SeatbeltBLOG

Love by Numbers

2012-01-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a Blog Post of the Tough Love event on Saturday but it's taking longer than expected to edit the photos. My 6 year old daughter was my photographer and got a little excited, taking over 200 photos. I had a lot of questions about the colors used in the bag so I searched the archives and found the "blue print" from when we designed it over a year ago.

Melanie chose her favorite "Love" inspired tones, then I created the diagram above. This was a tricky one as we had 14 colors in 3 different sizes of seatbelt. LTDs usually have 2 or 3 colors. We had several different versions but ended up going with this one. We had a lot of fun and hope you're liking it as much as we do.

The Margot is one of my favorite silhouettes and was modeled after a vintage handbag that we found a the Rose Bowl Swap Meet. We had the black acrylic handles custom made for us and they're just the right size to slip up on your forearm.

Wedding Belts are Ringing

2012-01-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

I love getting emails with photos of the fun things that you guys do with Seatbeltbags. I got this email and pics from newly weds, Mr and Mrs Gamboa.

They decided to include HARVEYS in their special day. Thank you so much guys, It's such an honor.

I hope you didn't toss this bouquet to the bridesmaids.

All pictures were taken and are copyrighted by photographer Erin Filliator of Wedded Bliss Images.

Seatbelts in Seattle

2012-01-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to visit Seattle and next month my wish will come true. Melanie, the girls and myself will be jetting up to Seattle for a special event at Fireworks Gallery on February 4th at their Belleveue Square Location. I don't want to give away too much about the event, but I will tell you that it will be the first bag release to celebrate our 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, so don't miss it.

We're excited to check out Seattle and would love some suggestions from you guys on what to do while we're there.
Fireworks Gallery has 6 locations in the Seattle area. To find out more, click HERE

Or call (425) 688-0933 to RSVP for the event

You Complete Me

2012-01-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Lacey J. sent in this picture that she took of her complete collection of LTD bags. Yes you read correctly, her COMPLETE collection of LTD bags. I know, can you even believe it? We don't even have a complete collection of LTD bags. We try to save one of each but sometimes they get misplaced or grow legs... Anyway, I thought I would share this since it's probably the only shot I've ever seen of all of these bags together in one place.

Very Impressive Lacey. She wrote:

The complete set of my literal "Happy Place". This may sound a bit
strange but Harveys LTD bags are my happy place. They are normally
displayed in my hallways on an over-the-door system. I sometimes sit
in the Hallway surrounded by the riot of bright happy colors and it
makes me smile. Thanks for making such a great product!

Well, thank you so much for sharing your "Happy Place" with us Lacey. This photo put a smile on my face and I love making bags for all of you.

Dopp it like it's Hot.

2012-01-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

What do you get for the Hard-To-Please-Guy for Valentines Day? Well, according to the sheknows.com Top Ten List, a HARVEYS, Black Label Seatbelt Dopp Kit. I know that I love mine. Click Here to see the rest of the list.

Thanks for the Shout Out Sheknows.

The Zipster

2012-01-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

The recent blog post on the Hipster, got me thinking about the Zipster.

I love taking something that was designed for a specific use and finding new ways to use it, which is pretty much how the seatbeltbag was born. I came across this video on Kate Cusack, she makes stunning jewelry from metal zippers.

The Hipster

2012-01-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked, "Hey Dana, is there really more than one way to wear the Hipster?!"

...and, "Can you really wear a Hipster on your hips?!"

The answer is, yes!

I really like being able to offer Harveys Original Seatbeltbags and accessories that provide multiple functions and this silhouette offers 4 bags in 1!

Here's some fun photos our retail store associates snapped to show our customers how the Hipster can be toted!

Above, Dolores from Harveys Santa Ana is toting our Black Hipster over the shoulder like a shoulder-toting Seatbeltbag at a very comfortable drop length! In the next photo, she's got our Red Hipster around her hips! The adjustable strap on all our Hipsters will extend to approx 40 inches.

Above to the left is Sabrina from Harveys Chino Hills clutching the Black Hipster using the wrist strap & styled with a Rose colored Large Rosette! That's Erin above on the right clutching an Espresso Hipster

without the strap from Harveys Santa Ana!

Below is Dolores on the left with an Espresso Hipster worn cross-body & there's Kaylee from Chino Hills on the bottom right toting her Espresso Hipster over the shoulder with a SeatbeltBow!

Here's a sneak peek of the different items you can tote inside the Hipster! Lip gloss, gum, iPhone, glasses & there's even some small pockets and card slots so you can maximize your space and eliminate a wallet all together!

Here's Erin having some fun with our Red Hipster! Looks great as a casual clutch on the bottom left and toted on her back on the bottom right!

I really like that Sabrina and Kaylee put Rosettes and SeatbeltBows on their Hipsters! It really does change the whole style!

I hope this gives everyone a better look at Hipster Seatbeltbags!

For more info on our Hipsters, check out this link:

Harveys Hipsters at Seatbeltbags.com.

Forever Blue Jeans

2012-01-09T15:47:00.001-08:00

Cookies for Santa

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and got to spend some quality time with Family and Friends.

This year the girls wanted to make Santa some cookies and since I'm vegan now, we thought Santa might like to try some vegan cookies, which basically means no dairy or eggs.

I've never really baked vegan cookies before so I cheated and bought this ready made mix from Mother's Market. They are made by Eatpastry based in San Diego.

We also left him a glass of Almond Milk to wash down the cookies. He must have liked them because on Christmas Morning all we found was a few crumbs and an empty glass.

Time Flies

2011-12-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year that we usually see countdowns for shopping days till Christmas but I got to thinking about how 2011 is almost over. Boy, did this year just wiz by or what? I'm excited for 2012 though, as we will be celebrating 15 years of Seatbeltbags.

We have lots of fun things planned throughout the year so start the countdown to 2012.

New Year Countdown

Holy Guacamole

2011-12-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

Every year we send out Holiday Gift Baskets to our vendors to thank them for all they do for us throughout the year. We usually order something online and type in a holiday message, but this year we decided to do something a little more personal.

Most of our vendors are spread out across the country so we decided to give them one of our favorite California treats; Chips and Guacamole.

Locally grown Avocados (from our neighbors backyard), Our favorite Chips (Have-a-Chips) and Melanie's own Guacamole Recipe.
Without our vendors we wouldn't have the tools, materials and supplies that we need to make our Seatbeltbags, here in the USA. Thanks.

Paper or Plastic

2011-12-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, actually at Trader Joes, they only offer paper. We usually bring our HARVEYS Canvas totes but on our last visit we forgot, and noticed that they had a great craft project printed right on the bag.

Our girls love craft projects so we handed them each a pair of safety scissors and a glue stick.

And here's what they came up with

Great job Trader Joes, this is a great way to Up-cycle. Don't you think this would be a cute idea for shopping bags at HARVEYS stores. Maybe next year.

And the Winner is...

2011-12-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that sent in their Funny Family photos. We randomly selected a winner and it's...

Ashley T. She wrote:

Wanted to send my silly family photo with my Harveys bag. It was taken at Dodger Stadium this past September on Hello Kitty Day!!! We all got Hello Kitty headbands to wear and watch the game. It was lots of fun. I think it looks so silly... this is my brother, my mom and I. That is me toting my beautiful Grand Slam CT!!! Yay! :D

Best,

Ashley

Very cute Ashley, thanks for sharing. We'll be sending you out our special Holiday bag, Silver and Gold. I hope you enjoy it.

Charming Shoppe

2011-12-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

Charming Shoppe is located in Old Town Orange and carries a great assortment of our bags and accessories. This past Saturday they hosted a special Holiday Event they called "Hanging with the Harveys".

And that's just what Melanie and I did, Hang Out.

There was a big assortment of printed paper strips and everyone was invited to create their very own Seatbeltbag design and then name it.

The guys were having a lot of fun helping out too.

While everyone was working on their masterpieces, we headed inside to check things out.

They had a great display of all of our bags.

Heather and Adrienne did a wonderful job organizing everything. A big thanks to Allison for helping out too.

