A Bride and Her Mother

A couple of months ago a bride in another state got in touch with me about making two special bags for her wedding day.

She sent us a remnant of fabric left over from the fittings of her wedding gown. We made this ruched luxe clutch with the beautiful pearl-colored material. The button is her "something old," and we lined the purse in her "something blue."

She also sent this silver brocade fabric that she selected for her mother's bag. We paired the silver with a piece of the wedding dress material and topped with with a vintage button.

Vintage Fabric

Vintage fabric score. Love the quirky color combination., originally uploaded by Laura Bee Seattle.

This cotton print is a recent addition to my collection.

Did you know that you can bring fabric to us to incorporate into a custom bag design?

Special fabric make extra-special accessories.

Oh the Places You Go!

Our customers go to some amazing places around the world and I just love hearing their stories. Amy brought this luscious multicolored silk back from Indonesia. We made her this special Audrey shoulder bag trimmed in black and lined in saffron.

Taking a Trip?

You might not have considered buying fabric as a souvenir, but that's what our customer Lisa did when she went to South Africa recently.

 

She found a fair trade fabric store in Capetown and came away with this gorgeous batik cotton. With custom handbags from Laura Bee in mind, she tucked the print into her luggage and came home to Seattle.

When she returned, she brought the fabric to us and commissioned two bags: this Olivia clutch, and a gorgeous cognac Helen Hobo whose photograph I missed.

Thrifted Christmas

I've been perusing the aisles of Goodwill and local charity shops over the last few months looking for holiday decorations in my favorite shades of pink and aqua. The box above was a definite score at $1.95; Shiny Brite ornaments are highly collectible. I love the graphics as much as the pink ornaments.

How do you prepare for the holiday season? What are your favorite Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Festivus or Christmas rituals?

A Very Special Lola Clutch

Our customer came to use with this rose gold brooch tucked into a little box. She told us that is was a gift from her father to her mother years ago, and held great sentimental value.

She chose glossy merlot faux leather for the body of the bag and dusty brown ruffle ribbon as an embellishment. The simple design showcases the vintage piece perfectly.

Grandmother's Handiwork

Some objects are so precious, they stay put away in boxes or drawers so no harm can come to them. Take the blue needlepoint panel above: Hand-stitched by our customer's grandmother in the 1950s, it had been kept safe from sun and sight since her death late in that decade.

 

Our customer brought us the tapestry, probably originally meant to be a chair seat cover, and asked us to make it into a bag. She selected plum microsuede and glossy merlot faux leather to keep the focus on the deep blue and dusty tones of the floral design.

 

The gold lining tops off the rich combination.  Both Ashley and I had a hand in sewing the piece. It was an honor to work on such a special bag.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Introducing: Custom Photo Mega Wallet

Just in time for Mother's Day orders, I've added a photo option to our popular Madeline style.

While a wallet is a functional item that you use every day, it's also a terrific place to show off an image that is meaningful for you.

Consider using a picture from a vacation, of your pet, or a vintage family photo, as shown above. I bought this "Picture-tainer" at Goodwill and rescued the snapshots inside.

From the late 1960s, the images have wonderful vintage details and capture the personality of this little boy.

Most of us (and our mothers) have photographs from the past that are hiding in albums and drawers, forgotten. I invite you to sort through these memories and order a Custom Photo Product from us.

Wallet $50 in the store, or on our website here. You choose outside and interior colors and image tint.

Wristlet Subscription: Winter Red

Last month I sent out these red-themed wristlets to the women who subscribed to this program. They feature vintage glass buttons with a linear plaid detail.

The red and black tweed is from a vintage skirt that I cut up after saving it for a couple of years, waiting for the perfect project.

I topped off each purse with a narrow black ruffle ribbon and a red silk panel.

To learn more about our Wristlet Subscriptions, visit our website here.

Veronica with African Fabric

Click on the image to see the incredible detail of the handmade batik fabric.

Our customer's husband wore a traditional garment made from this batik fabric when they were in the Peace Corps in Senegal.

She paired the vibrant print with espresso microsuede, dark teal faux leather, and a fun lime lining. You can see her first Veronica with African fabric here.

Heritage House Meets Phyllis

Now that Mother's Day has passed, I can show you this gift. Our customer brought us this amazing Victorian era shot of a family home in Tacoma, Washington. (Note the cow in the lower right corner.)

She ordered a glossy black Phyllis shoulder bag for her mother featuring the heirloom photo.

Click on each image to enlarge it so that you can see more detail.

Fabric Tuesday: Happy Duck Ribbon

A good friend found these 1960s era duck ribbons in a New York City notions store several years back and sent them my way.

I just pulled them out of my stash to show a customer who has a special affinity for ducks. Her blog is in fact named, "One Happy Duck."

You can read One Happy Duck here. She focuses on life in the massage therapy business here in Ballard.

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.

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).

Magnets with Thrifty Display

Everyone who works at LBD loves using our trusty 1.25" button machine, so I'm always trying to come up with new ideas. Recently, we've started making these Seattle neighborhood magnets.

I have them displayed on a pretty tin tray that I found at Goodwill for a couple of bucks. You can find interesting tin objects aplenty at thrift shops and they are usually quite cheap. These trays would look fantastic mounted on a wall in a group to be used as a quirky bulletin board.

I find it handy to keep a little magnet with me when I'm thrifting so that I can tell if something metal has steel content. (Magnets only stick to ferrous metals, so you're out of luck with aluminum.)

Ballard magnets $2 at our store.