All new party metallic blingy clutch!!

I am enjoying making these party blingy clutches so much!
They are much more fun than making big purses!...............OK my pursies,don't be J,I love you too but it's just that I have spent last few months working on leather purses,this change is sooooo refreshing!
So here is my latest creation.................pleated clutch in metallic grey foil with swirls & ovals in metallic silver!

I pleated the outer fabric way more than I needed & the stingy brain of mine did not allow me to waste it so guess what I did with it?

YAY!!! pleated pocket:)
I love love the metallic accents on this one.............it screams party!
And yet it is sober enough to be carried at day time!.................so a 2 in 1 clutch:)
Goes in the shop today:)

All in a Day's work!

Well...........as you guys know the black Friday-cyber Monday sale has been ON in my shop since thanksgiving,but I had a sale yesterday where the customer did not use the coupon code!
I don't know why...........I have mentioned it very clearly in EACH item description in the very first line!

I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to save a buck when it is offered on a platter!...........anywayz I FINALLY inaugurated my brand new sewing machine & made a super blingy shiny clutch:)
With all the partying season coming up,I guess this is the right time to launch them !

This is also the first clutch with my brand name tags on it...........so a big YAY for all the firsts!!

 Here it is in the shop..........you can buy it:)..........today is the LAST day of the sale:)

FP no 11:)

As soon as I typed in the brag fest & logged out............there was I AGAIN on the FP!
But I was too embarrassed to log in again & add FP no 11;)
So here I am gloating again:))
Arm Candy For You on Front Page ............appearance no 11!

See my clutch in the bottom row?
It sold today:)
So bye my lovely vegan clutchie..................won't miss you;)

It's gift wrapped,packed all ready to ship!

Day for bragging!!!!

Oh yeah...........I am going to get on the brag train & start off the brag fest!!
Had so many things happen yesterday I am still trying to digest them all!
Well................logged on yesterday morning to get a sweet message from statsy that I was featured on the coveted Front Page of Etsy on thanksgiving eve...............I know nobody is shopping then,busy with the turkeys & stuff but a FP is a FP!...............So this was my 8th FP here

There is my jute eco-friendly bag in the bottom row..........you can see it here.

I  worked through my mails,convos,treasury notifications & so on,when I started to log off & went to the FP & lo & behold....................I was there smack in the center of the holy grail again!
ho .......ho..........FP number 9

 

There's my cobalt blue cow leather clutch.Check it out here

Well............... I signed off for the night happy with the day!....................Logged on now to see message from my friend saying "the FP is rolling now,are you there?"................I don't when was the message sent,I was sleeping,I thought that message must be from when I was on FP with the blue clutch...............but NO,I had another FP!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my GOD!!!..................excuse the exclamation marks,3 FP's in  a day is unprecedented for me:)
So here I got my 10th FP

Check out my vegan leather clutch here

Hmmmm...............the excitement doesn't get over here;)
Saw a convo from a friend of mine with a link to today's Etsy fashion..................Yes!!!!
I AM ON IT!!!!
Holy cow....................stars are finally aligning for me........Ok I am getting a tad over dramatic,but YAY!

Check out my yum green clutch fitting in so beautifully with rest of fashion goodies;)

You can see the details of my clutch here

I am mighty excited & hoping the sales fairy will sprinkle some dust my way!
will be back with more updates:)

Don't forget the 10% OFF in the shop is on till cyber monday:)

THE SALE IS ON!!!!

Yay..........I had a customer buy  this leather wallet just a day ahead of the sale...........

I really felt bad about her losing out on the sale ,so I have decided to pre-pone the sale & start it from thanksgiving instead of black friday:)
So all you have to do is type in blackFcyberM at check out & you will get the discounted price automatically:)
So check out the shop for some handmade Arm Candy For You:)

Lovely new fabrics

Did I tell you the beautiful shiny blingy fabrics I bought?
I don't think so!..............I got a black fabric covered with black sequins & another black fabric covered with silver sequins...........the bling is so hip...............just love it

As you can see from the pic,what a fine photographer I am...............it's going to be really challenging clicking pics of the completed purses...............I am really doubtful whether I will be able to do justice to the purses!

