LFW Designs

New Logo!

2011-02-09T10:11:00.003-05:00

How do you like the new logo? I L.O.V.E. it! We are going through the process of changing all of the old logos to the new, starting with the hang-tags for the handbags, soon the logo will appear on our facebook page and finally on the website. Keep checking back.

Have a great day-

Hello Stranger!

2010-11-01T08:43:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone! It's been a loooooooong time! After the Blue Crab Festival in May I went on a hiatus. After 6 years in business I was TIRED. Month after month I looked for inspiration, I looked for motivation, I looked for fabric...to no avail. Finally within the last week I have started to get back in the groove. I even managed to find ten yards of my favorite fabric ever, the turquoise paisley (a swatch is seen below)....so, I have been sewing. I am even going to have a booth at the fall festival at the All Saints Anglican Church @1250 Highway 19 South in Palatka this Saturday, November 6, from 10 -4. We are really looking forward to it. Public is invited, so you all come on out---

I am still, after all this time decorating my office and my family room.....my family room is coming together, this week I am listing the old furniture on Craigs List in order to prepare for new furniture that is supposed to be in next week....more on that deal later!

I just wanted to check in and let you know I have not dropped off the face of the earth, I am great and so is my family.

There will be new things on the website and new posts coming on this blog that I have so neglected.

The above orange and golds, are headed to the monogrammers because very shortly they will be bags for gator and nole fans....and the pieces below are the starts of some cute bags for next weekend. (and at the top of this post I couldn't help but include sweet Bessie, dressed up once again as Capt. Jack Sparrow----isn't she darling?)Have a great Monday, and come back soon!
xo

Progress?

2010-06-16T17:31:00.004-04:00

Oh yes, definitely progress...however, not really any progress on my office--of course. I suffer from not being able to finish one project before I move onto 100 others!

So, yesterday I painted one of my thrift store finds...did I tell you about that? Ashlie drug me through Gainesville on Saturday morning, and we shopped....but instead of our usual jaunts at the mall, we opted for garage sales and thrift stores. Garage sales and thrift stores. Hello. Anyone out there, what have you done with my daughter? Anyway, I must admit I was a little apprehensive about all of that, but we had a blast! I bought a dresser for Hunter for $15. More on that later....I also bought a couple of hurricane globes that I thought would be perfect for Christmas arrangements for $2.....and at our last stop (our last stop because Karl's truck was SLAM FULL---front, back, and bed of the truck) I vasillated about a sofa table. It wasn't anything I needed, and while I couldn't say I really wanted it, I couldn't say I really didn't. It was $40, and furniture was 50% off that day, so what the heck $20 later it was mine. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that it was made by Thomasville Furniture, and solid oak. It was in perfect condition, so for a few days I thought seriously about leaving well enough alone......but where is the fun in that? so, I painted and distressed it, and oh. my. goodness., does it ever look spectacular! Just look at the pictures.....and it looks a little small in the pictures to me, but don't let that fool you, it is 5 feet long and 12 inches deep. I LOVE IT. Can you tell???

Do you have furniture that you are thinking about painting but your scared? Don't be, it is addicting.....I am really fighting the urge to paint my dining room suit, (Karl would kill me!!!) or even my kitchen cabinets (Karl would definitely have a hissy fit) but who knows.....I will be on the prowl this weekend to see what projects I can find!!!

Tomorrow, you'll have to check back to see what I did to the foyer! :)

Y'all have a great evening~
xo

Still Working on Office Stuff!!!

2010-06-14T19:19:00.004-04:00

Yes, I am still actually working on the project from last week....my office redo.
It is so dreary and unorganized, that it was definitely time, and I am happy to report it is coming along nicely.

One of the first things I did was repaint a dresser that was donated to me from my sister-in-law....somewhere I have a before picture, but look at the afters, isn't it cute? Pay no attention to the array of things atop it, I have no idea what will end up there, I'm thinking a mirror on the wall, but maybe an arrangement of white plates. Who knows....

Thanks for stopping by!!

xo

New Designs?

2010-06-09T12:04:00.006-04:00

Well, I am once again thinking of redecorating....did you know there are 10,000,000 decorating blogs on the web? I have spent the last few weeks scouring all that I could find in search of the one I truly loved....there isn't ONE I dearly love --- there is at least a dozen.

The question now is where do I start? I, for one, am a terrible procrastinator, and I also leave most of my projects incomplete....the older I get, though, the better I am at finishing, solets start with my office.

For the past 8 years, I shared my office with my step-son, Hunter, whenever he came to visit. Every other week.....the only time it was a real problem was at about 4:15 in the morning, when I get up and want to check my email....then the lights would disturb him. Poor thing. As soon as Tyler moved to his own place on May 1, Hunter immediately claimed Tyler's old room, and well, that left the office to Moi! All to myself, and since I spend a good deal of my time in here on the computer, I wanted it to be more "girlie". A girlie room....but not all pink and fluff....a little fluff, but not tooo pink.....

The first order of business in this process is, at least for me, a paint color....yes, I know half of the people say you have to choose an inspiration piece, and choose a color from there, but since when did I do ANYTHING the conventional way? If you know me very well, you no conventionial is the road less traveled, at least around here! :)
I thought after countless hours on the internet, I had decided on some color--a specific color from Sherwin Williams. However, I live in the middle of nowhere, and at 8:00 on a Tuesday night, Walmart is my only option....so after looking at all of there paintchips, I had picked one that I thought would be just right. Not too gray, not too yellow, not too beige, just right.....on the front of the Dutchboy paint chips they do not have a color name, just a number so I stuck it in my purse----took it home, and held it up to my walls in my office (which I might add are the same color as the walls in the rest of my house) and LO AND BEHOLD they are almost a perfect match. Isn't that weird? Especially since I really wanted something different? Ashlie, my Wednesday morning design consultant and oldest daughter, said that I must really love this color....so, I went to the barn and got a gallon of the paint out and just touched up the walls....What I thought would be an entire day of painting turned out to be just about an hour. Already a marked improvement.

If it is true, that I do love Benjamin Moore Golden Straw, that I choose over 8 years ago when we built this house, why change now????

My poor photo couldn't be more pitiful....let's see if I can get it brighter and girlier in the next few weeks....there are slipcover projects, curtains, pillows with button monograms, lots of good things....if I can just stay motivated!

Y'all have a great day, I'll check in soon.
xo,

2010-05-11T16:46:00.005-04:00

OK. So, I have listened to Shelby way too much and she is beginning to rub off on me. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around? She was supposed to take after me? Anyway, she is really into "greener" things, recycling, organic food, blah blah blah....

Recently (strictly because of guilt) I started thinking about recycling, and reusing things I already have instead of storing them or throwing them away. After Tyler packed all of his things to move he had a stack of clothing rejects....things he said to throw out. Well, normally I would have just dropped them off at Goodwill, but truth is I bought the old jeans (from Abercrombie and Fitch, no less!) and the shirts.... I couldn't just throw them in the GW pile.....so I did what I do on any given day when I have an ounce of inspiration, I MADE HANDBAGS!!!!

Didn't they turn out cute? I love the one with the vertical stripes and the little flower pin, I am thinking it may be my next bag....I also love the medium sized denim.....the little tiny thing I made really just for display, but it's cute too---with the shirt pocket perfectly lined up on the outside of the bag...

So, I have a few "Green" bags....pretty cool, don't you think?

And for further enjoyment, what is a day without Sandra Dee:
I hope you all are having a great week! Maybe I will have another dose of creativity tomorrow!!
xoxo

Alligator Tears

2010-05-03T10:46:00.004-04:00

Well, I have survived the weekend. And, I might add, I survived it without too much of a meltdown....Karl said I was going to have a heart attack----

Anyway, my sweet little tiny baby son, who is somehow almost 19 years old, moved out on Friday. My heart was broken. Although, I know it will be a good experience for him, and he is only 20 minutes away, it still makes me sad. On Friday evening, for the first time in my entire adult life, I had none of my children living at home. I was happy and excited for Tyler, but secretly (well, maybe not so secretly!!) sad for myself.

All 3 have grown up too fast, and so that leaves me with the question of "Now what?" While Jami, my sweet step-daughter is still living at home with us, she is looking for an apartment in St. Augustine. As for Hunter, he is here, but only half of the time. That leaves me and Karl and the three furry girls.....it will definitely be interesting!

As for the handbag business, maybe this is just the boost I need to get me jumpstarted into summer with some new designs. I know my website is in desperate need of updating, and that is such a daunting task to me!!! We'll see. I have signed on to participate in the Bostwick Blueberry Festival on Saturday the 22nd of May from 8am til 4pm......I still can't decide about the Blue Crab Festival....but will make the decision after next weekend.

Hope all is going well for each of you....hope you are looking forward to something wonderful over the summer.
Thanks for stopping by,

Hunter's Hot Jalapeno Beef Tenderloin Bites

2010-03-22T10:59:00.002-04:00

Hunter’s Hot Jalapeno Beef Tenderloin Bites

Award Winning:

First Place in Beef Division

Best of Show

As an appetizer, it will feed approximately 15 people, as an entrée it is approximately 6 servings. Total cooking time: approximately 10 minutes.

3 pounds beef Tenderloin

½ cup teriyaki sauce

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 fresh jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

1 ½ pounds bacon, strips cut in half

toothpicks

Cut beef tenderloin into 1 ½ “ chunks, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a slice of jalapeno pepper on each beef chunk, and wrap with a piece of bacon, securing with a toothpick. 30 minutes before cooking pour the teriyaki sauce over the meat to marinate.

Prepare the grill. Once coals are ready, place meat on the grill in a single layer, close lid and cook for 2 minutes, flip the meat, close lid and cook 2 minutes. Flip meat and cook 2 minutes. Then, once again, flip meat and cook for 2 more minutes, remove from grill, and ENJOY! Delicious!!

It's Fair Week in Palatka!

2010-03-22T10:35:00.003-04:00

The Putnam County Fair kicked off this past weekend with its Youth Bar B Q Cooking Contest...so, of course, Hunter had to enter! He spent several weeks trying different things on the grill, and while most of them were really good, they lacked the "wow" factor. Finally I convinced he and Karl that they needed to do some beef tenderloin bites.
We have had these many times made with venison, but for the contest, the only categories were beef, pork or poultry. No wild game, so venison was out. He substituted beef tenderloin and all I can say is "WOW!"
Hunter won First Place in the Beef Division, and Best of Show. To say his dad was proud, was an understatement. The kids had to do everything themselves, with no outside help or communication. Just a thumb's up occassionally.
If you are looking for something delicious to serve as an appetizer or an entree I suggest you try "Hunter's Hot Jalapeno Beef Tenderloin Bites"! You'll be glad you did!

Hunter’s Hot Jalapeno Beef Tenderloin Bites

As an appetizer, it will feed approximately 15 people, as an entrée it is approximately 6 servings. Total cooking time: approximately 10 minutes.

3 pounds beef Tenderloin

½ cup teriyaki sauce

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 fresh jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

1 ½ pounds bacon, strips cut in half

toothpicks

This blog has moved

2010-03-21T12:13:00.000-04:00

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THANK YOU!

2010-02-02T07:38:00.002-05:00

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Open House this past weekend. Once again, I am amazed at the turn-out. I am always thrilled to see my returning customers (the ones who would NEVER carry a handbag made in China!!! They much prefer theirs to be sewn in Bostwick!!!) and equally as thrilled to meet the ones who are new to LFW. It just thrills me that you all come out to support my little business, which in turns supports my growing fabric addiction!!! Hey, I could be addicted to worse things!!!

Our next event will be March 6 & 7 @ the Palatka Azalea Festival. Then we will schedule another Open House at the end of March. After that there is the Bostwick Blueberry Festival on May 22, and if Palatka gets it together, the Blue Crab Festival. So, a busy few months ahead for LFW. In the mean time, there are a few openings for purse parties, so if you are interested in hosting one, give us a call 386.937.9929 or drop us an email, lfwdesigns@bellsouth.net.

Thanks again for all the support and for all the inspiration.

Y'all have a great week!
xo
Laura

PS: Yes, I know the top picture is leaning....remember I am still not a photographer....or picture editor!! :)

Dinner Tonight

2010-01-20T18:38:00.002-05:00

So, I know I am horrible at photography. Sorry. However, the only way to improve is just to do it over and over, so I will experiment with you all....and since I was going to make a delicious dinner, I thought I would chronicle it for you all, and practice my blogging and photography techniques all at once. Sounds good.

