Wedding Bags by BelleJouJou

Friday Finds... BelleJouJou

Wow it's been a while but Friday Finds is BACK after a holiday of it's own, and to kick off 2011 I have a beautiful store and brilliant crafter behind the work to share with you! BelleJouJou specializes in custom wedding and special event bags, and they are just absolutely stunning! If you are planning something special, especially those ladies looking to accessorize for their big day or for unique gifts then you'll find BelleJouJou is full of luxurious elegant treats to feast your eyes upon. I contacted Cynthia, the lady behind the work to find out more about what she does! I hope you enjoy her interview!

Interview # 55

(Just click the images to go direct to the listings)

-- Tell me a bit about you! (Name, Age, Location, and give us a random fact whilst you're at it.) I’m Cynthia Duke-Birowski, age 57. I live in Dallas, Texas and have for 36 years, except for the 5 years I escaped to California. I call myself an ADD artist. I can’t do just one thing!




-- What is your business about then? My business is about making beautiful clutches and purses for the discriminating woman to match her wardrobe and her style.


-- How did Etsy come into your life? I’m in an artist ring with a group of wonderful women who support each other in art, life and mentor each other. My associates kept telling me to check out etsy and I finally did!



-- Are you working a day job too? No, I’m not working a day job. I call myself semi-retired, since I will never ever stop doing and creating SOMEthing.


-- How long has the artist in you been 'unleashed' for? I’ve been an artist since I could hold a crayon. I used to design new clothes on my paper dolls at 5 and 6 years of age.



-- What has been the inspiration behind your business? I was a fashion designer for 15 years in the Dallas area, and retired from that very stressful arena. But, I had bought about 10 yards of a faux leopard print fabric a few years ago (for drapes that I never made) and decided to do something with it. The bags seemed the best thing to make with it. It kind of exploded from that into doing silk bags for brides and bridesmaids.


-- If you could describe your products in three words, what would you tell me? Beautiful, luxurious, elegant


-- What would an average working day for you be like from dawn til dusk? I get up around 8, then get a cup of Good Earth tea, get on the computer for about 1 ½ hours, doing research, answering emails. Then I cut out some bags or do a planning session for the flowers and embellishments. If I have a custom order, I may have to go shop for fabric in that color if I don’t have enough. I come back home around 3-4 and sew or cut more bags, then go to the gym around 5:30 and have dinner later. If I have a pressing order, I may continue working until around 10:30 at night to complete the order.




-- What's your favourite material and techniques to work with? I love working with silks and brocades. I also love planning the flowers which I make myself out of satins, organzas and chiffons and find just the perfect rhinestone button or color of feathers for embellishments.


-- What is your ideal vision for the future for you and your work? I would love to work with more brides who come to me for their very special bag that would be a family heirloom or paint someones dream bag for their special event.


-- Away from work, what do you like to do for fun or to wind down? I love to read at night to put me to sleep. Usually a fantasy book. I also love just getting together with friends in my women’s group. On the weekends, I relax at the lake with my husband on our boat if there’s not an art show going on somewhere, that is!



-- What are you likely to search for on Etsy? I usually search for rhinestone buttons, feathers, flowers and other clutch accessories, and check out my competition to see what the latest trends are.

-- Any last words? Yes, I love this quote from Mark Twain:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." –

I’ve decided that this is my motto – and to be true to yourself at all times!

Monday Magic! - Near Undiscovered Wonder

Monday Magic...Weddings

CuriousSparrow	ruedubead	beingoflove
lespetitschatons	hilaryupton	joypeckjoy
TheVirtu	ModernNostalgiaLA	christinepauline
casparmetal	ginniehazlett	maymeDvintage

Introducing my 12th installment of my new weekly feature, Monday Magic! These Etsy.com sellers all share something special... Fabulous work! Yet, somehow like many sellers on Etsy are wondering where all their admirers are! So this is where I feel it's time to showcase the undiscovered talent of Etsy, on Monday each week so they have a chance to shine like the best of Etsy do :)

All of the sellers names can be typed into the navigation bar on your browser followed with ".etsy.com" (dot etsy dot com) to take you to their stores. Otherwise click on an image to go directly to their listing!


I am now taking requests for next weeks Monday Magic Expo. If you would like to be a part of it, you are required to have less that 20 sales in your Etsy store, and the theme this week is Animals! Contact me via convo @ http://moonangelnay.etsy.com to send in your requests, plus a link to your suitable item :)

Have a fab week!

moonangelnay xxx

Friday Finds... OnGossamerWings

Friday Finds... OnGossamerWings



This is my third interview of the amazing not-so-well-known artists of Etsy.