Anywayz.................will cross the bridge when I reach it:)

This is another fab fabric I got...............this grey with silver pattern on it is amazing!

I got plain silver fabric to line the purse/clutch.Ideas are swirling in my mind as to what all I want to make,but so far I haven't tried anything!

Though I have started on 1 clutch...................cut the fabric,interfacing & stashed it neatly in my WIP basket here

I just hope it doesn't stay there for eternity!

FP no.7 :)

like all my FP appearance ,this too made it on a Sunday morning!
Why Etsy Why?!?!
I am not whining..............I am grateful to be on the coveted FP,but why only on Saturday evenings & Sunday mornings when there is no body to see it or buy it?????

Anyways here is my 7th FP appearance:)

Got my new machine:)

So YAY!!!!
I went ahead & bought this

This is my brand new Usha Janome.............it's so pristine & clean,I don't want to use it!
So now I have 3 machines............my sparkling new janome,my industrial leather sewing machine & my mum's oldie in the servant quarter:)

Please ignore the scribbled walls.............I didn't do it,my brats are responsible for the art!
So this is my craft room:)

Actually the room is pretty big,but this is the corner with all my machines:))))
So the first project I have decided on the machine is................NO it's not a purse:)

This is a pattern from the Ottobre magazine I won................I am making this for my son................just right for the winters which have already started!
I plan to make this for my daughter from the same magazine

I also went ahead & bought this beautiful tweed fabric enough to make the coats for both my kids............they can wear matching coats on Christmas/new year party:)

I am super excited & tonight I am going to read the manual of the machine & hopefully get cracking on the coats tomorrow:)
will be back with more updates later.

What's in the mail?

Remember I told you about the contest I won in "Sew Mama Sew"...............the prize was a subscription to Ottobre magazine.............they finally arrived!

I am SUPER excited!!!............there are tons of amazing patterns for kids,I don't sew much for myself but I absolutely adore making things for my kids.These are winter editions with lots of coats & jackets patterns,my son is really really happy as I don't really know what to sew for a boy!
Now I have tons of ideas & accurate patterns!....YAY............the detailing is exquisite!

Other than my industrial machine I have an OLLLLLD sewing machine,my mom's wedding gift!
It works wonderfully but it is very slow plus I have to operate it with one hand!................yeah,it's really old,so I have FINALLY decided to go in for a new jazzier machine....................this is what I am investing in:)))

I hope to make many more purses with the additional speed & flexibility this will allow me:)

Speaking of purses,I finally got tags for my purses done,here they are.Got them done in 2 color combinations,ain't I smart;)

These thingies are super cheap in India,I got 2000 tags done for 66$!!

So I am off to buy my new machine & will hopefully make a clutch today & come back with an update tomorrow:)

Recap of the week gone by

oh! What a whirlwind this past week was!
Trousseau shopping for 2 girls is not something which can be done in  a jiffy.................we spent 7 days just shopping,shopping,shopping ,more shopping,even more shopping....................we shopped literally till we dropped!
Bought loads of sarees,Indian salwar kameez,jewelery etc etc .....................I too bought a lovely white & blue saree for myself:)

My sister & sis in law very pointedly noted that

 * I have let internet rule my life (guilty as charged)

* I look like an old hag at the age of 31 ( guilty as charged)
* I have let myself grow overweight thanks to etsy addiction ( guilty as charged)
*  Not taking care of myself has swiftly turned me from pretty to unpretty..............yeah yeah I know it's not a word,but my grammar or knowledge of English is not under the scanner here,so again ( guilty as charged)

* I  don't eat healthy food ( guilty as charged)

So after loooots of commenting & a lil self introspection I have come to the conclusion that


* I have to make internet unrule me................I am enjoying butchering English;)
*I have to start looking young again,which I AM!!!!!!!
* I have to loose weight BIG time......atleast 10 kgs!
* Take care of myself & become pretty again;)
* Stop treating myself as garbage bin & throwing any & everything in my body.EAT HEALTHY!


