It’s spring time here in Vancouver, which means that it’s raining and snowing pink cherry blossom petals. I love the scent that cherry blossoms create, and the pink blooms brighten up my daily walk through Strathcona to the studio. Cherry blossoms signal the delivery of our Spring Clothing Items, which we’ve sent to Twigg+Hottie and Pleasant Girl in Vancouver. I’m really happy with these items, have a look and let me know what you think:

Wrap Dress, made with recycled sheets so each one is either unique or one of only a couple made, so the chance of running into someone in the same dress at the next barbeque is pretty much zero….. I like those odds!!

Wrap Top, also made with recycled sheets. Both the top and dress have little pockets to hold your bus ticket or candy, and the prints can’t be beat.

Picnic Top, made with new fabric. This top has an adjustable bustline thanks to the shoulder tie, and a pocket for your phone or keys. I test drove this top in Hawaii earlier this year, and I’m really excited to wear it again.

Tie Shoulder Top, a combo of new fabric and super cute sheets that it seems everybody has at the cottage….. this top is super easy to wear, and looks cute too!

Mushroom Top…… I don’t like the flavor of mushrooms, but I don’t mind them as a big print!! Super striking in black and white, this one’s nice with skirts or jeans, and you could sneak it into work under a blazer or cardigan.

Enjoy the new clothes, and the cherry blossoms!! Janna

We’re back from Toronto!! The Clothing Show was fun, and we met lots of great people at the show, despite Vancouver-like weather (RAIN!!) Friday and Saturday. Thanks to all who came out and showed their support, I’m sure we’ll be back soon!!

When we come back, you’ll find us saddled up to a table at Sadie’s Diner, perhaps the best breakfast place ever, and decor to steal my heart. Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but when you don’t eat eggs, it can be hard to find something to really fuel the tank….. After 3 days of grease, muffins and crappy coffee, we gave Sadie’s a go, and returned faithfully every morning until we left TO…… if only they could mail order their tofu scramble and organic coffee!! Check them out at the corner of Portland and Adelaide, I miss Sadie’s already!!

I’m a bit sad at the moment….. our studio looks like it has been ravaged by locusts, and we are down to the bare walls. Bins and shelves are empty, and all our fun stuff is packed away, which is good news for those of you in Ontario— We’re coming to Toronto!!

Just a weekend affair mind you, but it promises to be fun fun fun!! I spent hours carefully packing up as much of our wares as possible, no easy task or light load and there’s still production to be done so we can bring you our absolute best. You name it, we’ll have it:

Medium totes and 12 Inch totes for everyday hauls
Friday purses, Downtown totes and Sash totes for a more fashion forward look
D-ring wallets, Lipstick cases and clutches to keep small stuff in check
Flat wallets and Snap wallets for cash and plastic alike

Remember, we’re in booth 501 in the Boutique section (the show is huge, but we’re right at the front!!) and we’ve tried our best to bring the Astrosatchel studio experience to you….. So come and visit us if you’re in Toronto, or up for a drive…… you won’t be disappointed!! And we can’t wait to meet you all, so see you soon!! xo Janna

There were some sweet deals and sweet times this weekend, thanks to everybody who came by and visited the studio, ate a cupcake and had a look at our fun new stuff for spring.

In case you missed out, we recently sent new stuff to Riot on Commercial Drive and the Vancouver Art Gallery store here in Vancouver, and Herbivore down in Portland. We’re off to Toronto in 2 weeks…. I can feel the palpitations already, but I think it might be from all the sugar…… xo Janna

Rain is falling, that’s nothing new here on the coast, but we have some exciting news to have you grabbing your wellies and heading out the door……

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Come and visit us at the studio, April 11+12— it’s our first open house for 2008, and it promises to be a good one! As always, we’ll have walls of bags to choose from, wallets by the basket load, cute cute clothes for Spring and Summer, and stuff not available yet in the shops. We’ve been doing some spring cleaning, so there’s a bunch of sale stuff too….. head over early for the best selection:

Friday April 11: 12pm-10pm

Saturday April 12: 10am-5pm

Also opening their doors are our friends Red Flag Design, so it’s bags bags bags, and something for everybody, including the fellas!! So come on down to 339 Railway Street, you’ll be glad you did.
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Hey Toronto, we’re coming to you, May 2-4!!

We are (literally) packing our bags and coming to Toronto, so get ready, this is going to be big!! We’ve never taken the show on the road so to speak, but when our friends at the Clothing Show said come visit, we couldn’t resist. We don’t travel light either, so you’ll enjoy lots of selection at the show: Medium and 12 inch totes, D-ring wallets and Lipstick cases, Clutch and Foldover wallets, Friday bags, Downtown totes and Sash totes….. I think we’re gonna need an extra large suitcase!!
So mark those calendars, it’s a big event not to be missed:

The Clothing Show at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto

Friday May 2: 3pm-9pm

Saturday May 3: 11am-9pm

Sunday May 4: 11am-7pm

We’re Booth #501, in the Boutique Section, and we’ll be accepting cash, or credit card, and there’s ATM’s onsite for your shopping convenience.
For more information, advance tickets and directions to the show, check out the event website:

theclothingshow.com

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We have recently shipped a bunch of orders, so if you’re not in Vancouver or Toronto, you can still get your hands on some of our fresh goods at these fab shops:

Glam to Go in Chicago, Illinois

Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria, Oregon

Cameron Rose Gifts in Sidney, BC

Naka in Ferndale, Michigan (mid-April)

So even if it’s pouring rain, there’s still a bit of sun on the horizon, and an excuse to wear really cute boots!! xo Janna

Hey Everybody, it’s an extra good Good Friday here at Astrosatchel!!

