Sommer Designs

Meet The Betty's.

No, I don't normally name my mannequins. My son Dylan asked me what one of their names was, and I said, Betty. Then he asked what another was named, and I said, Betty. Finally, the last, and I said, you know.

Dylan looked at me and said, "You can't name them all the same name! That's creepy."

Me: "No kidding. Mannequins are creepy. They are The Betty's."

End of story.

I bought them last week at a store that was going out of business in Hermosa Beach. It was one of those expensive stores that I could never afford to shop in, but everything was 70% off, so I stopped in. And I still couldn't find anything, except The Betty's.

Look at their awesome feet! I needed some matching mannequins for an upcoming trade show, and The Betty's will be perfect.

And, they were only $35.00 each. How could I not take them home with me?

ETA: The Betty's came with the pink sashes - I did not outfit them! They were from a store called PINK, in Hermosa, that donated all its' profits to breast cancer research. It's a real shame they closed, but I think they might have lost their lease. Maybe they'll continue via the web?

Gorgeousness Continued

I'm talking about the weather, of course. It's another one of my obsessions, but you know this. After that killer hot weekend 2 weeks ago when the temps reached into the 90's, we had another extreme cool down and I was back in jeans, clogs & sweaters. Gradually, it got warmer last week, until Spring Fling day, which was in the mid-90's. I kid you not, I had to turn on the air conditioner in the afternoon, it was sweltering! And for the last three days, the a/c has run every evening, because the upstairs is unbearable (and we are heat wimps).

These are the Iceberg Roses that are in my front yard, and stopped me dead in my tracks yesterday when I drove by. I know, I have to drive by my own home to notice these things. I think they are the product of hot/cold/hot/cold/hot. There is an explosion of blooms out there, and the lavender hedge is right behind them, two months early.

It was the perfect backdrop for a quick photo for my email newsletter I sent out this morning. New Del Cerro Totes have been uploaded, as well as new burp cloths. Missed the email? It's right here!

Spring Fling 2008

Spring Fling was this past Saturday, and as always, it was such a fun day! Filled with friends and customers who traveled from near and far (thanks Laura & Katy!), lots of chatter and girl talk, and of course yummy snacks!

I only snapped a quick photo of my set up before everyone arrived, and the sun was streaming in the window, which totally ruined my shot! So, sorry, but you get the idea!

Three bins of older merchandise that I just wanted gone was marked down 50% - there's still some left, which I'll bring to the Farmer's Market this weekend; great timing for Mother's Day. The bags are in perfect condition, just older prints...that I'm really quite tired of looking at. [isn't that a nice thing to say about your own creations? jeez...]

Natalie Walker of Natalie Nicole Swimwear [isn't she DARLING?] and her amazingly CUTE line of swimsuits. She's actually closing her business, and everything was $20 a piece. Believe me, gorgeous separates at an unbelievable price.

Shoppers liked those Market/Book bags I was talking about last week [you know, the ones I didn't like making...figures, right?]. Can't say I'm going to make more, but it was nice to know that I was on the right track.

Simple snacks are always on the menu...including cupcakes!

Cutey patootey Charlotte modeling her new hair clip [made by me years ago - another small bin I found that I decided to liquidate]

Jamie Calvert's beautiful artwork - lovely scenes of Palos Verdes & the equestrian trails - the small square cube in the center is mine, mine, mine!

Susan with Katy & Richard, who braved the heat and traffic and visited from the valley - thanks guys!

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked - it's hard to sell, host and be photographer too! Oh, and there's all the socializing...that's hard work! It was a fun day, but exhausting. I'm glad it's over - thanks to everyone who came and helped make it so much fun! We'll see you next year! XO

This dogs life.

I swear, I just walked into the kitchen and found Gracie sleeping like this on the couch.

Regretfully, my camera snap woke her.

Back downtown.

Two of the fabrics I fell in love with last week and planned to order yardage for samples ended up having very low yields in the warehouse, so I had to go back downtown this morning to see what else would work. This has been increasingly frustrating and stressful for me, and quite an education at the same time.

I've ended up changing my design scheme to something that's a little safer; I'm sure it will work out in the long run. But you know that feeling; when you see something and picture it together with something else, and it clicks and you're happy? Yeah. I had that, and then it was gone. Pulled out from under me. As I said, I'm sure this will work fine, and once I get the yardage and make the samples, I'm sure I'll be happy; but don't think I won't be second guessing myself for the next 2 weeks. I will be.

While there, I had to use the restroom, and it was way in the back of the warehouse. Of course my jaw hit the ground as I was led there - these are fabric blanks on 50 yard rolls. Aren't they fantastic?

