I Moved Blogs! + Resolutions + 2012 Recap

I MOVED BLOGS!

With the new year coming in just a few days, I thought I'd make a little stop by to recap on some 2012 photos & to let you guys in on what 2013 is looking like for me & Bird Trouble. I normally do not make resolutions but I'm seeing the benefits of making a few now. If you're reading this, you're reading this from my Blogspot blog & I'd like to remind you that I moved over to a Wordpress blog. Please start following me over there - as this blog is not going to be used after this post. This is my closure to end 2012 & this is the beginning to my 2013 resolutions. 1) Starting a new. 2) Being more open.

Why am I moving?

I moved to Wordpress because I wanted a location where everything about the Bird Trouble could be found while I still had a personal blog that shows you a little more on the BT brand, and myself. In person // in real life, I am more of an open personality. I'm interested in showing people what I'm doing & I love meeting new people. I love getting to know the person enough to know that you have some sort of a connection with them - and that's how I'm going to use my new Wordpress home - to show you this special part of my life & my inspirations. 

About the New Blog.

I really do have a lot in my brain & I want to be more open this year. I can't not let it out. So I'm going to start a weekly schedule for the new Bird Trouble Blog Features. The one I'm most excited about writing for is where I show you pictures from my personal life during that week. That feature will be called "These Days". I think this is going to help me feel more motivated to write outside of my blog too. I used to write every day, I even used to have a LiveJournal, but what's more important is that I had all these paper journals where I documented the trouble I'd get myself into, what I was feeling that day, & all that went along with growing up. It used to be such a huge part of my creative outlet & I know that it will help again with ending a day & starting a new.

Here are the blog Features for Bird Trouble's new blog home.

Music Monday.

These Days - Tuesday.

I Wore This - Wednesday.

In the Bird Trouble Studio - Thursday.

Friday Favorites.

Chicago, My Kind of City - Saturday.

**The Creatives - Interview Sunday.

Eventually, Sundays are going to have small interview posts featuring all kinds of creative people. The motivation behind The Creatives is to inspire us at the end of our week by reading what inspires & drives these people. I love learning about why someone does what they do, where they live, what their surrounded with, who they love. It's to support a creative modern lifestyle in a short tasteful personable way, where we can share inspiring pushes & introduce ourself to new people. I will introduce that more in the new year.

Follow My New Blog

I hope all of you follow me at my new blog. I just added a BlogLovin' button to make it easier. I'd love for you to spread the word too if you're a blogger yourself, & if there's any sort of collaboration you'd like to do to help support both of us, please contact me.

I really do appreciate each one of you taking the time to read what has been going on in my life. It's truly heart filling to receive such support & honest feedback from you guys. I've met so many amazing ladies (mostly) from blogging over here. Its scary moving but I know a true audience will follow. I really do see you as new friends & can't wait to meet more over at the new Bird Trouble Wordpress Blog.

Happy New Year and much happiness & personal success to each of us in 2013.

Alexz

Bird Trouble Look Book Preview

Bird Trouble had a photo shoot scheduled with Megan Saul for this past weekend and I can not be more excited to share these with you. I've been quite over my not-professional-looking-photos, so when Megan Facebook messaged me with the opportunity to collaborate with her, I jumped right up. It's been a delightful treat working with her! This is the first shoot and the next one being this coming up weekend. I'll be styling both and modeling in one. Next weekend will just be my babe of a friend, Rosana. You're going to love her. She's great all around but I am partial to her fantastic hair.

These bags that are photographed come apart as Bird Trouble's next few collections. They come in groups separated by the textile they're made out of. In these photos, there are two found materials and one completely new technique - dyed and bleached. There are multiples shapes with tassels because I know you guys like those.

The Vagrant /// The Bona Fide

WEARS: I went thrifting a few times to collect all the clothing I wanted in the photos. That long sweater is the best thing ever. It's Anthropology that I found for $3 and it makes me feel like I am wearing a cape. The T.Rex shirt was originally my friend Bryan's shirt until he handed that sweet little baby to me. I treat that shirt so good. I also borrowed some rad jewelry made with bullet shells, leather, feathers, & critter bones. Chicago designer, Arieana creates one of a kind accessories for the day dreamers and night time seekers, the Flux of Feathers. I think her style compliments Bird Trouble's "tough" side. Yeaaaah, tough girl side. Real tough.

Info on new bags, holiday shipping, & a Fall photo shoot with Megan Saul Photography.

Hey friends! I figure I should give you a little update on what I've been up to. Sometimes blogging just doesn't fit into my life, design, & work so I apologize if I've been leaving anyone hanging. I can assure you though that there are good things coming. Real good things.

I've been sewing a lot since my last update to build stock for a large shop update. I'm hoping this update will be mid November. I plan on being around to ship items Priority mail every day for anyone who needs holiday gifts. Since the new items will be Ready To Ship, you'll be receiving your purchase really fast - depending on if you live out of the States, you should still give yourself enough time for shipment.  I have a bunch of pouches just dyed, some dyed+studded, and some new shoulder bags in a few textiles I showed here previously. 

