photo on bottom right courtesy of jenn lim

A small collection of these shiny new change purses will be coming along with me to Bazaar Bizarre next Sunday. I thought I’d give them a little taste of the outside world so that a sudden introduction to the public won’t be so jarring for them come showtime!

These pouches are a slightly upsized version of my previous Dollface Coin Purses, coming in at about 1/4″ wider across the middle and a 1/2″ deeper.

All pouches are reinforced with a stiff backing (interfacing) for structure and durability and contain a layer of fleece for added cushiness and shape. See the details for yourself in the Etsy shop!

• Kisslock Frame Pouch - Bright Buds
• Kisslock Frame Pouch - Ms. Bitch
• Kisslock Frame Pouch - Floating Water Lotus

The gray pouch with pink floral applique, which has a 100% wool exterior, is not yet listed.

photo by jenn lim

Now there’s a matching handbag to the Kisslock Frame Pouch that’s already in the shop. Woohoo! Thanks to Mrs. Lim for suggesting I make these matchies in time for the show.

I snapped some photos along the way, including one of Mrs. Lim helping me cut fabrics for the Lugs! She’s been a great help, coming over once a week lately to help me cut, cut and cut!

This week, it’s on to the Big Lugs and finishing up a batch of 20 kisslock frame pouches that the girls help me cut fabrics for over the weekend (more on that later).

Next week, more pillows and neck warmers. Pillows and neck warmers! With a short break of course for some turkey and quality time with the family. I can’t wait to see the goldens again too. It’s been too long! Depending how far along I am by then, my momma may find herself doing some last-minute thread snipping and tagging for the show while she’s up here. Poor momma! Mwah ha ha ha haaaaa…

Step 2) Don a pair of wings

Step 3) Surround yourself with faux bois throw pillows and flutter about with glee!

It’s official. I’ve been branching out (get it ha ha) and making the accessories part of “thoughtfully designed handbags and accessories” come to life, as seen first by the small collection of neck warmers, wool felt brooches and now…throw pillows!

I love a room with interesting and colorful cushions, and all the interior design experts on TV these days are saying how throw pillows are the perfect way to instantly spruce up a room on a budget. These pillow covers are easily removable with a hidden lapped zipper that stretch all the way across the bottom seat of the pillow cover, making them quick to swap out (though why you would EVER want to do that I just don’t know) or to simply take off to spot clean should you or a guest manage to accidentally *gasp* soil the fabric.

The floral appliques are made of 100% wool felt and topped with buttons for added color and dimension. These will be available at my booth (#24, baby!) at the Bazaar Bizarre SF Holiday Show this coming 11/30/08 at the San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park!

Also on the list are more neck warmers and some new wool felt brooches to go with them. Jimmy seems to enjoy the brooches — so versatile! — so they’re sure to be a winner. =}

Now time to study the Craft Fair Production Schedule and figure out what more work needs to be done. Off I go! Well first, a PB&J + coffee to fill my belly. Mmm that sounds good.

Jiffylite Cushioned Mailers
I currently use two sizes of Jiffylite Cushioned Mailers, the outsides of which are made from 100% recycled content and 10% post consumer content. The Bubble Wrap® brand cushioning inside, which also provides a moisture barrier, is made with 10% recycled plastics. At 68 and 88 cents a piece including shipping for the #5 and #6 sizes, respectively, they’re not too bad of a deal. But, I’m not sure I really need the plastic padding so much as something that’s just water- and tear-resistant. A product without the bulky padding will also make the mailers a lot easier to store, and Jimmy will like that. =]

image from Overstock.com

CareMail Mailers
I really liked the CareMail Mailer that my Figs & Ginger necklace arrived in a couple months ago. It was a plastic-free, cushioned rugged mailer made by Duck Products. CareMail Mailers are made from 90% total recycled content (50% post-consumer), cushioned with recycled newsprint and can be recycled along with your mixed paper. Unfortunately, they’re not quite the right solution for me either since they’re a little more rigid than I need and again, my products are soft and kind of self-cushioning.

image from duckproducts.com

Tyvek Mailers
So now I’m looking at non-cushioned Tyvek mailers, maybe the expanding ones like these from Amazon:

image from amazon.com

Tyvek is what those soft USPS Priority Mail (and FedEx) envelopes are made from. These are free from the USPS if you’re shipping with their Priority Mail service, but if you’re only going First Class like some of my smaller and/or less expensive items, the post office won’t allow you to use that packaging at First Class rates.

