the home stretch

Well friends, it's almost that time...only three days left in the month of November, and therefore less than 72 hours for me to finish my fantasy novel for NaNoWriMo this year. Let's check the stats, shall we?

words written: 36,879
chapters planned: 19
chapters written: 9
likely number of chapters needed to finish story: ~36
main characters: 9
secondary characters: 19
secondary characters who are Red Shirts: 3
villains: 2 (plus 2 five bad bands)
heroes: 2
werewolves: 6
shape shifters: 5
psychics: 4
vampires: 3
zombies: none yet, but planned for later chapters
empaths: 2
appearances by Traveling Shovel of Death: 1, perhaps more later
appearances by Mr. Ian Woon: 1
character deaths: 3 planned
active tropes: too many to count
biggest one day word count: 5,365
current word deficit: 13,124 to win!

As you can see, I have a long way to go...both to win NaNoWriMo with 50,000 words by midnight on the 30th, but also to finish my story! I am sadly nowhere near finishing my story...in fact, I have no idea what happens after the 19 chapters that I have (very very vaguely) outlined. One might consider what I have planned so far the "first act." Anyway I'm not going to worry about either issue. I was MUCH further behind starting Thanksgiving weekend last year, so I am confident that I will finish. Also, there is nothing wrong with having an unfinished story - I did it last year, didn't I? I am just setting myself up to have a ready-to-go project for next November!

Who else is on the brink of finishing? Who else is definitely going to sign up next year? Who wants to help me come up with a title? :)

sneak peek: the pocketbook

This is the New Thing that I've been working on...the pocketbook. I had a flash of inspiration many, many months ago regarding my collection's lack of a checkbook, and the fact that I hate the last two incarnations of the passport case that I've made. I decided what I would really want is a single organizational item, that was small, pretty, and chock full of pockets. This is what I came up with.



This measures 8 inches by 4.5 inches, so slightly smaller than a half-sheet of paper, but it has seven pockets on the inside, including one with a zipper! You can easily fit your checkbook, passport, four or more ID-sized cards inside, plus much more. It ties up with a cotton sash which allows for the pocketbook to expand considerably, if you plan on stuffing it full of ... whatever you'd like to keep in it!

These little guys will be up in the Etsy store later tonight, just in time for you to get one at 40% off tomorrow between dinner and dessert! I will also be offering a set featuring the pocketbook, the notebook, and a third item of your choice in December. Remember, the Black Friday sale starts TOMORROW and goes until Monday. Tell me what you think of the pocketbook!

another word for pirate treasure

I swear I haven't been shopping for myself all year! Since MARCH at least (not counting fabric & notions, obviously). I am especially proud of myself for resisting doing any shopping at all at the numerous indie craft shows I've been to this year...and there have been many (check the sidebar!). Normally I can't resist picking up little pretties at the shows I do - it's pretty hard to say no when you're surrounded by handmade goodness.

Anyway, all my resolve broke a few weeks ago at the Handmade Market in Raleigh, and I have been very, very bad ever since. I would like to take this time to confess that I have not done ANY holiday shopping OR crafting for other people - so yeah, this little spree is particularly shameful. I LOOOOVE all my new goodies, though, check them out!



So much red! So many flowers! A little bit of all the things I love the most: delicious felted wool, oversize jewelry, all handmade, one-of-a-kind. Starting from the left:

A felted wool flower headband from Raimbow Tree, which I picked up at the Handmade Market. The color is "spice," and the flower is easily as big as my hand. I LOVE it and it looks awesome in my hair when I wear it all big and curly.

Next, a "lost & found" pendant from Moodswing Studio, made by the lovely Kristen, who is one of the Handmaidens who host the fantastic Handmade Market. The pendant is one-of-a-kind, and absolutely perfect for me because it features black and green, only the two most important colors of my fall wardrobe! I was even wearing black and green the day of the show. :)

Next, I got two gigantic, over-sized rings from Yummy & Company at the Holiday Heist, and get this, they are made of clay. They are both wider than my finger and practically reach my knuckle, they are just that huge.

The third ring shown above is from Etsy seller Pretty Cheap, which I bought totally on impulse upon following a link from Twitter to a treasury that had featured this ring. It is a cluster of freshwater pearls in deep, gorgeous colors, twisted up with gold wire and pretty crystals. How could I say no? I love pearls, and you already know how I feel about big rings, so...

Finally, my booth was across the way from Space+Moderne at the Holiday Heist, and her gorgeous felted things were staring at me all day long, so at the end of the show I just had to take one home. This white and red poinsettia pin looks amazing on my red wool winter coat, but I plan on wearing it on my clothes as well. Oh yes, it is fully six inches across and I'm not scared!

