Tag Archives: Handbag

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend? No, it’s handbags.


Handbags, evening bags, shoulder bags, clutch bags or even a big old tote bag, us ladies sure are suckers for a something to keep our bits and pieces in.

Here in my incarnation of c.Art, I’ve been busy making more bags, each one unique, as befits the brand.

Marilyn Monroe once famously sang ‘Diamonds are a girls best friend’ but I beg to differ. I think a handbag is much more useful and can be just as pretty as a string of sparklers . I combined the glamour of the image of Marilyn Monroe in this  dusky pink evening bag .Monroe1

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Monroe4The back of the evening bag reads: ” I’m a failure as a woman. My men expect so much because of the image they’ve made of me and that I’ve made of myself as a sex symbol. Men expect so much of me and I can’t live up to it. ”  A quote from the screen idol herself, showing her acute self awareness and burgeoning Feminist thinking.

This bag was snapped up as soon as I’d made it. Others similar could be ordered.

From one great woman to another, here is a shopper made with a kaleidoscopic image of the wonderful Frida Kahlo. With hand painted green leopard print and heavily embroidered and handpainted image , this shopper bag would turn your shopping trip into a very special occasion.

frida2frida9 Lined in pistachio green satin with a magnetic snap closure and a zippered inner pocket, this bag is stylish as well as practical. frida13

To order your own bag or to see what I’ve currently got in stock, head over to my website www.iheartcart.com

or if you’re a Facebook person : www.facebook.com/c.Artbags

Welcome to the World Wide Web ! iheartcart.com is live.


Hooray! I’ve finally done it.

I’m so excited to announce the launch of the brand new designer , build-a-bag, wearable art, handbag art extravaganza website , iheartcart.com.

It’s been an  interesting process, as in the search for relevant key words for SEO ( search engine optimisation) I’ve realised that maybe I’ve created a product that is fairly unique. There aren’t any keywords that pop up in the key word finder that can possibly describe what I’ve created. It seems that turning paintings into handbags may be a fairly unusual concept. Maybe for a reason… maybe I’m crazy ? Who knows. All I know is I’m so excited to follow my passion. I’m going with the flow and making these bags feels so right. Whether it is a small evening purse that has poetry embroidered into it like the Lady of Shalott bag Ladybag10and an image on the front

Ladybag6or a Harris Tweed evening clutch purse with a vintage postcard image crafted in graffiti style HT9or another evening purse bag , this time with the fearful Medusa image from Caravaggio.

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Or if it is a large bag that you are after, a big statement , well there is no bigger statement than a tote. Especially a tote bag with a Gustav Klimt image on the front. Klimt3 Klimt4 Klimt5 Klimt6 Klimt8 Klimt9

So if you are a fan of art, are looking for something completely unique to make a unique statement, looking for a bag like no other, then pop over and see the new website www.iheartcart.com

 

Bags more bags


It’s been a long time blogging , I’ve been busy in my spare time when I’m done with puppets, establishing a brand new venture. It’s called c.Art  , the concept being artworks that you carry around with you in the form of bags. Here’s my latest creations:

 

“Babies”

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This one is called ‘Babies’.  It is a clutch bag , again painted canvas with top stitching details and embroidered text. This bag is painted in a beautiful shade of soft grey to compliment the drawing .babies9

The text reads: Father asked us , ” What was God’s noblest work? Anna said, ” Men,” but I said “Babies”. Men are often bad, but babies never are. A wonderful quote from the classic novel , Little Women , by Louisa May Alcott. This quote perfectly sums up my thoughts on the ‘empty vessel’ theory that I believe children are. We hold so much responsibility for filling them with the right stuff.The image is drawn from a silverpoint engraving of an infant by the great Leonardo Da Vinci.

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The inside of the bag is lined with baby pink , and the bag is fastened with a magnetic snap. There are two compartments inside the bag to organise your things nicely. babies5

 

“Kiss”

The next bag is a handsome beast. It is a ‘man bag’. ( I’m not sure what else to call it) although of course, it isn’t restricted to men. It is designed to be worn across the body, the wide canvas adjustable strap with it’s smart satin bronzed buckle, holding it nice and secure. It has a flap front, featuring a beautifully distressed and deliberately drippy image of two lovers kissing, just emerging from the shadows. kiss1

The gender of the couple is not at first clear, but on closer inspection , the two lovers are both male.

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The quote : “Make me immortal with a kiss” is from Christopher Marlowe.

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I wanted to invoke the beauty found in decay , the accidental masterpiece found on a subway wall, the dark excitement and freedom and tolerance found in the urban sprawl in this piece. The bag is in muted shades of grey/sepia and is selectively over sewn to emphasise elements of the design.

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The inside of the bag is equally handsome. I’ve lined it with the most beautifully sumptuous wine coloured satin. It has a lined front pocket under the flap and a zippered pocket in the lining. The bag is fastened with two magnetic snaps .

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“The Eye “Make up Ba

 

For something a little different, here I’ve made a make up bag in pale flesh tones with a big detailed embroidered eye .

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It’s lined in pink pearly pvc and is fastened with a chocolate brown zipper.Eye2eye4

 

 

 

So, what do you think?

 

 

 

I’ve been working on the website, hopefully it will be up and running soon.

 

 

 

In the meantime, to keep up with all things c.Art, head over to my facebook page for regular updates.

 

c.Art on Facebook

 

Big plans ahead.


Have put my head together with my youngest daughter and we have decided to screw our courage to the sticking place ( to quote Lady Macbeth) and start to make stock for a market stall.

My youngest picked up crochet really fast and is now churning out crochet flowers at a remarkable speed considering she has only been doing it for three days! So, looking ahead to December, we are working on stock for a pitch at Spitalfields Market and possibly Greenwich Market too.

I love having a project on the go and this feels good;  I love crocheting all things bright and beautiful : cushions, bags, headbands, hats, booties ( oh so gorgeous!) and tutus with crochet appliques plus handmade greetings cards and hair accessories. It will take a while, but I guarantee it will make the prettiest market stall you have EVER seen.

Watch this space…

Strawberry booties
Bottom view

Butterfly booties

Flower power crochet bag