Phew!

I sold a ton of bags just before xmas and now I have the joy of restocking my shoppe. My sewing room is even worse than it was before the holidays. There is literally fabric spilling out of every container. Oh and pillows that I was supposed to finish way back sometime. I am stoked to get some new materials to work with and new items posted on etsy. In 2010 I will be making pillows, hankies, and grocery totes so look out for all these new items! I am hoping to get a messenger type bag and some bike accessories in there too but they are still in the planning stages. I will be at the South Park Walkabout in a few months and my bags will be available to purchase, more details to come but I know for sure that I will be at South Bark Dog Wash. Hope you all have a safe and happy new year!

Todd is the B E S T!

Todd, my sweet sweet husband, surprised me today with a freakin' bike! I am going to fill that basket with flowers, fabric and maybe a teeny tiny dog. I can't wait to ride it this weekend all the way down Adams Avenue and beyond!

Two Years and Counting

As of yesterday, I have been making bags for two whole years, can you believe it? I wasn't really sure what was going to come of this and over 200 bags later I am still loving every stitch. Thank you to everyone who has supported this little hobby that has morphed into a full on fabric obsession. I hope to spread the word of handmade love this holiday season so here it goes... (click the pic to be taken to the corresponding etsy shop)

my favorite dresses by sohomode

cute cup holders by stichella

my friend erika makes cute clothes over at spicy toast

sweet little plushes by beeperbebe

have you seen these aweome peahoodies by abigail adams

some of my favorite pillows can be found at enhabiten

i wish i was small enough to fit in these by yikestwins

the most beautiful vintage plate clocks by faire houre

Holiday Waste

*
Click
here
to read
how you
can reduce
your holiday
wrapping waste
!

Best gift ever!

I am busy making more wine gift bags, look for them soon in my shop. They are perfect for housewarmings, engagements, birthdays or anytime you want to give a nice bottle of wine or a yummy seasonal microbrew. These bags are made from discarded upholstery fabric samples and can be gifted over and over further reducing our footprint on the earth. Now through the New Year they are only $5.00 so be sure to take advantage of this awesome deal!

on sale!

gift bags

My danikai gift bags are now $5.00 through the New Year! These bags are perfect for the holidays as I am sure you will be doing lots of visiting with friends and family. Simply insert a favorite bottle of wine or seasonal microbrew and you are good to go. Maybe you know a homebrewer who loves sharing their tasty grog with others. These gift bags are made from unused upholstery samples and can be used again and again.

danikai on sale and model wanted

I just posted new photos of my bags. I am always experimenting with light and I think I found the perfect spot in the house for taking my photos. Natural light pours in my south facing bedroom window all day long. This allows for the most perfect bright photos. Good thing Todd has taught me so much about photography or I wouldn't know what I was doing. Just in time for the holidays and in an effort to make room for new stock, all my bags at the shop have been discounted up to 30% through the new year (1/1/10), enjoy!

Although I have become fairly comfortable behind the camera, I am still thinking that my photos are missing something so now I am looking for a model. If you or anyone you know is comfortable in front of the camera and is willing to trade a days worth of modeling for a bag of their choice and lunch or dinner let me know. We will most likely take photos here at my house and the park across the street. I am hoping this will give potential customers a better idea of proportions rather than just having the measurements listed.

I love this...

I don't think I have ever loved a dress so much as I love this little number from SohoMode. If I was lucky enough to own this I would run through a field of wildflowers and then spin around in circles until I fell down laughing from joy.

Okay I might not be that dramatic but you get the idea.

I'm baaaaaack...

okay so i think i remember how to work my sewing machine and what a perfect time because of those holidays coming up. there is no better way to show someone you love them than by making something yourself. i am going to try making some new items this year and also i will use some new materials. i still have a lot of work to do on my sewing room which looks like a tornado that blasted through a thrift store. i have never seen suck wreckage. literally floor to ceiling in fabric... i do not ever need to buy fabric again ever! my moving and unpacking frenzy has allowed me to uncover some gems in the old fabric vault. p.s. today i am posting six new bags to my etsy store...enjoy!

We tied the knot!

Todd and I are married... happiest day ever! I am still on cloud 9. We are moving into our new home this weekend and I cannot wait to get all my sewing and art stuff back out. I have lots of new ideas for bags and also I might be at a farmers market near you! Stay tuned!

Crazy week!

Work was so crazy this week and on top of that I had lots of personal things to get done so I could not focus on anything at all. I thought for a second that my brain my explode. Luckily this crazy week ended with me getting my purse stolen right out of my car. I guess I forgot I am not in Arcata anymore and people in San Diego are jerks. I didn't even cry because I had to keep it together long enough to do a mental inventory of what might have been inside my purse. Turns out lots of important wedding things were in that little bag.

The big day is almost here...

Sorry I have been absent from the blog and my shop but I am oh so busy with the wedding planning! For a low key couple we sure are doing it up for this big event. Hopefully after the big day, and after finding a place to live I will be back in action sewing up a storm and just in time for the upcoming holiday madness.