The red Rosette and matching Clipa looked great on this Studly. It's always fun to see the different ways that you accessories your bags.

Once everyone was finished they placed their bags on the shelf for silent voting

And the lucky winner was Kisha with her Grape Haze design. She received a Disney Mini Messenger, a Charming Shoppe exclusive, and the bag that Melanie and I did with the Paper Strips.

Then it was on to the next craft project... there was tons of holiday decorations on hand to create "Holiday Bling" for your bags.

It was a lot of fun seeing what everyone came up.

Everyone was feeling the spirit of Christmas

Bella M. even recruited her kids

They did a very good job too.

Everyone posed with there bags before the voting began.

The finalists

And the winner is...

Selah, with her red and green creation on her Tennis Pro LTD.

There was drawing for all those that RSVP'd via facebook. The first name that was drawn wasn't present so it went to...

Ted and I must say it looked great on him.

One more prize was given for the person with the most correct answers to the HARVEYS trivia questions. Congrats Smantha. She won a Barbie Kiss Carriage Hobo.

Thank you everyone that came out, we really enjoyed hanging out with you all.

And thanks Adrienne and Heather for Hosting such a fun event.

First Friday December 2011

2011-12-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! It's First Friday!

You know that means "something new for everyone!"

We hope you enjoy!

We've had so much fun designing all the 2011 Seatbeltbags. We can't wait to show you what we've "got up our sleeves" for 2012!

Happy Holidays!

funny family fotos

2011-12-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

Every year we do a family photo for our annual holiday card. We're going to be doing ours this weekend so I was cruising the internet looking for ideas and I came across this hilarious website, awkwardfamilyphotos.com

If you have a funny family Photo with your HARVEYS bag, I would love to see it. email it to contest@seatbeltbags.com before December 7, 2011 and I'll pick one lucky winner to receive a free seatbeltbag. The winner will be announced on December 10th, 2011, right here on the blog. So grab your seatbeltbag, round up the family, get your cameras out and start clicking.

Look What I found

2011-11-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

It seems like whenever we have an esale we uncover some rare odds and ends. I found these old pin buttons that were given free with every Tree-cycle bag at the original release at The Laguna Art Museum.

I only found one set and I'm giving them away for free to the first person to leave a comment, but you have to be a blog follower so I can contact you. If you're not a follower yet, just click on the link in the column on the right.

Cyber Monday

2011-11-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to check out our Cyber Monday sale for some great deals.

Enjoy.

Water Bobble

2011-11-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Paul just gave me one of these for my birthday and I absolutely love it.

You put Tap water in and get filtered water out. It's good for up to 300 refills. Just think of all that plastic you'll be saving from the landfills. Another added feature is that it's made in the USA.

Find out more HERE

Black Friday

2011-11-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I headed over to the Santa Ana store at 5am this morning. I didn't expect to see anybody out in the cold... But there were a few die-hard HARVEYS shoppers

The first 10 got a free HARVEYS camping chair.

Full Of Thanks!

2011-11-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take this time to say...thanks!

It's because of all of you that we're here doing what we do & we couldn't be more humbled, honored & grateful!

Things are really exciting right now for us as we're prepping for our 2nd Annual, Day-After Thanksgiving Special Edition Seatbeltbag release! It's something for you that was inspired by something that is very special to Melanie and me.

To sign up to receive emails to be notified about our upcoming in-store and online events click HERE!

We wish everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Thanks again! We'll see you early on Friday! ;)

Holiday 2011 Gift Guide!

2011-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Melanie and I thought it would be fun to feature a few of our fave gift ideas.

We hope you enjoy our cheesy-ness ;)

Shop our helpful Gift Guide here

New Item Feature: Classic Wallet!

2011-11-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

For the holiday 2011 collection of Harveys Original Seatbeltbags, we really wanted to offer some exciting new accessories!

Our latest accessory silhouette is our Classic Wallet!

Our Classic Wallet was inspired by you and from all the direct feedback we receive from our customers & Harveys fans!

To give you a better look at its size in comparison to our Full Wallet and Clutch Wallet, the Classic Wallet is the Scarlet colored Seatbelt wallet in the center below...

Here's what the inside of the Classic Wallet looks like. It easily fits 6 cards, your ID, cash, coins & even has room for a few keys and a slim smartphone!

For another look at the size, here's our Scarlet Classic Wallet with our Boxy in Sterling on Brittany, our Store Manager from Harveys Chino Hills! What a perfect holiday combo!

The Classic Wallet is available online and in-store now! We know we've recently sold out of our Amethyst Wallets; please feel free to contact our retail stores directly! We hope to be sending them more soon and they can add you to their waiting lists!

Harveys Chino Hills: 909-465-1560

Harveys Santa Ana: 714-550-7105

For Harveys retail shop hours and to find other locations, click here!

Thanks for all the feedback! You never know what we're going to do next! ;)

Behind the Seatbeltbags - Studly

2011-11-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

...On this Seatbeltblog edition of Behind the Seatbeltbags, meet Studly!

We've been toying with stud applique for quite some time now and while experimenting with using our Harveys engraved protective metal feet on our Seatbeltdog collection, we realized that we could also use them on other parts of a Seatbeltbag silhouette! We made a sample that we later offered as an auction item and everyone really liked it so we decided to turn it into a fun collection for all of you!

I decided to bring it out in the baguette for the holiday season but Melanie thought it would be great to offer a new silhouette so we modeled our Studly Satchel after the Lola Satchel silhouette. Instead of dainty ruffles, we pumped up the volume and added 6 rows of studs!

Melanie about died, she loved it to much! She used the sample for several weeks and fell in love with it even more so we knew we had to make them for all of you!

Each Stud on Studly Seatbeltbags is lovingly applied by hand and with our very own custom-built heavy-duty rivet machine!

Studly Seatbeltbags take extra care and time to produce. It takes time to look this good!

The Studly Satchel comes with an adjustable strap so this silhouette has a cross-body option!

...but it also looks great on the forearm!

Our Studly Baguette is the perfect size to tote over the shoulder at a stylish holiday soiree!

We even added a fun Studly Cuff to the collection because we couldn't resist and were having too much fun with the studs!

We hope everyone is enjoying our holiday 2011 collection of Harveys Original Seatbeltbags!

...Until the next Seatbeltblog edition of Behind the Seatbeltbags; have a great weekend, everyone!

First Friday November 2011

2011-11-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for Holiday 2011. We've been anticipating it's launch for... well a YEAR now (we work 1 year in advanced on all seasonal collections).

So, without further ado... drum roll please...

Don't forget to check out Melanie's video. She's pretty awesome... but I'm kinda biased ;)

Happy Holidays!

It's Never Too Late To Donate...

2011-11-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Amanda from The Lymphoma Research Foundation stopped by headquarters yesterday and we were so happy to finally meet her!

It was great to hand her the check you helped us raise for Lymphoma research.

Amanda reminded us it’s not too late to register for the Orange County Lymphomathon on November 5th, 2011! Visit www.lymphomathon.org/OrangeCounty2011 to register today!

Thanks again to everyone that participated in the auction!

We're really excited to share the first part of our Holiday 2011 collection of Harveys Original Seatbeltbags with all of you!

See you tomorrow for First Friday, where there's always something new (and maybe something shiny this time too)!

Your Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbags! (Part 2)

2011-11-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

We had so many great entries for "My Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag" contest, we decided to post some of them for all of you to see!

Enjoy & thanks again to all that participated! We hope you had as much fun as we did!

Your Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbags!

2011-10-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

We were so pleased to see all the awesome entries we received for My Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag Contest!

Thank you to all that participated! We received so many entries, we're going to post some more photos very soon!

Now onto the winners, picked randomly...

Congratulations Lacey!

Congratulations, Summer!

You two have each won a Harveys for Disney Couture, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Seatbeltstrap Tote! We'll be contacting you shortly!

Thanks to everyone that participated! We <3 you all! We have such amazingly creative fans!

We wish everyone a very happy and safe Halloween! Mwaahahahwawhawahwahhahahaaaa...

Walk The Walk!

2011-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

We’re so excited we were able to auction our very special Apple “Lime” Lola Satchel to raise funds for the Lymphomathon being held Saturday, November 5^th, 2011 in Irvine Park!

