Lina and Vi: February 2016

Saturday, February 27, 2016

New Burlap Cosmetic Bags Featuring RoosRoast

 Burlap Zipper Pouch by Lina and Vi

This past week I sewed up three new large zipper bags all created from a burlap coffee bean sack provided by our friends over at RoosRoast Coffee in Ann Arbor!  If you missed the update earlier this month, RoosRoast is a locally-owned coffee roaster and eclectic shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan that we have partnered with to share Lina and Vi repurposed burlap bags. You can read more about them in my earlier post here. Today, I have a bunch of new photos featuring these new burlap designs.

Despite having a pretty mild winter so far in the metro Detroit area, we were hit with a snow/rain/ice storm a few days earlier that put much of the city on pause for a day. Since the weather wasn't great, I spent several evenings working on these fun burlap cosmetic bags, including a brand-new large flat zipper pouch.

The flat zipper bag doesn't have a wide bottom, like our cosmetic burlap bags, but rather it's an over-sized version of our coin pouches, so it lays flat rather than stands upright. This particular pouch is accented with creamy vanilla faux leather on the bottom, which I love, and am still slightly obsessed with since I last used it on our Vanilla burlap tote bag a few weeks back (that tote is still available!). The inside of this flat zipper bag is a bright floral pattern featuring orange, peach, and blue hues.

Crown Cosmetic Burlap Bag by Lina and Vi

Lilac burlap cosmetic bag by Lina and Vi

Lilac burlap cosmetic bag by Lina and Vi

The two new large cosmetic bags are slightly larger in size and stand upright with a wide bottom. One is a light purple/lilac floral color scheme whereas the second is a black and red graphic design. Both measure about 11 inches wide at the top and 7 inches tall with a 3 inch base. These make great cosmetic bags or really bags for any type of organization needs.

These three bags are now available for purchase in our Etsy shop! I hope you are having a great start to your weekend, and I'll be stopping by soon to share photos of a custom order I've been working on these past few weeks.

Erica

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Plymouth, MI Pillows at Birch Wood

Birch Wood boutique Plymouth Michigan

Hi friends!  Here in the metro Detroit area, we had a beautiful weekend weather-wise, with unseasonably warm weather and a lot of sun. It's amazing how the weather can affect our moods, energy, and general happiness. This small blip of spring-like temperatures meant that many people were outdoors this weekend, running, walking or playing with their dogs, and just working around their yards. It's a welcome change after the brutal winters these past two years here in Michigan.

My husband and I went on a walk with our pup to downtown Plymouth to enjoy the warmer weather and to get some exercise. Once we made it down to the shopping and restaurant area, we walked by my favorite Birch Wood Boutique and noticed our new Plymouth, MI burlap pillow in the window display! In fact, if you look closely, you will find two of our handmade burlap pillows in the store-front window - the Plymouth pillow and the Great Lakes burlap pillow. Yay!

Birch Wood Boutique is a local shop in downtown Plymouth that recently moved from a smaller location to it's new shop on Forest Avenue. It's an eclectic boutique that carries both clothing and home decor items, and most of the items there have a very rustic, organic feel. When I first went into the shop about two years ago, I never thought that I'd end up having my burlap pillows available for sale there, and it still excites me to think how much I have grown Lina and Vi since that time nearly two years ago!

Burlap PIymouth Michigan Handmade Pillow by Lina and Vi

As you can tell, I am a huge fan of the boutique as well as a proud Plymouth resident who loves the downtown area. In particular, the Plymouth pillow was made by request and the original pillow sold in the shop in the matter of days from when I dropped it off. It's a pillow that packs a lot of love and personality. The best part is that it's completely customizable to any city name!

Shop our Plymouth burlap pillows in our Etsy shop or send us a message and let me help make a customized city pillow for your home!

I hope you have a great start to the week!
Erica


Thursday, February 18, 2016

New Burlap Pouch Sets in the Shop

Burlap zipper pouch set of 3 - Lina and Vi

Hello! I'm back after a short trip up north this past weekend with my husband and father-in-law. We spend a few days at my in-law's cottage as a mini-getaway. Somehow I always end up going north, when really I just want to go south towards the warmth! We had about two feet of snow, which meant great snow mobiling for the guys, and the temperature hovered around five degrees, which meant reading with a cup of tea next to the fire for me and the pup.

