Stockists: Introducing Clementine

If you live in West Seattle, consider visiting shoe store Clementine. Our newest stockist, this store carries gorgeous shoes and accessories. Linda and Diana sent over this picture of one of our coin purses and mini wallets styled with a mod shoe by Glory Chen.

Loot

Some very sweet customers treated us to nice little surprises this season like candy and Christmas cards. Thank you!

December 26th - We're Open!

I'm excited to say that I made it here in one piece and we're open today!

Be Careful What you Wish For or Why We're Closed Today

Photo Courtesy of My Ballard, a terrific neighborhood resource.

While many of us East Coast transplants have often wished for a white Christmas here in Seattle, the current winter wonderland has lost a bit of its luster.

Thanks to the dedicated staffers of LBD, we've been open every day during the terrible road conditions, with the exception of Monday which is our normal day off.

However, today we will not be able to open. I had earlier fantasies of listening to Christmas Carols while offering tea and sugar cookies to last minute shoppers. Alas, my little front wheel drive Ford Focus is just not up to the task of traversing the hills between my home and the shop. It's too far to walk and the bus system is pretty much defunct.

Weather allowing, we will reopen on Friday, December 26 and we'll resume our normal hours. Call us first at 206.789.4044 to make sure we're there if the weather seems dicey.

Happy Chanukah

Photo courtesy of Epicurious.

I didn't think to bring my camera home before the storm hit so I haven't been able to capture the icicles, snowdrifts, and snow pug moments.

This snowed in time has me craving comfort food. Maybe I can get Jeff to make some latkes in honor of Chanukah.

Hopefully I'll be able to get to the store tomorrow. In any case, staffer Debbie can walk to the store. She'll be open so stop by if you have some last minute holiday shopping to do.

Snow Day Update: We're Open!

Intrepid Ballard resident and Laura Bee staffer Debbie just opened up the shop.

Swing on by until 6 tonight. You can get some holiday shopping done in between snowball fights.

(Ashley and I are snowbound...)

Baby It's Cold Outside

Swaddled Pug, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Otis loves to be swaddled in his fleece blanket.

Guilt Trip Face, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

This is the face that gets us to do his bidding.

(I took both of these pictures within five minutes of each other. Doesn't he look puppyish in the begging image, and like a little old man in the smug pug shot? He needs some Just for Men on his choppers.

Button Thursday: Sparkle with Velvet Leaves

Plastic and Rhinestone Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Yummy Trees

Don't they look like gumdrops? I can't wait to make my own! Danielle Thompson designed them and posted a free tutorial here.

Stocking Stuffer: For the Beachcomber

As winter days turn short and cold, many of us dream of summer twilight spent strolling along the sand looking for shells.

Here's a beautiful gift to remind you of summer vacation. These pewter magnets are cast by hand in Nova Scotia. We sell sets of three packaged in sage green gift boxes for $16.

If shells aren't quite right, consider birds, dragonflies, or fall leaves.

Bridal Party

Summer bride AnneMarie sent me this happy photo of her attendants with their Luxe Clutches. That's AnneMarie in the center with her Edith handbag. Thanks AnneMarie! It looks like your day was lovely.

December Special: The Golden Ticket

I've always wanted to redesign our gift certificate so that it could be neatly tucked into our popular mini wallet and given as a special present. Just in time for Hanukkah and Christmas 2008, I've finally finished this project.

For the month of December, buy a gift certificate valued at $100 or more, and we'll package it for you in this rose gold mini wallet as a special premium ($14 value).

We've been making the mini wallets since 2003, and customers have been stuffing them with gift cards ever since. Last year a mom came in with three Jamba Juice cards to stuff in mini wallets for her babysitters. What a great idea!

Click on photos to enlarge them.

Local Artist: Andrea Silverman

Bird necklace, $42

With all of the emphasis on shopping local this holiday season, I thought you might enjoy meeting some of the local designers whose work we are proud to offer in the store. First up, silversmith and jewelry designer Andrea Silverman.

