Our Road Ends Here

It is with heavy hearts as we announce that our custom handbag company, LexiWynn Designs, will be closing the doors after Christmas. It has been so much fun making our dream of manufacturing custom bags in America a reality, and has given all of us here at LexiWynn great purpose! Though “It’s the end of the road” for LexiWynn,  we will always hold true to what we stand for. 

It is not too late for you to get your last LexiWynn! We will be taking custom orders through mid-December, however the Christmas delivery cutoff is mid-November. We also have a considerable amount of discounted off-the-rack merchandise that is available from our Design Consultants and our show room in Libertyville, IL.  

We are so grateful for all our clients who have shared in the vision of being involved in the creative process. Through your purchases, you have helped to support the local economy and given people jobs in a pleasant work environment. Hopefully you enjoyed the outcome of your selections when you made the choice to design your custom handbags. We hope you continue to make intentional purchases from other hardworking companies. 

The End of Summer

The end of summer is here. It is hard to believe that fall is already peeking around the corner. The days are getting shorter, kids are back in school and football games are scheduled. You can even smell it in the air: Late season Perennials and evening bonfires. 

I love the setting of our recent photo shoot, which is the back of our building here in Libertyville, IL. I also love the model, Linzy Westman. 

Rest assured she is much more then just a pretty face! I know Linzy primarily as one of the very talented worship leaders at my church. She is also a singer/songwriter.  Lately I have been fortunate to get to know her on a more personal level. After learning about her goals for herself, her creative spirit and witnessing how she uses her talents to benefit others, I knew we had to feature her in a photo shoot! I am very pleased to showcase a few of the photos which highlight her beauty.  

Here she is with her own creation: The City Tote. She wanted something she could carry all her music pieces and paperwork for her students. (Yes, she does do voice/music lessons!)I think this is perfect for her!

This is the same bag, but check out the cute little snap case that coordinates!

Here is another clutch called the "Buckle clutch".  I love this outfit with the yellow shoes!

Linzy is carrying the Katy Sue 2

One of my favorite shots with a popular LexiWynn style, the Hipster. This is the perfect bag to wear Antiquing!

This is another popular style, the Katy Sue. The fabrics in this purse are so fun! I loved how Linzy draws the eye to the poppy color with the use of her scarf.  (This is also a great look for this time of year when it starts to cool off.)  

So, don't miss out on the last lazy hazy days of summer and,

please take a minute to check out Linzy's website:

 linzywestman.com

The photographer for this shoot, who was so great to work with, I will be featuring in my next entry. Here is a link to her website for more information until then:

 www.candacelynnphotography.com

You will be blown away by the talent! How fortunate we are to be on the receiving end!!

Sharing Little Pieces

Here at LexiWynn, I get to meet a lot of creative people, as you can imagine.
Sometimes I get to share little pieces of their talent, one of whom is my photographer friend Carrianne (you can check out her links below). Her talent brings out the best in mine so I wanted to share the collaboration. 

This bag is called the "City Tote". It features a rugged waxed canvas bottom and leather accents, including the braided straps (love this upgrade).

Carrianne has such a great eye and I especially love how these photos show off some of the unique decor we have in our showroom.

This small bag is actually a wallet called the "Jodi Wallet" and features removable straps, an exterior pocket, a zipper closure with inside compartments. I love the calming yet fun fabrics on this. 

This is a medium size bucket style purse called the "Hope Tote". I love the buckle hardware on the adjustable strap and practical exterior zipper pocket. The vintage look of the fabric on this bag is one of my favorites!

These are just a sample of the beautiful photographs that bring my bags to life! I am fortunate to be able to be on the receiving end of another's talent. 

Here is the link to Carrianne's blog. Also, you can follow her on facebook to see her amazing photographs!:

http://carriannephotography.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/carrianne.photography

Work Life Balance & Boys

It is the end of the weekend and I am mentally getting ready for next week's work load. "Did a whole week already go by?" I think to myself as I look over at my teenage son, who needs to remove his peach fuzz. We have agreed that Monday morning is the day he would shave his mustache and the little hairs on his chin. Eeek! Once a week is all he needs to get the job done, for now... The weeks are going by so fast and this little distasteful reminder, when I see the black haze above his lip, makes me feel that time is running out.

