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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

New Look

Let me know what you think of the new design.  I'm exploring different options.  

As the Fall settles in I have been bit slow accepting the change it brings -- in weather, the slow down at the market, the shift in priorities.  Yet there is a relief.  Summers are intense as business bustles down at the market. No time for reflecting and planning.  No time to send out my E Newsletters, introducing new fabrics and designs.  Only time to respond to the traffic at the Market.

So here I am, having the luxury of visiting you once again on my Blog.  I would love some feedback from you about what is important to you.  What you would like to see on my blog.

Sandra's Satchels just celebrated our 10 year anniversary in August.  It is hard to believe that it has been so long. 

I remember making my very first handbag, entirely by hand.  You see I inherited my Mother's sewing machine which had been sitting in the attic above the garage at my parents home for many years.  When I hand carried it from Wisconsin to Seattle by airplane -- tucked under the seat (whew, it just fit and I didn't have a plan "B" if it didn't.)  When I tried to use it, the oil had jelled, causing the machine to only go backwards.  So, before having it serviced, I just had to get that first handbag made.

The day I made it I was propelled only by the intention for a simpler life, set out to create one with my own hands and the fabric that I loved combined with a fascination with the perfect handbag.  It took me the entire day!!  As I lay on my bed I asked myself, "what makes you think you can make a living at this".  And the answer came:  "I only have to make the next one."

This journey is not always easy buy it has been and continues to be a great friend and teacher.  I get to share this with agents and customers, and others who join me and enrich my life.  Some day I will take a photo of that first handbag, which I still have in my workroom, as a reminder of where we started.  I still love it!! It has a starfish charm on it because the starfish has great significance to me. 

There is a story about a man who was sitting upon a hill just overlooking the ocean.  He saw a figure moving along the shore in a sort of dance, sweeping his hand down to the sand and extending it out to the water, again and again.  Being curious, he went down for a closer look, and discovered the man was picking up starfish one by one and tossing them out to the sea.   He walked up to the man and asked "what are you doing". The man replied that the tide was going out and if the starfish were left on the shore they would die.  The observer said, "There are miles and miles of shore and millions and millions of starfish, what makes you think you can make a difference?"  The man bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it out into the ocean.  He then looked at the observer and said, "It made a difference to that one".

I hope that each of my satchels make a difference to the one who wears it, if even in a small way.

Sandra
Sandra's Satchels




 

About Me

I live in Fremont sell my Sandra's Satchels at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, the Frame Up Shop in Fremont and at sandrassatchels.etsy.com. I am a mom and a grandma, enjoy great neighbors at home and at the Pike Place Market. I enjoy the loyalty of my customers, and learning about their interests. It is very rewarding to know that my satchels are worn and enjoyed by women and men in every corner of the globe