Dinner tonight started out as the recipe I copied out of the Florida Times Union years ago (when I still lived in OP, so it had to be at least 8 years ago. They had written a story in the Food section detailing what the sailors eat on the USS John F. Kennedy. The title of that article was "Feeding a Floating City"....anyway the recipe was for Shrimp Scampi, something that they prepared for the 5000 onboard for special occassions. I have fixed that recipe two other times, and really liked it.....but tonight, I found it hard to stick to the recipe, so I created my own. It was delicious.....So here is what I did:

First, preheat the oven to 350*. I decided that bacon makes everything better, so I chopped up 4 slices of bacon....I put that into my trusty Lodge iron skillet (which is my favorite cooking item at the moment!) and stirred it around for a few minutes on a medium-high heat. Then I added 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and 1 chopped medium onion. I cooked that for about 4 minutes, just until the onions were tender, then I added 2 teaspoons of minced garlic...the kind that comes in a jar with a little olive oil----it is found in the produce section of most grocery stores. Next I added 2 tablespoons of dried parsley, then the 1/2 of stick of remaining butter looked lonely, so I through it in the pan as well. Can you ever have too much butter? I stirred that up, then chopped 2 medium tomatoes, throwing them in the pan along with a tablespoon of dijon mustard, a splash of lemon juice and let all of that simmer for about 5 minutes. At that time I tasted it and added salt and pepper (and just a few red pepper flakes!!!). I had already peeled and rinsed 1 1/2 pounds of large shrimp, so I stirred them into the pan, adding 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs on the top, then into the oven for 15 minutes. Served it over steamed white rice, with crusty French bread and yummy San Sebastian Vintner's Red Wine, and it was a meal made in Heaven!!!

Once again I apologize that the photos are all after the text.....like I said, I still haven't mastered any of this.

Here is the list of ingredients for MY Shrimp Scampi:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 stick unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 t minced garlic

2 T dried parsley

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 T dijon mustard

1 t lemon juice

sprinkle of red pepper flakes, more if you like it hotter!

salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined and rinsed

Saute bacon over medium heat for 3 minutes, add 1 stick of butter and the chopped onion, stirring constantly while cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic, parsley, tomatoes, mustard, lemon juice, simmer for a few minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (and the red pepper flakes) stir in the shrimp, top with the bread crumbs and cook in oven for 15 minutes. Serve over rice. Delicious!

If you all are interested in the original USS JFK Recipe for Shrimp Scampi, here goes:

4 T butter

2 t minced garlic

1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 t lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 c bread crumbs

Melt butter in a largeskillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and parsley and saute for 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and lemon juice. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a 9 inch glass baking dish. Pour tomato mixture over the top, sprinkle bread crumbs and bake for 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

It's a Beautiful Morning!

2010-01-20T12:57:00.003-05:00

Aren't these little chiffon flowers adorable? They will soon be pins adorning the handbags. (some may even make it to a tee shirt or two! I know who will be claiming all the orange ones!!)
These actually came from a woman in Turkey, and it took several weeks to get them, but they were certainly worth the wait!

On the cutting table today is the following fabrics....it is my goal to get at least 6 bags finished...if I do I will post! This is Summer Soiree:
This, obviously, is the Giraffe Print:This, Graysy Daisy:

This is Olive Lavendar....I love it!Orange Damask:

Gotta run, I will let you know about my progress! Have a good day!

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-04T16:33:00.002-05:00

It was a wonderful year. 2009, that is. 2 highschool graduations, 1 college graduation, 1 wedding (and the 10 million festivities that went along with that)....and all the regular things that happen in a year. It could not have been better.

Happy 2010...today was the first day in my studio, in quite awhile, except of course for the last minute orders I agreed to get out before Christmas.

I was in a zebra sort of mood....cute beach bag, don't you think? Fringe adds a nice touch too.

I had a to-do list for today with 10 things on it. So far I have only accomplished 7.5 of them. However, after reading the January issue of Real Simple, I feel much better, they say to never have more than 7 things on a daily to-do list. Who knew? 7 things is the average persons limit. Any more than that and you are setting yourself up for failure.....so the other 2.5 that I left undone must be moved to tomorrow's list, along with 4.5 more!

Gotta run, it is time to make dinner: Potato Soup and Mexican Cornbread. A perfect meal on a freezing cold evening like tonight.

Y'all have a good evening.....
Laura

Finally!

2009-09-20T13:39:00.002-04:00

Hello Dear Friends!

I have been gone for so long I couldn't even remember my password to log onto my blogger account. How sad is that?

If you have been wondering where I have been, I have been @ Woody's Bar B Que in Palatka...My brother opened this restaurant on August 17. It took all summer to get it ready and the last month to make sure it is operating smoothly! I signed up to help him, but finally we are all able to breathe a little easier and my expertise :) will not be needed quite as much!

So, tomorrow about noon I have a date with my sewing studio!!!!! I cannot wait! I am even going on a little fabric buying excursion at 9 in the morning just as a little treat for me. As you probably know, I do like to sew, but it is the fabric shopping that really makes me high!!!

On Wednesday, I have another date, this time with my favorite graphic designer, who also happens to be the bride-to-be.....We will be mostly doing wedding stuff, but have promised to squeeze a few hours of photography of the new bags for the site....which brings me to more news. Shelby is in the process of changing my website. It is a long process, and one that you all will not get to see until it is done, but it thrills me! A new logo and everything.

As for the wedding, we have a bridal shower this weekend, and then the wedding invitations go out next Monday morning. The wedding is 8 weeks from yesterday...my how this year has flown by...And, just for those of you who may be wondering, NO, I do not know what I am wearing to the wedding. And, NO, I haven't even been looking....and I don't intend to until halloween. October 31....plenty of time!

As for my new college freshmen, they are awesome. Tyler loves the Florida Arts program. It is a perfect fit for him at this time in his life. He really wants to go away to finish college, and I know he will.....Jami is really doing great in her first year as well. Karl & I are so proud of her....I even saw where she is looking into FSU's nursing program. I have teased her all weekend that I am not speaking to her----she got her nose pierced. Yuk. I don't like it....but if that makes her feel like a rebel, well....it could have been worse! :)

My furry girls are wonderful, as always....I make them stay inside most of the time since it is snake-crawling time!

It was fun to catch up----I will be updating more regularly now.
Thanks for visiting my little corner of the world.
XO,
Laura

AWOL again!

2009-07-09T06:18:00.002-04:00

I apologize....I have been absent.
It has been a busy summer and it has shown NO signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The graduation was fantastic. Tyler gave the closing remarks and sang the Alma Mater and just like that he and Jami were graduates. I did not cry at the ceremony.....but that was only because I had cried all day! :) Good tears though, really!

Since then, my family has been crazy busy trying to get our restaurant open in Palatka. We are putting a Woody's Bar B Que in the old Walt's building. It is a major undertaking and we have all been there 24/7 it seems. Opening Day is slated for August 17, but we are hoping that maybe we can get it together before that.....we will just have to see if we can line everything up before then. My parents and brother have been in the restaurant business for the past few years, having owned a Woody's in Jacksonville....I, however, was only ever there to eat dinner....and I had (notice I say had) no restaurant experience at all.....I am becoming quite the expert!!! haha

Tyler is in Orlando this week auditioning for American Idol.....along with Shelby's best friend Amy.....I am so excited for the both of them. Both are such talented singers....and both will be singing at Shelby's wedding in the fall. They sing today at the arena....their 20 seconds of fame before they find out if they get to move to the next round. Keep your fingers crossed!

Shelby starts her last semester of college next month, Tyler and Jami start their first. Miss Ashlie is somewhere near her last one....so they are all busy! Hunter will be in the 7th grade....

Purse orders are coming in and I am doing my best to keep up with them. I have tons of new fabrics......and actually have some new bags made (fortunately sewing is therapy to me!) one day I hope to have time to load them on the site.....If I get quite a few more made I am hoping to have an Open House in August......of course all of that will depend on the restaurant.....
I will try to keep you informed.....
In the mean time --- Have a great summer!

xo
Laura

Yes, The Waterworks Have Started & A View From a Graduation Party...

2009-06-01T14:46:00.004-04:00

Jami and Tyler and Karaoke!
Even Dear Old Dad was having a good time!
Our dear friend Nancy....
A little shade, anyone?
The amazing, and I do mean AMAZING, theatre kids!
Blue and gold cupcakes, homemade---of course!
The gorgeous graduates. They both make me cry. I am so proud of both of them. Jami and Tyler, you two are AWESOME! You both are such blessings to me!
Wasn't Jami such a cute little Panther cheerleader? And what about Karl as a graduate? Doesn't he look so young...
Beautiful Jami.

And, what about Ty in his blue cap and gown, Pre-School Class of 1995! My, how the time has flown.

Sorry you all haven't heard from me all month....May flew by. It has all been a little overwhelming. And it isn't over yet.... Graduation is this Friday. 8pm. I have used more than my fair share of tissues over the last 3 weeks, but I know Friday will do me in. I am even packing an extra tissue for Mr. Weaver. I think I saw a tear in his eye yesterday at Baccalaureate.

You all have a good week.

Laura

Blueberry Festival

2009-04-28T12:12:00.006-04:00

If you read this post earlier, please forgive all the typos! That is simply what happens when I am in a hurry and do not go back to read whatever I have written......I think I have managed to correct them----You all have a great weekend!

I live in Bostwick, Florida. It is a quaint little community, and every year around this time they hold the "Bostwick Blueberry Festival". Do they grow blueberries in Bostwick? I have no knowledge of that....but every year at the festival they manage to sell thousands of pounds that someone has grown somewhere. We will once again have a booth at the Blueberry Festival....we skipped the last few years....but are very excited to be back.
This year at the festival we are going to have a line of bags for the value-conscious shopper.....because of the economy here at LFW we realize people are struggling, and trying hard to make ends meet. We have a line of bags similar to our original ones, the will be reversible, feature a ribbon-tie closure and two handles. They are available in the tiny ($10) the little size ($15) and the original size ($20). These bags will make a perfect gift for a graduate or anyone else on your gift list. Today in the studio we are busy producing these adorable bags.....I will try to photograph some and put on the blog for tomorrow!
We look forward to seeing you in Bostwick, Saturday, May 16, 2009, from 8am until 4pm!
See you there!

My Weekend, A New Handbag and More Camera Talk!

2009-03-30T12:35:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I had a busy weekend. First of all it was Hunter's 12th birthday, so we had a little dinner for him and I talked Shelby into taking photos of him with her "Good" Camera....a Canon Rebel xS These were shot with a 75-300mm zoom lens..Then on the top photo she used a "soft and faded" action on Photoshop to create the affect.
And isn't he handsome? On the wall in my foyer is where I have pictures of all the children. Ashlie, Shelby, Jami, and Tyler's pictures are their senior ones, but the picture of Hunter is one from his 4th birthday :Eight years made quite a difference.

Bless his little heart, isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen? Anyway, I guess it is time to update the photo on my wall, so I am going to choose one, I love the serious one, but his smile is so precious that I may have to choose the one at the top.

The one below Shelby did using some silly Photoshop filter....but it is still adorable.....
Next, yesterday, Shelby MADE ME (I think she forgot who the mother is!) design a messenger bag. She was in dire need of one, or so she said, and she wasn't leaving until I had made her one!
So, here is the new bag on lfwdesigns.com- the Shelby Messenger, modeled by the gorgeous Jami...You can find all the particulars about the new bag here.

And, just because I didn't want Tyler to feel left out, Shel also photographed him, this is with the soft and faded Photoshop action as well....

My weekend was capped off with Tyler singing two solos at church yesterday, and I know I am biased when I say this, but he was AWESOME.

Now its Monday and time to get back to work....I have a purse party tomorrow evening and am busy getting some new things ready for it....
Y'all have a good day,
Laura
PS: I am still trying to convince Karl (and myself) that I really need the new camera....although I think I want a Nikon (don't tell Shelby!) :)

Hog Wild

2009-03-25T07:44:00.002-04:00

First of all, I want to warn you. I want a new camera. I want a really good DLSR, SLDR, RLDS.....whatever it is.....not the "point and shoot" kind that I currently own. Not that there is anything wrong with my camera.....I just want a better one. A much better one. And, I feel the need to justify it...
So, without further delay, here are my photos from last night with my regular-old point&shoot...and while they are OK....I wnat better photos. Clearer ones, brighter ones...

It is fair time in Putnam County, and that is a big deal...Children from all over the county who are in the 4H clubs raise hogs to get ready for the show.
Last night it was time. About 10- 15 hogs run into the ring at a time, the judge eliminates all but 5, and then he walks around and around and around and around and around (do you get the picture?) deciding which of these 5 is the best. Then he announces his choices, and we start all over again......I think they weighed in 139 hogs last night.

