Bags as a Present Idea

Many girls and women like bags. And they can buy them for themselves. But wouldn't it be nice giving a handmade bag that YOU made as a present? Some would really appreciate the fact that you sat down, thought of a design and made the bag yourself. So why don't you?

As a bag maker, I know it's easier for me that instead of thinking what to buy as a birthday present and go to the store, consider, debate, I can make a bag especially for that person. And especially when I know that person likes bags, and likes MY bags. And I know they'll be happy to get my handmade bag for free. Free as in a gift. That's why I'm happy that I have a useful job/hobby. And that's why I'm happy I didn't stop and quit back at the beginning of it. And not only that I can make it by myself, I can also make whatever I think fits. If I'm at a store, trying to decide which item to buy, I usually end up buying the closest thing to what I'm looking for. But when I make it myself, I get to decide what I really want and need. I can make it the way I know the receiver would want it. Big plus, huh?

Also, some people would appreciate handmade things more. It's much more personal than something you buy. And they know you’ve put many thoughts on it. Let alone the work you did on it. That shows more care, that you actually put some work and not only brain and money on the gift. And every year/event you can come up with different designs, there are many more choices, because YOU choose the choices.

Even if it's someone else's design. Even if it's someone else's handmade bag. there is something in handmade bags that can be really appreciated. Because it's all in one: it's functional, it shows how much you care, it saves money and strength, and you have many more choices.

There can also be more items included. You can make a set of bag, wallet, make-up pouch, purse organizer and more! That kind of gift you will not see at the stores! And if you make it especially for that person, there are more chances it would be the perfect gift. Sometimes I decide to give someone a bag gift from the collection I already have. But sometimes I'd make one that I think would be perfect for that person, and I wouldn't skimp. There are also people who buy my bags as gifts for someone they know. That's why I better make the bags as good as I can, because I don't only sell them to the person who buys them, but also to the one who receives it in the end.

Out of many crafts, handmade bags have a very big potential to be not only a fun hobby, but also to be received as a present. Bags is something people use all the time, they don't only love them, they also need them. They're not only a decoration. And it's something people around will see, because you carry it around. And because it's handmade, you put a lot of thought and work in it. Bag making – can be a big plus when birthdays, Christmas or anything, come. So better getting better and better, so your gifts will be better!

Where Do I Get My Inspiration From?

It's true that sometimes you walk down the street, then an apple falls over your head and a little floating light bulb appears above you; and you're having a great idea for something. Then comes the moment where you can't to give it a try.
But sometimes we walk down the street, and nothing falls on you, nothing lights up, and you're just empty, completely.

Sometime the great ideas come easy, no stretch needed. But who doesn't have those moments where you're drawing a blank? All of us. Me. Besides the fact that I see designs in my closed eyes when I shut them, I need to looks for ideas and inspirations anywhere I can. So I thought I would share with you my resources. Maybe you could get ideas from there too. I just must mention that taking an inspiration is NOT copying other designs. It's looking at something, not only bags (which means it can be a tree in the street, or a funny shaped butterfly, etc.) and finding the light bulb inside your head. Like, I look on a bag design and this gives me an idea for something else. Something else, not the exact design. It's the design itself that gives me an idea for another design. Then I change and alter the elements of the original design, add elements that aren't part of that design, combine elements from my head, move elements to other places and making bigger, making them smaller. I've said it before in previous posts, you can look it up. So remember that while you're looking for ideas in other designs!! Don't forget, you're looking for a design to design on your own and there are plenty of ideas out there, just find the right ones – the ones that haven't been done before.

That's what I wanted to say before I give you a few resources.
Here:

* The wonderful Etsy.com that we both know and love. You can find wonderful design ideas in the bags and purses section. It's fun seeing what other people have done and get inspired for a whole new design of your own.

* I LOVE looking at Zappos.com once in a while, every few days or weeks when new stuff has been uploaded to their site. Look in the bags section and you can narrow down the categories to make it more relevant (like narrowing it for just women bags). For those who don't know this site, it's a very big and well known store for many fashion items, not just bags. But since I'm talking about bags here, you might as well go straight to the bags section.

* Similar type of fashion store - bagsok.com that also has designer bags. (I think I need to note that looking at a bag made from material that you don't usually use, doesn't mean the design idea you think of has to be made from the same material the original design used. So ignore the materials almost completely).

* asos.com is a cute store as well. I haven't really been looking through the entire site i.e. other sections that aren't bags and purses, but when looking for resources to take inspiration from, for anything, I stay at the ones that have a decent amount of items. Bad selection means I'm out of there.

* Bag stores near your home are a great inspiration source as well. I have a store near my home that its brand's name is "Pure" (maybe it's international, I don't know, and that's not the point). They're expensive, but dear God, what beautiful bag items they have there! It almost hurts your eyes, because they're so full of great bag designs, and they're very well made. It's all very beautiful in there. So fining a good store like this one but in your neck of the woods would be a great source for inspiration for you!

