Carried Away: The Etsy Bag Makers Team

October’s Featured Embellished Bag -

2011-10-14T14:28:00.001-04:00

This months featured bag comes from Jamie Diaz of Warning Label Creations. This being the month of Halloween I thought it would be fun to feature a “scary” themed bag. Now, I agree, Alexander Skarsgard is not really “scary” looking. He’s actually very good looking. But I thought his character and the nature of the True Blood show fit in perfectly.
I asked Jamie about her bag and what inspired her and this is what she had to say…
“I don't really have a process - I just see things and go, "Oooooh!" and then hoard them until I find something to match. I see potential in everything. Especially fabric. Who knows how much fabric I have anymore! I pretty much bought my house to have a place to put my crafting stash.

My inspirations are pretty varied. A lot of my bag designs are influenced by the subcultures that I like, heavy metal music being the biggest influence, followed by books and history (I'm an Anthropology major!). For this particular True Blood bag, I wanted something that was rich and exotic like Eric is in the TV show (although I personally prefer the books), so I went with a royal purple skull brocade, and lots of lace and ribbon and trim. Also, you just cant go wrong with Alexander Skarsgard, he's hot! They definitely got the right guy to play Eric!”
I have to say I agree with you Jamie about that last part. I’m a big True Blood fan too. And the bag is great.
If you’d like to be featured in next months post please contact me and let me know. I’d love to check out your shop and your embellished bags. You can email me at katydshandbags@gmail.com or send me a direct message on Facebook http://facebook.com/katydshandmade and don’t forget to include a link to your shop. The only requirements are you have to be a member of Carried Away and make embellished bags.
P.S. No you didn’t read that wrong. I did say next months feature. My original hope was to do a weekly feature but with running my own shop, blog and day job I’m afraid I will have to limit my posts here to one a month. I hope everyone can understand. I do like doing posts here and love meeting and talking to other artisans. Keep up the great work.

Bags of Bliss- Fall Fest Team Challenge

2011-09-28T18:02:00.003-04:00

Bags of Bliss has submitted a Fall themed bag for our Team Challenge. Her Amanda Pouf handbag made with faux tortoise shell handles sports a brown and orange stripe pattern on the exterior and fall colored leaves and trees on the interior.

If you are thinking about submitting a bag for our October/November Team Challenge, submission are due ~~September 30th~~ (You can submit your bag through the end of November!)

The theme is "Fall Fest" and it has to be a bag that is handmade by you or someone in your shop. Some ideas would be any bag with a Halloween or Thanksgiving trend. Embellishment that is orange or black. Think bats, pumpkins, scarecrows, corn, gold, rust, fall colors, leaves, wood.

We have only had two submissions so far, so if you have a bag that is already in your shop that would fall into this category, please send an email or convo jandem so we can publicize your shop a little. Remember to include 2 good photos and a little description.

2011-09-25T20:56:00.006-04:00

WittyJosefiend has submitted her

Glow-In-The-Dark Halloween Wristlet

for our "Fall Fest" Team Challenge.

This wristlet is perfect for the fall season! Accented and fully lined with orange cotton, the main fabric features spooky, Halloween-y eyes that, yes, glow in the dark!

If you are thinking about submitting a bag for our October/November Team Challenge, submission are due ~~September 30th~~ (You can submit your bag through the end of November!)

We have only had one submission so far, so if you have a bag that is already in your shop that would fall into this category, please send an email or convo jandem so we can publicize your shop a little.

Embellished Bag of the Week–Victorian Rose Bouquet Wristlet by hottiehandbags

2011-09-21T18:59:00.000-04:00

This weeks featured Embellished bag comes from hottiehandbags. When I looked at Susan shop she had several embellished bags to choose from. I especially liked her Victorian Rose Bouquet Wristlet. I loved the handmade rosebuds and thought they looked so elegant and this bag would be a nice touch of subtle color to a little black dress. I asked Susan about her bag making process and this is what she had to say…

I design each of my Hottie Handbags as a piece of fabric art; akin to painting a picture. My designs are dictated by my mood at the time. I often choose the embellishment first and work the design of my handbag as secondary. Such is the case with my Alice’s Crossover Body Hip Bag and my Colorful Market Bag and Picnic Tote. Both utilize vintage bill of ladings transferred onto linen fabric.

