Yesterday we had our 100th sale when an apron in our Creative Chics store was sold to a gentleman in Spain!!!

We opened our store July 24th and in 84 days hit the 100th sale online mark!!  We think that is awesome.   We had set that goal to occur by year end so needless to say we are thrilled with the response we have had to our inventory of items.

This week I sold aprons to a lady in Canada, a lady in Finland and the gentleman in Spain.  Shows you what a small world we truly live in as probably 25% of our sales are international.  I know I speak for all of the Chic’s in saying how exciting this year has been for us, so “thank you”.

Thank you so much friends, family, and people around the world, we appreciate you!

To celebrate with you we are giving away three lavender sachets free with any order and applying a 5% discount on orders of $25.00 or more and a 10% discount on orders of $100.00 or more with any purchase today through Friday the 20th of November.  If you had your heart on an item you were planning on purchasing for Christmas giving now is the time to place the order and be a part of our three day celebration.  Please convo us before placing your order so we can apply your discount.

Note:  Discount will not apply to handbags/purses/totes due to clearance prices already marked on all of those items. These are priced to make excellent Christmas gifts for the ladies on your list.

There are lots of new items in the store to choose from; here are a select few.

Candy Cane  Napkins                                                     Cowgirl Gift Bag

Yule Critters Gift Bag                                             Joel Dewberry Napkins

More at http://creativechics.etsy.com

Hey everyone! Well it is finally here, our first art festival selling our own stuff. We are nervous, excited, and working down to the very last minute to get everything done for Saturday morning. Please cross your fingers and pray for sunshine for us. We don’t have a tent over our booth so rain would certainly ruin the day.

If you are in our area, we’d LOVE to see you! Stop by at Bearden’s located on 7600 Metcalf in Overland Park Kansas. We’ll be there from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. so stop by and say hi!

Momma Chic loading up the blog at 11:20 and have to be up early in the morning   Here is what is left to load in my car.

Weather forecast is rain, but I think it will miss us

Watch our blog for pictures in the coming days of our art festival debut!  Have a great weekend everyone.

I made a new pattern this week that incorporated a decorative ring on the flap.  As I contemplated what to use for the ring I spent some time browsing other designer’s stores and their use of beads on bags.  I found too many to show you all of them but thought these were really unique and wanted to share them with you.

The Emma Woodhouse Tote by Schtuff.  A lot of hand work went into this handbag.

Deb used a bead on her Mamma Mia Tote. This tote shouts, bright, cheerful, spacious, and classy.

Last on my list but certainly not least is this beautifully beaded purse from FoursightDesigns.  I love the colors and the beads make it absolutely superb.

I could have added so many more examples but hope, like me, you found each of these unique handbags beautifully designed using beads to embellish the final project. After viewing all of these I finished up my “Back to Basics” handbag, not quite as colorful as these but it fit my polka dot theme so I was pleased.

Today the mailman delivered an order from Nicole Mallalieu Design. Nicole is located in Australia and I love her blog, designs, and finished products. You would think that would be enough accolades; however, what sets her apart are the tutorials that are simple to understand and so full of helpful hints that she freely shares on her website.

I have been dying to try my limiyrf skills on a framed purse but on the other hand feeling intimidated about it because it is something I have never been around in my sewing circle. Nicole, through her website, has convinced me “I can do it.”  So today the postman delivered my order.  I am so excited to try this project and so nervous too. I hope to share with you as I go along, however due to my schedule may be after the first week of August before I can start.

Isn’t it just too, too cute? The frame measures a whole 4” wide! Now I have to decide what fabric to use!!

Wow, where has the weekend gone! We have been busy going here and there and everywhere and then having company over tonight for dinner too. The weather is SO beautiful here in KC right now that it is like spring instead of the dead of summer when typically you can’t stand to walk out your front door without melting into a puddle of sweat. So I do believe everyone is enjoying this cool, balmy Midwest weather by spending tons of time outdoors. We are no exception.

