Brand new Ruffle Bag color...and giveaway!

It's here, the newest color for spring!

The Grass Green Ruffle Bag 

To celebrate, I'm going to give one of these beauties away to one of my followers!

The contest will run from Friday, March 14th at Noon, cst, until Wednesday March 19th at Noon, so you'll have plenty of time to enter! (and tell all of your friends,wink!)

Here is how you enter:

-It's important that you comment ON THIS POST to qualify.
-Comment below each time you fulfill any of the 6 entry requirements. The more you share, the more you help me, the MORE CHANCES YOU GET TO WIN :) Notice that #6 has a way for you to re-enter every day of the contest!

1. Follow Gathered & Sown on Facebook
2. Sign up to receive my newsletters (sign up at the bottom)
3. Follow me on Instagram
4. Follow me on Twitter
5.Follow me on Pinterest
6.Share this contest on your facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest or blog (you can get up to 5 extra entries per day by re-sharing!)


I have so many of you to thank for the word of mouth exposure that I've received for Gathered & Sown! My little business has grown so much over the last 2 years, and I am truly grateful <3 p="">

Thank you and best of luck!
Angie

My New Friend

I just had to tell you all about my morning!

It's been so much fun. First of all, my second sale with @bellechic went live this morning. I had such a great experience with them last spring, so when they asked me if they could feature Gathered & Sown again, I jumped at the opportunity. Different items, but same wonderful team of people I'm working with. Please stop by...and of course, tell your friends, Wink!

Then I saw that my bible cover was featured on @faithful provisions. I'd never heard of this blog before (how not is beyond me!! They seem to be everywhere,lol!) but was introduced to Katie by BelleChic. Katie has a beautiful story about how God has been her source of provision. She didn't think she NEEDED it, but her eyes were opened. Why don't you watch HER tell the story, she does it far better than me!



I heart networking

This blog is FULL of great tips for being a good steward. Something I could certainly use some help with! This site has me covered in every way, from recipes, meal plans, couponing formulas, and tips galore. I even noticed they have devotionals. It's one stop shopping ;)


Then....

I made a new friend today! It's a funny story...

A couple of weeks ago, I was on etsy. I remembered that there was a local girl who made yarn, so I wanted to look her up. I searched Sheboygan on etsy (Did you know you could do that??? You can find people in your area that are on Etsy!) and some purses popped up.

 Needless to say, I was beyond intrigued, so I started clicking on her stuff.  Hello Carolina Stefano! Even her name is pretty :)

So cute, isn't it???

Even her hand is cute :)

I was smitten by her work, so I decided to send her a convo, telling her she wasn't alone....that there were actually two purse nerds in Sheboygan! 

She wrote back and we decided we had to meet. Today was the day, and guess what??? We're neighbors! How freaky is that???

I had such a great time! I brewed up some VIDA coffee and we started to chat. I loved hearing all about her back round, her dreams and her  past life as a purse making MACHINE in Brazil.  She was fascinating. We are going to get together again. We had so much in common, and we both feel there is so much we can learn from each other. So I just had to share her with you all.

So I'm doing a bit of a happy dance (to Peter Cetera...don't judge. I miss the 80's) after my whirlwind morning. How was your day???

Oh, and I just realized, I never found that girl who makes yarn. Welcome to the mind of a scatterbrained multi tasker!

HUGE sale on Gathered & Sown Items

In case you haven't heard, I am taking part in a boutique sale this weekend!
It's been a grueling two weeks preparing, but it has really paid off.

I've heard it's really hard to get in with BelleChic, so I wanted to make sure I did everything right :) It all happened so fast, I only had about 2 weeks to prepare. And when I saw they had over 48,000 followers on Facebook, I was excited for the opportunity!

In my 4 or so years of handbag making, I have never EVER attempted to finish a quantity a high as this:
60 wristlets
60 Crayon bags
50 Ruffle Bags
...and all the orders from etsy that keep on rolling in :)


 It's been a little chaotic....

My husband laughs...he thinks my studio is a MESS, but to me, it's organized chaos :)

Lots and lots and lots of straps. But aren't the colors so pretty?!?!

Each step required oodles of time, making such a high quantity, but I'm proud to say I didn't skimp at all. I couldn't bear to sacrifice quality in the details for the sake of getting done faster!

It's hard to sell online without great photos, so I called in the reinforcements: My friends Tim, Krissy and their curly haired beauty Eleanor. Krissy took the pictures, and poor Tim was in charge of handling the bags and chasing their two year old. Unfortunately for him, his wife has a sense of humor and took a  few behind the scenes pictures ;) And Eleanor was in love with all the dandelions everywhere, so Krissy got a shot between purses changes of me receiving one of her pretty little "flowers" Too cute!

