January Projects

Hannah and I have been working quietly (okay, not so quietly, really) behind the scenes since recovering from the holidays.  We've been having weekly meetings and getting quite a bit accomplished, though the poor blog has suffered somewhat.  We just wanted to let you all know we're still here, and are so excited about our new website launching soon.

I know we've talked about it for a while now, but we just got the "rough draft" copy sent to us and couldn't be happier.  With just a few tweaks, we'll have it up and running in no time!  And we will have e-commerce for those who just want to buy straight from the website (without going through etsy). 

We're also close to finishing our press kit which will got out to certain blogs, boutiques, magazines, and local TV stations.  Hopefully, we'll have a date soon that we can tell you all about the launch.  Oh- and don't worry, we're keeping the blog (it may have a new address, but we'll tell you all), and plan on doing more tutorials soon.

Hannah started making iPad covers and after she made a laptop cover for her computer and mine, she started making more- ours are 15", but as always, we take custom orders, so just email us or convo us on etsy if you're interested in having a one-of-a-kind cover for your latest techie gadget!

Here's a little peek at some of the goodies we've been making:

we're starting to think Spring!

a little craft organizer- grommets are going in the top so you can hang it on the wall

laptop case with my most favorite fabric ever

iPad cases- these were scooped up out of our etsy shop almost as soon as they were listed!  yea!

these cute dog collars almost make me wish I had a dog!

So even though we have been working on a lot of logistical things behind the scenes here at FlyChicks, we're still managing to remain crafty and productive (lots of knitting going on too!).  Hope you all are enjoying the new year- we're ready for Spring!  Can you tell by the purse above with the fun, bright graphics?

Fly Bags

Hannah and I dropped off some new goodies at the boutique here in St. Louis today.  When I got to her house, she was crankin' away and let me just tell you, I did not want to see those pretty bags go.  But alas, we gotta make money, right?  Now she is trying to catch up on personal orders.  Up next?  A masculine messenger bag for a good friend.  Can't wait to see how it turns out!

We were able to get some pics with my camera phone before we left for Cha, so here's what we let go of today:

We're really having so much fun with this- I'm glad that people are going nuts over Hannah's bags!  Now that her studio is all set up, expect to see much more soon...

Update

Hello all those who are still hangin' on and actually reading this blog.  Now, not only is my camera shot, Hannah's is too!  So I thought I'd share some pics that were shot before the cameras decided to be the last straw in a very stressful day.  But before that, just want to share with you all that the Boutique in St. Louis that our goods are at has sold out of all the bags (purses and totes) that we brought them.  Yea!  But also, that means Hannah needed to crank out some more.

Hannah's studio had a change of location (to the basement of her house) and the tables she was using were borrowed and taken back:(  So we have been on a mission for the past week trying to find the right furniture for her sewing station.  Both of our sons endured a hot Saturday last week spent driving around to different garage sales.  It was really funny because Hannah's two year old kept saying "Gamma's house?" every time we pulled into a driveway, but he doesn't even call any of his actual Grandmas, "Gamma"; confusing? yes, hilarious? yes.  And each time we pulled away, he would start to cry and say "I wan go to Gamma's house!"  His older cousin assured him it would be okay and that we would see his actual grandmas soon.

The garage sales turned up nothing, so at the end of this past week, we went to Lowe's and bought two sawhorses and got a 4'x8' sheet of MDF cut down to a 3'x6' piece that we laid on top for a cutting table/surface.  Then we found the perfect sewing table on Craigslist and spent about half an hour in front of the seller's house trying to fit said table into the back of her car.  When we realized that wasn't going to happen, we spent another 20-30 minutes affixing it to the top of her car with one strap and a prayer!  When we finally got back in the car and on the road, Hannah's son looked up, pointed and exclaimed, "There's a table on top of the car!"  Thank god for our kids, because, among a host of other great things, they provide a lot of comic relief in life.

Oh- we also made a really cute shirt that we patterned off of a sheer, flowy shirt that Hannah got at a local boutique.  We got pictures and everything, but of course, they are lost.  Here are some pics of a night we had a few weeks ago when we went out.  They are also "shout-outs" to a couple of blogs- the clutch shown is one Hannah made after a pattern on a blog called Noodlehead.  And the card with the quote on it is printed off from one of my favorite blogs called Kind Over Matter- it's all about being kinder in this world, which I'm all about!

For some reason, I had our old tags that we ended up not using in my purse that night.  We didn't just want to throw them away, so we wrote our blog site on the back of them and just sort of scattered them around and handed them out to people.  I also left those little quotation cards all around.  I've printed out a bunch and am keeping them in my purse for when I feel the inspiration to leave them somewhere anonymously.

Tomorrow we are dropping off a new shipment of purses and totes (along with some really cute checkbook covers and headbands!)  So if you are local, stop on by Cha, and if you are far away, leave us a message or a comment and we can do a custom order.  Happy Summer and stay cool- it's in the mid 90's all week here!

Woo Hoo- We're in our First Boutique!

Hannah and I took a basket full of totes, handbags, and cosmetic bags to a local boutique today and the owner bought all of them!  We were looking around earlier in the week at some different stores and boutiques in the greater St. Louis area that would be a good match for FlyChicks goods.  Just after we walked into the fourth or fifth one, CHA, the owner commented that she liked my purse (of course I carry a FlyChicks original!)  I then showed her Hannah's purse too and she loved that as well; I told her that Hannah makes them.  She asked if we sold them and the rest is history!

Hannah was busy sewing all week (that is, when she wasn't bartending or running after her 2 year old, Jack) and I did what I could (I threw my back out not once, but twice in five days!) with branding and tagging and researching, while mostly laying down on a heating pad.  Hannah made some really cute totes and another handbag- everything she makes, I want to keep!  Unfortunately, the good pics are on Hannah's camera and I only got cell phone pics of the goodies before we took them off.  If I waited until Hannah sent me the pics, we might be waiting until next summer, so I'm just going to share my phone pics!

Sorry, that last one is a bit blurry.

But... YEA!!!  We're really excited and looking forward to working with the owner, Sarah.  CHA is a super cute store and we think we are a great fit with them!

Don't forget, we do custom orders, so if you see a style or a certain print that you like, just leave us a message and we can get started on it!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend:)

Fingers Crossed!

Don't wanna jinx it, so I'm not going to go into too much detail, but a local boutique here in St. Louis is interested in buying a bunch of our stuff!  We are really excited and will be working our butts off this week getting all our stuff together (and making new stuff!) to bring to the owner of the boutique.  If all goes well on Friday, I'll post more about it!

So for some randomness, I am going to post some pics of random things... Just a few things we're working on:

awesome new purse Hannah made with inside pockets

another new purse

decoupaged light switch plate

checkbook cover and matching key fob- we are going to be GIVING THIS AWAY!!!

Yup- giveaway details coming soon.  Hint: if you become a Follower of our blog, you will get an extra entry:)

Once we hit 10 followers, I will make the post for the giveaway!

Come back soon for the Giveaway and another tutorial...