It's official: I'm addicted to Laura Bee.

I liken it to the phenomenon described by people with multiple tattoos... once you design your first bag at Laura Bee Designs in Seattle, you find yourself either daydreaming about how your next one will look or figuring out ways to justify its purchase. I confess: I knew before I left the shop after designing my first bag that my second was going to be black & white, and mostly likely a Chelsea. I'm pretty sure that means I'm an addict. Thankfully I'm not alone in this... my best friend designed herself a Kate bag at LBD less than two weeks ago and she has confessed that already her thoughts are on "her next bag!" I'm starting to wonder if this was all part of Laura's original business scheme ...errr... "plan"...!

Laura and I are planning another handbag-for-photo-shoot trade and once she gave me the green light to order my bag, the search was on for just the right fabric. I knew I wanted it to be bold & sassy to go with the Chelsea bag's mod lines and I wanted the print to be an equal balance of black & white. I visited every fabric shop in Bellingham and spent a few hours scouring the internet to find the right one. I'm glad I was diligent in my search: this fabric was exactly what I had in mind! I love the sharp contrast of the concentric circles against the glossy fabric of the bag, and the rings on the Chelsea take the circle theme an extra step.
I decided to give this ensemble a sassy twist with a red lining for both the bag and its accessories. Laura again made me a special sized folder for my business postcards (they're perfect!) and this time I had her sew a key hook into the side seam of the bag. I really hate digging for keys so I'm thrilled about this great addition to my bag!
Laura was able to use a strip of my fabric in place of ribbon on my wristlet and card holder so everything would match. I really dig this fabric so this time I opted for a zipper coin purse instead of a mini wallet so I could get a little more use of it! It wasn't until I started the search for the perfect black & white fabric for my second bag that I decided I was just going to go ahead and splurge on my third. I don't get to sew much these days, so it has been years since I've shopped for fabric. I found so many fun, colorful prints that I couldn't help thinking would look really cute on any number of Laura Bee bags! With the dreams already forming, it wasn't long before long I was justifying the purchase: I've been riding my bike a lot this summer and I was continually finding myself wishing I had something simple, safe and comfortable (okay, and cute!) to carry my basic essentials while I pedal. I'd seen the Travel Bag in the shop and it seemed to be just what I had in mind... AND it afforded me the opportunity to utilize one of those fun fabrics I'd found. Perfect!

I've got my basic black & brown bags now, so I decided I was going to have some fun with this one. Laura had recently blogged about her new Sock Monkey Coin Purses and I knew I had to have one (my chinese zodiac sign is the monkey, that's reason enough, isn't it?) So, I decided to pair the two. On my trip back to the fabric store, I zeroed in on prints I thought would fit the playfulness of the sock monkey and came up with this fun orange & brown dotted fabric.

I can't help but feel happy carrying around this bag!Laura included this cool button in my goody bag* and I decided it was the perfect adornment for the strap of my Travel Bag. Thanks Laura! I even got to pick out the Sock Monkey I wanted on my snap coin purse : )I used my new Travel Bag for the first time last night and I quickly learned it is the PERFECT "just the essentials" bag. I really prefer to keep the number of things I carry around with me to a minimum, so this is a great bag for me. I thought it would be fun to share my version of "the essentials"... here's what you'd find in my Travel Bag on an average day...

Click on picture to see in large size.

My two favorite things about this bag (besides it being so cute) are that it is so comfortable I forget I am wearing it and it keeps its great looking shape even when packed with the essentials, as in the photo below.

I can already tell this bag is going to get more wear & tear than I ever anticipated. : )

*In every shipment from Laura Bee you'll find a little goody bag!

Please be sure to check back later this summer to see more collaborative work between Laura & me!

Mini Moo Cards & Converse All Stars: Two of My Favorite Things!

I'm super excited today because my shipment of MOO minicards and my minicard holder finally arrived! I loved the way they were packaged so I thought I would share. I had to laugh when I saw the wrapping for the card holder... "Yay!" it says... which is exactly what I said when I opened the mail box!
I was given my first MOO card by a fellow photographer last fall and I loved its size and simplicity. A couple weeks ago I realized I really needed something small with my basic contact information to carry with me when I am riding my bike around town and knew the mini MOO would fit the bill perfectly. I wanted something that could direct people to both of my websites, so I wasn't sure what pictures to put on the front! A sudden epiphany helped me decide this was the perfect way to put to use my ever-growing catalog of photos of my Converse All Stars.
I love that I could upload 100 images and get 100 different cards if I wanted to. I don't have 100 shots of my Converse (yet) and not all of them fit well on the small size card, so I opted to use about 20 different shots. Who takes photographs of their own shoes, you might ask? Well, I do : ) Granted I don't take pictures of ALL of my shoes, just my Converse. It started one evening at a Mariners-Red Sox game about four years ago. I was having a lot of fun shooting pictures around Seattle that day and was playing with my camera while waiting for the baseball game to begin. At some point I marveled at the contrast and lines of my brand-spanking new All Stars, and snapped a shot. I loved it! From then on, I was hooked.

This is that first shot of my All Stars, taken at Safeco Field in July 2004.

Initially taking photos of my Converse was really just all about documenting their demise as I wore them out.

This is my second pair, in Chocolate, on their first day, September 2006
It wasn't long before taking photos of my shoes became more a way of documenting the places I was when I was wearing them. The above photo was taken last fall at Boulevard Park in Bellingham. I easily remember when and where every shot was taken : )
I call this shot "My Bloody Knees"... it was taken in July 2006 after I wrecked twice on my bike in four days. Ouch! I don't have the Converse anymore, but I still have the scars. Washington Park Arboretum, October 2007

I was so excited to have scored this pair at a consignment store that I documented them on the front seat in my car on the way home. I think I was sitting at a stop light. I call this shot "Ten Buck Chucks" : )Christmas Day, 2007

At Birch Bay, June 2008Watching the season premier of LOST, January 2008

On top of the parking garage in downtown Bellingham, February 2008

Exploring an abandoned home, April 2008At my favorite beach on Lummi Island, February 2008This is probably my favorite shot of all. It was taken in September 2006 while sitting in the best seats I've ever enjoyed at a baseball game... in the first row above the Mariner's dugout (it pays to have a good friend who works for the team's owner, Nintendo!) That's Ichiro at bat behind my shoes. Nice.