Next month on the 4th and on the 11th, I have two photo shoots booked with Megan Saul who lives here in Chicago with me. She's a sweet girl and a wonderful photographer and I can't wait to see our visions come together into one. A few weeks ago, we took a trip out to the Northwest suburbs of Chicago to find our location and stopped in my neighbor home-town, Schaumburg. We found a forest preserve that we frolicked in, beat up cat-tails for some release, and climbed some trees. It's going to such a nostalgic and meaningful shoot to me. I grew up in forest preserves and corn fields out here. I'm not going to say much more about the shoot because I want it to be a surprise, but I will be back soon to show you some inspiration photos for our shoot. I can assure you that it will be beautiful.

Today, I leave with you with a few of my favorite fall Bird Trouble bags that are currently Ready-To-Ship.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween celebratory weekend. I am going to be an elephant bandit!

xox, Alexz

Fringe Backpack Tote Bag

My most recent custom order I've been anxiously making is for a friend of mine. She recently brought in some Bird Trouble bags to the Chicago store that she works at, Eskell (more on that later!), and inquired about a custom order back. She had sent me over a picture of her bag inspiration, choose the black and white Spanish blanket and requested it to have leather but to be vegan friendly. I hunted down a faux leather jacket that was a great quality - surprisingly it was easy to stumble across something in a good quality.

Not only do I want to say that I love working with this faux leather, but this is probably the most happy I've been about a bag in a while. Not that I'm NOT happy with what I make, but I know I criticize myself harshly, and this one has made me as happy as a I am with peaches and cream. It's going to be a transformable bag; a backpack, shoulder tote bag, and a cross-body bag.

Here are some pictures I've been able to take of the process. It's currently getting closer to it's completion and I cant to give it to it's new owner. I'll be sure to stop by again soon to show you when it's finished.

Shop Update // New Bird Trouble bags now available.

Hey guys. I've been a busy girl today. 

But first, have I mentioned that I got a haircut from work {Sine Qua Non Salon in Chicago, IL} by my boss, and owner, Laura and was given some bangin' bangs?

Now onto business. 

This is what the Bird Trouble Etsy shop looks like after a 6 bag shop update. I'm really enjoying the bare white wall in my studio recently, and my new pictures give the shop a fresh look.

Here are the bags that are for sale. I know you're going to love these. Did you know that Bird Trouble bags are on Pinterest? You can add them to your style boards and share with your friends. 

Start pinning here!

THE FREE BIRD COLLECTION

Handmade bags in four unique styles made from a recycled navy bohemian tapestry. 

Only two of each are able to be made due to the limited supply of textile.

Large Structured Tote Bag

Carry All Shoulder Bag

Clutch w/ your choice of strap

Short Clutch

NAVAJO BLANKET BAG

More on the Navajo Bags can be found here. 

Handmade with a recycled vintage south western style blanket.

Possibly the last bag (unless I have enough hidden material for one more bag). 

Find here

RUG SATCHEL

Handmade satchel by transforming a recycled rug to a wearable piece. I'm obsessed with this one.

There will be more made in the near future in a few different designs.

Feel free to email me to inquire about a custom order or pre-ordering. Alexz {!at} BirdTrouble.com

Find here

Find these bags in the Bird Trouble Etsy shop.

Pin these bags from the Bird Trouble pinterest.

And always, thank you for your support!

Alexz

Free Bird Collection - Photos & Details

The days are counting down until I release of the Free Bird collection into the Bird Trouble etsy shop. I am so excited to take some more photos once I get my camera workin' again! Here are some photos I took last week to tickle the anticipating bag lover in you.

Details:

Repurposed leather belt as straps for the Tote. Some pretty lookin' brass rivets secure parts at the leather and do it lookin' gewd. Top stitching on the leather details of the bags and along the zippers. A recycled kitschy cotton for the lining adorned in illustrations of mushrooms and woodland creatures. The tote bag inclues pockets but the Clutch and the Zipper pouch are open. Oh, and I should mention that the clutch will also include a detachable leather shoulder strap - that's what those hoops are for.

Check out more on the Free Bird collection by following the Free Bird tag on this post. Because that's all you get for now!

Alexz

Mix & Match : Limited Collection Shift Skirts

Bird Trouble has skirts too! Currently, there are three different designs available because these skirts are  made from the fabrics I use for the lining of my bags. Sometimes, I just think the lining would look so great displayed on a body, as well as in a bag. There shouldn't be a line between those, and I like it that way. I'm a big believer in designing with the lining always catching your attention and never being boring. That's pretty much why I think it'd make the perfect one of a kind and original skirt too.

Reminding me of a Creamsicle popsicle (mmmm), The Blushing Bloom is a floral skirt that glides along as you walk. It's silky and soft, and just like a Creamsicle, it's sweet and pleasant.  The Wear Your Heart on the Outside, or really on your hips - is a simple skirt with two heart pockets on each hip. Too darn cute if you ask me. 