Because of your efforts, we raised almost $600 to help our neighbors!

We want to thank everyone that participated! Thank you so much!

Amanda, from the Lymphoma Research Foundation, will be coming next week to Harveys Headquarters & we can’t wait to meet her & show her around Harveys!

Remember, it’s never too late to help! Some of Harveys crew will be walking the Lymphomathon & we’d love to see you there! Walk with us!

For more info to sign-up &/or to make a donation, please visit: OC Lymphomathon Sign Up

For more info on Lymphoma & to sign up for future Lymphoma walks in your area, please visit:

Lymphoma.org

Thanks again, everyone! We appreciate all the positive feedback we received. More to come!

Happy Anniversary

2011-10-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today, Melanie and I celebrate 15 wonderful years of marriage. Back then, we didn't have a lot of money which is why we decided to get married in Vegas, inviting only close friends and family to join us. For those that couldn't make it, we sent out these announcements which I made at Kinkos with a pair of scissors, magazine clippings, a typewriter and a glue stick. I framed this original which now hangs in our bedroom so we are always reminded of where we came from and how blessed we are today.

Happy Anniversary to my Beautiful Wife

Are you afraid of the...Seatbeltbags?!?

2011-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Who's celebrating Halloween early?

Everyone around the office is getting really excited! Nicole from Operations was watching Michael Jackson's Thriller earlier this week to get inspired for her Halloween costume so we thought we would post the video to remind everyone about My Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag Contest!

We've received some really creative entries! Thanks so much for participating!

It's not too late to turn in your entry. The deadline to send in your photo is 12pm PST on Sunday, October 30th, 2011.

For more info on how to enter, please visit: My Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag

The two winning entries will be announced around noon, PST on Halloween!

Helpin' Out A Neighbor!

2011-10-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to pick just one cause to support with a charitable donation.

We decided to do something different and let our Seatbeltbags decide for themselves.

Browsing through our samples, we found an extremely rare Apple Lola Satchel!

After a quick search online we learned the color lime, very similar to our Apple color, represented Lymphoma awareness.

The Lymphoma Research Foundation website led us to info about a local Lymphomathon being held at Mason Park in Irvine, California on Saturday, November 5.

According to Lymphoma.org, “The Lymphomathon is a non-competitive 5K walk where survivors, family, friends, community and corporate teams walk in honor and in memory of those whose lives have been touched by lymphoma. Funds raised by participants will support the Foundation’s mission of eradicating lymphoma and serving those touched by this disease.”

We’ve since contacted the Lymphoma Research Foundation & would like to now share this opportunity to help our local Orange County Lymphomathon with all of you!

It’s the neighborly thing to do!

We’re going to auction our “Lime” Lola Satchel on eBay via Harveys Official eBay store so everyone will have the opportunity to win this very special Seatbeltbag, while helping to make a charitable donation to the Orange County Lymphomathon!

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Orange County Lymphomathon in support of the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

For more info on the Orange County Lymphomathon and to make a donation, please visit: http://www.lymphomathon.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=483013

For more info on Lymphoma and the Lymphoma Research Foundation, please visit: http://www.lymphoma.org/site/pp.asp?c=bkLTKaOQLmK8E&b=6296735

To view and place your bid on our “Lime” Lola Satchel, please visit:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harveys-Seatbelt-Bags-Apple-Green-Lola-Satchel-Rare-100-Lymphoma-Research-/110761227768?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item19c9e235f8

Diamonds & Pearls

2011-10-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Christopher, my Customer Service Manager, came into the office today beaming about the Elizabeth Taylor exhibit he went to last weekend. The photos he shared were so cool that I wanted to share them with all of you. I’ll let him take it from here:

"Hey everyone! Some friends and I went to The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor @ Moca in Los Angeles, Ca last weekend. Each of us is around the age of 30 and we each recall growing up with the name Elizabeth Taylor in our households. It was especially a big name in my own house because I grew up surrounded by women and they all were in love with her. I remember the Elizabeth Taylor books lying around the house, the movies being watched & even the White Diamonds perfume in the bathrooms. It was like that. J

Most of the photos were taken just using our iPhones and also using the Hipstamatic app, which I think was really fun for this exhibit because it almost made the photos appear like we were in a different time period right there with her!

Aside from all the impressive jewels and belongings that were being showcased, what was extra impressive was the attention to detail on the museums part. Even the carpeted entrance was purple, which was a color always associated with Elizabeth Taylor because of her violet eyes (at least that’s what my grandma used to tell me)!

I loved the Andy Warhol piece!

All of her Academy Awards were on display!

We were SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited we were allowed to take photos!

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond 33.19 CTS! The Christie’s auction price starts at 2.5 million! I’ve always had a thing for diamonds since it’s my birthstone.

My favorite Elizabeth Taylor quote!

We all left the exhibit extremely motivated! Elizabeth Taylor did so much for so many people and touched a lot of people in her lifetime. It was obvious by looking through her personal collection of items that these gifts were bestowed upon someone that truly deserved to be drenched in diamonds." - Christopher

My Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag

2011-10-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Halloween is right around the corner!

To get into the spirit, we thought it’d be fun to challenge Addrienne and Christopher from headquarters to decorate Seatbeltbags for the season since they both love Halloween!

Each picked out Seatbeltbags they felt would be fun to use during this time of year that could also be toted with your costume, and also when Halloween is over.

Addrienne turned a Mandarin Large Tote into a cute bat and star extravaganza; complete with a skull and Frankenstein photo!

Christopher decided to take on a few different Seatbeltbags. He turned an Amethyst Medium Tote into a spooky skull/spider design using also a Mandarin Small Rosette and a Black and Sangria Large Rosette.

He turned a Black Convertible Clutch into an autumn collage with a Mandarin Seatbeltbow and Mandarin Large Rosette.

We thought this Shop N Go tote he “disguised” was really cool! Something fun for trick or treating with the kids, but then you could go right back to using it after Halloween is over instead of using plastic grocery bags.

Now we’d like to see your personalized Harveys Original Seatbeltbags decorated for Halloween!

Email us a photo with the subject line: “My Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag” to info@seatbeltbags.com of your blinged out Harveys Halloween Seatbeltbag for the chance to win a Harveys for Disney Couture Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Exclusive Seatbeltstrap Tote!

Each participant will have their name entered into a drawing and 2 winners will be chosen at random. The two winning entries will be posted on Halloween right here on the Seatbeltblog along with their photos.

The deadline to send in your photo is 12pm PST on Sunday, October 30th, 2011.

We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

To see our top picks for seasonal Seatbeltbags & accessories in fun Halloween Colors, please visit: Halloween Seatbeltbags

We Are Living in a Material World Part 1

2011-10-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting pics from the Material Girl event in Omaha. Sorry it's taken so long. There was so much to take in that I didn't know where to start which is why I'm splitting this up into 2 parts. From the moment we stepped off the plane, Scott had every minute planned out for us. Even though we arrived at 10pm Thursday night, Scott and Erica insisted on meeting us for a late dinner which turned into drinks until 2am.

Friday morning our first stop was Material Girl for the grand tour. This being my first visit to Omaha, I had only ever seen pictures of both MG locations. It was great see them in person and I was very impressed with their entire operation and team.

They do an excellent job of displaying the HARVEYS bags.

And they had a lot of them too.

They carry a large selection of other handbags and accessories Brands as well.

Scott's Dad built all of the custom shelving which I absolutely loved. What a great design.

Omaha loves their Huskers. In fact the LTD event happened on Game day which goes to show how dedicated Scott was to his HARVEYS customers.

Black to Basics. DYK that Black is our top selling color?

I really liked how they displayed the bags by color and size on the wall. We might have to steal this idea.

Gotta love your Clipas. I think MG is responsible for introducing a lot of our Seatbeltbag customers to Clipa. Erica does a great job of selecting all of the brands that Material Girl carries. She spots trends before they become good. After all she spotted HARVEYS, right?

It was so great to meet some of our customers that can't make it out to California for our events.

NBC

Carly was the designated photographer for the entire weekend. She did such an amazing job too.

