Quick update!
I hope this finds you all well! It’s been a crazy September and I cannot believe Halloween is right around the corner. My kids have a week-long fall break coming up and we’re heading to Seam Riep, Cambodia for a 5-day trip to visit Angkor Wat and other temples. I’ve been working on some videos and it’s been a hit or miss. After seeing myself on camera, I’ve realized that I am officially middle-aged. 🙂
You have also been kind enough to ask about my grandmother and have sent wishes for her good health. I’m happy to say that we still have her and she has more good days than bad days. Her mind is still quite keen but her body is just worn out after being on Earth for almost a century. Her muscles have long atrophied and she spends her day seeing the world from the vantage point of her bed, though she does get wheeled out to the front yard to see the world go by for 30 minutes a day. It’s still the highlight of my week to visit with her and tease her. She is very opinionated and can give the nursemaid and her grand kids quite a bit of grief like any cantankerous old lady, but amazingly, I’m the only one who gets away with ribbing her. I will do just about anything to get her to laugh.
Here are some pics of our visit with her 2 weeks ago. With so many kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids around, she got confused and asked if we were getting together because she was dying. Hahahaha. I told her “No, Gram. It’s just lunch.” 🙂
My middle son also loves his Great-Gram, but is quite enamored with his DSI.
My 2 youngest ones: Hayley cuddling up with Pax.
Once Term 2 of school begins, it will a little quieter allowing me to get some more work done. The electricity goes off and on about 4 times a day, a real pain when you are in the midst of working on the computer! My internet connection speed is so abysmal that I do not get much done with my videos. I just got an amazing blue miniskirt that I am wayyyyy too old to wear as a skirt; however I got it because it was on clearance and for the beautiful fabric of overlapping sequins of various tones of blue. That will be my next bag! I think I’ll go with a cross-body.
Here’s a look at the beautiful sequins. What do you think?
This will become my cross-body clutch to wear with my white pants, espadrilles, navy or red top.
I will be back soon with news about our annual Etsy anniversary sale.
Flowers to change the mood
You guys know I love flowers! My mother-in-law really taught me the love of planting and growing flowers. Nothing like seeing beauty emerging from dirt! With another somber anniversary of 9/11 that has just passed along with the deadly and horrific death of US embassy workers in Lybia, I really needed flowers to change the mood I was feeling. In fact, a visual minder of a bright, living, beautiful vase of flowers can really help brighten up the room – and my heart.
You also may know that I get inspired by lots of women. I made this arrangement after reading a DIY blog post from A Pretty Penny. Keira owns a little flower shop, likes to pay 75% off retail and has a doodle, too! So cute. She shops at Kohl’s – a lot – and all of that makes her my total girl crush. Please check out Keira’s blog for ideas and inspiration.
My creation: total cost of materials – under $21!
Not great like Keira’s but I’m no professional.
Here’s Keira’s blog post at A Pretty Penny:
Gorgeous!
I hope you all have had a great week. I’m currently working on videos for the clutch tutorial. No slick productions here, but it’ll be a great addition to my shop. It takes me about 4 hours of work to get 2 minutes of good video. I have over 20 short videos to do. It’s going to be a busy month!
Cheers~ Winn 🙂
Reblogged – Skull Ring Clutches
Check out these high-end clutches. I see these a lot in Asia.
Oh, Laurel (who commented below) made these for a customer who was vegan. It was for her bridal party and they were admired by all! Click on the pic to get to Laurel’s amazing shop. She specializes in all kinds of sumptuous leather!
Excited for my shipment to arrive! What’s an outfit without accessories?? Alexander McQueen really set the bar high with his line of skull ring clutches and since then there have been several designers to imitate the look. I ordered the orange skull ring clutch because a pop of color with the right outfit always stands out! It’s a cool and fun fashion accessory for an evening out and a definite conversation piece. 🙂 Thanks Berlue Boutique in Boca Raton, Florida (http://www.berlueboutique.com/)! Check out their site (great prices) and SUPER friendly girls! You can join their facebook page to keep track of the latest arrivals and they will ship!
Starbucks follows Small Biz Owners with Square
Another huge company is following where small business owners have gone by offering Square at their locations! Starbucks is the biggest company yet to offer mobile payments. As you may recall, JcPenney‘s has just joined previously.
Read the entire article here:
Fall Arts and Crafts Fairs are right around the corner. This would be a great opportunity for you to have this as an option for your customers to pay via their preferred credit card without any upfront fee since it’s free. That’s a big help for crafters, hobbyists, and small business owners. To read more facts – such as how the average transaction is higher when using mobile devices, read my blog post here.