Glass flower necklace, $48

Andrea meticulously crafts her beautiful pieces one at a time in her Ballard studio. The above necklace showcases a vintage Japanese glass stone, which Andrea set in a handmade sterling silver bezel.

To me, the hallmark of good craftsmanship is finishing in places that aren't immediately obvious. Case in point: Look how beautifully the necklace is finished on the back.

Black Friday and Thanks

You may be on the go today shopping for holiday gifts. On our little corner of Ballard, we are thankful that so many of you continue to come back to us for your gift giving and handbag needs.

While we can't offer seasonal door busters or crazy sales, we strive to give all of our customers friendly service and good value each and every day. We all look forward to seeing you sometime in the coming weeks.

Don't forget, you can order on our website and then pick up your purchase in our store. You'll save on shipping charges that way, and we can also wrap your purchases for free when you pick them up.

(Photo by Sandi Heinrich)

From Our Northern Neighbors

These beautiful silver-plated earrings are made in Canada by Foxy Jewelry.
With sterling earwires and a lovely organic pierced design, these earrings would be a great gift for your favorite earring-lover. $24 pair.

Cat Out of the Bag

Okay, I could not resist the terrible title of this post. It's groan-worthy, I know. Anyhow, our customer Sandi sent this photo of her son's kittens Maverick and Crash snuggling up on her Laura Bee Travel Bag.

How perfect that their black and white fur pattern matches the purse! Still, I hope Sandi has a lint roller handy. What is it about cats and bags. Here's another cat on bag picture from a while back.

If these cuties have you all ready to snuggle with some felines of your own, take note. Our friends at the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee have two ultra-adorable kitten pairs available for adoption to good homes in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Please spread the word to anyone you know who's looking to adopt some lovebugs.

Button Thursday: Plastic Spiral Button

Plastic Spiral Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Bring the Funny: Baby Shower Gift

Amidst all of the cute booties, diaper genies and practical onesies, every new mom needs some time to laugh and fantasize about the perfect partner. Enter this book, which we now offer for sale in the shop for $12.95.

You can see a short video about it here, and read a funny blog post here. The word 'Porn' in the title is merely tongue-in-cheek; these books are rated PG.

We also have a similar title, "Porn for Women," that similarly offers idealized versions the men in our life. Learn more about that one here.

Orange You Glad I Made this Doris?

Here's a girl after my own heart. Our customer combined pumpkin microsuede and one of my favorite vintage fabrics to design this Doris. Here's a picture from her recent blog post about this bag.

Kids Envirosax in Stock

We're now carrying these adorable kid-themed Envirosax. Slightly smaller than the adult version, these designs would be perfect stocking stuffers. We have styles in stock for both boys and girls. Also suitable for adults who love all things cute.

Intergenerational Clutch

A local bride brought us bits and pieces of wedding garments worn by the women in her family. Ashley worked with her to design this clutch.

It features oval-patterned white fabric from a grandmother's sleeve, tiny shell buttons from a great-grandmother's dress, and ribbon provided by the mother of the bride.

In a nod to future generations, the ecru silk is the same fabric used to make the flower girl dresses.

More Locket Love

I've posted about lockets before, and several people have written me wanting to know when we'll have more available. We've just received a batch of French-made lockets so I wanted to show you a picture of a style I haven't highlighted before.

The image above shows a silver-plated copper pendant with an Art Deco design motif. It measures about one inch in diameter, and hangs on a high quality 16-18" adjustable chain.

We have four of this style available at $40. I expect them to sell quickly. Now available on our website.

Button Thursday: Rose Leaves

Handpainted Leaf Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Party Pictures Part Two

The store looked bright and inviting from the rainy street.

A future Laura Bee customer?

Glam for Good clutches, each with its own description card.

Party Pics!

Beth (right) worked the crowd giving away our pinback button party favors. Left, a customer signs up for our drawing. Congratulations to the four winners of $25 gift certificates. (I've emailed those of you who won.)

