i'm thinking either one like this or like this. then take new pics of the inside of my bags.

♥ order new business cards with my new motif

♥ go thru my whole sewing room and organize, label, purge old stuff

♥ promote! advertise in local coffee shops and businesses, plus post on other etsians' blogs. and tweet tweet!

♥ revamp the format of my listings and tags and the way i list items - i'm thinking database

♥ offer free shipping!! woo hooo!!

♥ photo-swatch each of my available fabrics and upload to my flickr.com fabric site- this will make choosing fabrics for custom bags super-easy!

i'm sure there is more, but this is quite the list, eh? so visit back and i'll let you know how i'm doing, while posting about some fun projects along the way :)

♥E

I'm Baaaaack!!

2009-07-27T22:20:00.007-04:00

helllooo!!

well. i've been gone for awhile, and it seems quite unexpectedly, but let me tell what i did in my hiatus:

i got married!! yep, that's us below:

we've gone on our honeymoon and written our thank you notes. now it's back to real life ;)

i'll probably be blogging a bit about the wedding so there will be a few crafty/sewing wedding related posts up here coming soon. hope you like and enjoy!

♥E

my favorite colors for spring

2009-04-30T23:09:00.005-04:00

spring has sprung! especially here in florida, where it's already getting to 85 degrees F everyday, the fresh air of spring is filling our thirsting lungs :)

so it's time to talk about the best colors for spring. i have to admit, i love PINK! my philosophy: "for every occasion, there is a shade of pink to match". for spring, i love pale pinks and bubble gum pinks.

and to go along with the pink?? why, green of course! but not just any green, grass green. bubble gum pink with grass green just reminds me of a watermelon - juicy :)

that being said, check out my newest kari bag:

and the matching wristlet:

if you can believe it, the striped fabric used to be a pair of pants. that's right, pants. much better when used for handbags, agreed? :)

hope spring is coming around for you!

<3e

Etsy For Charity!

2009-04-20T11:25:00.004-04:00

recently while shopping, i have come across quite a few shops that give at least a portion of their proceeds to charity. some i have already partaken in, but there are a bunch out there that need representation. so here's what i'm gonna do. i'm setting up a sidebar item dedicated to Etsy shops that give to charity. check back often to see the latest adds!

if YOU are an Etsy shop that donates part of your proceeds to charity, please contact me so i can add you!

♥E

Avatar Stratergery

2009-04-14T13:29:00.006-04:00

i suppose i should preface this by saying that there are three general schools of thought when choosing an avatar picture for an etsy shop:

1) a picture of myself, ie. the artist, which i have been using for awhile - it might make people click if they think you are pretty, plus you don't have to change it ever, unless you drastically change something about yourself, but then again, how would they know?

2) a picture of my logo - good for cohesion between etsy, blogging, twitter, etc. and my product logo. basically the ultimate way to brand your line - plus you dont need to change it unless you change your logo.

3) a picture of a product i sell - probably will make people click if it is a well-photographed item that is interesting and they want to buy it. the downside is that it really should be something that i sell in my shop, so if i sell that item, i need to change out my avatar, thus causing a break in the cohesion of my avatar over time.

well today decided to take that risk. i changed my avatar on etsy from my black and white profile pic shown above to be a product that i carry in my shop (the ever-popular texas tote):

and now we wait...and see if this causes more clicks from the forums and other places. i know this gem would make me click! what about you?

♥E

my top three simple sewing tips

2009-04-09T10:21:00.013-04:00

as i was sewing last night, i realized that i have really evolved as a seamstess over the years. of course there are areas where i can improve, but otherwise, being mostly self-taught, i realized that there are three basic things that all sewers need to know.

here are my top three simple tips for making sewing easier:

1) press your fabric. no, don't iron it! ironing is a back and forth motion, pressing is laying or folding the fabric how you want it, and then laying the iron on it for a few seconds. by running the iron back and forth (ironing), you will push and pull the fabric with the iron, causing your fabric to deform from how you laid it. by pressing your fabric, especially the folds and pleats, you will have a much easier time sewing along them, and won't have to use as many pins...

2)...which brings me to pinning your fabric. i think that many sewers find pinning to be overrated. pin everything! it keeps all the layers of fabric together, straight, and avoids shifting under the presser-foot. remember to remove each pin as you come towards it with the needle, lest you hit it with the needle: this can cause the pin to bend and (worse) the needle to break. sometimes, when i am using a very large width stitch, i will sew carefully over the pins...

