2013 Launch Date!

Yippy!!
If you keep up with us on Tumblr or Twitter then you have caught glimpses (some pretty, some downright scary) of the fun that is putting together a new line for 2013. Since early fall we have been tossing ideas and putting together prototypes for the new bags as well as the new online shop to go along with it.
Well, all this to say we have set a date! The new site and new line will be up and available for purchase on February 1st, 2013. Hooray!

There is the tiniest of sneak peeks for you! Aren't they lovely?!
If you are curious about the new bags you can get an idea of things to come from our clearance section where we are selling all remaining in stock items as well as several of the prototypes.

Well, we have to get back to work around here, but I hope everyone has a great weekend! Be back with more previews soon!

The Updated Milly is Here!

As I've been hinting all over Tumblr, we are working on our style updates for 2013. Milly was the first to reach completion and is now available for purchase!

You still have your choice of gold or silver hardware, and the inside is still full of pockets.

Speaking of the interior - we upgraded our linings! We now offer gray and teal in 500 Denier Cordora which is super strong and water repellent.

We swapped the handle rings from the square to the round, which gives the bag a little "jewelry".

You'll also note the pleating is a bit neater in the new style. This is nothing other than practice making better.

The straps are an inch or two longer and a bit thicker for extra comfy-ness. Yes, I know "comfort" is the right word there, but I prefer comfy-ness.

We were able to maintain the same price tag for the updated versions with new lining, and still have a few old style Milly bags on sale!

If you can't tell, I'm pretty darn excited about these little tweaks and hope you enjoy them as well. I hope to have the updated Margots ready next, and boy, are they pretty. I'm crazy pumped about the updates on those girls.

Until then, go scoop yourself up one of the new Milly bags and don't forget about our Ready to Ship Sale!

A Little Look Inside What We Do

Have you heard of Benterest.com? Ben is a wordsmith/graphic designer/Photoshop master/video editor out of Baton Rouge, LA and he put together this amazing video for us with a little behind the scenes footage for you nosy people (like me) out there.
We are settled in enough to get work done in our new Vancouver space, but still have a lot of fine tuning to do. I'm really excited to be in a permanent location that has plenty of room to settle into.
As far as our 2013 line the designs are pretty much ironed out and ready to be manufactured. So busy weeks ahead!

Enjoy the video!

Portland Saturday Market

Phew! What a whirlwind!
We were very lucky to spend a Sunday at Portland Saturday Market! For those of you not familiar, PSM has been around since the 1970s and is one of (if not THE) largest craft markets in the country. They operate every Saturday and Sunday March through Christmas Eve. The Nikolette crew is long time shoppers of the market and were thrilled to get accepted as a vendor.
We spent several weeks building up stock to have in our booth and got a lot done! It was a rainy day setting up, but the sun came out as did the shoppers and it was great meeting the PSM crew as well as bag lovers.

We hope to do another market soon, but we are not certain on when. The market is pretty full during the summer months and it may be Fall before we can get another slot.
In the meantime we will be filling web orders and working on that long promised home page update and new styles. For the time being you can see some new things in our Etsy shop.

Thanks to everyone who came out to PSM and we'll update with our next expected booth date!

Off To Market

We are planning to do Portland Saturday Market this coming Sunday and it is a mad house trying to get ready!

What one of my work tables looks like right now!

If you are in the area you should come see us. PSM guarantees no available spaces for new vendors, but we are hoping we can get in. We got accepted a few weeks ago and are just now to a point where we can get a booth together. This is our first time showing up to a market without having a 100% spot and I'm a little nervous! And even if I do get a space there's no way of knowing before hand if it will fit my 10' x 10' canopy, so this all could end up very... interestingly.

Because the new work room is so crazy my current staging area
for out going shipments is Dan's weight bench!

 So fingers crossed we get a space and a 10 x 10 space at that! Even if we don't you should go shopping now that the weather is no nice 'round these parts.
I'll be sure to document best I can and let everyone know what it's like to sell at this famous market!

All The Latest

Hello bag lovers! Nikolette has been in a whirlwind of insanity the last few weeks. Between a few internet interviews, deciding to sell at Portland Saturday Market, and general operations we've been non stop around here!
On top of all that we've been collaborating with the folks over at Musaico doing a few exclusive designs for their recent promotional events. Not familiar? If you're a music lover/maker you need to familiarize!





We not only did the bag you see in the commercial we also did an iPad messenger for their Twitter based raffle:

If any of you out there would like one of your own just get in touch and we'll see what we can do.

