Spring Flowers

The recent rain/hailstorms wrecked havoc in our garden, destroying all the pretty purple and white crocuses that I had wanted to take pictures of. I just managed to capture these two pretties before they were flattened...

Also, I thought it was pretty amusing to read the comments on my moss-covered fence (previous post). I didn't realize that most of you didn't mind and some of you actually love it! One commenter wrote it added character-- I like that :)

Thanks for visiting today, and I hope your week is filled with sunshine and happiness!

Messenger bag for men

Well, actually it's unisex. I designed this bag for my men's line as mentioned in a previous post. It's made from soft-touch canvas in dark grey with black trims and is fully lined. Measuring about 14 x 12 inches it is spacious without appearing too bulky. A4 size notebooks fit in easily with lots of room to spare. There's a large interior compartment as well as a couple of pen-holders - also handy as a 'hook' for sunglasses. The front panel has a stylish zip pocket and there's an exterior pocket on one of the side panels for keeping a mobile phone, packet of tissues etc. The strap is adjustable. I was aiming for simple yet functional and stylish - what do you think?

p.s. Thanks to hubby for taking time out to model this bag :) And please ignore the moss-covered fence. See, that's what happens when in rains non-stop. Definitely need to scrub that down asap!

Cute Kitty Necklace

The package from my blog buddy Sharla @ Beaded Tail that I've been waiting for arrived yesterday! Yay! I couldn't wait to open it.

Look at this cute packaging and adorable card
-Sammy thought there was a snack inside for him ;-)




...instead, this gorgeous kitty necklace pour moi

I really love Beaded Tail's Etsy shop for animal (and jewelry) lovers and couldn't resist buying this unique necklace. I adore it! Beaded Tail donates the proceeds to animal charities. Isn't that great? Makes wearing the necklace that much more special :)

There was a surprise in the package from Sammy's furiends Angel & Isabella too!
Here's Sammy inspecting the little ladybug and bean-thingy...

"love, love, love" !!!

Sammy says: Thank you, Angel and Isabella for being so thoughtful. I love my new cat toys!

Wishing everyone a great day,

Retro Heart Handbag

It is proving exceedingly difficult to take photos of bigger bags! As we've had rainstorm after rainstorm there was no opportunity for me to take them outdoors. Here are my best efforts.

I've been wanting to use this yummy 70's inspired heart fabric for ages, but after sketching a few designs I wasn't really satisfied with 'the look'. I knew I wanted to combine it with a solid colour and that the bag needed to have a 'non-fussy' shape in order for the hearts to stand out. I finally came up with this design. It measures about 10 inches at the top, gently tapering to 14 inches at the bottom with a comfortable 3 inch width.
The heart panel is actually a large pocket that closes with a hidden magnetic snap button. I used this fabric for the handle as well. There's an interior zip pocket and two large pockets in the lining too. The handbag closes with a magnetic snap button. I used the rest of the heart fabric to make a matching frame purse, which I think is cute.
Here it is hanging off a door knob. I took this shot solely to show the tapering shape of the bag.

p.s. you may have noticed the email subscription form I added to my right sidebar. Choose this option if you wish to be updated on my new blog posts via email.

Have a good week! 

Zipper pouches are fun

 
In between doing 'real' work, sewing bags for my website and spring cleaning (urrgh) I rather enjoy making little zipper pouches. It's like recreation for me! Not only are they fun to make, they're versatile too: for make up, hair accessories, odds and ends - or in my case I frequently use them as a mini-purse (cash, mobile phone, keys) when zipping round to the corner shop to buy fresh rolls for breakfast. This one's made up of two different prints. Both are small-scale and muted so they work well together. I made a yoyo from some left-over scraps and sewed it on with a 'variegated' button.

Simple Market Day Tote

A friend requested a simple market tote with short but wide handles and some sort of pocket for the bus ticket and loose change.
I came up with this. The fun cotton fabric is decorator weight, there's a zip pocket inside and she can stick it in the washing machine once it gets grubby, as the reinforced bottom is removable. It measures approx. 14 x 12 x 5.5 inches.

 
handy interior zip pocket:

On a side note: it's best to pre-wash all decorator-weight fabrics to remove some of the stiffness and get rid of the excess dye (usually the case for this type of fabric).

