Contest Prize: Lemon Applique Wristlet Set

In sorting my stash of baubles and ribbons recently, I found seven of these terrific oversize puffy lemon appliques.

Ashley made a batch of wristlets showcasing the luscious lemons and I chose this teal one as the prize for our current Facebook contest. I'm including a coordinating mini wallet that fits inside the wristlet.

This sunny set is perfect for packing up your essentials like cards and phone. Carry this baby on your wrist and head to Happy Hour to sip a Mojito, or your favorite summer beverage.

Enter our contest here. Just name your favorite summer drink in the comments and you're entered to win via random drawing. (It's great fun to read the yummy beverage ideas of others listed there too.)

Lemon wristlet - $30; Mini wallet - $14

Kiwi Mesh Mini Pouches

We've recently added a new Utility Mesh material in this fun kiwi shade. It pairs beautifully with our brightly colored zippers.

These little pouches are perfect for holding all of the junk that normally drops to the bottom of your bag - lip balm, snacks, coins, you know the stuff. It would also be perfect for stashing your iPod Mini or one of those tiny cameras.

Also available in Sandstone and Shale. $10 each.

Catching Up

Drinking Coffee by the Fire, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

The shop was open as usual over the past few days. I, however, was out of town on my annual girlz weekend trip to the Oregon Coast with my besties.

Stay tuned for more blog posts later this week. I'm drinking coffee and catching up!

A Very Stylish Real Estate Agent

Our new customer is a real estate agent who came to us looking to design a bag that she could use to carry all of her work gear. In additional to property files, she wanted a good way to organize her door-opening gadget, brochures, client documents, and more.

She chose the every popular Kate bag for its roomy size and copious pockets.

Using her business card as inspiration,  she chose glossy black for the body of her bag, premium steel for the top strips, and pretty teal ribbon to layer over polka dots.

She even had us add handy business card pockets so that she can reach into her bag and quickly grab this important marketing tool.

Featured Bag Design: Doris

Doris is soft and slouchy with an inverted pleat. I made this one out of our distressed teal faux suede.

The top of the pleat is the perfect place to show off an interesting button. I chose an asymmetrical brown knot for this casual bag.

Doris is one of those bags that looks cuter when it's filled up and rounded out. This bag is for sale at the shop now for $108. Or stop by to design a Doris of your own.

Bridal Clutch with Vintage Fabrics

Since wedding season is upon us, I thought I'd share a clutch that we made using fabric from the bride's grandmother's wedding gown. We paired the pretty fabric with ecru accents, and used the tiny buttons from the dress as embellishment.

Flower Earrings

The creamy jade color of these new earrings is perfect for their retro style. Camas, WA designer Deborah Funches has done it again with these gorgeous post earrings in various colors. She also sent us some more of her lovely brooches that are perfect for adorning summer sundresses, hats, or even t-shirts.

Flower post earrings - $28 pair. Flower brooches - $18 each.

I also made a fresh batch of small dahlia stud earrings, per the request of many Facebook followers.

$16 pair.

Featured Design: Travel Bag

Whether you're exploring the streets of Rome or shopping at the Ballard Farmer's Market, our Travel Bag will serve you well. The rectangular purse is compact, simple, and functional.

With a cross-body strap and outside pocket, this bag keeps your essentials close at hand and safe. Because this shape is one of our summer best-sellers, we always have several ready-made versions with various fabrics for sale in our store.

Of course you can customize the bag here, or even add your favorite photo here.

Travel bag $58. Custom photo version $64.

Roll the Discount Dice on Tuesdays this Summer

The second annual neighborhood-wide campaign Tuesdays in Ballard starts tomorrow! We're using our Lucky 7 Dice came to give you discounts every Tuesday.

Visit our shop and roll the Discount Dice. Your roll will determine your discount on your total purchase of ready made bags and all other non-custom merchandise in our shop!*

We're also staying open until 7 pm on Tuesdays, so swing by after work for some retail therapy.

*Discount Dice Rules:

• Roll snake eyes, and roll again, adding both rolls together
• Roll Lucky 7 and save 15% (maximum discount)
• All other rolls get a percentage discount at face value
• Not valid with any other offers, coupons, etc
• Not valid with items placed on hold on days other than Tuesday

European Treasures

While in Europe last month, Debbie did a little shopping for Laura Bee Designs. These pretty bags contain ribbon purchased with Euros.

Silver and black jacquard from Italy.

Customers have brought us ribbon and fabric from their travel adventures, and commissioned custom bags using the souvenirs.

Rich floral cotton jacquard from Spain.

 I think it's fun to have something specific to hunt for when traveling. The experience creates its own kind of adventure.

French velvet ribbon in sophisticated colors.

Debbie reported that the Parisian stores seemed to be absent any sort of line or queue, resulting a in a bit of mayhem. She found the Spanish stores to be a bit more relaxed.

Cheerful floral jacquard from Spain.

We invite you to pick up a yard of ribbon or a little bit of fabric on your summer vacation. Bring it to us and we'll craft something special for you to carry with you to commemorate your trip.

As for these ribbons (and the rest of the stash), I'll be making one-of-a-kind bags for our Glam For Good collection at our 8 Year Anniversary party in November.

Rhoda and Debbie's European Vacation

 

Chevy Chase was nowhere in sight when staffer Debbie 'Scissorhands' and her family went on a European vacation. Debbie ordered a custom Rhoda Bag and brought back these pictures of their adventures together.

 

Rhoda enjoys the gardens at Versailles.

Rhoda does her part to hold up the Leaning Tower.

Thrift Score: Turntiles Game Pieces

Whenever I go thrift shopping I always take a quick look at the board games, hoping for a score like this one.

I hadn't seen this late 1970s era game before, but the double-sided wood letter tiles are chunky and wonderful.

Often thrifted games are missing pieces, so you have to shop carefully.

One day I'll find my holy grail game. In the meantime, I'm sure to get a lot of crafty use out of these pieces.

A Bride's Purple Purse

Once she received her bridesmaids' bags, she decided to add a Luxe Clutch for herself.

We decided to go with a Something Old, Something New theme. The vintage button is both something old and something blue. We topped the bag off with a soft blue lining.

We also used the gorgeous purple trim from my stash of vintage finds. This is the same color as the attendant dresses in the bridal party.

Vintage Button - Brass Globe

Globe Button, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Miniature Scissors Necklace

I have a thing for scissors. I think it's because because they represent all things crafty to me. I even made a video about my scissor collection! I also love miniatures - I think almost anything is cuter when it's made tiny.

So you can imagine how I excited I was when these necklaces came into the shop. I immediately put one on and have worn it almost every day. At 1.5" tall, these miniature shears look terrific on the neckline. They are even hinged to move like real scissors, though they aren't sharp.

Available in our shop for $12 a pair a necklace.