* Not just bags that you can bring your inspiration from. Clothing too. So you can look at fashion clothes whether it's on TV, magazines, websites, or physical stores.
* Inspiration can come from anything, everything, and everywhere. Be creative and open you eyes and mind.

Curious Cuties – Session #1

The first question for the new blog's feature "Curious Cuties" has been asked by Anita. She is our first Curious Cutie. And her question was:



When making a bag with pleats how much fabric do you add to include the pleats?

Hey, Anita!
This can go either way. It all depends on the pattern you're using. Not only that, it depends on how many pleats you wish to make and the folding (the pleating) size of them.
Considering all that, I suggest making every fold as small as possible. That way, you're not wasting fabric, hence keeping more money in your pocket.
Every fold (every pleat) whether if it's at the top or bottom or side of the bag (at the fabric's edge, to be accurate), it should be as minimal as possible.

To figure out how much bigger the fabric should be, you better set up a standard measurement for the folding of the pleats that will also be included in the fabric itself. For example, if each fold is being folded (and sewn) in the width of 1cm (at the edge, not the pleat's size itself. The pleats can be bigger or smaller, depends on where on the fabric you make the pleat – deeper or less into the bag), and you want 4 pleats – 2 on each side - you need to calculate those 4 pleats by adding 2cm of fabric for each pleat (1pleat x 2cm), meaning it will be: 4 pleats x 2 = 8cm extra of fabric.


Want to be the next Curious Cutie and ask questions about bag? Send your questions plus name to daphna@creativecutie.com
Or by filling in this form:

Your Name:

Your Question(s):

The next Curious Cuties session will commence next week. You have time till then to send in your questions and maybe your question will be picked up.
If you don't know what this is all about, all the details are here.

Can't wait to hear more of your questions. So far I've recieved some real good ones!

Studio Getting New Stuff!

I've been to the studio today, kept organizing things after I went there yesterday to assemble the sewing table I just bought for the cheapest cost I could find. I wanted the simplest table possible, because I do not have enough money to put into this thing, this studio thing. That's why the two sewing tables in the picture below don't match:

However, I will hopefully get them to match each other. I plan on painting them in the same color that will also match the entire look of the studio, meaning mostly the wall's color. Maybe I'll make it two colored – purple and yellow. Might be a weird combination, but I kinda like it!

I also brought the blue cupboard from my house and got it cleaned and organized. Really needed that, because it was one big mess since everything was spilling all over. Plus, I needed another cupboard because the space in the first one was no longer in existence. I moved most of my hardware there. Now I have enough room for everything. Well, almost… I might need another cupboard…

Some stuff is still misplaced, and I do plan on having it done in the end. The sewing machine is still missing, it will go on the table from the right. Meanwhile, the serger machine is already there, sleeping under the cover.

The picture above shows you the front room minus the kitchenette. The iron has already been placed in its place.
On the cutting table (in the middle) I put the cutting mat. Although it will eventually be placed at the other end so I'll be facing outside.
I hanged a sketching board on the left wall. It's meant for, well, sketching designs, besides the notebooks I keep. The notebooks will probably be only at home. Because that's where I usually am at most hours of the day, I'm a home girl.

Things might move around every week. So everything's place is still temporary.
The room seriously needs some color. Right now it's very cold. Not very, but enough to be changed into something more life like.

There wasn't much to update in the pictures today. And you should see the second room (maybe you shouldn't…), really really messy. Really really me!

When Sun Goes Out Of Clouds

Throughout my life, I've always wanted things. I knew what I wanted to do when I'd grow up. Except I wanted too many things. So there were phases. It didn't change much, but there were some movements.

I admit, I don't understand those who don't know what they want to be when they grow up. It always seemed weird to me. Don't know why, it actually makes sense, not knowing something like this. But as a child who knew what she wanted to do since about the age of 6, I could never see that.

Ever since I learned how to write, I loved writing, and wanted to do just that. Be an author. It started with many many stories that I started writing that were meant to become books. Children books, mostly. I used to have a folder and notebooks, and a little notepad that was filled with ideas and titles. When I was very little, an author came to school to talk to us. By the end of the meeting, I approached her and told her all about my writing and ideas. I knew I wanted to be her.
A little later, but still while being little girl, I didn't want to be an author only, but also a mystic. I collected stones with many books on them, learned that subject and really grew a hobby that at the time became my second desire of what I wanted to be. The mystics thingy was actually my grandmother's, and she passed it on to me. So I wanted to be both – a mystic and an author. I was still writing a lot, even a musical or two..