All of my bags are multi-functional and designed for personal use and/or gift giving. The Colorful Market Bag and Picnic Tote is a great tote for a bottle of wine and a loaf of French bread for a trip to the country – or as a themed wedding gift. The Alice’s Crossover Body Hip Bag is a great security pouch for under a jacket, or you can show it off with your jeans and white tee shirt running errands about town.

I like to create with vintage embellishments – brooches, beads, baubles, buttons, ribbons, charms, etc. The richness of recycled upholstery and drapery fabrics, along with faux fur, faux suede, and faux leather are a great juxtaposition. This is especially evident in my Victorian Rose Bouquet Wristlet and my Linen Retro Tote Bag. I created pink polka dot rose buds, added vintage trim as the stems and wool felt for the leaves. The Linen Retro Tote Bag uses a bare bones handmade linen tote. I then embellished the tote with a large brown prop quality silk rose and an eclectic freehand wave of gorgeous linen weave fabric.

It’s all about having a great selection of embellishments to choose from when my creative mind gets going. An inventory of unique embellishments takes awhile to build, but it is well worth it when my creative dreams at night, can come to fruition in the morning just by reaching into my embellishment treasure chest!

Respectfully Submitted by:
Susan Krempa, cabteam Member
Hottie Handbags – “Handmade Purses with an Attitude”

Thanks Susan for letting us in on your creative process. I look forward to seeing what other great embellished bags you come up with.

Embellished Bag of the Week - Zippered Pouch by sewartsy

2011-09-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Katherine and I am so excited to be a new contributor to the Carried Away Etsy Bag Maker Team Blog. Just a little about me and then on to the good stuff.

I have been sewing for as long as I can remember. I started in high school and instantly fell in love. I didn’t really take up sewing though until I had my children and began sewing for them. One thing led to another and before long I was making handbags. I loved it so much and all my friends wanted one so now I have a shop on Etsy, Katy D’s Handmade.

So, when I was looking around Etsy for a bag to feature here I wanted to find something unique for my first post. I have to tell you it wasn’t easy. There are so many great bags and great bag makers that it was really hard to decide. But I narrowed down my selections and decided on this Zippered Pouch by sewartsy. I really liked Amy’s creative use of the zipper and beautiful fabric peeking through the solid (plainer) fabric. I asked Amy about her little “zipper” bag and what inspired her…

“So I love fabric, obviously, but I'm also enamored with little embellishments and making my bags into artsy creations with buttons and crystals and appliques and the like. When I started playing around with this design it was because I was thinking those little zipper teeth are so adorable - not just functional. I'd seen those great little pouches that look like the teeth of an animal or a monster, and came up with the idea of creating an artistic "unveiling" of a beautiful or interesting print - kind of like drawing back a curtain! The inside is a regular, fully functioning zippered pouch, but the outside will make you smile!”

And it does make me smile Amy. It’s almost as if a secret is being revealed. Amy has other great bags in her shop too so be sure to check them all out.

Thank you so much for reading my first post here on Carried Away. I hope to post a new featured bag every Tuesday. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and if you would like to be featured here please contact me and let me know. The link to my shop is above, just send me a convo. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. I would love to talk to you about your bags.

Tutorials

2011-09-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we had some cute accessories for our dogs. So, it's only fair to have some projects for our cats. Enjoy!

Cat Bed by Craftgrrl
Suitcase Cat Bed by My Sweet Things
Cat Bed by RedThreadDIY
Cat Basket by iHannasBlog

Tutorials

2011-09-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Desk Calendar Tutorial by Rashida Coleman-Hale
Snappy Coin Purse Tutorial by Rashida Coleman-Hale
Pocket Mirror Tutorial by Rashida Coleman-Hale
Lunch Money by you guessed it...Rashida Coleman-Hale

Tutorials

2011-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Zipper Top Lunchbag by Blissful
Lunchbag by Bend The Rules
Lunch Sack by A Lemon Squeezy Home
Lunch Bag by Pink Penguin

Give To Others

2011-08-21T10:30:00.001-04:00

These are the 3 organizations we have chosen to donate to.
If you are interested in donating any proceeds from the sale(s) of item(s) in your shop, you can check out their information here:

Kiva
Wateraid
Doctors Without Borders

Also, make sure that you edit your listings so that buyers know that part of their purchase price will go to these charities.