There you have it, all of my indulgences (so far) this season, and I still have the Squidfire show to go to next month! I just can't say no to pretty handmade lovelies. :)

black friday sale & other sweet deals

Can you believe Thanksgiving is exactly one week away? I swear it was August just the other day. I've already got my plans in place, and I'm very pleased that I will not be traveling out of town this year, but only 20 minutes away to a friend's house! I bribed them with a vat of my famous six-cheese macaroni & cheese, which I only make for special occasions...I think the last batch was for last Christmas. I would've made it anyway, and I'm secretly (ok, not so secret anymore...) happy not to have to deal with a dramatic family dinner. By "family" I mean my own, obviously...no matter how dramatic someone else's dinner is, I'm still only the girl who brought the mac & cheese. Hooray!

I'm sure you have your Thanksgiving weekend plans already in place, and I am here to tell you that you can now include some shopping for handmade goodness in those plans! For the first time, I am planning a Black Friday sale, which is actually going to start on Thanksgiving Day, one week from today (I know! It's too soon!). That's not the only sweet deal going on at Holland Cox this season. Check it:

1. Black Friday sale: Use code grazie to get 40% off everything at www.hollandcox.com and in the Etsy store from Thursday, November 26 until Monday, November 30. For Etsy purchases, the sale amount will be refunded to you via PayPal. Items in the sale section of the Etsy shop are not eligible.
   
2. Custom Orders sale: Facebook fans & Twitter followers get 25% off all custom orders until December 25! I'll be adding new fabrics to the galleries soon...
3. 5th Anniversary Celebration: I've posted all the details on this in another post...definitely enter the contest, it's your only chance to get a free custom anniversary handbag!
4. Preview Sale: The week before the anniversary party, Facebook fans and Twitter followers will get *another* coupon code to save on certain goodies for a whole week!
   

Besides all these coupon codes and sweet deals, there's also the all-new SALE section in the Etsy shop, and of course, next week I'll be introducing a brand new product (and my new favorite thing!) that I hinted at in the last post...just in time for you to get 40% off on it over Thanksgiving weekend. I am seriously trying to hook you up! Enjoy your holiday shopping, and don't forget to pick up something for yourself!

upcoming events

In addition to the anniversary party, there are two more local events coming up where you can come and see me and all my new goodies!

The Holiday Heist, hosted by the DC Craft Mafia, will be held on November 21 at the Soundry in Vienna, VA.

The Squidfire Holiday Art Mart, hosted by the charming guys from Squidfire, will be held December 12 at the DuBurns Arena in Baltimore, MD.

Since the wonderful people of Raleigh nearly cleaned me out of all of my most popular items, I have a ton of sewing to do in the next week (Holiday Heist is only five days away!!!!!). But, I have been working on a bunch of other things too, not just mad production for the shows...for some reason I can't help but try and do a million things at once. Will I ever learn to pace myself? I'm thinking not. Oh well...

Despite a long sewing list for these two shows plus the holiday trunk show, I spent literally all day yesterday working on a new pattern! It is something that has been rattling around in my head for a while now, and I could no longer put it off. I'm very pleased with how it has turned out so far, it just needs a few more tweaks. Hopefully I will be able to introduce it in time for Thanksgiving!

Which reminds me...stay tuned for a coupon code for my Black Friday sale, a new section in the Etsy shop...plus more ways to save on Holland Cox goodies this season. :)

you're invited...5th anniversary party!

Holland Cox turns five next month! I can't believe it. But I have certainly planned for it. As in previous years, I am having a big party & holiday trunk show (since it's December and all), and I want you to come! Unlike previous years, there are a whole lot of sweet deals connected with this party! First, the basics:

When: December 6, 2009, 11 am - 6 pm
Where: DEKKA Showroom, 1338 U St NW, 2nd floor, Washington DC 20009. One block from the U Street Metro station.
Why: Champagne, sweets & shopping!

This is the only event all year where the entire Holland Cox collection of handmade classics will be represented. I will have a little bit of everything, including some things that are not available online, and more than a few things that need to be cleared out (aka CLEARANCE SALE). In addition to champagne and delicious treats, I will also have goody bags full of handmade pretties for the first 20 guests...they were extremely popular at the '08 party, and I like to think they get a little bit better every year!

Although it is my anniversary, my customers will be the ones getting a gift next month! With every purchase (either at the shows, online, custom, or on Etsy) during the month of December, you will get a booklet of five coupons valid throughout 2010 for use on more Holland Cox goodness. The coupons will vary...free shipping, 50% off, $20 off, that sort of thing. But they will be valid all year long, so you will get five more chances to add to your Holland Cox collection, at a discount!

