Startlingly Beautiful Koi Pond Britta Tote

Sometimes I order fabric and don't know what to expect. In this case, it far exceeded my hopes. This purple print of koi in a pond is outstanding. Perfect to use on a Britta Tote.
Solid black on the back and lavender straps, truly gorgeous.
It will be for sale in one of my shops, haven't decided which one yet. You are always welcome to send me an e-mail to claim it as your own.
service@zoesbagboutique.com
10/22/08

Zoe's Bags Get a thumbs up from the stylish Aimee Heckel of the Boulder Daily Camera

Click here to read the entire article:

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/oct/16/fashion-fashion-distraction-local-fashion-gems/

Read Aimee Heckel's fashion blog at www.boulderandthebeautiful.com

Fashion: Style gems that distract from my boyfriend's green hair

By Aimee Heckel
Thursday, October 16, 2008

Call me Eminem. But I'm going to go all "Eight Mile" freestyle contest on you here and call myself out before you have the chance to.

Insert "zing" here.

I spend a lot of space in this here newspaper blathering on about the fashion idiocies of my own life. Crashing proms, my obsession with twirling, my poodles' fashion sense, my boyfriend's new hair style: dyed lime green with big black stars all over it (thank you Fringe Hair Studio in Louisville). Oh wait, I didn't tell you about that yet? Hmm, well, let's just conveniently skip that one then.

I'd like to think I'm making fun of myself for your amusement -- and hopefully inspiration, sometimes. It's a big sacrifice -- to be this ridiculous, and publicly, nonetheless. But it's a burden I'm willing to shoulder for the sake of fashion and All Things Pretty.

But it's got to be balanced occasionally with something newsworthy.

That's why I present to you a few of my favorite current local fashion fascinations:

For the indecisive -- Zoes Bag Boutique, www.zoesbagboutique.etsy.com and www.zoesbagboutique.blogspot.com.

What: Bags made out of interesting fabrics, including the "Morphin line" of mix-and-match messenger bags. Buy the body of one of the messenger bags ($42) and then add and swap the removable flaps ($12 each) to match your outfit or mood.

And Zoes has all kinds of fabric patterns: derby girls, pin-ups, tiger stripes, bats and spider webs, footballs, guitars, flamenco dancers, flying skulls, ladybugs, sock monkeys -- yeah, I said sock monkeys. Zoes also makes padded cases for Nintendo DS Lite, Blackberries and small digital cameras.

Who: Karen Norback, of Lafayette, a fabric lover with 20-plus years in manufacturing outdoor gear. Zoes has been in business since 1995.

The bonus: Norback makes custom orders. Poodles with lime green hair, anyone?

Diaper bag for an active mom

I worked with a customer who lives in Hawaii, to create this bag. She wanted something large, so we went with the Large Zelda Deluxe. She sent me the fabric she wanted to use, an interesting damask by the same designer that created the Echino line of prints. She added a matching Scooter zip bag and a Sweet Pea mini wallet to the order also.

We put a divider inside so she could have two sections. Kept the laptop sleeve as she sometimes takes her laptop with her when she goes to the beach! Added a full panel zippered pocket to the back, and put the Zoe Pocket set in there instead of inside the bag. This allowed me to add a set of poochy pockets inside. The poochy pockets are great for stuffing with diapers, extra clothes etc. They lay flat, but the pleated fronts allow them to "pooch" out when needed.

Since this customer has an active lifestyle she wanted to be able to carry the bag not only on her shoulder, but on her back when riding her bike.

We added an attachable padded shoulder strap. She can leave it at home if not needed, or wrap it around the strap, where it is held in place with a small strip of velcro, providing padding over her shoulder when the bag is on her back.

I was pleased to hear she was happy with the result and she has given me permission to include her comments here.

In her e-mail, titled, Thank you, thank you, thank you, she says:

" Aloha Karen!

I am sorry I haven't had the time to write you an email earlier. It has been a very busy month and I am so glad that I had the bag to make my life a little easier.
I love it. It looks really great, and everything my daughter and I need for the day fits in it. The shoulder strap is perfect, and the bag stays on my back when I am biking. My husband jokes about getting seasick or lost among all the different pockets, but those really come in handy when you pack clothes, toys, food, blankets, and books.

Thank you"

posted Oct 16/08

A nature themed custom order

A nice assortment of prints for this custom order!
10/13/08

The Falcon Mini Messenger Bag-Geisha Stroll

I've added a new mini messenger bag to my line, The Falcon. Starting with the popular Zeldina model, I made it an inch deeper and added a full panel exterior zippered pocket and two open exterior side pockets. I'll be offering this style in fabrics that will appeal to men as well. Oh, and yes, it is available in the popular Morphin style too! The removable flap option is proving to be quite popular.
10/12/08

The Morphin Zelda Deluxe-Messenger Bag with Removable Flaps

Shortly after launching my Morphin Zeldina Mini Messenger Bag, I received an order for a Zelda Deluxe in the Morphin style.

This was a fun project. The customer has a pet sitter/walker business. She was looking for a bag to carry the various accouterments of the trade, you know leashes, poop bags and the like.

She settled on the Zelda Deluxe, and although I hadn't finished the Morphin version yet, she knew that's what she wanted. She liked the idea of the changeable flaps very much.

She found her own fabrics. She requested a paw print fabric on the side pockets, figuring what ever the flaps featured, they would go with paws. Also, since her business is called Pawcific Northwest Pet Sitting, it was a natural. For the flaps she found two prints that were also perfect for her business. One, a variety of dogs heads, with a pug, to represent some of her own dogs, at the center. The second, to pay homage to Portland Oregon where she resides, a raining cats, dogs and umbrellas print.

So cute!!

Custom Order Zelda Deluxe Messenger Bag Asian Dragon

This fabric continues to make an astoundingly beautiful bag. The same print I have used before, but in another colorway. Note how the dragon's body seems to wrap around the bag. The end of his tail appears on the side pocket. The colors, oh the colors!
A custom order for two bags, the Zelda Deluxe Messenger Bag and a Bebe with a strap that allows it to be used on the shoulder, the arm, or as a wristlet. A darling bag for sure!