I recently went out & found these rubber coated small tie bags as part of an old vintage boy scout pack. They just put a big smile on my face. I like the part how there is an “old sock”.
I cut here & snipped there, painted on the back, added bright orange zippers & vintage lures & this is the result. They would make the most unique dopp kit ever & also a great conversation piece.
Have a great weekend!
xo elke
Spring is back along with some very “campy” fabrics. Nothing looks better on a summer clutch as a vintage fishing lure. Each bag gets a very unique finishing touch!
Oh, I can’t tell you how happy I am to get this giant, oversized bag made. It will be perfect to carry my tools & samples when I need to haul them around town. I made it just in time for a visit to our local Fairview High school tomorrow where I will talk to the student government about my small business. I already have it packed with repurposed samples and a couple tools so I can do a quick demo.
The bag was made from a really big, very old canvas carrying type, tarp. It had 3 leather handles attached on either side with old 3″ cotton webbing supporting the bottom. I don’t really know what it was used for so if anyone has any ideas, please do share. The canvas it self is a bit dingy even after 2 washes & I did have to cut off the webbing as it was falling apart. The handles weren’t in the best shape either so I kept the bottom part & reattached a new leather belting to the back side for strength. The thing I do love about all these old samples is the character that comes with them. The original rivets are fantastic & I can never resist an awesome selvage line. To clean it up a bit, I lined the bag in a subtle striped linen that has a bright pop drawstring closure. I also added 4 interior pockets on either side for organizing tools. After painting the stripe, adding the number “4″ & reinforcing the bottom with heavy white suede (very tool-baggish) I’m ready to go.
Last fall when I was in Texas I stumbled over some very old vintage bank coin bags. I wasn’t sure how to use them but I held onto them anyway. Just before the Holiday Market I made them into rugged clutches, small stains, markings, hand-writing & all. They were a hit & I believe they all sold before I even made it to the fair. About a month ago I stumbled upon some more. Just 4, but all different. They are from all around the mid west & each one looks like its filled to the brim with stories & history. These will be getting added to the store in time for opening next week. I’m plugging away still, making product, taking photos & input, input, input! It will be so fun to finally OPEN the doors!
To see what’s in the store so far, click on the shop button to the right.
Have a great weekend! xo
I found these amazing Italian military sacks in Texas last October. They were very dirty but had the most amazing character & stenciling on each one. I only found 3 & ended up keeping one for myself because I thought, “this is one of the coolest fabrics I’m bound to ever find.” The bottoms were pretty wrecked so I took the seams apart & patched on leather bottoms with additional pockets. The old worn in belts were perfect to keep the flaps down & the shoulder straps were well worn horse bridles. This combination was just perfect together & gave it a very vintage feel. They definitely appear to be from the WWII era & if I’m extra lucky, maybe I’ll trip over more someday.
This vintage european back pack was transformed into a tote bag that is roomy enough to carry a weekends worth of packing or a full day at the gym. The 2 front bellows pockets are big enough to hold a pair of shoes & main pocket can be overstuffed if you wish because the front closure is so long. All the hardware is original so should be sturdy enough to last a life time. I have fallen head over heels for anything vintage military & am building up quite a collection of WWII bags that are being transformed into more contemporary, functional every-day bags. Stay tuned!
Recently when I went down to Texas “treasure hunting” , I came across a booth just piled to the sky with hand embroidered vintage table cloths. When you started to dig through the stacks, you could just imagine the hours & hours involved in sewing these. The fact that all that love was selling for just $20 a piece kind of broke my heart. I tend not to buy fussy patterns or even florals for that matter but I just couldn’t resist the personal touch in each one. Here are 2 of the examples that I got. You’ll notice the backside is just as clean looking as the front. What amazing work this is & it’s definitely a craft of a by-gone era. No one these days would actually take the time to embroider such a large piece to just put on their table.
The construction of a clutch isn’t very complicated (especially the way I make them). Simple shapes need fabulous small details to make them special. For this brown leather clutch, I added a leather horse bridle tab that is attached with an antique mother of pearl shirt stud. By adding 2 simple gold stripes down the center, the whole bag becomes a unique, one of a kind handbag.
This gray tote bag was made from vintage waxed camping tent. Instead of mixing the colors like I had in previous bags, I stuck to a single lovely gray color. By adding orange painted tips to the handles (which are a natural leather that will soften & darken with age) and a small white painted cross it transformed a sleepy fabric into something still subtle but with just enough zing. The leather cording can be ties casually for closing the top.
What an amazing experience I had out in the Texas countryside this past week! For the first time, I went to the enormous antique show at Round Top, Texas. It is an antique fair that goes for miles & miles along the road & back into farm fields. Each field will have a certain feeling or similar theme. You walk around from tent to tent & stop every once in a while to purchase a 32oz Arnold Palmer to keep you going. The heat was on (literally) as it was in the 90′s but that didn’t stop me & my two trusty companions. We decided that some ladies go for a girls weekend to Las Vegas or New York. We, on the other hand, head to Texas for some good ‘ol treasure hunting! I found fabulous antique military bags, French Linens, canvas pieces & some sweet hand embroidered table clothes. The only piece that wasn’t fabric in nature was the 1972 Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera. It was most definitely love at first sight. It is a piece of art & can sit on a shelf or, if I’m lucky, even take pictures! I’ll run out over the weekend to our local camera shop for them to take a look at it & see if I can still get film.
I’m happy to be home again & will get all the new goods washed over the weekend so they will be ready to be transformed into some fabulous fall handbags. Stay Tuned!
Have a great weekend!