Have you tried it? Have you found it helpful?
Clutches in Asia
As promised, below are some snaps of clutches from my travels. The best of the lot is from the shopping mecca of Kuala Lumpur. There was one store devoted entirely to clutches. It was in every conceivable color and style, though leaning toward the evening and special occasion clutches. I managed to snap two pics before being admonished. Almost all stores have a “No Pictures” policy. I don’t know why exactly because I adore their merchandise!
I must apologize for the poor quality of some of these pics. As you might recall, my trusty old camera broke and I was using one of my much older back-ups. It didn’t do well in florescent lighting and I could not get it to stay in focus unless I was absolutely still. Guess a good camera is on my Christmas list! Enjoy and I hope these clutches provide some inspiration!
I LOVED these wallet and coin clutches. The stripes and clear sequins were really cute!
This clutch is a cake! How lovely are these cupcakes? My 6 year old daughter would be thrilled to have these for her birthday party!
Leatherette clutches with embroidered musical motif at a mall kiosk.
Cute hand-embroidered coin clutches at an airport kiosk.
Hand-painted clutches of girls in hanboks at a Seoul, South Korea handbag shop. These were pricey but gorgeous!
Orange is a HOT color in Asia. I’m seeing everywhere, from Tod’s handbags, to Nine West shoulder bags, to this impressive boutique.
A clutch and handbag shop in KL, Malaysia.
I snuck another shot in before getting admonished for taking photos!
Clutches and shoes.
If you have any pics of clutches from your travels, contact me at my online shop or Etsy shop. Would love to see them and I can post them!
Mobile checkout is hitting the masses
While on my whirlwind trip to NJ, WI, IN, and IL — all in 2 weeks — visiting family and friends, I ran across an article about mobile point of service devices being adopted by a major retailer.
Following up on my earlier posts on mobile point of service devices, such as Square, I mentioned that you can expect that the adoption of POS devices to ramp up quickly. With fall arts and crafts fairs around the corner, you still have time to try out the free POS devices available for small business owners. More and more customers will understand and have trust in the use of these POS devices. Just this week, there was an article regarding Nordstrom’s and JcPenney’s using mobile POS devices. They will still have registers for cash transactions, but you know that if Penney’s is going with POS devices, in this case the iPad to check out and phasing out most registers by 2014, then you also know that America’s checkout behaviors will change as well.
Click to go to the full article.
If you haven’t explored showing your clutches at Arts and Crafts Fairs, please check this post. Check your local and regional listings for Arts and Crafts Fairs now in order to save by pre-registering. Many have had great success showing their clutches at juried and non-juried shows. It’s great exposure and you can use the photos to market your items. One of my favorite recent photos of booths featured these beautiful bright and modern clutches. Linda at Mi Casa Bella had lots of interest and sales at her booth. I love the display and color layout here. Linda has such a singular vision in her creative aesthetics. If you have any photos of your clutches shown at a fair, market or boutique, send them to me and I would be happy to post them.
Mi Casa Bella has also been featured in several magazines. Head over to Linda’s shop and check out her renowned pillows and clutches.
Hope your summer is going great! One more week and my kids are back to school. THANK YOU teachers!!! 🙂
Clutch PDF tutorial updated – FREE download
Hi all-
I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. I missed out on fireworks so hopefully you got to enjoy some!
As per my previous post, I just did a minor update to the clutch tutorial. Please go to this post and enter your password that you received when you bought the tutorial to access it for free. This time, I’ve added a thumbnail of the 2 pages with updates allowing you to just print those 2 pages and insert them into your hard copy booklets. I’ve increased the measurements in order to make the clutches fuller. Of course, you’ve always been able to do this, but I’ve made a permanent change to the dimensions to the 6×3 TeaTime(TM) Clutch, the 8×3 Classic Day(TM) Clutch, and the 10×3 Cross and Carry(TM) Clutch.
Click here to get to the post and get your update.
Once there, you can either download either the updated page OR download the entire tutorial. You’ll know you have the latest version with this cover picture:
Cover with the most updated version.
If you’ve bought the PDF in the last 2 weeks, you will have already gotten the latest update.
Have an enjoyable weekend! I’m heading to Kuala Lumpur (again) for several days for some girl time with my bestie. Be back with some pictures!
Winn
Clutches everywhere … ?