Shopping baskets filled up quickly as customers browsed through all of our new accessories. We debuted over 10 lines at the party, and we still have great inventory to see, so come on by if you couldn't make the shindig.

Thanks to the whole LBD team who worked their magic at the party. And thanks to all the (many, many) people who attended. It was wonderful to see all of you.

I still have pictures to edit and post so visit again tomrrow.

Button Thursday: Crystal and Rose Gold

Vintage Brooch, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

I used this vintage brooch as an embellishment on a small shoulder bag. This bag will debut, along with the rest of our Glam for Good Collection, at our party this Saturday.

We’re donating a portion of the sales of each piece in our G4G collection to three Northwest charities that we value.

• Pasado's Safe Haven
• MercyCorps
• Northwest Harvest

Party Debut #3: The Birds and the Beads

Local jewelry designers Paula and Karin craft beautiful, high quality jewelry from crystals, semiprecious stones using sterling silver and gold fill findings.

Their work is fashion-forward, festive and fun.

Six Reasons to Attend our Anniversary Party

Pink Coconut Cupcake, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Reason One: Schedule and Save
Book future custom design appointments at the party and we’ll give you 10% off custom work you design at your appointment. (Appointments booked through November 26th qualify for this one night only special.)

Reason Two: Crave Guide Giveaway
The first 12 people to spend more than $50 at the party will receive the newest edition of the Crave Guide to Seattle. (A $20 value.)

Reason Three: Bee Bucks
Receive $1 in our play money for every $10 you spend at the party. Come back and spend Bee Bucks like cash before December 1st.

Reason Four: Door Prize Drawing
Enter our drawing for free gift certificates. We’re giving away four $25 LBD certificates. Receive a free cupcake button just for entering.

Reason Five: Glam for Good Collection
We'll debut a collection of extra special, one-of-a-kind bags. These purses have special vintage fabrics, embellishments and bonus details. We'll donate a percentage of the sale of the G4G bags to fantastic charities.

Photo courtesy of The Birds and the Beads.

Reason Six: New Locally Made Merchandise
We’ll showcase new work by three featured local jewelry designers.
• Crescent Moon Designs
• The Birds and the Beads
• Andrea Silverman Designs
We’ll also debut new lines of jewelry, paper goods, scarves, hats and our house-made accessories.

Last year many items sold out fast at this event, so arrive early for the best selection.

Sleepy Pug in Turtleneck, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Otis is a snapping turtle this year. Click on the image to view more pictures of him in costume.

Halloween Started on Tucker Thursday

Tucker the Rock Lobster, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Button Thursday: Textured Ceramic

Green and Blue Vintage Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Party Debut #2: Ceci Cela Initials

These small initial pendants are simple, wearable and personal. Crafted in Minnesota by Ceci Cela, they are strung on ball chain and have tiny mirror backs. We'll have an assortment of letters available at the party, and I expect them to sell quickly.

We've also have a small selection of these stunning poured resin and sterling necklaces, also by Ceci Cela. This deer silhouette is both sweet and timeless.

Thank You!

Birdcage on Blue, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

I'm proud to announce that Laura Bee Designs has taken first place in the Evening Magazine Best of Western Washington contest. According to voters, we're the number one Women's Accessories shop in the region! Yippee!

Thanks to all of you who voted, and extra thanks those who took the time to write such nice reviews.

No word yet on whether John Curley will make an appearance...

Party Debut #1: Deborah Funches Jewelry

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the new items we'll debut at our Anniversary Party. Ashley and I have spent the last few months looking for terrific new lines by Northwest Designers to offer in the store.

Working with strong wire and Czech glass beads, Deborah Funches creates these flowers in her Camas, Washington studio. Let me tell you, the tiny blossoms are even more lovely in person.

A genius with color, Funches line has something for everyone; necklaces, barrettes, and scatter brooches with friendly prices will make great gifts for you and those you love.

Button Thursday: Large White Shell

Carved White Shell Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

I guessing this button was made in the 1960s due to its generous proportions and carved motif.