creating my space.

Right now I've got a sewing station (sweatshop) set up in the dining room. Thank goodness we don't mind eating off the coffee table...

But, it is time to set up my own area, behind closed doors, where I can organize, design, create and blast cheesy pop music if I want to without the judgment of the rest of the family. I see the sneaky sideways glances from Magnolia...judger!

So to start this off, the hubs graciously offered to get rid of the foosball table and we will be donating it to Big Brothers Big Sisters if they'll have it. Need to put that on the to do list for this weekend.

In it's place will be my sewing station which is getting delivered to me tonight!

DISCLAIMER: If you don't have the capacity to envision what the 'After' could look like, please don't read any further.

For those of you who can look past the 'Before', let's go!!

Let me introduce you to the first, official Oatmeal Lace Design furniture purchase. Picture it refinished, painted (a fun color, of course) and with new hardware. I am giddy thinking about how great it will be. :) Weather gods- please be kind this weekend and give me some sunshine. If anyone feels like sanding or painting please feel free to come join me. I'll provide cocktails and snacks!

BEFORE:

rainy florida=rehearsal dinner photos!

Morning friends! Yesterday we had a mini tropical storm/hurricane come through Tampa around 5pm, so that means I did not get a chance to take product photos outdoors. Hopefully that will come today. Instead, you all will be treated with a few photos from my rehearsal dinner. Excited?

I've been meaning to post photos from the rehearsal dinner and wedding for some time now, so today is as good a day as any to proceed...

Let's begin with a non professional photo of the hubs and me. It seems we were too busy chatting everyone else up to take a photo together during dinner. :)

Alright, onto the photos from dinner that were taken by the great Matt Miller and his assistant Reagan Powell from Our Labor of Love. You can check out some wedding photos and Smilebooth action here.

I'm not going to really narrate the photos, just show you some of the heavy hitters and the fun that was had. We held the dinner at Food Glorious Food in Tallahassee and they also catered our wedding. Amazing food, great service and top notch presentation- I was so impressed! If you are getting married in the capital city area, definitely check them out!

If you read my 'about me' you know that this little endeavor is dedicated to my grandmother, Kathryn Cash, or Mamama. She is truly an inspiration to our entire family. Love you!

And now for the keynote speakers of the evening. first up, my father in law and my dad. Handsome gentlemen, right??

Then my little sister (reading a very touching speech off her iphone, ha!) and Joey's best man. Sidenote- he is a professional comedian...lots of laughter at Joey's expense. :)

Alright. Now just a few of my favorites of all our family and friends mingling, laughing, imbibing...I am so glad we had the dinner and then opened it up for a cocktail reception for all the out of town guests. It was a great way to visit with our loved ones in a more relaxed atmosphere before the big day. :)

I promise to be back with posts that relate to my product tomorrow! Have a wonderful Thursday!

oh oh oh oh oh-my-gosh.

please tell me you know where that title comes from y'all! seriously, i can't get that song out of my head since yesterday's run. i digress...i know i've been a little slack on the posting here lately and i'm blaming it on the fact that i am still trying to learn how to take enticing product photos.

my home studio is a little cluttered (with work stuff NOT things i've brought home from Homegoods, dear husband!!) and until i get the foosball table out and my sewing table set up, i probably won't be taking pictures in there. on that note- anyone want a really nice foosball table?? i'll let it go for a steal. :)

so today i'm going to step outside of the box (house) and take some photos on our patio. we've got a nice weathered fence that i think will make a good backdrop for some of the bags i've been working on. hopefully i'll do well enough that one or two of the pictures will make it onto the blog tomorrow- the brides who've done custom orders with me are really awesome and i want to show off their designs. for now enjoy the two photos in this post...i did not take them- my friend Lauren did this fine photography work. thanks lady!!!

ruffles and pleats and flowers, oh my!

If you follow me on twitter you've already seen that description...
Sometimes coming up with clever titles (in my opinion) is a bit of a problem for me, so if I find one that works it may get beaten to death. sorry...

Just wanted to post a few pictures of some new lovelies I am working on at the moment that are geared less towards the bridal party and more for the bride herself. I know that some brides are not quite as casual with their wedding day attire as I was and while they might like a canvas bag for everyday wear, it doesn't quite fit in with what they've envisioned their bridal accessories to look like.

First up is the romantic ruffled clutch made with white silk and lined with a light blue paisley cotton. (Gotta have that 'something blue', right ladies???) Again- I do love to know that I am not talking to myself so comments are appreciated. :)


Next up, the beautiful blooms clutch which is also made with white silk and lined with a light champagne silk. The blooms are a combination of white and gold fabric and are each adorned with a pearl center. At some point in the near future I will be offering a customizable option where the bride can choose the colors of blooms to match their wedding colors (if they like).


Fun stuff over here people!!! :)

I like big bags and I cannot lie...

For those of you who know me, you know I love carrying big bags. I tend to take everything but the kitchen sink with me anywhere I go, so this really is a necessity!!! My husband might tell you differently since I am always digging through them trying to find my keys, phone, (insert any word here)...

Don't get me wrong- I love the clutches, but my daily bag needs to have some space. Gym clothes, shoes and water bottle next to my powder and mascara? Why not! Who said you have to have a separate bag for work and play! Double duty, people!!

And hey, even if you don't like toting all your stuff around daily, this would still work perfectly for a beach day or a larger carry-on for a fun trip you are taking.

So without further adieu, here we are. Haven't come up with a fun name for it yet, so any suggestions are welcome!!!!

Dimensions of this bag are:

Width: 11.5"
Height: 15"
Depth: 8"

horse & hounds(tooth) amanda clutch

Oooh! I think this one has to be my favorite design so far. I've always been a sucker for anything houndstooth, so when I spotted this fabric at a little local store here in Tampa I had to snatch it up. Today the clutch is named for my friend, Amanda, who is an accomplished equestrian, super stylish and lover of the finer things in life (although she might laugh at that description!)

I think this clutch is the perfect balance between sporty and fancy, agreed???? :) Like my other clutches, this one can be made with the houndstooth either on the exterior or interior of the clutch and the fabric bloom is an optional addition. You can also choose between the silver nickel frame (shown) or the brushed antique brass.

Anyone get the reference in the title? Anyone????? If you are in Tampa, enjoy this beautiful sunny day! It has been way too rainy and gray the past week.

World Wide Web

Let's just say I am very very pleased with myself for setting up google analytics on my etsy shop. Not only is it fascinating to see if I have had a visitor to the site, I can also check when and where they come from, who referred them and what color eyes they have! This is some high tech stuff we've got going on here!!! :)

Seriously though, I was thrilled to find out that Emmaline Bride had posted a little blurb about the clutches on their blog yesterday. I never would've known that someone out there in cyber space had mentioned my shop if not for my new bff, Analytics. So thank you Google! You have made this girl happy. I am also happy because it is about time for a much needed 3 day weekend and I get to see some live music tonight! It's been too long!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Have a safe and happy holiday.