See, if I were a big time designer, all of this worry would be for naught. Because if I had unlimited funds I could just print the fabric I wanted that is now low in stock and soon to be discontinued. They'll do that for you, you just have to order 500 yards. But that's not the cool part - the cool part is that you can change the colorways to suit your design and needs, so the fabric you print (using their design) will be yours and only yours in those particular colors. Isn't that awesome?

Pallets upon pallets of undyed fabric. This was downstairs - they have the printed fabric upstairs, and unfortunately, didn't offer me a tour. Maybe they had already heard about me and my camera touting ways...

I love fabric warehouses. I want to tour them all.

Where procrastination comes back to bite me.

Maybe I just need to start delegating - that's what the husband tells me, because I feel like all I do is work anyway. So how is it that I'm sick to my stomach at my to-do list and scrambling all the time? I logged off the computer in an attempt to really buckle down and get some work done. It worked, but I have miles to go before I sleep...

I love these new Del Cerro Totes in Pink Lotus and Butter Toile - they were a little experiment, and if I can get it together, will be on the site at some point this week (just being realistic, okay?). The bases are brown poplin, and they're perfect for summer. I got a slew of aprons packaged and more cut out, and currently, I'm working on cutting out a bunch of lavender liners.

I had a slew of older fabrics that I've grown tired of, so I played around and made them into Market Bags/Book Bags. They're quite cute, and I considered adding them to the site, but I really didn't enjoy making them. They were one of those things that sat cut out on the table for two weeks, and everyday I would walk by and shake my fist at them. I finally sewed them together (to put us both out of our misery), and will offer them at the Spring Fling this weekend.

Speaking of, the Spring Fling is coming along - I feel much more scattered this year than I have in previous years, and I wonder if that's a sign that I'm growing tired of it, or just don't have the time. It used to be such a big deal, with me preparing for weeks ahead of time to make it just right. This year, I feel like I'm sort of just throwing it together at the last minute. I'm not, but for some reason, it just feels that way. I know it will all come together and will be a fun day - but it's just stressing me out right now (can you tell?)!

It's time for me to get back to work - Happy Monday!

Notes on a Textile Show.

I love fabric. I really do. And walking around a giant penthouse filled with fabric samples makes me downright giddy, it really does. But it's exhausting, and maybe I'm missing something as far as organization goes (could happen), but personally, I think the LA Textile Show is poorly laid out. I don't understand why everything is thrown into the mix, and not organized by fabric type? I love walking the show, but the vast majority of fabrics do not apply to my purposes, so I walk in circles constantly. And then finding my way out of the maze...I got lost more than once. This happens to me all the time when I go!

But okay, I did it and I loved it! Here are some things you might know, might not know, don't really care about, or are indifferent about:

::Michael Miller is no longer carrying the heavy weight canvas prints. Bum-mer.

::However, Michael Miller will be a distributor for Modern Flora. Ye-ah!

::Found new prints for lavender liners there and ordered more dots, which I can always use.

::Found myself a little peeved with Alexander Henry. They have a great new line of heavier weight canvas prints - great, right? Well, 3/4 of them are sold out right now. And before you go thinking, "Oh, that's no problem, they'll reprint." let me just say, "hold on Nelly, not so fast." I learned this the hard way with AH.

In October 2006, I ordered more Cowgirl print at the show. They happily took my order, and it wasn't until 2 weeks later that I got a call from them saying it was out of stock and on backorder. Backorder - how long can that take? Well, at the time, they had 200 yards on backorder; they wouldn't go back into reprint until they had at least 1200 yards, on backorder! I thought, "Hmm, well, I want the fabric, I can wait." My 15 yard bolt was delivered in August 2007, almost 10 months after my initial order.

So when I saw the heavy canvas, I got excited, but then pissed off when I found out what the status was. Why, oh why, do they show a fabric that is not available? And some of it wasn't even going back into production - it was gone forever!

Here's the problem with this: [Most likely] you are sourcing for a market, like the Gift Show or other trade show. You find your fabric; you buy a small quantity for samples; you have your samples made; you go to market; you take orders (trade show orders = retail buyers) for that item in that fabric, and then go back to the fabric manufacturer to purchase higher yields of fabric for production, but find out they don't have enough, or it's on backorder! You are f*cked. Sorry for the emotion - but that's how I felt standing there listening to them tell me that fabrics they were showing weren't available [at least I had the sense to ask about availability this time].

I'm not sure I can count on them anymore; maybe for smaller stuff, but not for fabric I really need in a big way. I did find what I was looking for elsewhere, and made my way out of the maze. Most of the manufacturers are very nice and will spend time educating you if you have questions about productions and lead times. It's always a learning experience, but I'm getting more comfortable in my skin there.

Also! Lisa Lam has a fantastic post today over at Craft Boom on what to do when people say your handcraft is too expensive - check it out!

