Are You Ready For Halloween - Update

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption]

There I was strolling through Targier and they had such great Halloween gear, I  decided to take some pictures. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to get the pictures off my cell onto my blog, so maybe I'll be able to get then off Target's website.

Check this out. A fog machine at half the price of the one I found on eBay! Don't know how well it works but $24.99 ain't bad! They also sold the fog

[caption id="attachment_484" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Target's Fog Machine $24.99"][/caption]

juice, at $4.99, very affordable. But as much as I love these fog machines that's not what really impressed me at Targets. It was the full size skeleton! OMG! I have got to get one of those! Imagine having you own poseable skeleton to answer the door when the kiddies come knocking? This thing is a full 60 in. tall.  Unfortunately, at $99.99 I didn't find it very affordable. This is the item I'll be in store on Nov 1, for the half price sale to get for next year!

I also fell in love with the huge plastic jack-o-lantern. This one is 18 in. and you just set a light in it. It's big. It's $30, but you never have to carve another messy pumpkin. This one you'll  have it for use year after year.  It is big enough to sit in the yard and nobody is going to miss it!

[caption id="attachment_488" align="alignright" width="131" caption="Dropping Black Widow $12.99"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_485" align="alignleft" width="107" caption="Full size 60 in. skeleton $100"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_487" align="aligncenter" width="141" caption="Jack-O-Lantern $30"][/caption]

The Dropping Black Widow Spider is just $12.99. Pin it to the ceiling and it will drop down on its own! Perfect and affordable for your haunted house this Halloween.

I could go on and on about the great stuff I saw at Target's. Items in every price range. Since I only add one great item to my decoration collection each year, I'm going to have to go with Mr. Bones! I don't have one of those and it'll be a great addition to my Halloween supplies. So from now until Halloween, I'll be dropping in to Targets in hopes that $100 price tag will drop down to something less painful on the wallet. We've got a month to go and with the way the economy is, I might luck out!

SharonH

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Currently On Sale

Since summer is essentially over and I'm getting ready to add new designs to my shop, I decided to slashed the prices of some of my old stuff. I currently have eleven item in the Sales section of  my shop. I'm posting a few here. Sizes are limited but everything that is on sale is for $12. That's less than half price for almost every item listed.

[caption id="attachment_470" align="aligncenter" width="230" caption="Wrap Around Organic Cotton Tee - Asparagus $12"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_471" align="aligncenter" width="216" caption="Goddess Top Reversible - Oatmeal Chocolate $12"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_473" align="aligncenter" width="255" caption="Kimono Mini Tie Top - Blue Floral $12"][/caption]

To see all of the items that I currently have on sale, please visit  Fine-Threadz .

In the next few days I'll be sure to give you a sneak peek at some of the new designs I'm working on for my Fall/Winter collection. Stay tuned!

SharonH

I Simply Must Have It!!!! - TiVo Slider Remote

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="80" caption="Image via CrunchBase"][/caption]

First off, I'd like to apologize for not keeping this article mired in the fashion industry and taking it to a tech level. But I had to remain true to the title. I Simply Must Have It! Just 5 minutes after finding out about the brand new TiVo Slide Remote, I had my credit card in hand and I was ordering it. Hell, I don't think it was 5 min. before I had an email payment confirmation.

About TiVo.

I'm not a real tech-y person, but I can tell you about TiVo. TiVo is a subscription DVR service that started up in 1999 out of California. My personal history with TiVo started in 2001. That's when I bought my very first expensive TiVo box for $5oo and began paying monthly for the service.  Almost 10 years later and I'm still paying for the service.  A couple of years later the rest of the world began to get DVR service through their local cable and satellite providers, but those DVRs paled in comparison to TiVo.

I've tried to quit TiVo. I told myself, "It's all the same DVR service. Save some money and use the cable DVR." Now mind you, I've done this a couple of time over the last nine years. The last time was 2 years ago after Hurricane Ike came through Houston, tore a sunny hole in my roof and caused over $10,000 worth of damage. Three months later and I was begging TiVo to take me back.

What's so great about TiVo?