They have a great camera, and eye for pictures and the ability to take pictures that I can't do by myself. Thanks guys, you made my day!  And you know we were on a time crunch, since I was in all the pictures. There is one thing you should know about me. I avoid the camera lens at all costs. But I trust Krissy :D

So if you get a minute, hop on over to BelleChic, my sale is live until Monday. This is the lowest you will EVER see my prices get. I worked out an agreement with them because of the amount of followers they have, and the amount of my products they feature.  I also want to  encourage you to follow them. I've been following them for a while and the shops and sales they feature are beautiful! I'm anxiously awaiting the beautiful smelling lotions I ordered this week...I know if they are featuring it, it must be a good shop, wink!

 Have a great day!
:) Angie

How I make my own patterns

Earlier this week I blogged about my inspiration, but today I want to share a secret about my designs. My previously ultra, topsecret, super important design book! If any professional designers see this, they will likely scoff at my chicken scratch, but this process WORKS for me. You'll be able to see by looking at my book, that even by showing it to the world, it would be very hard to make sense of my notes, so in turn, really hard to steal my ideas :)

My design book. Sorry if you were expecting something fancy. 

But I am just not a fancy girl!

Simple is the way I roll.

So after I find inspiration, lose a little sleep, the next step is to try to create it. First, I kind of scribble what the bag should look like in the end, so I can remember how to put it together again. Then I guess the approximate end size, and guess how big I should cut my pieces. This often gets me in trouble! But you've got to start somewhere :) Once I get a size I like, I write it in my notebook. Sometimes my kids will help decorate my book when I'm not looking. Not sure yet if I appreciate that or not :/

A couple of my "patterns"
Along with my patterns, you will see some scribbles from my budding sidekick, Audrey :)

Then there are the ideas I get that I really want to get to, but don't have the time yet. So in comes my sticky note system. These are usually ideas that pop into my head quicker than I can get to my notebook. So I scribble them out, and eventually, they find a home in The Book. If they are lucky, they become actual bags when a new season rolls around!

Can you guess what this became?

That chicken scratch turns into something like this :) Not too shabby,eh?

...and this, eventually became...

THIS! One idea, a piece of paper, some fabric and some time :)

My Latest Batch of Inspiration

I'm in that time of year where I get to focus on new designs. I love the process of finding inspiration, and then playing and working to create something new for my handbag line! I am working on some great new products to reveal, but I'll be honest. It will be a while before you get to see them! I'm still filling orders that continue to come in {thank you, by the way!} and my Etsy shop is keeping me on my toes. So my post today will simply be a few things I found on pintrest that are inspiring me right now, which might give you some clues as to what I'm working on. Hint, hint!

...and I want to build on this design I did earlier :)

So, I'll be busy, but hopefully I'll have a fresh new batch of bags to show off very soon. Thanks for checking out my inspirations. So tell me....What inspires you????

Entering a whole new realm of pursemaking!

I recently hit the leather jackpot, thanks to  a hookup from a  friend in the furniture biz!
See these three boxes? They are mine...all mine!

See the words..19.05? Thats pounds. Of leather!
Oh, and there are 3 of them...

This is the 67 pounds all dumped on the ground, waiting for me to sort it. Ugh.

Mid sort, I swear...I have a system here! The angle of the picture is deceiving, you can't tell from looking but it is taking up about 10x10 feet of floor space!

My sister hopes I have enough black to make her a purse. I think we'll be ok....

A preview of my new leather line. Thats all you get til I've got more to show :)

I've already started playing with it today, and have big plans. Now to find somewhere to put it all.....hmmmmm!

Score Your Purse for Less Than it's Worth(s) ..hehe

Lots of people have been asking me about this big sale I'm launching this Thursday, so for those who don't know, here's how it's going to go :)

This Thursday, January 12 at 9 am, I will be posting a link on my Facebook page. The link will be for  one item in my Etsy shop with a one time use discount code attached to it. That code will be for a substantial discount, ranging from 20 up to 50%! 

The first person to use the code gets it. Once the code is used, the item is no longer on sale. So you have to be quick!

Wristlets
 ($20 regular price)

Bible Covers
($18 regular price)

 I will be posting items and codes at random times of the day and evening through Saturday. (Hours WILL REMAIN between 9 am and 8 pm central time) I will try to give a little warning of the time of the next offer, but won't reveal the item until I post it. I have to keep some element of surprise, right??

