Clutch-Me.Com

Learn. Make. Sell. All about clutches.

Fabric shopping for fall!

With fall around the corner in the US, you might want to get ahead of the curve and get your Fall Collection planned out.  I see that many of you have already started your fall lines by ordering Gutermann glue and purse frames.  Next is the fabric!

As I’ve mentioned in my many previous posts, I will be looking for fabrics while residing here in Viet Nam for my short 2.5 years!  And good news guys … I’ve hit the mother-load!  Let me explain.

The traffic here consists of pedestrian, bicycles, automobiles, motorcycles, and about 50% of the entire traffic is motorbikes or motor-scooters.  They are not as powerful as the motorcycle, and are similar to the branded Vespas that you would see in Europe, for example.  This picture captures it all beautifully:

You've got it all in here. Loose rules that can leave you wondering just how everyone manages to make it from one side to the other!

That said, my husband’s employer provides our family with a rental car and driver.  There’s no way expats can take the test and drive over here (especially when we are only here for a short period of time).  In addition, vehicles are prohibitively expensive.  Whatever you would pay for in the US for your vehicle, double that price for here!

And to get to my original point of this post – the fabric – it turns out that our driver used to fix sewing machines and knows ALL the fabric mills in the city!!!  🙂

When the kids are attending school in August, I will be able to shop in earnest.  I’m so excited to see the silks, cottons, and hand-embroidered fabrics.  This place is Etsy come to real life:  all are handmade by artisans!

Here’s a pic I snapped of one fabric shop.  Look at the variety!

Every inch is covered with all kinds of fabric imaginable!

Like you going through the bolts at Joanne’s, I will have to dig through to find the designs and styles that are really magnificent and remarkable!  I generally hate shopping but I can spend all day looking at fabric.

Here’s how shopping can look like over here — barely enough room through maneuver through but it’s worth the hunt!

The bazaar! Shoppers are very gracious but the sellers are quite pushy! All Westerners and expats have virtual targets on their face$!

So head out and start your journey for fabrics for your clutches.  With new offerings for fall, this is a great way to freshen up your shop to prevent it from being too stale:  give your customers a reason to take another look!

1.  Plan out your Fall collection and colors.  Read Vogue, Marie Claire, Lucky, InStyle … any of the national magazines and find the trends that are being reported.  What clutches can you sell that will compliment your buyers’ fall palettes? Last I heard, lace is in for this fall.

2. Start your fabric search and look for the colors and fabric designs that you want for your Fall Collection.   Remember to save fabrics with big, bold designs for your bigger clutches and bags.  The fabrics with smaller motifs can be used for the smaller clutches, wallets and coin purses.

3.  Go back to your stock of fabric and pull from those any remnants that can compliment as well.  I only throw the smallest of my fabric away.   I keep it all!  I use the smallest pieces that I can no longer find for use in the Snappy(TM) Wallet Clutch:  the ID pocket needs only a tiny rectangle of beloved fabric!  I also use slightly bigger pieces as lining for my coin purse clutches!

4.  Lay out your frames and mix and match inner and outer fabrics with the different frames.  This allows you to visually see what your boutique or online shop will look like when you’re done.  You will see where you may be short on one size purse frame or short on a certain fabric, and you will have time to buy as needed.

Shops that have a cohesive and strong aesthetic really do well.  Shops that offer willy-nilly don’t do as well, because the customers get confused.  Brand identity is so important and critical to shops.  Shops that stick to what they are good at and that exhibit great craftsmanship do really well.

And remember to take good pics!  If it takes you 3 minutes to take a good picture of each clutch, remember that 2 minutes of 45 seconds of that should be spent setting up the shot: lighting, positioning, focusing …. and then snap!  I see lots of clutches that are shot poorly.  Why spend all your time and effort in making the clutch only to ruin the chances of selling it by having a bad photo?

