Happy Holidays, thanks, and see you in 2012!

Wow, my orders in the last couple of months have been epic! I have had no time to make much new inventory for the shop, and have spent most of my time shipping and making custom orders. That's why you haven't seen much of me in this blog space!

I want to thank all of you who continue to come back and buy more of my bags. I am honored that you choose to spend your hard earned money on my bags, when there are so many other options. Thanks, as well, to all the new customers who have decided to buy from me this year.

Every year, at this time, I think of all the people who will be opening a beautifully wrapped package to discover one of my bags inside. It's great to think of that happening, on Christmas Day, all over the world.

I am now officially on vacation. All packages are shipped, promised custom orders made, and most shops closed. The main shop is still open but I won't be shipping, or answering emails, until Jan 2nd. Thanks for all your support this year. It has been a great one! Have a fantastic holiday break and all the best for the New Year. See ya then! Karen

Free shipping Black Friday through Cyber Monday!

To all my American readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
All in stock items, in the shop, will ship for free when purchased from Friday Nov 25th 2011 through Monday Nov 28th 2011
Karen

Knitmare on Elm Street, Contigo and Japanese waves Britta Totes

When I first began making my own bags my fabric choices were based on my own taste. I liked flowery fabrics and green. LOL! I knew I was going to have to expand those tastes if I was going to make bags that other people would want to buy. So I forced myself to look beyond flowers and green. Little by little I picked fabrics I would never have considered for myself. Someone pointed me to Day of the Dead and now those prints are a solid part of my line. I was shown the Asian style prints and now they are one of my favorites, and I have many customers who love them too.
My tastes have become eclectic. I can't say I love everything I buy, but, I work hard to find prints I think my return customers will like. Plus I offer such a wide range of fabrics, and colors, that I am sure most people will find at least one, or two, that they love.


These three Britta Shopper Totes illustrate a bit of that range. I am really drawn to quirky prints these days, and this Knitmare on Elm Street Britta, sure fits the bill.
The look on the kid's face, and the book the skeleton is holding, "quick and easy knitting projects" crack me up!

 This bag, made with fabric called Contigo, has a love story behind it

From Wikipedia: The Legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl

In Aztec mythology, Iztaccíhuatl was a princess who fell in love with Popocatépetl, one of her father's warriors. The emperor sent Popocatépetl to war in Oaxaca, promising him Iztaccíhuatl as his wife when he would return (which Iztaccíhuatl's father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl was falsely told Popocatépetl had died in battle, and believing the news, she died of grief. When Popocatépetl returned to find his love dead, he took her body to a spot outside Tenochtitlan and kneeled by her grave. The gods covered them with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztaccíhuatl's mountain is called "White Woman" (from the nahuatl iztac "white" and cihuatl "woman") because it resembles a woman sleeping on her back, and is often covered with snow. (The peak is sometimes nicknamed La Mujer Dormida ("The Sleeping Woman").) He became the volcano Popocatépetl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his beloved.

 

And finally, I think I gasped out loud when I found this print. Waves are often found in Japanese prints, and this one, is especially gorgeous. This bag sold before I could even put it into the shop. No wonder, it's stunning. Expect to see more Brittas in this print, in the green colorway here, and a deeper blue as well.

11/15/11

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Zoe's Bag Boutique has a Google+ page

Google+ now allows businesses to have pages like Facebook.  Click here to find me there . If you are a fan of Google+ I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

Day of the Dead messenger bags, purses and other bags

The Day of the Dead, or Dia le los Muertos, takes place on November 1st and 2nd. It is celebrated around the world, but in Mexico it is a national holiday. I am fascinated by this celebration. It is so colorful, and, while it is honoring those departed, it has a sense of joy that is contagious. The fabrics that are made to honor the day are brightly colored and full of life, even though the motifs are skulls or skeletons!
The fabric with the sugar skulls is one of my most popular, and I sell bags made with it year round.

The same print is available with larger skulls that have glitter. It works wonderfully on the messenger bags

Here's a purse made with Fiesta de los Muertos. see what I mean? They are having a great time!
                        

                           

You can find the Day of the Dead themed bags in my shop here. As always custom orders are encouraged. 


Karen
11/1/2011

Kipster knitting project bag, an action shot of WIP and nice comments

An action shot of a Kipster knitting project bag, sent by a happy customer



"I've been too busy knitting to give you my feedback.
I LOVE this knitting bag!
My cat cannot "play" with my yarn and my WIP stays in one portable place.


Thanks so much!
DC"
WIP means work in progress, for those none knitters reading this!

Padded case for Kindle 3rd Gen, 2nd Gen Nook, Galaxy Tab and Kindle Fire with optional shoulder strap or wristlet

 The Elm and Elm Deluxe are zippered padded cases for the Kindle 1st Gen, Kindle 3rd Gen, Nook 2nd Gen, Galaxy Tab and Kindle Fire

I took some time this week, to create a sizing chart for my padded bags. I discovered that the Elm and Elm Deluxe will hold more tablets than I realized, which is wonderful. I'll be adding the sizing chart to my site shorty, so you will have an easy reference to guide you in selecting the right case to protect your electronic gadgets

The Elm

Continuing with my redesign work, to make some of my bags even more versatile, the Elm and Elm Deluxe padded cases are now available with 2 d-rings on the top edge. 

