I had the pleasure of getting to know Megan and Jenn at MC Adams Clothier this weekend. For my local peeps, MC Adams Clothier is amazing. Beautiful, well-curated clothing and great service to boot! You really should stop by. It’s right next to Char restaurant on Howard St. Just one block off King St.

Last month, Megan and Jenn so kindly asked if I’d come and be their featured local artist/designer during September’s Art Crawl. I immediately said yes as I’ve been thinking about doing some things locally with my business and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my feet wet. And what fun it was!

As I pulled up and started to unload a trunk-full of scarves and pillows, it began to drizzle which made us all groan but we rolled with it. The original plan was to set up outside with a antique couch to display pillows but moving inside their beautiful store turned out to be just as great. Cheese, crackers, wine, good company, beautiful clothes to browse, lovely customers and friends. What more could you ask for!

The above photo was taken of Megan and I at the end of the night. Megan is wearing my Red Roses Scarflette in wool. And I’m wearing a version of the  Shades of Grey Scarf (charcoal shades are available in my store, the one in this photo will go in my store soon!). You can just barely see the classy store decor from these photos…including a wall of black and white damask curtains. Wish I had taken more photos! The store is very pretty and inviting.

A couple more photos from the night.

Besides being among great company for the night, I especially loved the opportunity to hear customer’s reactions as they tried on scarves. Having done mostly online sales up to this point, I often get very appreciative emails after customers receive their items in the mail (which is wonderful!) but hearing the  immediate reactions at the Art Crawl was so helpful. I learned more about my buyers and what they liked about each style. And so much more. That type of information is invaluable as I continue to tweak which colors, styles and lengths are most desired by you all. I also learned that I need to learn how to take compliments better! It was nice to hear so many flattering words about the scarves but I’m still that introvert artist who has a hard time with getting any attention directed my way. But I smiled and thanked and hoped that was enough.

All in all, a wonderful experience.

Thank you, Megan and Jenn, for being so hospitable. It was fun!

Ah! Finally got back to the original idea which inspired my ruffle rose scarves.

Last year about this time, while playing around with felted wool scraps, I began this blanket idea. And finished just one row. When I realized what a wonderful scarf that one row made, I kept going with the scarves (made and sold 400!) but never went back to creating the original throw blanket idea.

But here it is finally! Making this intricate blanket was time consuming but the outcome was well worth it. Seeing that navy is replacing blacks and browns as a updated neutral, I chose all navy tones. Intermixing them made for a wonderfully eclectic throw.

Size: 60″ x 30″

Fabric: recycled sweaters which I felt in very hot water. These are all 100% wool and wool blends which have a 80% or higher wool content. So…very little synthetic fiber!

Available in my etsy shop.

And if you hadn’t seen them yet…the first round of 2010’s scarves are ready here on this website. Click the links at the upper left to view all sorts of colors and lengths.

Happy Wednesday!

Well, people have asked if and when scarves will be available for this fall/winter. And I’ve been teasing with photos here and there.

Happy to say the first round is available!

Click the links to the left for scarflette (30-31″), medium (48″) or long (55″ and up).

In coming weeks, I’ll share photos of how versatile these are…seriously, I don’t just say that because I designed them. Dressed up or dressed down, there is a scarf in the bunch for any style you are after! And if there’s not, contact me and I’ll make you one.

We’ve been enjoying every ounce of summer around here. The slip and slide, waterpark, VBS, and our garden have received the most attention. I’m loving every bit of it. In fact, it was a little strange to flip the calendar to July. I hope time slows down for the last half of summer break!

It’s hard to switch gears sometimes and think about scarves…but I must! Scarf selling season hits pretty fast after school starts.

As mentioned earlier, it has been a busy time of photographing the fall/winter line. I thought you might like a sneak peek.