Instagram is a great way to mark the passage of time, because as I look at my photos I have posted, it will show the weeks. There is a photo I took last spring, when we first noticed he had passed me up. It was 59 weeks ago, just over a year from today. Now he is at least six inches taller then me (keep in mind, I am super short). It is shocking the change that occurs seemingly overnight and my heart can hardly contain itself. 

There are so many emotions:

PRIDE because you can see the man he will become.

HOPE because he sometimes opens doors and carries stuff for you!

SADNESS because he is growing up so fast, there are only a few more years left to enjoy this person who just yesterday was a boy.

FRUSTRATION (Panic may be a better word) because he is growing up so fast and you only have a few more years to make sure he can function in society!

IRRITATION because, oh my gosh, I am still clipping his nails! (Also there is a small sense of failure)

GRATITUDE because he still lets you clip his nails.

GRATITUDE because I was the one chosen to raise him. 

As I strive to balance running our small startup company with home life, I realize my thoughts are always consumed with my family. That is where a Mother's heart lies. I am sometimes distracted, thankfully, by my work which, on most days, is fun, creative and engaging. But my true heart lies with my boys. That is what I signed up for. So really, there is no balance between work and family life. The scale for me, is always tipped. 

to read more about our LexiWynn Story click here

feel free to distract yourself by following our Instagram feed.

My People

I was going to title this entry "A Day in the Life of a Custom Bag". However, as I have thought through what I wanted to share, the story has changed into much more then the process of making a bag. 

It has become deeply personal for me as I introduce the individuals who touch each custom order. So, here are My People who carefully, skillfully, handle each bag:

After the orders are taken by our AMAZING Design Consultants, they are sent in to Dina. Here she is hard at work at the computer. Dina also does all sorts of odd jobs to keep things running smoothly. She is the voice our Design Consultants hear when they have questions. And my most trusted employee and friend.

After the orders are processed, each one is hand cut by Noelia. In order to do her job efficiently she must know each design, fabric, leather and material we have to offer. An incredible task for anyone! She is a perfectionist and pretty much runs the show.  She also is an excellent operator who sews our most detailed applications. (She was trained by the best though! Her predecessor has moved onto bigger and better things and we miss her every day.)

 Francisca gets the bags started by sewing the appropriate interlining on each piece. She also prepares the linings of each bag to be sewn to the outside of the bag. Bless her heart, she loves to give gifts and is a faithful employee. 

What would I do without Bernadette? She is a very skilled operator that I trust with my most difficult applications. She has been with me from the beginning of this circus and am thankful for her loyalty and kindness everyday. 

Aurora is an efficient strong operator who finishes each bag. She does the heavy lifting so to speak. I am fortunate to have her in-between her bus driving shifts, where she carefully transports children with special needs to and from school. 

 Here I am doing the hardware. I love that I get to touch every single bag that leaves this workroom. 

I especially love working side by side with these amazing women whom I would have never come into contact with had I not started this company. 

There are more special people who make us great, working behind the scenes. But that will have to wait for the next post !

Party with LexiWynn this Summer!

Libertyville schools will start their Summer break soon. The weather didn't cooperate this spring, but the SUN is out now and it is starting to feel a bit like SUMMER!

What are your summer plans? May your next 18 weeks be full of trips, cookouts, movies, adventure, celebrations and more!  Maybe your plans includes a LexiWynn Purse Party or Trunk Event as well?!

If you are looking for one final nudge to host one of our fabulous design-your-own-bag events...  Here it is!

http://www.lexiwynn.com/parties/throw-a-design-party

Next step?  Send us an email (parties@lexiwynn.com) and we will get the ball rolling!

Viva Summer 2014 and may it be the BEST SUMMER YET!

What's in Her Handbag?

What do we schlep around daily? Why do we need all that stuff? Here are some things I discovered in a few of my employees purses as well as in my own.  So interesting!

The above photo are (some of) the things I personally am carrying around. The item I am most excited about is the IPad cover (the grey and white damask print zippered case)  that we are just now rolling out. Note the gloves. Yes it is the middle of May, but in the upper mid-west you should never leave the house without them (and a hat and scarf!)

The common things everyone has in their bag are: Keys, a wallet and personal care items. The other items that most people have in their purses are tissues and writing utensils. 

 Do we need to be hauling around the other things you might find in your bag? Endless receipts, gum wrappers, expired coupons, etc. 

What is in your bag? Do you need to edit the things you feel you need to have on you at all times? A great way to counteract this trend towards overstuffing, is by regularly switching out your bag! More on that later...