Polka Dots, Flowers and Butterflies Tote

Handmade bag with polka dots, stripes, butterflies and flowers.

All fabrics used are 100% natural lightweight cotton. 

There's a magnetic snap to keep it closed and two inner pockets: one with a zipper and one without.

The combination of fabrics is a jumble of some of my favourites.

It's a bonus that the bag itself is also very light and practical.

You can find it here.

Etsy Favourites - Summer Dress

back V linen dress - LinenFox

loose-fitting linen dress - KwkwGifts

Tour de France organic cotton dress - OffOn

linen wrap dress - LoveAndConfuse

vintage 1980s floral dress - RaindropsR

Vintage 1940s Vogart Appliques

Beautiful, vibrant, vintage floral applique by Vogart from the 1940s or 1950s with 3 different flowers: blue and pink hydrangeas, colourful tulips and a very big, very pink water lilly.

I got these a couple of years ago from The Last Pixie on etsy and it's taken me this long to get up the nerve to actually contemplate cutting them up and using them.

I get like that with rare vintage items that have a special hold on my heart.

 It's not like you can go out and buy another set to replace them if it turns out that you're not happy with the outcome of your project......

Now I know that I want to make a bag with one or more of these. A big, tote-style bag, something like the bag Marilyn Monroe is holding at the beach in this picture.

This is the back of the Vogart packaging with instructions on how to use the appliques and all sorts of suggestions on what to use them on: towels, wash cloths, dresses, table linens, scarves, doilies, aprons, bedspareds, draperies, blouses.

Personaly, if I didn't have the bag in mind, I'd put them on cushions and give my sofa a spring makeover.

Don't you just love the 1940s bedroom and fashion sketches?

It's great to see how they would probably have been used by women at the time these were being manufactured.

I want to incorporate them in a Vintage Pattern Pledge make, so I'll be searching for an authentic bag pattern to add them to.

The Last Pixie

Linked to:
The Silly Pearl, The Dedicated House, Homework

Etsy Favourites - Turquiose and Coral Summer

1947 transfer pattern for sequin monograms by ragspatternstash

Always Summer art print by Popcorny

Delicate pink coral and turquiose bead necklace by PinezaJewelry

Vintage 1930s romper-playsuit by CoralVintage

Petty coral and turquiose pouch by TheHopeSeeds

I Spy.......Bottega Veneta Spring 2013

Just loving the Bottega Veneta RTW collection for Spring 2013 .

Even though, at first glance it is a tad dark and sombre and far from the  efferverscence of springtime, look closely and you will see a riot of flowers and florals and a collection that is essentially an ode to spring -and femininity.

Bottega Veneta Spring 2013 RTW 

Bottega Vaneta RTW Spring 2013

Bottega Veneta Spring 2013 RTW

 Ultra feminine and chic, this collection glances back at the past but is thoroughly modern in both cut and execution.

Did you notice the abscence of trousers in the selection?
Nope, there isn't a single pair of pants in the entire collection.

All images via Style.com

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day - Mini Clutch and Organza Flower Sash

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

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So, it's Giveaway Day at Sew, Mama, Sew and this is my second giveaway linked.

(The first one is an assortment of my favourite spring fabrics in cotton and linen plus various vintage lace trims and daisies, which you can find: HERE.)

This giveaway is for a handmade mini clutch, large coin purse or all-purpose pouch in the sweetest spring floral cotton as well as an organza  fabric flower accessory that can be worn as headband, sash or wrist corsage in coral, red and ochre.

The clutch is extra easy to carry around. By adding a ribbon to the ring on the side you can turn it into a wristlet, or add your keys and never lose them again....

The clutch measures almost 15cm or 6inches across and almost 5 inches or about 12.5cm high.

The flower -plus leaves- measures almost 10cm or 4 inches across and its ribbon is about 1.90 cm or 75 inches.

 To enter, simply leave a comment telling me what your favourite accessory is for spring and/or summer.

Just in case you'd like an extra entry or two, you can like my flower accessories shop Fairytale Flower , my fabric accessories shop One Perfect Day or you can even follow this blog.

Please leave an extra comment saying that you did  one -or all- of these and each comment will be counted as a further entry.

(Please make sure there is a link to your comment where I can reach you if you win.)

International entries are welcome.

Giveaway ends on May 10 and post will be updated with winner by May 12.

Thanks for participating

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day - Fabric and Vintage Lace

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

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It's that time of year again!

Time for the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day -which, as you probably know by now, is actually a whole week!

So here is the first of the giveaways I'll be joining with.

This is a selection of some of my favourite spring fabrics -thus the abundance of stripes and the obligatory polka dots- plus some lovely vintage lace and daisy trims that were recently given me.

They're all wonderful, natural cotton except for the red one which is a luxurious linen-cotton blend.

The dimensions of the pieces vary and so does their thickness.

Here's a birdseye view of the fabrics laid out.

If you would like a chance to win this little bundle of fabric, please leave a comment below telling me what your spring sewing plans are.


Just in case you'd like an extra entry or two, you can like my flower accessories shop Fairytale Flower , my fabric accessories shop One Perfect Day or you can even follow this blog.
Please leave an extra comment saying that you did one -or all- of these and they will be counted as extra entries.
(Please make sure there is a link to your comment where I can reach you if you win.)

International entries are welcome.

Giveaway ends on May 10 and post will be updated with winner by May 12.

Thanks for participating.

You can see the numerous other giveaways on the Sew, Mama, Sew blog and please come back to see the rest of the giveaways I'll be posting soon.

Spring Fashion Trend - Asian Influence

It's been a long while since my last Fashion Trend post, but I just had to share this fabulous Far East spring 2013 trend with its exciting new take on the kimono:

Uniqueness - Spring 2013

Dries Van Noten

Emilio Pucci

Hermes

Jen kao - Spring 2013

All images via Style.com

Monday Moodboard - Vintage Ladies

1. SovietVintage

2. LadySeventies

3. ReverieFrance

   4. AncienEsthetique

Monday Mooodboard is a game played by the members of the European Etsy Team every Monday. The moodboard is a selection of items from the team that reflect your mood on that particular day. Anyone in the team can join in. Just link your very own moodboard to the host of the game StarOfTheEast.

Monday Moodboard - Flamingo Pink

1.  BarbaraSzepesisucs

2. MyTailorIsFun

3. Dreamzzzz

4. MoonGardenArt

Monday Mooodboard is a game played by the members of the European Etsy Team every Monday. The moodboard is a selection of items from the team that reflect your mood on that particular day. Anyone in the team can join in. Just link your very own moodboard to the host of the game StarOfTheEast.

Reversible Floral Bucket Bag Purse

This fully reversible floral cotton bag is my entry for the 2-in-1 Challenge  organized by the lovely Rikka of Richochet and Away blog.

Either side of the heavy-weight upholstery cotton fabric shows a different part of the pretty floral design.

This is a bag I've been meaning to try out for a long time and it's just perfect for a reversible bag because of its bucket shape and the fact that it's not meant to close.

The other side is plain, natural canvas in the antique white I'm partial to.

Because of its lack of adornment I added four big pockets in the same cotton canvas and used an almost mustard yellow thread for all the seams.

Since I finished it in the last possible minute, I had to take the pictures in the hot midday sun, so the quality of the photos themselves as well as the intensity of the colours of the floral fabric are quite muted compared to the original, but that can't be helped now.....

I'll try and take some better pictures soon.

Linked to:

Our Creative Spaces, Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!, Petite Hermine, I Heart Naptime, Annemarie's Crochet Blog, It's a Hodgepodge Life, Happy Hour Projects