We got to hang out in the warehouse which is connected to their store. This is where MG runs their Website from. They really focus on providing excellent customer service which is very important to us too.

The VIP gift bags for the VIP event at ROJA Mexican Grill which will be in Part 2 so stay tuned.

First Friday - October 2011

2011-10-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Introducing Mixed Greens!

See you all next month for the exciting debut of our Holiday 2011 Collection!

Green Day

2011-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

This Past Sunday we spent the day at Great Park and shopped the Farmer's Market.

We love to shop for our produce at these types of markets because it supports Local Growers and eliminates a lot of wasted resources used in transporting our food from thousands of miles away.

We're always looking for better ways to be "Green" and lessen our carbon footprint.

Which is one reason that I recently decided to go Vegan.

Mixed Green Vegetables and Fruits are a big part of my diet now and I have to admit that I'm feeling a lot healthier for it.

All of the beautiful colors are so inspiring. You just don't get the same experience when you shop at the Grocery Store.

Melanie loves to garden and we actually have 6 different varieties of Tomatoes that we grow in our back yard. The heirloom are our favorite.

The Beekeepers support the growers by pollenating the crops. Honey is just a sweet reward.

Mixed Green Salads are so refreshing

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our Green Day at the Farmer's Market. You never know where inspiration may come from. No matter where we go I'm always snapping pictures.

Pacific Standard Time

2011-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Taken from pacificstandardtime.org: “Pacific Standard Time is an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to celebrate the birth of the L.A. art scene. Beginning October 2011, over 60 cultural institutions will make their contributions to this region-wide initiative encompassing every major L.A. art movement from 1945 to 1980. Celebrate the era that continues to inspire the world.” ---

Living in Southern California really has some perks! Being surrounded by art comes in handy when searching for inspiration, but today while visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); we saw some really interesting things that actually reminded us of some of our very own original Seatbeltbag collections.

We found accessories and handbags made from recycled LACMA street banners!

These accessories were made from recycled soda can tops and candy wrappers. We couldn't help but be reminded of our Treecycle Seatbeltbags, which are made from reclaimed seatbelt material.

To check out our Treecycle collection, visit: Harveys Treecycle Seatbeltbags

We were thrilled to see vintage Barbie! Instantly, we were reminded of our collection of Barbie Seatbeltbags!

To check out our collection, please visit: Barbie Seatbeltbags

Seeing this Airstream definitely reminded us of our own custom Harveys Airstream we use to travel the country for various events and photo shoots. We had to snap a photo!

Paint by Numbers, anyone?

This vintage chair was really cool! It reminded us of what it looks like when a Harveys Original Seatbeltbag is being woven together into a silhouette for all of you!

We had such a great time today at LACMA! Best of all, today's admission was totally free!

For more info on Pacific Standard Time and to get a listing of all the participating museums & exhibits , visit: Pacific Standard Time

xoxo,

Harveys

Tonight, at the Grand Central Art Center!

2011-10-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

We’re often asked where we get all the super cool seatbelts with the fun prints that we turn into Harveys Original Seatbeltbags.

The secret is out; we actually create all the prints you see on Harveys Original Seatbeltbags in-house!

One of our newest members to join Harveys Creative Team is Illustrator and Graphic Designer, Nancy Chiu! If Nancy seems familiar, it’s because she was 1 of 3 winners chosen for Harveys art and fashion competition called INTRO in 2010, in which the Harveys themselves and 9 other Art & Fashion Guru’s judged a comprehensive competition for undiscovered artists.

The top ten was narrowed down to 3, and the top three winners each had a solo art show that ran for an entire month and was housed at Harveys Melrose Gallery. Nancy, along with the other 3 winners also had their very own Seatbeltstrap tote put into production and received royalties off each tote sold!

Tonight at The Grand Central Art Center (GCAC) in Santa Ana, Ca, Nancy is having an opening reception from 7pm-10pm to showcase her latest project, “Dwelling” which Nancy describes as an exploration of the haunting persistence of one’s longing and desire. It is Nancy’s 1^st exhibit at GCAC and she is really excited!

Harveys is thrilled to show our support for Nancy!

You’ll be seeing a lot of Nancy’s work over the next year as we launch some really exciting, unique & beautiful Harveys Original Seatbeltbag prints!

See you tonight, Nancy Chiu!

For more info on GCAC and tonight’s event, visit this link: Grand Central Art Center

For the official GCAC Facebook page, visit this link: GCAC Official Facebook Fan Page

To get more info on Nancy Chiu, please visit her website at: Nancy Chiu.com

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2011-09-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out to Omaha, NE for the LTD Release Party at Material Girl.

See you there.

And if you can't make it out to Nebraska, join Melanie at the Harveys Santa Ana Store!

Olde School

2011-09-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last week Melanie and I took a trip to Carlsbad, San Diego for a few days. We've driven through it on the 5 freeway many times and even visited Legoland but little did we know it's a really quaint little town. The hotel we stayed at had bicycles for the guests so we pedaled around town.

We stopped at Olde Joy Antiques. We often look to the past for inspiration for our bags. I thought I would share some things that we liked.

This hat was actually a new reproduction. Liked the buckle on the side and the B&W leopard print

We love old keys and ended up buying this vintage deck of playing cards to play Gin Rummy back at the hotel.

This display reminded me that Halloween is just around the corner.

Scaredy Cat

Love the old 70's Mickey phone.

These earrings reminded me of Paint by Numbers

There was lots of fun costume jewelry.

Melanie's favorite flower is the Magnolia. We have an old painting of one in our Home that we found at an antique store when we were first dating.

We bought this cute little globe for our girls. Melanie Home schools them and is always looking for fun ways to teach them.

This floral needle point bag had the neatest acrylic handle that actually worked as a closure system. The new Margot handles were inspired by a vintage handbag that Melanie found.

This handbag had a really cute french provincial design that reminded me of Toile Print which is often seen as Wallpaper.

This bag was just a bit bigger than a Mini Wristlet. The micro-needlepoint must have taken many hours to do.

More needlepoint. Growing up my mother did a lot of needlepoint so I have a great appreciation for this art form.

We got these placemats for the girls. Love the 60's artwork.

These retro print pillows were on display in the window reminding us that Carlsbad is a Beach front Community. We had lots of fun in Carlsbad. If you're ever in the San Diego area stop in and check it out.

NBC Launch Event

2011-09-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we launched the Nightmare Before Christmas collection at Vault 28.

This was such a fun collection for us to work on. Nightmare before Christmas is one of my favorite Tim Burton movies. When I first saw it back in 1993 I never imaged that I would get the opportunity to work with the creative team to design a collection of handbags.

When designing the collection, I wanted to capture the essence of the movie without being overly obvious so I chose the skull and bat prints and added the iconic Moon Silhouette of Jack and Sally with the Glow-in-the-dark Charms.

This was a Gift With Purchase Tote that Disney arranged to be given only at the launch. We were amazed that the sold out because we projected more than 3X what they normally offer. A lot of guests were having us sign right on the moon next to Sally and Jack.

It was so great to see so many of girls with our bags hanging out at Downtown Disney

The line started forming at 6am.

We got to meet a lot of new people many of which were buying their very first HARVEYS bag.

Everyone was so patient. Many waited in line for hours.

Our Store managers Karla and Brittany.

I spotted this Get Checked bag. Very cute and she even had a pink Clippa.

This is the Vault 28 crew. They are always so helpful.

Some of the HARVEYS crew: Cheryl, Christopher, Melissa and Allison . Disney gave us a bunch of Park Hopper Passes for that day so they came out early to enjoy the Park.

Vault 28 also has a great selection of other Disney x HARVEYS bags as well as other non-Disney HARVEYS bags too.

Thank you so much to all that came out. We really enjoyed chatting with everyone and hope you had as much fun as we did.

Special Delivery

2011-09-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

I'm getting really excited for the Nightmare Before Christmas event this Saturday. Everybody has been rushing around getting prepared for the event. We just finished making all of the bags including the special Gift with Purchase. Since Disneyland is less that 10 miles from our Factory, we thought we would personally deliver them.

