A New Size?

Up until now, Hero On My Arm handbags came in two basic sizes. The most popular was the large tote- 12 inches deep, 16 inches long and 5 inches wide. The small tote is 12 inches deep, 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. I just recently had a request for a large bag, but made "as small as possible" and this is what we ended up with:

It's 10 inches deep, 15 inches long and 4 inches wide. I guess I will call it "Medium". I really fell in love with this size, I am hoping everyone else will too. I will probably update my website and eBay in a few weeks with this other bag size, but of coarse, its available now.

Tied With a Bow

All Hero On My Arm Handbags are mailed out wrapped in tissue and ribbon, and are sent USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. And of coarse, we ship to APO/FPO addresses, too.

Fabric/Uniform Combinations

Last week I finished up 2 bags with fabric/uniform combinations that I had not done before, the first was Air Force BDU with Michael Miller's Daisy Dream (#6 on my list of available print fabrics): And the second was Marine MARPAT with Michael Miller's Patti Paisley in Pistachio (#20 on my list)

I think they both turned out F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!!

Seeking Opinions, Comments, Suggestions

Its already time to start thinking about the new year. I can hardly believe it! There are a few things that I know will be different next year:

*I will add some new lining fabric choices, and delete some of the less popular ones

*There will be quite a few new products added

*I will most likely take March and April off (when we move)

*Prices will NOT go up

*We'll be adding a photo gallery for spouses to show off with their Hero On My Arm handbags

Well, that's all I can think of for now, but I would love to hear from all you wonderful military spouses- what would you like to see in 2008??

I'm especially interested in hearing about purse styles you'd like to see, fabrics you love, fabrics you hate, how you feel about the website, if you'd be interested in having local Hero On My Arm reps at your post, gosh, really, just everything that you have to say- I'm all ears.

If you are reading this and have a comment, please add it to the blog, or email me directly seneca@polkadotdoorboutique.com I really, really, really want to hear from you!

Oh, and if you already have a Hero On My Arm Handbag, I would LOVE it if you would send me a picture of you with your bag, so we can get that photo gallery rolling!

AND, to motivate you all to send in your comments and pictures, there is, of coarse, a PRIZE involoved. Everyone that posts a commentsuggestion on the blog, sends me an email comment, or submits a picture from now until December 31st will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate for the website. Each comment/suggestion earns you an entry (so you can have an many chances to win as things you can think of to say!). I'll draw and announce the winner the first week of January.

New Options, and (Hopefully) Simpler Ordering

For the second night in a row, I am up past midnight updating my website, but if it makes things easier to place orders, well, its worth it to me! Here's what I did:

*Put up some new pictures on the homepage (that's www.HeroOnMyArm.com)

*Delected some of the selections when placing a bag order (like choosing one strap or two, small bag or large, etc)- since when you order you get an order form emailed to you where you have to choose all that stuff all over again anyways :)

*Added some new pictures to the product pages (I updated the Photo Gallery yesterday)

*And last but not least (actually the most important one of all), I added some new bag options under the Hero On My Arm Accessories (http://polkadotdoorboutique.com/catalog.php?category=20) They are on page 2 and 3.

Hope you like all the changes!

A Sneak Peak

I am VERY excited about some new items we will be adding to the website soon. Above is a little sneak peak of one of them, can you guess???

AND, for all you Ft. Hood wives, you'll get a chance to see the new stuff in person at the

Ft. Hood Officers' Wives' Club Holiday Bazaar

November 10-11, 2007

Killeen Civic and Conference Center

3601 S. WS Young Drive

Saturday 9-6pm

Sunday 12-5pm

We will have a booth set up there and will be taking orders for Christmas- Hope to see you there!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

It had been a few months since I added any new pictures to the photo gallery, so I am staying up late adding some new ones:

http://polkadotdoorboutique.com/pages/gallery.php

Stylish

I know that I am not the only military spouse making purses from uniforms, but I do strive to separate Hero On My Arm bags from the rest. I try to make my purses look stylish and fashionable, not just craft-y and homemade. I thought seeing a Hero On My Arm bag next to Gucci's Positano Tote might illustrate that point.

Why Didn't I Think of That?

Sometimes customers have the best ideas- someone asked me to include the pen pocket from the sleeve of the ACUs on the inside of their bag- now why didn't I think of that!

I think its the perfect addition for the inside side of the bag. So from now on, unless you request something different, I'll be adding this extra pocket to all the ACU bags. I'm not actually sewing down the separations for the pens (but I can if you ask), so its the perfect size for lip gloss, a small cell phone, keys, etc.

A Typical Day

It has been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! Not that I'm complaining!!! I just want to let everyone know that I am working hard at getting turn around times down. They peaked at about 5 weeks in September (I promise I will write an update soon about everything that happened), but I have them back to 3 weeks as of right now.

My Favorite Email in a LONG time...

I recently made a purse for a Navy wife, and after she recieved it, she was kind enough to send me an email and let me know how much she liked it:

"I wanted to say thank you for making the purse I’ll be proud of. My Louis Vuitton will be put away for a bit"

Maybe because my mom had a Louis Vuitton (her precious "Lou-eee") that she just absolutely treasured, but I felt like this was just a HUGE compliment for me!

Sydney's Daddy Doll

I could not believe that my husband actually agreed to pose for a photograph so that we could have him turned into a doll before he left for Iraq, but he did! The end result is the above "Daddy Doll". Sydney absolutely LOVES this doll and she sleeps with it every night. The website for the company is http://www.daddydolls.com/ (We're not affiliated with this company in any way, we just love our doll!)