The Princess Who Kissed the Toad

You all know the tale about the princess who kissed the ugly toad and it turned into a beautiful prince.

Recently I bought some fabrics for a contest, and made 2 bags out of them. To tell you the truth, I'm not very fond of the fabrics. But I knew I had no choice but using them if I wanted to participate. But I realized that I had to make something I didn't find appealing into something I would like. So this is what I'm going to write about. How to take something you don't like and turn it into something beautiful.

When buying something from a store, you don't buy something that you don't like. Why would you, right? You browse around the store, trying to find the right thing. The right thing for you (because you might not like something that others will like).

There are many ways to make something ugly into something beautiful. One way is to speak to your inner self. Convincing yourself, or telling yourself it is beautiful.
But that's in a more psychological way. It's not what I'm going t write about. And I will address this post to the bag making.

The thing you find not so pretty might come in different forms. For example, the fabric. Or the design. Or even smaller things such as… eyelets. You might don't like the fact that it has eyelets, you might find them tacky or too much.
If, say, you don't like the fabric you need to use, you will need to improvise, to make it seem right. You can make it yours, if you've already determined your style. Make a design that is yours, even if the fabric is not you. You can add details that are yours. In my style, lots of times rivets take a big part in the design. I can add rivets to the bag that will make it mine. The design itself it's not the only thing that makes something yours.

Only then, after putting yourself into it, you might like the bag. Because it's been made into yours. Why would you like something that is not you? So the secret is to make it yours. Great, we made that clear!

Now, what about something that's already made, and not by you? You can alter it also. Add or remove things. If you bought a bag or received as a present from someone and you're not really fond of it, make it yours.

This is your time to show off and prove your designing skills. Because you need to satisfy not only the public who will buy your stuff, you need to satisfy yourself. too. After all, why would you do something if you hate it? So come up with ideas on how to create something great by choosing your style.
If you don't like an element that was a given in a contest or whatever, make sure the rest is for your liking. Make a design that you do like, add other elements that you do like, because it does not start and end in one thing. A bag has lots of features that make it into a bag. One small thing can change the entire package. Play with the options and find out what is it that you don't like, and what can you do so you will like it. If the fabric is not to your liking, add another fabric to complete it, to soften the blow, to make it easier for you to like it. Add something special that others wouldn't have thought of, so the bag will be special. Remember, every thing in this world can be taken as something beautiful. Look at art. Some artists can turn a garbage pile into art. Designers should have that skill too. I believe it's true for many areas and even jobs. The world is into improving, make things better for the rest of the humanity, so the world we live in will be nicer to live in. That's human's nature. Same thing with bags. Bags should be nice to look at, not only nice to use. It's the combination of both. We should always find a way to make it easier for ourselves. That's how we can improve and feel better when something is not quite right for you. Always find a way to like the bag. Even the smallest thing can change the whole picture. Just find what exactly the thing is that bothers you and change it to your benefit.