During our weekend, I had some free time, so I packed up my sewing machine, set it up in the cottage, and sewed up a bunch of new burlap pouch gift sets featuring fun, new lining fabrics. I selected new solid and printed fabrics that are colorful and beautiful for the upcoming springtime.  You can find all of these available for purchase in our Etsy shop now. They make great gifts for all occasions and are completely handmade using repurposed coffee burlap bean sacks.

Burlap zipper pouch set of 3 - Lina and Vi

Burlap zipper pouch set of 2 - Lina and Vi


Burlap zipper pouch set of 3 - Lina and Vi - Plymouth MI

Burlap zipper pouch set of 3 - Lina and Vi - Plymouth MI

I hope you're having a great week and a fun weekend planned ahead!

Enjoy!
Erica

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Custom Coral Patterned Burlap Cosmetic Zipper Bags

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - Lina and Vi

I've been working these past three weeks on a custom order of burlap cosmetic bags for a customer looking to match a specific theme and color palette. My customer sent over a few photos of coral and mint green tablescapes and decor items as a starting point.  (Tip: Sending over photos is a huge help. Like the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words! See my top tips on how to order custom items on Etsy here.) From there, I was able to narrow in on her desired color scheme for the bottom of the bags - cream and coral, and the prints for the interior linings of the bags - floral and ikat.

In total, this order was for six cosmetic bags featuring a solid bottom exterior, burlap outer, and three different variations of printed cotton fabric for the interior lining, all handpicked by my customer after I collected several options and presented them to her via a custom Pinterest board for review.

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - Lina and Vi - top view

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - Lina and Vi - Plymouth MI

This was the first time I order fabric through Spoonflower, and I'm happy to report that the process went smoothly and shipping was much faster than I anticipated. You can find the pink floral and the ikat fabrics on Spoonflower. I'm amazed at the amount of printed fabric designs they have available. It's easy to spend hours on their site searching through beautiful prints, and the best part is that most of them are from independent designers which is great. If I order from Spoonflower again, I will likely order something other than the basic cotton so that can be a bit heavier in weight. Overall, it worked well for this project, though, and I am happy with the outcome and I think my customer will be too.

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - Lina and Vi - Pretty Floral Spoonflower Fabric

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - Lina and Vi -  Teal and Coral Ikat

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - Lina and Vi - Tiny Flowers Cream Fabric

Custom Coral Burlap Cosmetic Bags - www.linaandvi.etsy.com - Plymouth Michigan

These bags turned out beautifully, and I'm excited for them to arrive to my customer.  I didn't get the story behind the order, but I'm assuming they will be used for some type of gift. Knowing that someone chose me to help them create something special to be gifted to someone special keeps me going with large projects like these.

We don't currently have any large cosmetic zipper bags available in our Etsy shop, but I am hoping to restock in the coming weeks. In the meantime, stop by our shop to see recently reduced items!

Enjoy!
Erica

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Announcing a New Partner - RoosRoast, Ann Arbor!

Lina and Vi Plus RoosRoast Ann Arbor

I'm so excited to share the happy news that Lina and Vi has partnered with a second local business in the metro Detroit area that will be carrying our handmade burlap totes and pouches, RoosRoast in Ann Arbor!

RoosRoast is a locally owned coffee roaster and shop located in the beautiful and vibrant city of Ann Arbor. I had the chance to stop into RoosRoast this past week to see their shop. From the moment I walked in, I felt like I could fall into one of of their comfy chairs and sit and sip coffee for hours like I was at home.  The shop is filled with eccentric and colorful decor that has such a welcoming feel for customers, making it easy to stop by for a coffee and end up staying for a while.  They take their coffee roasting seriously but they don't forget about having fun - my husband and I are sipping their popular Lobster Butter Love coffee this morning and absolutely loving it! The packaging is truly beautiful and the name is one that you will not forget.

Lina and Vi Plus RoosRoast Ann Arbor

Lina and Vi Plus RoosRoast Ann Arbor

Lina and Vi Plus RoosRoast Ann Arbor

Can you spot my Lina and Vi bags in the photos above? I'm so thrilled to have my burlap totes and pouches available for sale in their shop and to be able to support another local, small business in our area.

If you are in the Ann Arbor area, I highly recommend stopping into RoosRoast to grab a cup of coffee and shop their shelves where you can find Lina and Vi handmade burlap tote bags along with other handmade gift items from talented, local artists.  You can also stay in touch with them by liking their Facebook page!

I'll be dropping by next to share a few updates on a custom order of cosmetic bags I've been working on during these past few weeks. Stay tuned for updates!

Erica