Button for a Bride

I've been having such a lovely time working on bridal collections recently. We've had wonderfully adventurous brides who give me their color palettes and then tell us to make a group of one-of-a-kind clutches in that that color family. Before we start to sew, I always photograph a materials palette that includes silks, buttons, and ribbons. I want the brides to get an idea of the direction we're going. Once they give approval, we start cutting, stitching, embellishing.

Right now I'm working with a bride on her collection. I'm going to save the bridesmaids bags to show you once they are done. Here's a picture of the button that I have sent off to the bride for approval. My mom bought me three of these glass buttons at an antique store in Florida. One was used on a bridal bag for a wedding in Chicago. Another, we stitched to a wristlet for a Seattle bride. This, the last one, may end up out of state if the bride gives me the go ahead.

Doris Number Two

Gratuitous Otis Snaps

These Men are Vegetarians

More about vegetarian celebrities.

Introducing Doris

Something Old, Something New...

Debbie, quilter, cutter, and LBD crewmember extraordinaire, had two nieces get married over the summer. She brought in a small cutting from her mother's wedding dress - a strip of a patterned semi-sheer fabric. She wanted to incorporate the special dress fabric into a wedding wristlet for each bride. She decided to pair the sheer with a lovely ivory silk dupioni, and we inset a panel of the treasured dress fabric.

Button Journey

"Where do you get all of your buttons," customers often ask us. The truth is I'm always looking for buttons for our bags in all kinds of places - thrift shops, Ebay, junk stores. Often really cool buttons come our way in old cookie tins or dusty boxes. Usually these buttons are dirty and dingy.

So grimy are some of these treasures, that they need to be washed in soapy water. These are some photos that Ashley took over the weekend. You can see Rebecca's hand in this shot. She's another terrific Ballard High senior who is part of our Saturday crew.

After we soap up and rinse each button, we lay them out to air dry.

Finally, the buttons are all shiny and clean, ready to embellish a new clutch or handbag.

Button Thursday: Black Glass Buttons

Something Sweet

Autumn Preview

Turquoise Rules

Hello readers, you voted on your favorite color and it was blue. You voted on your favorite shade of blue and turquoise won, hands down. Turquoise lovers, I thought I'd offer you some eye candy: Here's a little assemblage of some of the turquoise things we have in the store.

Button Thursday

I could take pictures of buttons all day. Somehow shooting photos and then looking at each button larger than life on screen makes me notice new details.

I'm going to try something new: each Thursday, or as close as I can get, I'll post a fresh button photo. (Now that's great excuse to play with the button dishes even more...)

Buttons and Teamwork

Choosing a button to put your custom bag is kind of like choosing a pair of earrings to wear with your outfit. A button can take a purse from subtle to flashy, vintage to modern, casual to dressy.

Here are some silk wristlets that Ashley stitched up for a bridal party, featuring teal, silver, and some lovely vintage buttons. These bags are the perfect illustration of our team here at LBD: I worked with the bride to design the bags, Debbie cut the many pieces of silk, ribbon, and lining for the bags, and Ashley sewed them up for our customer.

Day Off with Jeff

Golf Cart Wristlet

Here's a newer product from our wristlet collection. It features a handy dandy metal snap clip that you can use to lace the strap through a tote handle, stroller handle, or, as in the camera phone image below, golf cart.

High style on the links!

Little Otis Loves Fetch

Look What Katie Made

Katie is working here at LBD world headquarters for the summer. This fall she'll start her senior year at Ballard High! The other day she made these new bubble necklaces with candy colored images that I recently designed.

These are all new styles, now available in the store. If you are interested in ordering any from afar, just shoot us an email. ($24 each with chain and giftboxed.)

Ballard Women

Once a year about this time, a neighborhood customer Lori comes in to design a new bag. The photo shows her 2007 model - an Amy made with plum suede and merlot Naugahyde. The center panel is gorgeous vintage lily of the valley fabric.

This green fabric is extra special. It's cut from a petite antique dress that once belonged to another regular customer's mother. A couple of years ago Beth generously gave the dress to us, knowing that we would use the fabric and buttons. When Ashley made this bag, it made me a little sentimental. I'm so lucky to have such incredible customers.

Recently Shipped

We made this collection for a terrific shoe store in Portland.

If you're in Oregon, go check out Switch Shoes.

Customer Photo: Guy Style

Doesn't the LBD custom teal checkbook look hip, yet manly in this photo? (The cool chapeau definitely enhances the look.)