I’m a sucka for weddings, so when a sweet-as-heck Brooklyn bride contacted me a couple of weeks ago about creating a set of six custom zipper pouches for her wedding day ladies in waiting, I batted not an eyelash before saying heck yes!

She had a specific fabric in mind, Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Party Centerpiece in Olive. I’m a huge fan of Anna Maria Horner’s fabrics, which can be seen on a good number of my own products in the Etsy shop. My Brooklyn bride has been using this fabric elsewhere in her wedding and wanted it used on a Longer is Better Zipper Pouch.

We didn’t have much time, as her wedding is this weekend, so I didn’t bother sourcing it from my usual spots and turned to fellow Etsy seller mineymo for the Centerpiece fabric instead. Mineymo carries a delicious selection of juicy fabrics and is a terrific seller to work with! My fabric came through quick and as easy as could be.

On one side of each Longer is Better custom bridesmaid’s pouch, I paired the Centerpiece fabric with the honey-colored velvety fabric you see above, while the other side used a solid cut of the sweet floral-printed fabric.

The bride’s wedding venue is going to be all white with splashes of the bright colors used in the fabric, so we kept the lining nice and simple with crisp white twill.

I individually wrapped and included a personalized gift tag with each pouch, though unfortunately I was in too much of a rush by the time that was done to snap any photos.

Wish I could be a fly on the wall to see how well the pouches are received, but I suppose that’d be creepy. And anyway it’s more than good enough for me to have received a happy note from the bride-to-be the day she received them saying that the pouches are “even more awesome than [she] could have imagined”! Sniff…

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So far there are two versions of this 10″ pouch: one measures 5.25″ tall and the other 4.25″. An inch may not sound like a big difference, but the 20% difference gives it a whole new look in my opinion. Being the person in charge (because I’m the only person…minor detail), I took the liberty of producing them both!

I pulled out all my favorite fabrics for these pouches and am building a mass collection of them in anticipation of the STORM of orders I’m sure will come since all of you will undoubtedly love them as much as I do. ;P ESPECIALLY when you notice the silver grommet punched into one of the top corners, as shown in the 10 x 4.25″ Ms. Bitch pouch below. Not only does it add a silver sliver of bling to the pouch, it also provides an opening through which I’ve strung a silver beaded keychain. I know there are a bazillion pouches out there, but I’m happy to say that I haven’t seen any others quite like this.

Opposite the grommet is a “grab tab” made of cool seatbelt material to help you zzzzzzzzzip this puppy open, as you can see on the Worker Bees pouch:

And, most pouches have a fun “surprise inside” lining like this one, on the Lurking Leopards pouch!

Finally, I’m offering an option in the shop to pick yourself up a different piece of hardware to slide through the grommet: either a 1.5″ or 2″ steel snap ring for the possibility of hooking on any number of things to your pouch. Other pouches, for instance, more keys…or to allow you to hook your pouch onto the strap of your handbag!

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Whilst Jimmy braved the rain to golf with the boys yesterday, I stayed at home stitching up some more Boxy Pencil Pouches! Little did I realize that I’d chosen so many polka dotted prints, and now I’m seeing circles.

Well it turns out that circles, manifested as polka dots even, are a good sign! Circles represent connectedness and, as we know from the whole wedding ring tradition, are a symbol of eternal love and commitment. 

Surely it would mean a lot then if you were to say, present one of these cute pouches as a gift to someone you love. Just because. Or as a belated Valentine’s Day gift, say.

Not only that, but feng shui practitioners believe that round objects strategically placed in the Creativity and Children section of your home can even aid in fertility, since circles are also symbolic of the circle of life. Ah, a new function for the Boxy Zippered Pencil Pouch!

So many uses, who knew?!

Of course if you’re not feeling the polka dot, there’s always the option of Faux Bois or Flower Power…

Credits: Thanks to this blog for its insight on the symbolism of circles, and this iPaper for its info on Feng Shui for Abundant living.
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You cannot run, Chapstick! Resistance is futile!

Our photo shoot this morning got a little out of control when my latest creation, the Sweetheart Kisslock Frame Pouch, tried to put the lights out on props model Chapstick.