The musical part arrived right after I also decided that I wanted to be an actress. It came completely out of the blue. Because I went to an after school drama class that my friend invited me to. And since I didn't have better things to do, I joined the class and really got into it. Since that first class, I took more and more acting classes during the years. In 6th grade I took 3 different acting classes in one week. And that desire of being an actress has been escorting me till today. I went to a few auditions in my life, even been in an agency, while still taking courses, and gotten really really good at it. At least that's what people got from me.
This is when I also took an interest in another kind of writing: script writing. Both for TV and film. So of course I wanted to do both – writing scripts and acting. I even entered script writing contests and almost won twice. I also got a job at my town's TV studio. It used to be a once a week program talking about things that go on in town, on live. I had a position behind the scenes.

Then, guess what? I started working at a sewing workshop and got myself a new hobby. No, not sewing yet. Just bags. And it was just a hobby. It's only later when I decided I wanted to make bags for living. I'd never thought of that a few years ago. Be a bag designer. And lately I've made my decision, my latest anyway.
Once I quit my daily job at the workshop, I had a sudden revelation. I mean, I knew I wanted to make bags, but wasn't sure that it was what I wanted to do exclusively. I still wanted to pursue acting though. I don't say I don’t anymore, but the bags took the biggest part in my "what I want to do when I grow up".

And in the last few days, I had that revelation. I started sketching and planning bags. Not anything different from the usual self. I work on my studio, and yesterday I've also started the first bag making in there. I planned the pattern, what I always do, what I'm used to do. Then everything was combining together with the feeling of having a real working place, where it's all me. And I saw a new career where I could actually say it is my career. This is my working place, it's my brand, I have customers and I'm making money. Something is running.
So it all came together in a sudden realization that yes, that's what I'd like to do in life.

The most amazing thing, though, is the fact that everything I want to do, I learn by myself. I teach myself. Whether if it's script writing that I taught myself how to write, learning about the acting world and learning monologues by heart, and of course bag making. I never took a class on how to make bags. I was just taught how to make the basic bag, which I don't even follow today because of its different method. And because I'm stubborn, I push ahead and figure out things I still don't get. Like patterns and designs, different details. I taught myself. Even what certain things are called so I could find and buy them. Always learn better when I'm my own teacher. And it's obvious to me today, because when I used to be in school, I wasn't a very good student. No matter how hard I prepared myself for a test, I couldn't get a high score. I also don't always get what others teach me. And it's pretty hard, knowing I cannot be taught because I just don't get stuff unless I teach them to myself. School – not for me.

I think I'm in a place in my life where I can teach others what I know. And I love what I'm doing. That realization was intense. I was overjoyed working on the first bag in a long time and in my new studio. And I'm so lucky being able to do what I like and want to do. How many people can say that?
One of the best things about my profession is that there are always new things to do. It's not doing the same thing over and over again like I did in many jobs in the past. Feels great doing what you love. Feels great turning a hobby you didn't even thought of a few years ago, into a career. And I'm thankful for that!

Here I Go...

Today was the day. The first day of actually using my new bag making studio. It's not quite ready yet, far from being finalized, the sewing machine is not there yet, nor its table or chair. But today I could get there and start making a pattern and cutting out a few of the fabric pieces. By the way, this is the time to mention that the pattern and cutting are for the next bag tutorial I promised. It is also a bag I will be selling at the artists store in my town. I've been asked to make a few smaller ones; that was the new request from young and older women. So this bag is not going to be as big as the original design (hopefully, if I did the pattern in the size I wanted) that I asked you if you wanted a tutorial for it not a long time ago. Not that small, but not big either. As I've explained, there will be some wee little changes from the original one. I'm still working on it and thinking it over, and will probably improvise whilst working on it.

The fabrics were chosen today as well. I think it will have great coloring. It will combine daily look and classy look.
If you're thinking about creating this bag yourself using my tutorial, prepare 2 exterior fabrics in advanced that match each other. (You can see the original bag for the tutorial that I'm talking about in previous posts, which was written not too long ago!).
Also prepare 2 rings. They could be O-rings or D-rings. I'm probably going to use the D ones. Your pick though. They're going to be medium sized which means their base's width is about 4cm (about 2inches) wide. If you're gonna use O-rings, it's perfectly fine. Their width is also about 4cm wide, but with these ones the size is a little more flexible. You will also need a zipper. Don't be scared of the fact that I'm gonna use a zipper, I promise to hold your hand. The zipper installation method hasn't been chosen yet, though.

Hope you'll like this bag. I'm also looking for designs for the next tutorials. I have been looking and finding many options. After the current tutorial to come, I will decide which design I will share with you next by writing a tutorial for it.
However, I have to warn you (warn? Strong word. Erase it!) that the tutorial won't come THAT soon, because as I said I still don't have my machine at the studio yet. Meantime, I just made the pattern pieces and cut out the fabrics that I could cut at the moment. I'm saying at the moment because this bag making has a few stages that their order is critical. You cannot pre-cut all the pieces before you sew certain pieces. The order is very important with this one. Don't worry though, it's not as scary as it might sound.