Well it's a DVR  just like the one some of you have on your cable and satellite systems.  It's how TiVo does things that, I think, really stands out and sets itself apart from the other DVR services. Remember, I'm not real tech-y so my descriptions may be off. One of the most noticeable things I remember the last time I stupidly quit TiVo for 3 month was that Dish Network didn't have Season Pass. Instead of allowing me to record just the new stuff for.... say CSI Miami, I'd have to record all of it, hundreds of programs because it couldn't accurately differentiate the new shows from the old. TiVo does that. Then there's the Wishlist search, which can be based on keyword, title, actor, director, and or category.  Meaning I could set up TiVo to find and automatically record every movie Denzel Washington is in that come on TV. Forever. Or not. Or I can be more specific and set it to record Denzel's "Book of Eli" whenever it finally comes on TV. Now that could be 6 weeks or 6 years from now, and TiVo is going to record it. I don't have to think about anymore. I don't have to check back.  Just one day, the movie I've been waiting for is going to pop up in my Now Playing List. This is just one of two or three other features that I'd gotten used to and can't live without or can't live with some other DVR services' version.

[caption id="attachment_448" align="aligncenter" width="263" caption="TiVo Slide Remote"][/caption]

Here are the specs just in case someone else besides me actually has TiVo and is interested in the details. OMG folks! It's got a QWERTY board!!!! It's slides open! No more shuffling through each letter to enter a word. I gladly paid $107 for this remote with shipping and taxes. List priced at $90 on TiVo.

Introducing the TiVo remote with a slideout keyboard.

The TiVo^® Slide remote puts the full power of TiVo in the palm of your hand. Hidden inside its ergonomic, peanut-shaped exterior is a fully retractable QWERTY keyboard for quick and easy text entry.

• Finger-friendly slideout keyboard: Full QWERTY-format keyboard enables faster and easier text entry for Search, YouTube™, RSS and more


• More powerful signal: Built-in Bluetooth^® provides increased range and strength to accommodate clutter-free setups inside cabinets


• One remote does it all: Learns commands for power, input, volume and mute directly from the remote controls of your TV and receiver


• Easy to use in a dark room: Light sensor automatically activates glow feature on backlit keys and keyboard, so you never have to turn on a light


• One-step activation takes seconds: Easy plug-and-play setup puts you in control in moments


• Compatible with all TiVo Series3™, TiVo HD/HD XL, and Premiere/Premiere XL boxes. (If you received your TiVo Premiere from RCN, check back for updates on the availability of TiVo Slide for your box.)

So I love TiVo. I'm happy with TiVo. Maybe in a few years I'll get up the nerve to check out ATT U-verse. I did hear they have an awesome DVR service. TiVo doesn't give you  the ability to view recordings on any TV in the house unless you buy an expensive TiVo box for each TV. U-Verse one upped TiVo on that. But for now, that new TiVo Slider Remote...I simply had to have it! I even paid $3 more for 2-day shipping and its coming tomorrow via UPS. I can't wait!!!!

SharonH

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Fine-Threadz vs SharonH - My marketing plan

What I've been up to. Mostly I've been filling my orders. Have to stay on top of those. I have new designs coming. I mentioned those earlier in the week when I posted pictures of the new fabrics. I really haven't had time to work on my website and that goes live any day now. I noticed that the programmers have added the shopping cart. Once I get the website done, I'll give details on how I did it and the great company that I used to get me started.

All this time, my marketing plan included branding my company name. Not me the person. Sure there is a real SharonH behind the scenes. Everyone was saying take pictures, put your face and name out there, let everyone see who you are. Yada. Yada. Yada. Do you readers have any idea who Louis Vuitton is? Would you know Calvin Klein if you passed him on the street? How about the owners of Dolce & Gabbana? Probably not! I mentioned these three companies because they have successfully branded their NAME. The most prominent facial branding I can recall is Aunt Jermima and Col. Sanders. Nothing wrong with that type of branding, just not the league I want to be in. When you think about Louis Vuitton, you think of the overlapping initials all over those gorgeous overpriced handbags. When you think of Calvin Klein, you think of his signature on a pair of undies. And when you think of Dolce & Gabbana.... well who know what you think of, they have so many great products.

[caption id="attachment_417" align="alignleft" width="124" caption="Louis Vuitton"][/caption]

On some selling sites they constantly plaster their chosen artist on their front pages and ask them a bunch of questions about their artistic process and "how did you suddenly get into stringing those beads together like that?" LOL! See this is a person. This is an artist. Sure, we're all artist. But if you want to maintain success, you had better become a business person too. And you had better come up with a marketing plan for how you want to sell your ART. Art as a business seems to be a dirty word in some of these places. And god forbid you try to promote you "business". Fine-Threadz is a business who happens to have SharonH as the artist on board.

