We made these colorful Luxe Clutches for a bride who lives in Seattle, but is getting married this summer in her native Chicago.
She came to us with her modern floral wedding invitation as her inspiration and color palette. Her attendants will wear fuchsia dresses and will carry white and lime bouquets. What a fetching combination for a sultry summer day.
On my recent visit to Rochester I found some terrific buttons at All That Jazz antique mall. Here are three buttons grouped together by theme.
The star motif is a classic in many design styles and cultures. I love the variety in these buttons. The tiny blue button glows in the light like a sapphire. The larger metal button features a star and a thin crescent moon. The tiny black and white star is graphic and simple.
Here are a few pictures from the Seattle Pug Gala last month. Above, Otis, Jeff and I staff our booth.
Above, Tucker, our resident rescue Puggle, took a break after the parade of rescue dogs. Ashley and her ponytail show their pride.
Tucker gets some love from Jeff as Otis gets jealous.
Ashley whispers in her nephew Otis' ear. A Tucker pillow sits on display in the foreground.
While I was back East in Rochester, NY last week, these two adorable Boston Terrier puppies stopped by my Mom's place for a visit.
They were so tiny, weighing in between five and six pounds. This is Roxy, the younger little girl. She was the mellowest of the two, trying to keep up with her feisty friend Zoe.
This is Zoe gulping some ice water from a goblet. Look at the head to glass size ratio!
Zoe was constantly on the go sniffing and exploring. The only way I could get her to sit still was to hold a dog biscuit near my camera.
Ashley and I attended the Seattle International Film Festival kick-off last night. Here's a picture of us in the store all dolled up. Those pointy toes belong to Ashley; she captured them on the red carpet.
The festive shindig was held at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. Viewing the screening of Battle in Seattle, a film about the WTO protests in 1999, the hometown crowd cheered frequently.
We had nosebleed seats but Ashley used her camera's zoom to take this shot of the cast (click to enlarge). From left to right: Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000), Martin Henderson, director Stuart Townsend, and the festival MC. Outkast fans will be happy to learn that Andre was smart and charming during the Q and A after the screening.
After the film, we attended a packed after-party in the courtyard. A few cupcakes later and we headed home. Check out the Seattle P-I article on the event.
A little while back professional photographer Sandi Heinrich (above), owner of an LBD snap coin purse, contacted me to see about arranging a swap. She took a bunch of terrific pictures of our store, and we made her a bag.
Since I started selling bags back in 2001, I've met many inspiring people like Sandi who have taken a passion and turned it into a small enterprise. I've been lucky to 'talk shop' with so many great women doing cool things, that I've decided to introduce you to some of them here.
Sandi has agreed to be the debut woman featured in this column. She specializes in images like those I'm showing here. Her work merges a loose journalistic style with lovely portraiture. She offers reasonably priced packages for all types of work including baby portraits, family groupings, as well as weddings.
Part of her service is to provide her customers with a high-res disc of images so that you can use your favorite vendors to order prints. Gone are the days of being tied to a photo studio for all prints. I encourage you to visit her two blogs to see more of Sandi's work here and here.
Here are some more essential things you should know about Sandi.
As the weather changes in the spring, we always have more customers coming in who are looking for bags to wear across their bodies to keep their hands free. We do have standard adjustable strap options, but our convertible strap is a strong seller.
These pictures of a Helen Hobo in action show the strap long, and then doubled to become a shorter shoulder strap. Any of our two-ring bags can be made with this strap for the ultimate versatility.
Ashley took this picture of a yellow Beatrice headed for Boston. This customer wanted a summery white and yellow combination topped off by blue buttons and lining. She also requested that we add silver rings for a modern hardware look.
I'm still visiting my folks back east with minimal internet time, thus sparse posts here.
It's been a couple of years since I first wrote about Stevers. I'm back in Rochester visiting my family so I made my annual visit to pick up some sweet treats today.
A purse party attendee designed this bag. I had a great time working with the group of bridesmaids who were treated to Luxe Clutches by a generous bride.
Aqua and red are the signature colors for this New Orleans bride. She ordered five Sadie Silk Wristlets for her bridesmaids using our website.
We added the off-white ruffle ribbon and one-of-a-kind vintage buttons to each purse. I adore the unique color palette and wish I could have a sneak peak at the entire ensemble.
Tomorrow is the big day! We're all ready for Pugmania at Magnuson Park from Noon-5. We'll have all kinds of buttons, zipper cases, and pug stuff for sale.
The year before I was born, my Grandma Doris and Grandpa Arthur visited St. Lucia. Above is a photo that Grandma sent me last month when I emailed to ask her a little more about the history of this dress. Always one to pare down and stay organized (I didn't inherit this gene), Grandma sent me the dress a few years back thinking that I could do something with the material.
Doris and Arthur Dwyer circa 1970. Aren't they a dapper couple?
Here's another custom bag made from the St. Lucia dress from Grandma's trip. I hope that this bag accompanies its owner on surprising, romantic adventures.
I mentioned yesterday that I love reading blogs, and one of my daily fixes is the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. I'm more of a dog person in general, but these kitties are so charming and lovingly photographed that I am smitten.
Tacoma based artist, crafter, and floral designer Laurie runs the site. She, along with a small team of dedicated animal-lovers, fosters tiny kittens for the Tacoma Humane Society until they are old enough to be neutered and adopted.
I admit that I am totally addicted to reading blogs. They have taken the place of magazines in my life, which I like because blogs are cheaper and better for the environment. There is so much inspiration out there to enjoy and absorb.
Tucker, a Seattle Pug Rescue alumnus, invites you to join him and the rest of the Laura Bees at the 2008 Seattle Pug Gala this Saturday. We'll have a booth with Pug Pins and Happy Dog Zipper cases for sale.
Otis plans to enter the agility course, and Tucker will march proudly in the parade of rescued dogs.
The admission cost of $10 goes to help the pugs SPR cares for each year. In 2008 the organization re-homed more than 100 dogs! Humans of all ages, plus pugs and pug mixes are welcome. (The SPR insurance carrier has limited the event to canines of the puggish variety only.)
There is more information here. If you can make your way past all of the wrinkled snorting puglets, stop by our booth to say hello.
It's almost graduation season so students (and teachers) everywhere are getting excited to move on to the next phase. Recently a generous big sister visited our shop looking for the perfect 'first job' bag for her graduating little sister.
She'd found our store on NW Source via Google, so she didn't realize that she could completely customize our bags. Once I explained the process, she had a terrific time designing this Becky tote bag.
I love the fabric combination she chose. The print is fun and young, yet is grounded by the grey suede and merlot trim. Inside, the hottest pink adds a bold pop of color.
Recently a local customer brought us this stunning wide ribbon and designed this Beatrice bag around the precious, expensive textile.
I think the birds on the ribbon may be Phoenix, from the ancient myth about rising from the ashes.
