Archive for August, 2008
An Ice Princess with a Bum Knee….
Friday, August 29th, 2008
As a former competitive figure skater I try to take a spin on the ice whenever I get a chance, and though I am nothing that I was prior to my 1st knee injury I like to think that I still have some moves. Well the ghost of knee injuries past has decided to show its ugly head and here I sit again in bed with an ice compress on my knee. Thankfully my presser foot is still in action so I can keep filling the handbag orders and creating my little sweet treats. However, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed at my knee’s current state and hope that the doc has some good news for me today. In the meantime I wanted to show you some photo’s from a french photographer that I have become fond of, his name is Labokoff and I adore his work. If you like what you see too you can order his prints online through Etsy.
Update: The knee will recover with a little physical therapy - I had just ripped up some scar tissue left over from an old surgery. WHEW! I dodged a bullet there.
The Search for a Handbag Education
Monday, August 25th, 2008PSST, I have a not so secret, secret - I am a self-taught handbag designer. Lately I have been feeling like getting a bit of an education in accessory design. It is not that I am unhappy with my line, on the contrary I love my designs and esthetic, however it is always nice to give your creativity a bit of an electric charge. I have always found schooling to do that for me. Right now a 2 week intensive workshop would be ideal, 3 weeks would even be manageable. I just don’t have the time to commit to an MFA or MA program and moving to a city that offers a strong course of study isn’t an option right now.
While searching I realized that finding quality workshop courses conducted by an accredited staff is a little trickier than I would like it to be. Currently I have identified a London location - Prescott and Mackay - as a potential resource for furthering my design education.
Their programming seems strong and they have a teaching staff that has been educated in accessory design. Prescott and Mackay also offers courses in shoe design and millinery (a secret passion of mine). I am fairly excited about finding them and just had to share. Hopefully I can convince them to offer a few workshops stateside in San Francisco. I have had little to no success finding any intensive study workshops in the U.S. - may be you know of some?
a studio to call home
Thursday, August 21st, 2008Searching for a studio is not an easy task and one would think that with all of the space in the Twin Cities I would be able to find one that was just right. Last Friday I spent 4 hours looking for a new place for Nelle handbags. A place where I could host special events, have a showroom, and more importantly work! Being at the very start of my search I know that it will take sometime to find a place to call home - but for the fun of it I would love to show some dream spaces that I hope to find here in MPLS.
Natural light is critical when searching for a studio space.
The flooring in here leaves me drooling, plus when working with fibers and threads carpeting can be a nightmare.
I love the natural state of this space.
Yet the order and color coordination of this space is so satisfying! Look at all the bits of trim lined up and ready for action!
One of the best things about running a design business is being able to fantasize about your dream work space. If any of your dream work spaces have become a reality I would love to see them!
POP, CANDY, ARCADE: Glamorama 2008
Friday, August 8th, 2008
Glamorama, Macy’s annual charity fashion event, will take place next Friday and yours truly will be in attendance! This will be my second “Glam”, and with the talent that is lined up, may even be better than last year. This year MC Hammer and Cindy Lauper will take the stage while Macy’s shows off a variety of designer fashions that comes straight from the NY runway. The show is spectacular and is a sensory experience, however the real fun happens after the show at the after party. I can’t wait to see what the events team has cooked up to entertain its guests this year.
With all of the fashion and frivolity a girl, being me, has got to find the right thing to wear. So I placed an order for this little number that I have been eyeballing for months, (it finally went on sale). The theme of the night is the 80’s and I think that this strikes just the right cord for me.
I haven’t decided on a shoe just yet; I may do a flat, black, patent leather thong sandal that has patent leather rosettes on it, or I may do a shoe like the one shown above. Then I will use a bag from my upcoming collection. You’ll have to wait for the sneak peak. For those of you that are hungry for some new styles you won’t be disappointed, below is a look at a few of the “Glam” clutch’s that I made to send out to some Twin City style editors. It always gets my creative juices flowing to develop new styles and “Glamorama” seemed like the perfect opportunity. The Glam clutch’s are special edition and not available for sale - just a little something fun to throw into the mix.
