Designer Cosmetic Case Giveaway

Posted on | May 7, 2012 | 64 Comments

This giveaway is now CLOSED we will be announcing a winner shortly. Thank you for entering.

We are running our own Designer Cosmetic Case Giveaway for one week only! We wanted to make this week special for our fabulous fans.

Put some sunshine into your daily routine with our fabulous new designer cosmetic cases.

Use our cases for:

Makeup

Feminine products

A small purse for a trip to the store

Snacks (it has a food safe wipe clean interior)

To match your Maxwell Designs purse or diaper bag

Pretty much anything you want, its so versitile!

What do you have to do to enter? Visit our Cosmetic Page and tell us a) what fabric you love the most and b) what you would use your case for.

On Monday May 14th 2012 we will randomly select a winner. You must comment on here on our blog to be entered.

FOR EXTRAS ENTRIES:

Become a fan of Maxwell Designs of facebook (facebook does not endorse or sponsor this giveaway). Leave a comment saying your a NEW fan.

Spread the word about our giveaway in your social media circles. Leave a comment saying when and where you posted to qualify.

Subscribe to our newsletter - confirmation must be completed to qualify.

Open to Canadian and US residents (international residents may enter but please be advised that you will need to pay any extra shipping costs). Ends Monday 14th May at 9am PST.  The winner will have 48hrs to claim their prize.

All our designs are handmade in Vancouver, Canada.

Have you heard about our Mothers Day Special offer? Check out our website for 30% off deals! Only until May 12th 2012.

What to pack in your diaper bag

Posted on | April 28, 2012 | No Comments

What essentials should you pack in your diaper bag? This might seem like a daunting task in the first few days but dont worry, we have supplied a handy list to set you up for many successful outings.

Diaper rash cream (just incase) I recommend using one in a stick form in order to keep your hands from having to get too messy and deal with a squirmy baby.

Travel change pad - preferably one that can be washed 

Weather appropriate accessories – hat, mittens, warm winter hat, blanket. Try to use a blanket or wrap that is mulitfunctional. One that can be used to cover the stroller on sunny days, to give baby more comfort or warmth or as a nursing cover.

Favorite stuffy and binky (good to have a back up binky too)

Teething toys if you are at that stage, preferably natural products which can also be cleaned.

Feeding: if nursing then a large cloth or blanket if you want to be discreet.

If at the food stage 2-3 bibs

CAMERA or phone with a camera - don’t miss the opportunity to catch babies firsts! A charger is a great idea too, a car charger or one you can use whilst on a playdate or coffee shop.

Lip balm for you and baby (can double as a moisturizer on baby’s cheeks if needed)

Tissues – for those runny nosed toddlers

Sling or carrier – essential to get cranky babes to sleep and does away with a stroller

Board books for toddlers

Dont worry if you forget something – usually its something you can easily borrow or purchase should you need to.

 

What’s in your bag?

Posted on | April 26, 2012 | No Comments

Ever wondered what your bag is made of? Do you consider what materials are used in your diaper bag or purse before buying it? Here is a great post from Suzanne of Mommy Footprint written about Teflon lined diaper bags:

“A recent question from Pearl on the Mommy Footprint fan page had me interested from the moment I read it.  Thank you for asking about Teflon lined diaper bags Pearl!  I had no idea that some of the many popular diaper bag options sold are lined with Teflon. Since reading Pearl’s question, I’ve spent a few hours researching the article from the standpoint “if I was to purchase a bag with Teflon lining, how would I dispose of this material at the end of the bags life?”.

Well, I cannot find a way for an owner of a diaper bag to dispose of the Teflon after the bag’s use is over. Not only that, most articles about Teflon lined diaper bags think it’s okay to use this material since the bag won’t be licked or eaten from. I’m not a chemist or scientist but the problem with Teflon is when the material is heated. So why would you worry about that in a diaper bag? I go back to my initial argument about how you’ll dispose of the bag once it’s cracked and smelly? You cannot recycle the materials it’s made from so it’s going into the garbage. What happens to garbage? It gets incinerated.

The toxic chemicals that teflon omits are called Perfluoinated Teflon Pollutants: PFOA and PFOS. You have no doubt heard of these compounds because environmentalists have been suggesting for years to not cook with Teflon frying pans because of PFOA and PFOS. Why are these chemicals such a big deal?  They are some of the worst chemicals in the environment today because once they are released they never go away. They can be found in all humans (babies still in utero), whales, and polar bears in the arctic that have never made themselves eggs using a Teflon pan. This fact shows how destructive these chemicals are to the environment and to our children! These chemicals are causing infertility, tumors, thyroid disruption and weakened immune systems.   Even if your diaper bag doesn’t end up in the incinerator – PFOA is released into the environment when produced. Like PVC, it is toxic from the time it’s produced and there is no way to dispose of it without causing further harm to the environment and human health.

