First Time’s the Charm

We both extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made the LaurAnn Inaugural Tea and Tote the runaway success that it was. It’s an insanely busy time of year when precious weekend time is forfeited to less leisurely seasonal activities, such as scouring the city for the last Nintendo Wii game console and checking every bulb in the strand of twinkle lights for that one culprit keeping the entire strand from working. Thank you to everyone who put down their ornaments, walked away from the brawls at Toys R Us, or pried themselves out of bed to share in our latest adventure.

When we committed ourselves to designing and sewing handbags, we put our whole selves into it. Neither one of us has ever been able to do anything halfway, and we are just about ate up with Pursitis. We have been shopping stores, both real and virtual, for materials, hardware and tools. I believe my daily visits to JoAnn Fabrics is a large reason the craft giant remains solvent. We have been sewing like mad women, content to wade through the tumbleweeds of threads and scraps of fabric. We sacrificed for our craft, eating the same meal every night several nights in a row. This leftover dinner business probably doesn’t mean much to most of you, but for a retired food writer, it’s akin to a dentist deciding it’s okay not to brush her teeth.

Andria hard at work.

All of this was great fun until we realized that no one had seen the bags besides us and if we wanted to be successful, we were going to have to pull the blanket away from the baby’s face and hope everyone thought she was as adorable as we did. Sure, we had mentioned the idea in casual conversation to our closest comrades, and they were unwavering in their support, but I am a firm believer in that actions speaking louder than words thing. When I clicked the Send Invitation button on the eVite, I was positive that all of those well wishes were about to be added to the endangered species list.

When the door bell rang at 10:30 (by special appointment) with our very first customer, we knew there was no turning back. I held my breath as I hung back in the kitchen watching her make her decision. As she debated the merits of each style of bag with her husband, I was thrilled to hear her say, “This is really hard. They are all so beautiful.”

Dr. Carol Garrison, U.A.B. President, models an Isla at the Inaugural LaurAnn Tea and Tote.

The day only got better. Before it was all said and done, we managed to sell half of our inventory and accept four custom orders. By 5:00 that evening, we were both so exhausted that the only logical thing to do was to head to the fabric store to start planning for the next one. We are planning another event on December 27th in Birmingham. Make sure we have your email address (send it to laurannhandbags@gmail.com) so that you can get the next eVite.

Here's a sampling of the scenery. Many of these bags are still available!