Button Thursday: Faux Buckle

Brass Button with Buckle, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Green Bridal Purse from a Thoughtful Sister

Fabric Tuesday: Violet Garden

This painterly print was designed by famed fiber artist Kaffe Fassett. His work tends to feature riotous color juxtapositions that somehow work together to form beautiful, eye-catching results.

For example, Fassett added jolts of red and pink to this otherwise monochromatic blue and purple print.

You can find Violet Garden on our website here. Just click on the print palette.

Spring Blossom Brooches

The cherry blossoms, forsythia and rhododendrons are blooming all around Seattle, and we have spring on the brain.

It's time to dust off those sandals, and pull the summer skirts out of storage.

These flower scatter pins have the same springtime spirit. Camas, WA Artist Deborah Funches handcrafts each bloom petal by petal from glass beads and sturdy wire.

Equally lovely on a white t-shirt or a cocktail dress, these Blossom Brooches make terrific gifts too. $18 each. Order online here. Also available as barrettes and rings.

Happy Birthday Sister Susannah!

Have a great celebration out there on the other coast. xoxo, Big Sis Laura Bee

Calling All Jet Setters: Our Passport Cover

Ashley took that picture of hot air balloons a few years ago on a trip to the East Coast. We the used it on this sample of our new custom photo passport cover to show how a happy travel memory can adorn this functional item.

Sized to perfectly fit a US passport, our cover is crafted from durable faux leather. Whether you're headed across the Canadian border, or are flying off to a more exotic locale, a bright passport cover will make your trip that much more fun.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

At an introductory price of $24, the cover would also make a great gift for mother's day, graduation, or that special birthday. Order online and upload your photo here. Or stop by our store to place your order.

Fabric Tuesday: Vintage Hawaiian Barkcloth

In celebration of Earth Day tomorrow, I thought I'd show you a recent vintage fabric find. Click to enlarge the pictures so that you can see more detail.

I scored this maternity mumu on a jaunt up to Bellingham, Washington. The fabric is in perfect condition. Since the dress is a wide A-line, it has few darts and copious yardage. I'll be able to yield several bags out of the bright print.

Tattoo You: An Amy Shoulder Bag

Our customer described herself as, "Not a purse girl," when she came to the shop. This Amy is the bag she designed.

She brought the cotton print, which features classic tattoo motifs including barbed wire, skulls and roses. Her fabric paired perfectly with sparkle red faux leather accents.

The Amy comes standard with an outside zipper pocket on the front. Our customer added an open pocket on the back for quick, easy access. (This option is $12 and is available on some of our designs.)

You can see the bright red lining peeking out of this front zipper pocket. This shot also shows the interesting texture of our tooled black faux suede. The material is one of our newer distressed suede options.

Genius Idea: Grand Rapids Chalk Flood

Photo courtesy of Craftsanity.com

I have a bucket of sidewalk chalk sitting in storage at Laura Bee Designs. This idea has me itching dust it off and get drawing.

I learned about this urban art happening here on Craftsanity. There even more great photos here, as well as information about the organizer Rob Bliss.

C'mon Ballard, let's color outside the lines.

Spring Bridal Bag

Wedding season is near, and we've been working behind the scenes on several bridesmaid collections that we need to wait to show you. (We don't want to spoil any gift-giving surprises.) Here's one design that we can show you: a bride's bag that we shipped off to New Jersey.

The interior pleat matches her off-white dress, while the aqua silk pulls in the bridesmaid dress shade. She asked us to top off the bag with a chocolate brown button to complete the color theme. You can get a closer look at the button detail here.

Click on the images to see more detail.

Button Thursday: Destined for Wedding Clutches

Four Antique Metal Buttons, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

One Clutch Two Ways

Two friends designed these Ruched Luxe clutches at a recent purse party. The pair provides a great example of how two versions of the same bag shape can look so different.

Our customer designed this whole bag around the unique transparent pink glass flower button. She found this olive green silk in our stash. The cross-weave of the material has a subtle pink hue.

