Saturday, March 31, 2012

vintage roots...

Every now and then, I have a bag in my shop that is made of vintage fabric. These vintage fabrics come from a variety of sources, including antique shops, gifts from friends, and my Mee-Mee's cedar closet. Mee-Mee was a seamstress herself (I come by it honestly, though she is much better at it than I am), and has a stash of old fabric in her closet that I look through every now and again.

I got a purple and pink polka dot cotton circa 1950s from her stash a while back and had used some of it but left some of it in my own stash. I recently found it and made this bag:

See it in the shop.
It's it the cutest? As soon as I put it in the shop, I sent the link to Mee-Mee. And she replied with this photo:

That would be my grandparents. On a date. In the 50s. With my Mee-Mee wearing the dress she had made out of that purple fabric. Way. Too. Adorable.

She said there were four yards of fabric in just the skirt! So crazy.

I love dresses from this era, and she's absolutely beautiful, but I'm so glad I get to run around in tank tops and jersey knit skirts. With no pantyhose. Or petticoats.

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

Thursday, March 29, 2012

rice chips make my heart smile...

Today I'd like to share with you what is far and away my favorite gluten-free snack.

RICE CHIPS.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking that sounds sad and boring and just about the worst thing ever, but you should not. Because they rule. It's like a thick tortilla chip with whole seeds and grains adding a magical texture and sea salt adding a magical flavor.

Pass the hummus, please.

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

inspired entrepreneurship...

I occasionally wander over to the Etsy blog/community pages to see what's the haps in the Etsy world. Usually I end up reading about featured sellers, an outside event/policy/dilemma that is effecting the craft world, or about an Etsy-fueled wedding/home decor project. And while those are all nice and fun and informative, what I read about today was inspiring.

Here's the article I read.

This is sooooo exciting to me! That an art school is actually focusing on business-- amazing! When I was an art student at UNT, I went above and beyond my required class load by sneaking into a few business classes to learn about selling, branding, and writing a business plan. It was one of the smartest things I've ever done. But I graduated with hundreds of other art majors. And of the ones I know, no one else did this. How does a university expect its art alums to be successful persons if they can't sell the work they have been trained to create? Blerg.

I've mentioned before that my friend Shelley and I are the leaders of Etsy Denton and as such, we've hosted two "Business for Beginners" classes, aimed at Etsy sellers in the Denton area who want to make their art/craft/vintage wares their living, or at least a viable contribution to their household income. I love that I get to teach this class. I feel so blessed that I get to do what I do and want everyone to get to do what they want to do, too. In a perfect world...

As great as that class is, I'd love to find a way to do more. My friend Sarah has asked me to speak at a "Fiber Career Day" that she is organizing in April, and I'm really excited about that. Hopefully it will get my creative wheels turning on how to make sharing my experience and business knowledge a more present part of my artistic ventures. :)

I'd love to hear if you have any ideas on how I can better inspire other sellers to expand their businesses and become brave and adventurous entrepreneurs!

Also, check out all the videos from the RISD Mindshare. I watched Vanessa's video during my lunch break and I plan on watching a few more while I sew this afternoon. :)

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise


Monday, March 26, 2012

published!...

Exciting news! Rachel Elise is a published writer!



Two of my bags, along with sewing how-tos for each, are featured in the Spring issue of Haute Handbags magazine! Haute Handbags is a specialty issue from the popular Stampington and Company that prints Somerset Studios, Altered Couture, Sew Somerset, and pretty much all crafty craft magazines that I drool over. I'm so honored to be featured!

The issue is full of beautiful bags and talented designers. You can pick up a copy at any Barnes and Noble -- the magazine hits the stands in April.

Hugs and Loves,

Rachel Elise

Friday, March 23, 2012

straaaaaps...

It's been a long time coming for a lot of complicated and convoluted reasons, but...



NEW STRAPS ARE HERE.

 

They will start appearing on bags in the shop next week. Yay!

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

Thursday, March 22, 2012

helper...

Sometimes, Cat likes to help me sew. And by help, I mean sit on my sewing desk/back of my chair/lap while I work and make sad eyes until I play with her.

Jerk.


In other news, there's a couple of little headbands now in the shop!


While my accessories are staples at the shows I do, as well as to my wholesale business, I've never had as much luck with them on Etsy. I get impatient with the slower sales and therefore put accessories online and take them off all the time. But I'm determined to make it work this time and to stick with it. If nothing else, it's a free gallery for wholesaling accessories and opportunities therein. So whatevs. :D

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

P.S. Today is the last day to get 25% off everything in the shop! Use the code "SPRINGY" during checkout.


Monday, March 19, 2012

lost and found...

Here's a sneak peek of a new product! This is my prototype, so it's a little rough, but you get the idea :D

Luggage Tags!


I'm planning on making this chevron design, an airplane design, a doily design, and a bow design! Yay! I'll keep you posted when they hit the shop.

New headband designs and a new twist on my bracelets are also in the works ;)

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

P.S. It's official! I made it into the last spring show I was waiting to hear about. You can check out my spring show schedule here.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

seller spotlight: gynx yarns...

Today's Seller Spotlight is on the lovely Laura of Gynx Yarns. Laura hand dyes organic wool yarns into magical colorways that always steal my heart.

Current Fave.