I got my special security badge

Then pulled up to the loading dock.

Here they are, all 22 boxes. It's been a lot of work and we can't wait to unveil the new designs.

Hope to see you on Saturday.

D23

2011-09-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Allison and Paul from our Sales team visited the D23 Expo in Anaheim. They had a great time and took some amazing pictures so I asked Allison to give us a recap here on the blog. Take it away Allison:

Hi there,

Its Allison F. from the Harveys sales team!

A few weeks ago Paul and I took a field trip to D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center to show our support for one of our favorite Harveys retailers, Charming Shoppe from Orange CA.

Charming Shoppe had an amazing setup all three days of the Disney convention. They proudly displayed their Classic Disney, Minnie Mouse & Steamboat Willie collection bags. Adrienne from Charming Shoppe had a blast visiting with the Harveys fans that stopped by to say hi and meeting a bunch of new fans!

There were also some other really great exhibits that caught my eye....

Check out Cruella de Vil's office, this girl knows how to decorate!

An original Sleeping Beauty poster and book from the movie...

Walt Disney's design studio...

A few of the fans who came dressed for the occasion...

This GIANT cupcake tower along with awesome themed birthday parties...

It was a great day full of so many amazing things to see, Disney sure knows how to throw an event :) The fun didn't end there, be sure to check out Charming Shoppes Facebook for details about their Harveys giveaway!!!

https://www.facebook.com/CharmingShoppe?sk=app_121121694568521

xo, Allison

Thank you Allison. I'm a little jealous I didn't go this year. I'll definitely have to pay a visit next year.

September 2011 First Friday

2011-09-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Happy First Friday everyone!

Here are the lastest additions to Fall 2011:

I hope you enjoy!Oh, and be sure to check out Melanie's video too!

Kenbie

2011-08-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wandered what it would be like to attend a celebrity wedding? Photographer, Beatrice De Guigne chose two unlikely subjects to pose for an exclusive photo shoot of what the Wedding Album might look like if two of our favorite celebrities, Barbie & Ken finally tied the knot.

Below are a few pics from Kenbie's Big Day.

To see more you can visit Beatrice's blog HERE.

Tim Burton @ LACMA

2011-08-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited the Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA. We purchased our tickets beforehand on the LACMA website for the 4pm time slot so we could avoid traffic. Turned out to be a good time as it wasn't too crowded.

There was no photography allowed inside the exhibit but I did manage to grab a quick pic at the entrance. The exhibit was every bit as good as I had hoped. It was great to see his early concept sketches and how they became the characters in his movies. We got to see a lot of the puppets that were used in the making of Nightmare Before Christmas. There were a lot of costumes on display too, including the one that Johnny Dep wore in Edward Scissorhands.

If you are Tim Burton fan, I highly recommend that you visit this exhibit.

Find Balance

2011-08-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

A few of us in the office are training for a 5K run to benefit a local charity.

I really needed a new pair of running shoes and wanted to find a company that makes their shoes in the USA. A quick google search brought up this video.

I'm not a big fan of all the high tech looking sneakers a lot of companies are producing but I remembered that New Balance had a very classic sneaker and was happy to find out that they still offer that style today. They call it their #574.

Before I placed my order I had a few questions so I called the customer service line. The gentleman that answered was very helpful and was able to answer all of my questions. I wanted to make sure that the pair I was buying was indeed made in the USA. As I was placing my order with him, I gave him my email address and he said, "Wait, you're Dana Harvey the maker of the Seatbeltbags". It turns out his sister-in-law is a big fan and has a very large collection of our bags. What a small world.

I got my shoes a few days later and I have to tell you, these are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. I'm not kidding. The first time I wore them I was expecting to have a break-in period but I was pleasantly surprised. I find myself wanting to wear them all the time now, not just for running. I just placed an order for another pair. Thank you New Balance for not only making shoes in the USA but for making a darn good shoe at that. Keep up the good work.

Tim Burton

2011-08-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

This Weekend I'm taking the girls to the Tim Burton Art Exhibit at LACMA. The show is a retrospect of his work over the years.

By now you've probably heard that we have partnered with Disney to produce a line of Nightmare Before Christmas bags. This is one of the films that Tim Burton is responsible for but there are so many more and a lot of which are my all-time favorites.

What are your favorite Tim Burton Movies?

That's How we Roll

2011-08-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a little family camping trip in the Airstream (hence the lack of blog posts... Sorry). Now that I'm back, I've decided to give my desk a much needed makeover. Although I love my vintage Rolodex it's become obsolete and takes up a lot of space, considering I can fit all of the information on my iphone.

I've had it since we first started HARVEYS so I'm kind of attached to it. It has been a key part of our growing business, housing vital contact information for all of our vendors, suppliers and manufacturing partners since we began way back in 1997.

I picked it up at a Thrift Store for $8 (it still has the price written on the bottom). I love the retro styling with it's crinkle paint finish, heavy steel construction and especially the art deco flip knob. It was Made in the USA from an era when we made most of the stuff that we used.

Since I haven't really used in years and it's taking up so much room on my desk, I think it's finally time for it to go into retirement.

Farewell old friend. Thank you for almost 15 years of service.

Tough Tattoo

2011-08-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

Chrissy emailed us this picture of her new Tattoo. She says it's her Tribute to HARVEYS.

Wow, thanks Chrissy. Now that's a long term commitment.

The "Brass Knuckles" design on the Tough Love label was something we came up with in 2006.

Brass Knuckles are a symbol of toughness. We added the hearts so you can knock people out with LOVE.

Fur Friday

2011-08-12T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today's Fabulous Furry Friend Foto comes from Lisa.

She wrote the following email:

It was my turn to have the traveling seatbelt bag that was customized and I took it to my former workplace, where I used to be a professional marine mammal trainer. Here's a California Sea Lion holding the bag....he's not a pet, but he IS furry!

P.S. There is also a sea lion (not this one pictured) there named "Harvey". I wish I could say he was named after your seatbelt bags, but he was actually named after me, long before I was a fan. Now it's a happy coincidence that we have the Harvey name!

Lisa Harvey

Thanks for sharing Lisa. We all got a kick out of this and it looks like that bag is having a great time being passed around. Oh the stories it could tell.

Seatbelt Card

2011-08-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

We seem to have some very creative customers. Tina Whitted crafted this amazing Thank You Card to match her MT Picnic bag.

She sent us the following email:

Hi HARVEYS,

I'm a huge fan of your fabulous products and lucky to have a few of your bags! Last week I celebrated a birthday and I received from my sister the medium Picnic Basket tote and I absolutely LOVE it! It's my most favorite Harvey's tote in my collection now!

I am also a crafty card maker and paper crafter. I was so inspired by the picnic basket tote that I had to make a thank you card for my sister. If you all get a chance to check out my blog post on it, I will be so honored!

Thank you so much for making such great quality, durable, and cute bags!

Regards,

Tina Whitted

Great Job Tina. I'm honored that you made this fabulous card as a tribute to one of our bags. Thank you so much for sharing. You can see more on how she made it on her blog, HERE

Pillow Talk

2011-08-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

One of our customers, Angel, sent me a link to the Martha Stewart Website where she has a great DIY project on how to make a woven pillow.

It's not seatbelt but it's still pretty cool and YES we are still working on a HARVEYS seatbelt pillow so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out this one, HERE

A WILD August First Friday

2011-08-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

We're super excited to launch our Fall 2011 line today. We hope you enjoy!

Giraffe! Click here to see the entire collection

Camel. Such a pretty color! Click here to see all the camel bags

Feather! Now available in 3 new silhouettes! To view, click here

Forest. Rich, dark Forest Green. Check it out here

Safari. Forest Green & Espresso Berkeley Bucket Tote and Brooklyn Hobo. View here

Wild Thing Moxy (or thang... whatever you prefer). A mix of past and present animal prints and solds. Check it here

We hope you enjoy, ya wild animals!

A Precious Gift.

2011-08-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

From time to time I hear stories of generosity from one seatbeltbag lover to another. This one was comes from Carrie who runs City Style in Michigan. It's long but I thought it was definitely worth reading in it's entirety.

