Cinematic Glamor and Marigolds

Hello Loves,
    The past three weeks have been excitingly hectic, but that's life I guess. I was so excited about doing my "inspiration cleanse," then I got so busy creating my newest collection and keeping up with the demand for my burlap coffee sack wallets. I have been thinking about my blog in the back of my mind, and definitely feeling guilty. It's like when a friend is calling and you keep missing them, so this will be our super cozy long phone call where I will catch you up on the latest in the world of Well-Loved. I have in the past done some collage work, creating these scenes from different magazine textures and colors. It's like a view into my mind and I like to think of my purses as souvenirs from my own little world. I had a physics teacher in high school named Doc Brown, and he always said, "If you don't like the world make up your own." I dream of a world where the colors are maxed out like on Pushing Daisies and details are sentimental. I am so ecstatic about my latest collection, A Tungsten Day. I have been in love with every detail of each purse since I started creating it about a week and a half ago. There is this gorgeous accent color seen in the lace pockets of the Gatsby and the embroidery on the Wallace, that is what I like to call a deep marigold. The linings for this collection are vintage florals, and a paisley polka dot print that looks as if it were painted in watercolors. The buttons have this amazing 1950 Hollywood starlet feel, the glitter and color palette is glimmering and fresh. 

    In this collection I also proved that brown and black can go together. My color philosophy is that any colors can work together if it is done right. This collection for me, feels so much like it arrived from my dream world and I am so excited to share it with you. The Collection is called, "A Tungsten Day." When I see this collection I am taken somewhere else. It's a 1950's california starlet sitting in a candy apple red classic car pulled over on the side of a highway. She ran away from the city for a day, still in her glamorous and glimmering evening gown. She steps out of the car and sees that the highway in lined with fields of vibrant wildflowers: marigolds, poppies, and roses the color of hard candy. There is a sweet smell in the air like clove cigarettes and gardenias, and the sun is warm upon your skin. I think of the warm and beautifying glow of a summer sunset, tinting everything is touches with a tangerine tungsten hue. Imagine you are in that beautiful summer sunset glow and enjoy a first look at the collection. 

Well-Loved: Wallace: Champagne

                                        Well-Loved:Wallace: Rustic brown

 Well-Loved: Gatsby: Gatsby Duo shown in rustic brown/ champagne & Gatsby in rustic  brown

 Well-Loved: Gatsby: Glamorous sparkly buttons and a floral lining with marigold lace pocket

 Well-Loved: Itty-Bitty: Adorned with vintage buttons and now big enough to fit your iphone

                                          Well-Loved: Itty-Bitty: Hand dyed lace bow

                                                       Well-Loved: Card Holder: 

                                                          Well-Loved: Card Holder

Always Remember, you are Well-Loved.

-Gianina

A Full Bloom of Coffee Grounds and Burlap

Greetings from Savannah!

    I try to post every Wednesday, and I know this post will fall right on the wire of Wednesday to Thursday. Today has been such a busy, but wonderful day. I found out some great news about a collaboration I did back in March with Perc Coffee Roasters. Perc is a wonderful coffee roaster who provides to most coffee shops in Savannah, but specifically my two favorite sister coffee shops, Foxy Loxy and The Coffee Fox. They are both wonderfully homey and eclectic coffee shops with amazing desserts. Perc and I collaborated on a collection using recycled coffee sacks that the beans come in, which I crafted into billfold wallets. The sacks have great typography, designs and vibrant colors. I named the collection "Full Bloom," which actually is a term from the coffee roasting process, but I thought of on a larger scale. "Full Bloom" to me means that the coffee sacks are reaching their full potential. They hold quality coffee beans to be roasted at Perc, and then are crafted into unique wallets.  

    I heard back from The Coffee Fox, where they had been selling my wallets alongside delicious Perc coffee. Apparently my wallets have taken off and they want to order more. I am excited firstly because this is my first reorder, but also because I began as consignment with them and now we have began a wholesale relationship. Ideally a small business would want to do wholesale. Most retailers will start a new business or product at consignment and see how well it sells. I was really excited to have made the leap in my relationship with this business to wholesale, and of course to hear that people are loving the wallets. My weekend will definitely be full of burlap sewing and ironing and staring longingly at the stacks of leather waiting to be made into my bridal collection and classic collection. Here is a look at the  coffee sack wallets I made. 

Savannah,GA: Burlap Coffee Sack Wallets Available at The Coffee Fox

                         Savannah,GA: Burlap Coffee Sack Wallets Available at The Coffee Fox

Savannah,GA: Burlap Coffee Sack Wallets Available at The Coffee Fox

Savannah,GA: Burlap Coffee Sack Wallets Available at The Coffee Fox

I have also started working on my Classic Collection, which is 4 different sizes of purses made with two colors of leather. It creates quite a diverse collection that has some two-tone purses and ones that are all one color leather. The two colors I am working with for this classic collection are champagne and rustic brown. This collection will also be introducing a new sized purse, the cardholder. Originally the Itty Bitty was a wristlet that had a chain that you could wear at your elbow crook. It was big enough for cash, cards and some sentimental trinkets. I thought of it as the minimalist purse, that would be ideal for a cocktail party or an event where you don't want your purse to hold you back. I have been reevaluating my designs and perfecting them lately. I realized that if I was to own this purse it would ideally fit my phone too. The Itty Bitty has gotten bigger now and will fit the iphone5. The purse that used to be the Itty Bitty has lost it's chain and become the Card Holder. I hope you enjoy a sneak peak below of the new Card Holder design, and the fabrics and leathers for the upcoming Classic Collection. 