And in the coming weeks (hopefully no more than 2) Nikolette will be at Portland Saturday Market. We did alot of markets in New Orleans while we were there and here is a shot of what those were like:

They were HOT! Luckily the Northwest is not so extreme. I've been putting off doing markets since we got here despite Portland having the largest and most famous one in the country. But I have no more excuses - the weather is nice, I have the inventory, and who can turn down meeting the faces that will use and hopefully love your handmade creations? So we're getting out there. When we have an exact date for our first booth I'll be sure and post so all you in the PDX area can come see us!

And finally we are still (slowly) working on that new home page and adding the new styles. You can get a peek of one of the new styles here and we have one more we're working on. I'll give you a hint: LACE! We'll also be adding antique brass hardware as an alternative to the nickel.
So lots of things happening in these parts! Wish us luck and we'll try and keep you posted!

I Swear It Was Unintentional

I was working on a custom bag and realized I was dressed to match. It happens.

Milly Pleated Tote

Hi all! Just stopping in right quick to mention we added a new style to the Nikolette family. The Milly pleated tote is now available in our Etsy shop!

Milly is available in four colors:

Black

Brown

Gray

Red

Milly has large pleated pockets on both sides of the bag plus lots of storage inside:

So pop on over and have a look! We'll have them up at nikolettebags.com soon!

The Margot Tote as a Camera Bag

We have a gigantic camera we carry around town to take pictures of our bags and when it was Margot Day I decided to just carry the camera in the tote while we weren't using it and guess what. I discovered that not only is Margot awesome as a diaper/kid/work/school/iPad/netbook/handbag, it also is perfect as a camera bag! And since I don't have babies/kids/office/school/an iPad/a netbook, using it as a camera bag is perfect!

Overview:

One of the main reasons I like the Margot for a camera bag is because you can put your giant beast of a camera in the bag while all your other "purse" items are tucked away in pockets. This way you can get your camera out and back in quite easily. 

Here's what I mean:

See! Cool, huh? "Phone" is in quotes because I had to use my phone to take the picture, that is actually my Flip video standing in.

Because all that extra stuff is stowed away in pockets I can easily take the camera out in a hurry when we pass a cool wooden wall (above) or a pretty bush!

Then, when its time to eat or jump on the train or block a punch, I can swiftly throw it right back in with out shifting all my little junk around.

And there is exhibit A for why Margot has yet ANOTHER use. What an awesome bag, amiright?

Bag Tour: Inside my Kimball Satchel

Good day, fellow bag carriers. Today I would like to walk you around my Kimball Satchel.
The Kimball is such a great day bag. Perfect size with just the right amount of organization for a day running around. This weekend I had mine out to brunch, at the Farmer's Market, out shopping and enjoying the sun.

Lets have a look at the bones of the bag:

Like the Lucy, Kimball has the single clasp flap so you can get to those pockets without unfastening. The front pockets under the flap constantly rotate for me. My phone is always in one of them, but the other rotates around Altoids, my glasses, my card case and my keys. 

The back pocket is still my catch-all while running around. Receipts, cash, or my small notebook full of lists.

Inside there is a cell pocket for those of you who prefer to keep yours in the bag instead of on the front. Its also a good size for an iPod or an Altoid tin. While inside you'll find there is in addition a pen slip, a larger pocket and a zipper compartment.

Now, my mess:

I am able to fit my whole makeup bag in here as well as a notebook and glasses. If I'm going to be sitting on the train for a while I can even fit a paperback in there for the ride. You know what else slides nicely into the Kimball? An iPad - that's what.

I would like to mention the new straps we are using. I used to make the straps with canvas but they were rigid and I felt they could be a little more cushy and comfy. I finally found the right stuff and these straps are soft and easy to adjust. Not to mention hearty! These things can take a beating.

So that is all the mess I shove into my Kimball. Don't forget we are Etsy testing a new market tote, go get you one!

Get out and enjoy your day!

Get to Know and Fill Up That Lucy!

That's right, it says "CLURSE". The Lucy can be both a clutch AND a purse, so I made up a word for it. Or at least I think I did. Is "clurse" already a word? How about "clandbag"?

I digress, back to the important stuff! Let's take a Tour de Lucy, shall we? She has only a few differences from the 2011 version. The zipper pocket has been moved inside, she's a bit more compact and includes a removable/adjustable shoulder strap.

In the words of Bob Vila, "let's have a look."

"That's all fine and good, but what can I fit in there?" Is what may be crossing your mind right now. Or maybe it's tacos, I'm not a mind reader, but we'll stick with the first idea - fit.

To answer this question I thought I'd go fashion blogger on you and do a What's In My Bag for all ya'llz.

Have a look. In the front pockets are my quick grab things - phone and card case. I abandoned my wallet and went to a simple case. (Want one to match your bag? It can be done. Let's talk.) I designed these bags with the central clasp so that you could still access those pockets with out unlatching if you need to. And I do that a lot.

