Zippered Bags and my Etsy Store

After reading yesterday's post about cakes, one of my loyal followers (okay--it was Susan--) suggested I look at the extremely funny "Cake Wrecks" blog (http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ ), and I would like to pass the suggestion along to you!  The theme of the site is "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong" and it is REALLY funny.  One cake in particular had me laughing so hard and long that I was crying and my cat was looking at me weirdly.  I won't post a picture of that one because it involved childbirth and might not be appropriate for all audiences, but here is another cake from that site which everyone can enjoy:



Today I am finally getting around to what I am best known for locally:  my zippered handbags!  Yeah!!  It all started about 7 years ago after a friend gave me some drapery fabric sample books (thanks, Elsa!).  The first bags I made were cute, but lacking in many ways...so I was motivated to keep working to make them better.  I added interfacings, pockets and a zipper, and they evolved into the popular bags I make and sell today.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that first bag, but I have plenty of more recent ones--take a look:

     That's my daughter modelling the cat bag; she insisted her face not be shown!

     I number each bag as I make it, and I just finished number 2111--!!  That's a lot of bags!  I've found the most popular bags to be those featuring cats or dogs; also popular are "classic" patterns like the red toile, above.  You can see what's currently for sale at my Etsy shop (http://www.leslieshappyheart.etsy.com/ ) or, if you are in Williamsburg, Virgina, stop by Country Treasures to see a larger selection!  (I will post pictures of Country Treasures some day soon.)

I just want to mention that Etsy is a really fantastic website, where all kinds of people sell all kinds of handmade wonders...you really should take a look if you have never been there before.  You can also find craft supplies and vintage items.  One of the greatest things about it is that each shop is run by an individual, so you almost always get great service and fast shipping.  Yesterday, for example, I needed a particular fabric, and I found it at Family Fabrics (http://www.familyfabrics.etsy.com/ ).  I placed the order, and in less than an hour, I received an e-mail saying the package was in the mail!  Wow!  You won't get fast shipping like that from any of the big stores.

Thanks for reading.  Be happy!