I'm currently a stay-at-home Mom raising one son Alex, (more about him later). I had been working as a bookkeeper (long before computers) when I met and married my husband. That's when my professional career ended - 30 years ago. We traveled a lot and I saw many lovely things in other countries and at craft shows here in the USA. This got me thinking about putting my creative abilities to good use. That's when my company Accessories Unlimited was born. The year was 1984.

Back then, I was hand decorating ready made hats and making one-size-fits-most belts with beading and snakeskin patches. That lead to stringing different semi precious beads into necklaces and bracelets in both simple and intricate patterns. After a few years, my interest (and the interest of others) waned.

My next endeavor was painting-tee shirts, sweatshirts, pieces of wood, etc. That lasted a very short time and it was on to the next fun craft.
That craft turned out to be decorating thousands (and thousands) of baskets with stiffened fabric. I decorated baskets for every occasion-weddings, bar & bat mitzvahs, holidays, baby showers and general gift giving. Selling these and my other projects was never a problem as I had a good friend who owned a gift shop and I kept her place very well stocked. Although I still decorate baskets to order, I've moved on yet again.
This lead me to my present interest. In 2000, a chance question in Boston Decorators Building got me several large boxes of fabric. Most were just lovely and although not right for baskets, they were ideal for pillows and bags. Pillows, I do by special order but bags were a huge hit, especially when I added my own special feature, they are all reversible. That's right, each bag can be turned inside out to become a different bag. When reversed, the pockets will be on the outside.

I currently make 8 different bags. All are either one-of-a-kind bags or limited editions. Since making these bags, I've discovered 3 things. First, pockets cannot be reversed. Second, I needed a sewer to help me sew the pieces together to keep up with all the sales. And third, there are endless types of fabrics in endless colors, combinations and patterns. This is the most fun and interesting part of making my bags; matching 2 fabrics, (one for each side), that look great together. Since I now have many thousands of fabrics in stock, sometimes this task is a bit overwhelming.


ALEX'S CAT ACCESSORIES

About 3 years ago, my son Alex, (then 14) told me he was bored. While I found this incredibly hard to believe, I suggested he could start his own business, (or weed the flower beds). He chose to start a business. I donated fabric and time while Alex worked on learning about owning and running a business. There were decisions on what to make and how to make them. He decided to make catnip toys, (we have 2 cats). Alex needed to learn how to cut fabric, use a sewing machine, order catnip, price and sell.

With a cardboard pattern, Alex mastered cutting the fabric using a rotary cutter. This cutter works with a round razor-like blade set into a holder with an attached handle. By running the blade over fabric, it will quickly and easily cut straight lines. Caution is needed, however, because as I said, these blades are razor shape. By using the trial and error method, he decided that squares were the easiest and fastest shapes for his catnip toys. Hearts, rounds and even mouse shapes were cut, sewn and rejected as not being neat enough and too fussy to be made quickly. He now makes 5 different sizes ranging in price from $2.25 to $9.75, depending on the amount of catnip filling.

The sewing machine presented another challenge but Alex was up to it. He actually tried and rejected 2 sewing machines until he tried my Elna. Since I was ready for an upgrade, my Elna became Alex's Elna, and I bought a newer Janome.

After some research, we decided that catnip pellets would be the best filling for the toys. They were readily available, fairly inexpensive, and the aroma lasts at least a year. These pellets are made from dried catnip that has been machine compacted and then machine formed into pellets. We had a minor glitch earlier this year when our supplier stopped supplying catnip pellets but with weeks of phone calling, emailing and searching, we were able to find a new supplier. With the new supplier came a new and more expensive price but we were able to still keep our prices low.

Speaking of prices, when it came to pricing his toys, Alex knew he didn't want the toys to be so expensive that no one could buy a toy for their pet. But they could not be so inexpensive either as Alex was trying to make some money for himself and had agreed that 25% of all sales would go to Sweetpea - Friends of Rutland (MA) Animal Shelter, as well as other animal shelters. (Alex has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors at Sweetpea. We are so proud of him).

Alex added another item to his business: Cat Mats. These mats were easy to sew using fleece fabric that is washable. The inserts were ordered from a company nearby and can be hand rinsed in the sink (no washers or dryers for the inserts). Putting zippers in was the only tough part. Although Alex has been selling these as Cat Mats, customers with small dogs have also bought them. Recently, customers have been saying that using them at sporting events makes the seats more comfortable.

And lastly, selling. Since I do Craft Shows (weekends and Holiday, sometimes with Alex) and Corporate Shows (weekdays when Alex is in school), I also make sure to have a large supply of catnip toys and mats with me for sale. Hopefully my new website will also be a good venue for both my bags and Alex's cat accessories.

I would love to hear from you!
Feel free to E-mail me to say HI, enquire about my bags or even place an order!
E-mail Sandra @ smg129@aol.com