Getting back to today's job.
I couldn't believe how great it felt, working there on a bag for the first time. I took my dog with me which was a burden. For her more than me. Because she was really bored and didn't stop begging to go home. I did bring a few things for her to do, but it's not really enough. On the other hand, I like it when she's with me, and she likes being with me. And if she hadn't gone with me, she would have been alone at home, which she doesn't like either.
I love love love my studio, even though it's pretty much messy and incomplete. But it's big just enough, the lighting is great. It was really comfy taking my stuff out of places around the rooms. I know, sounds silly. But I felt like I was really working. I own the place, and it's all me there. I would have stayed longer than a hour and half, but my dog was really pressing on me.
Also, thank God it wasn't raining today. Because yesterday, when I left the place after more fixing and installing of stuff, I couldn't wait to come again the next day (today) and start working for real. Now I still want to go there again. Not sure if I can tomorrow, but I'll try, because it's really fun, I had fun, along with the frustration of figuring out the pattern and the steps. I didn't get to do much, but I was able to take a look not only at the new bag's pieces, but also at the studio that was building and appearing and growing right in front of me.

Since I did all I could do at the moment with the new bag and still don't have the machine in there, I will probably start another bag and work on both of them at the same time, even more. That way, I'll probably work on more than one tutorial at the same time, which is great for you too. Haven't decided which bag to do next, out of all the options. Depends on the mood I'll be having, I guess. And I might ask your opinion on it.

Even as I left the place today, I couldn't wait to get back there for more. And you know what, it actually felt like a working room, a working environment, more than it felt when it was at my home's kitchen. And I'm really happy with everything I've achieved that relates to that.

Are You Curious Yet?

I'm just letting you know that the first session of "Curious Cuties" will be up on Thursday (February 24th). So if you want to have the chance to be the first Curious Cutie, send in your question(s) till then. Remember, your questions will be reserved, no matter when you send them, and will still have the chance to be picked up by me next time(s).

The post about this project has been posted 3 days ago, so if you missed it you can follow the trails and read the older post, or simply follow the shortcut: http://www.creativecutie.com/2011/02/curious-cuties.html

You can send your questions via email: daphna@creativecutie.com
(Write "Curious Cuties" in the subjuct field, please)
Or fill in this form:

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Understanding Tutorials

Most bag makers need tutorials to make their own bags, at least in the beginning. But for the real beginners it might be hard to understand those tutorials. So let's make it easier for those of you who are having trouble understanding what the hell the tutorial maker wants to say.

Here are some terms from the sewing world that will help you understand certain things if you've never learned how to sew.

(If you have more terms to add to the list, please let me know so I will add them. These are many of them, but I'm sure there are more I couldn't think of!)

Pattern – the template of a bag (or other items) that you cut the fabric by, once you place it over the fabric (and mark and cut it). There could be a number of pattern pieces for one bag (there are pattern tutorials in the blog).

Right side/wrong side – the right side of the fabric is the side that you want to be seen in the end. It's the prettier side usually, or the printed side. The wrong side, as you can understand, is the other side. The less pretty side, the side you don't want to see when finishing the bag (or other fabric items).
When you read in a tutorial that you need to sew "right sides together", it means placing both right sides of the fabric/s on top of each other and sew. Same for the wrong sides.
And when it says to turn right side out, it means to turn the bag (piece) that has its wrong side out, so that its right side will be out and wrong side will be inside and unseen.



Gusset – part of a certain type of bag; it's a long piece of fabric that connects between the front side and the back side of a bag. It add dimension to a bag and is also a way to seal a bag at the sides and bottom.





Pin/clip – when it says to pin or clip something it means you should secure (fabrics) together so (they) won't move while sewing. A pin should be removed right before the machine's needle reaches it.


Boxing – is a method to make dimensions to the bag, so it will stand on its own better, and be expended. It's when you make triangles in the corners of the bag's full body (before exterior and interior are sewn together), and then sewn horizontally (better cut off the corners beyond the seam). It creates a "box" out of the corner.
The boxing element can be made to the pattern piece so all you have to do with the piece is pinch corners and sew.

Lining – the inner fabric of a bag.

Exterior/interior – exterior is the outer part (whether it's the fabric or another material) of the bag. Interior is the inner part of the bag, usually the lining itself.

Backstitch – a very important term in sewing, any sewing. It's when you reverse the needle, back and forth, the stitching while sewing over the stitch you've already made. When it says to backstitch, it means you should go over the stitches a few times to make it more secure, so it won't get loose (the seam).

Base – simply the base that is at the bottom of the bag that usually makes it stand on its own better. You can insert a base to a bag instead of sewing it as part of it, and there are materials for that.