The back pocket is open and I use it to stash papers and things I need out of my hands quickly. It's also a good spot for your keys or a shopping list.

Inside I have only the necessities. Altoids (you're welcome!), a little make up, my glasses, and my weird assortment of pens. Why do I carry a variety? I never need more than one. But should I need an option of fine or extra fine in a pinch I'm ready!

And that there is Lucy. I love carrying this as my Saturday bag so that my arms are free to carry loads of produce from the farmers' market and/or tightly grasp the rails on the train. Its also great come Saturday night when I dress it up a bit for a drink because all I do is remove the strap and BOOM! Evening clutch. Don't need to change bags.

Another great Lucy use: I stuff one into my Margot or Randall when I'm carrying a laptop or books. That way if I need to, I can take my Lucy out of my giant bag if I need to run to the coffee shop and don't want to lug my big bag with me.

Versatility, that's what we're about.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Miss Lucy, I'll be back soon to tell you all about my Kimball!

The Shop is Back Up!

If anyone has been over to nikolettebags.com in the last few weeks you noticed it has been down while we were getting everything updated. The homepage facelift is still being worked on, but we do have the bags (with new pricing!!) all listed for sale.
The styles have pretty much the same looks, they just have been tweaked in small ways to make them faster to make. This means a new lower price!
Here are some comparisons for you (these are just some quick looks - I'll have more detailed posts soon to school you on the major differences):

2011 Lucy: sold as a clutch with optional wrist and shoulder straps. 

2012 Lucy: a bit smaller and removable shoulder strap is included.

2011 Kimball: came with removable strap

2012 Kimball: (looks the same, huh?) strap is not removable

2011 Margot

2012 Margot: pretty much the same on the exterior, but we rearranged the inside a little.

2011 Randall

2012 Randall: Hard to tell, but the pockets are all different under the flap!

And no fear, I'll do some walk throughs of each style just like I did the 2011 ones. Its a little hard to tell from just the outside how the bags have changed. We have a new canvas provider, which is evident in a few of the images. The new canvas is sturdy and dry to the touch. Last year we were using canvas that felt a little waxy and we wanted a dryer feel (as did our machines!).

So if you haven't been to the shop lately head on over!

And lastly, I have a new style just about ready to Etsy test - I'll keep you posted!

Our New (Temporary) Work Space

Things have been wild (to put it lightly) in the world of Nikolette this month. We are refreshing our color offerings, working on sprucing up the website, and on top of all that we moved! The move was less than a mile away, but it was still just as much work as moving across town. Especially when you have a 300 - 400 pound industrial sewing machine in tow! It took 3 of us to move it and even then it was quite difficult - and all three of us work out regularly!
The new work space is temporary, probably just for the summer. Then we will be moving on to a more permanent place.

The old work room was basement level and quite spacious.

The big white box? Its a light box for photographing bags.

That is one quadrant of the space. I had a sewing area, cutting area, and work bench area for hammering rivets. It wasn't glamorous, but it was roomy!
One major drawback though was that is was often FREEZING down there! I ended up cutting and sewing in a very contained area around my space heater all winter long.

The new space is working fine, though I don't have the space I used to.

As you can see it's a little tight, but everything is within reach. I am cutting and storing fabric in another room, so the trips back and forth are going to get old, but again - its not forever.

We have a goal to have the prettied up website live by 5/1/12 with most of the new colors. There may be a few stragglers. Until then... !

Updates on Everything

Those are some red fellas ready to go in the shop. Cell phone pics never do anything justice!
We've been working alot lately on streamlining production. You may have noticed a few lower prices in the shop and that is why.
Some helpful steps have been minimizing vendors. We now get all of our canvas from one supplier instead of several and all our hardware comes from one place etc. This minimizes delivery costs and allows bulk pricing, which in turn allows us to shave a little off the top of our prices!
I've also been playing around with how the bags are actually made. If I can make them faster then there is less labor to be factored in. I've found a few little tricks, but more on that once I really get it figured out.
We're working on a little fresher-upper on the website for you guys. New season... new look. Plus maybe a new style or two, exciting!
Until then, keep it classy!

Sneak Peeks!

Hopefully by now you've seen the new gray Kimball in the shop. Isn't she a beaut?

 

Well, I have a few other near finished newbies waiting in the wings and took some quick cell phone pictures as a teaser!

First off, the gray Randall:

 

Not the prettiest of pictures, but hopefully it gives you an idea. I'm excited about this one!

Next up, the black Lucy (or the Ninja Lucy, as Dan calls it):

Again, cell phones are not the best cameras! I hope to have these and a few other newbies ready to post up by the weekend. Fingers crossed!