The Bird Trouble Mix & Match skirts are favorited when paired up with completely contrasting patterned shirts. There's the Flesh Red skirt that I also love, but still need to rephotograph. As of now, there are only three skirts left and they happen to be one from each design. Nonetheless, there will be more. Keep an eye out for the additions to Mix & Match!

Hoping that everyone had a wonderful weekend and you're enjoying your Sunday finish. 
Alexz

DRIFT AWAY : Small Collections of Zipper Pouches

Every material I use has a little bit of story behind it. It's something that's always on my mind while I'm sewing my bags. The Navajo Southwestern Blanket Bags were my favorite because I purchased them off of a lady from a garage sale in the suburbs, who purchased them when she was traveling years and years prior. It was a collector of hers. She had so much more than what I had purchased, and to this day I wish I had cleared her out of them. While I thought about her, I pictured a free-like, happy and young of life, woman who drives her truck, or car, with either one road partner, or herself. There's obviously Bob Dylan playing on the static radio (way before iPods were invented - and because I only ever want to listen to Bob driving), but maybe she was playing with a tape deck. She has one blanket piled in the back seat that she just purchased from a little old lady off the side of the road 40 miles ago. She spots another one, and another one, and soon enough... they reach to the Bird Trouble shop, and are almost all sold out.

The following clutches or pouches use the following materials:

1) A cotton material from the 1970's found antiquing. 

2) Material I drowned in dye in my parents kitchen, staining their countertops.

3) Material I purchased from a city yard sale, from a upholsterer. He said it was designer.

4) From the same upholsterer, he sold me a very large hide of leather for $10. I'd like to shake that man's hand again if I could.

5) A black and grayscale thicker weaved material that relate to the following: 1970's-looking, tribal, abstract.

The following are the pouches currently available. With more to be added soon! 

Have a cheerful Monday and safe travels to those traveling for the 4th of July.

Alexz

Currently Bird Trouble pouches that are available.

Based on the photos, from top the bottom, and from left to right.
Kaleidoscope and Leather Pouch
Narrow Tapestry and Leather Pouch
Bright Sienna Leather Pouch

Wrinkled and Dyed Turquoise Zipper Clutch
Peacock and Leather Zipper Clutch
Wild Flower Oversized Clutch

Custom Work : A Bag for Naimah

Namiah, a super sweet lady, along being the designer and blogger behind D.Mae Clothing, emailed me after she saw my Spanish Satchel bag that was sold (to my coworker!) from the Bird Trouble shop and asked if I could make a custom bag personally for herself. She brought up an idea for a different design placement with the studs and even picked them out herself. Other than that, she really let me just go at it, as long as there was that bow, an adjustable cross-body strap, and a pocket for her Droid. 

She was super excited about it, and that excitement definitely bounced over to me. Since I'm /obviously/ more of a visual person, I drew out my design and emailed her the drawing. She was into it! After a bunch of sneak peaks through Instagram and then a day off from the salon for sewing time, this is where we ended up! Now that it's finished, we're working on making her a matching wallet in the next few weeks!

I know she'll rock it.

I really had a lot of fun on this custom order, and I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I always take inquires. You can always email me, even if it's just a hello!, at birdtroublefashion /at/ yahoo dotcom.

xox,

Alexz

Packaging

I like to make Bird Trouble's packaging interesting and creative. Now, you'll notice stitching on the edge of your packages and new hand drawn branding for the return address. It's just another touch of hand-crafting that you wont get just anywhere. 

Inside is just as neat!

One of those packages went to the United Kingdom. 

I am always jealous of the places my bags get to travel to.

-A.

Construction in the Studio

In the process of creating the Fringe Satchel bag.

I am in love with the new set up of my craft room. My roommate's father was recently given the permission to rummage through an old barn that he is restoring. The owner told him to take some things, so not only do we have a million frames for my roommate's illustrations, but I have a new desk! Look at this damn beauty:

This is before I moved it to the other side of the room so I can have full TV view. I need my black & white movie or King of the Hill entertainment while I'm sewing! I'm now using my old desk (in the above photos - that is actually a drafting table) as a cutting table. I'm able to walk around on either side and I can probably sit on top of it if I needed to. It's pretty exciting to me.

It's always a huge refreshment to me when I change my surroundings. Hence my blog being updated again. I realized that the "Dynamic View" that blogger offers wasn't giving my readers the full experience. I didn't like that it cut off my pictures, which I obviously like to show. I freshened up the banner and my "About BT".

I'll be keeping busy this week with sewing more ready to ship bags. Have you seen my new ones recently?

Enjoy the beginning start to your week!

Alexz

New photos of the Navajo Blanket Bag Collection 3.

New close up product photos on thePre-Released Navajo Blanket Bag from the 3rd collection, and then some I attempted to model with a self timer- cool! I should really get a friend to do that for me. Either way, these are a lot more refreshing to me than the old ones.

You may click on the photos to enlarge them.