The scarf designs are created out of reclaimed wool and cashmere sweater knits. Each unique and eclectic scarf is handmade in the beautiful mountains of NC. In order to keep up with demand, I have a few local friends helping me this year with my cutting and sewing. You can find our joint sewing efforts here on my website (as well as in a number of fine boutiques across the US). And if you would like a scarf that came straight from my personal sewing machine, I will list some of those here at EismanDesign.com AND my etsy shop will be devoted to items that I’ve personally sewn. Clear as mud? Basically every scarf goes through my hands several times but I just like to clarify so that you understand I have a number of people helping me sew this year.

The goal is to have the first round available to purchase in our online stores (here and Etsy) by August 1st. The scarves were a hit last year for Christmas gifts so if you’d like to get an early start on your Christmas buying check back in a couple weeks.

Hoping we don’t sell out quite as fast this year! We are working like little elves.

Exciting times here! The last couple days we have started packaging which means our scarves are very close to being available to purchase. It feels like a very big day seeing the mound of scarves grow…all bundled up, tied with a bow, and slid into shiny bags.  Ahhh!

But I’ll back up a few months!

This past fall and winter we sure felt blessed with all the wonderful customers purchasing and sending kind compliments regarding my new scarf idea. And shortly after the first week or two sales, it was exciting to have The Today Show interested in featuring them. (It’s hard to say “The Today Show” and not wonder at the same time if it really happened.) And yes, to be sure, it was a tiny humble little clip about holiday shopping on Etsy but that bit of encouragment and all my happy customers kept me churning out scarves at an insane speed through the holiday season.

It was fun…but a bit wild. I’m still trying to figure out how 400 scarves churned through my sewing machine during the Christmas shopping season!

The thing about me is I go all out when I do something. And I’m a people pleaser so knowing that there were Christmas shoppers that were disappointed when my shop was always sold out drove me to the brink. (And getting all the “when will you have more ready?” emails pushed me over!) I quickly realized I’d need help if I was to offer them another season. So since January 1st, we’ve been very busy behind the scenes preparing for this coming fall and winter.

The first order of business was getting help with the cutting. Each scarf is made of a minimum of 20 pieces and up to 70 pieces for the long lengths. That’s a whole lot of cutting! My own mother has been one of my master cutters! Thanks mom! Once the cutting was well underway, I found several wonderful local woman to do contract sewing. It has been terrific to work with them all and get to know them. And it is mutually beneficial. They are able to work out of their homes, on their equipment and at their desired pace…adding a little to their family’s income during a time that jobs are hard to come by. That thrills me to no end.

And I can truly say that the scarves are each made with talent! Though I don’t sew every scarf myself this season each and every one does go through my hands. Several times in fact!

So that brings us back to today. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be photographing and listing many scarves on this site. There will be lots of styles and sizes to choose from!

If it’s anything like last year, they will go fast so if you wish to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping the scarves will be ready for purchase within the next few weeks!

We’ve added a contact us page to the site. For custom orders, comments, anything. We’d love to hear your suggestions and any other notes you’d like to send!

As you can see from the gallery of photos below, our original rolled rose scarf design can be customized in so many ways. The sky is the limit for color combinations.

Please contact us if you have a specific desire. We’d love to work with you!

New items, new store, new design, new space, new blog. It’s all new here!

I’m pleased to have you browsing! A little background about myself and my products…

I’m Angella Eisman, a bit of a Jane-of-all-trades. Over the years I’ve enjoyed working in print design, illustration, web design, fine art, pottery, photography, children’s clothing design and more. This past year I’ve added women’s accessories and home decor. Why not, eh? I tend to move from one thing to the next. I use to wonder why I could never focus in one area. But why? It’s fun to move from one thing to the next and just explore the creative ideas that come. Then offer them to the world. Then move on to the next.

My current product line was started on a whim. And the whim sold very well…an answered prayer. Having my scarf design featured on the Today Show was wonderful and pushed me along. So here I am, starting a simple store for my products in the hopes that you might find them creative and lovely as well. I take great care in each one…from the design to the materials to the construction.

Come back soon! Pretty pillows and scarves are on the way!

Welcome! I’m so pleased to have you here at That Funky Boutique. As you see, my new site is under a bit of construction. Soon, you’ll find my handmade scarves and pillows right here but until then, please visit my etsy shop.