A few other random checkpoints came up while I was looking at different models of diaper bags. Many models talk about a ‘foam’ or memory foam that is inside the change mat for added comfort. Here is a Mommy Footprint test.

What question as consumers do we always have to ask when a product has foam and it’s going to be near our baby?  Synthetic foam is a highly flammable material so what needs to be added so it passes North American regulation?  If you answered flame retardants you have been listening!  I would mark this as another question to ask when purchasing a diaper bag with a change pad. Has the foam inside the diaper bag or change pad been treated with flame retardants?  If they cannot answer this question, you’ve got your answer.

Lastly, a covering of scotch guard or antibacterial coating or protection on a diaper bag might be marketed as an amazing feature. Yes, children poo, throw-up, and more around a diaper bag, but doesn’t it make more sense to create a product that is washable rather than coated with chemicals to ‘protect’ against germs?  Scotchgard has the same effect on the environment as Teflon by distributing PFOA into the environment with devastating consequences.  .

A really easy cheat sheet when researching diaper bags to narrow down synthetic materials is to ask:

Does this bag contain:

flame retardants in the foam?

teflon in the liner?

PVC in the liner?

antibacterial or scotchgard on outer fabric?”

If a company cannot answer these questions, you are not purchasing a chemical free diaper bag. Diaper bags cost a lot of money!  Make it an important aspect of planning a baby shower or wish list for gifts and research the key items…not only for the effects that product will have on baby, but on the world they are inheriting!

(to read this post in full please click on the Suzanne of Mommy Footprint link above)

This is a great time to point out that ALL of Maxwell Designs products are made using no chemicals or foam. 90% of our diaper bags/messenger bags are biodegradeable (except for the addition of our new patent leather bases). Our Travel Change Pads are made of 100% cotton with a small piece of velcro to keep the change pad closed – thats it!

We pride ourselves on being as eco-friendly as possible, from our carbon footprint to the fabrics we choose. We still make all our products by hand and take great pride in using only the best fabrics and materials available in order for us to provide you with a unique, polished product that you will love, without the toxins.

Thank you Suzanne for allowing me to use this post and for doing all the ground work! Fabulous job.

Maggie – Maxwell Designs

 

Choosing the right diaper bag

Posted on | April 19, 2012 | No Comments

Are you in the process of choosing a diaper bag or thinking of purchasing a new one? Do you feel you have to choose between style and function? You are not alone.

A diaper bag is seen as an essential purchase so why compromise? A great bag will keep you organised, able to find what you need in a hurry and make outings a pleasureable occasion. A fabulous bag will let also let you keep your style, go from diaper bag to purse and won’t scream diaper bag.

Here are some essentials you should look for when deciding on the perfect bag:

It would ideally have:

• Pockets
• Adjustable strap
• Zippered pocket for valuables
• Durability

All of those features make a great diaper bag, but what about style? sophistication? function? and fun?

At Maxwell Designs we have the whole package, we kept style as the key feature so that you feel special every time you use any of our products. Each diaper bag is crafted by hand with great attention to detail and the most sophisticated prints.

These are just some of the features our Designer Diaper Bags offer:

• Lots of pockets for diapers, wipes, snacks, and phone.
• Matching key chain so you can always locate your keys
• Zippered pocket for your valuables
• Sturdy base so bag won’t tip over
• Adjustable strap
• Waterproof patent leather base
• Metal purse feet
• Stroller hooks to attach your stroller clips to and hang your bag onto your stroller
• Matching Cosmetic Cases & Travel Change Pads.

AND BEST OF ALL – our bags don’t look like diaper bags so you can use them long after you need a diaper bag or if you dont need a diaper bag at all. Our Chelsea bags double as a sophisticated messenger bag and our totes are so chic anyone can use them!

We love what we do and we pass that on to you.

Designer Makeup Case and Purse Special Offer

Posted on | March 22, 2012 | No Comments

Have you seen the latest Designer product in our line up? Its our fabulous Designer Makeup Case.

Here’s what one of our latest customers is saying about our makeup cases

“Thanks to Maggie for my GORGEOUS, spacious and super beautiful to look at makeup bag! There’s so much room in here for all the little cases I’ve collected and it also transports beautifully. The opening is generous so that I can easily see all the contents. I’m going to order at least one more just because I love it so much! – Ilana – Owner of AppleCheeks.