New this Fall will be some awesome grocery totes made from upcycling discarded coffee sacks. We have some friends here in San Diego who are coffee roasters and are kind enough to let me have these huge sacks. I will be pulling them apart and reconstructing them into uber handy, simple, lightweight totes for all your grocery needs. I am pretty sure you know someone who still is using plastic or paper bags... let them know how uncool that is and tell them about reusable bags!

See you in mid October!

Goodbye Arcata...

... hello San Diego! So as you may or may not know, Todd and I are moving down south for awhile and as of August 11 we will not have internet access at our house. What are we going to do with all our new found free time!?! We will have our hands full cleaning, packing, gather plants from all over the yard, downsizing, more cleaning and then more packing and probably a little repacking and even more cleaning. We had to come to the realization that we will need a moving van so we can get all our toys down there too. Should be loads of fun...? Well, I may be able to get another post in before I go but if you don't see me hanging around the world wide web then at least now you know why.

New Addition

I have quite the collection of fabric scraps from making all these bags and instead of dumping them I figured why not make something useful?!? So here we have the first of many creations that will be made using that wonderful fabric. What a fun way to dress up your next tea party or picnic!

Your Favorite Bags.

So for the last year I have been making these beautiful custom bags with this most wonderful fabric and these are the last two I will be making....Although there may be one more at Mog & Rue. Enjoy!

danikai in the Arcata Eye

Snip + Stitch

Snip+Stitch was absolutely wonderful! Laura and Mitzi, a.k.a. the Crafty Mavericks, did an amazing job putting this together and making all the vendors feel loved! Here some pictures of my booth. I wish I would have been able to get pictures with other vendors but I was busy selling and before knew it the day was over!

Early morning and my space is looking good. It was Todd's clever idea to put my cute blue chair in the corner.
The tiny gift bags were definitely a favorite. I forgot my wine bottle for the gift bag display, this may be why I didn't sale even one!
My make up wraps were super popular, I only had one left at the end of the day! I gave away teensy tiny bags with my business card in them, people loved it!
I hung everything from wooden clothespins and I think it made a nice display especially for my totes which are a bit more slouchy.
I should have made twice as many purses... they were a hit! A couple times people had come back to buy one in particular and it had already been sold!

Overall this was an great experience and I would love to be invited to do it again and again... I would even make the trip from San Diego so I could be apart of it all over again.

Snip & Stitch Craft Extravaganza

Sunday July 26th
on the Plaza in Arcata
10am-4pm

I will be at the corner of Ninth and G Streets with
*New Bags*
*Fabric Banners*
*Wine Gift Bags*
*Choose Your Own Fabrics*
*Gift Certificates*

<- click this link to see a list of vendors!

Mog & Rue

These bags are on there way to Encinitas for their debut at Mog & Rue. This cute little shop is located at 937 South Coast Highway. Stop by and say "Hi" to the new owner Kristen and be sure to check out these one of a kind bags made with beautiful vintage fabrics from danikai!

Sneak Preview

Here's just a small sample of some of the new bags you will
see at Snip & Stitch and also at Mog & Rue.

About half of my new one of a kind bags will not be posted on danikai because they are headed to Encinitas for their debut at Mog & Rue and the rest will not be posted until after the July 26th craft extravaganza. I will have some new stuff too for sale at the craft fair like scrap fabric banners, more drawstring bags, wine gift bags, fabric organizers and even some little freebies! Just for fun I will have my stash of vintage fabrics at the craft fair for my lovely customers to create a custom order design of their own. Danikai gift certificates will be available too for those of you who are looking for a gift and not sure exactly what to get for that special someone. Down in the depths of my stash I found some of my uber popular ZEBRA print fabric so you can expect a couple of those bags to make an appearance soon too.

Come pick out your custom fabric combination for your new bag!

OOPS!

So I totally messed this bag up in a good way... My bobbin was loose and I didn't realize it until it was too late and I was finishing the top hem and the inside stitching looks crazy and not at all something I would sell. This one of kind gem turned out to be even more spectacular then I imagined however so I am keeping it for myself. Normally when I fudge something up I give it to a friend or sell it at a consignment store for like $5 but this purse is too good to pass up. I love it! You can't really tell in the picture but the fabric is super shiny and has a gorgeous floral design. I was doing some "market research" (that little drawing a week or so ago) and discovered that most people like my purse style the most so you will definitely be seeing more bags just like this one made from my rare fabric finds.

Four Years

I love you Todd!

Ch- Ch- Ch- Chaaaanges!

Hello friends!

Many things are going on here with danikai and I want to share with all of you lovely people out there who have inspired me to continue sewing and sewing and sewing :)

First of all I am slowly but surely moving danikai over to danikai.etsy.com. Bookmark this page and share it with your friends! It will just make things SO much easier. No more confusion about the whole oceangrrl thing. Don't fret... oceangrrl has plans of her own and she will do amazing things too! For now I am posting one item per day until all of my bags have made the move. I am hoping this will allow for some good exposure over a longer period of time rather than changing the site in one day.