She completed her design with a perfectly coordinated rose moire lining.

The other party attendee chose this bold, vintage-style print for her clutch.

She found the perfect antique rose metal button to embellish her bag.

She topped off her design with our bright watermelon lining fabric.

Click on pictures to enlarge them.

Fabric Tuesday: Dragon with Abstract Motifs

"What's Up Doc?"

Pugs Bunny, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

I have some links to share with you today:

* We're offering a free shipping special on our website just in time for you to send your mom a custom photo item for Mother's Day. Read the details here.

* I taped a silly segment that aired on King 5 News last Friday. You can watch the video here.

* The Pug Gala, which is a fundraiser for one of our favorite charities, Seattle Pug Rescue is coming up. Learn more here.

Happy Easter!

Hellebore 2, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Laura Bee Designs "Gets Jesse"

or Laura's Infomercial Fantasies Come True

Wednesday was an eventful day at the store. King 5 consumer reporter Jesse Jones visited with a small crew to film a Friday segment of "Get Jesse." While Jones often deals with serious issues on his nightly report, Friday is the day he has some fun testing products and services.


Producer Bart told us that he had a mandate to test a woman-oriented product after a shaving segment last week. He found this As Seen on TV purse hook and came to our shop to put it through the ringer. (You can see the classically cheesy commercial for the hook here.)

Here's a look at the testing apparatus: a scale, weights, and a Beatrice bag.

Tune in to King 5 News tonight to watch me banter with Jesse, overstuff a bag, and generally act silly.

Button Thursday: White Plastic Ripples

Tacoma Buttons, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Does anyone know anything about the Tacoma Button Company? A cursory web search didn't bring up much information.

Celebrate Spring with a Sweet Basket

Kids of all ages love receiving baskets filled with tiny treats. Here's a little eco-friendly gift collection I put together with small items we sell in the shop.

I bought the small wire mesh basket at Goodwill for about $1. In general, thrift stores have great deals on baskets that can be repurposed as inviting gift wrap.

Bunnies have symbolized spring since ancient times, and the tradition carries through to the Easter Bunny today. This tiny charm necklace was made by California artist Mark Poulin. ($22)

Instead of an easter bonnet, how about a golden honeybee barrette. (LBD, $8)

Marshmallow the bunny rabbit adorns this adorable envirosax shopping bag. See it open here. ($8.50)

From left to right, a zipper coin purse we made from fabric scraps ($16), an all-natural lip balm by Mudlark ($4), and a petite notepad by Galison ($3.50).

I ate the Theo Bar that I intended to photograph in the basket, but you see a picture of the delicious chocolate, organic chocolate here ($3.50 a bar).

Fabric Tuesday: Proud Mums

This floral print features beautiful corals, aquas and golds along with black and white.

It's one of the dozen or so fabrics that I recently uploaded to our website. You can check out all of the fabrics by here. Just click on the Print Palette option.

Shop Dog's Day Off

Fetch on Sawdust, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

While he can barely fit the tennis ball in his mouth, Otis adores playing fetch in our back yard.

The ground is covered in wood shavings and sawdust from Jeff's shop. Otis loves the fluffy stuff, even though it tends to stick to his tennis ball.

Easter Bunny Sighting

He bounded out of my back yard when he saw me see him....

Olivia in Print

Last month I shared an Olivia clutch that I made for myself. Here's another version that shows the versatility of this bag design.

A colorful print adds some whimsy, and the plastic button detail makes the purse extra special.

Something Soft for Spring

While we often make our Ruched Luxe Clutch out of solid silk fabrics, the design can be quite pretty with a cotton print. The fabric above features an unusual ombre wallpaper motif, and pairs nicely with an aqua pearlescent plastic button.

Button Thursday: Rhinestones and Carved Plastic

Chocolate Plastic Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Snow, Really?

Re-marks Bookmarks, printed in Seattle on recycled plastic. $3.50 pair.

The April Fool's Day elves played a joke on us today. It snowed in Seattle, which is pretty unusual this late in the year.