We provided and served a pancake and sausage breakfast this morning for the elderly at a low income retirement living center, about 100 people in all. They were all so dear and gracious and wonderful conversationalists too.  This afternoon my granddaughter, Aria, has entertained me with her wild storytelling and constant chatter about anything and everything. Tonight we are grilling dinner for old family friends, one which was a classmate of Robert’s in grade school who travels back to the states from Hong Kong each year. His parents will join him and I’m sure we’ll be told many childhood stories of them growing up together.

And yes, dear friends, I still owe you some fresh summer vegetable dishes from my market excursion. They are coming, rest assured, by I am admittedly behind on things around here

I did find a wee bit of time this afternoon to upload some new merchandise to my store and do hope you’ll stop by and check them out. It is a new casual collection of Nancy Hobo Purses, medium sized, with lots of places to tuck this and that inside.

I don’t know about you, but I am a bit of an online shopper. Ok, I’m quite a bit of an online shopper. I like the convenience, no driving around saves gas and time, price comparisons at my finger tips, just to name a few. So I thought I’d share with you a few of my latest purchases because if I thought they were nifty, there’s a chance you might too!

The Cell Phone Cozy by Fancy Ferris – $16.95 (I can’t wait to see this arrive in my mail box this week. Perfect for those weekend outings at the arts & crafts festivals where you don’t need to lug around everything but the kitchens sink. It keeps my hands free for browsing. And for me I just love the colorful, happy fabric.)

Pearl Drop Sterling Silver & Capri Earrings - $4.95 (The perfect pair of earrings, not too long, not too heavy, goes with everything and anything, dress up or dress down, and quite frankly you just can’t beat the price!)

Pleated Mini Bag by Lireca -$28.00 (This purse is on the small side, but I personally like smaller purses. If you’re looking for one the size of a carry on travel bag, this is not it Super cute, carries all my basic necessities, fits over my shoulder, very well made, very stylish and it’s darn cute too!)

Just so you know, these are totally my own testimonials about purchases I have made for myself. You’re probably asking, you sew so why do you buy stuff you could make? The answer is simple, I’m lazy and they’re darned cute things! Why spend my time on something that someone else has already perfected.

Our Friday Product Showcase this week features items handmade primarily in black and white.  I don’t know about you, but in my opinion black and white goes with everything, which is probably why half my closet is filled with these two colors!

Black and White Handmade Items

If you see something you’d like to check out further, just click on our store links on the right side of our blog.

You’ve probably also noticed that I’m pretending to be a web designer with our blog Well, pretending is a good word since I’ve never really done this before. You’ll also see us “trying on” new looks during the next week or two. Isn’t that what every woman does, try on new outfits to see what looks best? If you have an opinion, please share it with us. After all, the great thing about girlfriends is they will always tell you the truth about how you look!

Have a great weekend!!!

As kids our parents would pack us all up, along with coolers of fried chicken and fresh watermelon, in the car or pick up truck and we’d head to Drexel, Missouri for the annual fire works show.  Now Drexel is a little hole in the wall town, population 1,095, but they put on one heck of a fire works display.

We’d chow down on our picnic dinner, along with hundreds of other families, before Dad would hand us smoke bombs, snakes and the infamous sparklers, which for the life of me hurt like heck and as an adult I realize just how dangerous they are! You knew the fireworks were going to start when dark settled in and you’d hear the echoing sound of the first cannon ball fired into the air, ringing long after the shot was fired.

For 20 some minutes the fireworks would fill the sky with fantastic color and deep plumes of smoke. The ending was always climactic with sprays of light in all directions and cannon balls booming like thunder. Then silence followed by a rousing applause from the crowd. Slowly we’d all pile back in the car in which we came, usually fast asleep by the time we got home.

In honor of  Independence Day in the USA, and we thought we’d highlight some of our red, white and blue handmade items for you.

Handmade by the Creative Chics

You can find these items and more in our Handmade shops by clicking on the stores to the right.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!!