So why not brighten up your beauty routine by adding this fabulous accessory to your purse or bag.

We now have a special offer available for our most valuable fans:

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER ONLY – available until March 30th 2012 – Available in 3 different fabric choices

35% OFF regular pricing for PRE-ORDER

 (please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery as every product is made by hand)

(This offer will not be repeated)

Click on this link to go directly to the offer!

Use on its own or co-ordinate with your favourite Maxwell Designs Designer Purse or Diaper Bag.

Comes complete with a wristlet strap which is detachable. Made from high qulaity fabric with a top zipper and a wipe clean waterproof lining. This case/ purse has so many uses:

Makeup case Jewelry Wallet And so much more…

Size approx

REGULAR:  5? long x 2? wide x 3? height

LARGE: 7?long x 3? wide x 5? height

Has a wipe clean interior for ease of cleaning, and its food safe.

Proudly made in Vancouver, Canada

Don’t forget – shipping is FREE over $150 – so all our Designer Purses, Hobos, Totes and Diaper Bags ship for free (some restrictions may apply).

Maxwell Designs Featured Retailer – Tiny Tree Hugger – Winnipeg

Posted on | February 23, 2012 | No Comments

 

 

Bio

Tiny TreeHugger is a small mom-owned company. From a seedling of an idea three years ago, to today, I never would have imagined that I could have four kids and run a business out of my laundry room/shop! I have cloth diapered three of those children and knew that I wanted to share my enthusiasm for it with others. This passion for cloth diapering has turned into a passion for helping others get to the root of living. Less garbage, less toxins, more homemade, more reusing, more LOVE for the Earth we are blessed with.

We focus mostly on cloth diapers, baby carriers and natural products including laundry detergent, also other baby and kid friendly items. We also LOVE mom made items and value the hard work that goes into each product made.

My favorite Maxwell Designs product, without a doubt, are the designer makeup cases! There are so many uses for them and we use it to organize the diaper bag, adding that extra ‘pocket’.

My favorite Tiny TreeHugger product is our cloth diapers right now. We are just potty training the two year old, so soon we will be back to having only one in cloth.

What do I do in my free time? I often think I don’t have a lot of free time, but when I do take time for me, I like sitting down to read a good book [the latest read: The Help], or making cards, blogging, or in the warmer months jogging outdoors. I also enjoy cooking [although not the cleanup] and researching clean eating and healthy recipes. This year I also look forward to having a garden for the first time in three years!

Tiny TreeHugger is offering 10% off any Maxwell Designs product with code ‘maxwell’ (Not to be combined with any other offers. Expires last day of April 2012)

Maxwell Designs featured on Handbag Designer 101

Posted on | February 18, 2012 | No Comments

Direct link to Maxwell Designs spotlight on Handbag Designer 101 here:

	Login | Create Account | Weekly Roundup | Designer Registry    HANDBAG AWARDS
TODAY’S DESIGNER SPOTTED ON BAG TRENDS CELEBRITY BAG WATCH JOBS & SERVICES HANDBAG AWARDS 2012 TIPS VIDEOS

MAXWELL DESIGNS Grey Hobo Bag/Purse with Black Leather Accents in Grey Impressions, $200 Hobo Bag/Purse with Cream Leather Accents in Aqua Lark, $200 Black Hobo Bag/Purse with Black Leather Accents in Black Chains, $200

It’s been an amazing 5 years since I started designing purses and I have enjoyed every single second of it. I am so excited about my latest Hobo and Tote designs. They are fresh, sophisticated and they have been so fun to design. I am now at the stage of contacting potential retailers to stock Maxwell Designs products, so if any retailers out there love my designs I would love to hear from you. I started off using hemp as my main material as I loved the feel, durability and eco-friendliness of the fabric. I added in cotton for a splash of color but tried to get as many unique patterns as possible. I have recently moved into leather and I am loving it! Why have I not used this medium before?? Its soft, beautiful and adds a touch of decadence that takes my designs to the next level. All my bags are still made by hand in Vancouver, B.C, Canada. This is a conscious decision on a number of levels. I wanted to keep design control so that the quality control aspect stopped with me and me alone, I wanted to reduce our carbon footprint and not have items shipped around the globe multiple times and I love the idea of employee moms who work from home, allowing them to spend time doing what they love, where they love doing it. Maxwell Designs was created just before my first son, Maxwell was born. I was looking for a diaper bag and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t made of vinyl or plastic. I decided to design my own purse and it went from there. I had no idea at the time how incredibly popular my designs would be. I keep challenging myself to come up with new designs and incorporate new mediums which keeps my designs fresh and modern. I have had the opportunity to put my designs into the hands of many celebrities over the past few years which is always exciting and a thrill, you never know where your designs might show up!