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Have a good week!

Colour therapy

The week started off with temperatures of -6°C (approx. 21°F), then we had two days of light snow followed by heavy rain and gales. Doesn't sound much like spring to me. So here's a blast of colour for all those in need of 'colour therapy' like me...

Frame purse with detachable flower brooch

New sleep masks in fresh prints

p.s. the answer to my last post: the house in its new pink reincarnation -- it was a slushy grey before!

Visiting my old stomping ground :)

Yesterday I visited the street where I used to live before moving to the small town. Can you guess which of the town houses I used to live in? Regular readers of my blog will know for sure :)

Celebrating International Women's Day

Today, March 8th is Int'l women's day and to celebrate there's a special feature on Dawanda....and two of my items are on it!!! It's true my products are geared towards us ladies, mainly because I love everything feminine and this is reflected in my Dunibagz line. My own site DB Exclusives will have a whole category just for men!

Lavender Dreams, bottom row, second from left

Red evening clutch, middle row, far right

I will be in the big city tomorrow. If the weather's good I might take some pics :)

Sammy update and Graphic Design Exhibition

To all who left a comment on my last post: Thank you for your concern, advice and well-wishes!
I took Sammy to the vet after all, since he never vomited before and strangely he doesn't vomit any hairballs either. I also make sure he doesn't chew any plants. Besides, we only keep those which are safe for cats. The vet checked him through and thank goodness there is nothing wrong with his stomach. It seems Sammy is just BORED with his special diet that he's been on for the five years we've had him. I guess if I ate potatoes morning, noon and night I'd be bored too ;-) Problem is, he's on this special dry food diet because of a previous problem with uroliths. So he must stay on this diet. The vet suggested I give him some cooked chicken every other day or so and see how it goes. Sammy started eating again -  not with his usual appetite - but still. I'm still monitoring him all day, but it looks like he's OKAY. I know that non-cat owners reading this probably think I'm overdoing it, but I just can't bear for anything to be wrong with my Sammy.

In other news: The one event I can't wait for every year is the Graphic Design and Art Exhibition taking place this weekend - A collaboration between German and Dutch Designers and Artists. I went there with a Dutch friend this afternoon and the artwork of one artist really caught my eye. Her name is Christina Sauer and she has been working professionally since 1999. You can view some of her work on her website -- unfortunately the piece that I was immediately drawn to isn't on it and I wasn't allowed to take photos. It was an abstract xylography in shades of green and would fit perfectly on the one bare wall in my home office...too bad my birthday is such a loooong way off ;-)
The good thing is she lives only about two hour's drive away and she's invited me to visit her studio! I will definitely take her up on this offer in the near future. I'm always curious about artist's workspaces and seeing their work in progress. Speaking of 'work in progress', my website is coming together nicely, but I'm still waiting for some brighter days to be able to take some decent photos.

wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

I hope Sammy is okay...

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Sammy hacking up something. In all of his five years he's never done this, so understandably I was a bit worried. I got up and gingerly felt my way down the stairs in the dark. Sure enough there was a big glob of his regurgitated dinner on the floor. Sammy seemed fine, even a little annoyed that I was checking up on him!
So I cleaned up the mess and went back to bed only to be woken about an hour later by more hacking -  but much louder this time. Again I went downstairs and checked on Sammy who looked at me accusingly, as if the big gooey mess on the tiles was my fault...
I didn't get back to sleep after that, and it didn't help that I had an early morning appointment at the trade chamber. Needless to say I was pretty bleary-eyed at the meeting. Oh well.
I've been checking up on Sammy since this morning. His nose is cold to the touch and his eyes are clear, but he hasn't touched his food. Now that's highly unusual for Sammy! I hope it's just a temporary thing. If not, then it's time to see the vet I'm afraid. He's drinking water -- that's a good sign, isn't it?