When you make your sale you can either donate directly on their respective websites, or you can wait until March, June, September, or December and we will pool all charity donations from all members and split our donations between all 3 organizations. Receipts of transactions will be available to all members and will be donated from "Carried Away: The Etsy Bag Makers Team"

If you have items in your shop whose proceeds you would like to donate, please email me with:
THE LISTING URL and at least ONE PHOTO
so that I can link to them on facebook and our blog so you get recognition and hopefully sell those bags! When you sell an item please let me know so that we can congratulate you on your sale. My direct email is jandem [at!] me.com

Tutorials

2011-08-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Reversible Coffee Cup Sleeves by CraftyStaci
Reversible Coffee Sleeve by The Cottage Home
Fabric Coffee Cozy by YouCanMakeThis.com
Quick and Easy Coffee Cozy by Every Nothing Wonderful

Tutorials

2011-08-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Friendship Bag by PSIQuilt
15 Minute Quilted Bag by ozcountryquiltingmum
Quilted Tote by Clermont Farms
Quilted Patchwork Bag by Heart of Mary

Interesting Find of the Week - Letters from Italia

2011-08-07T09:25:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about Italia again and yesterday as I was browsing the Etsy site I found this wonderful shop, Rosies Armoire. Her shop is filled with these wonderful hand painted wristlets and home accessories that were inspired by vintage letters and postcards. These lovelies have me dreaming of Italia and this week's interesting find:

Letter from Italy Purse

From Italy with Love Purse- Aqua

Until next week...Happy Sewing!
Helen - hmmills - Eco-friendly messenger bags

Tutorials

2011-08-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Fabric Calendar by Rashida Coleman-Hale
Pocket Advent Calendar Tutorial by Noodlehead
Sugar and Spide Magnetic Perpetual Calendar by The Quilted Fish
The picture in the lower right is another person's version of the Fabric Calendar by Rashida Coleman-Hale. I'm definitely trying this project. How cute!

Interesting Find of the Week - For the Record

2011-07-31T08:07:00.000-04:00

Years and years ago a friend and I walked into a music store. At the time, she had not yet converted to the CD phenomenon and we were on a quest to find a particular album, but all all we could find were CDs. When we approached the store associate (who appeared to still be in high school) his response to our question was, "Ma'am you can find the vinyl downstairs" Oh boy, did I feel old, even though I was only 22 at the time...and with that, here's this week's interesting find:

Bad Company Record Album Purse from The Big Oh's Shop:

Or about this Record Purse "Under A Blood Red Sky" from Lia and Emily Designs' Shop

Until next week...Happy Sewing!

Helen http://www.hmmills.com

Tutorials

2011-07-29T00:00:00.004-04:00

Pet Pouches by the b-line
Pet Treat Pouch by Embroidery Library Projects
Dog Walker's Companion by Amanda Toris
Dog Treat Bag Tutorial by Bits and Pieces

Interesting Find of the Week -

2011-07-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

Living in Florida and previously providing coverage in the Cocoa Beach/Titusville area as part of my day job responsibilities, it is with sadness that I watched the end of the Space Shuttle Program once the Shuttle return to earth last Thursday morning.

So this week I pay homage to one type of aerospace technology that had made it into our everyday lives...Carbon Fiber...

Carbon Fiber Portfolio from RAGGEDedge Gear's shop:

According to the product description, "Carbon fiber is well known for its high tensile strength. Its often touted as being stronger then steel at a fraction of the weight. It was originally introduced to the world for use in the aerospace industry, but has since been adapted by many other industries (now most well known in the automotive sector)..."