Trim off – references to the excesses you should cut off or take down from a fabric piece or something else.
Piping – sort of trim strip that has a tube that a cord has been inserted into it (cord cannot be seen, it's sewn inside). It decorates edges of bags and garments in a fine line. Can be purchased as premade or be made at home easily.





Piping – sort of trim strip that has a tube that a cord has been inserted into it (cord cannot be seen, it's sewn inside). It decorates edges of bags and garments in a fine line. Can be purchased as premade or be made at home easily.




Fold – besides the obvious meaning of the word, sometimes in sewing it means to fold the fabric in half, usually wrong side of the fabric facing outside, placing the pattern on the fold, mark and cut out the fabric. This way you don't waste fabric and time.

Magnetic snap – a magnetic closure that has two halves – male (flatter one) and female (deeper one). You don't have to sew it to the bag's lining, but you make holes for its prongs, insert through holes, bend down the prongs and that's all (there's a tutorial in this blog).
Leaving a gap – you start sewing, then stop, skip a few cm/in, then put the needle back in and keep sewing. There's no need to pull out of the machine when skipping, just trim the thread once you're finished. You're usually asked to leave a gap (like in the lining) so you could turn inside out the bag's body through it, and sew it closed once the bag is finished.

Interfacing/stabilizer – meant to make the bag's body stiffer and more stabilized, sometimes enough to make the bag stand on its own. There are many kinds, you should pick the right one. There are stiffer ones, thicker ones, fabric and paper ones. Some you sew in, some you fuse to the fabric, some you fill the bag's body with, etc.

Flap – a bag's flap is like a wing that shuts over the bag's top as a closure. It can make the stuff you put in a bag safer because it closes the bag's top better. Better install a magnetic snap, twist lock, a swivel hook or any other method in the flap, to make sure it really closes it and not just lays over it.
O-ring/D-ring/ring – they can come in metallic or plastic and even wooden material, and in many sizes. They mostly decorate bags, for example you can sew them to a bag's straps. The O-ring is in a shape of 'O', the D-ring in a shape of a 'D'. And there are rectangle rings and square rings. There are times where you can also find different shapes of rings, like hearts. They're still counted as rings.

Leaving a gap – you start sewing, then stop, skip a few cm/in, then put the needle back in and keep sewing. There's no need to pull out of the machine when skipping, just trim the thread once you're finished. You're usually asked to leave a gap (like in the lining) so you could turn inside out the bag's body through it, and sew it closed once the bag is finished.

Iron/press – when making a bag and asked to iron/iron flat/press, it means to press the fabric/s with an iron, not so it will be wrinkle-free, but so it will be flatten and more "attached to the ground". It makes the fabric/s sit better. For example, when making a strap, it's always better to iron it flat, it looks much better.



O-ring/D-ring/ring – they can come in metallic or plastic and even wooden material, and in many sizes. They mostly decorate bags, for example you can sew them to a bag's straps. The O-ring is in a shape of 'O', the D-ring in a shape of a 'D'. And there are rectangle rings and square rings. There are times where you can also find different shapes of rings, like hearts. They're still counted as rings.






Eyelets/grommets – they're rings, in different sizes and colors, rimmed with metal, that you install into the fabric as holes. There are also tools to install them at home. They can have many uses, imagination can take you far,


Clip corners – sometimes after sewing, the outer part beyond the seam is a little thick and we will have trouble turning inside out those corners. So you can cut little triangles along the seam with scissors, carefully without cutting the seam itself. This is good when you make a curved piece, or a sharp piece (which in this case, you better trim off a little of the tip).

Topstitch – just like it sounds, it's a stitch you stitch at the top. Sometimes it's a visible stitch, so you need to make it not only straight and even, but also pretty.



Twist lock – a lock closure for a bag's flap that you turn to shut/open the bag. It can easily be installed into a bag's flap at home (there's a tutorial in the blog).



1/4" – is the ordinary measurement that tells you in which width you should sew. It's the width between the machine's foot and the edge of the fabric – the distance between the foot and the fabric's edge.

Unpick – needs to be done sometimes, even though it sucks (I HATE it!). If you've sewn something wrong, not pretty, crooked or anything else you're not satisfied with, you should gently pull out the seams by unpicking them carefully with a picker. Although, sometimes you might be asked to unpick something that's meant to be unpicked in the first place, because that's just a step in a tutorial.

Pleats – mostly a decorative thing, a design element. It's when you fold in the piece of fabric in a few places (or just two), usually from the top and toward the middle; then you sew in place as close to the edge as possible. Then you usually sew another piece of fabric on top of it (right sides together), at the edge, and then reopen it, so that the stitches don't show (and iron). That's just an example, there are many designs and you do with it.
When you see "pleated bag", it means it's a bag with pleats that decorating it.

