I think we all know I'm a huge fan of the stylish, fun bag.  And I think any handbag user knows that those two things are not always in the same category as practical and functional.  Stuff falls out or the bag flops around or is too impractical to carry, yet isn't the ultimate point of a handbag to be functional and to make our lives easier?  Clutches have always begged this question for me.  As elegant as they may be, girl doesn't always have a free arm to keep some handle-less bag pinned to the side of her body, or a free hand to clutch the clutch.  Fumbling and spilling and looking burdened, tres non chic.   It's been my dilemma with the style forever.  It's taunted me.  Teased me.  Tickled me to create a solution.  How to preserve sleek and simple while adding practical?

Designed and whipped up on the fly as the result of finding myself in the midst of a handbag emergency, here's my take--a flat, stylish envelope-type clutch with a wristlet for ease of carrying and with enough structure to banish the flop.  Best of all, it incorporates a hidden zip closure keep the contents secure.  Inspired by the need for something a little bigger than my mini-clutch and by all the great envelope clutches that have come before:


And the deal sealing, practical-izing interior:


I love that this simple style is a blank canvas for embellishment, and that the wristlet gives a little sneak peek at the fun interior fabric.  The possibilities are endless.  Need an extra pocket on the back?  No problem.  A fancy decorative inset or cutwork element on the exterior?  Absolutely.  Bright and happy or dark and subdued?  Either way, handy and multi-purpose and utterly useful.  I think I'll take one of each!

Here's wishing you happy sewing in the new year!

Labels: sewing fabric leather handmade handbag clutch

We did our annual New Years' Day brunch again this year--it's either year five or six of this particular party, and this year we introduced new feature you can oogle over at Modern in MN.  It's tarty and exciting but not edible.
Here's a look at the spread this year:




Looking back through my photos, I seem to have lost or more likely never gotten around to taking the 2012 brunch buffet shot, which is inconvenient given the fact that I can't remember what I've served from year to year and thus risk repeating dishes I may not want to.  Sigh.
Don't worry, though.  One can count on the DIY waffle bar and homemade almond croissants from now until eternity (should I be so fortunate as to have an eternity), but there's a lot of other stuff that I either want or don't want to make again and could use a little help remembering.
Anyway, it's a good thing that this year, or technically the end of last year, marks when I've finally gotten around to keeping a party journal to document menus and planning to revisit how things came out or didn't, as both nostalgia and reference.  In my wishful thinking, delusional playland, I'd be one of those people who has meticulously recorded and filed every detail of every party I've ever had--menus with recipes, invitations and guest lists plus clever little anecdotes and follow up about the party itself. I have yet to become THAT person.  Yet it seems like a simple, easy enough little step to keep track of just menus or whatever, and I've actually had the blank journal purchased for such a purpose for at least a year, but it wasn't until planning for this year's brunch that I finally busted it out and committed to keeping track of things.  Neatness and organization be darned--at least I'll have some kind reference even if it means paging through a jumble of scrawled and scribbled randomness.  That seems to be a lot closer to my reality anyway.

What do you wish for your reality for 2013?  Lots of tasty and good things, I hope!

Labels: cooking food, new years brunch