Dear Harveys,

I wanted to take a moment to share a story that I witnessed involving one of your coveted handbags.

We have a customer (Heather) who came up with the idea of having a Harvey Swap Meet at City Style because she had a bag that she loved dearly but rarely used. She didn't want to sell it but if she saw something that she loved as much as Sid Texas Rose, she would be willing to swap it with the right person who would love it as much as she did. She wanted Texas Rose to go to a good local home.

City Style scheduled and held the event on Saturday, July 23rd and had lots of excited and Harvey loving attendees. Heather was one of them. Another of the enthusiastic attendees was our employee, Colleen Clayton, who aside from working for City Style, is a huge lover and collector of Harvey bags. Colleen didn't have any she was willing to part with and didn't bring any since we at City Style were just hosting and not participating in swaps. Our lovely Colleen laid eyes on Sid Texas Rose and was immediately smitten with this darling bag. Throughout the course of the evening, Colleen was unable to contain her attraction and desire for this bag. She shared her feeling about the bag with the other guests as well as Heather the owner of Sid Texas Rose. Alas the evening came to a close and to Heather no other bag present that night equaled her love for Texas Rose. So she took it back home after a fun night of meeting and making new friends through Harvey bags.

The following day at Church Sunday morning, who does Colleen run into but Heather. They immediately struck up conversation and friendship. Colleen told Heather that Texas Rose was still on her mind and if she ever was to get a bag worthy of this trade, she would be calling on her. Fast forward to Tuesday. At the end of the business day, Colleen and I are doing general menial tasks and in walks Heather and her family. Heather hands Colleen a gift bag. To our shock and awe, Colleen pulls Sid Texas Rose out of the bag that Heather handed her! We couldn't believe our eyes! What a purely generous and unselfish gesture that Heather bestowed upon Colleen!

Maybe you already are aware of these types of gestures involving your handbags but we had never witnessed it until now. Even though we are retailers, we are huge fans of your company and product and feel very fortunate to be part of the Harvey family. Harvey Seatbeltbag carriers are some of the best people we have had the pleasure to get to know! Thank you Harveys for starting your venture from a simple gift to Melanie. It is truly a gift that keeps on giving!

Sincerely, Carrie Vestrand

Thank you so much for sharing Carrie. I just love hear stories like this. I hope to one day visit your store. BTW, City Style was the 1st runner-up in our LTD contest. So close.

Wikipedia

2011-08-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a HARVEYS Wikipedia page.

There's lots of great information on there and some things I even forgot about.

You can check it out HERE

A Little Birdie Told Me

2011-07-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from Sujean about the sequel to her kids book Birdie's Big Girl Shoes. It's called Birdie's Big Girl Dress.

My girls love Birdie's Big Girl Shoes so I can't wait to add this new book to our bedtime story rotation.

You can buy it on Amazon HERE

BTW, Sujean just updated her website with some fun new images and updates on some of her latest projects which includes something with Juicy Couture. See her new website HERE

And the winner is...

2011-07-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

Material Girl!

Congratulations to everyone that voted.

I guess I'll be seeing you in Omaha, Nebraska. I've never been there before so I'm really looking forward to it.

Fur Friday

2011-07-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

This week RUFF came by and we presented them with a Check for $4200 that we raised at Patchwork

They were so appreciative and told us this would be a tremendous help in their efforts Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends. Each year they are able to help save over 1500 animals from shelters and even assisting animals that have homes but can't afford urgent medical care. All of their volunteers are unpaid so 100% goes directly to Furry Friends in need.

Thank you to everyone that came out to Patchwork to support. We couldn't have done it without all of you.

2011-07-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

We met Jillian and Michael Lunsford when we were at Indy 500 and they promised to stop by if they ever made it out to California.

Well, the other day they paid us a surprise visit and brought us this very cool painting that Michael did himself. The checkered background is actually woven black and white canvas.

The car is "Ol Calhoun" and was driven by Parnelli Jones when he won the Indy 500 in 1963 which incidentally was the first year that Indy 500 required seatbelts in all of the race cars.

Thank you guys, it's now hanging outside our design room so it can inspire us.

Source of Inspiration

2011-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Paper Source on Sunday. They have a great selection of Craft Projects so we often stop in and pick one up for the girls to do.

I'm always inspired when I'm there.

They have a ton of great gift items. Love the Owls

There's an entire stamping section

These were my faves: Scaredy Cat and Scully.

They even have a craft area where you can test out the merchandise before you buy. Marilyn made this little flower with glitter and puffy ink.

They have the best selection of Wrapping paper with so many beautiful prints

And some of the cutest greeting cards.

Yummm!

They also do custom invitations

And I just love all of the color co-ordinated stationery.

We visited the one at South Coast Plaza but they have many other locations. You can check their Website HERE for one near you.

My Son Dana Jr, works at the South Coast Plaza location. (he hates posing for pictures so this is the best shot I could get). If you happen to stop in there ask for him. He knows everything about the store and is a very talented artist.

Fur Friday

2011-07-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Fur Friday everyone.

Here's a couple of pics to make your day even more Cherry... I mean Cheery:)

This was sent in by Adria. She wrote:

Attached is a picture of my two babies, Colby Jack and my Harvey's Cherry purse. He seems to love it just as much as I do!! :) He actually seems to like the Cherry one better than my Blackberry! He has good taste though as cherries ROCK :D Keep up the good work, you guys are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Adria and we think Colby Jack is amazing. BTW, does he like cheese by any chance?

This pic was sent in by Carly. She wrote:

Thought I would share a picture or two of my beach babe, Libby, with my Black Cherry MBT.

Who am I kidding. She's not a beach babe. We are landlocked.

Who cares. She's stinkin' cute.

I totally agree with you Carly. She is stinkin' cute.

As you probably know, yesterday we released the SeatbeltDog collection. I would love to see some pics of your Furry Friends wearing their new HARVEYS collars and leashes. Maybe even some matching your bag. If you happen to have one, please send it to info@seatbeltbags.com

What's Up Dog?

2011-07-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

After much anticipation, The Original SeatbeltDog is now available!

View the collection here

Bone Appetit

2011-07-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished up the Bone Display. Just in time for the launch of The Original Seatbelt Dog tomorrow.

Family Tradition

2011-07-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

Last Year I had a contest and asked you to send in pictures of you with your HARVEYS bag on vacation. I received so many great photos with some great stories. You can see the original post HERE

One photo in particular stood out. It was sent in by Karen with this note:

The attached family photos were taken this year at Disneyland. The first photo of my brother,sister and I by the door at the Alice In Wonderland Ride, is very special because when we where younger (over 20 years ago) we took a similar photo of the three of us. This year we recreated that special moment and it just so happened that I had on my favorite handbag the Harvey's Disney B&W Boat Tote. I wanted to send a photo of the original picture but unfortunately I can't find it at the moment.

Well, low and behold she finally found it and emailed it to me last week with this note:

After much searching with my cousin we tracked down a copy. since the photo contest we have continued the tradition of taking the same picture at Disneyland and each time now with one of my Disney/HARVEYS bags. Thanks for such great bags and services.

- Karen

P.S. I have also included a more recent photo of my family taken at Disneyland of course with one of my Disney/HARVEYS bags.

Thank you for sharing Karen and for making HARVEYS a part of your family tradition.

One Of My Favorite Quotes

2011-07-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

... by one of my favorite actresses.

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others

for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness

and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone

- Audrey Hepburn

Red White and You

2011-07-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures that were posted on our Facebook page over the holiday weekend. I hope you all had a blast

Thanks for making HARVEYS a part of your 4th of July celebrations.

As Seen on TV

2011-07-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

HARVEYS will be on the KTLA 5 News @ 10pm tonight.

I can't wait to see it.

Shag Tonight

2011-07-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to the Shag art show at Grand Central Art Center tonight.

Maybe I'll see you there.

I just read a really neat interview with Shag and he gave HARVEYS a little shout out.

See it HERE

July 2011 First Friday

2011-07-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Happy First Friday!

Without further ado...

Meet the last 2 collections of Summer 2011.

and

I hope you enjoy 'em... because I sure do!