Laura and I met through our friend Bart while we were attending UNT. At the time, I had just switched my major to Fibers, and Laura switched hers within a semester or two. It was fibery love.

While I feel like I use my Fiber Art education in my line of work, Laura's use of her education is much more obvious. And awesome. I'm jellies of her dyeing skills.

Other Favorite.


I don't crochet too terribly often, so I haven't bought any of Laura's beautiful organic yarns (yet!), but she used to also deal in recycled yarn, and I have some of that. And it's lovely. If I get around to finishing that scarf... oops. She's currently phasing out her recycled yarn, so you should go to her Etsy shop and get some on the cheap while you can.

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise


Thursday, March 15, 2012

spring cleaning sale...

A sale for springtime! Yippee!

Now through March 22nd, take 25% off your Rachel Elise Etsy order with the coupon code "SPRINGY".




Happy Shopping!

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

Thursday, March 8, 2012

yokes and clutches...

Oh hey there.

Go check out the Yoke Totes and the Clutches in the shop! Most of them have been updated to the new styles! Woohoo!

In other news, I designed some killer new Hobos and Satchels today! Hoorays! They'll be in the shop starting Saturday... hopefully :D

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

seller spotlight : home again, home again...

I decided it's time that I start a feature on my blog. Because that's what bloggers do, right? Have features? I don't know. I'm still new to this.

Anyhow, this "feature" that I'm commencing is called "Seller Spotlight," and I will use it to show off the talents of my many amazing Etsy friends.

Let me explain a thing or two about "Etsy friends". I am, by no means, a people person. I like to spend time with just one or two people at a time, or, if I'm at a party, I tend to section off myself in a conversation with one or two people. It's not that I'm anti-social. I interact. I just get overwhelmed if more than one thing is going on. And having a conversation with a table of ten people is more than one thing going on. Or explaining the rules of a game to six people that aren't paying attention is more than one thing going on.

Sigh.

I'm fun. I promise. I'm just small and I overwhelm easily.

Anyway. I digress. Because of my lack of people personie-ness (technical term), I'm not bothered by the fact that I work alone and don't have co-workers. I'd much rather spend my day in my own little space than having to interact with people that probably drive me nuts anyway. Yet, as in any line of work, it's nice to have someone that you can talk to about what's going on in your work life and can relate to you and your work. This is where Etsy friends come in. Imagine if you and all of your friends worked in the same industry but at different offices. And you could talk to them about what was going on at your office and they would understand without you having to explain a thing. And they would come to you to brainstorm ideas and you'd be happy to brainstorm with them because you know all about the industry they work in, because it's your industry, too. What a lovely world.

Rachel of Peachtreelane was my first Etsy friend. She lived about 30 miles from me at the time and we had made a few purchases from each others' Etsy shops and chatted occasionally about what we were doing, or complimented each other when one of us had new things in our Etsy shops, etc etc. THEN. When the first Etsy Denton show happened, she was a vendor and we got to meet in person after a couple years of casual Etsy friendship. Now, she lives like half a mile from me, and we ship our Etsy orders at the same post office.

ETSY. FRIENDS.

I'm also now Etsy friends with her sister, Sarah, who makes amazing cosmetics that I wear every day. Both of these ladies will at some point get their own Seller Spotlight at some point, however...


Today's Seller Spotlight is:


 My friend Shelley is the lovely lady behind the adorable home goods of Home Again, Home Again.  She upcycles linens, vintage fabrics, and burlap coffee sacks into the cutest little pillows, tea towels, napkins, and beyond. Shelley and I met when she commissioned me to do some sewing for her. Now, we're Etsy Denton co-leaders and very close friends.

The burlap coffee bag squares on these napkins are pockets for silverware! So clever!

Our relationship is unique in that I'm about the age of Shelley's three kids,  rather than her age, but it makes our friendship all the more special. We have sort of a friend-colleague-mother-daughter dynamic that somehow always works. Anyway, enough about how awesomeness of the Rachel-Shelley duo... let's look at some more of her fantastic work!

Coasters from vintage ads! These have sold, but she said she's looking to make more.





Recycled calendar pillows! Love!
Isn't she the coolest? She really is.

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise

Thursday, March 1, 2012

leap day miracles...

Whew! What a day yesterday!

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH to everyone that was a part of my Leap Day Sale!! I got to clear out some old inventory, make a few more monies before the end of the month, and, most importantly, brighten your day with discounted bags. Win win win!

Aside from an amazing numbers of sales thanks to my awesome customers, there was another Leap Day miracle...


What is that photo you ask? Oh that's my Paypal shipping bill from mailing orders yesterday. AND THE TOTAL WAS $29.29. ON FEBRUARY 29th. IN THE MIDDLE OF MY $29 SALE. I know, I know. Stranger things have happened. But come on, guys. Celebrate the little things. Or at least have a little freak out about how awesome the little things are from time to time.

In other news, you may or may not know that I'm a leader of Etsy Denton, my local Etsycentric artist collective. This morning, we launched the application for our next show, the Etsy Denton Summer Bazaar, which will be on May 26th. Get ready to hear a lot about this event from now until the end of May. I always think it's not going to be a big deal, but then it ends up consuming my life. But in a good way. :D

Are you a DFW arts vendor that would like to apply to the event? You really should. Our events are super fun and we don't bite. :D Here's the application.

Hugs and Loves,

Rachel Elise