For those of you who own your own boutique or sell in your local boutique, spend the time to have it displayed in a nice case with good lighting.  Have the display ones be the ones that customers can touch and feel and open, but be sure to sell them the unopened and tissue-wrapped one.  After the display sample has been handled, remember to wipe off fingerprints and lightly dust the fabric.

Hope your summer is going well!  Oh …. one last thing!  Pax is here!  He’s been here for a week and has adjusted splendidly.  Just like in NJ, Pax hops in the van when we go shopping!  (Pax gets to stay in the van with the AC on with our driver while the kids and I run in to get groceries.)  Everywhere we go, every day and every time that I walk him, he gets attention!  He’s a superstar here.  His breed (goldendoodle) is non-existent here.  I don’t even think anyone has even seen a poodle, much less a golden doodle.  So they ask:

*Is he a goat?

*Do you perm his hair?

*Where is he from?

The van is usually surrounded by 4-6 people looking at Pax!  I feel like I’ve got Lindsey Lohan or some other starlet in there!  🙂  LOL.  And everyone who comes in contact with him just loves him to pieces.  Everything just seemed to fall into place upon Pax’s arrival.  That loud sound of exhaling?  That’s me!  Here’s a pic of Hayley with Pax.

Pax petered out after our morning walk. It's cooler here than the current heatwave in the US! He loves lounging on Hayley and on the cold tile floor.

That’s all for now.  I’ll be back soon!

~Winn

July 24, 2011 Posted by | Helpful Tips, WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Settling in our new home for 3 years!

Thanks to all who convo’d or emailed asking how I’ve been doing.  As most of you have known since January, my husband was relocated to Viet Nam and had been working there since this March.  The kids and I have finally joined him after the school year was done and I’m pleased to say … we’re finally here!

Where is here?  Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.

Our household furnishings will arrive in 2 months so I’m blogging and working while sitting on the tile floor or on what little rental furniture we have.  But my dream of living where I can wear flip-flops year round is finally here.  I just didn’t count on the mosquitoes though!  🙂

Here are some pics.  Enjoy and as soon as I can get WiFi hooked up and my regular Mac desktop plugged into that, I can really start working again.  The sewing will be done at the kitchen table, not unlike many of you who start out making clutches!  Lastly, thanks to all who have tried the Snappy Clutch Wallets and the PurseFramesOutlet shop.  The feedback has far surpassed what I had expected and it really made working on that design for 6 months and finessing the photos and tutorial soooooo worth it!

Our home for the next 3 years.

We live 3 houses away from a playground and skateboard park. Kids have their gear and are getting to go!

We have a pool in the front yard! The kids swim twice or three times a day for about 1.5 to 2 hours each time.

My 5 year old daughter Hayley at the park.

My 2 boys at the adjacent skateboard park.

My 6 year old son Noah in deep sleep. The 11 hours time change took a week to really get used. They were sleeping by 5pm and waking up at 3am for the first week!

We’re all still adjusting.  I haven’t had much time to work since it’s summer break and I cannot get to work until they are in bed at 8pm.   I know a great many of you have young children and are also facing this same issue:  the increased familial demands as the kids are on summer break.

No worries on your shop sales during summer months as you will see activity pick up in the fall when the kids are back at school.  Remember that it’s cyclical!  Be sure to start your production of new clutches in August so that you will have new collections for customers to see.  School will start before you know it and the Fall Collections should be ready by September.

One important note for those of you who have expanded into local boutiques and into arts and crafts shows:  make sure you have your fall collection ready to show the shops and make sure you pre-register to take advantage of discounts for fall craft shows.  My best sources for color palettes are the national magazines – Vogue being the main barometer.

I’ll be in touch again with pictures of my garden.  The garden came pre-planted with the house and the variety in textures, colors, and composition is amazing.  Puts my gardening skills to shame!  🙂

Have a splendid weekend!

Winn

July 16, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | 1 Comment

Snappy(TM) Wallet clutch – download the latest version!