[caption id="attachment_418" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Calvin Klein"][/caption]

I just started my business Fine-Threadz, which is a subsidiary of Fine-Thangz, that has been in existence for 7 years. (I just love saying that word... subsidiary.)  That's when I started designing leather goods. Pillows, laptop bags and ottomans. Home interior goods. Only once I got to other selling venues did I feel duty bound to add SharonH to the mix. I was told buyers wanted to know me. SharonH. It was only later that I began to question that from a business standpoint. After all I would count myself as a business woman too. So that's part of the reason I created this blog. If a customer really would rather know SharonH instead of Fine-Threadz, here I am!

[caption id="attachment_419" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Dolce & Gabbana"][/caption]

After 25 years of working in marketing, travel, and oil & gas, it's just the way I think. I don't mind revealing SharonH as the backbone of Fine-Threadz, but I'm not changing my marketing plan to put SharonH before Fine-Threadz. Not gonna happen. Why? I did a Google search on Fine-Threadz! And my company name dominates the first 3 pages. Yes. I have done something right. I have branded my company name. Now it's time to build an association with that name. That mean "When you think of Fine-Threadz, you think of.....!" What? Coming up with the "what" is next. When a customer thinks of Fine-Threadz, I'd like them to think about my product, the quality of my designs and the unique comfortable clothing that I offer. I don't want them to think about some lone woman here in Houston, Texas slaving away over orders! For the personal stuff, they can come here to my blog and listen to me bitch about how much work I've got to do, my design process, and whether or not I've got a frigging hangnail. When a customer visits Fine-Threadz, I want them to see nothing but my professionalism.

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Sewing With Leather - Part 1

I initially said I would write an article on how to sew leather, so here is Part 1. I decided to do this in parts to first give you an idea of what you will need, why you will need these things, and where you can go to get them. Also there are things that you must know before you decide on what you want to work with.

Leather

There are so many different types of leather out there. More than I can go into in one little article. So mainly I'll talk about lambskin and pigskin. These are the two types of leather that are usually thin enough to be sewn on a regular home sewing machine. Some cowhide has been split and may be thin enough, but for the purpose of learning I'll stick with the other two leathers. Lambskin is usually soft and luxurious feeling. It can often feel rubbery in its strength. It's not easily torn. Pigskin may come thin, but that doesn't always mean it's soft. We call that the temper. Pigskin could be thin as paper, while the temper is that of....plastic sheeting.  So if you choose a pigskin make sure that is has a very soft temper. Also worth noting about pigskin. No matter what the temper, if it's thin, when sewn, those little holes can behave like perforations and it could potentially split where you put the stitching. Starting to make lambskin sound like the leather of choice, right? So for the sake of the rest of my instructions, we'll assume you've chosen lambskin.

Measurements

Leather is measured and sold in square feet, not yards. So if you wanted to make a leather jacket and needed 3 yards, you would need to have 27 square feet of leather. Sounds simple? Not. Animal skins don't come out of the tanneries in nice squared measurements. It's in irregular shaped pieces with a lot of funny edges that you won't be able to use. So I usually recommend hedging up quite a bit. If I were going to make a leather jacket and I needed 27 square feet of lambskin, I would probably order 50% more. So I'd order about 40 sq ft.  Lambskin usually comes in 5 to 12 sq ft increments. So if I can find 5 skins that are at least 8 sq feet, that should be enough to do the job. What's the use in learning how to sew leather if you can't use this knowledge to make yourself something awesome?

Where to buy.

Ebay is a wonderful source for leather if you can't afford some of the larger tanneries here in the US.  Remember to make a leather jacket , you're going to need 40 square  feet of lambskin that all has the same color, texture, temper, grain and skin size. For that much leather, we may have to go to Italy! You'd have to be living under a damn rock not to know Italy's well deserved world-renowned reputation for fine leather.

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Rolipel Italia's Metallic Purple Lambskin"][/caption]

My most favorite seller for leather in Italy is Rolipel. I have personally dealt with him since he started selling on Ebay. He will be the one to go to if you decide to tackle a big project such as a leather jacket. If you need more than what he has listed on Ebay, all you need to do is contact him and he will try to get you what you need. Price wise, he's not that much different from what you can find in the states, but as far as uniform quality, he's the best I've encountered in my 7 years of working with leather. He also goes out of his way to keep shipping affordable.

