It's been a while.......

I have been so busy I barely have time for anything anymore. School is starting soon here, the trunk show will be in November (here before you know it), Etsy will be picking up with the holidays coming and we decided to close the store in Asheville. The whole back and forth thing became too much. With the gas prices as high as they are it just doesn't make sense. So we looked at space here in town and have applied and are waiting for an answer. Fingers crossed. some days I wonder if I will get anything done and others I get bunches done.

Got some new bags up and have sold a couple more. I am going to try and post more often. Phones ringing.....gotta go!

Is this good?

Thought I was going to post a pic of a new bag when you saw that question.....right? Nah, I am rethinking the whole bag, pillow, business thing. I have had so many people tell me how great my bags are. Okay! So why don't you buy one? I look on Etsy and I see the same bag 50 times by 50 different designers. They sell them by the hundreds. Same color and print cause everyone uses the same fabrics. Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry and Micheal Miller. If I have a handmade bag I certainly don't want the same one everyone else has. That kinda beats the whole "handmade" idea. It's almost like there is a bunch of little Vera Bradley's out there and instead of one person being the queen of that kind of bag laughing all the way to the bank theres a bunch of princesses out there sharing all the money. If you buy handmade wouldn't you want to stand out. Don't you want a limited edition or a one of a kind bag? If not you can go to Walmart and get the Vera knockoff I keep seeing everywhere. And why do people buy those awful things? They are just terrible!

So here is what I am thinking......maybe I need to just forget about making bags. Maybe what I think is really great is not so fabulous. Who knows. I think maybe I am going to go and break something.....write later!

WINKELF

Another way to sell your handmade creations. I fell on this site and it's actually pretty nice. There are a few stores already listed. It's still 9in the beta stage so everything is free for now. but as with anything else I am sure the charges will come. you can have a free store or you can pay a nominal fee....I choose the $5.00 monthly to have everything included. They feature designers constantly. The templates for the stores are nice. Can't hurt for now. things are not moving very well on Etsy. The economy is so rotten. I guess having to choose between gas and a new handbag is a pretty easy decision. For me....I can walk. LOLOLOL!!!!!

So on I go and try to advertise a little.

Another sale.....YES!!!!!

Just sold one of the new bags from the Summer line. I am really hyped now. I love this bag too. The print was so adorable....a black and white that looked like ads from the 50's. Really nice bag. And my Mom is doing really well with her jewelry in the b&m store in Asheville. Who knows....maybe we will make a business out of this yet!

We have added some new bags.....

Check out the new bags in the summer line. Black and white are the colors of summer! (And my favorites as well.) There are two new GiGi totes that will look great with jeans or dress them up a little with a sundress. The fabrics are both very hip with the coolest Alexander Henry in black and white faces and a red print that was an exclusive design for Hancock Fabrics. Both of these bags are going to get you asked...."where did you get that bag?" There is also a new double bag done in a great black and white retro print of old advertisements for ladies. And the newest Abby hipster is a sweet Paris print. And my favorite part....the inside of these bags just makes you say WOW! I love to use fabrics and trims that really make the inside look as great as the outside but coordinate perfectly.

As always we use only the best fabrics and hardware. Our bags are all lined with first quality interfacing to assure your bag will hold it's shape. We know at Bag ladies, too you will love your bag as much as we loved making them!

Oh Oh......

I forgot. We are now on the Handmade Product Directory Gallery. I put my bags and Mom's dolls. We have been listed in the index with our Etsy stores. But they started this gallery and the price was really decent. For $10.00 you get 1 month exposure of 1 item and that item links back to your Etsy shop. If you sell that item you can replace it with another from your shop. I have read from other Etsians that this site gives pretty good exposure. And there are plenty of other ways to advertise on that site without being in the gallery. You can list your shop for free. Take a peek and see....you might like it!

http://www.dmpmc.net/THMD/

I am trying to catch up!

I have finally suceeded in getting the studio set up. I have even almost completed three bags. Whoppee!!!!! I guess after taking all this time not sewing I have to get into the grove again.

