Gorgeous green clutch bags

 I have a few green clutch bags in my Etsy store and these two are my favourites. It's amazing how different two greens can look. One is made from a mint green Chinese satin and the other is made from a vibrant chartreuse satin.

This Chinese satin clutch has a pretty blossom motif. I chose a matching taffeta lining and added a vibrant green tassel to the zipper pull.

This chartreuse clutch bag is made from my wild grasses print, available to buy by the yard in my Spoonflower shop. I matched the taffeta lining to the green of the grasses design and the tassel is rather pleasingly the same colour as the lining.

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Juicy jewel tones

I'm regularly adding satin clutch bags to my store and the most recent addition is this pretty turquoise version made from a Chinese satin. It has a butterfly motif on the outside with touches of pink in it and I decided to use the same colour pink for the lining for a flash of colour when the bag is opened. I also added a fab decorative turquoise tassel to the zipper pull.

This bag is perfect for a night out and is big enough to fit purse, phone, keys and sunglasses.

This could also be used as a handbag organiser, gadget pouch or makeup bag.

This clutch looks great with the hot pink version with the same butterfly motif.

Each Cheeky Leopard item is gift wrapped in pink tissue paper and can be sent as a gift straight to its recipient with a personal gift message included.

 

Charming Chinoiserie at Pitzhanger Manor

After a three year conservation and restoration project, Pitzhanger House is now open to the public and on Saturday I went along to check it out. The house was designed and built between 1800 and 1804 by Sir John Soane, one of Britain's most influential architects and he built it in then rural Ealing as a country retreat. He built it to showcase his skills as an architect and designed it around his eclectic and growing collection of art and antiquities. The house was also built as a place of entertainment to host dinners and large parties for clients and influential friends.

The restoration project has reinstated important structural features as well as design features, which include the dramatic marbling in the entrance hall and intricately painted ceiling in the dining room. My favourite room is the the Upper Drawing Room where they have recreated the hand-painted Chinese wallpaper.

Chinoiserie is an interior design trend once again and can be seen in many home dec magazines. The style works beautifully as a design on a statement wall.

I love the soft pink of the design below, seen in a recent copy of Living Etc.

Gucci's Resort 2019 collection was strongly influenced by Chinoiserie design.

And even Cheeky Leopard likes to use Chinoiserie-insired fabrics in its creations. This clutch bag uses a dramatic green satin fabric with a bamboo and blossom motif.

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Mother's Day gift ideas

Mother's Day is fast approaching (31st March in the UK) and I'm always thinking of new ideas for Mother's Day gifts in my store. When I went to the Knitting and Stitching show on Sunday, I picked up some rather scrumptious Chinese satin damask fabric and thought it would make the perfect fabric for one of my clutch bags. I love these fabrics as the colours are so vibrant and they sit next to my kimono fabrics rather nicely!

I gravitated towards the butterfly motif which is a symbol of long life in China, as well as representing young, undying love. If two butterflies are seen flying together they are regarded as the perfect emblem of love.

The fabric will be made up into clutch bags rather like the one below.

I love the vibrant pink of this clutch bag and used a lovely turquoise lining to contrast with the outer fabric.

Each clutch bag has a detachable chain strap that can be removed or simply tucked inside the bag.

The clutch is big enough to fit all the essentials for a night out and makes the perfect gift for Mother's Day.

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