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Leatherwise - Teal Cowboy Motif"][/caption]

But what if you're doing a smaller project? I've got just the supplier for you! Ross at Leatherwise located in Santa Cruz, California is your man. I'll just be honest with you and say, I never would have learned leather so easily and seamlessly without Ross. Seven years later and I still go to this man for advice. He sells in smaller increments. He always has a lot of exotic pieces and once again on Ebay, he's quite accessible.

Okay, say we've chosen our leather. What else will we need?

[caption id="attachment_392" align="aligncenter" width="217" caption="Elmer's Rubber Cement"][/caption]

Elmer's Rubber Cement -  You can't pin leather, and you can't sew it if it's not pinned. Without something to hold it in place the finishes will rub and slide on you when you attempt to sew it.  We only use this glue if we're sewing grain to grain because once dry the excess just rubs off. (Must have this glue when sewing leather clothing, handbags, and such.)

[caption id="attachment_394" align="aligncenter" width="138" caption="Aleene's Tacky Glue"][/caption]

Aleene's Tacky Glue is used for gluing leather to leather, grain out, like for a belt or pillow. Get both types of glue and you'll be ready to sew anything you want to make.

[caption id="attachment_395" align="aligncenter" width="187" caption="Schmetz Leather Needles"][/caption]

The Schmetz leather needles are a must!  The head is large and sharp enough to pierce leather where other sewing machine needles can't.

Rotary Cutter or super sharp scissors. I prefer a rotary cutter for cleaner edges than you get with scissors. I would recommend a scalpel, but they tend to dull very quickly when cutting leather.

Lastly, you will need 100% polyester thread. No cotton. The acids in leather will eventually eat away at cotton thread, weakening it over time.

So here's the list.

Leather

Glues

Needles

Thread

Sharp Cutters of your choice

I have also given you sources where you can go to find all of these items. Just click on the pictures as they are direct links.  And if you have other sources in mind other than those that I've mentioned, please feel free to use them. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I have been working with leather such a long time, so I may well have missed something that I've long since started taking for granted. I'll wait a couple of weeks before writing the second part. This will give most of you enough time to get your supplies together and also decide on what you'd like to make. For my demonstration, I think I'd like to make a belt. Once I've come up with a design, I'll write an article on the exact items I will be using. Stay tuned!

SharonH

ps Here's a pillow that I made with leather for my leather shop. This is a silver lambskin. Metallic Silver is the rarest of all leather colors, hardest to find and probably the most expensive to buy. Notice, I even managed to surge the edges without busting up my machine!

[caption id="attachment_404" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Metallic Silver Lambskin Pillow"][/caption]

Useful conversion chart - http://www.onlineconversion.com/area.htm

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New Coming In / Old Going Out

I'm not really sure what is the design process for other designers,  but for me, I'm often inspired by the fabric itself.  Sometimes I buy a particular fabric simply because I love it. I have a whole pile of that stuff upstairs in my studio. It's just sitting there waiting for me to figure out what I want to do with it. For me, that could take weeks, months, or even years.  Then one day, voile!!!! Here it is! The perfect fabric for a new design that I see in my head and that's as far as it's gotten. Sometimes I actually set a piece of fabric beside me, waiting for inspiration to hit.

Today I got in the knits for some of my fall collection. Well it's more of a winter collection.

[caption id="attachment_373" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Charcoal Jersey Knit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_374" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Black Jersey Knit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_375" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Espresso Knit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_376" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Mustard Knit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_377" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Dark Olive Knit"][/caption]

These are some of the new colors I'll be working with. And yes, I already know what I'm going to do with these fabrics! Some of the Spring and Summers designs are on clearance in my shop to make room for the new fall designs. Everything listed to go for $12. Very limited as far as what's left. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out before it's all gone.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/finethreadz?section_id=7139673

Feel free to let me know what you think of the new colors.

SharonH

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I Simply Must Have It!!! - Black Nail Color

A few days ago a local customer ordered one of my Santa Barbara Off Shoulder Dresses in Pumpkin. I think she was getting in the proper fall season frame of mind because she mentioned looking for the perfect black nail polish to wear for Halloween. The Santa Barbara Off Shoulder Dress is very popular this time of year because the Pumpkin is a perfect fall color.. Imagine it with shiny black nail color!

[caption id="attachment_305" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Santa Barbara Off Shoulder Dress"][/caption]

Keeping in with the Halloween spirit, I'd like to feature three Black nail polishes that I'm familiar with.

