Summer!

Well summer has finally arrived and it seems to have finally brought some sun! Here in PA we have had rain for the past month! It starts to get you down in the dumps.

Things here have been busy. My show on the 19th was a huge success and I met the nicest woman from Good Housekeeping magazine who loves my bags and is interested in my fall line and what I will have for the holidays.

This week I will work on several custom orders from the show and then I will be starting my fall designs. I have some new shapes I want to try out and some gorgeous fabrics I can't wait to work with! I want them ready for the Philly Designer Market Show on the 18th of July.

I also have to work on some more wedding bags to get to Kori from Wedding Daze Boutique in Easton. Work, Work, Work... It's great to be busy!

New Opportunity?

Yesterday I attended a bridal shower for my friends daughter. I had made her bridal purse as well as the money bag which I had posted here about a couple of weeks ago. The shower was lovely and afterword my bff and I walked around downtown Easton to look at some of the new shops.

A brand new bridal boutique has opened up and we went in. The store is so pretty and the dresses were gorgeous. Wedding Daze Boutique is owned by Kori Muntean and she is a professional bridal consultant. Wedding Daze not only carries bridal dresses, but they also take care of every aspect of the planning from invites, to flowers, to catering, location, and photography. The website is gorgeous so be sure to check it out http://inaweddingdaze.com/ .

While we were talking to her, my bff, who is a consummate sales person, casually asks if she carries handbags, Kory said she didn't so I told her I was a handbag designer. She asked for my card and said she knew of no one who does that kind of work and if I wanted to bring a few to show her she would love to see them.

Although I am excited at another opportunity, I am scared. I am my own worse critic. Things have to be perfect and when they aren't, I am not happy. Although everyone thought my bridal purse turned out beautiful, all I could see were the small bumps from the interfacing, and the way the silk draped a little weird on the front flap.

I need to find a way to interface these wedding bags without the interfacing texture showing through. I also worry that I won't be able to keep up with all the work that is coming my way. With all the custom orders, the store in New Hope wanting more, a home show in June and the Philly Market in July, as well as a store in Avon NJ wanting some clutches to wholesale from me, I am getting panicked that I am only one woman!

So my question to all you talented artists out there: Does anyone know how I could interface a clutch to keep its shape without the lumps? I want to use more delicate, wedding fabrics, but without the worries of them being transparent. Also, how did you keep up with your growth spurts?

Answer on!

Wedding Purse

One of my friend's daughter is getting married on 6/20. Her shower is on May 16 and I made her the purse and the gift bag to match her dress. Her dress is beautiful, in ivory and champagne so I made the bag in the champagne and lined it with ivory taffeta. Her bridesmaids are wearing terra cotta so I added the little terra cotta rose buds to bring in the color.

I had some challenges because the silk I worked with was thin and when interfaced, it did not look smooth over the interfacing. I ended up having to double line it and it helped a lot, but it still pulls a bit when snapped closed. After three attempts and wasted materials, I stopped trying for it to be perfect.

I hope she likes it and I hope years from now she will look back with happy memories of her special day!

Featured Artist!

I am being featured on www.bretttorrium.com ! This is a really cool site from NYC that markets handmade artisans from all over the country. I don't know how they found me but I am sure glad they did. I am hoping this will bring me some exposure in the big apple which would be great!

Please check it out today and let me know what you think.

Growing

In the past few weeks business has started to really take off which I am so excited about. More people are hearing about B Stauff Designs and word of mouth has been really instrumental in helping me to make a brand for my work.

In addition to my custom orders and selling at Etsy, the consignment shop down in New Hope, Simply SOTA is now going to be running a weekly feature in the Bucks County Herald. Each week a different artist will be featured and this will bring lots of exposure not only to the store, but to the individual artists as well. The artist will also be at the store demonstrating their craft, answering questions and letting people see how things are made. I will be down there one of these weekend so when I get the date, I will let you know!

I have been working on some new original designs which I will be showing this summer. They will be part of my Fall line so stay tuned for that too!

News Update!

FYI, I wrote an article for http://handmadeinpa.net on what to do with old fabrics. It is the first of a series I will be writing for the site and it is up today! It's weird seeing my name as a byline!
Swing by and check it out for some great repurposing ideas.

Also on the site is the giveaway for my Olive Green clutch. The deadline is Friday so don't forget to comment and enter for a chance to win!

It's Giveaway Time!

This week I am beginning a giveaway contest. One lucky winner will receive this beautiful quilted makeup bag in the cutest spring colors! Here's how you can win it!

1. You must go through my Etsy or 1000 Markets shops and comment back here on your favorite item.

2. Comment here on my blog with your name and contact info.

3. Winner will be announced March 5th, when I will contact the winner to get shipping information. If winner does not contact me within 3 days, I will pick another winner through a random drawing.

4. Blog about this give away and receive ONE extra entry. Just leave a seperate comment here with your blog link.

5. Twitter or Plurk about this give away and let me know and get One extra entry!

Why wouldn't you go for it! It's easy, It's Fun and It's FREE!

Good Luck!

New etsy mini for faves

It is another new week and Saturday I posted my new faves on the mini to the left. This week I used Etsy's pounce feature to show off some artists that have never had a sale. I love the photos and art work.

I have a big show coming up on November 1st that I need to stock up for. I just can't seem to find the time! I really have to get of the computer and start sewing! So, with that said this will be a short post so I can make at least one bag today. Have a good day everyone!