New in the shop: a leather iPad sleeve and a waxed canvas tote

Hello friends,
Busy times in the shop. I am so grateful for all the orders I have been getting!

I was up late last night finishing up a tote I had been meaning to make for a couple of weeks: a bi-color waxed canvas tote. Summer is -almost- around the corner and I wanted to create a tote with a nautical feeling that could be used as a beach bag, a boat bag, or a pool bag - as well as an all-around tote.
I used a wonderful cream and navy waxed canvas with super sturdy burgundy leather. Here are the results:

While I was at it, I made a simple leather sleeve with wool lining in the front. I like the organic, freeform feeling of the flap. The cool thing about this sleeve is that it can be used as a clutch as well.

I have a few more designs up my sleeve (LOL) - more on that later.
Take care,
Genevieve

A Day Without Sewing: Spring Garden Chores

The weather has been beautiful lately, and last Saturday, I decided to take a day off from sewing and play in the dirt instead.

I started with the compost piles. My two compost makers sit in the back of the property and are fed regularly with kitchen scraps. Our climate being so dry, compost takes a long time to "cook" and be usable. So I emptied out both bins in a wheelbarrow, mixed everything up, put all the materials back in the bins, and watered thoroughly. Hopefully, I will have nice compost in a couple of weeks.
After that, I trimmed all our lavender plants back to nothing. My only hope is that they will grow back nicely; the plants had become very woody and gnarly dead sticks poked out of the middle of the plants.

Still on a roll with the shears, I turned my attention to the herb garden. There I removed all the dead stems from the oregano, the thyme, the lemon balm, and the tarragon. The herb garden now looks nice and neat. I did uncover some new growth under all the dead wood: 

Oregano

Tarragon

Indoors, the citrus, fig tree, and grapevine are doing well. The Meyer orange tree keeps producing, blooming and bearing fruit at the same time. I ate the last oranges two weeks ago, and the tree is blooming again. The lime tree is full of baby limes and blooming as well.

My day in the garden was very uplifting and energizing. When I went back to the studio- I did get a couple of orders while I was playing in the dirt- I felt rested and ready to tackle the work at hand.

Give yourself a break, do something different for a day. It's good for the soul.

Take care.

Genevieve

Leather Shopper Number 2

It's been a few weeks since I have posted. Wow, time flies...
This month, I have been kept quite busy with the Zakken shop,which is wonderful.
Maybe due to stress and fatigue, I have also been accident prone lately: twisting my ankle while rushing to work- running in high heels is NEVER a good idea: I was awarded four days on crutches-, skidding on gravel on my scooter on my way to school (try lifting a 250 lbs machine off the road while people are watching...), and on the same day (yesterday) whacking my left hand really hard with a hammer (while setting rivets). OUCH!
Other than that, I have been doing great :)

I found a wonderful piece of burgundy leather at the leather store last week, and I designed a new leather shopper. It is simple, elegant, and very pretty. Judge for yourself.

I like it so much, I may keep it to myself.

Spring is around the corner ( Hope springs eternal) and I have ordered my vegetable seeds. I am anxious to plant the lettuce clusters from Burpee, and taste the new Cherry Bomb tomatoes, with chopped organic cilantro.
I also borrowed a bunch of organic gardening books from the library. Pure joy!

I hope this post will find you well.

Take care,
Genevieve

A ticking stripe and waxed canvas tote

I just love this new bag. It reminds me of summer, the beach, linen dresses, long evenings on the deck... Aaahhh*....

* happy sigh...
Check out this tote in my Zakken shop on Etsy and at Bag du Jour on Cargoh.

Snow Storm

The weather had been unseasonably warm, and I was already planning my vegetable garden. Sometimes I forget where I live... It has been snowing for hours now and we are experiencing blizzard conditions. 

There is a three foot snow drift in the front yard, and we can't even see the Adirondack chairs on the front porch.
Time for a cup of tea and a good book...
Stay warm~

Listening to classics

I have been spending quite a bit of time in the studio lately: new orders, new ideas, an urge to create...
I don't know if you are like me, but when I work with my hands, my mind wanders, and I often start thinking about things that I shouldn't be thinking about: things that happened at work that annoy me, what somebody said that was not very nice, the fact that I will eventually HAVE to go food shopping... You get the picture...
I get tired of listening to the radio (I love music but the ads and the chatter really get to me), so I was trying to  think of a different solution to "entertain" myself while working. Then I got it : audio books!
Following my instinct, I did a internet search on audio-books. Many companies offer subscriptions, but well, I really did not want to pay for anything just yet- I wasn't sure I would love it-, so I searched for free audio-books.
I came upon this really cool website : librivox.org. This organization has volunteers record public domain readings (so, sorry, no New York Times best sellers...), and they are free for anyone to download.
I was thrilled to listen to Treasure Island, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and Tom Sawyer while sewing during the last couple of days.
I love to read and this is the next best thing!

In the meantime, these came out of the studio - infused with literary thoughts, no doubts:):

iPad Messenger in Organic Brown Cotton with Organic Yellow Cotton Lining

iPad Messenger in Bedford Cord with Organic Cotton Lining

Waxed Canvas Tote with Leather Handles and Detachable Strap

The bags are available at Zakken on Etsy, and Bag du Jour on Cargoh.
Have a wonderful week.
Genevieve

A Kir recipe and a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! May the Year of the Dragon bring you Health, Happiness, and Love!

I wanted to share one of my favorite drink recipes. It's called Kir, it's French, it's lovely! And best of all,  it's very simple to make.
You will need:  current liqueur (Creme de Cassis), or current syrup (for the taste and the sweetness without added alcohol) and your favorite dry white wine (I like a not-too-oaky Chardonnay or a nice Chablis).
               - Pour about one tablespoon of Creme de Cassis in a stemmed glass.
               - Pour 4 or 5oz of chilled, dry white wine into the glass. The wine will turn a lovely shade of pink.
               - Taste and add a tad more liqueur if you like a sweeter drink or more wine if you like a drier drink.
               - Enjoy with a bowl of "biscuit sales" (crackers), chips (potato chips), or cacahouettes (salted peanuts). Oh, and put on Edith Piaf on the CD player, and Voila! You are in Paris without even leaving your home!

For a totally decadent drink, make a Kir Royal: replace the white wine with a dry champagne...Out of this world!!!!

 Aside from making- and enjoying-  French cocktails :) , I have been busy in the shop. Here are the two latest additions to Zakken (zakken.etsy.com):

The Holdall in canvas and leather

The Slim Tote in brown waxed canvas and leather

I absolutely adore the Holdall. It's simple, stylish, sturdy and a bit rough. I could see Indiana Jones, or some adventuress on the back of an elephant, carrying the bag around... 

I made a gray version of the Slim Tote for a friend, and it was a total hit! The Slim Tote is also available in tan waxed canvas ( it is sitting on my workbench right now, ready to come to life).

Well friends, that is all I have for tonight.

Take care of yourself, spread the love, and have a wonderful year!

Genevieve