Opi Black Onyx  Ebay $5.00

[caption id="attachment_308" align="alignleft" width="163" caption="Opi Black Onyx"][/caption]

Avon Warm Black Ebay $3.99

[caption id="attachment_311" align="alignleft" width="249" caption="Avon Warm Black"][/caption]

Chanel Black Satin  Ebay $21

[caption id="attachment_314" align="alignleft" width="221" caption="Chanel Black Satin"][/caption]

I own all of the nail colors listed above so I figure I can at least give you my take on them. Yes. I actually have 3 different black nail colors, and they are not the same. Each one has subtle differences in the color, tone, texture, performance and also price.

First off, the economy brand is definitely Avon. It's not too expensive and performance wise, I don't feel it holds up as well as the Chanel  or Opi brand. Nevertheless, I use it faithfully and consider it my everyday use black nail color. I'm not sure if Avon even still makes this color, but that would never slow me down, so long as someone is selling it on Ebay.

The Chanel is awesome. For $21 it had better be! The Chanel is my special occasion black. It tends to hold up best with less chipping and flaking, but is that because I dare not stick my $21 a pop nail polished hands in dishwater or because it's actually that good? I don't know.

Once upon a time, I believed all nail polish was created equal. That was until I got my first bottle of Opi.  Opi Nail Color comes in more shades than I can count. It's expensive. Locally I could pay around $12, so I always buy it on Ebay for half that. But what I love is the Opi website. This is where you can choose a nail color, a hand the same tone as yours and virtually try it on before you buy it. You can even control the nail length on the hand too! So I really enjoy visiting the site to try on my next shade before I decide on what to buy. I already know their formula is awesome. I tend to use Opi Black Onyx whenever I just feel like treating myself special. I admit, it's my favorite.

http://www.opi.com/

So what can I say about the different shades of black? Well the Chanel has just a bit of pearling in it and tends to look great with silver accessories and just about any color clothing. The Avon would be great for Halloween because it's a very flat black, with a brown undertone. Very graveyard-ish. LOL!  And the Opi is a black black. Meaning. It's a very basic black color and probably the one most likely to look like what you would expect a black nail color to look.

I really didn't mean to write a review when I first started out with this article. But since I had all of them on hand, it was the only direction I could take. Like they say, write about what you know. I've already got all of them, but for the Halloween season, YOU simply must have it!

SharonH

Are You Ready For Halloween?

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption]

I admit Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays. Why? No pressure to spend a crap load of money for a bunch of folks you feel obligated to buy a gift for just because you know they're going to buy you a gift. No cooking all day to feed friends, family, and yourself.  You can keep Halloween as you like. Buy a bag of candy for the kids and you're all set.  But if you're like me and you go all out... well you gotta have a fog machine... and cobwebs... and Monster Mash music. Every year I add to my Halloween collection and because of that every year in my house, Halloween gets better and better.  And frankly, I believe the reason Halloween has become so serious for a lot of people is because of all of the reasons I just mentioned.  It's a fun low maintenance holiday! Or if you really want to step it up a level or two, then it becomes more expensive and time consuming. The best part is that it's all up to you. It's your choice.

Halloween has become so popular that just like Christmas, we are preparing weeks in advance. And why not?  Have fun with it! So for this article, I'd like to begin a thread of  suggestions for decorations. I don't know them all so please feel free to let me know if I forgot something and I'll add a picture. Because I'm in a big city, most decorations are pretty easy to get locally. Everyone isn't so lucky. So my main source for everything I find will either be Ebay or Amazon.  Easy access to all!

Door Cover - Ebay $4.35

Door decoration! Gotta have that. It lets the kiddies know that you're game and welcoming at your haunted house!

[caption id="attachment_288" align="alignright" width="153" caption="Skeleton on Toilet Door Cover"][/caption]

Halloween just wouldn't be right without one of these bad boys to grace your door. Skeleton on a toilet reading the newspaper. (Now who does this remind you of?)

Fog Machine! Yes, you too can have one! Ebay $45. (Don't forget your fog juice!)

[caption id="attachment_289" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Fog Machine"][/caption]

No Halloween is complete without the Original Wolfman Jack's (may he rest in peace) Monster Mash Bash! For any certain occasion one must set the right tone. Don't know this one? I'll try to add it to my Vodpod on the front page of my blog. You can hit that to hear the original Monster Mash.

