Item:  Upcycled Coach Purse
Seller:  sdallie

Love this purse!!

I have been carrying around lots of paperwork lately, and it’s been a struggle to fit it all neatly into the purses I own.  This purse would be perfect for me!  Plus, it’s super cute, don’t you think?

This week, I am featuring sellers who have submitted their shop to my my Etsy Item of the Day online submission form.  Yesterday, I was all over these darling Back to School notepads, and today I thought I would share the work of Allison Martins from No Star Designs.

I wanted to share Allison’s shop for a few reasons.  First, I love her work!  Look at this awesome the purse pictured above!  Second, I wanted to share her story (which touched me) that she told my in her shop submission:

“I am 23 years old and I am a widow. My husband, Sergeant Michael Martins, USMC, was killed on November 6th, 2009. He was not killed while on deployment, he was killed when he was home. He was on his way to work and an 81 year old man in a Lexus hit him on his motorcycle. My life has been turned up side down,” Allison told me.

“I moved from our home in San Diego, CA back to our home town in Fort Myers, FL. I was going to school full time and had an amazing job that I could see becoming my career. I am currently taking some time off to breathe, travel, get a grasp on life again and to sort of find my way without the love of my life. I plan on going back to school in January to finish my degree in Psychology. Michael and I have a dog and a cat, without them I am not sure where I would be. My family is my rock. And I am not sure I would still be here if it weren’t for my widowed friends I have found along my way.”

Allison said she started to make her own flower clips way before anything happened to her husband Michael.  “I loved the idea of wearing flowers in your hair, but I couldn’t find any that I liked for the right price, so I made my own,” she said.  “I started crafting the wallets and handbags about a month after Michael was killed. It was my escape from thinking, and it still is. I did not start up my Etsy business until March of this year. It was very slow at first and it did not really catch on until June. I have recently moved onto phone cases, particularly iPhone cases, and belts.”

When she is not crafting, Allison says she’s working on her new home.  “I bought a house in March, so that is always an on going project for me,” she said.  I can relate to that!

Also, Allison said she has started watching movies again.  “So you can either find me parked on the couch with HBO on or at the movies,” she said.  “I love to travel, but hate to fly. So I am starting out traveling in the States before I venture overseas. When it’s not an oven outside, I love to go running. I am planning on running the Marine Corps Marathon in October of 2011. I love to escape via books, so I have expanded my book collection over the months (I am always taking suggestions for books). I am in love with finding new ways to preserve Michael’s memory – I recently framed the old license plates from our cars. I tend to frequent the dog park a lot. I love coffee, good food, tea and wine. I love going down to the beach too. Michael and I were married on the beach and we always lived near the beach. I think we were supposed to live out our lives on or by the beach.”

Allison says she has also have fallen in love with writing.  “I started a personal blog about a month after Michael died. I have a hard time communicating what is going on in my head and writing it down is a good way for me to convey to others what’s going on and to get everything off my chest. I would love to one day write a fictional “based off a true story” type of book about Michael and I,” she told me.  I hope everyone takes a moment to visit Allison’s blog – it’s great!

So what’s next for Allison’s crafts on Etsy.com?

“My next step is to work on something for the men. I have had a lot of guys ask me to do men’s wallets. It’s just so hard to find something I think would be good enough for a guy to actually buy it. I also want to start working on journals,” she told me.  I am excited to see the new products soon!

A big thanks to Allison for sharing her story and her crafts with me.  I was touched to hear about Michael, and I appreciate her courage!

Connect with Allison!  Check out her shop’s page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter!

- Jackie