I Just Wanted To Tell You That...

2011-06-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

I was just feeling so happy today and wanted to say, it's because of all of YOU that I'm able to live my dream. Thank you :)

Toyota Sav Mart 350

2011-06-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Last Weekend our Race Crew drove the Airstream up to the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California for the Toyota Sav Mart 350. Here's a few shots from the weekend.

They got off to a rough start. The Airstream had some tire trouble so they had to make a pit stop.

But they got back on track and once they got up there the fun started. Allison, our HARVEYS Trophy Girl, got to pose with some of the drivers: Martin Truex Jr.

Joey Logano

...Casey Mears and more...

But more importantly they got to hang out with some of our Seatbeltbag supporters:

Who has their Seatbeltbag with them today?... Me! Me! Me!

This was one of the lucky Raffle Winners

These ladies did a great job customizing their bags.

If you missed us this time, not to worry.

We'll be at the Red Bull Moto GP at the Laguna Seca Raceway: July 22-24.

Hope to see you there.

Tell Me Where To Go

2011-06-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

I often hear from you guys how it's not fair that all our events are in Southern California. Well, here's your chance to have a HARVEYS event right in YOUR HOME TOWN. All you have to do is Vote for one of the HARVEYS Authorized Retailers on our list, HERE and if your store wins, the HARVEYS crew (myself included) will show up and throw you an awesome LTD party.

I'm really excited to meet some new Seatbeltbag Supporters. There's only a couple of weeks left to vote so hurry and get your votes in today.

It's No Picnic

2011-06-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be great to have a Picnic Table for our back yard this Summer so I did some research and found plans online.

I made a materials list, recruited a helper and headed to Home Depot.

I chose California Redwood for it's natural weather wearing properties. This is what It looked like after we cut everything out and pre-drilled the holes.

With the aid of a few power tools...

Voila - We had a Picnic table.
OK, I'll be honest... it was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. In the end it came out pretty good though, so it was definitely worth all the hard work.
We'll be getting a lot of use out of it this Summer, in fact, we ate dinner on it just last night.
If you're up for the challenge and would like to make one too, you can find the plans HERE

MUG Shots

2011-06-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I was grabbing a cup of coffee this afternoon and noticed how a persons coffee mug often reflects their personality. Here's a few mug shots from our office:

Carin - Nicole

Irene - Joe

Nancy - Addrienne

Nicola - Me

Sharon - Malia

Cheryl - Melanie

Paul - Allison

Christopher - Lindsey

Alex - Maverick

SHAG

2011-06-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Melanie and I have been big Shag fans since the 90's

These Calypso prints hang in our bedroom

We bought them at the Starlite Room in Long Beach at a Book Signing

Through the years we've watched him grow in popularity. We're big fans of all his work with Disney. This print hangs in our Nursery

And we have this pillow that he designed too.

We were very excited when we learned that Grand Central Art Center is hosting a show for him with a retrospect of his past prints.

It's called Hand Pulled and opens next Saturday. I know I'll be there, hope you can make it too.

Fur Friday

2011-06-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Trish sent in this pic of her Golden Retrievers, Shania and Quaid modeling their Disney x HARVEYS bags.

She wrote:

Okay, so I know I missed the last Fur Friday, however I realized that my love of

Harveys, Disney and Golden Retrievers runs deep and wanted to take this photo to

show you all three combined. These are my four-footed children, Shania and

Quaid. I do have to tell you that my daughter keeps hoping that an eventual

Disney bag release of yours will represent her favorite character, Pluto. (hint

hint) ;-) Oh and we are looking forward to the Seatbeltdog accessory line too

- they looked FABU at Patchwork!!!

<3 Trish

Thanks for Sharing Trish and happy Fur Friday, Shania and Quaid

Harveys Hump Day Dump Day

2011-06-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

An awesome Seatbeltbag fan, Mindy, has a super cool blog called Country Fairy Tale.

She's got a new "tradition" she's calling Harveys Hump Day Dump Day, where she features a Seatbeltbag fan, their bag, and all the goodies carried inside.

Today, she featured one of our favorite employees, Christopher.

Thanks Mindy for such an awesome post!

Be sure to check out her blog!

Summer Esale

2011-06-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out our esale HERE

...and you can find the lowest prices on gas in your area at Gas Buddy

They even have an ap for your iphone or smartphone.

Now that's what you call a win-win situation.

Let the savings begin...

Father's Day Tea Party

2011-06-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

This morning, the girls made me Bengal Spice Tea, toast with Jelly and a Happy Father's Day card.

So precious.

Fur Friday

2011-06-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Boo, checking out Marilyn's Little Collection LS

A pint-sized bag for a pint-sized kitty

If you'd like to share a picture of your furry friend on, in or beside your HARVEYS bag, email it to info@seatbeltbags.com

Made in America

2011-06-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

KTLA 5 News does a really neat segment that features companies who manufacture their products here in America. I'm a huge fan and have been watching it ever since they first started so when I found out they wanted to do a story on HARVEYS, I was super excited.

They were out here filming this morning and I was a little nervous... OK a lot nervous. I think because it's going to be seen by so many people.

It will air on the week of July 4th on KTLA 5 News.

I'm not sure the exact day but I'll post it as soon as I find out.

YAY!!!

Guess what I worked on today?

2011-06-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

The Seatbeltdog accessories will be launching very soon so today I worked on a display for them. It will be used in our HARVEYS stores. I'll post more pics when it's finished.

Hello Kitty

2011-06-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the Super Pet Adoption event at the Irvine Animal Care Center. The girls have been asking for a kitty so we came out to find one.

We got there early and waited in line. It was a good thing too because the line got pretty long

They called it Orange County's Largest Pet Adoption Event and they weren't kidding.

There were over 800 animals up for adoption and it wasn't just cat's and dogs. There were bunnies and other animals too.

It was heartbreaking to see all of the unwanted pets and they were definitely eager to find families to go home with.

We bumped into one of our past interns, Julia and her boyfriend John. They already have a British Bulldog and wanted to find him a friend. They ended up taking home this cute little guy.

We stopped by the Boxer Rescue. Our Boxer, Rocky passed last November. He was the inspiration for the Original Seatbeltdog. We miss him dearly and whenever the girls see a boxer they say "There's Rocky".

It was great to see that so many people came out to support all of these unwanted furry friends.

We stopped at Caring Friends Cat Rescue

and fell in love with this kitty family. The mother was pregnant when she was turned in to the shelter so she was able to raise all of her kittens and they had been well cared for.

We wished we could rescue them all but when they told us that it's hard for them to find homes for black cats, it made our decision easy

Right when we saw her Melanie said, "Let's call her Boo", just like the little girl in Monster's Inc. I thought it was very fitting since she is a black cat.

The volunteers at Caring Friends Cat Rescue are amazing. They foster a lot of these cats in their own homes. They have very strict guidelines for potential adoptees. We had to fill out 3 pages of questionnaires. We are so happy to welcome Boo into our family. Coco is very gentle with her even though Boo hisses whenever she comes near.

Look for more pics of Boo this Fur Friday.

Kidnapped

2011-06-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

A few girls at HARVEYS were celebrating their birthdays this week so Paul and Malia devised a secret plan to kidnap them and whisk them away for a surprise Birthday treat.

They blindfolded Allison, Cheryl and Ashley. (HARVEYS duster bags worked perfectly)

Then shuffled them into Malia's Jeep

And were treated to an afternoon of pampering

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS!

Sincerely Jules

2011-06-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Julie Sarinana has one of the most successful Fashion and Style blogs called Sincerely Jules. Her boyfriend, Temoc Gonzalez used to design for HARVEYS and has since moved on to work on some amazing projects including a line of T-shirts with Julie.

She gave us a little shout out on her Blog today, featuring the HARVEYS for Sujean collection.

Temoc actually headed this collaboration with Sujean and worked closely with her to come up with each bag. I'm so proud of him in his new ventures and wish him continued success. Thanks for the shout out Julie and keep up the good work.

You can visit her blog HERE.

Fur Friday

2011-06-10T05:18:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the girls set up a Lemonade and Brownie stand to raise money for Furry Friends.