Anyway, we sat and we watched for three hours. No joke. Three hours. And the whole reason for that was because this cute little face:
Hunter raised a hog....a 260 pound one.
And, Hunter and his hog made the first cut, and ended up 4th in his group....and was also chosen for best showmanship....
And, so it goes, we were (are) just a little proud of our handsome young man. (Who, by the way, will be TWELVE years old tomorrow!!---HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNTER!!!)
So, after Hunter was finished we were headed back to Bostwick. It was fun. And educational. By the time the last 3 groups came out I could pick out what was going to be the winning hog.....I was even right when Karl was wrong....haha....

So, anyway....there were my pics....see I desperately need a camera that can do a better job....
I really really really want one.

Y'all have a great day!
Laura

I Hate Vegetables

2009-03-23T09:04:00.005-04:00

I hate vegetables. I do. I hate them. I think they are gross. Well, most of them anyway. Potatoes and lima beans are about as close as I get. Actually once every few weeks I do eat steamed broccoli....
I say all of that to get to this point: a few weeks ago one of my clients came in raving about the cauliflower that she and her sister had made the night before. (I am thinking: "Whatever!") Cauliflower NEVER has had a chance in my house....of all the veggies out there this was one of the most disgusting, or so I thought! Anyway, she and her sister had roasted it, she said it was so delicious that they ate all of it before it made its way to the dinner table! Right. Cauliflower is suddenly so wonderful that people are eating it up before it makes its way to a plate? OK.

For whatever reason (must be like me buying fabric with flamingos and tattoos) when I was at Publix last week I bought a head of ---you guessed it---cauliflower. So, by now you know the rest of the story....I roasted it, and I promise you it is delicious. I LOVED it. I have been converted....although a salad full of raw vegetables still does not appeal to me, I think you could roast just about any veggie and I would eat it! The children too.....even Tyler... and Heaven knows that child is a picky eater! Since the original cauliflower roasting, we have now roasted onions, carrots, asparagus.....and are planning on doing some broccoli this evening. So I thought I would share the simple list of ingredients and how we do it......
Buy some cauliflower.....heat up your oven......and eat the delicious vegetable!

Here is what you need:

Fresh Cauliflower ( I do 2 heads for the 5 of us)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil ( I like the extra light----but whatever kind you prefer will be fine)

Lawry's Seasoned Salt (I only use a little sprinkling)

Black Pepper (I use tons of pepper---I love it)

Preheat oven to 400*. Break the cauliflower into florets, not too small, but not huge either. The bigger they are the longer the cooking time needs to be. Then rinse in a colander, and spread them on a cookie sheet, drip the oil over the florets, spinkle salt and pepper, then I toss them around on the cookie sheet to make sure all the pieces have oil and seasonings. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes...turning them after ten minutes, that's all there is.....It will be just lightly browned.

Delicious!

If you choose to do carrots, they take 50 minutes at 425, baby asparagus takes approximately 11 minutes at 400*, thicker asparagus takes about 20 minutes.......the possiblities are endless, and I am eating vegetables. How about that?

AWOL

2009-03-21T16:00:00.004-04:00

Ok, I have been absent.

Too much going on....so for a quick update...

LFW will be participating the Bostwick Blueberry Festival as well as the Palatka Blue Crab Festival.....the Azalea Festival was such fun---I had forgotten how nice it is to get out and see everyone at a craft show. Thanks to those of you who read my blog and website and came out to see us.....it is always so great to see you, and so nice to meet out new friends! (the pictures are from the Azalea Fest)

I have brand new fabric this week, a gorgeous Flamingo fabric....flamingos are NOT my thing, however I fell in love with this print.....hopefully the bags will make it to the website this week. Also a new black and white print with just a little red mixed in.....as well as a tattoo print. Tattoos have never been my thing either.....(isn't that a little odd that this week I picked out so many things that have NEVER appealed to me! what does that say????)

As for the wedding plans, they are right on track....we have settled on a photographer out of Ocala....Elle Wedding Photography...his photographs are awesome. Shelby loved... LOVED ...LOVED them....we are so looking forward to working with him. Next we must decide on the catering, and while we think we have chosen the caterer......the menu is still up in the air! So, is the cake...oh yeah, and the invitations! We have spent hours....too many hours to count looking at thousands of invitations.....and still cannot make a choice....I do not even think we have narrowed it down any! Too many choices. Here's a question for you:

When someone sends you a fantastic wedding invitation, do you:
a) keep it forever as a token of the wedding
b) keep it just until the wedding as a reminder
c) write the date and time on your calendar and then throw the invitation in the trash?

Just curious..... :)

As for my two high school graduates....their announcements came in last week....to say they are excited is certainly an understatement. We are busy planning the big party for them....

As for my two soon-to-be college graduates (right, Ashlie and Shelby???) they are busy making sure they have all of their courses lined up.....

Any way, we've been a little busy....

I will try to keep up with you all a little more....thanks for all the emails....

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday.

:)
Laura

PS: Oh yeah, one more thing.....Shelby broke her collarbone this week.....there is never a dull moment around here! But, thank the Lord, she is going to be fine!

Back to Normal....

2009-02-04T12:15:00.006-05:00

Well, we are back to normal, whatever that is...

On the business front, I have added 11 more bags to the site today. I am striving to put 100 new things on there in the next few weeks. This afternoon I am working on a new style.....will post more about it in the morning --- that is IF it is successful! :)

Also, I have decided to do to Palatka Azalea Festival this year. I have only done it once before, several years ago, but I thought it would be fun to do this year because my friend, and talented designer, Nancy Vorasso, is going to join me in my booth with all of her lovely creations...we will have a grand time. Make plans to come out and see us, this is a quaint festival in downtown Palatka, Saturday and Sunday, March 7&8 from 8am to 5pm both days.
As for the Blue Crab Festival in May, it is still up in the air according to this morning's Palatka Daily News, but there is a 90% chance that it will happen. We will be there if the show is a go!

I will be in the studio all afternoon, will let you know what I accomplish.

Thank you for all of your kind emails....

Have a good day!
:)
Laura
PS: For all of you subscribers who recieve this blog through email I have included the link to the actual blog, as sometimes is gets distorted in the email.
www.lfwdesigns.com/blog

Oh, What an Evening...

2009-02-02T10:34:00.006-05:00

A view from an engagement party....Bostwick style....

Shelby and Blake, doesn't the Official Engagement Photo look lovely on the mantle?

Meme (my mother) made a Strawberry Cake loaded with cream cheese frosting and even decorated it to match the invitations.....Fantastic job Meme, you are so creative!

Hydrangeas, hydrangeas, and more hydrangeas.....it has been chosen as the Official Wedding Flower!
A tray of beautiful Petit Fours, also courtesy of Meme....

The Beautiful Maid of Honor, Miss Ashlie....

Meme, the baker, and Madison the Junior Bridesmaid....

The gorgeous couple with their GORGEOUS moms!!! :)

The setting outside, isn't it lovely?

What a great night! We are so lucky to have such great friends and family!
Y'all have a great week!
XO
Laura

Valentines Day Bags

2009-01-29T06:19:00.003-05:00

The new valentine bags have been added to the site! And while I call them "Valentine's Day" bags they really are perfect for anytime of the year, from cherries, to gingham, to hearts....all are adorable. Simply click on the "Shop Online Link" and it will show you the pretty bags....there is limited quantities so don't delay! They are available for immediate delivery.

Thanks!
I will be back soon with more Engagement Party preparations.......woo hoo!
Y'all have a great Thursday!
:)
Laura

And the winner is.....

2009-01-27T09:39:00.003-05:00

This one. It was after all, my favorite! Really, isn't that all that matters? That I am happy? Of course, I know, I know, it is not all about me or my opinions. That is why I recruited you after all. Thank you to all of you who voted in the comments and all of you who sent me an email with your pick! #3 did win officially. It is beautiful. They are beautiful. Anyway, the engagement party is this weekend. This house is a flurry of activity----and I have about 10 lists of things to do/buy/pick-up. Oh yeah, and I don't have one single thing to wear to the party. I haven't shared that little tid bit of information with Karl yet. Shopping. He will be thrilled.......anyway I will give you an update about the party as the week progresses.....

Also, thank you for coming to the Open House......It was good.....always good to see my favorite customers, and always fun to meet the people who are new to the world of LFW....and yes, there will be another Open House before Easter and another before Mother's Day!

The Palatka Blue Crab Festival is on again for this year.....and we will be there.....right next to my good friend, Nancy Vorasso......she wanted to have a booth, so I decided I should have one to. I have not done a craft show/festival in over a year! I am very excited....it should be FUN FUN FUN....it is memorial day weekend, so mark your calendars.

Saturday night there was nothing to do .....I ran around singing "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio". Do you know that song, its John Denver, somewhere in the middle seventies---"Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio, is like being nowhere at all".....only a few verses I changed to Saturday night in Bostwick, Florida, blah blah blah....so since there was NOTHING to do we walked to the edge of our field to view this:
Alpacas? Who knew!
I will check in later!
Have a good week!
:)
Laura

I Need Your Help

2008-12-27T15:47:00.007-05:00

I need your help.
While I am officially on vacation until January 5th.....we are trying to choose an "Official" Engagement Photograph for Shelby. We are having a tough time choosing between the following ones:
#1:
#2:

#3:

This is where you come in.....I would love for you to leave me a comment, saying which photo is your favorite. #1, #2, or #3.
Just scroll to the bottom of this post-- click on the "Comment" link, and it will direct you as to what to do. You can even be anonymous if you choose.
Thanks for your help.
Happy New Year!
Laura
PS: Don't be shy! If you choose anonymous-it does not give me any other info (so you won't end up on some mailing list!!!) Privacy is important to me too!!!!
But PLEASE vote!!!!!!!

The Dog Days of Christmas

2008-12-17T10:07:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas from the LFW Designs Dogs....

Sandra Dee, Miss Ellie Mae, and Bessie Lew (also known as "Moo")

Tears, Tears, and even more Tears.....but all good ones!

2008-12-15T08:56:00.002-05:00

What a whirlwind weekend!
It started Thursday evening with Tyler's first performance of "The Christmas Carol". Tyler played Ebeneezer Scrooge. He was wonderful. So, I cried. Tears of pride.
As soon as the play ended, Shelby called my cell phone to tell me that she and Blake were no longer "friends". They are engaged. She has a ring. Tears again. Can my sweet little daughter be old enough to get married?

Friday morning brought the graduation of Blake, my soon-to-be son-in-law. Blake, honey, it is not too late to run from this nutty family!!!! When the music began, tears streamed down my face AGAIN! Sometime in the coming year, we should have two more college graduations to attend----right, Ash???? right, Shel??? Of course we will also have the 2 high school graduations for Tyler and Jami! My poor hormones will be on overload!!! I will need stock in Kleenex!

Friday evening brought another performance of Ty's play......and it was even better than the night before. So, guess what, more tears! This time they were for Scrooge, when he realizes all the things he had done to others and vows to be a better person....it was awesome.

Saturday evening, we had Blake's Mom and Step Dad(Karen & Johnny) for dinner, they flew in from Texas for the graduation. No tears this time, just an entertaining evening.

Sunday ended with the last performance of The Christmas Carol....this time many more tears. The culmination of an emotional weekend.....and possibly the best performance of the Palatka High School Musical Theater I have seen. Incredible.

All good tears, though. What a blessing.
Hope you all have a great week.....
Laura

Gift Certificates

2008-12-02T09:48:00.003-05:00

Our new Gift Certificates are here! They make a great gift for any of the girls on your list!
You can specify any amount----
If you need to get them before Christmas either email us at lfwdesigns@bellsouth.net, call the studio directly at 386.937.9929, or log onto the website...
Also, don't forget about the Christmas Open House at the Studio this weekend, Saturday and Sunday---the 6 & 7, from 1-3 in the afternoon!

Merry Christmas!
Laura

My Favorite Ornaments...

2008-12-02T08:51:00.002-05:00

After decorating my tree this weekend with my family, I thought I would share a few of my very favorite ornaments with you...

I bring you this picture of this funny ornament, because you know how I LOVE dachshunds......and because I wanted you to see this picture from this morning:
Because, after all, what is a blog-post, without Sandra Dee?