3) ...and when would i use a very large width stitch? if you like pleats and layers, the best thing to do is to baste them in place. the word "basting" takes me back to when i would read the little house on the prairie books, when the ingalls girls would baste by hand then hand off the garment to their mother to machine-sew. nowadays, many machines have a basting stitch that is simply a very wide width stitch that can be set to a loose tension. the concept is to first press and pin your garment, then baste the garment along a pleated area or area that has many layers. this way as you work with it more, it will already have that area set in place, regardless of what your future steps are for the rest of the garment. just keep in mind that basting is not for seams!

well i hope this helped and did not confuse! remember : press, pin, baste!

now, go get sewing!

♥E

Craft Show Preparation

2009-04-06T17:14:00.012-04:00

it's time to really kick it in gear for the craft show on april 25th!

i figured out today that i have 13 evenings and 2 full days available until the show to sew and get everything else (signs, pricing, gather displays, etc) ready for the show. the good thing is that i made my lists:
"still need to sew"
"still need to do"
"still need to buy"
"what to bring"
hopefully being organized will help me "keep calm and carry on" instead of "now panic and freak out"!

fortunately, i have a wonderful friend (i just typed "wonderfriend", so from now on she will be known as my wonderfriend!), who i have mentioned before, named Diana, that was a real trooper this weekend and helped me fill in many holes on my "still need to buy list". it was mostly items for the display, and i dragged her all over town saturday morning to countless yard sales, 3 thrift shops, the dollar store, and finally to Joann fabrics. she was then rewarded with a nap, while i was rewarded with a large iced coffee and an afternoon of sewing :)

back to the lists: i've organized it all in excel, with a place for a checkmark as i buy stuff and as we pack up the car the night before the show. here's a taste:

as you can see, i have 2 sub-"kits" that i have deemed the "oh sh*t" kit (lest something go horribly wrong, like rain-arg!), and the "cash kit" (for all of the business-y type stuff, plus the cash).

now all i have to do is get to sewing! yarg! :D

♥E

Press Alert!

2009-04-06T16:55:00.007-04:00

more press, y'all!

mini-mocs has mentioned my Hawaii Holdall on their blog as a fab escape from the winter blues in Michigan, where they are located.

here's a screenshot:

thanks! :)

♥E

reclaiming at it's finest

2009-03-31T09:48:00.005-04:00

Recently, here in Palm Bay, we got a new shopping center. the Marshalls next-door to the Joann Fabrics that i frequent moved to the new shopping center and apparently got all new fixtures for the new location...which means that they liquidated their old fixtures - to ME! ok, not all of them, just one, but still!

$43 bucks for a sturdy metal 4-way stand with metal casters and all the arms, plus 4 additional arms, a bag-full of clippy-hooks, and two sign holders.
Basically it looks like this:
BUT, mine has a bunch more stuff on it, and was about 1/3 to 1/4 of the price :D
This has made storing my finished items so much easier! and at future craft fairs it's going to be so great, too!

Sveet!

♥E

"Orange you pretty!" OR "Baby, I'm coming to town!"

2009-03-23T08:32:00.006-04:00

Check it: i'm featured in another Trashion-related entry for my Jackie O-range Tote Clutch. What a great boost for a rainy Monday morning :)

(i'm at the top right)

Thank you, TheRedCan!

------------------------------------------------

Also...last night i launched more of my baby line! OMG, how exciting! the only things i was able to get listed were two burp cloth sets and a bib, but the rest will be listed this evening.

Plus, i will be continuing to sew more baby items, so that my baby line will include:
The Mom-On-The-Go SET, consisting of matching:
Mom-On-The-Go Bag
Travel Changing Pad
Diaper/Wipe Pouch
burp cloths
bibs
tee-shirt hats
soft blocks
onsies/tee-shirts (embellished/repurposed)

Happy (Rainy) Monday!

♥E

Chubby Birdy!