So I took the first step towards it by checking my mail & switching OFF the computer................I did NOT linger online checking things that are no wayz helping me.......good start


Next step ...............I went to the market & bought myself some ridiculously expensive cosmetics whose magic potions are supposed to make me look good;)

I love the red hot lipstick.............it's just right for the winters:)


Well next I went for a 45 minutes walk..............my legs are aching now,but I am glad I made a start atleast:)
 I hope I stick to all the resolutions I have made! 
I plan to surprise everyone with the changes in me when I go for my sis in laws wedding in May .....AMEN!

Photo shoot for my purses!

I told you all my sis & sis in law are here............I dragged them today & made them pose for my purses which they happily did:)
We are having LOADS of fun................shopping,cooking,roaming around................I am already feeling depressed that they will be leaving this sunday:(
Here we are goofing around:)

The girls had so much of fun clicking pics.............this is my sister's fav pose called Lizard pose;)

LOL...............she loves posing where she can show off her fab hair!

My purses too are showing much better now

I love the fact that my sister & Yash's sister get along soooo well,it makes the time we spend together so much fun:)

I could NEVER click this purse well.....the color just wouldn't come as it is supposed to be,but finally my sis in law managed to capture the true brilliance of this bag..........here it is

Now have to do a ton of editing in my shop.................& have a fun barbecue night planned!

Making Fish Anarkali Tikka (fish b'que),mutton barbecue ( goat meat barbecue), cottage cheese,mushrooms,cauliflower,capsicum,onion barbecued Indian style :)
Got the charcoal & the barbecue fired & will light up the bonfire now.............it's cooold!
Vodka is ready & so are we to have a fun night............... will catch you all later,till then adieu!

From Shirlee

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Shirlee. She was very beautiful and talented.
Shirlee was the mother of a girl named Linda. She taught Linda all the secrets of being talented and crafty, and Linda came to excel at them.
Linda grew up and became the mother of two girls named Brittany and Ashley. She raised them in the grand tradition of arts and crafts.
Together, they decided to create an Etsy shop. Between the three of them they had the fantastic talent of crafting stacked to the nines.

It all came FROM SHIRLEE.

I love love this beautiful etsy shop where you can find amigurumi,accessories,blankets,cards, holidays,home decor,scrapbook pages all under one roof!

I loved this cute lil octopus:)
Check out the pretty jelly fish.............isn't it amazing:)

look at this gorgeous magnetic board

This is quite a new store & I wish Shirlee loads of success.Check out her amazing blog here .

Monday morning blues!

Not this monday morning!
I am super excited,my sister & my hubby's sister,both are flying in today & I am like YAY!!!!!!!
They are both same age,get along with each other like fire & getting married next year..................so we are gonna do looooooots of weddingy shopping:)
Um.................to calm me down I decided to finish a leather purse I had started a few DAYS back!!!!

 The leather is just ammmmmmmmazing...........................the leather is full grain so really yummilicious!
The chestnut color is really pretty...................I love the outer pocket I have added alongwith my staple of zippered pocket & top zip closure.
Take a peek in & see the lovely gingham:)

Another reason I am so happy is I get free models for my purses;)
Well,that is not the only reason I am so excited................I am NOT so shallow;)
LOL..................I am off to get things ready for their arrival..............you can check out the purse details in the shop.
Oh I forgot.............I also added a holiday banner in my shop...................what do you think?

Thank you Neha:)

This post is specifically to thank my dear friend..............she is a young,bubbly,happy,intelligent engineer in the making.............my lovely friend who is like a sister to me.........Neha:)
Thank you sweetheart..............she came today & gave a new look to my clutches by very graciously agreeing to model for them in turn for a hug!
I have always admired how beautiful her hands are,actually jealous would be the right word;)
My purses are looking so much more beautiful in her hands.......

