More Skirts and a Sweet Blog Feature

Before I show the fruits of my skirt to purse making labors, I need to confess that I've wanted to answer the featured seller questions etsy so badly since I first read them.  AND NOW I HAVE!  And it was harder than I thought.  But I still enjoyed the process.  So check me out on the WAG blog!

Ok, now back to bags.  It's been a sew-a-thon here at Found Beauty Studio and I really dig the bags I've made lately.  So for your viewing pleasure, I submit for your approval more before and afters :)

Before:

And after (for sale on etsy):

Before:

And after:

Before:

And after (for sale on etsy):

Before:

And after (for sale on etsy):

I have more coming, as well.  I actually am most of the way through creating a bag from a pair of pants which has been quite the adventure!

On Opening a Gallery

Wooh September, you've been a heck of a month and you're just getting started!  Etsy sales are up and my studio looks like a tornado hit it while I've whipped through 10 bags, 3 frames, 8 dinosaur planters and 2 sewing machines (RIP, sewing machines).  While I thought that I'd be less busy and stressed out as I transitioned from working two full time jobs to one (i.e. this studio), I was WRONG.  Now that I have no boundaries for when I'm in the "office" and when I'm home, I work constantly.  But it's exciting!  I mean, seriously.  Who gets to focus solely on doing work they're incredibly passionate about?  That's right, I do.  I love my studio.  I love creating,  especially when I have functioning sewing machines.  It taps into my true self - not the persona I use in important business/government meetings when I have to be appropriate and dignified.   My true self is outspoken, weird (a.k.a "interesting", "different" or "quirky" as I've been called many times), funny and creative.  And I get to be that person again!  It's a-maz-ing.

As I was, um, transitioning out of my federally funding job (i.e. laid off due to funding cuts), out of the blue my friend and fabulous photographer Mary Claire (www.carrollphotos.com  - check her out) told me about a group of women artists in the Richmond area who were putting together a temporary gallery in Williston, VT for the holiday season.  Now, I'm an idea kind of person.  I love planning new opportunities and building things from scratch so this was right up my alley.  They were looking for a few more artists to join the group and I was all over it.  And so, after a few enthusiastic emails and a great meeting, I officially joined WAG, aka the Women Artist's Guild of Richmond.  This is a pretty new concept.  We'll staff the gallery, exhibit our own work, split the rent and operating costs, and keep the place in order, and in exchange we get a retail space for the holidays so we don't have to grind ourselves down by attending holiday craft show after holiday craft show.  It's a great idea and I'm all in.  We've been meeting constantly and I've been marketing my little social media heart out, so stay tuned.  We'll be open from October 12 - December 22 at 6180 Williston Rd. in Williston, VT (the old Williston Driving Range right next to Maple Tree Place).  In the mean time, feel free to follow our effort on facebook, on twitter @wagmarketvt or via our blog.  You won't be sorry, because we're fantastic.

They Use to be Skirts, and Now They're Purses

I've discovered a few things as I embark on week three of running Found Beauty Studio full time.  I LOVE not working in an office, I LOVE not having set office hours, and most importantly, I'M SO MUCH MORE CREATIVE NOW!!!  Now that I have the time and energy to create, that's exactly what I'm doing.  And the first few bursts of new creativity are embellished purses made from upcycled skirts. 


Before: 

And after!  I present my Ollie the Octopus bag :)

Before:

And after!  It's my Bike on the Go bag (and as of right now is still for sale on etsy):

Before:

And after!   Ribbon stripes studded with vintage buttons :)

Expect more to come.  I already have three more in various stages of progress...