Hi all from the other side of the world!  I made it here fine and after 5 days on the ground, the kids are just starting to adjust to the local time.  It’s p.m. here to your a.m.  There’s currently 11 hours difference than East Coast time!
I will post pics when I can find my camera cord to the computer.  I just got the Internet up and running today so I thought I’d do a quick post before hitting the sack!  I’ve been running around getting things done for the house here as we have only what we packed in our luggage.  Our air shipment won’t be here for another 10 days.  Many things are needed just to make a meal:  eg. after I boiled the spaghetti, I realized I didn’t have a strainer,  and when I went to cut the mango, I didn’t have a knife.  Little things that cause you to improvise…  🙂

Just a note for those who bought the Snappy(TM) Wallet Clutch, please use your existing password to access the tutorial that I recently updated.  I revised Step #1 to include a new picture and notes to trim your templates to fit the width of the frame before tracing them onto the interface.  What 2 of you have done is cut on the outside edge of the template causing extra length, which can cause puckering.  To prevent this, you only have to trim it to fit.

Please go to the PDF Order and sign in to download the most recent tutorial.  The templates remain the same.  I will make changes and additions to this tutorial and add new templates as time goes on, but please keep your password, which you can use to access it for free.  (If you lose it, it will be $5 to resend it to you.)

Thank you for the photos of your Snappy wallet clutches!  I love the variations.  Keep them coming!

Thanks and I’ll post again soon.

Winn

July 7, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , | 2 Comments

10% OFF entire purchase at PurseFramesOutlet.Etsy.com

To thank you for all your support on my new business with my upcycled purse frames at PurseFramesOutlet.Etsy.com, I am offering 10% OFF your entire purchase at PurseFramesOutlet.Etsy.com!  Per my last blog post, this might be the bit of inspiration needed to kick start your summer creations!

For all of you who find my blogs useful and have followed along and have helped to make my second shop a sweet success, please enter “BLOGVIP” in the coupon code at check out to get an instant 10% off ALL your cart items.

The offer is effective as soon as this blog post hits your email account!  It ends Sunday, July 3rd at midnight.  That’s a whole week to get 10% OFF, but don’t delay.

I use this Snappy clutch every day ... 🙂

I am just starting to get feedback for the Snappy(TM) wallet clutch tutorial and upcycled frames.  Here are some of them:

“Great tutorial!”

“very creative design! How do you come up with it?! Will always be your great fan and supporter.. The pdf is easy to understand and very detailed. I love how she upcycled and came out with a very creative design. If you have trouble understanding it, just ask, any of the sisters will gladly help you through it~”

“Very easy to retrieve instructions. Thanks so much.”

“Congratulations on another great shop! You are so inspirational and encouraging!! Keep up the great work, I love to see women succeed, and even better when women help other women as you are doing. You Rock!!”

“Cannot WAIT to try out the new pattern with the frame!! I’m so glad you were able to get this new shop up and running so quickly – I’m trying just 5, to see how they will go over with my customers, but I have a feeling I’ll need more – at least I HOPE so! Congratulations, Winn – another WIN product for you! Take care!”

“Hi Win, I love this wallet! Looking forward to trying out the pattern soon. 🙂 Thanks so much…”

“yay! You listed it! Congrats!”

Oh, here’s a little trivia for you … I was going to trademark it as the Milk Run(TM) wallet clutch — since I’m always running out to get milk for my 3 kids … and this design allowed me to carry my essentials for my milk runs!  I still might use that trademark for another design though.

This new design is much simpler to do than the Classic Day Clutch(TM), the TeaTime(TM) clutch, or especially, the Baguette(TM) Clutch.  In my design, I actually tried to design it to be done without any sewing since one of my customer’s friends was hospitalized and needed a skill to pick up and something to do while in the hospital.  Sadly, I couldn’t make this without a sewing machine, but the amount of sewing needed is very minimal.  I’m really happy with how it was constructed.