The second gift with any purchase in December is a chance to win a FREE custom made anniversary bag! The anniversary handbag is only ever available in December, and are always custom made and one-of-a-kind. They retail for $78, so getting a free one would be quite a nice gift for yourself, indeed! You could buy one, but here's how to enter the drawing for a free one:


- make a purchase during the month of December
- tweet about the anniversary handbag or the party on Twitter
- share the anniversary handbag or the party invite on Facebook
- comment on this post about what fabric you'd choose if you win!

Feel free to use all four methods...like voting, early & often is the way to go! Now, I know some of you are lamenting because you are going to be out of town on the 6th, and you really, really really wanted to drink champagne with me and pretend to do holiday shopping, while really buying pretty things for yourself. No worries, my friend! I will be having a small preview sale just for Facebook fans and my Tweeps (aka Twitter followers), so stay tuned for that (and join up if you're not already!). Even if you can't come to the party, you can still enter the drawing for the anniversary bag, and you can start today (see above). Good luck!

how to wear it: mixing patterns

If you are at all familiar with Holland Cox products, you know that wild patterns and bright colors are what draws me to fabrics. The bolder the better! Sometimes, however, I do pick a more subdued print, but just because it is not multi colored or wildly abstract, does not mean it won't still be quite dramatic!

Recently, I showed you how two of my wilder handbags could still be quite versatile, as the inspiration for four very different looks. This time, I want to show you the possibilities with a handbag that is much simpler. In honor of 2009 being my fifth year in business, I named this envelope clutch "fifth anniversary," and it is fairly simple in the grand scheme of Holland Cox designs - mostly black and white, with only a small portion of floral pattern, and only a tiny bit of color.



You might think that this handbag would be limiting in a different way than the more wildly printed bags. But imagine if you just stick to very narrow color scheme, but consider any combination of patterns? Stripes, dots, plaids, florals...endless possibilities!


Don't hold back! Show me how you wear your Holland Cox handbags!

custom handmade goodness

I have always been happy to do custom versions of Holland Cox goodies. Over the years, I've worked with several brides to make special gifts for their wedding parties, as well as a number of individuals just looking for something unique. I am a firm believer in making an effort not to look exactly like the mannequins in store windows, or like the pictures in a catalog or advertisement - in making an effort to come up with your own look. Having something that was made just for you goes a long way in making that happen!

To that end, I've come up with a way for you all to browse my vast fabric collection online, in an effort to make custom ordering even easier! I've set up two lists, one for lightweight fabric (list a) and one for heavier weight fabrics (list b). All you have to do is pick the item you want, either a handbag from www.hollandcox.com or one of the accessories from the Etsy shop, then pick the fabric you like from the appropriate list (pick 2 or 3 backups too, just in case I run out!), and then shoot me an email (or Facebook message or Twitter DM - whatever works for you)! Done! Handcrafted, custom-made goodness will be on its way to you before you know it.

Things to keep in mind...
- Remember that the lightweight fabrics (list a) are really only appropriate for the jewelry rolls, the hair accessories (headbands, ponytail sashes & flower clips), hostess aprons, card cases, eyemasks, tissue cases, obi belts, and linings and accents for the handbags, wallets, and notepads.

- The heavier weight fabrics (list b) are perfect for any of the handbags, the various sized zipper pouches, the outside of the wallets, and the notepads. In addition to the prints shown on list b, I have a wide array of solid-colored canvas and denim, including the basics (black, chocolate brown, indigo blue, etc.), but also some bright colors (apple green, hot pink, purple, etc.).

- If you are looking for a very specific pattern or color and don't see it on my swatch list or anywhere in my collection, please ask about it anyway! It is impossible for me to display every single fabric I have on the web site, so I may having something in my stash that you will like. Additionally, I am totally willing to go shopping for you, for a small custom fee. Check out my custom order policies for more details.

To kick off this new custom ordering system, I'm going to offer all Holland Cox Facebook fans 20% off all custom orders until December 25. Just send me an email at custom [at] hollandcox.com to get started! Let me know what your favorite fabrics are!

styling your holland cox handbags

Ever since I used polyvore.com to show how I wore my obi belt, I have been obsessed with that web site! At first I was wary that it was soley the domain of youngsters. You'll notice browsing through the sets, that a high number of them are centered around teen fashionistas like Leighton Meester, Emma Watson, and a whole bunch of other girls I've never heard of. However, there are no rules over at polyvore, so I figure I can do whatever I want. I can't begrudge the youngsters their fangirling, because if I had the interwebs and polyvore.com when I was in high school, I'm sure I would have been composing sets featuring Winona Ryder and Claire Danes. Not only is putting together the sets incredibly entertaining for me (it's like window shopping for myself, styling for a friend, and personal shopping for an imaginary customer all at once!), it is a perfect tool to help me in my handbag evangelizing!

