Ladies’ Night Out Vendor Fair

What a fun night we had last night!  I got my area set up pretty quickly and the lovely Tupperware saleslady across the aisle offered to snap a photo for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My new checkout station worked so well!  I loved having a place to keep organized and have a clear area for customers to pay.  It was just a set of folding shelves with a fabric cover around 3 sides.

 

I even remembered a little hook to hold the small gift bags.  Next time I will bring a second hook for the mid-sized bags.

Next craft show is on October 18, hope to see you there!

The Story of a Custom Bag

Last week I received an email from my lovely sister.  She really liked this bag:

Could I make her one?  But she prefers the “Day Bag” style that I used to make, instead of this “Boutique Tote” style.  And she needs it to be 1 inch taller to fit her laptop.

Me:  ABSOLUTELY!  (grabbing a piece of scrap paper and some Sharpies)  What color should we make the interior?

Then I sent her a few sketches with different fabric options.  She chose this one:

I got to work and here is the finished bag:

 

And here is the best news:   YOU don’t have to be my sister to order a custom bag!  Just send me an email or contact me through ETSY and let me know what you have in mind.

Happy Creating!

AbbaDabbaBags@gmail.com

New Yoga Bags for the New Year

     Bag envy.  There, I said it.  I had it.  I carried my yoga mat to pilates class with a grosgrain ribbon tied around it.  I thought it was a pretty cute idea at first until the ribbon started to fray.  Eventually I spent the beginning of each class untangling the mat and shaking strings off my hands.  But still, most of the people in class didn’t even bring their own mats so it was all good.

Then I started taking the yoga classes.  And my gym started offering hot yoga.  (smile!)  And I saw the bags.  These people had such cute ways of carrying their colorful mats to class that I stopped using my ribbon and just carried mine all alone.  Finally it occurred to me that I could probably MAKE a yoga bag.  (I know, I should have thought of that sooner but I was too busy concentrating on love and light.)

So what did I want in my new bag?  I had watched some girls pull their sticky mats out of their bags and the lining came with it.  They’d quickly stuff it back in.  (1) attach lining to the bottom of the bag!  I had seen them carried over the shoulder AND across the chest which looked super comfy.  (2) long enough strap and make it soft and padded!  I saw keys and phones tossed on the floor next to the bags.  (3) add a zipper pocket to hold the important stuff!  And I saw the colors, some drab and some exciting, but all unique.  (4) use my favorite fabrics to put together some really fun ones!

And there you have it.  I LOVE mine and will probably make a few so I can coordinate with my outfits.  (no, I’m not kidding)  I hope you love them too!  Coming soon will be a bigger yoga bag that holds more than just the mat.  (think water bottle, towel, yoga block…)

Oh, and Love and Light to you!  🙂

Amy Butler’s Belle Line

Some people collect stamps, baseball cards, even porcelain cats.  Me?  I collect Amy Butler’s line of Belle fabrics.  It has been out of print for years but I still search the web weekly for bits and scraps of my favorite prints.  I’ve spent more than $30/yard for some of these and they are on my list of things to grab in case of a fire.

So when I first heard Amy Butler was going to rerelease the line this summer, I was elated!    Now I find out that she is only reprinting 24 of the original prints and 2 of my 3 favorites are NOT included.  **Sigh**  Why not Coriander in Pink and Clay???

Lucky for you I still have my super-secret, wrapped in plastic, rarely sees the sunlight, stash.  I will  be ordering a few of the other designs and look forward to a summer of playing with those old favorites.  Maybe they will inspire me to bring these favorites out of my vault more often.

                 

Maybe.

Bridal Party Gifts

I love it when a bride contacts me to make gifts for her bridesmaids!  It is  an honor to be a part of such an important day.  Over the years I’ve done everything from Key Fobs to Wristlets and even full-sized totes for the wedding party.

By far the most requested Bridesmaid gift is the Deluxe Clutch:

 

Not all brides choose identical bags.  This one chose 3 different fabrics in similar yellow colors:

Sometimes brides opt to have the bags identical on the outside but different on the inside.  This makes it easy for the girls to tell them apart later.

I’ve even done custom Key Fobs in the wedding colors for the bride and groom’s out of town guests.  

Contact me if you’ve got an idea for your bridal party.  I’d love to work with you to find fabrics that match your colors and dresses.  Orders are usually ready to ship in a week, depending on the number of bags you need.