Y'all have a good day!
XO
Laura

Thanksgiving, 2008

2008-11-29T21:55:00.004-05:00

How is this for a Thanksgiving picture????? This is poor little Sandra Dee. She is a little perturbed, and a whole lot tired! 9 dogs and 16 people in your house will do that to a little dachshund. It will do it to a couple of grown-ups (me & Karl) too! We survived Thanksgiving, but wow, are we ever tired.
On Wednesday evening everyone gathered at our house for appetizers and fun.....then again on Thursday for the real food! We always bake a turkey .....simply because we use that meat for sandwiches and I HAVE to have the drippings for my dressing. Dressing, that I must say was THE BEST I have ever made.....all of the turkey drippings, cups of fresh celery and sweet onions, mounds of fresh cornbread, and my two secret ingredients......hot sausage and portobello mushrooms. Ummm Ummm Good! However, back to the turkey...it was definately the Fried Turkey that was the best. It is the most flavorful and the most moist turkey meat ever. If you have never fried a aturkey----get to it. The turket fryers are all on sale and so are the birds.....you need a 12 pounder for best results. Go for it. Really.
On Thursday morning, I even convinced everyone to help put up the Christmas tree, especially Blake and Cory. Everyone had to at least put on 15 ornaments.....Ashlie, Tyler, Shelby and Jami, put on a million! Thank Heavens!
Even Karl was impressed to have the tree up and have it look so pretty. Later in the day we put up all the fall decor, and put out the Christmas things. I scaled back from what I usually do, but everything still looks so festive.

And, finally, I will show you our family picture of 2008. This is MY entire immediate family....(with a few extras --and a few furry ones!-- thrown in for good measure!!!)
On the back row: Kevin (my brother) My Dad, Blake --holding Copper (He is Shelby's friend), The Handsome Johnny Cash, oops I mean Karl Weaver, Tyler, Hunter-- holding Miss Ellie, Cory(Ashlie's friend)-- holding Peonie , Rance (Jami's friend),the second row is Madison (my niece) Shelby, My Mom, Me-- holding Bessie, Ashlie-- holding Paisley, Jami --holding Sandra Dee, and on the bottom row is Honey Bear, Sugar Bear and Sadie Monster.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE.
Thanks for reading.
XO
Laura

I Am a Terrible Blogger.

2008-11-10T10:37:00.002-05:00

I am a terrible blogger. There. I admitted it.

I take countless pictures all week, intending to update the blog with dachshund antics, new fabrics, tales of Tyler and Jami, new recipes, fall decorations, purse parties and Open Houses at the studio...etc.... but time slips away and now it has been WEEKS (months?) since I last posted.

It is opening week of hunting season. My whole family will be in the woods at our hunting camp in the middle of the forest all week. Of course Ashlie, Shelby, Jami, Tyler and Hunter are only there some of the time because they have school....It is a fun relaxing week filled with crazy hunting stories, Jerry Clower jokes, and some of the best food in the world!

Oh, and did I mention rattlesnakes? Yes, rattlesnakes and bears. They are now a part of our Camp Week as well. (And Yes, there are pictures, but my camera is in the woods and I am at home for the next few hours----will try to remember it on Wednesday and add them to the posts!) Kevin killed a giant snake yesterday around 3:00. I cannot imagine walking in the woods and coming upon that thing! UGH! Even with the snake boots that we all wear, it would not have been enough if he had stepped on that monster... And as for the bear, he visits EVERYDAY----especially around 6-10pm.....he just walks right into the camp. Comes to visit I suppose. We scare him off, and he comes right back. A small bear, by bear standards. BooBoo. That is what we have named him. I feel bad for him, I am sure he wonders why Sugarbear and Honeybear (my parents dogs) get to be right up there with us, but we run him off.....he just wants to be our friend.?.?

And as for handbags, I do have new fabrics------an adorable pink and green flip flop fabric (PERFECT for Christmas presents!), more polka dots, a cute dachshund fabric, a new black and white----which I have been looking for forever......this one is really pretty. Oh yeah, even a new camoflauge! In honor of Hunting Season. Doesn't everyone need a camo handbag? Surely they do!

So, once again I am going to try to be a better blogger.
Wish me luck-
Thanks for reading!
Laura

Announcing........the Laura Bag!

2008-10-08T20:31:00.006-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know about our brand new Laura Bag ! It is the perfect size, features 3 interior pockets and a magnetic snap closure and a shouldber strap. A very trendy bag.
Simply go to the "Shop Online" page on the website, then to "Ready to Ship" and then choose the one that suits you!
Have a great day!
Laura

Beautiful Baby Bags

2008-10-07T10:12:00.002-04:00

I know I promised pictures of the studio shopping event, but the camera that has them on it is STILL in Jacksonville....so while I am anxiously awaiting the return of the camera.....this is what I have been up to:

Many, many times customers are always asking about baby-bags. I always say the the "Lizzie Bag" is a good size for a baby bag.....and it can be made in any of our trendy prints. However, often our clients want something a little more "baby-ish". So, after searching and searching.....I found a line a baby fabric that was beautiful......and so we officially have baby bags now! The vintage buggies are just too cute, and the fabrics are available in the pale pink and brown combination, or pale blue and brown.
My friend, and very talented designer, Nancy Vorasso, made up the pillow-cases, burp-pads, and quilted changing pads to go with the bags.

The Prices for the Beautiful Baby Bag Collection are as follows:

The Baby Bag: $ 55 (11"tall, 15 " wide, 5"deep, 4 interior pockets, magnetic snap closure)
The Tiny Bag 16 (perfect for a young sister-her own bag to match!)
Burp Pad 12
Quilted Changing Pad 25
Pillow-case 12 (pillow form not included)

I will upload better pics to the website of the bags....for more info on the coordinating burp-pads, pillowcases, or changing pads simply email me at lfwdesigns@bellsouth.net and I will get you in touch with Nancy.

Have a great Tuesday....
Laura

More Studio Shopping

2008-10-06T10:11:00.003-04:00

Good morning!
Thank you to everyone who attended our Studio Shopping event...it is always nice to visit with our favorite customers, and always so nice to meet the new ones!!!

I just wanted to say a few things----there won't be any Studio pictures until later this evening, as my camera is in Jacksonville and I am here in Bostwick....how did that happen?!?!

Anyway: I will be adding new pictures (handbags) to the site. The Laura Bag, as I have said before is a HIT! There are several patterns to choose from....you will love them.

If you have ordered the Santa bag, delivery is this week...so be looking for them...

For my final thought today, we are also about to add a baby line.....baby bags, burp cloths, changing pads, little sister purses....in the most beautiful fabric.....those pics will be available tomorrow.....

Have a good Monday, and check back later tonight for the updates...

Again, thanks for visiting!
Laura
PS: There are only 3 more Halloween sets available, and the sale runs out on Wednesday....first come - first serve!!! :)

Studio Shopping

2008-09-29T07:02:00.002-04:00

LFW Designs invites you to come by and shop at the studio.

Saturday, October 4, noon til 4pm
Sunday October 5, 1-3 in the afternoon.

The first 50 people to spend $50 with LFW, will receive a FREE collegiate handbag (Gators, Seminoles, or Dawgs!) Limited to supply on hand, one per customer, please.

It is the perfect opportunity to begin thinking about all of that Christmas Shopping you have to do....and get started shopping for all of the women on you list! Or, come by and design a bag just for you!

Please bring your friends!

For more info, visit the website, www.lfwdesigns.com, or you can call the studio directly at 386.937.9929, or email us at lfwdesigns@bellsouth.net.

This week.......................

2008-09-22T17:13:00.003-04:00

There are lots of things on my mind this week, so this post may go on and on.......
Anyway, "Yes" I know this picture says "Unlawful to Copy"...but trust me, I spent enough money on packages of pictures that surely this is ok.....and yes, I could have scanned one of the ones that didn't say that, but isn't this more fun?!
So, the reason that Handsome Tyler graces the top spot on my blog, is because this week is the Palatka High School production of "Willy Wonka" and it stars none-other than TYLER! The performances are Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. If you are lucky enough to live in Palatka, then you all really need to attend the show. Jim Pignato, the director, is awesome. Every show I have ever seen is fantastic. To think we have such talent in small-town Palatka, is wonderful. All of the students (and the rest of the crew!!!) have worked non-stop to get ready for the show.

Tomorrow is sweet Miss Ellie's birthday. She is 3 years old. I won't bother with a picture, since she made the blog last time. She is the sweetest dog....and she thinks I am the greatest thing ever! I am going to town in the morning for birthday treats, and maybe even birthday hats....(will definately post pictures of that!)

Last night we had the first official fire of the season in the fireplace. It was divine, even if it was still a little warm! I am so looking forward to cool nights, warm fires, and San Sebastian Vintner's Red! Come on WINTER! I am ready!

This week I am also BUSY BUSY BUSY getting ready for next weeks Open House, we are calling this one a "Shopping Experience"......a chance for everyone to begin Christmas shopping. The brand new "Laura Bag!" is a big hit. It is such a trendy look. There are new postcards coming out with this bag on it...make sure I have your snail-mail address so I can send you one.
Nancy will be joining us again with all of her wares, if you are thinking you want one of the personalized pillowcases, you better come by and place your order....ALSO----there is a surprise for all of you who come shopping at the Open House, but I am not telling you until next week......but shopping with LFW the first weekend in October is definately going to be worth your while!!! :)

OK-I have rambled enough.
Thanks for your time.....
New bags added to the site tomorrow afternoon!
XO
Laura

An Adorable Laura Bag!

2008-09-16T16:42:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note so you can see this adorable bag...it was a custom order....but so cute I just had to share!!!!!
Y'all have a great week!
:)
Laura

Boo!

2008-09-16T16:23:00.002-04:00

Halloween is in one month and 15 days. Halloween has never been very important to me. I did dress my children up when they were young (but NEVER in anything scary) and I did take them trick-or-treating----although this only consisted of going to their grandparents houses and our immediate neighbors. 5 places. Still they ended up with bags of candy. Anyway---over the years,even with my lackadaisical take on Halloween, I have grown to love pumpkins. Jack-o-lanterns, plain ones, tiny ones, white pumpkins, black ones( I saw this in a magazine just yesterday....I think it had been spray painted). This obsession with pumpkins is why I love these bags so much....
So, this leads to this: from now until October 7, 2008, if you order this "Happy Jacks Halloween Handbag" you will receive the tiny version for FREE! The Handbag is the Classic size, features 3 interior pockets and a magnetic snap closure. You can also specify short handles or longer ones. The bag is $40. The tiny version is adorable....would make a cute gift for a "Mother and Daughter"......or buy the bag for you and use the tiny for a gift bag for someone who has a birthday in October....
And, just to entice you even more.....If you book a party and schedule it to be held before October 24, you will receive the Classic version of the Happy Jacks Handbag for free....in addition to your other rewards!!!! But, (remember there is always a but) there are only a few more dates open....so you better hurry!

Boo to you!
Laura

The OpenHouse

2008-09-08T09:28:00.002-04:00

Good Morning-

Many thanks to all who visited the Open House...As it gets closer to Christmas we may even open the studio during the week...and remember you can always call the studio and arrange an appointment to come out and shop!

We were thrilled to once again have our friend, the very talented Nancy Vorasso. Her vintage-inspired aprons, little crayon bags, personalized pillow cases, wine totes, and all of the other things are wonderful. They all would make a perfect gift!

And finally this morning, I have MISS ELLIE she never lets us get a good picture of her, however, Tyler shot this one yesterday morning, and it is pretty sweet!

Y'all have a great day!

Laura

PS: I am adding NEW bags to the website this afternoon!

Tuesday, September 2, and There is ANOTHER Storm!

2008-09-02T07:22:00.003-04:00

I am thankful this morning that New Orleans appears to have come through Hurricane Gustav with minimal damage. I am hoping now that the rest of us will come through Hanna, Ike and the tropical depression that is trailing them. It is certainly an active hurricane season.

Which leads me to my next point. The September Open House is still on schedule for this weekend, Saturday. September 6 noon til 4, and Sunday. September 7 1-3 in the afternoon. Our good friend and expert seamstress, Nancy Vorasso, will be joining us with all of her pretty things at the studio this weekend as well. The invitations and emails are going out today. I will update the front page of my website should anything change in regards to the storm. I am thinking that by Saturday the worst will be behind us, and everyone will be ready to get out of the house and SHOP! We are beginning to get our Christmas fabric in...along with a few more gorgeous prints!
Look! We received enough of this fabric to make 30 of these bags....all of you who missed out on getting one last year now have one more chance. I am taking orders right now for them, first come, first serve. They will not last long. It is such an adorable bag.
You can call the studio directly at 386.937.9929, or email us at lfwdesigns@bellsouth.net to reserve yours.
Have a good week! Keep your fingers crossed about the storms!
Thanks for visiting-
Laura

It's My Birthday, and Its Raining Like Crazy!