My evangelizing boils down to this: you do not have to buy your accessories in basic black! Go on, repeat it out loud. A corollary maxim might be this: just because you have a wildly printed handbag does not mean that you can't use it every day. To illustrate this point, I have put together two more polyvore.com sets to show two extremely different looks for two of my favorite handbags from this season's collection: the ciao baby wristlet and the cilla's dream envelope clutch.



This one shows how the same wristlet can transition effortlessly between seasons, and look fantastic with both a formal look and a casual look. Incidentally, the wristlet is perfect for formal occasions, because you can hold a glass of champagne AND hors d'oeurves on a tiny little cocktail plate, all while keeping track of your handbag, hanging elegantly from your wrist!



This set shows how a wild print like this envelope clutch can work perfectly with a pretty, feminine outfit as well as an edgier, harder look. Is it wrong to center your outfit on a single accessory? Not in my world, it's not. Many times have I bought clothing specifically to match a beloved pair of shoes! Anyway, I would love to see how you wear your Holland Cox handbags. Send me pictures at valerie [at] hollandcox.com or post them on the Holland Cox Facebook fan page. I'd also love to hear what you think about the sets I've put together above, and to see any that you've put together!

how to wear your obi belt

The obi belts have been getting lots of love lately, especially at the Squidfire Philly show and the Art on Belmont show. I made a whole bunch of new ones and put them up in the Etsy shop, if you haven't seen them yet. A question I have gotten from some customers at the shows is: how to wear the obi belt? They would be intrigued by its shape and seduced by the fabric, but weren't sure how to integrate it into their wardrobe, or were concerned they couldn't "pull off" such a bold accessory. Luckily at Squidfire I was wearing mine, so I could easily demonstrate how I would wear it...which is in no way the last word on the subject, but since this is my blog, let's do it my way (cue Frank Sinatra), and talk about how I would wear it!

The Holland Cox obi is a solid color canvas or denim on one side, and a lightweight cotton print on the reverse, reinforced with lightweight interfacing on both sides. This means it will be stiff enough to hold it's shape and cinch in the waist, but still flexible enough to be comfortable. The belt is designed to be worn at the natural waist - it will not bend around your natural curves properly if you don't position it where you waist naturally dips. The widest part of the belt is only 5 inches wide - and as a petite, short-waisted person, I can personally guarantee that 5" is not too wide for anyone! Don't be scared of the wide belt!

The other important design point is the extremely long ties. They are 36" to 41" long, long enough to wrap around your waist and tie in the front, the side, or in the back if you really, really want to (but I love the look of the front or side knot). My obi belts feature ties in a print that either matches or coordinates with the printed side of the belt. Check it out:



This belt is a dark eggplant canvas on one side, and reverses to this lovely polynesian floral. Instead of using the same floral for the ties, I chose this coordinating hexagram print. You could wear the solid side of this belt with a more conservative outfit, like a dress in solid brown or cream, and then wear it on this side when you were feeling more playful.



This belt is olive green canvas on the reverse, and I used the same fabric for the belt and the ties, although the belt is cut on the bias - I can't resist cutting on the bias with stripes or checks. The effect is especially cool with this wild pattern, I think, plus the diagonal lines make you look skinnier! I love wearing my belt with the knot on the side, the way it is shown here.

Like all Holland Cox accessories, the obi belts come in very bold patterns and color combinations. This actually makes them easier to wear than plain black or other neutral-colored belts, and here's why: I don't have to know any of you personally to know that most of you have wardrobes that are 80 to 90% solid colored. (Go on, go and look.) A single, eye-catching accessory can therefore inject quite a bit of excitement into several different outfits, especially if you choose one that (a) has a lot of different colors in it (like the grandiloquent belt, shown above), or (b) that includes a color that you wear a lot of, say, chocolate brown (like the california dreaming belt).

You can wear the obi belt with just about anything - dresses, skirts, tailored pants...the only thing it won't work with is something that has it's own bulky belt built-in. At the Squidfire show, I wore mine with jeans. I didn't take a picture of myself, but this little collage shows the basic ingredients I used: my belt on the printed side, dark blue jeans, a long scoop neck shirt in a bright color (mine was purple - not tucked in), a coordinating shrug (mine was brown), and interesting accessories.



I think the obi would look especially cool on any outfit that accentuates the waist - like a fitted dress with clean lines, or a top combined with a wide, circular skirt. Adorable! Do you have an outfit that would look stunning with an obi belt? Let me know what you're looking for - I love to do custom work. I would also love to see the way you wear your obi belts! Send me a picture at valerie [at] hollandcox.com!