I'm not sure if I received the gumball machine on my birthday, but I do remember loving it. That's Daisy, my first dog, begging for a morsel of food. The green coffee cup cracks me up. I didn't start consuming java until I was sixteen so perhaps the mug is just a funny photo prop!?! Mom, please comment on this.
While I love designing and making bags, sometimes I do enjoy working on smaller scale projects. Today I made a bunch of velveteen barrettes. I dug into my collection of vintage baubles and buttons to use as embellishments.
I also made a bunch of bubble necklaces this afternoon. These are destined for a couple of stores in Denver, Colorado.
Lovely Melissa of the Bay Area sent us this self-portrait featuring our horse bubble necklace.
Don't these delicate pastries make you hungry? You can't eat them; they are made of felt and thread. You can visit them in Kup Kup Land.
When I feel worried or doubtful, I visit this magical place to look at the dreamy photographs and inspiring handmade creations. Kup Kup Land exists in the imagination of a Spanish crafter living in Greece. You can learn more here.
Our customer found the red plastic squiggle in one of our bowls of buttons. I'm not sure what it originally adorned, but the piece looks terrific against the layered ruffle ribbons and bold black and white tweed. Jeff and I snuck out to the Olympic Penninsula over the weekend to get a little break from city life before things get even busier at work.
I took a bunch of pictures of the moody towns and lush woodland parks. I did not, however, get a picture of the black bear that blocked our path on the beach. He was having a grand old time eating crabs.
The craziness of the fall holiday season is just around the corner. In fact, this year customers started placing Christmas orders at the end of August!
These fruit numbers have to be the most lovely postcard stamps ever printed. We mailed out out postcard invites to the party today using these yummy squares. That means it's official; the party is a go!
It's generally my goal to post five times a week here on the blog. However, lately I haven't quite been hitting that goal.
The good news is that I've been doing a bunch of work behind the scenes to get ready for the upcoming fall season.
Thanks for staying tuned!
CSNW was founded in 2003 to provide sanctuary for chimpanzees discarded from the entertainment and biomedical testing industries.
The farm is home to the Cle Elum Seven, a group of chimps who were rescued from a lab in Pennsylvania last year. You can learn more about the gang here on the website, and also see videos like these on the charming blog.
We hope you'll join us on Saturday, October 25th as we host a fundraising shopping spree at our store. We'll donate 20% of the gross sales that day to Chimp Sanctuary Northwest. (All merchandise and custom orders qualify. New gift certificate purchases excepted.)We want to raise as much as we can for these beautiful animals, so please tell your friends!
I don't do much advertising, but I couldn't resist putting a Laura Bee 20% off coupon in the Chinook Book, one of my favorite local resources. We're selling the book in the shop too. In case you're not familiar with the book, which has coupons for all sorts of regional businesses, I thought we'd give you a sampling of staff picks.
Photo by Sandi Heinrich.
We've just received a shipment of terrific hats including organic cotton newsboys and velveteen caps with tweed covered buttons (as shown). ($28-$32)
We've also added a new line of pashmina-style scarves in itch-free tencel blends. These are soft, fluid, and come is stunning colors like cranberry, lime, and pumpkin. ($24)
We had such a wonderful time at our party last year, we're going even bigger this time around. I've been working behind the scenes on the postcard, press release, and planning process. The whole team has been making special inventory for the shindig.
Rest in peace Paul Newman: entrepreneurial innovator, philanthropic inspiration, devoted husband, and, of course, compelling actor.
Recently a customer drove down from Bellingham in search of a special locket. When she visited our shop, she bought this romantic French necklace to give to her sister. 
While visiting Paris last year, our customer purchased a yard of this charming embroidered linen ribbon.
She brought it to us and custom designed an espresso brown Lola Clutch and a Sunflower zipper coin purse. Both are lined in a rich bright red moire.
This glossy green Chelsea is so sharp and classic.
Here's the backstory: Our customer, a nurse, learned about LBD through one of her patients. She brought us her cherished family tartan to have a custom bag made using the gorgeous wool cloth.
