HEARTS!!

On Etsy, if you like an item or a shop you can "heart" them and it add that shop or item to your favorites. This weekend I got 2 "hearts" from total strangers! Its really not that huge of a deal, but I was just excited to know that people are looking at my shop and though they didn't buy anything, they liked what they saw! :) Gives me encouragement to get cracking and post more items on my shop!
www.fivegreenpenguins.etsy.com

Merry Christmas, Joanna!

After seeing the purse that I made for Mike’s mom my director at work, Bob, asked if I could make a purse for his wife for Christmas. Of course I agreed. He sent me a link to a bag to give me an idea of what his wife would like. The link took me to Chanel. Really….Chanel? I had to break it to Bob that I don’t think I am really Chanel yet. He told me that it was just the color for the idea… and I could do whatever I wanted for that bag. So this is what I came up. This is my version of the Chanel bag. I am giving it to Bob tomorrow. I really hope he and Joanna like it! I think it turned out pretty cute!....ok… maybe not Chanel…but hey…the price tag wasn’t Chanel either!

This bag is 10 ¼ inch by 10 ¼ inch by 3 ½ inch. It has a large outside pocket and 2 inside pockets (one of which is a zipper pocket) and then has a magnetic closure.

"Thank you" bags

Delanie has made her grand entrance into this world!! We are all very excited to welcome her into our family! She just couldn’t wait any long to start this journey of life and was born about 4 weeks early on Oct. 13th!! Mom and baby are doing well. Delanie is still in hospital but will hopefully be ready to go home with Mom and Dad soon! Congrats again, Hollie and Dennis!!

My wonderful sister Hollie has some great friends that threw her fabulous baby showers! These showers were very special for my sister and she wanted to do something special for these lovely ladies that threw the parties! She commissioned me to make reusable shopping bags for them. She asked that they be large and functional… the rest I was give creative freedom! These bags are all 13in x 13.5in x 4.5in.

I hope Hollie likes them and more important I hope the women that she give them to likes them as well! I know Hollie truly appreciated all that they did for her! And I do too!! I wish I lived closer so I could have attended them!

To see all 7 of the bags and more images of them check them out on my Etsy shop
http://www.fivegreenpenguins.etsy.com/

Ms Delanie!

Thanks! :) Wende

Delanie needs a bag!!!

I am so excited to be an aunt for the 3rd time this winter! My sister, Hollie is having her first child in November. We are all so excited to meet little Delanie!! So my sister asked me to make a diaper bag for little Delanie. I am honored to have her use a bag that I made for her. AND I LOVE how the bag turned out. I really hope Hollie and Delanie love it too!! This diaper bag is 13in wide by 12 in tall and 4.5 in wide with 44 inch straps. I love the long straps, you can wear it on the shoulder or across the chest as a messenger bag. It has a side pocket and well as 2 large pockets in the frount and 4 large pockets in the inside. It has a button on the front with and elastic loop as a closure. I love the elastic closer because the bag can be stuffed to the max and the closure will keep everything in so none of Delanies toy or goodies fall out. Love you guys!! :)

Sassy Suz!

My sister-in-law, Suz was in town a couple of weeks ago for my birthday and a Husker football game. While she was here I showed her the bags and purses that I had been working on and told her about my new business venture. "You know what would be a fun idea for a purse?" Music to my ears! She explained that she likes the idea of an all black purse that maybe had some white and black print on it with just a splash of Husker Red. The wheels in my head started turning. Black, white and red is a pretty classic color combination, so I wanted to come up with a fun way to do it, and maybe do something different. This bag is the end result of this. I love, love love this purse! Its a larger purse to hold lots of stuff, and then the front closure will keep everything in the front pocket and the bag. I think it turned out so cute and so fun!! This bag is fully lined in red canvas and has an inside pocket that is the same print as the front pocket. Since Suz had inspired this bag I had to name it after her! It is now posted for sale on Etsy for $50 as the Sassy Suz! Thanks for your help, Suz! Keeps those ideas coming!! :)

This is another bag that I just posted for sale on Etsy for $35. It is a smaller purse. I really like this Olive green color paired with the blue denim which is what it is fully lined in.

Check out other views of these bags at www.fivegreenpenguins.etsy.com

I'm a blogger!

Hi All! Its official! I am a blogger! I have started making bags and purses, so I thought I would start a blog to share my bags and share my learning experiences. I don't use a pattern; I just kind of make them up as I go. I like to try new things with the bags. Like sizes, closures, pockets, buttons, zippers, ribbons, and color combinations. It's a trial and error method. I really like making them, and they are getting pretty cute if I do say so myself. I come up with more ideas than I have time to make, but hopefully in time I will be able to make them all.

And with the encouragement of my wonderful family, boyfriend, and friends I have decided to try my hand as an entrepreneur. It's a pretty scary and exciting new chapter in my life. I have fears that no one will like what I make; that the bags aren't go enough, etc..etc... (the list of insecurities are endless...) But with the support of these great people, I have swallowed the giant knot of self doubt and I'm putting my bags out there for the world! I have started a shop on Etsy. My shop's URL is www.fivegreenpenguins.etsy.com . So some of my bags are already on there and I hope to have more on there soon. Here is a little sample of the first ones that I have made. Please leave me comments, and let me know what you think.

A friend at work hired me to make her this bag. She wanted this green color and the long messenger bag strap. But then I was given total freedom to do whatever I wanted to do with it. I think it turned out really cute and she was very happy when she got it. It is a success! :)

Below is another bag that I made and put on Etsy. It was purchased quickly my awesome brother, Jason. He got it for his friend, Jane, as a going away gift. It is a sassy, cute red purse and I hope Jane loves it as much as I do!

Thank you for checking out my blog. Come back soon for new bags and new updates! :)