by MissMalaprop on June 7, 2010
With designs like these by Bungaloe and Friedasophie, I’m thinking metallics must be in this summer:
Handbag designer Stephanie Bellomo of Bungaloe designs handmade, eco-conscious purses. Her totes, clutches and hobo bags are made from either recycled leather or a pvc-free biodegradable faux leather material, with organic canvas linings. I’m seeing a lot of metallics in her current collection of bags (available for purchase on Etsy), and I thought they would pair perfectly with the beautiful jewelry designs of Friedasophie. These gorgeous nature-inspired designs remind me of summer with gemstones that look like brightly colored candies and juicy fruits. The blend of bold colors and modern metallics have me dreaming of summery vacation getaways. (These would look great with a flowy summer dress and nice sandals, right?)
Check out more work by both designers at Bungaloe and Friedasophie.
by MissMalaprop on March 30, 2010
This weekend I’ll be out at Freret Market promoting my new shop and hanging out with some of my fellow New Orleans Craft Mafia members: artbymags!, greenKangaroo, She Loves Me Not Clothing Company, and Unique Products. The event typically takes place on the first Saturday of every month, which makes this Saturday, April 3, the next date! We’ll be near the corner of Freret Street and Napoleon Avenue from 12pm – 5pm. The Freret Market is always lots of fun, and it’s free to attend. It always features live music, this month by Tin Men at noon, Tanglers at 1:45pm and Sunflower City at 3:30pm. Check out some of the stuff you might find from us there:
Fleur de Lis Labyrinth Recycled Greeting Cards by Paper NOLA. I’m stocking these great handmade greeting cards made by my friend Karen Kempf in my new shop. Karen is one of the most environmentally committed artists I know… She goes so far as to collect rainwater to use in her recycled paper making process, in order to limit any sort of waste. She was someone I knew from the start that I’d want to have involved in my shop.
A couple of weeks ago, I helped my friend Mags of art by mags! with her booth at the Top of the Hops beer fest. I LOVE the new beer inspired folk art that she came up with for the fest! She loves incorporating recycled bottlecaps into her work (as do I), and I love this new direction that she’s taken with it. She managed to haul off quite a pile of bottlecaps from the festival to recycle. If you’re in New Orleans and want to save and donate your old bottlecaps to her, get in touch with her!
I’ve always been a HUGE fan of my friend Heather’s fused glass creations. I’ve got a few of them, and they’re totally worth checking out in person. You’ll have trouble deciding which one is your favorite! She’ll be at Freret Market this weekend, or you can also find her shop Unique Products at 2038 Magazine Street and online.
Rebekah of She Loves Me Not Clothing Company is our newest member in the New Orleans Craft Mafia. Her Etsy shop doesn’t do justice to her creations, so you’ll just have to come out and see her stuff this weekend! It’s going to be her first time doing the Freret Market, so show her some love! She’s a really talented seamstress, and she’s got a great style. Aren’t these pouches she made the cutest?
by MissMalaprop on March 29, 2010
I introduced REpurposingNOLA founder Traci Claussen here last fall when I interviewed her about her made-in-New-Orleans line of upcycled accessories and housewares. She’s had much success since then, and just finished up participating in the Entrepreneurial Challenge at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. (BizCamp, which I attended over the weekend, was part of Entrepreneur Week.) I love and totally support everything Traci has been doing to keep materials like burlap coffee sacks out of the waste stream. She teams up with local designers to create new products out of what some might consider trash. Check out some of her newest selections:
Fest, Boo! Pants are one of Traci’s newest ideas. These unisex drawstring pants are perfect for Jazz Fest (hence the name!), and made from repurposed bolts of palm tree fabric that was left over from a New Orleans hotel renovation. The model pictured wearing the pants is Feelgoodz eco-friendly flip flop company founder Kyle Berner.
Pillow Fight! – I love the pillows that REpurposingNOLA is now doing, made from recycled textile remnants found at a local manufacturer’s warehouse and New Orleans-stamped coffee sacks from PJ’s Coffee. You can get just the pillow covers or add on the eco-bamboo insert to put inside it.
This Eco-Duffel travel bag is made from recycled burlap coffee sacks, and lined with green canvas awning from a New Orleans warehouse rooftop for added strength. (Okay, this is actually one of the older designs in the collection, but only six bags are produced each month, so it’s sort of limited edition, and I think these bags would be really great for traveling!)
