Sari necklace

I've been playing with some more jewellery ideas and the latest is this necklace set made from fabric-covered beads. I decided to use indian sari fabrics that I bought from Bazaar, owned by my good friend Joanna Hall. She holds amazing sales several times a year in a stunning barn in Kent, which is transformed into a haven of goodies from India. Check out her website for upcoming events.
The saris come in vibrant colours and the fabric is nice and lightweight which means that I can easily tie knots to hold the beads in place.

The set includes two necklaces in complimentary colours, and for this set I chose a stunning purple and green combination.

I created them at different lengths so that they hang well together as a set or can be worn separately.

Each bead is made of a lightweight wood and is held in place with a knot.

You can find it in my store here.

Green goddesses

Check out these green goddesses that have recently been added to my store. Each one is an envelope clutch bag made from a selection of vintage Japanese obi fabrics from my collection. The obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and they are often thick and heavily woven. These ones use a combination of greens, along with a good dose of metallic gold to give it some bling.

This gorgeous envelope clutch is made from two Japanese obi fabrics. The main body of the bag is a vibrant green satin, and the flap is made from a green and gold Japanese design. The lining is a turquoise blue cotton and the bag is held closed with a silver metallic snap.

This clutch bag is made from a decorative vintage obi fabric on one side and a vibrant green satin fabric on the other side. I gave it a bright yellow lining for a shot of colour.

The bag is held closed with a vintage button and elastic loop closure and then folded in half.

Unfold the bag and it also doubles up as an iPad case!

These bags use the same fabrics as the large clutch bags in my store. They are the smaller, cheaper option but have no less of a dramatic effect and are the perfect accompaniment to a night out.

You can find them in my store here.

Happy Monday

The Japanese obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and they are often found in heavily woven, brightly coloured designs. They lend themselves beautifully to bag making as they have a natural stiffness to them, on top of the fact that they are stunning! I recently made some obi fabrics up into practical tote bags that make a statement. Each one has a complimentary lining, two strong canvas straps that fit over the shoulder and a magnetic snap to keep the bag closed. Here's a selection below which you can find in my store.

The green and gold tote bag above has a turquoise cotton lining and matching turquoise straps.

The beautiful tote bag above has an orange lining that matches the orange in the obi design.

The tote bag above is made from a stunning green and gold decorative obi and the lining is a rich green satin.

The stunning obi fabric above will be my next tote bag project. It will have a bright red lining and red canvas straps. Watch this space....

A little gem

I've just added another little gem to my store. This one is a small clutch bag made from a stunning vintage obi fabric. The obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and the fabric is often woven in a brightly coloured design that holds its shape very well. This would make the perfect party clutch and you can find this little cutie in my store.

The design on one side of the bag is a decorative medallion motif made from shades of red, orange, purple and green with a glittering metallic gold highlight. 

The other side is a geometric design in vivid green and metallic gold.

I decided to give this bag a bright red lining to match the red on the outside of the bag.

 This would make the perfect party clutch and you can find this little cutie in my store here.

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.

One more christmas cutie

Christmas is so close you can almost touch it! And I've just added one more christmas cutie to my shop. Check out that stunning mix of green and gold obi fabric. I can only imagine what it must have looked like teamed with a kimono. I often wonder what kind of life my fabrics have led before I found them, and like to imagine they have a few stories to tell.

My favourite part of this item is the flash of hot pink lining when the bag is opened. It matches the small clutch bag that I added to my store recently, which means there is a choice in sizes. The large clutch has a detachable chain handle and can fit all the essentials for a night out. The small clutch is perfect for a posh meal out, or could even be used as a cosmetic bag. Either would look stunning with a little black dress.

You can find them in my store here.

Large clutch bag

Small clutch bag

Fabric Friday

It's beginning to feel a lot like christmas! Check out this Friday's fabric choice, a stunning red, green and gold Japanese obi fabric. I bought it at an antique market in Tokyo recently and couldn't resist its rich colour scheme. Can you see the hidden bird?! I've used some of the fabric to make a clutch bag, but have enough fabric for a few more.

You can find the clutch bag 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.

Fabric Friday

The sun is out, the sky is blue and I fancy a bit of bling for this Friday's fabric choice. You can't get much blingier than this beauty. It's a fabulous gold woven Japanese obi fabric with touches of green, blue and burnt orange.

I've already made a custom handbag order from some of this fabric, but am now thinking of using the fabric to make a zipper clutch. I recently learnt how to sew a zipper and am so excited to have learnt something new! I can't wait to try it out on some of my obi fabrics, which would be perfect. I intend to add a bright tassel to the zipper pull for some extra bling and am heading into London today to visit some tassel shops.

Hopefully I will have some zipper clutches to sell at the International Bazaar in Tokyo in November.
Watch this space….

Fave fabric Friday

Oops, I almost forgot, it's Friday! This week I am favouriting a stunning sari fabric that I picked up when I was in India last year. It is a gorgeous iridescent olive green colour with a gold paisley motif woven into it. I'm thinking of combining it with a gold obi fabric to make a clutch.

Fave fabric Friday

For this Friday's fabric choice, I couldn't decide on one fabric, so have gone for a colour theme instead! I realised that I have very few clutch bags in my collection that are made with green fabrics. After a good rummage through my Japanese obi fabrics and Indian sari fabrics, I have come up with quite a range of greens from vibrant lime greens to heavily ornamented deep green and gold.

Watch this space for some green additions to my store soon!

Bold butterflies

I'm slowly adding some more iPad sleeves to my store and this is the latest addition, a rather bold and beautiful green and gold number. It is made from a Japanese vintage obi (the 'belt' that goes round the kimono) and has a rather stunning butterfly motif on it.

You can find it in my store here.