No Postage. No Problem.

Josh and I chose to email our save the dates rather than the traditional mailing of a small card. 

Frankly, we just didn't see the reason to spend money on save the dates. 

Especially not with the rising cost of stamps. 

I mean, who could possibly afford that additional penny they recently added?!

Anyway.

And who could really pass up another reason to pull out the design belt?

Well, not me! 

 We first sent just the save the date attached with a list of items we would like to borrow for our wedding day. Mainly just decorating tidbits. Nothing major.

We asked our guests to respond to that email with their mailing address so we could easily make our list, in an excel spreadsheet of course. It is after all Josh and I. 

We followed up our original email with this lovely reminder. 

It is quite lovely. 

Look at that stamp. Mhmm.

And this was all made possible with Mail Chimp. (Which is just about the coolest mass-emailing system I have ever used.) It is super easy and free depending on how many emails you must send. 

I originally decided to sign up for Mail Chimp to email my sales, promotions, new products, etc. to my wonderful handbag loving customers. (Which if you haven't signed up for yet, make sure you do! Check out the previous post to sign up) And then one day I had a brilliant idea to use it for our wedding as well! 

Genius, I tell ya. 

Therefore, grand total for save the dates: $0.00

Yipee!

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End of February.

 Dance classes wrapped up until April.

What shall I do until then? Gym maybe? Yoga videos?

 We had a perfect snow defined by pillowy soft mounds resting upon tree limbs...Pure white fluff dusting the yard...and best of all clear iceless roads! 

I finally made my sparkling gold pears to use as table accents at our engagement party. 

Despite the Future Hub hating glitter, I feel they are a great success and I managed to create these gems relatively mess free. I highly recommend pouring glitter into a plastic container (like one from the deli) and dropping your glue covered fruit in, closing the lid, and shaking.

It literally takes two seconds and almost all the unwanted mess of glitter remains in the container.

 36 artificial pears = $23.00  + 1 jar of glitter = $2.50

Total: $25.50

I fully intend on using these for another party or two and then as Christmas decorations. 

Pear tree, anyone?

Other decorations included:

Mini Milk Jars (really just recycled Starbucks Frappe Glasses)

Utensil bags: Handmade by Etsy sellers, Bags = $15.75 for 50, Custom Stickers = $11.00 for 50

Tulle Garland (Made by me) = $5.00

Plates, Utensils, and Napkins: $36.00

Food: $99 for 50 people

Total Party Cost: $192.25, divided by 50 people = $3.85 per person. Not bad!

On to the next task! 

Follow me on instagram: http://instagram.com/agirlnamedkatie

Introducing The Herrington Travel Bag:

Available to preorder!

Visit the shop: www.agirlnamedkatie.etsy.com

For work, travel, or whenever you need an oversized tote.
And when it looks this awesome, you'll want to find any excuse to use it. 

Bonus: It's big enough to carry your laptop! 

The Travel Bag features ruffles showcased by a dash of color in either burgundy or teal.
The herringbone wool is complimented by faux leather straps and bottom.

Check it out on Etsy to see more details: www.agirlnamedkatie.etsy.com

Why preorder? 

Be guaranteed to get your hands on one of these bags.
You'll receive your bag before others have a chance to buy it this fall.

You'll look cute carrying it. 

Do you really need more reasons?

Preorder The Town Bag!

Here they are!

Finally making an appearance online for their first time!

I introduce to you The Town Bag. 

The Town Bag is available for preorder in the shop, check them out here!

Here is the Sky Blue Town Bag. 

They are made from suede and faux leather, featuring a ruffled front with a dash of contrast. 

The Town Bag also comes in dark rose! 

Several hours of work goes into making each product by hand. 

I design the handbag, select the materials which I purchase from other small businesses in the US, and then cut and sew each individual bag. 

Preorder yours here: a girl named katie.

More new bags coming soon! 

Hello World.

Hi there! 

I am so glad to see I have a few new friends! 

And since I have new friends, I thought I would introduce myself.

I'm Katie from a girl named katie. 

A girl named katie is a handbag line. 

I make each product by hand, from design to finishing touches. 

I am passionately pursuing my business. 

I want to some day design clothing and accessories and make a girl named katie a brand name.

I'm in the process of taking business risks to take a step forward. 

But in the meantime, I work at a local fabric store that sells designer fabrics from NYC. 

And then I hoard fabric. 

I'm getting married this summer and love sharing the planning process on my blog. 

I am currently busy planning my engagement party,
branding a girl named katie,
and making new bags.

I blog every now and then when I get a moment to breathe and collect my thoughts. 

I tend to blog about everything I love and think is awesome being people, places, and things. 

I like to look like I have everything together, but in most occasions I'm kinda just running with it.

I don't want to bore you with my life story, so you may ask me what you would like to know about me by commenting on this post and I will post all answers in a later post.
I can't wait to answer your questions! 

Happy Valentine's Day, Loves! 

Reaching Goals.

I tend to set goals that feel unrealistic sometimes. 

"How am I going to ever have enough time to accomplish that?!"
"I'm too stressed out to pursue more!"

"I should quit everything and just be a housewife!"

So, I have to start small.
Maybe I don't have enough time to work out every day, but what if I aim for every week? 

Even if it is just once a week, it is an improvement. 

Sometimes it is focusing on quality rather than quantity. 

If I set forth to do 25 bags, but only get 15 quality bags finished, that is still a huge accomplishment. 

Here are a few Instagrams from my journey thus far:

I began taking ballet classes again once a week. 

I'm even learning worship dance, which is a style I have never tried before.  

I designed the Fall 2013 collection for a girl named katie. 

Lucy became my sewing buddy. 

I made the samples for the new collection.

The bags look gorgeous! 

I prepared for a photo shoot to freshen up my website and promotional equipment. 

And finally, we shot the lookbook! 

I am beyond excited to see how the shots turned out!

And that's all for now!