Outside

---According to my mother I was planning arts and craft projects in her womb, but in her eyes my most notable project occurred when I was around 6-years old. It involved me constructing and distributing large scale toilet paper door wreathes adorned with glitter and puffy paint to every house on my block. I must admit that despite all the laughs and " Is that glitter on your @%$ ?!" comments, I felt a complete sense of accomplishment at the sight of my sparkly masterpieces hanging from every front door on my street. With that project I had found a strange way of expressing myself that i could share with other people and i was hooked on the feeling.

---Today I am 24 and my toilet paper crafts are long retired but I am constantly trying new ways to express myself creatively. Drawing and painting have always been strong points of mine. I love to paint and have been commissioned to illustrate several children's books which to my knowledge were never published and paint murals for new babies across South Florida. I also dabble in sculpting (Fimo is the best!), wood carving, jewelry and bead making and love to mix media's but nothing makes me more giddy than my sewing machine.

---The business that emerged from my passion for sewing began with me making custom purses for friends as gifts. I had the desire to make something special that expressed a certain personality you just can't buy off the shelf. The more I distributed, the more inquiries I received so I started taking custom orders by word- of- mouth. I've since then been busy designing purses based on lemurs, bats, cats and dogs, music, cars, stars and guitars and the list goes on and on. Lately it seems that everyday I am getting more and more orders and am being forced to recruit friends to help out.

---My obsession began when I was about 13 after receiving my first sewing machine as a Christmas gift from my mother. I was smitten and would fake illness just so I could stay home from school and sew. I have taken a few small classes offered by local fabric stores (a great way to learn by the way) but I am mostly self taught. I started out making small bead embellished gift bags and simple clothing items which I sold at concerts and festivals. This slowly turned into the one woman business now called 'Sara Leigh Handbags'. I love finding strange materials and outcast fabrics and turning them into beautiful accessories. My 'Sara Leigh' collections are created from a combination of deconstructed vintage thriftstore finds and hand drawn images I convert into appliques. My designs are inspired by anything I'm drawn to at the time and I frequently feel like my brain is way over stimulated. (I Should probably drink less coffee at times) Lots of whimsical nature themes, leaves, flowers and stars are often present. I love unusual, shiny prints from the 60's and 70's and use a lot of vintage buttons and pins on my pieces. I often incorporate hardware that can be purchased at home repair supply stores along with some more classic handbag embellishments. From pattern making to stitching, every bag is handcrafted by me and I love every second of it.

---Although I am just getting started, everyday I am amazed at how lucky I am to be able to create something I love and share it with other people. One of the best things about going public with my designs is meeting new clients, hearing their ideas , and merging them with my own style to create a totally unique product. Look for D.I.H. purse projects in our up coming issues and feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas! I'm telling you all right now that there is something to be said for pursuing your dreams no matter what they are. If you follow your bliss, the rest will just fall into place. If you book them, they will come.

See you next issue!