Party Pairings

Our eleven year anniversary party is just a couple of days away, and we're putting the finishing touches on our special merchandise.

We're loving the limited edition butterscotch faux leather on this gelato purse. The bag is part of our Glam for Good collection, to benefit three of our favorite charities. Local jewelry designer Heather Lewis combines sterling silver with semiprecious stones. These intricate earrings make a perfect pairing with our bag.

We make our glass gem earrings in many colors and styles, including this new vintage brass setting, (left). I adore our newest premium faux leather, shimmer taupe. It is a mysterious neutral that complements any color, and thus makes a nice alternative to black for a bag. The Harriet cross-body bag is part of our special party collection.

Celebrating Eleven Years with a Party!

Our annual shindig is just around the corner. We're sewing up special bags, crafting new jewelry, and receiving deliveries from many of our favorite artists. I'll provide a sneak peek over the next two weeks.

View our Facebook event invitation here. Our party is open to the public, so please invite your friends!

Glam for Good - Charity Spotlight

Our November 3rd anniversary party is fast approaching, and we're sewing up special bags for our annual Glam for Good collection of one-of-a-kind bags. We'll donate a percentage of the sale price to three of our favorite regional charities.

Chimp Sanctuary Northwest provides lifetime quality care for formerly abused and exploited chimpanzees while advocating for great apes. Located in Cle Elum, Washingtion, CSNW is home to seven chimps that were rescued from biomedical research. Visit their website to meet the chimps here.

Portland-based MercyCorps is dedicated to the mission of alleviating suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities around the world.

From their website, "We listen to locals and prioritize their most urgent needs. We fix market gaps to drive economic recovery. We bring groups together to negotiate conflict and strengthen civic participation. We think big, start small and take responsible risks to find solutions that benefit the greatest number of people."

Learn more about MercyCorps here.

Northwest Harvest provides over 1.7 million meals per month to its state-wide network of food banks and meal programs. Their mission is to provide nutritious food to hungry people statewide in a manner that respects their dignity, while fighting to eliminate hunger.

Learn more about their great work here.

Glam For Good 2012

Every year we have an anniversary party in early November to celebrate our customers. This year is extra-special because we're celebrating ten years. I can hardly believe it: A whole decade making bags right here in Ballard. 

I can say for sure that I'm incredibly excited about the party this November 3rd and hope that you will join us.  We have incredible new merchandise from local designers ready for you to peruse.

Right now I'm putting that excitement into making our annual Glam For Good collection of super-special one-of-a-kind bags. All year long I've collected unique vintage materials, and now they are finding their homes.

Take the horse brooch above. It is the perfect topper for this Olivia Clutch. The brown and black plaid fabric is part of a vintage kimono stash that I have. (More to come.)

To learn more about our 10 Year Anniversary Party, click here.

Party Prep - Finding the Perfect Button

I delight in pairing a special vintage button with its perfect match in fabrics. The vintage teal and antique gold pleat on this Edith bag is just gorgeous with the glass topper, don't you think? (The bag is part of the Glam for Good collection we're creating for our upcoming party.)


You can spot the Edith and a coordinating Luxe clutch in the lower left corner of this picture. This is a shot of Kim's work station at the end of a busy day of sewing on my part. Each order awaits Kim's expert finishing - rivets set, buttons stitched, straps applied. Each step is listed on the pink production slip.

Glam for Good 2011: Fancy Clara Wristlets

Champagne sequins Clara with layered ribbons

I'm making a huge batch of Clara Wristlets out of extra special materials for the Anniversary Party on November 5th. This popular design continues to sell like crazy.

Ivory sequins Clara with pleated ribbon and vintage button 

The Glam for Good collection gives me the chance to load up some readymade items with special materials and extra bells and whistles, such as vintage button embellishments and layered ribbons.

Macaroon Clara with metallic and green ribbon and vintage brass button 

The Clara features an exterior zipper pocket that is the perfect place to stash your smart phone.

Glam For Good 2011 - Lola Clutch

When former staffer Katie spent a semester in India earlier this year, she collected some gorgeous textiles for me including this gold and green brocade ribbon. I found a home for the metallic beauty on this faux sequins Lola clutch in champagne.

This one-of-a-kind bag will be available for purchase at our Anniversary Party on November 5th. A portion of the proceeds will go to two Northwest charities, Seattle Pug Rescue and MercyCorps.

Glam for Good: Vintage Necktie Bags

 The tags I stitched inside this bag give a clue as to the featured vintage element.

I incorporated a vintage Christian Dior necktie into a wine-colored purse. The rich silk stripes, cut on the bias, are topped by a huge vintage button.

This navy version is the sister (or should I say brother) bag. The bright cornflower blue has gold and silver accents.

These bags will be offered for sale Saturday, November 6th as part of our Glam for Good collection.

We'll donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Glam for Good bags to three of our favorite charities: Ballard Boys and Girls Club, Pasado's Safe Haven, and Northwest Harvest.

Glam for Good: Sequins Clutches

Debbie brought these rich flocked ribbons back from France earlier this year, and they look lovely when paired with pleated satin ribbon and trompe l'oeil sequins. This warm metallic palette reminded Ashley and Debbie of Michael C's recent Project Runway collection.

 Here's the same clutch in tones of steel and bronze. Speaking of bronze, we just found out that Laura Bee Designs won third place in the Evening Magazine Best of Western Washington contest in the Women's Accessories category. Thanks to everyone who voted for us!

These clutches will be available for sale at our 8 Year Anniversary Party as part of our Glam for Good collection. Learn more here.

Glam for Good: Vintage Blue Luxury

I personally have three Celeste Clutches because I love not only the inverted pleat detail, but also the roomy capacity of the shape.

This special version show cases a super-sparkling button atop blue flocked taffeta. Yummy to the touch, and pretty to the eye, this bag is vintage-inspired and one-of-a-kind.

Glam for Good - Azure Tangerine

It's easy to find brown and black buttons, but some bright colors require hunting. Sparkling orange buttons might be the rarest button breed of all.

We used a pretty tangerine sparkling orange button on this azure blue silk wristlet. Attend our party on November 6 if you want to see the bold inside of this little purse.

Glam for Good: Study in Gray

We combined herringbone suiting with a floral embroidered print to create rich contrast on the Vera clutch.

The dreamy button ties together the patterns with tonal perfection.

Creamsicle lining makes a nice surprise inside this special bag.

This clutch will be available for sale at our 8 Year Anniversary Party as part of our Glam for Good collection. Learn more here.

Glam for Good: Midnight and Sapphires

The pleated ribbon in satin charcoal makes the perfect stage for the incredible vintage button that tops this bag.

 With detail that rivals high-end costume jewelry, this button sparkles with vintage style.

The wristlet will be available for sale at our 8 Year Anniversary Party as part of our Glam for Good collection. Learn more here.