July 30, 2011

Things I want to Make.

picnic box by House 8810. So awesome I want to make one for myself!
And would be so fun and simple to do so.  Another blog about this?! I think so.

I love these cute little airplanes! 
I am definitely making a bunch of these. =]

These Red Velvet Cake Balls look so delicious!
Plus they would be so fun to make for parties (or maybe your picnic with your new
awesomespice picnic box, eh?) , it's like the Dip-n-Dot version of cake!

I personally love making simple dinners like these Ham and Asparagus Roll-up.
I'm going to have to try this one night. Those asparagus stems are just beckoning for me.
Which reminds me of a discussion I had in "college" about food being sexy.
This photo sums up that conversation.

July 27, 2011

Be Mine?

Next paycheck.
You will be mine.

Dream Job was amazing and now I'm ready for Blog Love.
#making things happen! 

July 22, 2011

Sold Out!

Had a great time at my first trunk show and sold out on many items!
Thank you to those who attended and supported a girl named katie.
Weren't able to come? You can still shop online! 

Sooo... What's next?

What is next for a girl named katie.
promos, sales, give aways, and joy. 
new website, new handmade products, and vintage. 
new fabric, new styles and new ideas. 
Whatever it is, it is me.
And I am Katie.
And this business is my life.

I am excited to make new things and do tons of thrifting.
I am ready to be a business woman and make things happen. 
and I am ready to spend countless hours making awesome things.

So what can you expect?
if you are young and hip, are indie/vintage/artistically inspired, you'll probably like it.
I say probably loosely, because in reality, you should like it, or you are none of the things listed above.
Just sayin'. 

I will be working on bags to be fun and functional, especially for college students. 
I will be making accessories and decor for the new apartment lovers.
I will be thrifting my heart out to find unique items that are just flat out must haves. 

Are you pumped?
Well, you should be.

July 20, 2011

Splurge or not to splurge?

First off, splurge is a weird word.
Second, when I say splurge, I'm talking like $50. Not $1,000 like magazines. 
Because let's face it, I work in retail twice a week and I certainly do not have the money to afford anything that is $800 for ONE item. 
These are the items you can allow yourself to splurge on:

Handbags.
If you are a person that carries your life in your bag everyday,
find something nice that you will be able to use repeatedly and goes with everything. 
It will be worth the $50. 
Aldo sells great handbags that will last 
a good amount of wear and tear for just around our budget! 

Special Occasion Dresses. 
Dresses should be splurged on for the sake of finding something that has a great fit and is a classic staple piece that can be worn over and over again to a number of different events. 
Modcloth has several cute dresses for any occasion for under $50.
I love their vintage aesthetic.

Shoes. 
For the sake of your comfort, you might have to buy shoes that are not $15.
Shop online for unlimited options when on the hunt. (I suggest trying on shoes at the store first to figure out your size as well as if they are a decent quality before buying online.) 

Aldo has great basics as well as some other fun colors and prints, plus I often can find shoes in clearance that were originally out of my budget but now are affordable!

Also, only splurge on things you loveeee.
Go shop! 

July 16, 2011

I'm growing up.

Everyday I notice I am becoming more of an adult. 
I began the yearly required routine of sorting through my clothing, getting rid of the old
and welcoming the new with hangers and friendly companions that have been longtime members
of my wardrobe..if my closet had its own club.
But this year is different. Yes, different.
Not just the annual change of style and hipper things go in, too small things come out...
This year my style is reaching its 20's.
It is getting old. But it's still young at heart or at least pattern..
My short skirts will slowly be replaced by knee length, tshirts removed for grown up blouses,
sweatshirts exchanged for cardigans, flip flops for heels.
photo from fashionsociety
Why the sprint to grow up, you ask?
(Maybe you didn't, but I'm still going to answer..)
This year I am taking steps to make my small business my career and after years of watching
"What not to Wear" on TLC I realize sometimes you have to dress the part to play the part.
The high school girl was replaced by the art student,
the art student will be intermixed with the business woman.
Because someday I would like to not be supporting myself on poor part time jobs
that really make me no money at all.

Perhaps I should clarify that I do know that dressing well will not make me more money directly.
Not like people will give me money for the simple state of looking good, but that would be awesome,
would it not!? I mean, I'm not Paris Hilton. Oh, wait, I think she claims she does stuff?
But more so that I expect dressing like an adult will make my business look more like I'm serious about what I am doing and what I want to accomplish.
Yes?




July 11, 2011

Motivation.

In the ecourse I just took they established the importance of making some short term and long term goals and to include rewards to your goals that push you to finish. 
So I thought I would share some with you because I think this is frankly just a good concept overall,
whether you have a business or not everyone should try this. 


My goal for this week:
Finish sewing and tiding up all the bags I will be taking to the trunk show.
Reward:
Spend a day thrifting. 

My goal for this month:
Be prepared for a trunk show and sell out of a portion of my inventory.
Reward:
Picnic date with Joshua. =]

My goal for this year:
Rebrand a girl named katie.  and make new products.
Reward:
Plan a trip to visit Philly.


Goals outside of a girl named katie. :
Give my bathroom a facial lift and make over.
Reward: 
Go antiquing for special decor pieces. 

Goal:
Clean my studio space.
Reward: 
Potentially a larger studio space I can share with my mom.

So, you should definitely try this setting goals and rewards deal, because it works rather well,
not going to lie.
It's the one step plan to getting what you want and being more productive in the meantime.