2008-08-21T20:07:00.001-04:00

It is my 42nd birthday today. How about that. And my mother made me the most wonderful strawberry cake to celebrate. It was DELICIOUS! Even Tyler loved it, and Lord knows, he is a finicky eater!

Fay (the everlasting tropical storm) is still looming over us. It has rained for 2 solid days and they say the worst is still to come. The trees are whipping around, honestly it is a little spooky--

Yesterday, our two seniors started their school year. It was their "last first day of school". Last Saturday and Sunday was the "last - last weekend before the start of school". Everything lately they have tagged as the "Last, last whatever". Good grief. Anyway, as I do so often say, I just don't know where the time goes.

So, anyway, when it is a hurricane day, and I have skipped going to my real job....this is what I do:

I lay around and play with the pretty little dogs.......all day. And, as usual, Miss Ellie refused to have her picture taken. So, you just get to see Moo and Sandra Dee. Rotten animals for sure! :)

Anyway, it has been fun.
Have a great week-
Laura

The Studio Open House

2008-07-23T15:53:00.000-04:00

We, and I do mean we, are very busy getting ready for our Studio Open House which is next weekend. Saturday, Aug.2 from 10-4, and Sunday, Aug. 3, from 1-3.

It takes weeks to get ready for one. This time it has even taken longer because of the renovations to the studio, just this week my lights went in...now we have recessed eye-ball lights to make everything sparkle!

For the first time ever, when you all come to the studio, you will get to see all of the choices of fabrics. You can special order whatever you want! I am very excited about this, because everyone always wants to know "what other fabrics do you have" and now you can see. You will be able to choose the outer fabrics, the liner, how many pockets, what kind of closure, the length of the straps....etc.....the choices are limitless.

Once again, if you are not on our mailing list, I urge you to sign up, simply send a note through the "Contact Us" link on the website. Include, if you will, your mailing address as well as your email. Also, you can subscribe to this blog by using the link on the right sidebar. Then whenever there is an update it will automatically send them to you. You can also go to the bottom of any of these posts, and where it says "0 Comment" you can highlight that link and it will take you to a comment box......where, you can leave your comments...imagine that!

Have a good Wednesday,
Thanks for stopping by,
Laura

The Cutest Little Painter

2008-06-25T19:05:00.000-04:00

Until today, I have not been very motivated to get my studio underway....although I had already finished 2 of the walls, I have not had the desire to finish painting the other 2. So, this morning when Hunter, my sweet little step-son, decided that he would love to paint, I thougth "Why not?". Karl, my dear husband, will do almost anything for me, he will build whatever I want (more on that later!), he will shop all day long if I want to, just whatever I want to do is always fine with him, BUT HE WILL NOT PAINT. Not for anything. The answer is NO. So, when Hunter offered to help me today I quickly took him up on his offer.

And, because of his help, we are finished painting everything except the ceiling. I will finish it on Saturday, and then the lights go in, 2 sections of track lighting and 9 recessed lights. After that I will be putting Karl to work on my display cabinets....I hope to finish all of that by July 8.

You can check out the "Events" page on the site to see all of the Open House Events that will be held at my studio over the coming months....the first one will be the first weekend of August. Remember there will be ready-made bags to choose from, and tons of fabric samples so that you can put together your own original handbag.

I will post another update on the studio soon...

Have a good week!
XO
Laura

My Studio

2008-06-11T15:13:00.000-04:00

OK, it is hard for me not to talk about what all I am doing...so here goes.

LFW is making some changes. All of them for the better! The biggest change is that we are going to start allowing you the client to have more choices about the handbags that you purchase. More say in the design....and every say in the fabric. You will design your own handbag. Doesn't that sound like fun? Of course there will always be ready-made bags for your immediate purchase.....we wouldn't dare take that away!

But first, (and isn't there always a but ?) the sewing studio has to go under some serious renovations. All of you who know me, know that I do truly LOVE to redecorate, so a few renovations shouldn't hurt me to badly!!!

As you know, the studio is currently white. Originally it was blue, and blue is my favorite color, but for a studio it just wasn't working, and white seemed a safe choice. Well, now that I have a clear picture of where I want to go with the studio I had to make decisions on color. Years ago when the webdesigner was working on our website, she said I had to choose 3 colors. THREE. I was stumped, and had no idea what I wanted.....I had some idea of what I did not want, but as for what I wanted I didn't even know where to begin....at that time the hottest selling handbag was one that I called "Happy Plaid" (and how I would love to still have a bolt or two of that laying around!). Happy Plaid was a white background with pink, apple green and turquoise....so that morning I chose those 3 colors and I think they have looked great on the site. So, fast forward to this morning when I stood in Lowes trying to decide what colors I would choose for the newly remodeled studio, and once again I called on "Happy Plaid". Pink, Apple Green, and Turquoise. Pale pink is going on the wall this afternoon....we'll see if I made the right decision!

Any way.....the point of this blog is to let you know that soon you will be able to pick out your fabrics, and have your bag customized just for you.

I am aiming for the middle of August, but will keep you updated on the progress....of course there will be a big Open House to celebrate, and to let you begin designing you wonderful LFW Handbags!

Y'all have a great week......
:)
Laura

2008-05-21T17:25:00.000-04:00

Just an average day in the studio....
However, I am thrilled to let you know that we will now be offering the appliqued bags shown below....aren't they adorable. Soon I will have the samples up of the different colors you can select from. The are approximately 8" across, 81/2" tall and 3 inches deep. They are $25 each, and can be monogrammed with any letter.
Just thought you would want to know!
Have a good Friday!
Laura

Open House

2008-05-19T06:35:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone who showed up to make our Spring/Summer Open House such a success! It was such a fun weekend! Thank you, also, to Nancy Vorasso for coming and bringing all of your pretty handmade items (weren't they such a hit!). It is always nice to have you there to help me!

We are now concentrating on new bags for the Blueberry Festival on Saturday June 7, and then will begin working on new designs for fall. We will schedule another Open House for the last part of August. Of course, we will keep you posted!

Have a great week.....
Oh yeah, check back later today -I am adding a dozen bags to the "Ready-to-Ship" page on the website!

:)
Laura

My Little Tiny Baby Son

2008-05-18T09:32:00.000-04:00

On August 23, 1991, my little tiny son came into this world, weighing only 4 pounds and 13 ounces. He was tiny. Tiny.

In my mind, he is still only about 4 years old. When I think of him and my girls throughout the day, I always see them as the tiny little children that they were. So, even though I see Tyler everyday, every morning when I go in to wake him up it is always a little surprising when a 6'2" young man gets out of the bed...how did my little tiny Tyler transform into this tall, handsome creature?

Two weeks ago, Palatka High School's very talented musical theatre class put on their spring musical, 42nd Street, Tyler played Billy Lawlor, and he was awesome. He wasn't the only one -----from Josiah playing Julian Marsh, to Bethany as Dorothy Brock and Tara as Peggy, Mandy as Ann Reilly and every other member of the cast....they were spectacular. I say all of this to get to this point: Each and everyone of them looked (and acted) like a million dollars.

So, if they looked like a million during their awesome production of 42nd Street, last night for Prom, they were $100 million. ALL of them looked like movie stars....

For now, you will just get a look at 3 of the pictures that I took (and let me remind you I am NO photographer) but I promise-- as the really good photos start coming in --I will add even more.

Tyler and Mandy, Prom 2008. Aren't they just gorgeous? Look at her gown....straight out of Hollywood!

Thanks for visiting, and letting me run on and on about Ty.....but sometimes a mother just has to brag!

Have a great Sunday!

XO
Laura

The Palatka Daily News

2008-05-02T06:05:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Everyone!

I would just like to say "Thank You" to the Palatka Daily Newspaper, and especially April Curtis and Patrick Leonard...the article is awesome.

Thank you, as well, to all of you who have come (or will come by today) to the website because you read the full-page spread on my "little" business LFW Designs.

Have a blessed weekend!
Laura

Good Friends and Good Times

2008-04-02T09:25:00.000-04:00

My friend and sewing buddy, Nancy Vorasso and her husband, John, introduced us to Ruth's Chris Steakhous in downtown Jacksonville in February. It was an awesome experience, and the view of downtown was spectacular. So, when our friends Nancy and John Minotti invited us to be a part of their anniversary celebration at Ruth's Chris-along with 2 other couples- we were thrilled!

So, last Saturday evening the four couples from lil' ol' Bostwick headed to the Big City.....John drove the motor home so we could all ride together..(an excellent idea, John)...What a time we had, as you can surely see from our pictures. Karl, me!, John Nancy, Bobbi Jean, Doyle, Terri and Keg....Ruth's Chris didn't know what they were in for!

(*Look at Doyle and Keg, with my pretty little Brighton glasses on, it's not easy seeing a menu when you are as old as us! Brighton should consider using them in their next ad campaign---don't you think")

We had Champagne, Fabulous wine ( and I do mean Fabulous!) Filet Mignon---oscar style with a crabcake and bernaise sauce, augratin potatoes, lobster bisque, lobster, stuffed mushrooms, ribeye, onion rings, ahi tuna....that is all I can remember, so who knows what else. It was truly a wonderful meal. The food is really good, but what makes this place so fantastic is the service. It is outstanding.

Of course the best part of any of our get-togethers, is spending time with all of our neighbors---whether it is in a 5star restaurant, or in our yard at a cookout.

(Ashlie, honey, this picture is just for you! It isn't often---like never---do you see Mr. Seminole with a gator cup!!!! I thought you would like it!!!!! )

(How about it, Doyle? Were we having a great time????!!!!)

Good times and Good Friends. Life doesn't get any better than this!

Y'all have a good week,
:)
Laura

March, It Marched on By, Didn't It?

2008-04-02T08:05:00.000-04:00

I apologize to all of you who read my blog regularly....I know it has been a long time. Thank you for all the kind emails----I will try to do better. Funny thing is, there are several blogs that I am addicted to, and when their writers skip a day, I miss it....so I will try to do better! In the coming weeks, I may even share some of my favorite blogs! A few of the blogs I read (well actually only 2) have started incorporating some of their favorite recipes into their blogs every so often, so I am even comtemplating adding some of my recipes to this site.......we'll see!

It has been a very busy year. My house is STILL undergoing major projects. Major redecorating. I used to think that decorating was one of my favorite things to do, but after all of the decisions I have been trying to make, I think not. I have been picking out paint chips ( I even bought a gallon of a pretty Pottery Barn color, but I think I have changed my mind, sorry Karl!) I have looked at millions of wood floor samples. Maybe not millions, but it sure feels that way! I have looked at countertops, stone, tile, screen, sofas, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, UGH!!!!!!!!!! I can't look anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, if you are wondering where I have been for the last 3 weeks, just check the local Lowe's. I am on first name basis, with most of the morning crew there!

I have been sewing, quite a bit actually, and new fabrics are arriving every week----
here are 2 samples---

Last month, actually 2 months ago-February, Bobbi Jean and I gathered 8 of our Bostwick buddies for breakfast right before Valentine's day----we set the table so pretty, used all of our pretty dishes and all kinds of heart decorations----but even though the camera set about 6 feet away from where we were, we took no pictures. However, last month-March- Miss Terri gathered all of us to her house and along with Angela, Dana, Julie, and Nancy prepared quite a wonderful brunch for all of us. This time Sherry wasn't able to join us, but Dawn took her place! The food was to die for as you can see in the pics----all of the Easter decorations were adorable too! Who's turn is it next? It is always fun when just us girls can get together!

This past weekend, we celebrated Hunter's 11th birthday! I cannot believe that child is eleven years old! He was only 2 when he came into my life, and I still think of him as that shy sweet baby boy....wooooo, now he is so much like his daddy (yes, Karl, that is a good thing!) it is amazing. We had about 30 people over for Low Country Boil, cake, and ice cream. A perfect party for Hunterman!

On Saturday evening a group of us got together and headed to Jacksonville, but that deserves its own seperate post, so it will be forthcoming!

Thank you, for coming to my little corner of the world. And for those of you who always log back onto my website and use the "Contact Us" link to email me, you are welcome to use the "Comments" at the bottom of this post (it is at the bottom of each post) it is a linkthat will let you post a comment right here on my blog....don't be shy. I appreciate all of your comments.

Have a great week-
Laura

I'm Back!

2008-03-10T14:36:00.000-04:00

I am back among the living! After 3 long weeks of being sick, I think I am almost well! Thank goodness.......