What is your name? Maggie Chilton Where are you from? Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada originally but grew up in the U.K Where do you live now? Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada How old are you? 42 Do you have a design background? No Do you still have a day job? No What year were your bags born? 2007 Bag brand name: Maxwell Designs Hobo Bag What is their retail price range? $148 – $264 Where can a shopper buy your bags? http://maxwelldesigns.ca For more information, contact info@maxwelldesigns.ca   Post a comment VIEW ARTICLE ARCHIVE

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Weekly Roundup Designer Registry Handbag Awards 2012

New York Fashion Week 2012

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | No Comments

If you are an avid fashion junkie, follow the latest trends and can’t wait to see what next seasons colors are going to be, then New York Fashion Week is probably your Mecca. This years show has Mercedes-Benz, Maybelline and YouTube colaborating for what must be decribed as an incredible show.

Starting tomorrow (Thursday Feb 9th) here is the schedule of events so your sure not to miss your favourite designer.

Here are some interesting facts about Fashion week – Fact:

“Citywide, attracts approximately 232,000 attendees annually (116,000 each Fashion Week), including fashion designers, media/press, senior executives,buyers, and others. Source: NYCEDC, 2007″

“Originally launched in 1943, then called “Press Week,” to call attention to the innovative fashion designs originating from the US.”

Source: nycfashioninfo.com

And, when your done with New York here are a few others to attend – International Fashion Weeks begin with London, Milan, and finally Paris.

In case you are not one of the fortunate ones to actually be at the shows, here are some must follow peeps, according to International Business Times, so you can get instant updates:

@alexa_chung – style maven extraordinaire

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week - after all it is their event!

Women’s Wear Daily - noted as a fashion bible

and many more here, courtesy of www.ibitimes.com

Maxwell Designs and our Designer Diaper Bags

Posted on | February 1, 2012 | No Comments

We all love a great looking designer purse, but when it comes to a designer diaper bag do you need to compromise on style, functionality or beliefs? At Maxwell Designs we think not.

There are some fabulous designer diaper bags on the market (Maxwell Designs included of course) ranging from $200 all the way up to $800+, here is one I personally love www.sugarjack.com/us/. Any designer diaper bag worth its salt will use the top of the line fabrics, leather and hardware to create unique designs that you are sure to fall in love with.

Buying a diaper bag is something most new moms do not take lightly. After all it will go everywhere they go for the next few years. It has to be practical, look great and do what you want it to do. Diaper Bags have certainly come a long way since our moms used them. Diaper bag companies are now thinking about the modern women and what she wants to be carrying around. Not everyone wants a huge bag made of canvas or vinyl that screams “I AM NOW A MOM”.

Over the past 5 years here at Maxwell Designs we have made changes along the way to better suit our customers. We added an adjustable strap, zippered pockets and higher quality fabrics. But the best is yet to come….

In just a few short weeks we will be rolling out our best design yet! We have taken the time to listen to you, our customers and supporters and have incorporated some key elements to take our designs to the next level. Here are just a few of the new additions you will find on our latest design:

Leather purse handles

A detachable, adjustable strap

More zippered pockets

Leather accents and metal feet to keep your favourite bag from touching the floor….

and a few more we want to keep under wraps for now. We are staying true to our belief that hemp is still the best fabric to have as part of our design. After all it is antimicrobial and it will biodegrade when you are done toting it around, which is great for our environment.

So stay tuned as we update our blog with our latest designs very soon. Thank you for your continued support, we are so glad you are part of our growing family.

Maggie & Team

Maxwell Designs

(This is our current Designer Diaper Bag which you can find here )

Purse & handbag blogs to follow

Posted on | January 26, 2012 | No Comments

If your like me you love to read great purse/handbag blogs that are interesting, fun, have great photos, are full of useful tips and sometimes a little bit of celebrity gossip. Here are some of my favorite blogs that I love to read. If you have one that you would love to share please post a comment as I love finding new interesting blogs.

http://pursenickety.com/

http://www.bagsnob.com/

http://u-handbag.typepad.com/

Handbag Designer 101

Oh! And one more ; )  http://maxwelldesigns.ca/main/blog/

keep looking »