I was born with a needle and thread in my hand! My lovely mama, Tommie Jean ... that's her picture there in the left column ... taught me basic embroidery stitches at age four. By age eight, I was making my own clothes. I have sewn everything from aprons to draperies to wedding gowns over the years!
My mama passed away when I was 14. Mama's Pocketbook is dedicated to her and all that I do is inspired by her and the creative gifts she shared with me. I can still feel her poking me in the shoulders and telling me to sit up straight as she inspects my seams! Thanks Mama!
Mama's Pocketbook I tried my hand at making fabric purses in 2002
after a neighbor saw a fabric purse at a fall festival
that she loved, but being the mother of five kids she
wouldn't indulge herself that purchase. So, I surprised
her by making a fabric purse for her of my own design
in her favorite colors. It was so much fun and I was
hooked. I started making purses for myself and my daughter,
and more friends and soon I was getting orders from
referrals all over town.
In May 2006, my wonderful husband inspired me to go full-time with my little side business of purse-making and sewing other fun accessories and soft home furnishings. I named my new venture "Mama's
Pocketbook" to honor my mother, and because of my early
fascination with my own mama's pocketbooks. I think
every child is enchanted with the contents of her mother's
purse. My mother's pocketbook always held small treasures
and I loved the potpourri of scents ... the spearment
gum, her Wind Song perfume and even the smeall of her
Salem cigarettes, all that wafted from within whenever
I would sneak my little hand in to grab a stick of gum
or to snag a dime.
My daughter, Lauren, also inspired the
name Mama's Pocketbook. She sings my praises wherever
we go and loves to show off her pocketbooks and gush
"Don't you LOVE my pocketbook? It's so cute! My mama
made it, she makes all kinds of pocketbooks!" (heh,
SHE's so cute!)
Vintage, Romantic,
Floral, Shabby Chic... All Things Pretty! I still have some of the fabrics my mother collected
and they are still stored beautifully in her antique
cedar chest. These fabrics have always inspired me.
I love working with vintage and current floral decorator
fabrics and I'm always on the lookout for beautiful
vintage fabrics to add to my collection and for my one-of-a-kind
and limited edition pocketbooks. Almost every item I
make incorporates a bit of my vintage fabric or unique
fabrics from quilts, and linens, mixed with current
decorator florals, stripes, damasks, and other texturally
interesting materials. Each and every one of my designs
is individually handcrafted by me in my smoke-free,
pet-free in-home studio.
I enjoy contrasting vintage and new fabrics and adding
trims, embroidery, beads, buttons, tassels, flowers,
jewelry and other findings to create a uniquely feminine
look and feel with practical usability. I add function
and style with multiple pockets, magnetic key fobs,
and other options that help keep everything organized
and accessible.
You'll love the quality and workmanship I put into
everything I make. I meticulously construct my pocketbooks with layers
of fleece and flannel interfacings for stabilty, shape
and strength. Mama's Pocketbooks are made to be used
often and for years to come!
What's Next?
I'm so excited to be the recipient of the 2007 MSN Business Breakthrough Challenge II business makeover award. MSN is providing Mama's Pocketbook with up to $10,000 in custom business solutions to help me take my business to the next level. In August 2007, watch for new additions such as a full line of Amy Butler products including fabric by the yard, ready-made Amy Butler purses, sewing patterns, and even some of her paper products! I will be adding more
and more of my own designs at Mama's Pocketbook and
exploring and expanding my design work for some new labels I'm developing such as
Mama's Little Baby, Sew-Gifted ("Green" accessories made from recycled materials), Hadaway Home (soft home furnishings and SweetShabby (cottage style goods and home decor).
Giving Thanks
I must give praise to My Heavenly Father for the constant
abundance of gifts and blessings my family and I receive.
I'm very blessed and when you buy one of my purses or other creations,
you will be receiving a part of the joy and love that
is all around me. I bless every item I make with special
prayers for the receiver!
I am so thankful to be a work-at-home mom to two sweet
young kids and being married to the love of my life,
my high school sweetheart, Steve, whom I love and adore forever and always,
for believing in me, and enouraging me to pursue my
dreams of creating and selling my designs.
My life is a rich
tapestry woven with work that revolves around the things
I love most - family, home, creating, sewing, painting,
decorating and dreaming! I also love my MakeMinePink.com
"Pink Sisters" and thank Joyce Lucas, my mentor and
friend, for her vision and love and encouragement to
all of us at MMP.
Thank you for indulging me the chance to say how
I got here, but enough about me now! I hope you will
find something here that excites you and speaks to
your soul. If you do, you should buy it immediately!
(GRIN)
Showing Support
Mama's Pocketbook supports two causes that are very
dear to my heart. Single Parents Help and Breast Cancer
Research. Since 2002 I've been a writer, counselor and
passionate advocate for Single Parents. Today I maintain
an active forum for single parents and am proud to say
that the members are part of my large extended family
and I love them deeply. I donate 5% of the profits from
Mama's Pocketbook to maintain and informal emergency
fund for my single parent friends. If you have an interest
in donating to help them occasionally when it's hard
to make ends meet, I know they will sincerely appreciate
it. This is not a non-profit organization, I don't have
the means to set that up for them ... YET!..., it's
more like the "tip jar" on the counter, if
your heart says throw in some spare change, then we
thank you for paying it forward. Our forum can be found
at http://singleparentshelp.com/forum
and if you desire you can donate here:
Not only will you love your Mama's Pocketbook original,
one-of-a-kind accessory, you can be proud that your
purchase will directly help a single parent family in
need. Thank you!
In October I offer an special limited edition "Pink October" tote and donate 10% of
the sales price to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation
for Breast Cancer Awareness. For October 2007 there will be
two new designs offered, each in a limited edition of
50 totes. Each of these 100 totes will be individually
made by me and numbered. I have several customers
now who buy breast cancer products each year in memory
of someone they love who has been touched by this disease
and I was thrilled that they picked my tote as their
item in 2006.
Thank you to all my customers and visitors. Be sure
to visit all the shops at MakeMinePink.com
too!
