Growing up my mother always told me ‘We could make that easily’ whenever I asked for most things from the store.  I attribute my love for crafting, baking and economical nature to years of being told this.

In 2006 while frequenting a local thrift shop- a preferred pastime of mine- I found a pair of lone wooden purse handles for $1.50 and thought ‘Cool! I’ll make a purse’.  Within a week I had sewed together my first Love Handles Handbag out of a Coliseum t-shirt that I adored but never found myself wearing.  Growing out of my teen years, I found myself sporting band t-shirts less and less, but continued purchasing them all the same.  So I reconfigured my original Coliseum Love Handles purse with snaps, which allowed me to have interchangeable t-shirt exteriors.  I eventually made a Fucked Up handbag which spurred conversation about creating a handful to sell at their yearly fest.  I made 40 handbags in the month of October while attending my 3rd year of university.  The learning curve was dramatic, instead of recycling t-shirts- I taught myself how to silkscreen, instead of purchasing $20 handles- I purchased a jigsaw and made my own.  It was certainly a labour of love.

2010, and I’ve decided to focus on my handbags again. I tried the 9 to 5 office thing- and despite how cool my job was- my heart was still in my handbags.  So now I’m applying my strong work ethic to Love Handles in hopes it will bring myself and others much love.

♥av