They had a goal to raise enough money to buy 1 bag of dog food and 1 bag of kitty food to donate to the local animal shelter

Our neighbor donated the lemons and the girls helped make everything.

Coco was even helping out.

They had a lot of customers and managed to raise $28.75. Not quite enough to meet their goal but they each offered to pitch in a couple of weeks allowance.

Ever since they could talk, both girls have been begging for a kitty. We've been trying to teach them the responsibility that comes with owning a pet and how it's not like a new toy that you get rid of when you are tired of playing with it. It takes a lot of love, time and money to care for an animal so they've been helping brush and feed Coco and taking her for walks.
We think they're finally ready now so tomorrow we'll be going to this event and bringing home a new Furry Friend to add to the Harvey family.

They are so excited and keep asking if it's Saturday yet. They even have names ready depending on whether it's a boy or a girl and the best part is we get to bring Coco along too.

London Calling

2011-06-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Angel emailed this pic of her with her HARVEYS bag in London. She seems to have attracted a lot of attention from the armed forces. Love it.

Apples to Apples

2011-06-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Fashion Island, Newport Beach just to roam around and window shop.

Melanie was carrying her Apple LS which matched these 2 window displays so I snapped a couple of pics with my iphone.

No, Thank YOU!

2011-06-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

We got the sweetest surprise in the mail yesterday.

Thank you so much Ashley & Jeff. You really shouldn't have. It was fun hanging out with everyone at Patchwork and we are the ones that should be thanking everyone for coming out and supporting a great cause. We're going to do something special when we present RUFF with all of your Donations. So stay tuned.

We have several Vegans here in the office so they really appreciated the fresh fruit.

I'm munching on the caramel corn right now. Thanks again.

Fish Fry-day

2011-06-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

Every year (since 1947) The Lions Club hosts the Fish Fry Festival at Lions Park in Costa Mesa to raise funds for charity. Melanie has been going since she was 10 years old. We went this past weekend.

It was such a beautiful day, I decided to ride my bike (15 miles) and meet the girls there. I'm training for a 100 mile bike ride so I take any chance I can get to ride. Anyway... the first stop was for Italian Ice. What flavors do you think we picked?

DYK? We were originally going to call the new Scarlet color, Cherry. Then we started getting confused and didn't know if someone was talking about the Cherry Print or the Cherry Color or the Cherry Boat Tote. So at the last minute we changed it to Scarlet which I absolutely love now. Apple was going to be called Green Apple but we decided that just plain old Apple had a better ring to it. Well, I may have been a little influenced by my favorite computer company.

We actually give as much thought to picking the right color name as we do to selecting the perfect shade. For us it's like finding the perfect name for a new baby.

Then we jumped in line for the Fish Fry Plate

We dream about this all year. There's something about the way they do it or maybe it's the setting but you just can't get this anywhere else. A little salt and vinegar... Mmmm.

A lot of preparation goes into this event and the Lions Club volunteers are so awesome.

After lunch we took the girls on some of the carnival rides

Loved this color combo

I spent $25 trying to win one of these but sadly walked away empty handed.

Then we grabbed a funnel cake to share...

Laid out our blanket on the grass...

... and enjoyed the music.

That's how we Roll

2011-06-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share this Pic of our Race crew at the airport, on their way home from Indy.

They customized these Rolling Cases and use them as their mobile office so they have everything they need to work from the road. I love how they look just like the Airstream.

Ode to Minnies

2011-06-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Lisa Plume Harvey (No relation but love the last name Lisa) was inspired to write this brilliant poem as her Ode to Minnies:

Oh HARVEYS Minnie, I love you so

2 or 3 with me wherever I go

ipod, gift cards, snacks and more

You hold the things that I adore

flexible chain as a wristlet or clutch

I'll keep buying more since I love you so much

Thank you Lisa, this made me smile so I created this to accompany your wonderful poem. It's a mix of some of the different MINNIES that we offer.

Grease is the Word

2011-06-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you remember or not but last Summer I posted this video on the blog and asked you guys if you wanted to see the Summer Luvin collection again. We had a ton of "YES" comments so we brought it back for you.

Our family loves watching Grease. We think it's a funny coincidence that I'm from Australia and met Melanie here in America.
Grease was the inspiration for the Summer Luvin Collection. The smaller size was very popular in the 50's and as you'll see in this video, all the bright fun summer colors are reminiscent of that era. I hope you're enjoying it because you asked for it :)
See the original post HERE

June 2011 First Friday

2011-06-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Happy First Friday!

We hope you enjoy!

Cadillac Ranch

2011-06-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

On the way home from Indy 500 our race crew (the Petersons) made a pit stop at Cadillac Ranch. It's just outside of Amarillo Texas. They sent me these pics from the road yesterday.

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation created from a bunch of old Cadillacs. It was put up in the early 70's. It's actually a real ranch too. Melanie and I stopped on our way to Austin earlier this year and there were cows roaming right next to us.

Love the Stars and Stripes theme. Perfect for Summer.

It's somewhat of a tradition for travelers to add to the masterpiece so the race crew decided to get creative. If you're ever in Texas, rolling along the I-40 check out Cadillac Ranch.

Patchowork 2011 part 1

2011-05-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time hanging out with everyone at Patchwork today. A big thank you to everyone that came out to support. I am still in shock at how much we were able to raise for RUFF but more on that later. There were so many great pics of the event that I decided to split them up. Here's Part 1.

The Silent Auction started at 11am and ran till 3pm

While everyone was waiting we had plenty of fun activities

Custom Patchwork Buttons

Lots of fun HARVEYS giveaways like raffles, stickers, postcards, pencils, etc...

...and a fun craft project where you got to make your very own HARVEYS tile coaster

There were several designs to choose from

It took a few minutes for them to dry which gave everyone a perfect opportunity to check out the rest of patchwork.

I had to get a pic of this group with their PBN.

This was the lucky winner of the one-of-a-kind zipper pull charm bracelet, which matched her silver bag perfectly.

I snapped this pic of a charm bracelet that Sandie made herself.

Melanie Hosted a Design Lab and explained the process of how we make every new bag. I'll be posting more detail on this for all of you that weren't able to make it so stay tuned.

It was so great to see so many younger girls with their HARVEYS bags.

These sisters were so adorable. I was very impressed with how the older one customized her bag.

She even asked if Melanie and I would sign it.

This girl won this bag almost 3 years ago on our Newsletter contest back when we first released the Little Collection. Before we had Facebook and the Blog we had a monthly Newsletter.

We had a raffle giveaway every hour on the hour.

Lacey's Nails matched her Wild Cherry Clutch Wallet.

A lot of people drove a long way to come to Patchwork.

This was the first time she wore her "Death or Glory" Sid bag. It looked brand new.

I spotted these girls while I was grabbing a bite to eat at the lunch truck.

Sporting her new Razzleberry collar and leash that her mommy won in the silent auction.

This bag is way old school. She said she bought it 12 years ago and has over 20 bags.

We were able to raise $4,000 for RUFF. This is way, way, way more than I ever expected. I am truly touched and humbled by your overwhelming generosity. Thank you so very much everyone. Your donations will be going to a very worthy cause.

And a huge thank you to our HARVEYS Crew, volunteers:

Addrienne

Christopher

Carin

Erin

Irene

Nicola

and Sharon

Who graciously gave their personal time to help out RUFF. We really appreciate it guys.

Charmed.

2011-05-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

These are a few of our past and present bag charms.

Irene Barker used to our Retail Stores. Now she's part of our Operations team and even helps us out in the Design department from time to time. She created a line of one-of-a-kind jewelry using some of our charms and hardware, exclusively for the silent auction at Patchwork tomorrow.

She also has her very own booth at Patchwork where she will be selling her artistic creations. If you're coming out tomorrow be sure to check out gatita bonita (pretty kitty).

Fur Friday

2011-05-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of your Furry Friends to remind us that Patchwork is only 2 days away. We'll be raising funds to benefit RUFF (Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends) with a silent auction and much more.

Audossie...

Chico, Cali...

...and Bailey, hope you can make it to Patchwork to help out their Unwanted Furry Friends.