So I hope you will make use of your beautiful bits of fabric and give this a try!  I would love to see the many varieties out there.

On another update … let me keep you up-to-date on my move … though it seems like I’ve been talking about this forever!

As I’ve told everyone in January of this year, my family and I are moving to Viet Nam!  Actually, my husband’s been living there since March, and I’ve been in New Jersey with the kids putting the house up for rent (we finally got renters – YAY) and the kids just finished the school year on Friday!

*The packers are coming tomorrow and they are packing everything up!  We will be staying in a nearby hotel for a week.

*Tonight, we’re packing things we need for the hotel and short-term 2-3 weeks.

*Tomorrow, they pack and ship our air shipment which will take 2 weeks to get to Viet Nam and another 5 days to clear Customs.

*Tues, they are packing the sea shipment — all of our household goods — which will take 2 months to make it to our new home in Viet Nam.

*Weds. they are packing the rest that will be put into storage here in New Jersey that we are not taking.  I don’t think we’ll have much left … but you never know.

*Thurs., the carpet cleaners are coming and so are the housecleaners.

*Friday is the walk-through with my tenants and they move in!

*Saturday, me and my family fly out to Viet Nam.

*On July 14th, Canine Carriers will pick up Pax from my dog sitter and fly him to Viet Nam.  We’ll get him on July 16th.  He’ll be in a temperature-controlled cargo with an airline that transfers pets all over the world.  He’ll have comfort stops and water for the trip.

*And on July 16th, after Pax is with us, I will breathe!  🙂

I cannot wait to take pictures and show you my new adventures in Viet Nam.  We are really going to venture out and just take advantage of all Viet Nam has to offer!  We’ll be there for 3 years, but the kids and I might come back earlier due to the school year, just like we stayed here later as well.  I will be hunting for fabrics like it’s going out of style!

And how great is this?  My two best girlfriends are both moving to Asia within a month of me moving to Viet Nam!  Lisa, a principal in Oklahoma City, just got a job teaching 4th graders in Shanghai!  And Kimberly, a stay-at-home mom of 3, is moving to Japan due to her husband’s job as well!  Could I be any luckier? 🙂  (Name the character and show who says his lines in that intonation!)

Have a great rest of the week! I’ll keep you posted as always.

~Winn

June 26, 2011 Posted by | SALES and PROMOTIONS | , , | 2 Comments

Something for your Sunday…

I was asked to write a blog post to provide some inspiration as we are hitting the summer months …  🙂

Ok, I’ll give it a shot, but seeing as how today is the last day on my Mac for a while … we’re getting packed next week for the global move … I’m swamped!

So I took a couple of pics out in my garden yesterday.  It always gets my creative juices going thinking about textures, fabrics and colors.

One quick note about June and July that you may be seeing in your shops as well:  it’s typically slower.  Why?  I don’t have hard data but we can all surmise that it will be slower due to:

*Summer break for the kids so moms are going to be more busy tending to them.

*Summer vacation so more money spent on summer vacations, and less money spent elsewhere.

*Summertime outdoors so less time spent indoors, less time on the computer browsing your shops.

*Too hot in many states for arts and craft festivals.

With this in mind, you should get a jump start now and get ready for the back-to-school and fall season — in late August for the upper states!

1.  Start looking at fall arts and crafts shows.  Sign up and get a discount off the pre-registration rates, and secure the best booths/tables!

2. Create your fall designs and color palettes.  What seasonal or new styles will you have in your shop for the fall?

3. Get your materials and start making your sample clutches and build up inventory.  Keep an eye out for the coupons and sales!

July is around the corner and next thing you know summer will be over.  Don’t fall behind.  Now that it’s slower this time of year, take that extra time to get ready for the fall.  Shops that are anemic in the fall will not do well out of the gate.  I always see the most successful shops with new designs and styles do so well when they are stocked for when the kids are back at school.  Moms start shopping for back-to-school items and will remember to pick something up for themselves, too!  And many customers will want to see your clutches many times, comparing your clutch to another they have in mind, before they will commit to buying it!  So have your stuff ready and in that customer’s mind!