The d-rings allow you to customize your case, if you wish.  Buy just the case and you can slip it into your bag, or leave it on the coffee table. If you want to take your Kindle or Nook with you down to the pool or the local park, you can buy a Strappy wristlet, which can be attached to either d-ring, on the case making it perfect for left or right handers.

 If you want a more hands free option, buy a removable adjustable shoulder strap and clip it to the d-rings. You now have a shoulder bag. 
 

The Deluxe version of the Elm has the outer zippered pocket, for storing chargers, cords, book lights, or any small items you need to carry with you, including the optional straps if you so desire.

The Elm Deluxe

The straps, as so many of my regular customers know, will work on many other products in my line so you only need one of each, unless you plan on carrying a lot of Zoe Designs products at one time!

10/13/11

Day of the Dead Trixie Purse

This is a new style purse, called The Trixie. I love how it looks in this Alexander Henry Day of the Dead fabric, called Fiesta de los Muertos.
The Trixie is the same style as my Tallullah purse but the handles are shorter, only 20", which is a very popular length. It allows the top of the bag to fall below your shoulder, rather than on waist or hip. I added the metal rectangles to give it a little shine too!
You can find the bag in my shop here

 

 

 

Some new Squirrel iPhone clutches. They work for lots of other phones too :-)

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a new versatile iPhone purse design, called the Squirrel. You can use it as a clutch or purse insert, or, by purchasing some add ons, you can use it as a wristlet, shoulder bag, or even an iPhone waist pack. Here's some of the new Squirrels recently added to the shop.

 You can find them in the shop by clicking here

Sock monkey family portrait

Skull Damask

                                    

Valley of the Kings

Suzani in purple

Japanese waves in blue and gold

Cranes and flowers

Botany

 

Mille Fiore 

 

 

 

 

 

A happy customer with their new Morphin Lynx Deluxe Skull Messenger Bag!

Say hello to Ceci, on her first day of school. She has a Morphin Lynx Deluxe with a glow in the dark skulls flap. Isn't she adorable?

iPhone purses with removable shoulder strap, belt or wristlet

I am so pleased to introduce this new style, The Squirrel. Designed as an iPhone purse, it works great when carrying most smart phones and other purse related items.  It's the most versatile style I have. Use it as it is, and it's a clutch. It has an inside divider, an outer zippered pocket and 2 d-rings ,which you can use as a place to attach your keys.
 You can find the Squirrels, and other bags suitable for iPhones, in the shop by clicking here.  Don't see quite the right one? No problem custom orders are always welcome. There are 100's and 100's of fabric options. 

But first, scroll down for more info and pics!

The addition of the 2 d-rings is the key to its many uses. Want to use it as a wristlet? Buy a Strappy, or, for you regular customers, use the one you have. Since there are 2 d-rings you can use it in your left or right hand.

Want to use it as a shoulder bag, a hipster bag, or a belt bag and waist pack? I now have a removable, adjustable shoulder strap, that can also be worn as a belt. 

I wanted to make this available in a way that would allow you to decide what works for your needs. So you can buy just the clutch, or add on any of the other accessories that you want. Most of the listings in the shop allow for that. There are some, such as the sock monkeys, that give you a choice of fabric. I wasn't able to add the accessories to the listing as well.

New sizes available in the Tilly Shoulder Bag

I made larger sizes of the Tilly Shoulder Bag a while ago. I finally added those options to the shop this week!
You can find them in my shop here


The regular Tilly is 13" wide x 9.75" tall x 6" deep. It has this zippered pocket on the back (or front if you so desire). It has an open side pocket and a zippered side pocket.


The medium Tilly is 2" taller, all the same features.


The large Tilly also has the same features but is quite a bit larger at 16" wide x 12" tall x 6" deep. Great for traveling!

Awesome new roller derby girls messenger bag!

 

 

 




 You can find the bag in my shop here
I found this incredible derby girl fabric and had to get it. More expensive than my usual fabrics but hard to find and in heavier weight which is good. It's a cotton twill, more of an upholstery fabric, really nice.
I will be making other products with it, so stay tuned. Plus custom orders are always welcome

Soccer Messenger bag for girls!

 


















Wow! I found this awesome fabric with female soccer players! Plus it has great colors and is all around wonderful.
Find it in the shop here. I am pleased to make one for you in another size or style if you prefer

Japanese cranes Messenger Bag, The Zelda

 

This fabric works so well on many of my bags. Here it is in a Zelda Messenger Bag. 
I love the varied wavy stripes in the print, the different cranes, and the waves in the lower corner. A beautiful fabric!
Find it in  my shop here

Skulls or Kaffe Fassett knitting in public project bag, my Kipsters

 








This style knitting bag is popular. I have a hard time keeping a nice variety in stock, and most people are custom ordering.
Here's a new selection.
Skulls are always popular, but the other two are made with fabric by the renowned designer Kaffe Fassett
Find them in my shop here

I'm on vacation!

I'm taking some time off, beginning Wednesday July 20th. I am leaving the main store open, so you may still shop if you like, but I won't be shipping until July 29th. You may also contact me, via the shop, and I will respond when I reopen on July 29th.
I hope you are having a wonderful summer. "Talk" to you again when I am back.
Thanks to all of you for your incredible support
Karen

Custom made tarot card hat

 

Here's one of my wonderful, regular customers with her custom made hat. She sent me tarot cards that were meaningful to her, and told me to add a flash of red. I had the black and white hat, which she wanted, and she found tarot cards that mirrored the color scheme, rather than using the usual, more colorful cards.
I was very pleased with the outcome and she looks great in the hat!