Memorial Day weekend mLd inspirations!

Over Memorial Day weekend, two of our closest friends, ReRe and KG got married in Quincy, IL. We were so honored to be there and it was seriously one of the best weddings I've ever been to. Friends and family of both the bride and groom were so sweet and man, did they dance the night away! I think it helped that the beautiful bride never skipped a beat and we were just trying to keep up with her! :o)

S0...I have a problem. In the midst of chaos, I tend to get inspired to create, as a mental break of sorts, y'know? So here I was, finishing up my big order for the Bride's gifts to her bridal party. And what do I decide to do? Make a bag for myself. Ok, so the problem is that I can be severely selfish! I had this really cute dress that I bought in Philly, @, of all places, ROSS! I miss ROSS...it reminds me of home. So I have a cute dress and cute shoes, but no bag! You would think that as a handbag designer, I have plenty to choose from! Soo not true! Most of my mLds ended up being either too big, too small, etc. And plus, I wanted to fit my camera (Canon G10, it's quite the beast in size for a point and shoot, though it's not quite a point and shoot either), among all the necessities of a girl at a wedding.

Despite the hecticness of the situation, at the end of it, it's the best feeling holding a finished product. I knew I wanted something with a big base and reinforce it with something sturdy to keep the shape of the bag, especially with my camera in it. But I am most proud that I added a zipper to it! Don't worry, I still left my signature magnetic snaps, which is perfect because I now have 2 options to close it. If I know I will be in and out of it a fair amount of time, I would use the magnets. If I needed everything to be safe and sound, I would use the zipper. Plus, the lining was too darn cute, I liked that the b/w bag had a pop of color!

So here she is:

dimensions:
9.5" base, 9" opening (with 3 pleats), 7 " tall, and 3.5" base

comes with both a zipper and magnetic snap
and of course, 3 pockets - 2 flush against the side, and one big enough to hold a cell phone

single strap

Big and sturdy base to always keep it's shape, even when it's empty!

As of right now, she remains name-less. But open to suggestions :o) No guarantees though! I know namesakes are h*o*t these days.

As you will notice, the title of this blog states that there were TWO designs that emerged from being inspired by our roadtrip to Quincy, IL.

This next design, was made due to sheer NEED, yes, sheer DESPERATION. You see, B and I use electric toothbrushes at home, and being that we are lazy (it brushes our teeth for us!), what's a vacation if you have to do "work"? :o) The problem was, there are NO holders, nor toothbrush head covers (some come with one, but ours did not), made for electric toothbrushes. They are nothing fancy, just those simple ones that come with a charger for $12 at Target.

Previous trips, we've have tried the ziplock bag method. If you have done that before, you will agree with me, whole heartedly, that it is a disaster. The bag is always full of water after you put your wet toothbrush in, and you have to zip it, or else it could fall out, etc, etc, etc.

So...what to do? I wanted to continue my groove with zippers. It needed to be tall and deep enough to fit 2 electric toothbrushes AND a tube of toothpaste. And voila...


Let me tell you, I couldn't love this thing more than I already do! It is perfect with vinyl both inside and out, easy to clean! The zipper is a lifesaver because if the brushes are dry, I zip it all the way. If they are wet, I zip it 3/4 way to let it air dry.

Let me know what you think! ;o)