Oh, as promised, here are pics from my garden.  My Asiatic Lilies are up!  They’re HUGE!  My daughter Hayley is the model.  🙂  I didn’t plan on her outfit matching but that’s just how it worked out.  *yay!*  Oh, these lilies were from Costco.  I bought several bags.  They were a mixed bag of bulbs but each variety was in its own bag within the big bag – enabling me to plant them in groups that are alike.  These came up first, but my smaller lilies in red are just starting to bloom.  I have 2 other varieties that will come in late summer … ones that I will not be around this year to enjoy due to my move.  😦

Hayley amongst the lilies.

"Look Mom, am I taller now?" Oh, this photo was not "stretched" in any way. She's just that skinny and the lilies just reach that tall into the sky!

"No, the lilies are taller."

A pop of color amongst pure white!

These orange beauties are huge!

One cut stem has over a dozen blooms!

These deep berry ones are just starting to pop up. They grow lower to the ground and the blooms are the typical size you'd find in floral shops.

I had planted 5 flats of marigolds in yellows, oranges, and tri-colors. They have held up so well and have had a bloom all season!

I like to play with texture in my garden and prefer a lush look (much to my husband's dismay who would like it more manicured).

Hayley being cheeky as usual!

I hope these tips are helpful to you!  I hope you enjoyed the pics of my garden.  When I’m in a rut, one of my first trips is to a floral shop to see the colors on display. (I’m a visual learner!)

Enjoy and I’ll be back later tonight with one last post to give you all the scoop until July!

~Winn

June 26, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | Leave a comment

Just listed: antique brass, Duskcoat(TM), Goldenlock(TM), and EleganceLock(TM) purse frames at PurseFramesOutlet

Happy Sunday to all!  Hope you are all enjoying this day and that it is beautiful wherever you are!

I will have several posts today because I will be moving all this week.  Craziness is sure to ensure and I want to make sure all is done!

This first post is to let you know that I was up til midnight posting all the PurseFramesOutlet FINAL SALE frames in the following styles and finishes.

Please check them out!

Antique Brass:

Upcycled antique brass 8x3 purse frame.

Duskcoat Gunmetal:

Upcycled Duskcoat Gunmetal(TM) purse frame

Goldenlock(TM):

Upcycled Goldenlock(TM) purse frame

Nickel-free EleganceLock(TM):

Upcycled nickel-free EleganceLock(TM) purse frame.

Thank you to all with your encouraging “Atta girl!” comments about this new upcycled venture for my frames.  For those who have purchased, thanks for the great feedback as well!  Though I may be established at WhileBabyNaps.Etsy.com, when you have a new store, it helps to get feedback back!

Thanks and you’ll hear from me later today!

~Winn

June 26, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thank YOU!!!!

Thank you for all of you who have purchased my Snappy(TM) Clutch Wallet PDF and my upcycled purse frames at my PurseFramesOutlet.Etsy.com store!!!!

Upcycling evolved out of recycling.  Upcycling “is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new products of a higher environmental value.”

This is great video explaining the trend of upcycling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qZvwxhqf2k

By offering a new design – my Snappy(TM) Wallet Clutch – I am able to re-use a subset of my useless, defective frames in a way that results in a new product that is better on the environment (it doesn’t have to be re-melted, or stripped using harsh industrial chemicals and solvents, etc…) and gives YOU a bigger profit margin.  You now have a new product to add to your product line at a different price point!

I know you all have been hoarding (there’s a show for that … :)) a stash of beloved scrap fabric, so now is the time to get those amazing little bits out and use them!  Those of you who can only have access to quilting cotton, now this is the perfect solution!

Learn all about upcycling trends.