Savannah,GA: Well-Loved's upcoming Classic Collection: New Cardholder size in Rustic Brown

                        

Savannah,GA: Well-Loved's upcoming Classic Collection: New Cardholder size in Rustic Brown

Savannah,GA: Well-Loved's upcoming Classic Collection in Process

Savannah,GA: Well-Loved's upcoming Classic Collection: Leather Duo, Champagne and Rustic Brown

Savannah,GA: Well-Loved's upcoming Classic Collection: Beautiful buttons

I can't wait to show you guys the next project for "The Cleanse."Next Wednesday's post should have our newest interview and design. In the previous post, I shared my first entry of the cleanse and latest inspiration project. 

-Have a wonderful week, and always remember "You are Well-Loved."

Love,

Gianina

White Beetles & Splatter Paint Fringe

Hello!
    I have been excitedly waiting all week to let you guys in on my latest project. I have been working on my bridal collection and classic collection, which I mentioned in last week's post. I have been doing some custom designs outside of my normal collections, and I really enjoy it. I like to think something that separates my purses from other purses, is that mine are made with love. Every fabric is hand picked and the leather feels so genuine and luxurious. I spend a great deal of time, perfecting every detail so that the future owner feels the love and care put into each bag. I think when you are making a purse for someone you know that's an easier thing. It's like baking a cake for your sibling, versus a total stranger. I won't make you wait any longer, in my attempts to try and connect better with my customer I am embarking on what I like to call, "The Cleanse." Each week I am going to create a purse that one of my friends will love and also interview them. I made shirts and purses for my friend's birthdays as I was growing up, and there really is a special kind of love and labor that goes into those gifts. This all came to me over the weekend, along with all of the details for a perfect purse for my friend, Rebecca. I was driving and suddenly imagined a turquoise button, black fringe with gold splatter paint, a hard stamped "you are well-loved" filled in with gold, and of course mustard yellow lining with a mustard yellow lace pocket. I was so excited at this idea of making something beautiful for the people I love that I almost began it when I arrived home at 3am. Here we go!

The Cleanse: week 1
    Rebecca and I have been friends about a year. We met a couple months after I moved here, when we both worked at Savannah Bee Company. I was so excited to hear she loved Death Cab for Cutie as much as I did, maybe a little more. I thought her earrings, which were huge turquoise spheres with fetahers, were something that belonged in my own closet. We really became good friends this past winter and we have been roommates since February. She has been such a blessing to meet, when I moved down I never expected that I would make friends with someone so funny, sweet, and fun. We have way too much fun, whether it be grocery shopping or going to the beach. In the past few months I have definitely paid attention to her style and was confident I could make a bag she would love.

                            
                                              Savannah,GA: Rebecca Haney

                  Savannah,GA: Black quality leather with insets and gold splatter painted fringe

                        Savannah,GA: Antique brass chain and leather crafter shoulder strap

Savannah,GA: I used letter block stamps and a hammer to punch these into the leather and then filled in          the letters with Jaquard leather paint and the tip of a needle.

Savannah,GA: Mustard yellow lining, with a mustard yellow pocket that will hold her iphone. 

         Overall I would say this was a successful first week, Rebecca loved the purse. She was amazed by how "her" the purse was and how every detail was her favorite colors, and shapes. One thing that became very apparent when I was working on this is people tend to have their own chosen forms. The purse I create called the "Gatsby" is my ideal style lines and silhouette. Whether I am drawing or designing a dress, I am always drawn to very curvy, loopy, and organic shapes. I thought about Rebecca's jewelry and clothing and I realized she prefers hexagonal shapes. You can see these details on the shape of the purse, with the bottom having angular shaping. The flap for the purse was an echo of 1960's fashion, which is definitely an element of Rebecca's style. The turquoise button almost exactly matches a signature ring that Rebecca always wears. 

The Interview:

1. What is your favorite accessory?

-Probably a necklace or rings. A plethora of rings.

2. Where would be your dream vacation?

-Oregon, but generally I would like to conquer america before I leave the country.

3. What is your favorite color?

-Pea soup green/ teal

4. What is your favorite quote?

-This quote is probably my fave because every time I re-read it, it inspires me to re-evaluate or simplify things going on in my life. I know this quote is used frequently, but no one beats ole' Jack. 

"Be in love with your life. Every minute of it."

-Jack Kerouac 

-It's so simple, but it boils down to the core of what truly matters: making a life your proud of. 

5. Who is your hero?

-I don't even care what people think about this, but Andy Samberg is totally at the top somewhere. Nestled alongside him in my heart would be Ben Gibbard. His creative lyricism continues to inspire and amaze me. 

6. What is your favorite activity?

-Sleeping, I'm too lazy. I don't know how I haven't been picked out by natural selection by now. 

Have a lovely week, and always remember, you are well-loved.

-Gianina