July 9, 2011

Decor the Urban Outfitter way.

Urban Outfitter never fails to amuse me. 
And I'm also partly jealous I didn't think of these cool ideas first. =[ 
 Need I say more? 
Cutest pillow cases every. When I get married, I expect these as a gift.
Just sayin'.
Who doesn't need this print? 
Seriously. These are so necessary. 
I'd use a coaster for pretty much everything if they looked like these. 

AGNK News!

I'm sooo excited!
I finally purchased the Dream Job ecourse I've been dying to do and it was so worth it! 

I have changes in mind that I hope will better a girl named katie.
One of these changes is doing biannual collections rather than seasonal ones and making more of each product allowing more people a chance to purchase their favorite bag. 
Therefore I don't expect to release my next collection until much later this year if not early 2012.


During the time in between I will be focusing on making my products better. 
I will be testing out different materials and assessing customer reactions to the prototypes. 
I will also have other people testing my products and giving me their reviews 
to find out what is and is not working.

I will also be updating my online store to a better quality that will be easier to use and allow customers the opportunity to take a better look at the bags with multiple images of each product. 

I hope you are excited to grow with my business. 
Thank you to all my current customers, I appreciate your support more than I could tell you! =]

There will be a lot more opportunities coming up that will allow you to get involved! 


July 7, 2011

The Awesome Gift Guide.

I'm in the mood for Christmas shopping, so I figured I'd bring out the early "gift guide" blog. 
But really these could be given at anytime for any reason because they are just that awesome and really, who doesn't love getting cool gifts randomly?
The are pretty much the cutest iphone cases I have ever seen.
They are by Rabbit Smile and lucky for us who don't have what I hear is the coolest gadget out there
they can fit different phones and ipods so we all can look remarkable snazzy.
I love the little cameras and would greatly appreciate this gift...(take a hint.)

And of course for your guy or other lovable male there is the Hipster wallet by JDuct.
It makes me smile, every time.
Misstcalia does custom prints which would make a wonderful piece of art that is so stylish my pillows would be jealous. Yes, I am personifying my home decor.

I love, love, love this painting by jkldesign.
And I'm pretty jealous that I can't be that nifty and paint sweet looking things.
But luckly I am cool enough to buy them...

And I'm pretty sure I just need these mugs by love grace joy . Actually, everyone needs them.
And if I were to receive these as, oh, I don't know, a gift... that person would be my best friend.
YES PLEASE! 

July 5, 2011

Yes, It is that time again.

A bit late on greeting July into 2011 with my fantastic lists of what I want to accomplish during these next charming 20-something days with hopes that each day will be mighty productive. 

But here is what happened in June. 
 I somehow managed to actually do almost everything I wanted to. 
It's a first, so I receive some claps at least. 
I actually read a book. Yes, from cover to cover and I wasn't forced to do so. 
I shot a new summer lookbook for a girl named katie
I finished new bags for the online store. 
I cooked some tasty meals: cheeseburger roll-ups, woop woop!
I reconstructed a few items from a thrifting journey.  Success. 
I sold (2) bags and received (2) special orders. 
I scheduled a paid senior photo shoot.
I made time for "girl dates" 
and tried to spend as much time with Joshua as possible. 

[high-five.]

July Goals: 
Take an ecourse. 
Receive feedback on my bag collection. 
Sell (5) bags. 
Organize my "studio." 
Photograph (2) fashion shoots.  
Re-do my bathroom. 
Work on a portrait portfolio. 
Sell a photo print. 

They might sound small, but for this month they are big.
I have sooo much work to do!


July 3, 2011

Shopping Advice from Katie.

Why take advice from me? Well, because it's my hobby and I'm what I like to call a champ. 
Just read, will ya. 

Lesson One: 
How to get brand name items for an awesome price. 
Let's discuss.
I recently made some fond purchases all for under $20. 

Ann Taylor sweaters: $12.50 each
Express dress pants: $3.99
Banana Republic blouse: $9.80
Ann Taylor jewelry: $4.50

How does this happen? (you may or may not be asking)
Thrifting and Outlets, that's how. 

Thrifting. 
Not technically a word, but legitimately an awesome hobby.
It is all about the thrill of the hunt! 
You can find good things if you just look for them, like brand named items.
When thrifting, look through everything and allow yourself plenty of time to evaluate the options. 
Even if something is a size 12 and you're a size 2, consider it. 
You might be able to take in a seam or two and make yourself a wonderful piece. 
Also, Goodwill offers additional savings by purchasing a membership card that could save you even more. 
And of course the Salvation Army has half off Wednesday! 

Outlet Shopping.
Another great hobby! 
If you have not been to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets you simply have not fully lived 
(speaking from a girl who hasn't left the country...)
But seriously.
There are plenty of outlet shops around.  Make a day of it and browse. 
They even have sales on clearance items! 

That is all. 

July 1, 2011

Coffee + Bags = Help a girl named katie.!

a girl named katie. is looking for some help!
How can you help?!
By meeting her for coffee..
Yep.
It is really just that simple. 
I am looking for about 3-4 girls from the Lebanon area (various age groups are welcome!) 
to help me review my last collection. 
All you have to do is offer your opinions and suggestions while enjoying coffee 
and checking out the summer bags. 

So, who's interested?!
I'll buy the coffee!


And even if you do not hear back from me to help at this time, 
feel free to review the line on your own online anyway! 
And send me your thoughts and what you want to see through the contact page!