After arriving home from New York City, I was instantly sick. The flu, I guess...fortunately I am hardly ever ill, so when I am----it is awful! Enough about all of that.

Our trip to NYC was fantastic....more on that as soon as all the pictures are organized!

My child, Shelby, has a work of art (graphic design art) on display at the Univeristy of North Florida Art Gallery. There were 55 works of art chosed from 215 entries----I am so proud of her!

Jami turned 17 years old on Friday, so we celebrated all weekend with her.......how is it that she is almost all grown up?

Tyler and the rest of the Palatka High School Musical Theatre group are busy with rehearsals for "42nd Street". They will be performing it May 3-11 at the St. John's River Community College FloArts Auditorium here in Palatka. I can hardly wait!

As for the handbags---just this past weekend have I begun working on them again....I have some gorgeous new fabrics....will add the new swatches and the new "Ready To Ship" Bags tomorrow.....

NYC Review coming soon!!

Have a great Monday! (Oops, now its Tuesday!)

Laura

"Start Spreading the News...I'm leaving today....."

2008-02-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

And so that is how my favorite Frank Sinatra song goes..."New York, New York! " At least I think Frank is who sang it!
And actually we are leaving tomorrow, but the song says "today"----just let me ramble on.....we are all very excited....Well, Kristi is very nervous, Poor Sandy is very frustrated (and rightfully so, Sandy!!!) Raquel is our resident world traveler, she is ready. My Mom, well I suppose she is excited...and if she's not, she will be! Her first sight of Lady Liberty, how could she help but be excited!!! As for Jami, Shelby, Ashlie, Tyler and myself, well----we are thrilled! to say the least!

So, today when I had a few minutes, for entertainment I wrote this silly little poem. Guess you didn't realize I had such talent-

Twas the night before New York, and all out in Bostwick,
we were packing and packing like we had lost it!!!

Where are our gloves, and my hats from last year-
And Jami is thrilled, her high heeled boots are here!

Tyler is packed, his suitcase is loaded to the core-
I swear I don't think it will h old one thing more.

Shelby is calling, "Do you have our tickets and such-"
"Well, of course, Dear, I have them, I can keep up with much."

Ashlie is texting-"Mom, I am excited too,
Did Meme remember her gloves and her shoes?"

Kristi just rang, "I'm ready to go"
But Racquel and Sandy, they really need to know...
"what time is our flight?
And just where is Broadway?
We're thrilled too,
Tomorrow will be such a great day!"

Mr. Pignato, I'm sure is ready-- along with the Mrs.-
When we see them at the airport we will be blowing them kisses!

New York, here we come---
And we are glad to be back!
And show all the new ones,
there is NOTHING this town lacks!

Y'all have a happy and safe Valentine's Day! I will check in next week!

Laura

An Update!

2008-02-05T19:42:00.001-05:00

Hello! What a month! Once again, I can't believe February is here...I am busy in the office (it is almost tax time, you know) I am busy in the studio... but I needed a break, so I thought I would fill you all in with what is happening.

First, let me tell you that WE are still busy working on the website update. Every step takes longer than I expected, and then I think of 100 other things I have questions about for the web-designer. Point is---it is a long process. It will be worth it in the end.

Secondly, I want you to know that I am literally counting the days (9 more to be exact!) until we leave for New York. I had such a fantastic time last year, that Shelby, Jami and I are going again. This time, thoug, Ashlie, My Mom, Kristi and friends-Raquel and Sandy are going with us. We will once again be joining the Palatka High School drama class up there. The forecast is cold and snowy. Perfect! We will be seeing Hairspray this time. I also have a little field trip planned to what is know as Martha Stewart's favorite store on Earth. It is right near where we are staying....more about that later.

Today (like every other day) I spent lots of my time playing with the dogs....Miss Ellie, Sandra Dee and Bessie. I only have pictures of Sandy and Bess, t hough, because Ellie (who is definately the prissiest one) won't allow me to photograph her. Aren't they too cute?

Thanks for reading!

Have a good night!

Laura

It is 2008!

2008-01-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

Hello !!!

Happy 2008....

I thought I better sit down and write out a little note about LFW....to keep everyone updated...
Our Website, www.lfwdesigns.com , is undergoing some renovations... I am hoping to have it completed by next weekend, but I can't be sure. I am working with our web-designer in Nebraksa, and it takes a while to send everything, and finalize it all. I sincerely appreciate your patience, and it will be well worth it in the end. It will be awesome!

New fabrics have arrived, and I am in the process of picking more for the spring....what a job that is! There are thousands to choose from-making the whole process longer than I anticipate. (I think I notice a pattern here, of everything taking longer than I anticipate!)

I am also working on the calendar for spring, so if you are interested in hosting a purse party, just drop me a line, and I will send you all the info.

Thanks again, for your support,
I will update this again soon with all the new things.

Have a great weekend.

:)
Laura

Christmas in Bostwick

2007-12-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I am geniuinely old. At least older. Christmas is one week away, all the purses are gone....at least on their way to the respective recipients....my tree is up and beautiful, if I do say so myself! My packages are not only bought, but WRAPPED, and all of my Christmas cards went out this afternoon.

Even the studio is just about neat again. Almost organized. I just can't believe it----

I am, however, heading to the Town Center once more, tomorrow with my daughters---just in case I have forgotten some little something!

Thursday and Friday will be spent at my real job.....then vacation for a week! Yippee!

I am hoping you all are having as much fun as I am-

The studio will be officially opening January 15, and already new fabrics are arriving....at that time we will be booking parties for 2008. This year we are going to focus more on the home parties, as well as on our website and Studio Open Houses, less on craft shows.

Our website will have a new feature of "Ready-To-Ship/Pick-Up" bags. When these pictures are loaded on the site, they are going to be immediately available....no waiting on production, so when you need something in a hurry----this will help you out!

Once again, let me thank you for all of the support you have shown our little company.

We here at LFW appreciate all of you.

Merry Christmas, and may God bless you.

Laura

Its Beginning to look a lot like Christmas.......

2007-11-22T16:36:00.000-05:00

Getting ready to do our Christmas cards, I decided we would don our santa hats and get a picture of the whole motley crew. Actually this is not the whole crew, as Hunter youngest son, and Blake- Shelby's boyfriend, were missing....but by the time this picture goes to print the two of them will have been photo-shopped in. Shelby, a graphic design student at UNF, has learned how to be an Enquirer photographer, and paste people into pics that they were not actually apart of....I thought that would be a useless talent unless she really went to work for the National Enquirer...so imagine my surprise when she said she could doctor the Christmas pictures!!
As soon as Hunter and Blake come back into town, we will add the finished experiment!!
Y'all get shopping.
Purse info coming soon!
XOXO
Laura

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T04:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this day I want everyone to know how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life....Children, Husband, Parents, Dogs (especially the dogs!) :) my brother (though DO NOT tell him I said that!) and my little niece ---and the rest of my extended family!

Now go eat some turkey! I will be back here tomorrow with NEW HANDBAGS for Christmas!

And, just so you know, while I was a little sad about not doing my spot at Christmas Made in the South this year, TODAY I AM THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My first Thanksgiving at home in 4 years! Yippee!

Now, off to cook the turkey!

XOXO
Laura

Holidaze!!!!!!!

2007-11-14T20:44:00.000-05:00

Once again, I cannot believe that it is November. Time is flying. That I know.

For those of you who do not keep up with my little "newsflashes" on the homepage of my website, let me tell you....I will not be attending "Christmas Made in the South" this year. I have truly struggled with this decision for over a month. It is a fabulous show. However, set-up is Thanksgiving Day, and then it is 3 long days for the whole weekend. I have decided that I want to have Thanksgiving Dinner, on Thanksgiving Day with my family. Instead of having it on the Sunday before, like we have for the past 3 years. I will miss seeing all of my usual customers. You will just have to order online, or come to one of our Open Houses, or schedule a purse party in order to get your original LFWs!

So, or is that SEW? We are very busy getting ready for the next set of parties that we have coming up as well as our Christmas Open House on the first weekend of December. The purses are adorable to say the least. I would hope we can get the pictures loaded soon, yet there is only so many hours in a day.

I have 5 new fabrics in for the new year....We will close down on December 15, and remain closed until January 15.

You all get ready for Thanksgiving now.....you know I am!

:)
Laura

Just Rambling On & On---

2007-10-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

Just rambling...
My mind is racing, soaring really. I think I have too many irons in the proverbial fire?

Who knows....but here are some of my thoughts...

Tyler, my extremely handsome son, has won the part of Prince Charming in the winter play, Cinderella. For those of your in our geographical area, you really should make a point to see PHS's plays. Mr. & Mrs. Pignato really make our students shine. It is the closest thing to Broadway without traveling 1,000 miles. December 6-9 are the dates. Times to be announced soon.

Sandra Dee (or Snakebite as we now like to call her!) is doing fine. She is as good as new. It was just a miracle that she survived that incident. I am so thankful.

In ONE WEEK we will be making my annual trip to the mountains, the Dillard House to be specific, I cannot wait. Karl said we were going to sit on the porch overlooking the valley and sip San Sebastian Vintner's Red, for the whole time we are there. He decided I could go to a few antique shops, but he said fabric shopping was out of the question....he even said I deserved a break. How sweet. Anyway I am so excited-- I am hoping it will be cold up there, but at this point I am just grateful to get away.

Did I even mention that I have NEW FABRIC!!!!!!!!!! What was I thinking. I have several from Heather Bailey, and even more from Jennifer Paganelli. They are so beautiful. I even got a sweet email from Jennifer Paganelli, which was exciting. She and Heather Bailey design their own fabric lines. Now, that might be fun!

Today I toyed with the idea of opening my own retail shop. All day long. I even went and scoped out locations, and even ventured into them. One in particular was my favorite, but in the end, I realized that I don't have the time for that. One of the things I love about doing things the way I do, is that I am strictly on MY SCHEDULE (well, really I am on Karl and Tyler's schedule) but I get to do what I want---when I want, and if I open a store I will have to actually BE THERE 6 days a week. So, it is a no-go. You all will just have to continue to order online, and come by the studio....or have a party....or meet me at one of the shows that I do.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts,
have a good night.
I will try to post the new bags/fabric by tomorrow night---
:)
Laura

Dachshunds and Rattlesnakes

2007-10-03T06:02:00.000-04:00

Dachshunds and Rattlesnakes. They don't mix. In case you didn't know.

Last Saturday evening, when I was supposed to be on my way to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to watch Alabama and FSU, Tyler called to tell me that Sandra Dee (our baby dachshund---6 months old) had been bitten by a snake. A snake that was about 12" long and gray and black, a pygmy rattler. After calling our vet ( they aren't in, we just got a recording) and calling several other vets in Northeastern Florida, there were only 2 we could find that had any antivenim. Tyler left Bostwick and drove the hour to bring Sandy to me at the Animal ER on Southside Blvd, at Tinseltown in Jacksonville.

They took Sandy in immediately. By then it had been well over an hour since the bite, and she was swelling pretty severely. She looked like a chipmunk, she was so pitiful. Her heart rate was well over 200 and the venom was taking its toll on the little dog. The doctor, Earl Marshall, was very compassionate, but he let me know that the one thing not in Sandy's favor was her size. Nine pounds. That is not much dog. The prognosis on a large dog surviving a snake bite is pretty good, but on a small one you just never know.

After a very long night, and two doses of antivenim, Sunday morning she was holding her own. Some of her vitals were elevated-but it looked like the worst was over.

Sunday night at 7pm they called to say she was fine, and we could come pick her up. Fine? Was she really OK?

She is amazing! It is now early on Wednesday morning, and she is just wonderful. Her swelling is almost completely gone.

I am thankful for that little dog. I am thankful for the Doctors and staff at the Animal ER. I count my blessings.

Have a great day!
Laura :)

A Day of Rest

2007-09-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

It is a busy time. There is much to do....but as I sit here writing this post, I want you to know that today I have done absolutely nothing business-related. (Except for one tiny phone call!) I am contemplating taking the rest of the day off as well. Sometimes we (I) need that. I have 50 bags to get ready by next Saturday. 50 is not that many to get finished in a week, so it really isn't that daunting. I need them to be ready so that I can have even more new things at the Open House that is next Sunday. We have a new black and white fabric that is to die for! I am not going to post it on the site until after the Open House, though! (Speaking of that, if you would like an invitation, including a map, email me by using the "Contact Us" link on the LFW Designs webpage and we will email you one!)

