Zina Eva hand bags - just a taste of them! hand made in Italy

PRODUCT! BEAUTIFUL PRODUCT!  Things are getting very exciting!!!! we are making clothes and getting in clothes and accessories purchased from market!!!   Zina Eva bags – crushed velvet with snake skin in the pleats, divine!

Then there is Presh jewelry – leather bracelets and necklaces in the mix of completely edgy,

Teel soft leather wrap bracelet with silver chain

fresh gorgeous accessories we have…  there are some cuffs, beaded necklaces, they are all really amazing, we just got them in today and I wish I could have one of everything for me!

And of course, we have been working hard in the garment center, things are getting faster.  We are also near the end of job training for most of the machine operators which is great and means we can really get in to full swing.  But just a few highlights are:

The Lynn blouse.  Red silk charmeuse, drapey turtleneck style blouse – its flowy and supple, you’re covered but totally sexy

silk charmeuse blouse

all at the same time.  with a pencil skirt or with a pair of jeans – it is definitely going to be one of my favorites!  (I will put this one on a form tomorrow so that you get the full effect!)

So, things are trucking along – a little delayed but not horrible.  I am almost done doing the programming of the first stage of the Gerber software, we are getting all of the accounting and point of sale stuff set up starting this weekend – and when I say ‘we’ I really mean Elaine my mom, the rockstar who is helping put that together for me.   And then I am on to press releases, marketing plans, advertising and events!!!!  somewhere in there maybe I will breathe, eat and sleep but who knows!

I think its been a week since my last post, and in that week it was nothing but net: interNET, NETworks, coNEcTing …. oh and insanity.  The beauty is that we, as soon as we are done setting it up, will be prepared to manage all of the ins and outs of making garments, and the super savvy interactivity on the

our server(s) the new lifeline

webstore, not to mention the accounting.  But getting there, was to say the least challenging.  My most challenging week yet in fact.  Things did not go according to plan and although I love my new Gerber software, their support person doing the install was not so impressive.  She neglected to review the server configuration details that were sent to her (at her request) the week prior.  So after three days of configuring the server, we come to find out that it it is not the way it needs to be for the install. 3 days (hourly paid btw) wasted.  Then there was one of the new imacs, which I found out had a bad optical drive AFTER 4 hours of installing all of my software and configuration with Parallels, replacement laptop not in stock.   P.O.S. printer set up – 4 hours.   And of course, this was all rushed prior to having my 3-day training with Gerber Wed-Fri.  I have worked about 80 hours already this week… Oh – and did I mention that Eng is on vacation this week, we had sewers fighting over a sewing machine, (though I should say that the merchandise is looking good and the the training period for several machine operators will be over next week and they will officially come on board!) and the million other little things that I can’t even remember right now….. I just want it all to work!!!

And just to mix it up, meet Rufus, my roommate for the week.  Wayne, Sue and Lilly are going to pick up Isaac at camp and I volunteered to watch Rufus.

Rufus napping under my desk.

I of course had 1 condition: that I could bring him to the office.  Wayne always had a no-dogs-in-the-building rule… Today was his first day here.  All of the ladies love him.  He barks (playfully) at Ron and Mike and the UPS guy.  I can’t go a block down the street without a woman stopping to ask what kind of Dog he is….no one knows!  So, it will mix up the adventure in the week to come!

o.k. – it is getting soooo exciting now, I’m not even sure where to start….

Kara shirt - available in our store this August

the Kara shirt (Eng is really happy they are finished with this shirt -the China Silk that this is made of is so tricky work with because of all of the gathers….

The SA VA shopping bag, recyclable, reusable and you get one with any purchase!

Then there is the production sample of the SA VA shopping bag that we received yesterday – so lovely!  we are getting a few samples in the mean time so we can use them as handbags!

Of course, there is the really great feature written by A.D. Amorosi in Today’s Inquirer…muchas gracias!  It is really focused on my custom shirt line, Van Aken, and gave a little mention of what is going on with SA VA! http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/50205932.html  oh- and for the record – I am only 33, born in ‘76, not 36 as the article mentions:)

Bela was out at an event last week wearing a SA VA necklace and was of course blogged about – because she’s so bela but it is also a great piece!

Bela at a Commonwealth Proper event a great look all around with the nice addition of a SA VA necklace.

so, just a glimpse…. now back to being stressed about getting the clothes made in time, marketing plans, budgets, event planning…….aaahhhh! but it is still so fun!