It’s been a roaring success right out of the gate, and my research has paid off!

Here’s a post specifically about the upcycling trend by Etsy artists!

http://brittanysbest.com/?p=1233

So thank you, thank you, for helping me to upcycle my beautiful frames that simply didn’t make the cut for WhileBabyNaps.Etsy.com.  I would love to post pics of Snappy(TM) Wallet Clutches in a future post to see the many kinds of fabric designs out there!  So convo me with those pics or email me.  (I can’t re-post my email here since I’ve been getting spammers…)

Best ~ Winn

June 22, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , , , | Leave a comment

Open for business!

Thank you all for your emails, convos, and encouragement with my second purse frames business, PurseFramesOutlet.Etsy.com.

I wanted to let you all know that it’s up and running.

You will see that the prices for the upcycled 8×3 nickel-free kisslock frames are very low.  Because of the low pricing (below $4 each), I will only sell them in sets of 5 and up.  They are as low as $3 each.

Please note that these are defective frames that have been inspected through our QC process 4 times total, and have been chosen for the Snappy(TM) Wallet Clutch design.  I had been doing this privately on a case-by-case basis for those in need, but I now have enough to do it on a wide scale.  These are clearance frames with minor defects on the outside of the frames.  These defects WILL NOT be seen in the final product of the Snappy Wallet Clutch.  Due to their defective nature, they are all final sales.  No returns. No exchanges. No refunds. No credits.
Thank you for allowing me to upcycle my otherwise wonderful frames.  It would be such a shame to throw these out when they can be put in a design that will increase your profit by lowering your materials cost.

Take a look!

Store front for PurseFramesOutlet.Etsy.com

Holds IDs, credit cards, cash, wallet-sized school pics, pen, business cards, AAA card ...

You can add in straps to hold a pen!

Another 2-in-1 look!

Got nice scrap fabric in many designs? This is a great design to put those to use!

They will be shipped by Thy in Ohio.  Y will send you the password instructions through your order at the shop.  As with my other tutorial, as long as you keep your password, all future templates will be added free of charge to you.  Please note that this is a different password entirely since it is a different tutorial for a different product.

Thanks and have a great rest of the week.  I will be adding listings for upcycled Duskcoat Gunmetal(TM) and GoldenLock(TM) frames later this week.

Please note that these are first come, first served.  I have many but I don’t know what the run on these will be.  Thanks for your support!

~Winn

June 21, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | Leave a comment

Debuting new 8×3 Goldenlock(TM) purse frame with LOOPS!

By popular request, here is the new 8×3 Goldenlock(TM) purse frame – now with loops!

Check it out ladies!  I’m very happy with the warm – not brassy – finish, and this will coordinate with my Goldenlock purse chains!

These will be listed tomorrow for sale.

8x3 Goldenlock(TM) purse frame with loops.

Same Perfect Fit 6(TM) u-channel and sturdy kisslock balls.

Triplets! Nickel-free, Duskcoat Gunmetal(TM), and Goldenlock!

Great for your warmer fabrics and high-end custom clutches.  Great for the bridal market!  Be on the forefront and pare it with white!  Gorgeous!!!

June 9, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Debuting new 6×3 antique brass with loops purse frame!

I’ve been working on this finish and I got it!  These bigger sizes always pose a problem for the antique brass finish, but for those who have bought my 8×3 antique brass, this is the same finish.

It’s just beautiful!  Take a look:

6x3 antique brass with loops!

These will be listed for sale tonight or tomorrow!

Same style as my nickel-free 6x3 with loops! Same kisslock balls and Perfect Fit 6(TM) u-channel.

The whole family!  Note:  I am sold out AGAIN of the 8×3 antique brass.  I should have it in 3-4 weeks as I just procured the raw materials.

Antique brass in 8x3, 6x3 and 3x1.5. The 4.5x3 might not be too far behind ... 🙂

June 8, 2011 Posted by | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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