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.

Robot Necklace - His Arms Move!

 

Here's a quirky necklace for your favorite Science Fiction fan. We have Mr. Roboto available in silver and goldtone. He measures about 2" tall and sells for $12.

Shades of Purple

Tiny Bikes

These sterling silver earrings are teeny tiny nuggets featuring stylized bikes. We also have an equally cute necklace with the same image.

Necklace - $21, Earrings - $20.

Don't forget, our store wide jewelry sale is going through July 3rd, 2010. Get the info here.

Thrift Score: Vintage Table Cloth

Otis with Vintage Table Cloth, originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

Jeff and I love visiting our local thrift shops looking for crafty inspiration and useful items.

Recently we found this oilcloth tablecloth that made the perfect backdrop for a pug photo session. We also plan to use it for picnicking this summer.

What thrift scores have you found recently?

Gelato Prize

With a glossy espresso body, turquoise lining, and a Tiffany blue ribbon embellishment, this Gelato bag is ready for summer action.

This bag can be yours if you are the lucky winner of our current Facebook contest. We're drawing the winning name tomorrow (Friday) at noon.

 Hop on over to our page here, 'Like' us and leave a comment under the post that says "CONTEST TIME."

New Zippers

We use YKK zippers, which are still made in the USA. We order our 25+ stock colors in batches of 100. Here are our two newest shades: a buttery yellow, and a pretty soft teal blue.

Buy One Get One 50% Off Jewelry Sale

Visit our shop to shop our selection of necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and more. Sale runs Tuesday, June 22nd through Saturday, July 3rd.

Get the full scoop, and learn more about what we're up to by checking out our latest newsletter here.

Introducing: The Utility Mesh Collection

The Seattle school year ends on Tuesday, and we all have summer fun on our minds, despite uncooperative weather. I'm offering our new collection just in time for outdoor adventures on the beach or in the woods. The tote above is roomy enough for your beach gear, plus a picnic lunch. It also includes a handy key leash. Price $62.

When I found this woven mesh material, I just knew I had to sew up something useful. Each fiber is coated with resin and woven together to form a sturdy, colorful mesh that is similar to deck chair upholstery fabric.

We have two colorways, shown above. Shale is cool, with shades of charcoal and black shot through with blue, salmon, and yellow. Sandstone features brown tones with accents in orange, sage, and black.

The accent colors in the mesh can be emphasized by the choice of zipper or handles. Above, a small cross-body bag for carrying your essentials while walking the dog, or hiking a mountain. Price - $34.

We're also making small zipper pouches of our Utility Mesh. Throw in some snacks, art supplies, make-up, or coupons and toss these into your suitcase or bag.  Price - $14.

We'll have ready made Utility Mesh items available in the store as of Tuesday, June 22nd. Stop by to check them out. You can also choose your own zipper and handle colors and we can make these to order for you.

Punch Card Perks

A punch card in progress.

For every ten pre-tax dollars you spend in our Seattle store, you get a punch on a Frequent Shopper Punch Card.

We store the cards in old school metal library drawers.

 

When you fill up the card (by spending $200), you earn $15 in store credit to spend as you like.

The files are self service.

 

We also save filled cards, and hold an annual drawing for gift certificates to give away. The more cards you fill, the better chance you have of winning.

 

I was lucky enough to score vintage metal drawers at  local thrift shop.

Congratulations to the 2010 Customer Appreciation Month winners, who received LBD gift certificates! Susan L won $25. Melissa S won $50. And Katie D hit the jackpot, winning $100.

Work in Progress: New Bag Line + Pug

We had an amazing weekend hanging out on our deck. Otis spent quite a bit of time checking out this new bag design that I'm testing. He's fond of sniffing for treats in every purse or bag within 100 yards of his nose.

I made this jumbo tote out of a lightweight, durable mesh that has various colors cross-woven with brown and tan. I'm working on a new, utility line of bags and pouches that are built for summer days in the park or at the beach.

Stay tuned for more info on this new collection later this week.

PS - I accidentally left my glass of diet root beer in the shot when I took this picture. However, it sort of matches, so I decided to use the image anyhow.

Wristlet Subscription: Spring Green

Spring has come late to Seattle, but all of the extra rain has yielded lush greenery. The assorted shades of green on these subscription wristlets are inspired by the mix of new and old plant growth observed on a walk around my neighborhood.

I used our Mojito premium faux leather to make the small purses. The material is so soft and supple that I chose to highlight its texture with some zig zag stitching and vintage buttons.

Beauty Product Survey: Facebook Contest Prize

We're currently hosting our second Customer Appreciation Month contest on Facebook. The price is a two-piece makeup bag set, made from coated cotton, shown above.

Hop on over to our Facebook Page here, Like our page, and enter your answer to our cosmetics question. (It's quite fun to read the other answers too.) We'll choose a winner this Friday via the Random Number Generator.

Marilyn Makeup Bag - $26, available in several coated cotton fabrics in our store, and on our website here.

Otis the Shop Dog Wants You to Watch This

If this isn't scaling to the correct size on your monitor, click here to watch it on a new page.

Spring Wristlets

The grosgrain ribbon we used on these wristlets has so many pretty colors, the design possibilities are endless.

We have more of this ribbon is stock for custom design. If you're in an instant gratification kind of mood, then we have wristlets made up and ready to go out the door.

Faux leather wristlets in Glossy Black and Tomato - $30
Microsuede wristlets in Lime and Royal - $28

Scent Survey: Facebook Contest Prizes

Have you entered our Facebook contest? We're selecting a random winner based on the comments tomorrow, so enter now here.

Above is the prize pack: Grapefruit Bergamot Moisture Stick, Tangerine-Melon Bubble Bath, Tangerine-Melon Body Lotion, Lemon Cupcake Bath Bomb, and Lavender Blood Orange Soy Candle.

Deep Steep is a new line for us. Scented with essential oils, these products are hand crafted with organic, paraben-free ingredients. We are offering several yummy summer scents for sale in our store. Prices range from $3-$12.50.

Hungry? Don't Eat this Sandwich

 

As part of our Customer Appreciation Month (June) we're giving away some fun goodies with in-store purchases of $15 or more. Giveaway #1 is this sandwich Japanese eraser.

 I think the best part of the design is the detail on the lettuce and tomato slices.

We're also hosting weekly contests on our Facebook page. Like us, leave a comment, and enter to win!