2009-03-12T07:35:00.006-04:00

last weekend i made myself a nice little folio that i could carry around at work. i carry a smaller top-flip notebook, so the big folios dont work for me, plus i wanted a place to put loose papers and a pen...and maybe some post-its. here's what i came up with:

i had been saving this fabric (the cream with the flowers) for something special to make for myself, and its springtime so a little chubby birdy (who Diana and i have since named Dexter) seems appropriate!the button is vintage from my grandmother's stash, as is the fabric which i commandeered from two goodwill finds. the blouses were obviously handmade, i would put them both circa 1970.

the yellow pockets are remnants from past projects. the whole folio is double-interfaced and i used the plastic bottom out of a reusable grocery sack (the kind you get at Publix) for some extra sturdiness. i cut a slit in the right side so that the flipped part of the notebook could easily slide in and out as needed, whenever i need to flip to a new page.

♥E

Bachelorette Party!

2009-03-05T08:01:00.004-05:00

As y'all know, i am in the process of planning my wedding for June. My best friend and MOH, Renee, is getting married 2 weeks before me, and, of course, i am her MOH. It's crazy times!

So this weekend i am headed up to Indiana for my final dress fitting and bachelorette party. It will be a joint party for both myself and Renee, so double the fun! We're going to a dinner theatre to see CATS!

The attire is of course the first thing we thought of, and instead of crowns, we decided that we'd each wear our rhinestone "bride" tanks. but we also wanted to have those cute sashes that say "maid of honor". being the seamstress, i decided to make them. here's the really cute part: mine is in her wedding color and hers is in my wedding colors :)
Here i am modeling them both, since the party hasn't happened yet:
(renee will wear teal and i will wear red)
It's gonna be a grand ol' time!

♥E

my current video obsessions

2009-03-04T21:04:00.005-05:00

ok i know this has nothing to do with sewing but....

Have y'all seen this? This is hilarious! so i realize this is some "accidental advertising" for Denny's, but whatev. it's a Denny's commercial that originally aired during the superbowl. it plays periodically, and the dang song is stuck in my head!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur0LENvY5TE&NR=1

ok then there is this one. if youw atch SNL, you know about the frickin funny digital shorts, right? about 2 weeks ago, the digital short hit a particular note with us, as we are going on a cruise for our honeymoon. observe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfISlGLNU

Enjoy!

<3E

Proud Day

2009-02-23T10:56:00.006-05:00

i made it to the front page of ESTY!

it wont be there for much longer, so here is a screne shot:
mine is the top row, center - the Necktie Belt. something about that, eh?

<3E

My "New" $15 Chair

2009-02-22T20:32:00.013-05:00

The other day i was at the fabric store (aka: Goodwill) and i saw this chair there for 3 dollars. So i bought it.When i got it home, Jamie took one look at it and before i let him have his "you buy way too much ugly furniture" rant, i preempted with "i'm going to reupholster it!" This seemed to ease him, especially since the chair wasn't very plush.

So we went to Joann today and after striking out in the remnants, decided that we would just have to have some home decor fabric cut for this project. The chair has a real retro feel, so we decided on a bold graphic print in a vibrant green, to pick up the dark green on the walls. We also picked up a chair pad to make it more plush :) We assembled these along with some basic tools (staple gun, scissors, screw-driver) and got started:

1) unscrew the seat from the legs

2) cut the foam to size of the seat

3) lay the seat foam side down on the fabric, and fold the fabric over the side of the seat. staple in place. pull taught to the opposite side, but not so tight that the foam indents. pull fabric over and staple on the opposite side, then do the other two sides.

4) do the corners last. work inwards towards the corner, pulling taught as you go. staple in place and trim.
5) here's how it should look when all the sides and corners are done:

6) screw the seat back onto the legs

7) Enjoy! (that's Jamie enjoying the chair :)

chair: $3
pad: $7
fabric: $5
total: $15 - sweet!

<3e

Patty and Bob's Baby Shower

2009-02-22T19:02:00.005-05:00

Today was a fun day! Patty and Bob's baby shower was today, and I made them a baby bag and travel changing pad, and Diana made them a gorgeous crocheted blanket. oh it was fantastically fun!I think i'll make bibs next :)

ALSO...I was listed on the Etsy Trashion Blog today for my Necktie Belts, made with funky thrifted neckties and vintage buckles. Check it out!

<3E

Not EVERY Friday is a Good Day....