I had a good weekend on my search for this weeks features. As you will notice with Monday Magic, a lot of people are already introducing fabulous Fall / Autumn shades. It's getting harder than ever to make choices for the features as they are getting popular pretty quick, and already I'm building rollover lists for sellers that may have missed out on a feature (I think everyone should get a chance!). The choice that was most difficult was choosing between three amazing potential interviewees for today. I had their names infront of me from Satuday to Wednesday, and only then did I make a choice! I'm grateful for their enthusiasm and will to fill in my questions at short notice (I normally get the questions out by Monday). I really have been quite rubbish this week! Well I haven't as I have been actively attempting to do the whole balance "work/home" thing!!! But a lot of things have been delayed so midweek I had a big old catch up!
Anyway, my interview today focuses on the magical fairy world of OnGossamerWings. A fabulous designer of really unique fairy wings! I just love them! You all know how I am by now lol!!! Angelia's work is just wonderful, and her interview really did brighten up my evening when I got it back. Just love her sense of humor! I'm really pleased to announce that it's the Angelia's Birthday today too! Happy Birthday!



(Just click the images to go direct to the listings)








-- Tell me a bit about you! (Name, Age, Location, and give us a random fact whilst you're at it.) Hi! My name is Angelia, and I the creative force behind On Gossamer Wings. I’m a 41-year old artist living in Central Texas. Random fact – I absolutely adore stripey socks!

-- What is your business about then? I love smiles! Your’s, mine, the child who is sitting on your lap, and your dog’s! There’s an intangible, magical quality to fairy wings that just creates smiles, and I want to share that with as many people as I can.

-- How did Etsy come into your life?A friend mentioned that she had opened a shop on Etsy, so I had to check it out! I fell in love with the site immediately. The beautiful art and the feeling of community are amazing!

-- Are you working a day job too? LOL! Well, that depends upon your definition of “day job!” I’m a full-time mom to a very active 8-month old (we’ll call him The Boychild) who keeps me on my toes!

-- How long has the artist in you been 'unleashed' for? I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating art of some sort. It runs in my family, so art is as natural as breathing. My mom, grandmothers, and an aunt all paint(ed), my father draws, and a distant cousin worked for Disney studios in their animation department back in the golden age of hand-drawn feature length films.

-- What has been the inspiration behind your business? I have always loved everything to do with costuming! The fabrics, the colors, the textures…just dressing differently and seeing how a person is uplifted by the experience. When I stumbled upon fairies, something really clicked for me, and I had a sense of “being home.” Once I started creating fairy wings for people, I saw how changed they became when they dressed as a fairy, and how emotional baggage and inhibitions could be melted away.

-- If you could describe your products in three words, what would you tell me? Creative, distinctive, vibrant

-- What would an average working day for you be like from dawn til dusk? 7:30am – Wake with the son (that’s not a typo…The Boychild is a very reliable alarm clock!)

7:45am – Feed The Boychild, feed the dog, check and answer email, Etsy, and the various online social sites I use to promote my work

9:00am – Greet my mom. She visits us on most days, and she is always such a great help with watching The Boychild.

9:15am – Household errands!

10:00am - Avoid the traffic jam on my way to work (Ok, really, all I have to do is step over the dog in the hallway, but you know…)

10:01am – Time to sit down and work! Go through standing orders to determine what will need to be included in the current production run, and begin creating! I usually have three to four pairs of wings being assembled a time, so on any given day, I could be working on frames, designs, decorating, construction, or photographs of the wings.

Sidenote: Every 15 – 20 minutes I bend down to pick up The Boychild. I’m fortunate enough to have a studio that’s large enough to double as his playroom, so he’s always nearby. Counterproductive? Could be. Satisfying? Without a doubt!

12:00pm – Lunch!

1:00pm – Back to work

3:30pm – Time for my mom to go home, and time for me to stop working for a bit and just hang out with The Boychild.

6:30pm – Dinner as a family.

7:30pm – Feed the dog.

7:45pm – Back to work while hubby does schoolwork and The Boychild sleeps.

11:00pm – Time to sleep!

-- What's your favourite material and techniques to work with? I love working with color! The dyes, the paint, and the glitter! I also love the conceptual process of creating new designs. It’s the practice of drawing out different fantastical creations and then trying to figure out how to engineer them that intrigues me.

-- What is your ideal vision for the future for you and your work? I’d like to grow my business to where I am able to vend at faires and art events on a regular basis. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone’s face when they first try on a pair of wings!

-- Away from work, what do you like to do for fun or to wind down? My husband and I love to participate at renaissance faires. Again with the costuming! Also, we enjoy spending time with our family particularly over a meal or just kicking back to watch a good movie.

-- What are you likely to search for on Etsy? Anything to do with costuming or fantasy! Of course I love all things fairy, but, with two guys in the house, pirates are also a favorite theme! Oh! And all things bright and sparkly which means I’m always on the prowl for beautiful jewelry. Lastly, I love the brightly colored monster dolls that are sold on Etsy as well. The striped ones are usually my favorites! Go figure!

-- Any last words? I love working with custom orders, so if you have a set of wings in mind, please feel free to contact me. Also, weddings are a specialty of mine! I’ve put wings on brides, bride’s maids, flower girls, and entire wedding parties. If you’re getting married and you want a fantasy or garden theme, I’d be happy to work with you!