Today on Etsy - September 14, 2012

What a great idea ! Perfect for when you want to carry your laptop in a backpack or bigger bag, or if you want the protection but not the hassle of a huge laptop bag.

 

I think there are two ways to go about making one of these. The first (and I think what's been done here by multidimentionality) is to actually knit the pouch to fit the laptop. This allows you to choose colour and pattern.

 

The second (and what I ended up doing for mine) was to take an old sweater and sew one together. I found (bought) a nice medium grey one at the local thrift store, washed it and cut off the sleeves. Then I opened up the sides and shoulders and took off the neck. Essentially, this left me with two big squares. On the wrong side of on of the squares, I placed the laptop in the center, folded the bottom part up and over the laptop so that the sides met and the laptop was just covered. Then I measured how wide I wanted the pouch to be. Still working on the wrong side on the square,  I attached a hot pink satin lining. Next, I pinned the sides in place and machine stitched the sides to make the perfect sized laptop pouch. Turned the pouch right side out. The top part of the square I folded under a bit and then down to make the flap. Attached a button to the outside of the pouch and pushed it through the flap so that it closed.

 

It doesn't look exactly like the one in the picture, but I still get lots of compliments on it and it was a great way to use an old sweater.

Goodbye Turtlenecks, Hello Open Necklines

With all the warm weather we've been having here in Vancouver (perfectly fine by me), it doesn't seem so far a stretch to begin to think of shedding layers of heavy winter clothing for lighter, more vibrant attire. Can you say, "goodbye turtleneck"?

So with that in mind, I’ve started creating some new pieces for more open necklines. This doesn’t mean of course that you shouldn’t wear them with a classic turtleneck. Indeed, these pieces would be stunning with either a warm & creamy or a rich & dark palette to play off of.

Blue Lace Agate & Hematite Beaded Necklace

I enjoy the contrast of the black and copper banded beads with the pale blue lucite and frosty blue lace agate. The Bali silver textured beads remind me of pomegranates. Still with a hint of winter, but perfect for the opening of a blazer or peaking out from a tailored white dress shirt. Also great with a classic cocktail dress or dare I say it yet . . .flirty little sundress.

Highlights of this necklace include:

~ teardrop shaped blue lace agate focal bead
~ polished blue lace agate nuggets
~ textured Bali silver beads
~ round magnetic hematite beads
~ pale blue faceted lucite beads circa 1950
~ black with copper foil "wedding beads"
~ unique handmade scroll clasp

The necklace measures 18" or 46cm and has a 2" extension (5cm). Upon request, the necklace can have longer extensions added to suit your needs.

Want to add the necklace to your collection? You can find this handmade and one-of-a-kind piece here.

For other unique and interesting pieces, please visit the silverbluedesigns shop on etsy.com, and stay tuned for other newly created additions.

sweater weather

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the fresh days of spring and the lazy warm air of summer. But there is something about September and the approach of cooler weather that I enjoy.

For me there are essentially three things that sum up Autumn in Vancouver: walking through one of our city’s many parks and hearing the crunch of brightly painted leaves underneath, the harvesting and cooking of apples to make applesauce, and pulling the sweaters off the top shelf in my closet.

Oh, how comforting a favorite sweater can be. Admit it, we have all experienced the small pleasure of pulling on a cherished sweater, stretching the cuffs of the sleeves over our fingers, and raising them to the neck in a gesture of welcoming the warmth.

Putting on a sweater is also very economically-environmentally friendly. While growing up, if someone in our house complained of being cold, the rhetorical answer was always, “Then go put a sweater on!”, which was usually in my case followed by “ . . and some socks while you’re at it!”

I’m not one for knitting. Crochet I can handle; there is only one needle and it has a hook on one end. But two (or even sometimes four) needles are just too much for me to get a grasp on (yes, pun intended). So I appreciate the skill and effort it takes to make a hand knitted sweater.

Below are a few examples of some great hand knitted sweaters to give you warmth.

MIA hand knitted cardigan with pockets by ovejanegra shown left

RIONA hand knitted cardigan coat in cream by ovejanegra shown right

If you’re feeling chilly now and can’t wait for a custom ordered sweater, Victoria Secret offers (among other things) a wide selection to choose from. Shown left and right are two that I find rather, ah-hem . . . inviting.

If you’re looking for a sweater that goes for the extra wow and don’t mind dropping a couple grand on one piece of seasonal wear, then be sure to take a look at these beauties below designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel featured during Paris Fashion week 2010 (I mean, really . . . who doesn’t like Chanel??), as well as a nicely detailed article by theclotheswhisperer. The iceberg set design I like, the Wookie boots I can do without.

So go ahead . . . bundle up . . .it’s getting cold out there.