Maybe it’s selective perception but I seem to be seeing clutches everywhere. Granted, I am a bit obsessed with clutches. My trusty camera finally died *wah wah* so I just started taking pics with my other not-so-new camera. However, batteries are dead, wouldn’t you know it, so….. I will post pics of the clutches in a future post! Promise!
But check this out ladies. I was just reading an article about how Gwenyth Paltrow is coming out with a Goop collection.
T-shirt for $90. Not in my budget … 😦
It was interesting because I’m always reading many many many things, never knowing where it’ll lead me. On this occasion, it led me to her website goop.com, and I noticed that they recently updated the site. Guess what they have for the shopping or “get” tab? A clutch as the icon!
How awesome is that? It kinda looks like a clutch made using my 4.5×3 inch nickel-free frame, doesn’t it? 🙂
My clutch tutorial was also recently reviewed and featured in another blog. This time it was Jen over at BettyCrockerAss. With that name, you know I’d like her anyway! 🙂 You should check her out. She is a quilter extraordinaire!
You can check out her review of my tutorial. Jen brought up an excellent point: the corners were too pointy making the clutch more of an “A” shape. As you know on pg. 13 of the tutorial, you can make the clutch fuller by cutting more off the ends. You can square it off more to change the silhouette. However, Jen did an ingenious alteration with the use of buttons. I’ve since updated the tutorial with new measurements to make the clutch fuller and the update is up. Go to this post and enter the same password that you received when you bought the PDF in order to get the update. You have 2 options for getting the update this time: just page 13 where the changes were made OR the entire updated tutorial.
Jen reviewed by purse frame clutch tutorial as part of Sara’s Purse Palooza 2012 at Sew Sweetness. I was really honored that Jen reviewed my tutorial and added to it, and that Sara started this whole thing. You should go and check out all the great reviews and free tutorials at Sara’s blog.
I will be back late this week with another quick post about the updated tutorial. But in the meantime, for you early readers, you can grab your update now!
Clutches from HCMC, Viet Nam
Hi everyone! It’s been a month since I’ve blogged, but as you all know too well, life happens. 🙂
It’s been a very, very busy time of the year for me and the family. Two of my kids had their birthdays and that means me making egg-free cakes since my oldest son has an egg allergy. I love many things about Ho Chi Minh City, my temporary home for another 2 years, but the one thing I detest is the shopping. 😦 It’s terribly inconvenient. Just finding vanilla extract took trips to three different stores, and after giving up, my dear friend Dutch friend Zita had some to spare for me! Thank goodness for friends and neighbors in this expat community. Target and Costco would make a killing in this town. 🙂
Hayley turned 6! She wanted a princess castle cake.
I found tips from amazing bloggers on the Internet to make this cake. I could not find any grocery stores that sold ice cream cones here! My husband flagged down a street vendor who was selling ice cream and bought them off of him. I made fondant out of strawberry flavored marshmallows. The best thing? My son could enjoy this cake along with all the kids without fear of an allergic reaction.
Ethan (second from left) turned 10! He had a party at the house and invited 4 of his friends over for a swim party.
He finally outgrew the “theme” cake. Since one of his friends has an allergy to food coloring(?), his egg-free cake was plain with sprinkles to make the number. Simple!
I have also continued to do my weekly visits to my Grandma, who does relatively well for her old age. I am very thankful for the visits and the many talks that I have with her. Nothing brings me more joy than to see her smile, like she is in the pic below. Her eyes absolutely light up when my kids are around. Sometimes I go by myself, and sometimes I’ll bring one or two of the kids with me. The bumpy trip in traffic has made my middle child prone to carsickness. Noah hurled coming home from one trip and when Hayley looked over, she vomited as well. Lucky for Ethan’s quick reaction, he bolted up and managed to avoid the calamity. And he was seated in between them!
Ethan taking a nap at his Great Gram’s. 🙂
My Grandma’s health is off-and-on but not as precarious as she was last October. She has a keen mind and still runs the show. We try to make her comfortable and happy. She only asks for visits and a little money to donate to the local temple. She gives me fruit (mango, pomelo, guava) every time I come and visit. She also tells me to stay out of the sun, which is quite impossible with three active kids. Not to worry, I use SPF 50 on them and myself every day.
I had time to go to a trade show where local artisans showcased their talent. I was most impressed by the emerging rice art displayed there. Below are artwork made by a local firm that employed disabled people. The director was a young lady who just recently graduated from university and started her own company! Her employees use rice that has been roasted to different shades to meticulously create the designs. The rice is adhered by a proprietary eco-friendly glue. It was really striking artwork. I was really impressed with this young visionary who found her passion while at the same create jobs for those who often have a next-to-impossible task of finding suitable employment.
