Adding a flowery touch to my handbag

I love colour, and quite often my handbags are colourful too. I do have some more sober ones, but they get used less if I’m honest. During the past year and the various lockdowns handbags have become kind of superfluous - as has lipstick - and it was way into the summer last year that I realised my purse and keys were still in my ‘winter’ handbag.

Since then I’ve mostly used a vintage tan handbag - which I’ve had since new! - and my favourite bright yellow Joules handbag, with a few excursions into bags for special outings, which at points during the past year or so could have been simply visiting a restaurant, afternoon tea or seeing family as special occasions have really been few and far between haven’t they?

But both the tan handbag and the yellow Joules bag have started to show signs of wear. I’ve bought some leather nourisher for the tan bag, which I have yet to get onto the leather and I know it won’t do any good until I do. It’s the straps though on the yellow bag, the top coating of the surface is peeling, and it’s not a good look. Since I’ve been wearing the bag on my shoulder more it’s taken to leaving the peeling yellow vinyl on my shoulder, so it looks as if I have a special kind of yellow dandruff on my left shoulder. So this needed fixing, but the bag’s too good, and too much loved, to be retired or fully replaced.

As it’s yellow buying new straps is possible, and I think will be the ultimate solution even if they’re a different colour but I needed something now to get me through. And so I’ve taken a slightly left field and creative solution.

The straps are the buckle sort, not the clip sort, which I think helps a bit. So detaching them from the bag, I’ve glued some pretty yellow and orange flowery bias binding around the straps (having first removed as much of the vinyl that was peeling as I could).

As I was gluing - just PVA craft glue - I realised it would be best for the straps to dry as they’ll be used, rather than dead flat. With the use of some pegs and the bannister on the top landing, I was able to recreate the handbag strap shape. I was quite pleased with myself!

I wasn’t sure how I’d finish the ends tidily, so I took a different approach and decided to stop the fabric just short of the buckle hole that I use. I looks a little peculiar without the buckle, but I was confident that it would look better when the straps were back on the bag.

And I’m really happy with how it turned out.

The next few days I’m going to be out and about for work more than I have since March 2020 and now I’m confident that I’ll be able to use my summer bag, which I know is big enough to chuck everything I need in, without the weird yellow dandruff - which is a very good thing!

And I get a individually styled handbag at the same time.

My mustard campfire granny

This crochet project has been on our last two breaks, so it’s already well travelled. I took it with me to the Lake District but didn’t get around to starting it, and then took it with us to Ticehurst with the intention of sewing in the ends. That didn’t happen either, but I did get to use it while sitting outside on the deck of an evening, and I couldn’t resist photographing it with the woods as a backdrop.

You’ll have to excuse the threads, but I think you’ll agree the photos are pretty special.

The blanket is a simple continuous granny square and the colours have worked out well. Originally, in my head the constant colour was going to be cream and I planned to use up wool that I had for the contrast colours. But the cream wool I had was heavier than the double knit of the contrast colours, and as they were the main reason for starting this throw I had a rethink.

I had a couple of balls of the mustard, which I’d bought because I liked the colour and I think I spent most of our Lake District holiday talking myself into using it and wondering how it would work. As it turned out I’m glad I did.

I had a rainbow of colours to use but again didn’t really have a plan, so before starting I spent some time working out a rough colour progression. I knew that I had more of the pinks, reds and oranges so it made sense to leave those for the outer rows.

I’m really pleased with how it turned out and am even more pleased with the photo backdrop too. For something that didn’t start with much of a plan I can see this being well used, and I think I’ll be making another with a navy main colour, but not just yet, as I’ll need to accumulate some more contrast colours first.

My unplanned plan

Hook size 4mm, using a mixture of double knit wool - from the centre:

• Hobbycraft: Knitcraft mustard cotton blend (main colour)

• Vikki Brown Designs: Blackberry Sorbet

• Vikki Brown Designs: Image of You

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ombre One (green)

• Vikki Brown Designs: Blue Raspberry

• Hobbycraft: WI Soft and Cuddly green/yellow mix

• Drops Cotton Light: Mint

• Vikki Brown Designs: Potion

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ombre Four (green)

• Drops Cotton Light: Ice Blue

• Vikki Brown Designs: Senecio

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ombre Five (green)

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ombre Two (blue)

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ombre Four (lilac)

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ethel

• Vikki Brown Designs: Claude

• Vikki Brown Designs: Ombre Five (pink)

• Hobbycraft: Knitcraft pink cotton blend

• Vikki Brown Designs: Seeing Red

• Hobbycraft: Knitcraft coral cotton blend

• Hobbycraft: Knitcraft orange cotton blend

Now, to sew in those ends!

A wander into Greenwich and a makers market

This weekend MOH was off on one of his long bike rides, so when I saw that the London Makers Market was taking place just down the road I thought it worth a trip. And I wasn’t disappointed. I even managed to dodge the rain.

I was prepared for all weathers though, but still managed to catch the sun a bit - I wasn’t quite expecting that. As I walked through Greenwich Park, it felt odd to be on what was my usual route to work, and so feeling the novelty I purposefully took more of the route. And it was good to see the familiar views.

I couldn’t help but stop and admire this lily which was almost as tall as me - isn’t it gorgeous?

I was hoping that the ‘special’ gate in the flowerbeds would be open, it isn’t always - but today it was. It’s my most favourite way to get in and out of Greenwich Park, and the view of the Queen’s House is one of the reasons why.

But it’s also a great view looking back towards the Observatory. As you can see by now the sun was out and Greenwich looks even more glorious in the sun.

The London Makers Market

The market is taking place on the first weekend of the month in the colonnades of one of the iconic buildings which is part of the Old Royal Naval College, and just one building away from where my office is - not that I’ve seen that for a while. It was great to see a good selection of artisan products from small businesses and social enterprises.

Unsurprisingly I left with a few purchases.

These moon and half moon earrings by Pivot appealed to me because they’re asymmetrical, and I immediately thought they’d be a good match for my asymmetrical bob. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by their back story. Pivot are a social enterprise who make jewellery with people experiencing homelessness, helping them to pivot their lives. The products can be made in hostels and every piece of jewellery bought takes their makers one step closer to leaving the hostel.

Great designs and a really great initiative.

I also left with a selection of greetings cards. I am the type of person that has a stash of cards, which comes in useful when birthdays creep up on me - and because I often see the perfect card for someone at the opposite time of year to when their birthday is. The first set below is by Maria Zvaric who specialises in watercolour, loving bold colours and botanical illustrations; the second set are by Mari Burkinshaw who specialises in hand-drawn and painted elements which often include animals, nature and vintage finds.

My card supply is well and truly stocked up - and beautifully so too. I’ll be looking out for future markets to check out even more of these small artisan businesses, certain that I’ll discover some more fabulous finds.