Bling it on!

I've recently added these blingy beauties to my store. Both are clutch bags made from stunning vintage Japanese obi fabrics. The obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and often comes in bright colours and is heavily woven, which lends itself perfectly to creating unique clutch bags and evening purses. Because these are vintage fabrics, you are unlikely to find anything similar to this anywhere else.

This clutch bag is made from the same fabric as the tote bag in my store. It's a vibrant combination of multi colour and metallic gold.

I used a bright red cotton fabric for the lining and a flap closure, held closed with a magnetic snap.

The clutch bags are a different style to each other.

This clutch bag is a simple envelope design. It's made from a stunning red, black and gold decorative Japanese vintage fabric.

It also has a bright red cotton lining, and a snap closure at the top of the bag to keep things safe.

You can find them both in my store here.

Ruby reds

We do love a bit of red here at Cheeky Leopard and I'm always on the lookout for a sumptuous ruby to add to the collection. These beauties have recently been created and added to my store and I love them! They are both made from Japanese fabrics that are quite different to each other but both just as stunning. These are the smaller size clutch bag that I do, and I call them my Little Gems. They are big enough to fit the essentials for a night out and fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.

You can find them in my store here.

The clutch bag below is made from a Japanese obi fabric and is woven, using a decorative design of deep red and gold on a red ground. I used a red cotton fabric for the lining.

The clutch bag below is made from a beautifully soft kimono fabric with a red and cream blossom design that has touches of turquoise. I decided to pick out the turquoise colour and use it as the lining colour to compliment the outer fabric. 

Happy Monday

Happy Monday to all on this beautifully sunny, crisp day! My weekend was very productive, preparing for the up-coming International Bazaar at the Tokyo American Club, as well as creating three clutch bags to send to my aunt Judith in Australia.

Judith has been an amazing supporter of Cheeky Leoaprd and gives my clutch bags as presents to friends and family in Australia. The latest batch are all made from vintage Japanese obi fabrics. The obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and they are often richly designed and intricately woven. They lend themselves very well to clutch bags, partly because the fabric is thick and holds its shape, but also because they are vibrantly coloured and often use gold thread.

The clutch bag below is made from a stylised chrysanthemum design that you often see in obi fabrics and kimonos. The outside has a hint of blue, so I decided to use blue for the lining.

The clutch bag below is made from a green and gold geometric obi fabric and I chose a fresh light green lining for this one.

The clutch below is made from two obi fabrics sewn together. One is a terracotta and gold, the other is all gold and makes quite a statement. This bag has a green taffeta lining.

The clutch bag below is being sent to the Tokyo American Club to be part of their display.

Vendors who sell at the International Bazaar can have one of their items displayed around the club a few weeks before the show to give customers a taster of what's on offer.

I always like to display one of my large clutch bags. This one is a stunning green and gold ribbon design and has a mustard lining.

A bit of bling for a Wednesday afternoon

Check out the stunner that I just added to my store. It's made from a vintage Japanese obi fabric - the 'belt' that goes around the kimono. It's a vibrant decorative design in shades of green, gold, red and orange and has a fab bright lining to add a flash of colour to the inside. The clutch also has a detachable chain handle, so can be worn as handbag as well.

You can find it in my store here.

Irresistible little gems

I really enjoy making my little clutch bags, they are small and sweet and just the right size for a night on the town, out for a posh meal, or as a gift for someone special. Each of these clutches is made from obi fabrics that I collected from antique markets in Tokyo recently. I always home in on the bright colours and you can't get much brighter than these. Note the hot pink lining in most of them! My favourite is the magenta pink clutch with the bright yellow lining. I matched the yellow to the yellow in the motif on the outside of the bag. These clutches are half the size of the large clutch bags and just over half the price. Each one is quite a gem!

You can find them in my store here.

This small clutch uses the same fabric I used for the large clutch bag.

I love the magenta pink of this clutch bag and matched the lining to the yellow motif on the outside.

The green on this clutch bag is so vibrant! The hot pink lining just had to be done.

This obi fabric on this clutch bag is stunning. I love the big red stylised poppy motif.

New clutches

A few weeks ago I mentioned some of the fabrics I bought whilst on a recent trip to Tokyo. Most of the fabrics I bought were obi fabrics (the 'belt that goes around the kimono) in gorgeously vibrant colours. I choose a fabric for it's colour, or because it has a stunning design on it. I like to use the layout of each design thoughtfully, and think about that when I cut the fabrics out. I have been busy sewing and have just added two new clutch bags to my store which you can find here.

This obi fabric had two beautiful floral elements. I have used the florals in two separate clutch bags.

The red flower will be following shortly!

I love the vibrant colours of this obi. My friend Sanna deftly picked this one out for me.

Here the bags are cut out and ready to be made up.

Check out those vibrant linings I chose to go with them.

Here's the magenta floral clutch. I added a silver clasp to match the silver in the design and gave it a long chain so that the bag can be worn over the shoulder or across the body.

This clutch bag has an antique-effect gold clasp. The clasp is a new design for me and has an oversize bobble detail which I love.

Some like it hot

Today is the hottest day of the year and I'm definitely feeling the heat as I sit in my attic studio. It calls for an Aztec-inspired sun dress, neon necklace and a Cheeky Leopard clutch. I'm off to strut my stuff!

You can find the clutch in my store here.

Three little gems

I've just added these three little gems to my Etsy store. Each one is made from obi fabric and has a vibrant lining to compliment the outer fabric.

You can find them in my store here.