The next big news is that danikai will be available in Mog&Rue around mid July. This is a little shop in Encinitas California and I will have some one of a kind purses there on consignment. I am SO excited about this and want to send a BIG THANK YOU to Kristen, Mog&Rue's new owner.

And as if July couldn't get any better... I will be at the Snip+Stitch Craft Extravaganza July 26th on the Plaza in Arcata! OMG you know you want to be there too! The Ian Fays and The Monster Women will be there to provide you with entertainment along with some amazing shops selling our handmade goodness.

Phew! Did I forget anything.... oh ya, have a wonderful holiday weekend and be safe! Todd and I are celebrating our four year anniversary! I am such a lucky grrl.

love,
michelle

And the winner is....

Congratulations to Shelly
at Joyful Girl Natural
She won a bag of her choice from my shoppe!

Thank you to all who entered, I am looking forward
to another drawing at the beginning of Fall.

Summer Fun Drawing

Hello everyone! I am going to be giving one lucky winner a bag of their choice! Doesn't that sound fun?!? So here's how it's going to work:

1. Visit my Shoppe and choose your favorite bag.
2. Come back over to my blog.
3. Scroll down a bit in this post and click "COMMENTS".
4. A box will appear and you can write which bag is your favorite, leave your name and email too.
5. If you don't have an account you can "Leave comment as ANONYMOUS"
6. Click "POST COMMENT" and you're done!

Good luck, I will be doing a random drawing in one week ;)

love,
Michelle

Unfinished Business

Here's just a little sneak peak at what's coming to my shop...
Small bags with zippers are great for travelling, staying
organized and looking cute all at the same time!
Tomorrow I will giving details on my
Summer Fun Giveaway!

Happy Fathers Day

I have been wanting to add a photo to the top of the blog and I finally have one I feel represents what is going on here at My Little Brown House. Do you like it? Bags, cameras, journals, get it?!?

I was able to sneak away to the beach with Hops and Todd early this morning, it was gorgeous out there.

I re-shot a bunch of bags today because the sun came out and I had to take advantage of the wonderful natural light pouring in through my windows. Make sure you peek at my shop for the new pics... I think they are really great. I added a couple new bags, more wine gift bags! I have been giving these away left and right because I love them so much! I drop a homebrew in there and BAM! People have been so excited to give them as well. They are the gift that keeps on giving and what's better than reusable gift?

I feel a summer time contest coming on... free bags anyone??? Stay tuned!

Rosemary

Eco Etsy

Hello, I am this week's featured member! Click here to read more ...

Birthday Suit

How cute is this??? I made it for fun because I had this one small square of balloon fabric that I didn't know what to do with. It would look so cute on a little birthday grrl.

W O W !!!

So Clutch

After about 30 failed attempts at a small clutch with a zipper I finally figured it out! The zipper is probably my biggest obstacle when I am making a new design and all I needed to do was take the time to make it work.

I had to become the zipper.

I made two today and you can find them at my shoppe. I used a sample of some really great home decor fabric. I will be making some more for sure. Let me know what you think.

love,
~*michelle*~

Some of my favorite things on Etsy.

Have you peeked into my favorites lately? I am hoping to win the lottery soon so I can buy one of everything for everyone I know.

Etsy Buy Handmade OceanGrrl

Gift Idea for Fathers Day

The new wine gift bags are in my shoppe! They make the perfect gift and can be used again and again. I made these using some great fabric samples, thanks Mary! I will be making more so check back again soon! You can gift wine, beer, and your homebrew in these awesome bags. Fill one with a fine microbrew and take it to you dad on father's day, trust me he will love it!

love,
~*michelle*~

Yes, we are this cute in real life.

Chicken eggs from the chicken coop.

Life on the farm can be tough but we enjoy it very much.

I made ten new bags this weekend!!! I put to use some interior design fabric samples I got from a family friend who passed them on to me. These bags turned out super cute and I will hopefully be able to share them with you in the next couple of days after a little photo session. Here is a sneak peak of just a couple of the bags to be posted at Danikai soon...

Where's Michelle?

I have been away from the creative corner of my house for too long! Who knew planning a wedding could take this much of a toll on me? dress, food, photographer, music, decor, invites, guests, favors, hair, shoes, tuxes, flowers, cakes...

...that list seems small in comparison to all the other stuff going on right now! I am also supposed to be blogging for my dad's company and planning a big move to San Diego and saving money and looking for a job and finding a place to live! (Breath Michelle, it will all be okay)

My goal is to get back on track with my bags this next weekend. I think this will let some creative juices flow and I will be able to clear my mind and start fresh again with the wedding. At least that's what I'm hoping.

Congrats to my sister who is days away from her first piece of real estate!!! WOO WOO!! I am so proud and a teensy bit jealous ;)

Has anyone else noticed all the gorgeous spring flowers blooming all around??? The sun has been shining and it is making me oh so excited for summer!

love,
~*michelle*~