Tyvek mailers are not only lightweight, resistant to water and tearing and strong enough to repurpose into a vast array of DIY projects as a quick web search of “Tyvek DIY” will prove, but they’re also 100% recyclable! Tyvek maker DuPont runs a nationwide recycling program to collect used Tyvek envelopes and recycle them into other materials. Who knew?!

The bummer about it so far is that prices are higher than the Jiffylites and there don’t seem to be as many larger-sized options, so I have some comparison shopping to do.

Polypropylene Mailers
Poly mailers look just like the Tyvek ones and are also less expensive, but I’m wondering if these are just lower quality knockoffs that are also without the benefit of being recyclable. The ones from Staples are however, made from 25% post-consumer content, so there is some green in it.

So I guess after all that, I’m still shopping for shipping supplies. If anyone has any tips, I’d love to hear! The Switchboard Forum has a couple of threads here and here with links that look worth trying (you might have to register to see). Think I’ll check those out on a later break…

First, I’d like to thank Kendra from Brownies Vintage & Indie Design Clothing Boutique for the interview, awesome post and sweet selection of photos to feature with the article. Next, I’d like to thank my husband for his enthusiasm at seeing the interview published live. And of course I must not forget my producers, agent, casting directors, friends, family, Mom and Dad…Teh heh heh. =P

It’s been great to get a mention here and another there. I hope it’s the start of lots more to come! I especially look forward to re-examining the business plan after the holiday rush is over and plotting my way towards bigger and better! As I mentioned in the interview, getting my products on the shelves of local boutiques and gift shops would be amazing so that’ll be a top priority for me in 2009. There, I said it! They say one of the best ways to keep yourself on target is to publicly state your intentions, don’t they? Well hopefully in the coming months I’ll have all kinds of posts on all the progress I’ve made. Wish me luck and perseverance!

Miss Priss Wristlets won’t make a reappearance at the Bazaar Bizarre SF Holiday Show, but the Miss Priss Tote will more than take their place! Better suited for the colder months ahead I think, the Miss Priss Tote will be large enough to hold your purse essentials PLUS your winter essentials.

I don’t want to give too much away about Miss Priss Tote’s bells and whistles, especially since she’s still in development, but suffice it to say she’s got some. Oh yes, she’s got some alright. =P

Connie’s Lug had a couple of special add-ons, including a small front zip pocket:

…and a large center divider to separate work from personal items:

I haven’t been doing custom work lately simply because of the extra time involved, but Connie’s been such an awesome, long-time repeat customer now and was willing to wait for as long as it took me to deliver the bag…so I was happy to be able to work it in.

Too bad the photos are a little grainy. I didn’t realize that Jimmy’s D90 was on a high ISO setting and just picked it up and snapped away the whole session entirely clueless. Hmph. I knew I shoulda put the thing on Auto! Live and learn, live and learn.

This was a really fun project for Jimmy and me because, even though it took us forever to complete, it was a joint handmade venture that we hoped would show our appreciation to John and Roberto just that much more. We made them in different sizes and colors so they wouldn’t be too matchy matchy.

I sketched out the bags on a whiteboard based on Jimmy’s very specific descriptions and requirements (things like “it should hold one of those medium-sized Mead spiral notebooks” and “there has to be a pocket for cell phones and a zipper pocket for wallets” and “nothing too complicated, just simple and functional”). I even had him bust out the measuring tape and give me exact dimensions.

Then, we went shopping in my fabric stash and he chose every element from the selection I gave him, from the sunbrella exterior and cordura nylon lining, to the color and widths of the velcro, straps and bias tape, not to mention the type of hardware (metal vs. plastic)!

Jimmy’s been lobbying for me to make one for him. Hm…maybe after the holidays!

We were both totally psyched to have the Big Lug be in the collection of 21 big bags featured in the article, and it definitely gave me an extra energy boost as I was sewing new stuff up yesterday. Many thanks to Etsy blog writer TeenAngster for that!