Fat Quarter – not so much of a bag thing, but sometimes it is, because sometimes it's made out of fat quarter pieces. That's a piece of fabric that its dimensions are 18x22 inches. Usually a piece of fabric that is used in quilting. You can sometimes buy those pieces instead of cutting them out from a larger fabric yourself.


Bias Tape – used as a decoration for the edges of a fabric, or as a concealer for the seams that don't go into the bag (or other fabric products). It's made of a strip of fabric that is cut on the bias of the fabric. There are different kinds, different widths; some are single folded and some are double folded.


Vinyl – a fake leather fabric that is based on high-tech plastic material. It comes in many thicknesses and colors and textures. Also known as vinyl sky and faux leather.

Teflon foot – is a sewing machine foot that is made of Teflon (plastic) so that your sewing of a material such as vinyl will go easier (or at all), it slides on the vinyl that regular foot cannot.

Zipper foot – sometimes when you try to sew a zipper to a bag, the zipper's pull is on the way, and doesn't let you sew beside it. So the right solution for that is a zipper foot. You install it in the sewing machine, and then can easily sew beside the zipper.

Making Bags – Ends the Shopping?

I've always been a bags kind of girl. I don't particularly like shoes or buying shoes. I've always liked buying bags and looking at bags in the stores. And yeah, I've wanted to make bags, but never took it seriously. My past didn't include me saying: "I will make bags by myself". So I kept buying bags, of many kinds. Knew my specific taste and went by that.

I never thought about the possibility that once I make bags by myself, I would stop buying them, or would have to stop buying them. And here came the dilemma.
My parents didn't let me buying bags because I started making them. There was no use buying what I could create myself. There is logic in this, but also, there is the opposite.

Why does the fact that I create something have to affect my buying it? Do I stop shopping for one of my favorite items and replace that with my homemade? And is it easier making something as appose to buying an already made one?

It never really accrued to me that I might make that sacrifice. Sounds horrible. Sacrifice. Giving up a good thing for another good thing. But why do I have to give up on that? I like to sometimes enjoy my very new not homemade items. Strolling around the store, looking at the wonderful designs without figuring out ideas, see the price tags and choosing the one I want most of all. Then take it home with me, putting things inside and take it out again for another spin, this time as my own carryall.
On the other hand, the second part I can do with the bags I make. But half the fun is the shopping, right? It's the experience of shopping that only women can understand. The feeling of buying something new, the spirit rising... It's unbelievable. It feels great spending money on something you really like, especially if you got a good deal on it. I like the feeling of seeing, paying, taking home and having something. It's part of the fun, one of the things that I like doing in life. So there is no reason giving this up just because I can make those at home, right? Because it's about the feeling. Not even the item itself.
On the other hand, I also have a great feeling when I see a bag I made. It's a whole different feeling, but it's equally amazing. The euphoria.

Two different experiences, both good. Then why should I give up on one of them? So are my parents wrong? Should I give up on buying the bags forever and settle on the ones I make? Maybe settle isn't the right word…
Making bags is a lot of work. Might be easier buying. But getting the compliments on a bag YOU made is a lot better than compliments for something you CHOSE.

It's all about, choice in the end. There is no need giving up on something you love just because you can make it yourself, if that makes you feel good. There's no better than the other. I say spread it out, and go nuts! I mean, most people who make clothes still buy clothes from stores. Why should it be any different with bags?

Curious Cuties

Proud to present the blog's new feature. It's helpful, interesting, insightful, and you're gonna be a part of it! What is it? I'll tell you!

This is how it goes. You send me questions about bags. Bag making, bag designing, business questions, tip requests, etc. anything bags, to my email. Then, once a week I pick one question out of all the ones that have been sent to me (within the entire period, not just that week), and I give a wide answer to it, as best as I can.

I will start with one question per week, and if there is need to, I will increase it to more. It all depends on your enthusiasm and your number of questions, that's the only way it can work for both parties.

Feel free to ask whatever you want about bags, and if I don't answer your question, please be patient because it might get picked out later on. Also, don't stop sending in questions, there is no limit to the amount you can ask, and you can send anytime you want, during the entire time.

You can learn a lot by that, so I think it's a very interesting idea, you should participate in this feature. Remember, it's for you and it's a good chance for you to find out the answers for the questions you've always wanted to know but didn't have anyone to turn to.

The questions can be sent to my email:
daphna@creativecutie.com
Please write in the 'subject' field: "Curious Cuties"
OR via this form:

Your Name:

Your Question(s):

Remember, if I will be getting many questions, there will be more than one question even in the nearest session of Curious Cuties. So start sending your wonders!

4th Combat - The Chicas

It's been a long while, but the "Combat" section is back in order!
In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll tell you, very quickly.
Every time I post 2 bags or more from Januar Designs that have something in common or not. Your job is to decide which one you like better and vote for it. This way I also learn people's taste, therefore getting myself better; plus it's fun for you!
You can see previous combats by clicking in the menu, the left sidebar.