Until next week Happy Sewing!
Helen of HMMills - Handcrafted messenger bags, bags for men, clutches, satchels, hobos, totes, purses, canvas bags, laptop bags and school bags. Created in fabulous eco-friendly fabrics such as hemp, canvas and bright cottons.

Tutorials

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Scrappy Owl Bag by Ohdeedoh
Oversized Owl Bag by A Wednesday Afternoon
Owl Purse by Giggles Galore
Edna the Owl Bag by Lolly Chops

Bag of the Week - Polka Dot Backpack

2011-07-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

This black and white polka dot backpack is adorable (and super functional)!

Team member Kawanila has created this backpack with black and white denim and white canvas. It has pockets galore! There are 2 deep pockets on the outside and 4 more pockets inside.

Go to Kawanila's shop to see more backpacks in cute stripes as well as some very nice leather phone/ipod cases.

Kawanila can be found on Twitter and Facebook as well!

Tutorials

2011-07-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Mama Diaper Bag by A Mingled Yarn
Angela's Diaper Bag by Moda Bake Shop
Little Boxy Pouch by Three Bears
Half Yard Bag by Molly Chicken

Bag of the Week - Fifi Lapin Billfold Wallet

2011-07-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Take a look at this super cute vegan wallet by team member retool!

This wallet features:
- 4 card slots, each holding about 3-6 cards
- 1 long pocket for paper money or receipts
- velcro closure
- 70% of materials sourced from factory remnants/discontinued/upcycled goods
- vegan!

You must retool's shop to see all the cool repurposed wallets, messenger bags, zippered pouches and cases.

Retool can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and they have their own blog.

Interesting Find of the Week - Coffee in Bed

2011-07-10T10:47:00.001-04:00

This post is late because I am still in bed, drinking coffee and watching the CBS News Sunday Morning. All days should start this way. Dreaming of coffee and searching through Etsy this morning I found the following interesting find(s) of the week.

How about a messenger bag made from a recycled coffee sack from White Apple Threads Shop:

BENTLEY Messenger Bag

She also carries this theme of recycled coffee sacks and creates bridesmaid gifts:

6 Custom Wedding Totes - Handmade from Recycled Coffee Sacks

Very cool...
Until next week...Happy Sewing!
Helen

Tutorials

2011-07-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wallet that turns into a tote by Ikat Bag
Pleated Beach Bag by Thimble
Organizing Tote by 2 Little Hooligans
Diaper Bag at Warehouse Fabrics

Another CABTeam Shop Sale Today

2011-07-04T15:35:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Karina of SimplyClutch for her donation to the CABTeam shop. Although this lovely green silk clutch didn't sell in our shop, it sold in hers. She is transferring the $25 to our team account. Please remember if you have a bag in the team shop to also post it in your personal shop for double exposure!

Speaking of donations, our shop could use some more bags. The year is half over. Have you donated yet? Now is a great time to do so. You can donate by following these directions. You must be signed in to your Etsy account to view this discussion.

With the last two sales ($42.95 for KeepBags bag and $29 for ApolloHillCrafts bag) and this sale, we have enough funds to make another donation to our current charities. So far this year our team has donated $188 to Drs. Without Borders and $45 to WaterAid. So, to even things out a bit, I will send another $50 to WaterAid and $50 to Kiva this week. CABTeam is definitely making a difference. Yay Team!!!

Bag of the Week - Fourth of July Retro Tote

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I just had to find a red, white, and blue bag for today. I found this lovely tote bag from Hottie Handbags. It's a one-of-a-kind bag featuring a blue and white star print with a cute red and white retro print for the bow.

America the beautiful!

Interesting Find of the Week - Holiday Merchandising?

2011-07-03T09:25:00.001-04:00

Happy pre 4th of July and to our neighbors to the North, a belated Happy Canada Day!

This weekend includes two national holidays and I was wondering how many of us took note of the Etsy July Merchandising Desk post and marketed holiday related items in their shops? I did not, did you? While I was a slacker, I found others that were not:

ALFRESCO PINK MESSENGER American Flag

Vintage Gun Shot Bags Messenger Cross Body Purse

Oh Canada: Messenger, Laptop, iPad Bag

Until next week...Happy Sewing!
Helen