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...

Mother's Day!

We love our Moms! She is the reason we are here. She loves us unconditionally. 

My mother taught me to sew. She gave me my creative talents. She gave me the values I hold true. She introduced me to my Faith.

This year as I celebrate Mother's Day and bask in the glory of being called "Mom",  I appreciate and understand more fully what it truly means to have that title. While my Mother gave me so much, ironically, she did not teach me these things I now know:

I now know the sacrifices she made for her family. I can relate to the love, insecurities and pain she felt for her children when they struggled. I understand the joy of watching her children grow up and the love that grows with them. I am learning the scary feeling of having to let the kids go off and make their own mistakes, suffer their own consequences, and the Faith required to not interfere.

 I now know these things by becoming a mother myself.  

It is not for the faint of heart. 

This is one of my favorite photos of my boys when they called me "Mommy". They would not sit still. Ever. Notice the sand on the little one's face... I wonder how that got there. They were annoying and always in my way when I was trying to work. They were silly, loud and naughty. Back then I loved being a mother but it was hard and I did not appreciate their cuteness. Now I do; I sigh when I look at old photos, now that they are almost grown. When I hug them my arms can hardly get around them, and cuddling is awkward. They call me "Mom" or sometimes "Mother", which is weird. I only have a few more years with them under my own roof.

 I will cherish them.

I hope your Mother's Day is a happy one. If you are a Mother, I hope you get a pat on your back for all you do, and you hug your kids even if it is awkward. If you have a Mother, I hope you get a chance to tell her how much you appreciate her. If your Mother is no longer with you, then I hope you can feel glad that she gave you so many things-including memories that you can cherish. 

P.S. Stop in sometime with your mom or daughter! Or call your local Design Consultant. We love designing bags with the special ladies in your life!

Designing a Bag: Part II

Every once in a while, I am inspired by great fabrics such as these:

 I LOVE the neutral oversized chevron and fish scale prints.  The bright pink and orange colors remind me of summer and eating sherbet. The color of the chevron is the exact color of a wet sandy beach. With these fabrics one cannot help but create something with them! It is so tempting to add a touch of sparkle on it somewhere, perhaps the strap?

I'm thinking, what kind of bag would I want to be carrying while eating ice cream on a beach in the summer? Two bags come to mind: a zippered tote and a slouchy hobo with a really short strap. Here is what I came up with for the tote:

Now I am off to work on the Hobo bag! 

Designing a Bag: Part 1

 This happens A LOT. I come up with a new design and we get requests to make a smaller or larger version. Here is an example of a bag, which dimension-wise, is HUGE. I wish I had a photo of it on a person but it is great duffle bag for an overnight, a gym bag, dance bag or whatever.

Sure enough I started getting requests to make a smaller size. So, after mulling it over for months, I began working on a "purse" version. I did not want the straps to wrap around the bag like they do in the large size. I wanted the bag to be casual but not AS casual. I also wanted there to be a long adjustable strap feature and, like the original size, an outside pocket. Because, a girl loves her outside pocket! Here is the final product:

There are still some tweaks that need to be made but overall, I am happy with the outcome. I think there may be a few inspired gals out there who will be happy as well!