Also, I would like to encourage anyone thinking of hosting a party before Christmas to go ahead and schedule it. October is just about full, November has only 1 opening, and on December 15 we will close down until January 15. I appreciate all of the support you all continue to show our little company.

Til next time, thanks for visiting our little peice of the world wide web!
Have a great weekend,
Laura
PS:GO GATORS! (Sorry Karl!! :))

Back to the Grindstone!

2007-08-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

Random thoughts...

---After a much needed break, we are back into the swing of things.
On my cutting table lies tons of Christmas fabric. Is it almost Christmas time???
Time flies by way to fast---

---Over my break, my oldest baby girl turned 23. I turned 41. But the one that I could not get over was my tiny little baby son. He turned 16.....and is out cruising the roads as I type this post. Wow.

---Newsletters are being mailed this week. If you do not currently receive one, just send us your address, we will add you to the mailing list.

---Remember to come see us at the Ponte Vedra show the last weekend of September, as well as the San Marco Fall Arts Festival the first weekend of October.

---The Palatka High School Drama Class is putting on their fall play September 13-15. High School Musical. If you have not seen one of their productions, you are missing out. Tickets are on sale now, be sure to get yours.

Thanks again, for checking in with us. I will be adding more to the site and the blog all through the week.

Have a great one!!!

:)
Laura

New Fabric, aka A Great Day in the Studio!!! :)

2007-07-19T14:42:00.000-04:00

Nothing. And I do mean nothing. (Well, almost nothing!) thrills me more than new fabrics!!!!!!

So, today when I saw the famous brown delivery truck pull up outside the studio doors, my heart started beating fast! Finally my new fabrics were here. After 2 weeks of counting the days, they made their way all the way from New York City.

Actually, it was just some of the fabrics I am expecting, but some is better than none, and I am ready to go to work!

I snapped these 3 pictures and then immediately cut out 30 bags...I fully intend to have them completed by Wednesday's Open House. (Don't tell anyone, but I also plan to have matching checkbook covers, cosmetic bags, and even belts).

While I am here, let me say, for the longest time, I thought that Shelby & I (and occassionally Ashlie) were the only ones reading this blog---but last week I added the hit counter to it, and I am simply amazed how many readers I have, and readers from all over the planet. The hit counter allows me to see where the readers are. Hong Kong, Canada, London, Bangladesh. Bangladesh. Someone way over there has read my silly little blog from here in Bostwick. Small town, USA. Simply amazing. I am happy that you come to my little corner of the world and see what is going on or what is on my mind.

Here's to hoping you all have a very blessed weekend!
Laura

21

2007-07-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, July 12, my middle daughter, Shelby, turned 21.
I can hardly believe that my sweet tiny little baby girl is all grown up. How did that happen? When did that happen?
To celebrate the occasion, Shel wanted to go to the "Outback Crab Shack". What a great evening we had. My whole family managed to be there---even my sweet little neice, Madison and her dad, my bratty little brother, Kevin. Take a look at the pictures----

Happy birthday, Shelby!!!
I love you!
xoxox
Mom

More Random Thoughts!

2007-07-08T07:36:00.000-04:00

More Random thoughts....

I have been a little busy!

First let me say, I apologize for waiting over a month to log onto the blog. The long summer days have made me crazy!

We are having our Second Annual Open House at the Ravine Gardens State Park Conference Center, on Wednesday, July 25, from noon until 7pm. Please come by and see all our new bags. There are several new designs in the works, and 240 yards of NEW FABRIC is on its way!!! YAY!!!! So there will be plenty of new things, including the makeup bags and checkbook covers.

Over 400 bags will be on display. We also have a guest designer joining us, Nancy Vorasso. "Creations by Nance" makes the most amazing vintage-style aprons, as well as crayon bags (every child should have one!!!!) tea towels, golf towels, and much more! We look forward to seeing you there. If you would like me to send you a printed invitation, please go back to the website, and click on the "Contact Us" link, and send me your address....or just your email and we will send your an "E-vite"!!!

My little dogs are wonderful...Miss Ellie, the black one with the clown hat, she is a little snooty...I have no idea where she gets that from!!! She was not the least bit thrilled when I put the hat on her...she is way too sophisticated for that! Bessie, Moo as we call her--because she looks like a little milk cow--is a riot. She is our little country girl. Karl says she is his hunting dog. How funny is that, Mr. Macho has a weiner dog as his hunting dog!!! Don't tell him, but she really loves me best! Then there is Sandra Dee, the newest edition. She is wild. The picture of her on her Burberry bed with the camouflage blanket.....that suits her perfectly! She is the city girl, and the country girl all rolled up in one...kind of like me! :)

Then there are the Unfurry kids, they keep me busy as well! 2 high-school juniors in my house. There is NEVER a dull moment. There is also never a moment when at least 2 phone lines aren't being used, and the computer is occupied 24/7.

I am trying to get motivated to redecorate my studio. I have paint chips and fabric samples. That is as far as I have gotten. Of course, I am ready to redecorate my whole house....but that is way to overwhelming. I am thinking of hiring someone to come in and tell me what they think I should do. We have lived here for 5 years....and I love the way I decorated everything, but now I am ready for something different. I think. Karl said I could do whatever I wanted and he would help me anyway that he could, but he WILL NOT PAINT. Anyway, think I will just start with the studio and a Pottery Barn Catalogue, and I will be good to go!

I am hoping you all had a wonderful 4th of July! I am hoping all is well with each and everyone of you. Thank you for stopping by my tiny little corner of the world....

Have a great Sunday,

XO
Laura

All in a day's work...

2007-06-05T17:28:00.000-04:00

Today was a productive day in the studio----of course it all started yesterday, and yesterday I could not get motivated to do ONE THING! I wanted to sit on the swing and play with the sweet little dogs! :) Which is exactly I did.

Anyway, back to today and all the productivity. With Shelby's help today we completed 30 bags. 30. From start to finish. That is quite a lot! We are busy getting ready for the OakLeaf Farmer's Market on Saturday and our Summer Art Show at Jax Beach on Sunday. We are looking forward to both, and have a few new things for them!

Next Wednesday I am traveling 1,000 miles just to buy new fabric. How exciting is that? It makes my heart go pitter-pat just thinking about it!!!!!!! I cannot wait. Coupled with the fact that I get to travel with my sweet baby-girl, Shelby, and my dear "sewing buddy" Nance----it should be a great time!

I will chat with you all soon,

Have a very blessed day!

:)
Laura

The Blue Crab Festival

2007-05-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

Wow! The Blue Crab Festival is behind us. Hard to believe. First of all, let me thank 2 of my daughters, Shelby and Jami, for running the booth ALL weekend. The two of you certainly made things easy on me! Of course, I thought it was awfully nice of me to show up each morning with money, receipts, enough cokes for the day, and doughnuts!!!! :) I could not have done the show without the two of you, and I am truly grateful.
Next, let me say THANK YOU to all of our returning customers, as well as our brand new ones. You all helped to make this a record-setting show for us. Many of the vendors around us were complaining about how no one was buying---but thanks to ALL of you, that was not the case in our booth.
And, didn't you just love our new banner? Thanks to Cindy at Dave's Tops and Trims, it was just what I wanted!
Tomorrow, I will load up the pictures from the show, as well as our brand new bags-----they are too cute for words!
Til tomorrow,
thank you, again.
:)
Laura

Leaving Las Vegas

2007-05-09T17:05:00.000-04:00

Well, we have made it back to reality......and while I was ready to return to my regularly scheduled life, Las Vegas was AWESOME. Unbelievable. Pure fantasy. Disney World for adults. We landed in LV on Saturday night at 11:00 pm (their time----their time, out time, what time???? We were all messed up as to what time it actually was....fortunately it really doesn't matter what time it is in Vegas....time to have fun, that is all you need to know!) We took a cab to our hotel *(resort actually...hotel does not do it justice) the Venetian. WOW. It is enormous, and it is incredibly beautiful. Throughout the whole resort the music playing is from "The Phantom of the Opera"(which is my favorite!--they must have known!) ... Italian marble is EVERYWHERE. Our suite was more than 750 square feet...pure luxury. 19 fancy restaurants. 19. That is quite a few restaurants for one resort. 80 shops in the resort. Unbelievable.

Of course my favorite thing to do is play slot machines.....the first day I didn't do too hot....however my luck changed the next day, and we ended up coming home with all the cash we took out there. That is amazing in itself!
Karl had never been to Vegas, so I worried that it may not live up to his expectations.....wrong. He Loved it. He even said it was his favorite vacation he had ever been on. He is ready for us to book our next trip....I told him he loved it so much because he had such a terrific tour guide.. :)
We went from the Venetian, to the Mirage, Caesar's Palace, The Bellagio (another " out of this world" place!) Ballys, The Flamingo, Paris, Casino Royale....the next day we went straight to the Hooters Casino. Not where I wanted to go --for obvious reasons!) ....and when we got there it was practically empty, so I sat at a machine and put my $20 in, and in just a minute I was up $200. Hooters turned out to be a pretty fun place.....from there we went to the Tropicana (not my favorite---it is just really old...) and then to New York New York, and then back through all of the others again. One evening we even ventured out to the Rio----I liked the casino there----I liked the Mardi Gras atmosphere.
Shopping is incredible. Reminded me of my New York trip.
All in all, it was wonderful---even our flights. I just heard Karl say we would take Jami and Tyler next time.....I'm ready! So are they!

Random Thoughts...

2007-04-30T19:02:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it has been 15 days since my last post! So, I thought I would just ramble on about a few things....
FIRST of all, if you are in the Palatka area, let me remind you that there are only 4 more performances of the PHS Drama Dept. play, Thoroughly Modern Millie. And just in case you are wondering----it is wonderful! The students are absolutely awesome. The orchestra is awesome. Mr. Pignato, the director, is awesome, as well. If you have not been, you still have a chance on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $12 and $17. Money well spent.

Secondly, the countdown has begun!!!!!!! 5 days until I leave for LAS VEGAS! I cannot wait! As everyone knows, Las Vegas was my very favorite place, until I visited New York----but I am thrilled to spend 4 days in Vegas starting on Saturday! Roulette Wheel, here I come! I am also hoping to see La Riv at the Wynn Resort---will let you know!

Thirdly, we have a new puppy, as you know....Sandra Dee. My husband comes home today to tell me that the breeder has another litter of pups....5 females....and don't we want one more....then we will have 4.....each one will have a playmate. WHAT??????? I calmly asked Karl if he had lost his mind. When we had Thumper, I always thought we needed one more, Karl always thought not-----NOW HE WANTS TO HAVE FOUR! Fortunately the pups are only 2 days old, so it will be a while before we really have to make that decision....and in the mean time, Sandra Dee is doing wonderful! Bessie and Ellie just love her, although Bess has certainly decided that she is Leader of the Pack!

In One Month, my two teenagers will be juniors in high school. How (when) did that happen!!!! Honestly, I do not feel any older, but surely I must be!!! Of course it doesn't help that my oldest little baby child will be 23 and the middle one will be 21!!!! (And thinks I need to take her to Vegas for that momentous occasion!)

As far as LFW, the business is busy---we are coming in to a very busy time. We are looking forward to seeing our long-standing customers, and meeting some new ones! New fabrics and trims are on the way---which as you well know, thrills me! :)

Thanks for keeping me inspired to keep on sewing!
Have a blessed week---
Laura

Purses, Anyone?

2007-04-15T10:22:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we set up at the San Marco Art Festival in Jacksonville, Florida. What a great day! The weather was perfect---although a little warm. I greeted our customers for the first couple of hours, then I left the festival in Shelby and Celene's very capable hands! LFW has 2 big events this week, and I had to get back to the studio!

I would like to take this chance to say "Thank you" for all of the support you continue to show our little company. You truly do keep us inspired!