I am trying to figure out how to market the etsy store. Not an easy thing to do. There is so much out there but you have to spend so much time keeping it up. I guess I have to dedicate one day a week to advertising. Or 1 hour a day. I can try both. Or I can jusat forget about sleeping and just promote the Etsy stores and sew bags and then try to figure out what to put in the b&m store. Oh poo.......

Anyway....I have added a mailing list. this way I can get some sales things out. I think it's a good idea. I can even send out something like a coupon for so much off for the customers only on the mailing list. Hey....I can smell smoke. My brains working!

Going to go and sew now. I am going to make an effort to blog at least once daily. Even if it is just a little blurb about nothing. No promises! But I will try!

We made it....

Okay....so driving a 22 foot truck is not that bad.......WRONG! I think I held my breath from Florida to North Carolina. Well....maybe I took a breath after the first 100 miles. Every time a semi came up beside me it looked like it was going to crash into the side of the truck. GiGi was hysterical because every time a truck was beside us I said over and over "I am not a mack truck...I am not a mack truck." You feel like you take up both lanes. It is really wild. When I got to the hotel the first night I wanted to kiss the ground when we finally got out. And I made it very clear that we were only going to stop to tinkle if I could pull in and pull out. There was no way I could possibly back that thing out of a space. But we made it. I didn't run anyone over or kill us in the process so I am pretty proud of myself! But believe me I will NEVER do that again!

The new workshop is a mess. Still trying to get moved in and organized. Since Mom and I will be sharing the space I can't just spread out all over the place. But it's looking great. I can't wait to get in there and start making some new bags. And of course she made sure everything is comfortable and clean. This is going to be a great thing. She is a lot more creative than me.

so....it's 4am and I am falling asleep. Off to byebye land.

I HATE packing!!!

I don't have a lot of time. I am trying to get this place packed and quite frankly I am not getting very far. It is so damn hot all you do is melt in the garage. UGH!!! I can't wait to leave Florida. 45 years of my life and I am over it!

No more sales. But I have really neglected the shop. I am itching to sew. Big time! I have all these great bag ideas floating around in my head. I am afraid if I don't get to work soon they will disappear like everything else does. you know....the same place your breakfast goes when you try to remember what you ate.

Later !

UGH!!!!

I have been so busy I haven't had the time to tinkle much less blog lately. I hate packing and I HATE moving more. I thought I was all done with this crap....but lo and behold here we go again. funny, I don't move for 12 years and then suddenly I move 3 times in less than a year. Oh well...necessary evil I guess.

I WANT TO SEW!!!!! I am really getting nuts here. I want to just go sit and sew and create some new bags. Mom went to the store last Friday and the girl who has the shop down from us has put in more bags and guess who they look like? I am just so peeo'd about that. And to boot she has priced hers a lot less than mine. she is using the same fabrics, same fabrications and knocking down the price. And she says right in the shop they are made by hand. Uh....nah! if they are she has people working for her and they are whipping them out right and left. She's even offering them wholesale. She isn't using trim though. I always thought that's what made my bags. But who am I? Kate Spade I ain't!

Miss Chanel is doing so much better. And Miss GiGi is just getting older everyday. I really hate that when I look up she has gotten that much older. And that much more beautiful. What a kid! I almost really did her computer in yesterday by getting a disc from a seller on FeeBay! It was just Adobe Photo Shop so I figured what the hell. right? WRONG! I ordered it because the guy had incredible feedback. As soon as we got it we loaded it and it was fine. Gigi shut off her computer and the next day....AD WARE galore! I spent 2 days trying to get that crap off and couldn't. No matter what I tried, what software I tried, no luck! So I did the reformat and wiped the hard drive out....done it once before. No Big deal. Well it aborted right in the middle of the program. I almost had a heart attack. Then nothing but a blank screen. so I called Toshiba and they said it is not unusual to get a corrupted disc and that corrupts your files and BAMM....bad things happen to your computer. It's something like a start up Trojan that comes up every time you turn it on and allows all these changes. But he told me to reload the recovery disc and try again. And thank you Lord....it worked that time. I really felt so bad. I thought the kids computer was a goner. And 2000.00 I do not have right at this moment.

Okay....enough of my life for now. gonna go and take a shower and have a decent rest of Memorial Day.