my Holzman, designer and creator of Belle Bags, has a BS degree in Environmental Science from the University of Rochester. Upon graduation, she was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps. Yes, that's right, she is a former-Marine-turned-fashion-designer. She turned her M-16 rifle in for a sewing machine and her camoflage for Michael Miller fabric. And somewhere in between she became a Mom of two. All three of these careers have been rewarding in their own ways.

But, as common as a story this is of the stay-at-home Mom deciding to design handbags is, that's what happened to her. At some point she became tired of her utilitarian diaper bag and "boring" appearance and wanted to do something for herself again. So, while at a fabric store looking for fabric for her windows, she saw a handmade handbag on display and thought, "that's it! That's what I need!"

After making the first few bags, she knew she had something going and designed the other patterns herself. "I love being able to take the same fabric and pair it up with different trims and accenting fabric to create a completely different look. That makes it so easy and fun for me to design so many one-of-a-kind handbags. The fabric that I bought for my windows is still rolled up, untouched (one of these days I'll give up on the window treatments and turn it into handbags!), but I have made scores of handbags. They are all still handmade only by myself. Okay, okay, I'm stubborn. I'm still stuck on the mentality of 'if you want it done right, do it yourself.' I know I could make more money with my business if I outsourced, but my heart is in every handbag that I make and that is what is important to me."