Here is a SNEAK PREVIEW of the THIRTEEN new bags I have been frantically creating for ARTWALK GALVESTON, Saturday, June 7th!  I am honored, once again, to be Tina’s on the Strand Featured Artist.  Galveston galleries and boutiques put their best foot forward for this event all day long starting around 10 a.m., but the most fun happens from 6 to 9 p.m. when patrons wander from gallery to gallery sipping wine, shopping, and socializing.  (Makes a great “girls’ night out!”) I will be presenting all day and evening and the theme will be ST. TROPEZ BOUND, thus the French flair to all the following bags.  Drum roll please…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now for something completely different…As you probably noticed,the latter two bags, although charmingly springy, are a total departure from the laminated breezy, beachy vibe.  They were created from 100% vintage materials.  The outer bag was fashioned from a chenille bed covering from the fifties and the blush floral chintz was a vintage remnant from a friend.  To be true to the 100% vintage, I did not add the usual interfacing between layers, nor did I add a magnetic snap.  The antique dice button on Ladies Night, which is Bakelite, serves as the closure, along with the loop made from antique velvet French ribbon. Why did I title the bag “Ladies’ Night?”  Can’t you just picture the ladylike hands wearing those proper little gloves gently tossing the dice onto the casino table in Monte Carlo on the French Riviera?  Oh, yes, we’re still on the French theme! 🙂 Inside I fashioned a pocket from a removed chair covering from a Paris flea market. The floral embellishing came from the millinery section of a department store that closed in the sixties.  An unopened box was found in the back room containing the post WWII “Made in Japan” delicate flowers.  I’ve tucked inside the glove the little fifties style original brochure that came with the pair describing care, etc., and inside the pocket is the original button card from Costumakers (25 cents!)

I’m really looking forward to Saturday and hope to see many friends there.  But I’m REALLY excited to present the summer line so that I may start my fall/winter line!  You know, when I used to teach, I would be worn out by May and looking forward to summer.  But at the same time, I would be anticipating fall, and my head would already be filled with ideas for my new students!  Well, some things never change–my head is spinning with fall/winter ideas and I’m ready to open that armoire containing my lush chenilles, faux fur, leather, and warm fabrics in rich darker hues.  Aren’t I lucky that I LOVE my work?!!! 🙂