We’ve added even more stuff to our online shop, including some of our super cute new Friday purses (so much better than an Easter basket!!) and lots of wallets in bright spring colours. Check it out, we’ve been busy……

We have also added some new shops to our Where to Buy section, as well as a few new Online retailers, so there’s even more selection for everyone, and you don’t even need to put a coat on to get it!!

Also, we are very pleased to announce that we will be taking the show on the road– Toronto, get ready!! We’ll be in town with as much stock as we can carry as part of The Clothing Show, May 2,3,4…… but more on that later, we have to go eat chocolate!! TGIF!!

Hey Everybody, we have some new stuff available in our online shop:

our Sash totes + extra sashes, Clutch wallets in cheery spring colours and new Medium totes in fun appliques.

We’ll have even more stuff soon, including Friday purses and a ton of wallets, so stay tuned for those, and enjoy these for now!

We also recently shipped a bunch of stuff off, so check out these shops for more Astrosatchel goodness:

Creatures Boutique in Austin, Texas

Re-Soul in Seattle, Washington

Ro Sham Bo in Bozeman, Montana

Era/Sideshow in Victoria BC (clothing items)

Spring orders are coming up all over……. Check out the following shops with recent shipments:

Vancouver Area:

Plenty

Pleasant Girl

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On the North Shore:

Room 6 in Deep Cove
Tartooful in North Vancouver
Red Tulip, a new shop located at 155-1233 Lynn Valley Rd, Lynn Valley

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Elsewhere:

InFlux Jewelery Gallery in Calgary, Alberta

Vitality in Kitimat, BC

Copper Butterfly, in the Old Court House Square, Crown Point, Indiana

Sweet Kicks in Bay View, Wisconsin

Funky Monkey in Squamish BC and Bowen Island BC

Fast and Furless in St Paul, Minnesota

Funktional in Kelowna, BC

Homework in Prince Rupert, BC

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We’ll have some great new items in our online shop soon (I promise) for those of you who don’t have a retailer in your area yet, including our new Friday bag which I’ve been sewing up like mad, and our clutch wallets in a ton of colours. I’ll let you know when we have the new stuff ready, just sign up for my newsletter on my contact page– you won’t get any spam from me, I’m a vegetarian!!

xo Janna

Hey Everybody, here’s a sneak peek at just some of the fun new things we’ll be making for Spring…… Have a look and let us know which one you love the most:

Our new FRIDAY BAG– a roomy shoulder bag with vintage fabric detail and snap closure, this will take you to work in style and then out on the town. There are more colours too, and these bags should be available on our online shop really soon. These bags hold a lot of stuff: clutch wallet, water bottle, umbrella and sunglasses (it’s Vancouver, after all!) and keeps your cell and keys close at hand in the big back pocket, which has a snap closure as well. Price: $95.00 Canadian

May we introduce you to our latest addition to our wallet line, FLAT WALLET holds only what you need close at hand or in your back pocket. Measuring just slightly larger than the credit cards it holds, our Flat Wallet has a zippered pocket and two card slots, so you can organize accordingly. You can also use this one inside of our clutch wallet or d-ring to really keep things sorted!! Price: $15.00

(PSSST— we’ve shot this photo with one of our Nauga-doilies, from our upcoming Housewares collection, but more on that later!!)

This is our WOODLAND PRINT, shown on our Medium Vinyl Tote. Super cute and springy, it reminds me of 60’s childrens wallpaper.

Our SEEDLING applique reminds us to water the plants, which I never remember to do!!

Our latest take on trees, the CLOUD TREE, shown here in a darker combo of grape and teal on a black Medium tote. I’m really enjoying these larger appliques this season, I hope you do too!!

CARNATIONS!! These flowers will last way longer than the real thing, and are so much more appealing than the plastic option out there!

A collection of VASES…… I love the lookof these grouped together, in a study of shape and colour. Plus I always think that ceramics, like flowers, are better by the bunch!

For everybody who just loves colour, our SPECTRUM applique is a cheerful combination of simple forms and bright happy colours.

Last but certainly not least is our BRANCH PRINT, a playful group of sticks and leaves, as you can see.

Alright, that’s it for now……. if you’ve fallen in love with anything, send us an email and we’ll do our best to set you up with your heart’s desire. Hopefully we’ll have some of this lovely new stuff in our online shop really soon, and we’ll get back to you all soon about the housewares collection.

Bye for now!! XO Janna

Today it’s really nice out here in Vancouver…. it’s bright and sunny and has me thinking of spring.

It could also be that we have been working hard lately to get our Spring 2008 collection put together and ready for the shops……. New images, new wallet, new bags, new stuff!! Hopefully I’ll be able to post something for everybody this weekend, but for now enjoy the sunlight and think of spring!!  XO Janna