Material Girl

'I Am a Material Girl.' by Carimateo

My scissor print coin purse was just featured in this gorgeously juicy Etsy treasury. Click on any image to find out more.

Tomodachikitty $13.50	idiopix $13.95	CityChicCountr... $20.00	KarenGriskaQui... $25.00
cheekyleopard $14.00	GandGPatterns $8.00	fabricshoppe $30.00	OverlyCrafty $4.25
landofoh $5.75	AllAboutTheFib... $7.50	denuartigekat $5.00	thestockroom $65.00
imaginefabric $24.95	hullaballooloo $8.99	sinclothing $18.00	frenchfwries $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio

Beetle juice

I recently added this coin purse to my Etsy store. I love the fresh clean colours of the teal and white on the outside and the lime green polka dot on the inside, but my fave part is the fab VW Volkawagen  Beetle car print which is such an iconic image. You can find it on my Etsy store here.

Pin it

I bought this safety pin fabric recently and love the fresh turquoise and white colour story as well as the simple layout of the print. I decided to make it into a coin purse and to pair it with a fab green and white dotty lining as a pop of colour on the inside. I think it would go well with the button print cosmetic bag, to create a nice little haberdashery story and a perfect place for all those smaller items that need a home.

Paper pleasures

I'm a bit of a sucker for the paper products here in Japan. There are so many beautifully designed items and the smaller they are, it seems, the more appealing they become. I picked up these little treasures today in a beautiful washi shop in Nihonbashi. They are envelopes that only measure about 1.5 inches square and I'm intrigued to know what they are used for. If anyone can shed some light on this, please do!

Sexy Specs

I just added this juicy pair to my Etsy store - I love the vibrant colours and have added a shot of colour to the linings too. You can find them here.

Patternity

I recently discovered this fab website and wanted to share it. It's called Patternity and they describe themselves as being born from a unique vision: to redefine pattern and shape. They have images of pattern found from all over the place and there is an amazing selection of delightful items on show and much foraging to do. I especially like their tights, which are on sale through their website. These ones are their Trademark design, but you can check out others inspired by totem poles, amongst others, here.

New Look

As you may have noticed, most of my bags consist of vibrantly coloured fabrics, wether they are made from vintage kimono silks or modern funky prints. I have recently been embracing some more subtle tones, using simple Japanese printed cottons with an oatmeal linen, and really love the effect. Of course I couldn't resist throwing in a vibrant mustard lining for a pop of colour when the bag is opened.....

It's a hoot!

I couldn't resist buying this owl print recently from one of my fave fabric shops here in Tokyo. I love the combination of colours and decided to mix it with a pink and brown polka dot lining. It has now been made into a little make up bag and can be found on my Etsy store here.

Fab Furoshiki

I've just added this Florence Clasp bag to my Etsy store. I love the simple geometric print and the vibrant yellow with a shot of brown thrown in. The fabric actually comes from a furoshiki that I bought a while ago. A furoshiki is a Japanese tradition where beautiful pieces of cloth are used to wrap anything from groceries, to gifts and lunch boxes. The furoshiki can be tied in many different ways (see here for tips), and also means that the wrapping is often more appealing than the gift! One faux pas that must be avoided, however, is to not keep the furoshiki and to make sure it is given back to the owner. It seems that in many cases, the furoshiki is a family heirloom.....

I also love the modern take on a furoshiki bag. See here.

Three Juicy Cuties

I just added these three juicy cuties to my Etsy store. I'm loving the bright summery colours and simple graphic prints. Other apple prints a like are Folksy's hand screen printed fresh green apple outline on a crisp white ground, and this rather sweet "Happy Apple" block print by Amanda Kindregan.

Nellie

I just added this little Florence Clasp Bag to my Etsy store. I love the simple motif on the grey ground, and decided to add a shot of colour to the inside, with a fresh, funky striped lining. Other elephant images I like are Helen Dardik's quirky "Join the Circus" print, with an elephant donning shoes and Anna Hardinge's "Little Lions" print.

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

I have just added this little Florence clasp bag to my Etsy store. I love the retro '50s kitchen print with its simple images in bright colours. I decided to add a fab mustard yellow geometric lining to complement it. The design reminds me of the prints by Patrick Edgeley that I mentioned in a posting on February 14th.

Cottonfield

I went to one of my favourite fabric shops today - a shop called Cottonfield. It's in the lovely area of Kichijoji, which is about a 20 min subway ride out of Shibuya and has a lovely selection of little streets to wander around as well as a beautiful park with a lake in the middle. The streets were heaving today as it was the height of the blossom season and everyone was out to view the trees in the park and celebrate the coming of spring with a blossom party.

Cottonfield has a wonderful selection of printed cotton fabrics from around the world, as well as a wonderful ribbon and bead shop across the street. It's a feast for the eyes for any crafty person but can make one hysterical with the amount of choice that there is. Needless to say, I scurried away with some purchases - a selection of juicy ribbons to play with. Now I just have to decide how to use them.

Patchwork Passion

I was interested to see Rodarte's 2011 fall collection was heavily inspired by the American Plains with silk gowns printed with a wheat field along the hem and ankle-grazing prairie coats in shades of barley. The sister design team's signature style is a devotion to craft and they had quite a few pieces that were quilted and appliqued, all by hand, as were the wool and mohair sweater designs. I'm looking forward to getting back to Tokyo and playing some more quilting ideas as well as with ideas for patchwork kimono clutch bags.....

New Additions

I have just added these little lovelies to my Etsy store. I was obviously in a brown/bird mood today as they both use cute birdie floral prints. They both also have a green lining that picks out the colour from the outer print and compliments it rather nicely.

Little cuties

I have just added these little cuties to my Etsy store. I'm loving the funky prints, but am especially pleased with the vintage-style bobble details on the clasps. Most of the bobbles I use are made of plastic, but the stripey purse has wooden bobbles. Both purses have a sunny lime green dotty lining to compliment the outer print.