Amazon $2.05

And here's the one item that's going to set you apart from your neighbors. (Don't worry. They'll be back talking to you by Christmas!)

Your own personal Halloween Graveyard.  Ebay - $15

That's enough for today. Hopefully, I've given you a great start on how to do

Halloween right. I'll be updating this post as we get closer to the big day. Please

don't hesitate to add your suggestion and I'll try my best to find it at a low price.

Enjoy!

SharonH

It's so hard to work with leather....

I've been working with leather for over 7 years and its never been easy. It doesn't behave like fabric. If you put a hole in leather it's forever. So you have to get it right the first time. There's no pinning. If you have to pull a seam, you're screwed. That's why leather is more expensive than fabric. That and a few other reasons. I have so many orders to work on, but I just had to get the bags out of the way. I love my designer bag because I made it completely from scratch. The pattern is a huge platter from Crate & Barrel that I bought years ago. I told you I have this crazy insane fetish about round things. If you come into my home you'd see round things everywhere.

Since I've been making leather goods for so long, I've learned a few things.  I think I'll write an article on it and give a few tips.  Admittedly,  working with leather requires a lot of specialized tools and equipment, but there are a couple of leathers that can be sewn on everyday sewing machines. I'll have the article ready in a week or two. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are the finished bags. All done.

[caption id="attachment_251" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Lunar 3 Collection"][/caption]

All Leggings on Sale Now! $21 each

I said I was going to have to start working on my orders and so I am. I put my Fine-Threadz leggings on sale and they are my bestselling designs.  I decided to go ahead and shamelessly plug them while they are on sale. I reserve the right to do that constantly! LOL! So here's a picture of my leggings.....

I offer them in 9 different colors. To visit sales go here...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/finethreadz?section_id=7139673#

Sale ends on Sept 19th!

SharonH

I Simply Must Have It!!!!! - Atomium Ring

This is first of my very short weekly articles on one item that I'd like to feature.

Today it's the Ulala shop in Barcelona, Spain . Her shop is on Etsy at this link...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ulala?ref=seller_info

She makes gorgeous rings in several different colors. Frankly I just like the little round balls. (I've got this little fetish about round things.) Here's a couple of pictures of her designs. Although she offers them in several different color combination, I really like the natural tones of the one pictured below. It's absolutely perfect for fall.

I love this ring!!! I love the color options! She also offers this design in a necklace form! Awesome!

These are so cute! And at $25 each, what an affordable and unique gift! It's on my Christmas list!

SharonH

Handbag Project is Complete

Well it is complete in that I've figured out how I want it designed. I still have the black, mustard and red to do. Here's a picture of the white bag.

Here's a picture with the my signature lining and specialty strap visible.

I stayed true to my design philosophy and kept it clean. It's actually a perfect circle. The straps are doubled, stitched and braided. I used premium black hardware for the closure and the d-rings. And of course, my signature sateen cotton fabric was used for the lining. That's done in black script over white fabric. What you don't see is that the two inside pockets are done with my other signature fabric that's colored black with white script. When I get a chance I really need to get a picture of that.

I'll be working on the other bags next week. In the meantime, if you'd like to see larger pictures and the listing on Etsy for it, go here,

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56037857/fine-threadz-lunar-3-leather-handbag

Now it's time for me to work on orders.

SharonH

Short Mention of History and How It Influences My Designs

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by jungmoon via Flickr"][/caption]

One of my favorite things is anime. I love it. Actually I love many thing Japanese. I even plan to visit Japan in February if another travel spot doesn't pop up in its place.  Anyway, from anime came my love of historical Japanese fashion. I have to admit the hakamas have been a huge influence on one of my designs.

What are hakamas, you ask? We've all seen them. Although Japanese hakamas go way back in their history, around  the Edo period (1603-1867 AD), the hakamas are still used today in Kendo competitions. But you have probably seen them many times on depictions of Japanese samurai. Whether it was anime, film, or pictures,  hakamas are best known as the super wide leg pants usually worn by samurai warriors.

I am, by no means, an expert on historical Japanese fashions. I wouldn't call myself an expert on anything. ( Well that's not completely true. I am an expert candlemaker (chandelier), although it is a craft I don't do as much today.  I'm also pretty good with the anime, having been watching it for many years before it became so popular here in the US. But I don't classify myself as an expert because I feel there's so much left to learn.  Not so with the candle making. ) But when it comes to fashions, like everyone, I know what I like. There is something so sexy about seeing a  man in hakamas.  Most people don't know this, but hakamas are completely open on the sides. What you see is a long kimono shirt that sticks down in them past the opening. This allows for the flexible and ease of movement that kendo competitors and samurai need to fight.

