End Of Summer = Sale Time

Yes … the long dog days of summer are coming to an end.   The smell of sun block, the sound of waves crashing as you lazily read a book with the sand between your toes, will all be a distant memory in a few weeks.   The routine of life snaps back as the ease of the long summer days drifts away.  (sad face)

But one bright side to the end of summer?  S A L E S!  

Crazy sales!  Have you checked your inbox lately?  I can’t go 1 minute without getting at least 5 emails telling me I must buy something because of the ridiculous summer savings I will get.  The thing is … they are right!

I love shopping summertime sales!  Its my time to stock up on so many amazing items – clothes, shoes, accessories, furniture, household items – at a fraction of the price.

So it just seemed fitting that I would launch an end-of-summer ECO Chic sale.  My customers deserve it and I’m happy to give them that giddy feeling when they realize the deal they just scored.  It’s like Christmas … in August.

So pop on over to my website and check out the amazing deals on all of my favorite summer fabrics.  Nude metallics …. cobalt blues … bright nectar … crisp whites.  They’re all there just begging for you to click and ship. (pick me!  pick me! )

Enjoy the final days of summer.  And when they are over, I bet if you close your eyes you can still hear the waves crashing.

What’s Better Than A Summertime Sale?

The Dreaded Zipper

Zippers are scary.  Well, not when your zipping them up on your dress or bag … unless you unknowingly get a piece of your skin caught in the zipper teeth and than “OUCH!” (You know you’ve done it)

But as a sewer learning how to properly insert a zipper, it can be daunting in the beginning.  My first attempt left my garment with a zipper that wasn’t even and exposed in all of the wrong places.  My second attempt had the zipper properly placed but it was bulky and my stitching lines were less than straight.  At that point I vowed that all of my projects — including clothes — would have to be fastened with velcro.  (Velcro jeans anyone?  How about a dress you just velcro down the back?  Any takers?)  Yeah, that was the problem.  Zippers are a staple in clothing and accessories and I definitely needed them for my accessory line.

Of course I could outsource my product production to someone else.  A zipper master.  And that’s exactly what I did in the beginning for my CarryAll Totes.

But than that little nagging voice in my head began taunting me.  Letting me know that I had been beaten … by a zipper.  (Shame)

Well, that simply wouldn’t do.

All of the sewing classes I had taken had failed to show me good basic techniques on zipper insertion.  The instructions were quick paced and unforgiving.  God forbid I had a question or asked them to repeat something.  Discouraged to say the least.

Apparently learning and mastering this technique was landing squarely on my shoulders. (Enter grit)

First stop.  YouTube.  The mecca of people ready to set up their video cameras and create tutorials on everything imaginable.  How to sew in a zipper had no shortage of videos.  Some great and some mediocre but a schlew to choose from.

It turns out that sewing in a zipper was more hype that I created in my head than the actual process.  After studying the videos and a few practice runs, I had it down in no time.

Now my imagination and designs could run wild.

Enter the Zip Pouch.

The concept?  (After all, if you know how to sew you an easily sew your own zip pouch)  Gorgeous fabrics and linings in the ideal size to hold everything from your phone, money, and keys, to your cosmetics, iPad and Mac Books … plus whatever else you can think of.  The perfect accessory to carry alone or insert into your Urban Shopping Tote – keeping your valuables stylishly at hand.

I launched the collection with a Turquoise Faux Leather Pouch because I simply could not wait to unveil my new collection.  You can pre-order these pouches at a special discounted price on my Etsy shop now.  They currently come in two sizes however an even larger size (large enough to hold a Mac Book Computer) is coming shortly.  Be on the look out for a variety of new fabrics that are sure to knock your socks off.

My lesson?  Try, try, and try again.

And never be afraid of a little piece of metal with teeth.

Etsy Shop + Macys = Wow!

I was super excited to learn that Macys in Herald Square has opened up an Etsy Shop.

W O W !!   Eight super lucky Etsy independent designers are the first to be showcased in this dedicated landmark retail space in New York City, the mecca of shopping.  Talk about winning the lottery.

Not only will prospective shoppers be able to actually touch these products before (hopefully) buying them, but they will learn a little more about the designer and how they produce their goods through store displays.

Huge kudos to Macys for taking this great leap and highlighting small, independent designers.  Hopefully more stores will follow suit.

This news really lit another fire under my bum and after clicking a few links I was able to complete an application in hopes to be one of those lucky designers that gets her goods into Macys.   After all, the world needs less plastic bags and more fashionable reusable shopping totes, doesn’t it??

Fingers crossed.  x x