Ruffle Bags
($45 or $50 regular price)

I am not trying to clearance my inventory, so these will be items that are new, popular and currently in my shop! So if you were eyeballing anything, now would be the time to follow me on Facebook....hint,hint!

Kids Crayon Bags
($18 regular price)

If you are not on facebook, ask a friend to watch for the codes for you. Facebook is where they will be revealed, so while you don't have to be following Gathered &Sown on FB, it will definitely give you an advantage.

I welcome and appreciate your questions. Please post them in the comments below. I will answer them here to keep all the info in one place.

Finally, to make this sale a success, I need your help! Please pass this on to anyone who might like to be a part of it. Your word of mouth referrals are priceless to me!


So what items are you watching for? I'm trying to decide what to offer first :)



Are you ready??? I know I am!

New Pics, thanks to Addimae Photography

A dear friend of mine offered to take some pictures for me for my fall collections. How awesome is that??I'd be a fool to say no! I gave her a big ol' bag of bags, and she sent me a message last night. It was 10 pictures that she took, as she was "playing around". 

{swooning}This is why I don't take my own pics. 

My very best pictures don't even look as good as her"playing around" pics! Tomorrow, we have a date to meet at our local historical museum to get some more pictures, which I'll post when I get them.

 She has a great eye for rustic flair, which goes so well with my {modernly-vintage chic-ruffley-pleated- fabulous} style! 

After oohing and ahhing over my pictures, please stop by Addimae's site and check out her work. And I know she'd LOVE to know what you think. Tell her ANGIE sent you ;)

Gathered & Sown has a professional photo shoot {I feel so grown up}

Last night, after I dropped my kids off for VBS, I was privileged enough to have my good friend Krissy Vanderlaan offer to take pictures of my bags. She has a super fancy camera, some mad photog' skills and photo shop. I would be a fool to say no! But when the time came to go, I had no model. As I called Krissy on my cell, I drove by my friend Laura's house. Lo and behold, there she stood, cleaning out her car, like a frantic answer to prayer! And don't gag, but as you look at the pictures, please know this is EXACTLY how she looked when I drove by. No foolin. I wish I looked that good when I was cleaning my car! Krissy was able to convince me that I looked presentable enough to be in a few shots, even though I was only planning on standing BEHIND the lens. Had I known, I would have tried to look at least a little more "laura-like!"

This picture was taken in the cutest little old fashioned soda and ice cream shop in the South Pier district.
If you are ever in Sheboygan, check out South Pier Parlor, owned by the sweetest little thing,
Michelle and her hubby Ryan.
{ I love to support awesome people and their small businesses, wink,wink! }

This was taken on South Pier in Sheboygan.
We are SO BLESSED to live right on the beautiful Lake Michigan.

Krissy thought Spencer felt left out. (he was waiting in the car the WHOLE time!)
SO we decided to get him in a few shots.
{Notice his body language. He was about to SPRINT after another dog.}

Laura and those L-E-G-S!
If I had legs like those, I'd be going around showing them to people, saying
"Hey, have you seen my legs? They rock!" :D

We had so much fun. The weather and natural lighting were perfect and I love what Krissy did with the pictures.

{Thank you Laura and Krissy for your time, talent and friendships!}

That's what I love about my job. I get to do what I love, with the people I enjoy being with and on top of that, get to see something I CREATED bring someone joy. Life is good :)

I finally made my ruffle bag! (and I can't wait to make more)

So for about a year now, I've had this little picture of a ruffle tote bag hanging on my computer in my studio. I always thought it was cute, but never had a free minute to experiment with the design. Fast forward to about two weeks ago. I get an email from a friend that read something like this..."I love this (picture of cute bag) for it's straps. I love this (picture of another cute bag) for the fabric....and I love THIS BAG!" And what was it? Oh yes, the very same ruffly bag idea that I've been looking at for over a year! I took this as a sign. I needed to do it NOW! So I told her I was not only up for the challenge, but excited to give it a whirl. Here is what I came up with:

It makes me want to twirl around!

I kept the ruffles to one side...didn't want to get TOO crazy!

I put a magnetic snap on this bag. I wanted it to have a slouchy,hobo look.
But I do plan to design a double handle- tote style with a zipper for all of you zipper fans! 

Up close and personal with the ruffles :)

My 6 year old took these pictures to show the size of the bag on me.
She may not understand cropping and backgrounds but  you get a nice view of my garage.
Sparkly clean thanks to the hubs :)

I'll have to tell the hubs to get out and pressure wash the driveway. It doesn't look sparkly like the garage!
 But Spencer doesn't seem to mind. He'll sleep anywhere!