Cross body Checker bag

Up until recently, the Checker Collection only consisted of one style. I made a Checker case for my new tablet, and with my recent interest in cross body bags, I was inspired to make a cross body Checker bag. I made the first one, a prototype, to see how the design looked. I immediately fell in love and in the past month, I have created more to add to inventory. Pictures will be posted soon of the new addition to the Checker collection and I'll be dropping off new inventory to stores next week.

Two opposite sides of Washington State

I recently visited Spokane for the weekend, about five hours away from Seattle. I came across a store just outside of downtown Spokane called Glamarita. Right away I recognized the long dresses in the window made out of ties from Etsy and Pinterest. Upon walking in, I saw purses made out of ties that I saw on Etsy. I had not realized that the creator of these amazing garments were from Spokane. We met and exchanged contact information while sharing our background and experiences.

Shop owner, Ronnie Ryno, has a vast collection of amazing works that she has created. Be sure to check out her shop if you're in the area.

Purse cupcakes?!?!

One of my favorite cupcake shops in Seattle is The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company. They make an amazing assortment of flavors and their recipe for frosting/cake is scrumptious! The owners and their baking crew welcome new ideas and finding ways to explore their creativity in flavors and designs of cupcakes. Their daily offerings are always a delight but below is a picture of a special order for a shoe fanatic.

For a special occasion, I might have to call up The Yellow Leaf and request cupcakes made into handbags! Be sure to follow the "yellow leaf road" for updates on their daily selection of cupcakes.

Stick a pin here, a pin there

One can get lost in the world of Pinterest. One click and repin leads to another and another and another; there is no end. Sometimes I find myself repinning the same thing by accident, which is fine because it means I really like that pin!

A friend is using Pinterest to find ideas of her wedding and another friends is using it to find baking ideas. Who would have a thought that a social media pinning board would catch on the way it did! For me, I like finding pins that relate to my creative side of how I make purses. So far I've found so many interesting ways to use ties and so many cool things that people have knitted. I wonder what the next phenomenon will be in the world of social media...

Addicted to fabric

Even before I began the Trizanh brand of purses, I have always been obsessed with fabric. I would find myself walking through the fabric section looking at all the different types of fabric bolts and imagine what amazing crafts and creations could be created. I usually found myself in the quilting fabric section because I think I was a quilter in my former life.

The array of color pallets from the bolts and how they are display in a rainbow of fabric is fun to look at. Since I don't quilt, I have always found a reason to buy quilting fabric to make random things. Now that I use quilting fabric/cotton prints to line the Checker collection with, I have a good reason to always look at the current inventory and the sales table.

When I opened the business account for Trizanh, I went on a shopping spree to buy all types of prints and colors but I had to stop because I needed to use up my current stock of fabric before buying more. I recently went over my stock of fabric and now it's time to go shopping again. I'm so excited to visit the local quilting/fabric stores to see what they have in stock for this crazy fabric hoarder.

Happy 2013

2012 ended on a couple of difficult notes but in time, and with strength, things start to look up again. With the first term of graduate school starting, making purses has fallen down the list. However, with the new year I plan to pick up and continue the projects I planned for Trizanh.

Building an online store, through sites like Etsy, will only help expand Trizanh to all the purse lovers out there in the world. However, producing quality photos and maintaining the online shops are a lot of work but this is something that shall be accomplish this year. Running my own online shop off Trizanh.com will be another step in the e-commerce world so for now, sites like Etsy and ArtFire will suffice.

Creating the Sew-Do-Ku Collection is an on going project and this year will be another year of experimental crafting. Just when I think I figured out one part, another part doesn't work. This collection will be worth every sweat and tear I've put into it.

Boutiques that sell handmade goods are what help professional crafters launch their brand. This year I plan to find more boutiques to give some purses a place to call home.

Thanks again for all the support and love to this crazy purse maker and be sure to check back for more adventures in the world of Trizanh!

Holiday season is upon us

Yet another year is coming to an end as the holiday season is now upon us. Shopping for the perfect gifts, parties at work or with family and friends, and plenty of eggnog to go around. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because I love the festive decorations and music but most of all I enjoy the gathering of friends and family.

May it be Christmas or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah... or whatever wonderful celebration it is that you celebrate, happy holidays to all. Don't let the pressure of finding the most expensive or perfect gift get in the way of having fun with the ones you love.