2009-02-20T17:13:00.009-05:00

Those of you who know me would probably call me a generally upbeat person, right? Thanks! So Fridays (especially paydays!!) are pretty fun for me. Today was much like that - until i got home and found this:Ok, not exactly this, it was all strewn about, and there were more (smaller) pieces, but you get what i'm going for here. The plate was hanging on a wall plate rack, which apparently gave out today for some reason. (i dont think the cats had anything to do with this...) This is the beautiful plate that i picked out at a local craft fair in my hometown last fall. My mom bought it for Jamie and myself for a housewarming gift - i can't even begin to tell you the hoops we jumped through to get that thing into a carry-on (it's a large platter) to get it home.

So i walk in the house, in shock, feed the cats to get them out of my hair, and slowly begin to process the symbolism of this occurrence, like any good woman would do. "Moving so far from home was a bad choice", "My impending marriage is going to fail", "My life is a big fat joke", etc.
Then i think, "it has some big pieces, maybe i can glue it!"

Not with those tiny pieces, my friend. Plus there are just too many cracks, i think i may still do it, but just keep it as a memento that no one else understands, haha.

sigh, what a Friday.

**UPDATE: Diana came over and looked at the plate. she had a great idea! i'm going to make a mosaic table out of it by cracking the inner pieces up more and making it look like an explosion of the plate. to answer you impending question: of course i will blog about it! so this is really just "broken plate: part I".

<3E

GREEN Spring Cleaning: Part II

2009-02-10T11:30:00.006-05:00

After throwing away a whole bunch of bananas that had turned black (and by "whole bunch" i mean "a bunch", like 7), I decided that Jamie and i spend way too much money on food that we end up not eating and subsequently throwing in the trash. Shame on us! Shame!

Solution? OAMC!

OAMC stands for once a month cooking. The way it works is once a month you go to the store and buy all the things you need to cook a month's worth of meals, then cook ALL the meals (usually the next day, unless you are super-human) and package them in individual servings or family servings then stick them in the freezer. Then all month long you have dinners to eat on - all you do is pull out a meal (note why you would package them for a family serving) and reheat it, and add some fresh elements, if you want.

Benifits to OAMC:
healthier meals - Jamie and i are really trying to watch what we eat, you only eat what you put into these frozen meals!
cost savings - from bulk buying and less food trashed, i also think that running the oven/stove once for a longer time is more cost efficient that running it every day for a shorter time, and less trips to the store means less gas used
time savings - a big investment in the short run saves tons of time in the long run; plus i'm focused when i get home from work: all i want to do is sew, so sticking a meal in the microwave is perfect for those nights!

There are lots of great recipes and resources online in you Google "OAMC" or "freezer meals".

(btw, i put this under "Green Spring Cleaning" since it saves lots of money - ergo putting "green" in your pocket :)

<3E

Dear Gwen,

2009-02-06T19:55:00.009-05:00

Since Gwen's shower is tomorrow, i decided that i should make her a fancy card - instead of spending money on one...especially since she will appreciate it :)

First i cut, glued and sewed some fabric to some cardstock:

Next, i got out the good ol'stamp pad and alphabet stamps:

And a-stampin' we shall go:

Here's how the front turned out:

and time to sign :)

Congrats Gwen (oh, and Chris :P)

<3e

Valentine's Day!

2009-01-30T09:43:00.015-05:00

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, so while Jamie makes reservations, i decided to make some cute stuff to decorate our home.
This one is on top of the toilet in our guest bathroom:
i made a few of these jingly door-hangers - they are on almost every door in the house!
This cute garland is hanging off our "mantel", a.k.a. the top of our entertainment center.
Here are the cute valentines i made for my far off-friends:
The inside reads, "I have a heavy heart/whenever we're apart". It's the most true statement i could send, especially to my dearest of friends, who have become my sisters. The round things in the last picture are magnets that i sent along in a few friends' valentines.

<3e

My New Obsession

2009-01-28T08:28:00.003-05:00

During my recent decluttering phase, I have been setting aside, as many of us do, a HUGE pile of stuff for a garage sale and/or donations. Our neighborhood is going to be having a community garage sale, so I figured it's worth it to make a buck or two off some of my stuff. While I was Stumbling the other day, though, I found freecycle, a nationwide grassroots organization that is basically an online swap meet. Ours here in Brevard is a Yahoo group where anyone can post something they need or have to offer - for FREE. So a lot of my things won't make it to that garage sale...but I did get a set of drawers for an awsome DIY that I'll be posting about in the future :)

<3E

GREEN Spring Cleaning: Part I

2009-01-23T13:22:00.005-05:00

As we approach the time for tax refunds and warmer weather (hopefully!), we also approach the most wonderful time of the year - Spring Cleaning!! Ok, I know it seems that I am getting way to excited about it, but I find it cathartic to purge those items which I no longer use and send them to a better home. It's also a great time for me to discover lots of new materials with which to make more handbags and accessories for YOU!

