Cute Wristlet for the bare essentials - Made with Tim Holtz fabric

This is a cute wristlet I made for my sister.  It's large enough to carry your cell phone inside as well as lip gloss, sunglasses and a couple of other essentials. There are also card slots inside for carrying your ID and credit cards as well as an interior zippered pocket. #handmadegifts #handmadebag #baggageclaimpurses #baggageclaimshop

Flip-Flop messenger style crossbody purse - Just in time for summer!

Here's my newest bag. I love the fun novelty print!  My customer (my cousin) requested a print with flip-flops on it.  I found this adorable print and she gave me the thumbs up on it. It is super roomy with 2 cargo pockets with flap closures on one side (outside) and a large slip pocket on the other side (outside). The outside slip pocket is large enough for a large iPad. The interior has a zippered pocket on one side and the other side has two separate slip pockets. One of those slip pockets is large enough for a Smart Phone.

On to bigger and better things - I now make custom handcrafted purses! Wow.

I have been away for quite some time. I didn't realize how long it had been. I've moved into a totally new endeavor in my life and am LOVING IT!!  I now make custom designed handbags and purses. I know, right?!  

How did I decide to start doing this, you may ask?  I can't really answer that specifically. It just kinda happened.  Last fall (Nov. 2016) I was slated to go on a Bahamian cruise with my husband and another couple. My husband and I have cruised many, many times, but this was going to be the first cruise for the other couple.  I decided to sew a couple of things for the cruise. One of the things I wanted to sew was a cool shirt for my husband. (It was epic, but of course I can't seem to locate a photo of it right now.  

The other thing I wanted to make was a personalized tote/beach bag for my girlfriend going with us. I designed the fabric and personalized it with some things that were sort of 'inside jokes' between us or just other things we would talk about. She loved the tote!  Doing more sewing than I had in years and in particular, sewing that tote bag made me want to sew some more!

Long story short - I got into making purses and handbags.  I have my own Etsy store now. My brand name for my little creations is "baggage claim".  I love it! It has been a huge success so far. Most of my business has been in the creation of very custom purses. Since I'm also able to design the fabric for them, that has really opened it up for VERY customized purses! Pop on over to my Etsy store if you'd like to purchase a cool custom purse!