Pesky Cat Designs

What do vacations and handbags have in common? Both are necessary in life of course!  I closed my shop yesterday to take some time off to rest and recharge. I'll be taking a road trip at this time and I also plan to spend some time in my studio experimenting and trying out some new design ideas. My shop will reopen the week of May 11th.  For my upcoming road trip I decided that I would treat myself to a new handbag from the shop.  The lilac purse posted above is my current everyday bag. I've been using it for about a half a year.  If you were wondering if I use my own handbags, I do!  That is the reason I starting making them in the first place about a year and a half ago.  I wanted a unique one-of-a-kind handbag for myself so I decided to buy fabric, did some research on the internet on how to sew a handbag and made my first simple tote bag out of sage green cotton velvet with a bird on a branch applique. Everyone loved it so I decided to start up a shop and sell them online. 

That's my sweet but pesky Anni trying to be helpful during my photo shoot. After a few minutes she got bored and decided to seek some excitement elsewhere. That was lucky for me because I wanted to finish photographing a couple of new handbags to add to the shop.  I  revised the design of my Semi-Circle Purse so now it has one strap, instead of two, which I think works better. The strap is one inch wide and sits comfortably on your shoulder. That's me above modeling the new design.  This Semi-Circle purse is made from a pinwale cotton cord in a gorgeous springtime chartreuse color. The flower and leafed branch applique is made from ultrasuede. It's lined with a fun cotton print fabric of cherry blossoms. Perfect for the spring! Come see my new bags available at the  Pesky Cat Designs   shop. :)

Last week I got a surprise email from a very sweet customer letting me know that one of my creations made it to the White House! She and her daughter pictured above,  participated in the 2009 Easter Egg Roll , a White House tradition since 1878. Yes, that's a Pesky Cat Designs creation that she is carrying across her shoulder!  The Easter Egg Roll is an annual family event to hunt for and race Easter Eggs on the White House Lawn while enjoying storytelling and a visit from the Easter Bunny. It was the largest public event held in the White House since President Obama greeted guests in the Blue Room after his inauguration. See the White House Easter Egg Roll videos here .  This photo is from the website  http://www.whitehouse.gov/EasterEggRoll/

Today my Semi-Circle Purse was showcased in the Spotlight series of Etsy Finds!  The article, Out on a Limb , written by Christine of i iheartmoustaches, features work inspired by spring blossoms and new growth. Check out all the lovely finds included in this feature.

This week I needed my mini art feeling Balanced by ArtMind more than ever to bring inspiration and balance to my life. It's been a difficult week. She is displayed above my sewing station next to my supply of thread on a repurposed metal shelf that use to be a drawer. I think she is very happy there. Thank you my sweet little Balanced for helping me when I needed you most!

Today I got a convo from the lovely Estella of Star of the East letting me know that the treasury I curated titled "Nature and Balance" made it to Etsy's front page this morning! She also sent me the snapshot posted above. The artists included were madewithlovebyhannah , katrinbird , beaky , staroftheeast , ArtMind , ingermaaike , PrinceDesignsUK , marywibis , KiraFerrer , fleurfatale , meltemsem , inkypots and mcstoneworks . My original treasury included ArtMind's mini feeling "Balanced" but it sold so it does not appear in the snapshot above.   Congrats to all the artists! Hope you received many visitors and lots of sales!

   The Semi-Circle Purse in Faux Leather My new faux leather collection of bags is now available at the Pesky Cat Designs shop!  The Semi-Circle Purse posted above is made from a soft faux leather in black and is fully lined in a lovely Michael Miller cotton print fabric. Its slim-line design is perfect for a night out or a stroll through town. I think it would make a great everyday bag as well! 

This past Wednesday I was very lucky to have my Semi-circle Purse featured on Etsy's front page!  Go here to see a list of all the artists included. Thanks so much to Friendly Pairings for creating such a beautiful treasury. When I first saw it I just knew it was front page material! Check out Friendly Pairings shop on Etsy for wonderful vintage inspired jewelry. Vintage Godiva Earrings by Friendly Pairings

Today I want to share with you these unique and amazing shops I recently found on Etsy. I have so many favorites so it was hard to chose three to feature. Here they are! Antique Sewing Machine Business Card Holder by Hare and Dru m I just love this business card holder by Hare and Drum ! The main focus of this shop is on historically inspired creations. The shop features gorgeous handpainted and decoupaged wooden boxes, wall art, hand embroidery and more. The work is whimsical and beautiful. I recently placed an order for a custom wooden box and I can't wait to receive it! Balanced- Mini Art Feeling by Art Mind Mitsy from Belgium, is the creative mind behind Art Mind .  Her shop is overflowing with unique artistic creations and her creativity never ceases to amaze me! Her latest project, 99 feelings, are a series of babushka's that she adds either texture or an addition to. It derives from a project she did many years ago reflecting her self- portrait. She called it "how t

It's raining in New York City right now and I am day dreaming of sunny warm days walking among the seagrass. I had a bit of a stressful week that involved lots of paperwork, taxes and an emergency visit to the veterinarian.  All is well I am happy to say. The paperwork is organized and Anni, my very sweet pesky cat, is well, but is now missing one of her front incisor/fangs. Anni doesn't seem to mind at all. She is eating normally and managing to eat her wheat grass that I always have on the windowsill for her. So it seems that her losing a tooth was a lot more traumatic for us than for her! I didn't have much time to work in my studio this week but I did finish one custom order and I cut out fabric for new faux leather bags I hope to have in my shop end of next week. I did get some lovely feedback on my site this week that really cheered me up. So big thanks to those wonderful customers. I love creating my handbags and positive feedback is the cherry on the cake!