Mwah...............love you.May God bless you with all the happiness in the world:)
Here she is in all her Diwali finery....................looking as beautiful outside as she is inside:)

She modelled for ALL of my clutches with sooooo much of enthusiasm & love,I was really touched.
Next time you will model for my purses...............right;)
Have fun darling & THANK YOU!

Professional FaceBook Fan Page

Most of the Etsians have a facebook Fanpage.....................so do I,albeit a very new one:)
It's a great way to make business connections without bugging your friends & family by constantly posting your new items,treasuries,FP appearance,triumphs & tribulations!
It helps to have a Professional looking page which is not just inviting,but helps you project that you are a serious business person.

I have been twiddling with the applications on FB & with the help of tips from a fellow etsian have found out a way to make your fan page really pro & you can encourage people to fan your page too!
This is my landing page for all non-fans..................I have reeled in a few fans since I put this up on my FB
http://www.facebook.com/armcandyforyou?v=app_4949752878&ref=search

Now how to do this...............let's start:)

1.There is a wonderful application on FB called FBML which you can get from here
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=4949752878
Once you go to the application,click on Add to my page just under the avatar.It will give you choice of your page & you have to simply add it.Leave it here,we will come back to it after a few steps.

2.Now you have to decide  what image you want on your landing page.Ideally it can be your products,you can choose a single image or make a collage.I made mine in the fancy collage section of picnik.Picnik is free,you can use any other photo editing tool like photoshop,gimp etc.Save your pic in jpg or png format.Write the text you want to on it,I have added a discount for my FB fans till a particular date.This can encourage people to fan your page.You can offer anything you wish,free shipping,discount coupon or simply nothing:)

3.One important thing to remember is that your pic SHOULD NOT BE WIDER THAN 500px
I learnt it the hard way by getting my pics chopped off rudely!Once you have it saved ,you have to host it online.The simplest way is to use photobucket. 
It is free & very fast.Many of you may be knowing how to do it,but I will explain it to the newbies anywayz,just go to photobucket & open an account,signing up is like any ordinary mailing list & free.Once you have opened an account ,up load the pic you want for your fan page.It will be saved & you will see it like this (you may not get Dr Batra's ad thgough;)

I have circled a link in black on the right side of the pic.You need to save this link,this is the where your pic is hosted.

4.Now go to your fanpage,click on Edit Page  under your avatar ,click on applications & you will see your FBML application you added earlier on. Click on Go To Application & you will be directed to a page called Edit FBML.
In the box add any title you want to,I have added WELCOME.Next is the box titled FBML where you have to add the code.This is the code you  have to add there

5.In "Your website link here" you have to add the link to where you want to direct the people who click on the images.It will open in a separate window so don't worry about people being directed away from your FB fan page. If you want to add your etsy shop DO NOT add your shop URL,I don't know why but it does not work.Add the URL to a section instead.Like I have my "designer bags "section added

http://www.etsy.com/shop/armcandyforyou?section_id=7292162

Somehow it will lead to your shop &  not the specific section,so all is well:)


6.In "your image link" add the link to the pic  from photobucket  which you saved earlier & you are ready to go! Save it & your page is ready!
Now how to make it your landing page.Go to Edit Page under your avatar & click on Manage Permissions  & go to Default Landing Tab.In the drop down menu add WELCOME or whatever you have named your FBML box as the landing page.Now all your non fans will come to this page.

When I did this the first time I kept worrying why I was directed to the wall & not on Welcome.I thought it was not working! Log out & then come as a guest,you will land on WELCOME page...............it works ,so chill:)


7.You can add more FBML boxes too same as above.I have added another called DISCOUNT here
http://www.facebook.com/armcandyforyou?v=app_7146470109
This page gives details of how to avail the discount...............very neat & crisp!


I hope you will enjoy doing this & if you run into any problems I am just a comment away:)