The Mac Daddy – Steve Jobs.
Rice grains close up.
The eternal beauty of Marilyn Monroe.
An aficionado’s item.
Whatever little time I had left, I had to do more errands. On a trip to get my daughter a toy cell phone for her birthday, I saw some cute clutches sold in local accessories shops in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. They do not allow photography but I had to break the rule and whip out my point-and-click and snapped some candid shots!
Coin clutches at a local HCMC shop. The owl is too cute!
Fancier evening clutches at another shop.
The Union Jack one was awesome! Would have been great for the Diamond Jubilee. The pleated navy one was very well made.
Completely adorable! The owl here was a knitted design. Genius!
School is out so I will be busy with the kids every day. My youngest sister is also here visiting for 7 weeks so it’s full at our house. I can only work once the kids are in bed at 8pm. Most of you with young kids may be experiencing the same thing that I am: how to keep the kids busy and how to limit their time on electronics! We have a couple of trips planned: South Korea for 5 days and the US (NJ, IL, IN, and WI) for 2 weeks. I think the travel and jet lag will really age me and test my patience, but traveling is a nice problem to have!
Until next time, I will update the tutorial in some key measurements. You already know how to adjust the measurements and how to make your own pattern from my bonus tutorial, but I will make a permanent change since I like the fuller look of clutches. As always, I will let you all know about it here first. So if you haven’t already done so, subscribe to get the email update when that happens. The update will be free for all of you who bought the clutch tutorial. For your convenience, it’s the same password as was sent to you when you bought the tutorial.
Lastly, I’ve had 5 versions of a clutch for the 12×3.5 frame but I haven’t found a way to make it easy to make, so it might entail a new tutorial for that size bag, altogether. I will give it one more attempt before doing a whole new and different tutorial for that size alone. I have been working on different patterns and sewing steps to simplify it while making the template printable from your desktop printer without any scaling. Just print and go like the other tutorials. I’m not quite there yet.
Until next time, I hope you all are having an enjoyable summer. Remember to wear sunscreen! 🙂 ~Winn
Mother’s Day clutches
Check out my latest album. This one honors the mom on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13th. Other than this one special day to celebrate mom, we often hear “Hi, MOM!” when TV cameras hone in on someone who’s on TV for the first time. Why is it that our first instinct when caught in the big lights of TV cameras is to wave and scream “Hi, Mom?” I’d like to think that the excitement of the deer-in-the-headlights feeling takes us to our core, to what’s important, and in many cases it’s the mom. 🙂 Why don’t we say “Hi dad?” We do, but just in the minority. The majority amongst us have the most contact with their mothers and feel closest to despite dad’s increased involvement in child rearing.
So you all know I support and honor women. Whether you are a mom yourself, or yet to be, or are perfectly content with being aunty, this album’s for you! I’m sure you’ll find several clutches in here for your shopping list.
Mother’s Day clutches album.
As for me, I’ve got a busy week ahead with my husband on yet another business trip. My oldest is turning 10 (egad!) on Friday and another birthday party to attend… then Mother’s Day. My wish is to wiggle my nose so that all my bills are paid, my piles of papers magically fly into the right folders in the filing cabinet, and I have time to get a leg wax and pedicure. I’m looking kinda like a … sasquatch. TMI? 😉 Well, one of those wishes will come true!
Have a great week and Happy Mother’s Day this weekend to all the moms out there!
~Winn
About
I am the #1 US seller of purse frames and I’ve been incorporated since 2001. This blog is mainly aimed at my audience of clutch handbag makers. I have a very small niche that is comprised of 99.9% women. I am loyal and promote handbag makers who are loyal to me by using my fine purse frames. When they are successful, then I am successful.
The two businesses that I own are:
*purse supplies, Gutermann glue, and DIY clutch kits at whilebabynaps.etsy.com, whilebabynaps.com
*up-cycled purse supplies PurseFramesOutlet.etsy.com
To find clutches made using my fine metal purse frames, LOOK to see “Trademarks of WhileBabyNaps.com and H&D LLC” and you’ll know the clutches are made using the finest metal purse frames that are tested for lead and that have a protective coating to lengthen the life of the clutch. You can go to any of the sellers on the Sellers page.
****NOTE: If you want someone to make a clutch for you, please contact any of my sellers and inquire. They will gladly make custom orders!****
Interested in reaching my audience? Advertise. Contact me here.
Thank you for stopping by for a look.
Warmly,
Thy Khuong
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