I'll start by posting the results for the last combat, it was really close, both got many votes, but there's only one winner:

This time I'm putting up 3 bags to vote for. It's the first time that there is more than 2 bags competing with each other. You can vote for only one:

Makes Me Green

I'm sure we've all noticed the new trend on this earth. Earth love and eco friendly products everywhere. People seem to get more and more interested in keeping our planet clean, safe and healthy. Lately this trend kicked in the bag world as well.
But eco friendly bags don't have to be boring. Today they're not all about keeping it green, but it's also about beauty and fashion. I brought you some examples!

Here are gym bags, by Keen:

Can you believe it's an eco friendly bag:

This is a Mobile Edge ECO Casual Tote you can take anywhere and get many compliments.

Men bag named "Leaf" by Helen Rieger:

Gotta love this one, made from organic cotton, by Canopy Verde:

There is a whole line of those, by the designer, and they're all eco friendly.

Recycled Sail Bag from Red Flag Designs that can be used for either shopping, the market, carried by men or women; anytime, anywhere, anyone:

Sparrow Handbags bring us these eco friendly amazing designs:

These are classy and posh bags by Waukegan Tire, a family business for high fashion eco friendly accessories such as these bags:

Their accessories are made from recycled materials such as discarded tractor tire inner tubes!

Matt & Nat have a very nice line of eco friendly bags with amazing colors and designs, you can't even tell it's that green:

This bag also comes in a verity of colors and shapes.

Are green already? Don't be afraid to buy this kind of bags, they're equally pretty and functional. Because those designers thought about it all. Not just the designs, but also the used materials and the fashion aspect. Can't overlook that!

The Vision

Sometimes in life there comes a time where you can't not see and notice things. I'm talking about the times where you work at certain job, or in school for a certain interest of yours. Say, if you're studying photography, you walk in the street, or anywhere else for that matter, and can't not see photographs everywhere. You see every tree as a good and beautiful photograph, a one that can be hanged at the art gallery. You see every crying child as art. Everything becomes art.
You're writing a movie, you start scripting every dialog between a mother and her child, because it sounds just like a hit movie.
You see a beautiful girl with a stunning dress walking past you, and you think about a runway show, you see the lights, the catwalk, the flashlights…
You get the picture.

It's the same with bags for me. And I get those pictures in other areas too, not only bags. Today I can't walk in the street and not see art. Whether it's photographs, fashion bulletin, a beautiful movie, even a music video. Anything goes in art.
When you're into something, it's all you see. You notice things, and it's all so clear.

When I walk in the street I see bag potentials everywhere. I see things that give me inspirations. Every tree, every flower, every bench. Not only the design itself that I get the inspiration from, but also the situation. Like, if I see a little girl shopping with her mom, I might think of designing a bag for that girl who likes to shop. It can be by colors, by shape, size, functionality, etc.

Not only that. Since I got myself real serious with the bags, I see bags everywhere. Before that I'd never stare at women's bags in the street. It didn't accrue to me to look. Today I dare to stare and critique, if I like it or not. I have to say that many bags I see in the streets in the area where I live I really like. I see beautiful bags around me.
.
This is such a good thing to notice those things, because this way you also learn. What people like, what's "in" right now, what colors people prefer, materials, etc. I don't always look at people's bags just because they're pretty, but also because I can get a lot of information by doing that. So stare but don't scare!

Another thing that makes me happy, how much women today like bags. It's more than an accessory these days. And I know my job is to fulfill that need. The need for fashion, for functional ways to carry stuff. To show off your style and your personality.

Your entire vision changes once you get into something "Arty". And that's pretty amazing finding that out. It's fun too, because you feel deep and whole. Like you see things others don't. And every person who has this view sees something else. A green tree in a garden can seem to someone as a love story - two people meet under that tree and fall in love. But to another person, that green tree can be told as a horror story of a forest being cut off because it spells people to kill others.
And people who don't have that vision, will only see a green tree. A plant with leaves that big spiders nest in. just a tree. With no story, no inspiration, no purpose.

If you don't have that vision (yet?), I so recommend it! It will change your entire view on things. Will spread your brain into new dimensions, new realms. And that's an amazing thing to have when you're into arts and design. Just think outside the box and clear your mind; just let your imagination a freedom. You'll be amazed!

Wonderful Net of Time

Time is pressing on me. It's been a while since I made my latest bag. Because my sewing stuff are separated from each other, some are at the studio, some still at my house. And even though most of my stuff is in one place – the studio – I still cannot work on my bags. Which means I'm way behind. The bags in the store are selling well, so I have to provide more once in a while; and I got a phone call asking for smaller bags, as 20-30 and 50 something year old women have requested. Plus I need to make the regular bags. Plus I owe you, lovely blog readers, a tutorial. It needs a bag to make too, since there's nothing better than a tutorial that actually has pictures.

