fresh. new. finally.

coming soon. maybe even today, if time is on my side.

find them here, very shortly!

:: april 26 :: now listed in the shop

the multi tasker

this is a new tote i'm getting ready to add to the shop. i made this particular one for a lovely friend, who asked me to make her a tote to use as a personal carry-all that doubles as a mama-bag, as she just welcomed her first baby.

it's a fairly simple silhouette, with one small and one large slip pocket on the outside. the inside is chock full of fabulous pockets. two are perfectly sized for holding a case of wipes and a few diapers, but can easily be used for a wallet, small notebook, snack, or the like. there is a small pocket for a cell phone, a pen slip, key strap with carabiner, and a medium zip pocket for goodies that must stay hidden. the straps fit comfortably over one shoulder, and are the right length that the bag won't hit the ground if you hold them down in your hand. it's a pretty good sized tote, and i've decided to call it the multi tasker, as i figure it could probably meet a whole range of needs.

what do you think? i'll be whipping up a few more of these in the next while to have at my craft shows this holiday season, and to put in the shop. hope you like it!

autumn colour week :: orange

i am more than a little excited about today's collage. i love clutches, handbags, shoulder bags, purse, all shapes + sizes, and so i picked some today that fit into the autumn colour week. today's colour [obviously] is orange!

images via shops as listed below

{top row, left to right}

classic clutch, vintage modern fabric :: upstyle

rad rider messenger bag - orange :: marty may

pochette in orange :: morelle

autumn leaves portemone :: portemone

{middle row, left to right}

ballerina tangerina :: jiorji

vintage orange cubes clutch purse :: pouch

modern retro handbag orange brown golden yellow :: sweet pea totes

petit cressier clutch - xl in orange burlap :: sacs bio by ira grant

{bottom row, left to right}

brown flowers in pumpkin :: eight seasons

zippered pouch clutch cosmetic bag - charcoal :: venezie bags

small simple clutch - white and oranges :: mollusa

small grey wool felt/orange leather messenger bag :: kazzki

a few more things...

thought i'd share a few more things i've sent off from my shop in the past week. baby olivia had a really fun and vibrant colour scheme for me to work with. hot + light pinks, mustard yellow, brown, and tiffany blue. i suggested adding another darker shade of aqua to the mix to help balance out the warm and cool tones, and away we went. i think they turned out really well, bold + sweet + fun. i hope wee olivia feels the same way.

these personalized 'd' totes were sent off to a new home in alberta last week. i was pretty excited about this order, i love making my tote bags, and i'm trying to get them noticed a little more. let's hope this is just the beginning!

and then one more set of cloth blocks! this was a fun set, it's the first custom order i've had for a baby boy, so i happily pulled together some adorable boyish blues + greens. my customer loved the alexander henry 2D zoo fabric so much we decided to feature it on each block, and extend the rest of the colour scheme from there. it was fun to work in a different way, and i love how the finished product turned out. i also got to use one of my fave recent fabric purchases, tula pink's caspian in dark blue from her awesome neptune collection [shown, bottom left]. love it!

another new baby boy will be getting a set of blocks in a couple of weeks. i'm putting them together in fits and spurts when i carve out the time, and i'll share pictures next week. i'm trying hard to find a balance in life and work these days. with my 4 year-old son on summer vacation, it's more difficult to work during the day, but i must say i'm having fun with a little vacation time of my own. we're having some incredible weather in vancouver this past while, so i'm just basking in it while i have the chance! have a great weekend everyone, and i'll see you back here next week...

fireworks

here is a bag i finished last week, part of a first birthday gift for a good friend's baby girl. i love love love this amusement park fabric by jessica jones. feels very retro 'price is right' to me. 

and then there are the colours. i've talked about those before.

i'm having fun using thick wool felt to back my tote bags. it's a textile i've always loved, and it just screams out for reverse appliques and lots of stitching. more pics are on my flickr.

i've been working hard, getting some stock ready for my [soon-to-be] shop. there will certainly be lots more of these totes to come. and i'm nearly finished working with my fabric stacks. i'll post pictures as soon as the sun comes out. spring, anyone?

bag lady

last fall i participated in a craft show. i sewed 'wee chef' apron + potholder + oven mitt sets, and loads of tote bags. these were my three favourite totes, but really i loved making them all. some were more geared towards kids, others for adults. they're super handy to use as a purse, library bag, small shopping bag, or a matchbox car-carrying bag, which is how my son likes to use his.

'bird + tree' small tote. denim exterior with a silkscreened willow tree on the front pocket. lined with joel dewberry's sparrow fabric in almond colourway.

'a hit of pink' medium tote. denim front with a peek-a-boo reverse applique. alexander henry's viceroy fabric in black + white for the straps and back. lined with kaffe fassett's aboriginal dot in pink.

'coriander seahorse' small tote. grey wool felt front with peek-a-boo reverse applique. backed with amy butler's coriander fabric in dark grey + aqua. lined with heather ross' seahorses in aqua + orange. [heather ross is one of my favourite fabric designers. i horde all of her fabrics]

this tote bag was my definite fave from last fall's craft show. i'm glad it found a good home, and i'm sure it is well-loved.

more pics of my tote bags, along with other smidgebox products, can be seen on my flickr.