You can shop for these recycled goods and more bags and accessories at REpurposingNOLA. If you’re in New Orleans, you can also check out select goods at Fleurty Girl (8611 Oak Street), Branch Out (2022 Magazine Street), and Green Serene (2041 Magazine).
UPDATE: you can now also find select REpurposingNOLA goods in my online shop!
by MissMalaprop on March 18, 2010
I’ve been hinting at it for what feels like months now, and the time has finally arrived: my new Shop Miss Malaprop online store is now live!
Here are just a few of the things you’ll find inside:
Hackberry iSockit Deluxe Cell Phone or MP3 Case Hackberry iSockit Deluxe Cell Phone or MP3 Case by Blythe King
Kamakura Zen Pouch of 5 Reusable Grocery or Shopping Bags by b.b.begonia
NOLA Love Unisex Organic Crew T-shirt
All Natural Absinthe Soap, handmade by Sweet Olive Soap Works of New Orleans
Happy Vegetable Reusable Veggie Bags in Green by Wonder Thunder
Consider this a “soft launch”. I’m still adding products (the jewelry category is currently empty, but that will change very soon!), but I tested the shopping cart the other night and as far as I can tell everything works, so I invite you to check it out! I’ll be doing a big media push in the next few weeks, but if you like what you see, please feel free to pass it along!
You can use the coupon code open4biz at checkout for 10% off! Limit 1 per customer; coupon expires June 30, 2010.
If you notice any glitches or errors anywhere, PLEASE let me know. I’d also love any suggestions or general feedback! I’ll be adding more artists and products to the site, so if you have an idea of something you think would be a good fit, let me know that too!
by MissMalaprop on March 16, 2010
I’ve noticed a similar theme with a couple of submissions I’ve received from two artists recently: they’re both using handbags and tote bags as the canvas for their art. I think this is a great approach, as I’ve always loved art that is both beautiful and functional.
Rebecca Sherman is a 28 year old Brooklyn based artist and designer with a BFA in Studio Art from NYU. She recently launched her new line of eco-friendly totes, dubbed BHEKI bags to incorporate her art in a functional and accessible format. Her classic tote designs feature digitally printed images from her ‘Bodies of Water’ series of paintings and digital drawings. She also creates one of a kind totes featuring interpretations of her paintings using embroidery, metallic fabric paint and other embellishments. You can find more of Rebecca’s tote bag creations, plus her original artwork in her Etsy shop.
Julianne Fuchs-Musgrave creates handbags that double as wearable art by hand painting her work onto cotton canvas and twill handbags as well as on purses crafted from recycled leather and suede. She also paints onto other clothing and accessories, but personally, I find the bags to be the most accessible and beautiful pieces. A great handbag is something most people use on a daily basis, and I love this idea of keeping a beautiful work of art with you on the go. You can check out more of her bags at her website, Jolly Juli.
by MissMalaprop on February 9, 2010
As I alluded to yesterday, the New Orleans Craft Mafia has come together for a very special handmade Mardi Gras Marketplace on Magazine Street, just in time for Mardi Gras shopping and Valentine’s Day gift giving! Stop by 2038 Magazine Street now through Saturday, February 13 to shop for handmade goods by New Orleans Craft Mafia members. The shop will be open from noon til 5pm, this week only, so stop by and say hello!
Valentine’s Day has a tendency to get a little overshadowed around here when it falls so close to Mardi Gras. (Not to mention our Superbowl win!!!) But what’s not to love about these sweet gifts?
I love the idea behind this “love IS blind” sterling silver braille pendant necklace by Lucia of bLuGrn design. This is just one in a series of braille pendants, which can also be customized with any name or word, including “love” , “xoxo”, “peace” or anything your heart desires! My sister and her husband exchanged necklaces instead of rings when they got married… I think this would be a beautiful way to incorporate that tradition if you’re not the ring type.
I thought this bag, and the story behind it, was so cute! Said Tara, a NYC-based graphic designer and the creator of this limited edition tote, “Having once been described as the ‘the type of girl who dots her i’s with hearts’, I took this as inspiration for a design that embraces the fun of being feminine.” Indeed. There are only 50 of these bags to be had, so if you want one, get your hands on it at Tara’s website, pembelalay.com.