The cool thing is that I am not the only one out there that does this. Check out this article from Suite101 that talks all about green crafting and how we can all be a little more Earth-conscious when we are going through our yearly "out with the old, in with the new" ritual.

<3E

DIY: Yoga Mat Strap

2009-01-21T18:08:00.026-05:00

So now that Diana and I are pretentious yoga snobs (made official by the fact that we bought our own mats), I decided that we each needed a strap to carry them. Instead of using "new" fabric tho, I decided this was a perfect use for some of the scraps I have hanging around and can't bare to part with, specifically the front parts of blouses that is the reinforced rows of button-holes (yes, I have saved them all):

The first thing I did was measure over my shoulder to see how long the strap should hang, then around the yoga mat. Add the first length to 2x the second length - for me it was about 60 inches.

This equated to three "button-hole strips". I sewed them together, not really worrying about seaming or fraying - thats the look I'm going for!

I then added a keyring (hey, it's what I had around!) to each end....

And VOILA! Here is my Yoga Mat Strap, all recycled, all in about 7 minutes :D
Here's how to put it on:

Loop the strap thru the ring on each end to create a loop.

Feed the mat thru each loop.

Now you are ready to hit the gym for yoga!!

<3E

Not-SO-eBay

2009-01-19T15:40:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, my lovely assistant (I mean friend!), Diana, helped me out by posing as my purse model! Check out my Etsy shop to see how photos came out :)

<3E

Buy Toot Sweet! on Etsy.com

2009-01-09T08:10:00.004-05:00

Announcing...online shopping for Toot Sweet products!

I've opened up shop on etsy.com. There, y'all can find all of my products that are currently for sale, as well as request a custom made handbag or other item. Also, go poke around the site and check out the other sellers there - these are really talented crafters and artisans that all have their work for sale.

<3E

Alterations and Hemming

2009-01-07T09:05:00.004-05:00

I've had some questions about alterations and pants hemming, so I thought I would put it out there for all that I absolutely provide these services*:

slack hem (hidden seam): $8
denim hem ("Euro-hem"): $10
skirt hem: $6
alterations: $5-20 (this depends on the complexity of the garment, and will be quoted upon consultation)

I will provide rush services at no extra cost, as I know how important it is to have garments that fit correctly! (I've had to hem just about every pair of slacks and jeans I've ever owned...:)

<3E

*these services are provided for local customers only.

A Big Decision

2009-01-06T10:29:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Along with all of the rest of my Healthful resolutions, I have made a Big Decision: instead of pursuing the craft fair circuit, I am going to set up shop on Etsy.com. For those of you that don't know, Etsy is basically an online craft fair community. As a seller, I have a webpage (my Etsy shop) where I can list items for sale, and receive requests for custom work through their Alchamy system.

This is going to take me a few days to get set up, but I'll be up and running soon!

<3E

Crafty Christmas: Follow-Up

2008-12-21T13:16:00.043-05:00

So here's what I came up with:
This is what I sent for Jamie's family gift swap:

I made a cute make-up bag, and filled it with a bath bomb, yummy soap, eyemask, and shimmer lotion.

These are some of the other gifts I made this year, that I won't put on Flickr since they aren't part of my normal products:

The Cutie Apron, Neck wrap and Eye mask, and the Un-Purse (scarf with pockets!). I MUST give credit to my friend Nate for the Un-Purse idea, as he came up with it about 2 years ago. I am so thrilled to have been able to create his vision (finally) :)

Lastly, this is the messenger bag I created for my cousin, Anneliese, the phenomenal artist:Anneliese gave me a few requirements for her bag as far a dimensions and colors, then said that her fashion asthetic is "organic". I pick some great fabric patterns and tried a new technique for embellishing the flap. I really hope she likes it!!