I'm kinda scared of that moment where I can finally start working on my bags again. I mean, this would be great, and I can't wait. But this will be a total overload. I have more time now though, because I'm not working at the sewing workshop anymore.

The good news is it will happen very soon. My studio is way far from being done, but I plan on start working there before I finish it. I just need to have everything there, not even organized, it will do. Just need it up and running so I can start making something already.

There is also the factor of tingling hands, waiting me to do something, since I'm a very hand crafts person. Or a creative-arts kind of person, always have been, and known for that. This break from bags gave me more time spending on my blog, and I'm happy for that, because writing is also my passion.
There are other things I'm doing with my hands while not working on my bags. Like making up toys for my bunny to come. There are certain things they like, and it's fun being creative and think of things to make for him/her. They like toilet paper rolls, and I've found many things to make out of it, alter the rolls into something that might seem intriguing to the bunny. I started designing rabbit toys till I was out of ideas. The thing that I'm planning to do is, making many many kinds of toys, and replacing and changing every here and there, to give the rabbit new interests every time, so it doesn't get bored. Every time a few toys to play with. They nibble, so I will have to make new ones all the time.

I don't know if that's craft, but it is being creative. I'm also making up songs. In my computer, with a composing program and a microphone. This passes the time, it takes a lot of work, and the result is really fun, even though I'm not a very good singer.
I find things to do, so I don't think about the bags and how I can't wait to start making them again; and of course the fact that I will have a stock of work. On one hand, that's a good thing. On the other, hard. I still don't know what it will be like, to work in my own sewing room. A place of work of my own. It is a work place, which is a little weird, because it's all mine, it's not part of my house anymore, it's separated. And it is what my job will be, officially. I will be my own boss. Guess it's kinda weird. I'll just have to wait and see!

Celebrity Bags That I Liked – PART ONE

Personally, I like bags that are not THAT fancy, that don't cost like a million of dollars. Can't even afford it. Good thing I can make them by myself, huh?
But there are bags I got my eyes on. Some of the bags celebrities like that I like. Here are a few of my faves:

Here is a bag that the fashion forward Victoria Beckham, by Marc Jacobs. I like the design itself more than the fabric, but it still looks good to me:

And another Victoria's bag, a Dolce and Gabbana bag:

And Lindsay Lohan has it too!

And because I love purple, this Victoria's Hermes bag:

Most of her bags are boxy like. But I could find other kinds that I liked more.

Hayden Panettiere seems to love constructed bags, which I do too. There are many details in this bag, which is medium sized, perfect sized, in my opinion. A lot can fit in there, but it's not so big to carry around Hollywood. It's a Rebecca Minkoff bag:

Can't see much of Lindsay Lohan's Burberry bag in the first picture, but in the second one I became certain I like this bag:

Sarah Michelle Gellar usually likes the color black. But I was able to find something with a little more color, a nice color:

I want both, her bag and her juice!

This is actually a bag that probably every woman in Hollywood has. I've seen these on so many, but in different colors. This is the one that Sarah Mihelle Gellar has. Who else has it? An example will be right coming!

I kinda like Rihanna's style in bags. Her style actually vary, and it's interesting. Here's an example:

Not a big fan of this color, but I like the design anyway.

Another fashion forward chick, Paris Hilton. With her I had less trouble finding bags I liked, even if sometimes she dresses like she has no mirror in her room. And she also has her own line:

Her friend Nicole Richi rocks it when it comes to fashion. So even with bags, she didn't disappoint me. She has this one in more than one color, and she's not the only one who has them. This is the design I was talking about before, the hit among the celebrity community:

Another hair color, another bag color (would lose the dress, though):

Next we have Anne Hathaway's Chanel bag, cute and in such a lovely color that's taking over the latest bags fashion industry:

What I like about Miley Cyrus's style, also in clothes, that she's obviously young. She dresses young, and so her bags. To me, nothing's better than jeans and a t-shirt!

It's true that it's a sided few, but it looks cute anyway:

Don't you get paranoid when wearing something white? Talk about stains that might get picked up!

Here's someone that tells the whole world that she has her own style. And she rocks with her bags. Dita Von Teese likes big and expensive bags! So classy you could die:

Oh, I love the next girl's style, because she's both an adult AND keeps her spirit young. Please enter, Jessica Alba, with your bags fashion sense!

Here she carries a Botkier bag that looks a little like a backpack rather than a handbag. Oh, well….

Massive, but noticeable. I noticed. I actually don't know what I feel about this one, but it looks very well made:

And finally, probably my favorite, with an amazing color choice. Jessica's Chloe bag. This one is probably the only one out of all the celebrity bags that I want so badly:

To be continued….