I designed my own version of the wide leg pant and made it in linen because that's one of my most favorite fabrics to work with. These are my

Samurai Linen Wide Leg Pants

As you can see I made the legs superwide and it has a gorgeous tie cut on the bias. These can be worn anywhere and they really make a statement. Linen makes the breathable and comfortable. I offer them in seven colors. To see my listing...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51175077/samurai-linen-wide-leg-pants-chocolate

See! I did throw in some history. And I've also managed to introduce you to one of my designs. Today is a good day.

SharonH

Handbag Leather

Okay so here is a picture as promised. I'm still not finished with the first bag. I'm doing the white one first. I'll do the other three in the next couple of weeks.  Since I have a modeling shoot coming up, I wanted to be sure to have at least one bag completed.

This grain is commonly referred to as the LV grain because it became popular due to Louis Vuitton using it for their Epi collection. I think the mustard has been discontinued, but still available in black, red and white. Needless to say I'm glad to have gotten my hands on some. I don't have much and when it's gone, it's gone.

There are leather tanneries in the US that offer this same grain, just not in LV colors. With these tanneries it's called Sulky, Paris or Mojito. I may well buy more in other colors, because I am in no way trying to make my own version of the Louis Vuitton bag. They are in a class by themselves. I own a Louis Vuitton and it's my most prized bag. That and the Gucci... and the Coaches... and the Cole Haan. Okay so I like a lot of different designer bags. And I own quite a few of them.  So no, I am using this leather to make my own designer bag. It will have my very signature fabric. But I do so love this grain and I would love to get more one day.

Let me know what you think! Hopefully I'll be finished with the white bag tomorrow and I'll be sure to give a shout out when I have it listed on my website or Etsy. Stay tuned!

SharonH

Working on a new design

Today I'm working my new handbag design. I'm not going to go into too much details. I'll try to whip up a couple of pics to show you tomorrow. I managed to get my hands on some Louis Vuitton grain leather. Premium stuff in red, black, white and mustard. Yes it's real LV leather. Probably left over stuff from one of the leather tanners here in the US.  I've been sitting on it for over a month waiting to get the fashion show out of the way. I commissioned my own signature fabrics for the lining and had those made too. So I'll pull out the camera and give you pics, unless I get the bag finished today. No rush. This bag is gonna cost because the leather cost plenty so I'll just take my time and do it right. Don't worry, I've been working with leather for over 7 years. I'm not going to mess up too much. LOL!

SharonH

Fashion Video Slideshow

To see my Fashion Video Click here!!!!

Everchanging Fashion Video Slideshow

Hi Everybody!

This is my first post so I haven't figured out how to get my fashion video hard written on to the the front page yet. I've added a link that will take you to Youtube where you can view it. Or you can use the Vodpod on the sidebar to also view it.

Why the fashion video? Well I'm an independent fashion designer and I think the video slide show is so much more fun to look at for a quick view of my designs before going through my website. I am having my website built even as we speak. So far it looks great. In the meantime, I'd like you all to see my fashion slideshow. Let me know what you think.

About me, the designer. Well I was recently laid off from my day job at Shell Oil here in Houston, TX after 10 years of service. I've decided not to go back to work for the man. LOL! Well I have my own company now, so I am "the man"! Needless to say, this is a one wo - man operation. So for all it's faults, failures, successes and milestones, there's no one to blame but myself. That's okay. I'm starting to get use to the idea.

Although I would love everyone to see my designs, love my designs and buy my designs, my passion for fashion goes far beyond just the things that I make. I love the history of clothing. I love getting to know fabrics. I love accessorizing.  I love simple clean lines. I don't like to embellish. I'd rather design one item that you'll wear day in and day out. I'd like to design something that you're comfortable wearing out. I'd love to share my own passion for fashion with you. So this blog will be about everything fashion. Not just my designs. I'm not under the illusion that I'll have a thousand readers tomorrow. No I figure I'll be talking to myself for a long time to come. But if you do happen to drop in, maybe you'll have time to leave some input. Let me know you were here. Say something! I welcome comments. Thank you.

SharonH