Have a great weekend....we will have more pictures from our other events this week coming soon!
:)
Laura

Must Love Dogs

2007-04-10T14:31:00.000-04:00

Well, when I grew up we always had a dog for a family pet. "Polly" was the family bassett hound, we also had "Misty" the cat. As pets go, they were fine, however I was not much of an animal person. Never had been, thought that I never would be. Fast forward to 2000, when I met "Sport" my brother-in-law's Dachshund. Immediately I fell in love. With a dog. Sport is a red dachshund, and is so sweet, and so adorable. A few months later we got a call that Sport had sired a litter of puppies. Did we want one? Without a moment's hesitation we went to see the little dogs. Thumper came home with us that night. As much as I had fell in love with Sport, now I had my very own, and I loved that precious animal just like she was one of my children...
We had Thump for 4 years. She developed back problems, so we took her to Gainesville to Shands Veterinary Clinic for back surgery, she died during the surgery. The anesthesia machine malfunctioned. It was devastating to our whole family. There was a hole in my heart, I cried for 4 solid days, and then I told Karl, my husband, that he had to get me another little dog. So that next day we found one in Jacksonville. Miss Ellie Mae brightened up my days. I grew to love her as much as I loved Thumper. Miss Ellie is solid black, and is just beautiful. She is 1 1/2 years old. Back in July Karl came home from his brother's and said that he had seen the cutest puppy. A solid white dachshund...with a red head and a couple of brown spots on her back...well a few hours later we were a 2 dog family, Bessie Lew had entered our lives. And happily so. I cannot imagine what we would do without the girls. They go just about everywhere with us. I just never imagined that animals could bring so much happiness to our lives. Which brings me to the whole point of this post...On Easter Sunday after lunch we were sitting on the back porch talking about how wonderful the girls (dogs) are, and the next thing I knew, the Easter Bunny had made a special delivery to me-----ANOTHER LITTLE TINY DACHSHUND! Sandra Dee.

She looks exactly like Miss Ellie. She is 6 weeks old, weighs less than 2 pounds. She looks like a Beanie Babie that walks. So now we are a three dog family. I wonder if these little animals know how lucky they are that we have them. We sure know how lucky we are to have them.

:)

2007-04-01T05:15:00.000-04:00

On this early Sunday morning, which I think will be a beautiful day here in the country, I have but one thing to say:

GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a blessed day,
Laura

Zippery-do-dah, Zippery day!!!

2007-03-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

After talking, researching, thinking and dreaming of putting a zipper in some of the handbags....I am happy to say it has been done!!! And all because of Celene and her fantastic (authentic) Coach bag that went to NYC with us! First of all, let me say that Coach bags are not my thing. Rarely have I seen one that I even sort of like. However, when we boarded the plane with Celene, she had one of her many Coach bags with her for the trip. I LOVED it immediately. First of all, it did not have all of those silly "C's" all over it, it was a lovely brown suede, with a tiny bit of french blue leather trim. Secondly, I loved the zipper. On closer inspection, I decided that I, too, could incorporate a zipper into LFW bags based on how that one was put together. The bag was shaped similarly to LFWs...all it took was a morning of creativity and Voile! The first ever zippered LFW Handbag. Here is a picture of the prototype...basic black. Soon they will appear on the website in all the bright pretty spring colors! And we have Celene (and Coach) to thank for it!

Have a great day!
Laura

New York

2007-02-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

Well, we have returned from NYC! I have never been so exhausted, or excited. New York was everything I imagined and sooooo much more! It was 19* with the wind blowing at about 30 mph the entire time we were there. For all of you Floridians, that is mighty cold!!!! We were well bundled, but if we waited too long at a crosswalk, we began to freeze. (Literally!!)

The first day there, we ate at the world famous Carmines Italian Restaurante. It was the most delicious food! I loved the atmosphere, I felt as if Tony Soprano would be walking in at anytime.

Later that evening we walked to Macy's...then to back to Times Square. When we got to the middle of Times Square with the HUGE jumbo-trons on either side of us, I really felt as though we were at the very center of the universe. From there we had just a short walk back to our hotel which was in the Theatre District.

The next day we walked from our hotel to Bloomingdales, twice, with stops at Tiffany's, Cartier, Yves St. Lauren, Chanel, Coach, FAO Schwartz (twice) and then walked to Tavern on the Green---for another FABULOUS meal!!! I was telling someone in the elevator about all the walking we had done that day and some man in there with us said "Girl, you can have some dessert today, after all that walking!" But there was no time for dessert, Jami (my step-daughter) and I had to rush to meet Tyler (my son) and his class for MY FIRST EVER BROADWAY SHOW......Wicked. It was the bomb! When the music began, tears streamed from my face--- I could not believe that I was in NYC at a real Broadway show. It was awesome. If you have not already seen it, and you have the opportunity you really need to go---you will not be disappointed. I was sorry the Shelby (my daughter) and Celene (our friend) didn't join us. They had taken off for the Empire State Building instead.

Saturday morning we headed for Chinatown and cheap purses!!! What a unique experience that was!

From there we took a cab to Ground Zero. A very somber time. Out of the four of us, no one spoke the whole time we were there. The museum was even more sad. To look at the wall with all of those family pictures of the people who were lost. It was overwhelming.

After crying every bit of my make up off, we headed back to the hotel.

After MORE WALKING, eating at the California Pizza Kitchen, shopping at Dylan's Candy Bar, Jami and Tyler ate hotdogs from a side-of-the-road vendor, we headed back to the hotel for rest, and to get ready for dinner at Jeckyll and Hyde. Shelby was convinced we had to eat there. I was skeptical --- I do not like to be scared ---and certainly NOT while I am eating. As it turned out, J&H was much fun, and the food was great too.

Sunday we left Tyler and his class, and headed to the airport. Our wild trip was coming to an end....but what fun we had. We are already planning our next trip for Christmas time, and also again in February '08 with the drama class....

Til next time, have a very blessed day!

Laura

Back to Work!!!!!!!

2007-01-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been 2 weeks since I have reopened LFW, after the Christmas break...what a couple of weeks it has been!
My studio looks like a tornado has ravaged through it----I am busy getting ready for a trunk show for tonight...there are tons of new fabrics, I just haven't had the time to upload the photos onto the website...am hoping to load a few each day over the next week.
These fabrics at left are the french blue and brown collection....the colors in this blog do not do them justice! They are adorable. I just love the toile! There is also a small damask print that isn't shown in the photo-----Cute bags are on their way!
I have a new size of handbags that I am working on. It is larger than the classic tote, but not as tall as the Lizzy Bag....on some of them I am putting metal rings attaching the straps to the bag. Sharp!
I just wanted you all to know that there is loads of work going on in the studio---even when you don't hear from me!
Have a good day!
:)
Laura

Happy New Year

2007-01-10T18:53:00.000-05:00

Happy 2007 to everyone! I cannot believe it is already the 10th of January. Where does all of the time go?!?
I am very busy in the studio planning all the new things for the year. The first purse party of the year is next Friday, the 19th! Already my schedule for the purse parties is filling up. I am currently booked through March. If you are contemplating having a party, it is time to get on the schedule. Just send me an email or give me a call.
The first show that LFW will be attending is the San Marco Spring Arts Show, in Jacksonville. I will be at the Wardroom. The Wardroom is the most charming store in all of Jacksonville. Just visiting the store thrills me! If you all have not been there be sure to come out during the weekend of April 14-15. Other shows that I plan to attend are the Blue Crab Festival in Palatka, The Blueberry Festival in Bostwick (however there is talk of moving this show to Interlachen, we'll have to see!), the Fall Arts Show in San Marco, the Fall Gift Market in Ocala in September, the Mandarin United Methodist Fall Festival in October, and then Jacksonville's Christmas Made in the South Thanksgiving weekend. I am looking forward to seeing all of you again this year.
One of my resolutions for the year is to be more faithful about writing in this blog...and even attaching pictures to it. We'll see how it goes.
Happy New Year to all of you.
Talk to you soon!
Laura
PS: GO GATORS!!

20 days and counting!

2006-12-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

Well, you will be happy to know that at my home, we have our Christmas tree up and decorated!!! Our tree is 10 feet high----so decorating is no small feat! It is beautiful. Makes me wonder why I have waited so long to put it up. Poinsettias are on the front and back porch...the wreaths have been hung.
Now, to finish all the handbags orders. We are literally working around the clock. It looks like I will be all caught up on Sunday night about midnight. With only one purse party left, the busy season is coming to an end. I am looking forward to one month off, December 15 to January 15. We are already scheduling parties into March and April. I encourage any of you who may be interested in one, to email or call, and go ahead and save the date of your choice.
Our makeup bags are now available in 3 sizes, 5", 7" and 9". The prices are $10, $12, and $14 respectively. They can now be ordered in any of the current fabrics.
Today, the new blue and brown turqoise fabric collection came in. There is toile, stripes, dots, they are so cute. I will attempt to load a picture so you can see later this evening.
Have a good evening. Thank you again for your interest in LFW Designs.
Laura

24 Shopping Days Left

2006-12-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

Can that really be true? 24 shopping days left before Christmas. Here is the funny thing about that. I ALWAYS have my Christmas tree up on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Well, that didn't happen this year. It still isn't up. December 1 - and my tree is still out in the barn. It looks like it will be Sunday evening before we have a chance to get it out--and then there is only 3 weeks until the big day.
Which brings up the subject of shopping. I have also not bought one single gift. I could have already started shopping, but I have been just a little busy, and I do not know what to buy anyone. Even out little nine-year old son - he is now officially at the age where he is too big for all the toys that are fun to buy, and he's to young to just outfit him with gift cards. The two teenagers will be perfectly happy with money and/or gift cards. That makes them really easy---but not much fun!!! Our two older daughters are impossible as well. Neither one of them can come up with anything that they might want. Santa is really having trouble this year!! However, our two little dachshunds, Miss Ellie and Bessie Lu, are easy. A new bag of bones and they will be thrilled!! They will dance all around. Too bad we all don't get as excited over something so simple.
My plan for the week (starting tomorrow) is to put out two Christmas decorations everyday, and to buy at least one present everyday....online shopping is getting more appealing all the time!
Good luck to all of you, who are facing the same dilemma, good luck decorating the trees, baking the cookies, addressing the cards, and choosing the presents! Tis the Season!!!

Is it really Tuesday before Thanksgiving???

2006-11-21T18:19:00.000-05:00

Is it really the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? I kind of get lost at the holiday because I am so busy with the handbag business! On Thursday I will go downtown to set up for the Christmas in the South Show. While it is exciting to be there, there is a TREMENDOUS amount of work that goes on in order to be ready for that show. Even my poor husband has done more than his share of time in the sewing studio over the past few days----For which I am extremely grateful for, Karl, in case you are reading this, honey!!!
However, there are approximately 63 hours until the doors open, and I am just about ready. That is a record for me. I am the original procrastinator! Really. I cannot opperate until I am under pressure....WHY is that? Yet, I am just about ready for the big show this weekend, and that is pretty incredible. Then I will only have 3 more parties and the season will be over. Three more weeks and the mad dash will be a thing of the past. Well, that is until the third week of January when I start up the party season again... Which brings me to this thought----I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting EACH and EVERY one of you at the parties....The enthusiasm that you all show for my little handbags is overwhelming. In the coming year, I plan to introduce the new handbags with a ZIPPER, as well as a bigger collection of the make-up bags, and I have ordered all the hardware for belts. I know you all will be just as excited as I am!!!
One more time let me tell you that I am aware the YOU all have made my business soooo successful, and in this time of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all of you.
God Bless You, Happy Thanksgiving!
Laura

2006-11-09T10:17:00.000-05:00

I have had the blog for five day now. Five days. I could not wait for my web-designer to get the template saved and program the subscription feeds, I waited and waited. Now I have had it for FIVE days and only have one small post. How funny is that? Where does all of the time go?
This is a very busy time of year for our little company. Just when I think that I am ready for the weekend's purse party and/or shows, I receive more orders...which is definately a good thing...but it does keep me from ever getting "caught-up". However, I am not complaining. It is that time of year!
This morning I am pressing Christmas bags, getting them ready for photos for the website. They are so cute. I know you will love them.
Thanks for taking your time to check out my blog.
Have a great Thursday!
Laura

Hello!

2006-11-04T07:39:00.000-05:00

Wow-We finally have a blog. After months of reading other websites' blogs, I decided that here at LFW Designs we needed a blog as well. It is the perfect place to come to see what is going on with our little company. I will try to update it regularly, so check back often or just click on the subscribe button to the right and we will email you all of our new entries. I am even going to upload pictures to it.

The new Christmas Holiday Handbags are finally done!!! YAY! I am hoping to upload the pictures to the site this evening. They are so cute. My favorite is the Jag Santa. It is adorable...Santa Claus and animal print---what a combination!

Also new this week are our accessory bags---two sizes: the makeup bag and the coin bag. At this time, they are only available in a few of the fabrics; black and white, pink and brown, the turquoise paisley, as well as the pink paisley. They feature a zipper closure. This brings me to my next topic: Zippers. Until now, I have avoided putting zippers in the tops of the handbags. I have conquered my fears and ordered 400 zippers....The new zippered handbags will debut in February 07.

Once again, I just want to take a moment to thank each and everyone of you. The website has taken thousands of hits from all over the world, and that is amazing to me! I appreciate all of your support.

Have a blessed weekend.
Laura