Happy Memorial Day

Thanks to all of our customers for making May a great month for us. Stay tuned as we celebrate Customer Appreciation Month throughout June.

Ear Candy

I've found this milk glass candy dish is the best prop for showing off these candy-colored earrings.

I made these beauties out of vintage lucite flowers. $16 pair. Available in our Seattle shop.

Color Therapy

 

Carnivale fabric. Now available for custom orders.

To counteract Seattle's gray skies, I thought I'd share some studio color with you.

 

A few of our stock thread colors. We use German-made Gutermann thread.

Our crew here is lucky to be able to look at colorful materials on a daily basis.

 

A big batch of Helen Hobos with our lining fabric (right) and faux leathers (left) in the background.

We never tire of the juicy colors and bold patterns.

Film Festival Inspired Becky Bag

Click image to enlarge.

Our customer is a dedicated season-pass holder to the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). She came to us wanting a special tote to carry her festival-going gear - guide-book, water bottle, snacks, Kindle, etc. She also wanted to design a bag that matched the cheery SIFF logo colors.

She chose our popular crackle teal microsuede and raspberry faux leather to complement the bright cotton print for her zipper pockets.

The Film Festival always makes me think of moving to Seattle in the spring of 1994 and volunteering for the event. Seeing this bag brings back those great memories. It also reminded me of the SIFF wallet project we did a couple of year ago.

Totally addictive masking tape images by the generous genius PuglyPixel.

Video: Sweet Bones the Pug

A few weeks back I told you about Bones. When I visited him at his foster family's home, I also shot a little video of him at play. Above I've posted the video that I made with the pictures and footage.

It takes a village to save a Pug. Bones is lucky to have a whole team of volunteers - his foster family, the Seattle Pug Rescue vets, and those who run the organization.

Learn more here.

New Fabric: Stylized Trees on Blue

I love the cobalt blue background of this tree-themed fabric. It makes me think of trees glistening in the moonlight. While I am fond earth tones, I do enjoy seeing a nature-themed fabric that showcases a more jewel-toned color palette.

Staff Pick: Laura's Earrings

The playfully oversized scale of these earrings makes them more edgy than sweet. I think they would be perfect paired with a feminine top, dark wash jeans, and motorcycle boots.

Staff Picks: Rebecca's Earrings

Rebecca may have the least predictable taste of the crew here at Laura Bee, so I'm always curious to see what she'll like most. Since she wears mostly large earrings, Rebecca surprised me with this pick.

"I love tree motifs and the detail on these small earrings is amazing," she explained.

Staff Picks: Kim's Earrings

Kim's ears aren't pierced, but she was still able to find a favorite pair of earrings in the store.

"These are elegant but edgy," she said about this pair. "I like the mix of several metal tones and textures."

New Fabric: Northwest Apples

There are many things to love about this new print: the cherry blossoms, the '60s inspired seeds and sketches, the espresso brown background.

But I love the turquoise leaves the most. This element of surprise makes this fabric more dynamic and interesting.

 Here's the print paired with turquoise faux leather to emphasize the accent color. What color would you choose to highlight with these apples?

Staff Picks: Kaleigh's Earrings

Art history major (and almost graduate) Kaleigh chose earrings by her favorite line in the store, Alaska Gadgetry.

She commented, "I love everything by this designer - the attention to detail, sketch artwork, and vintage style."

Staff Picks: Ashley's Earrings

Our resident earring connoisseur chose these lightweight, large hoops by Anne Koplik.

Ashley commented, "These are perfect summer earrings in a popular color that's flattering on everyone."

Staff Picks: Debbie's Earrings

I'm starting a new blog feature - staff picks. We're a diverse group here at Laura Bee Designs, and we each have our own style. I thought you might enjoy seeing each of us our favorite store offerings.

First up is Debbie's pick for favorite earrings. Debbie said, "I like the texture and the versatility of these earrings. They are just Me!"

Masking tape art by Puglypixel.com, found here.

Custom Eve Bag: Red Birds and Walnut

My friend Paula, a certified bird nerd, found this gorgeous jacquard ribbon at a local fabric store. She brought it to us so that we could make her an Eve bag featuring the trim.

Paula chose tomato for her accent color, and selected our newest premium faux leather, Walnut, for the body of her bag. The deep brown tones, accented with black striations, remind me of oil-rubbed black walnut wood.

Gelato - Glossy Black with Peacock Ribbon

The vintage plastic buckle makes the perfect topper to this crisp black and turquoise bag.

For sale in our store now - $64.

Meet Bones the Miracle Rescue Pug

Bones, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

A few weeks back I had the chance to meet this adorable little pug. He was rescued from starvation on the streets of Taiwan by an anonymous American.

Bones was sent to Seattle Pug Rescue, one of my favorite animal-rescue organizations. You can see his amazing story in pictures here.

I took a bunch of pictures of Bones to capture just how much he's healed and grown in foster care. He's a playful charming fellow, and living proof that animals can bounce back from great hardship.

You can meet Bones this weekend at Pugmania, the biggest annual fundraiser for all-volunteer Seattle Pug rescue. He's the grand marshal of the Parade of Rescues.

Ruched Luxe Clutch - Pink Ombre Print

For sale in our shop now: This cotton print showcases ombre pink tones on an espresso brown background.

This sparkling pink button makes the perfect embellishment for the bag.

Available in our shop now. $48.

Celeste - One of a Kind Quilted Fabric

With an interplay of textures and soft green colors, this Celeste is pretty and sweet. We only had a small piece of the quilted material and we used it up on this bag.

This bag is available in our shop - $61.