I'm already tired thinking about next week.

So, today was a Farmer's Market - and do I have to tell anyone about the weather in Southern California? It reached 94 degrees today. That's just insane for April 13. Heat like this breeds lethargy.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from today's market. Susan was supposed to split the booth with me, but she was super busy and low on inventory, so she backed out last night. More room, less chatter. At least my friend Kim was next to me [so I got some chatter anyway]!

The markets have been a little slow lately, and I say that even as a shopper. When Scott & I go on non-market days, it's slow. I can only imagine what the farmer's are thinking. I'm always wondering how the economy is for them and how the rising prices are affecting them. Today was hot, so it could have gone either way. It was busy early on, people were smart in getting their shopping done early before the heat got bad.

I had some new bags I was thinking of debuting today, but they didn't get done in time. I got too lazy in the heat the last couple of days and didn't finish them. So, hopefully they'll be done by my Spring Fling Boutique in two weeks.

This coming week is going to be a little insane. I'm posting tonight because I don't know if I'll have time for the next couple of days. This week is the Los Angeles Textile Show, and I might be attending everyday. That's unusual for me because I usually just go and visit my favorites and blow out of there.

But this time, I'm sourcing a new product that has been in the works for almost a year, and admittedly, could have been released a long time ago if I could just make a decision. I've made a big committment (that I'll tell you about later!), and it's time to really get serious about it. So I'll be sourcing in a big way and will be picking everybody's brain.

Couple that with getting ready for the Spring Fling in two weeks, another Farmer's Market the week after, and the Palos Verdes Street Fair at the end of May. THE END OF MAY is next month!

Who put time in hyperdrive?

Saturday morning hike::Palos Verdes love, part 2

Must keep going, must keep going, must keep going. We are expecting a high of 87 today. I kid you not. My apologies to those who are still dealing with snow, sleet and rain. Spring is here.

Right.
Here.

At 7:30 a.m. this morning I grabbed my girlfriend and her leash, and we headed out the door. The McBride trail is around the corner from my house, but I do it backwards. I don't know why, but I always have. I don't call it the McBride Trail either, I call it the Rim Trail. The Rim Trail is so much more appropriate, because it skirts the rim of a pricey development of homes hugging the canyon that faces the ocean. I'm talking about prime real estate and jaw-dropping views. But you have to be careful where you step, because this is the canyon after all, and there are creatures out there.

I've seen many, together with little cottontail rabbits, scorpions, and beetles. Here's a photo op with Gracie - I'm explaining the flora and fauna to her, and she's rapt with attention:

You go around that little bend and up a butt-kicking hill to the rim.

That construction dead center in the photo is the old Marineland site, which is now becoming the Terranea resort.

I prefer looking South - less building, more pastoral views. More real Palos Verdes. The way it was, the way it should stay.

I tried to take another picture with Gracie, but she just wanted kisses.

"Look Grace - that way." No. She's having none of it. She would rather gaze at me. At least my dog idolizes me.

"Oh! You mean like this?! You want me to look AT the camera?"

"Well, okay. But it'll cost you."

"That will be one belly rub please."

Sometimes, it takes us a while to finish a hike. What with all the belly rubs and kisses along the way.

Friday morning hike::Why I love Palos Verdes.

My friend Karen dragged my butt out this morning. Well, she didn't really - we planned it a couple of days ago. It felt so good to walk around San Francisco that I didn't want to let the motivation go. I feel so much better when I walk (especially my lower back, which was really beginning to strain!), and today is amazingly gorgeous (over 80 people!), that I had to comply.

We did a trail near her house, off Lariat Lane. I've only done it one other time with her, and it's beautiful and dotted with three butt-kicking hills. It's a feast for the eyes, and always so fun to see what people/animals are up to on the trail. This little lady was getting some new shoes!

Isn't she beautiful? "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Yeah, yeah.

"Make sure you get this side too. Come back later, I'm getting my mane brushed and braided, you'll probably want to document that also."

This is such a beautiful time of year - everything is in bloom! The hills are a carpet of mustard. When we drove up Highway 101 last week, we passed miles and miles of hills blanketed in yellow, blue & orange. Literal blankets of color! It was astounding.

At the top of butt-kicking hill #1, we came upon this trail that looks like it's being maintained by the land conservency. I'm so glad.

I love the makeshift fence.

I just want to freeze this moment and this space.

Regretfully, the wildflower season is short, and then the big guns come in to try to keep the brush down, because wildfire season is long.

Another butt-kicker approaches, Karen is way ahead of me. She usually is. We called her the Energizer Bunny when we climbed Mount Whitney...

All trails lead to the [flat] street - this makes me very happy at this point.

But then again, so did the butt-kicking morning hike! I hope everyone is beginning to see signs of spring!