I mean, sometimes we start these shoots so early that some of us don’t get a chance for breakfast. So in some ways I can understand what drove this behavior. But on the other hand, this is a professional environment and inwardly I was quite shocked. I barely had enough time to grab Chapstick out of harm’s way before that kisslock frame came chomping down. Luckily Sweetheart Kisslock Frame Pouch was not quite angled directly towards its intended prey, otherwise it would have been “Sayonara, Chapstick!” Phew!

Well, I better take these guys downstairs for some refreshments. Don’t worry, I’ll keep them separated.Similar Posts:

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Okay okay, sorry I couldn’t help it. It is true that I have a small obsession with my mannequin and all her possibilities, including removable arm. And it is also true that the arm shown in the photo above is actually her left, not her right.

But I so love the fact that I can use her like this for product shots, and I don’t know why I never took advantage of the removable arm before. Actually it’s probably because I used to focus only on handbags, not so much on the handheld pouch/purse/wallet.

All this nonsense just to introduce…the Stash ‘n Dash Zippered Wallet in Forest Faux Bois!

In a very short time, this will be available in the Pouches section of my Etsy shop. In less than two hours as a matter of fact!

In the meantime, this manifestation of the Stash ‘n Dash Zippered Wallet offers a delightful surprise on its backside: an applique of two lush green leaves made of 100% wool felt. Spring is almost here, after all! And, like all of the other pouches in the shop, this is fully lined, top-stitched and built with interfacing to give it some meatiness and structure. I hope you like it!

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The colors are right on, the shipping was fast and the value was pretty darn good too! With the vast selection of colors they offer and the great service, I’d definitely order from them again if I’m ordering in small quantities.

The Ribbon Retreat also has a wholesale site where you can actually get better prices per yard if you need at least $35.00 worth of product. At the wholesale site, you can get 20 yds of the 1/4″ solid grosgrain for $2.40 or 100 yds for $10.18. The same 1/4″ solid grosgrain from the retail site is a mere $0.95 for 5 yds. Shipping costs from both sites is reasonable, but you can’t combine orders from the one site with the other.

I also looked at Ribbons And Bows Oh My! which I guess insiders call “RABOM” but…first of all it’s called Ribbons and Bows Oh My! (okay just kidding) and secondly for the 1/4″ width the smallest quantity they offer is 20 yds. A lot of folks over at The Switchboards forums also recommended JKM Ribbon & Trims, among other suppliers, but their 1/4″ selection only comes in 100 yd spools (for $9.37) and seem to take longer to ship, about 10 business days for the Offray ribbons.

So now I’ve got myself 50 yards worth of 1/4″ wide solid grosgrain ribbons in ten colors to keep me busy with more pouches and keychains, in which I’ve been using them as zipper pulls and strap backings. Hoorah!

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Last night I finished the prototype for my newest item: the yet-to-be named zippered card pouch that’s also a phone case and can be considered a wallet…with key chain, that can be attached to your hip and…will also have a strap that can be clipped on, thus making it a handy wristlet. Maybe I should call it the Everything Pouch! Mm, naw. Or…the Versawallet! Get it? Versatile wallet? No? Ok ya, I’ll keep working on it. Maybe Jimmy will let me use his MindManager software so I can do some freeform visual brainstorming. =}

This fully-lined pouch has some neat features to it, including the fact that it’s sized to fit an iPhone since everyone and their muthas have got one (except for me). If you haven’t got an iPhone and/or you don’t want to store your mobile in the pouch, it also happens to fit a small digital camera like my Canon PowerShot S400. On top of that, there are two pockets: one zip, one slip, and a flap snaps closed over both of them for security and plain good looks. Finally, a swivel snap hook on one side allows you to attach your pouch to your belt loop, your keychain, or any other place you can find something to hook on to.

I made the prototype in this slick grey sunbrella material for Jimmy. But then I forgot that the shape of my flap, which I quite like, makes it a tad “not masculine enough” for him. So this prototype’s for me. Yay!Similar Posts:

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