I also came up with some cute stocking-stuffers: pocket-pack tissue holders! It almost makes it fun to have a runny nose!

<3e

Thrift It!

2008-12-17T13:40:00.004-05:00

I stumbled upon this article today and thought it really related to what Toot Sweet! is all about.
See? Thrifting is cool now! I'd like to think I started that, since I've been shopping at thrift stores even when it wasn't cool. Now I'm just taking to the next level!

<3E

Crafty Christmas

2008-12-16T09:09:00.006-05:00

Due to crazy extenuating circumstances (ok, we ALL have those), James and I have decided to give (mostly) handmade gifts for Christmas this year. And it's getting to crunch time. Good thing that we have an off-Friday this week. Enter: Fun-Filled Friday and Super Saturday-two days of sewing and crafting before Stressed-Out Sunday when we pack and head to Orlando to catch our flight to CT on Manic Monday.

Watch for the resulting post of how it turns out and what kind of new products I come up with.

<3E

Costa Rica!

2008-12-10T20:40:00.010-05:00

Tomorrow, Jamie and I are leaving for Coast Rica for Kathy's wedding! I thought this to be the perfect opportunity to show off (to all!) all of my Toot Sweet accessories!
Behold:

These are my Red Rose carry-on, No-Name handbag, Hawaii handbag catch-all (for personal items 'n such), and Stripey wristlet used as my wallet.

These are my Capri-Sun make-up bag and Limey toiletries case.

We have a weight limit of 27 pounds per person total luggage...I think they even weigh your shoes...since we are flying on a 12-passenger Cessna Caravan for the last leg of our flight. Please pray for our safe travels!

<3e>

Keep it Coming!

2008-12-04T16:56:00.008-05:00

Happy Thursday! (for me it's like Friday, since I have a three-day weekend :)

I've been doing a lot of custom work (which I love!) and you've probably noticed the hit-counter I have on the bottom of the site. I've been getting traffic, so I'm pretty psyched about that. I implore you, if you are a Toot Sweet fan, or better yet: a happy customer, please pass this site on! Let's all go green this Holiday season and in the New Year!

That being said, the Holidays are coming up fast! If you would like to place a custom order, it must be placed by December 6th (That's in two days!). However, if you see a handbag on my site that is already made (and not sold), feel free to order any of those until December 18th.
As always, please contact via email to place orders: tootsweethandbags@gmail.com.

Thank you and happy Holidays!

<3E

Shout Out!

2008-11-19T10:04:00.007-05:00

I need to give a shout out to my friend and sister in Christ, Misc, who is an incredibly talented photographer. Please check out her blog:
http://aikinsphotography.blogspot.com/
Plans are in the works for her to do photos of my purses...they'll FOR SURE look way better than my amateur-ebay-style...

Numero dos: i think i am done messing around with the colors and format of the page...how does it look?

Last but def not least...Happy Birthday Diana!! We both buy into the fact that we have a born-on-the-19th-of-the-month psychic connection, but that is not for listing here. Let's just say that we both believe that it's not a mistake that we were placed as office mates :)

<3E

The Results Are In...

2008-11-16T20:36:00.016-05:00

Friday Fest was a hit with my friends, but not so much with the public. Thank you THANK YOU to all of my wonderful friends who came out to support me!

Although I discovered that Friday Fest is not the best venue for me, I did discover that I have a pretty good display (thank you Jamie!) and I learned some things that I need to do for next time. I also got my card out there and spread the word about Toot Sweet, which is just as important right now as selling. I also learned that my office-mate, Diana, is an AMAZING sales-woman! She can sell "me" like no other! Which is good, since I believe I am becoming more intoverted the older I get...

That's me at my booth! I was the ONLY one without a tent. Don't you love the "open" sign that just happened to be in the background? I'm livin' the dream!

<3e>

New Email

2008-11-14T11:51:00.003-05:00

So I have been getting spammed like crazy on the ekravchuk@yahoo.com email address, so i opened up a new email with google specifically for Toot Sweet: tootsweethandbags@gmail.com. Please use this one if you wish to get ahold of me regarding Toot Sweet. Omg i love google...
<3E

First Show Today!

2008-11-14T11:35:00.002-05:00

Today is my first show: Friday Fest in Downtown Melbourne, 6pm-10pm. I am really nervous, but I can't wait to see how it turn out, and I will post pics later.
<3E