New little bags/purses

It’s been nice to produce again.  Yesterday, I made and showed you the new little gym bag.  What do you think; will the little boy like it?  I certainly hope so!

After that I also had the time to make a few little bags or purses, before heading off to work. I’ve not had the chance to go to my favourite market to buy new zippers for ages, so I’ve had to use some zippers that I kind of bought by mistake a while back.  They are kind of short, so I made the little purses a little smaller. They are rather cute though, I hope you will think so too. I particularly like the one with the purple flower and back.

 

The one with the key ring is actually a special request, it matches the Red Messenger bag that I had added to the website a few weeks ago.

I’ll bring these with me to my next fair, which will be in about 10 days… See the exhibitions page for details! But if you’re not here in Frankfurt and would like one simply contact me, it would be my pleasure to send you one or many

Custom made

Here’s a little custom-made gym bag or “Turnbeutel” for a little boy starting kindergarten in the autumn which I made this morning. Cute isn’t it?  He can wear it either over the shoulder or as a little rucksack.  Plus he can also choose if he wants to wear it with the blue stripes or with the yellow ones.  It’s like having two bags.  It’s made of denim so it’s very robust too.

  

Left: cords pulled closed
Right: pulled open

 

Left: bottom details
Right: top, cord to pull closed

If you’re interested in having something custom made simply write to me and I’ll see what we can do!

I’m back!

It’s been a very busy and eventful week.  Totally unproductive but then I did warn you before hand.  I don’t usually tell you about all my personal stuff, I normally tell you everything in relation to my business, bags, fairs, etc.  Sure I do get personal about it all, I mean I tell you when I am frustrated or when I am happy, I even tell you about when I’m proud.  But this entry will be even more personal, this is all about my holiday! 

My sister Cynthia, is an artist and is the one who inspired me to start making bags.  She makes them in Canada and sells them in shops and in fairs there.  But her real passion is her printing.  She just spent a whole month producing in a studio in Belgium.  She will be selling these at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition in July, so if you live near there you should go check out her work. You’ll actually see it before me; it had all been meticulously packed up so I couldn’t see any of it. 

At the end of her month in Belgium, her boyfriend (also an artist) came to meet her and then my husband and I went to meet them.  We had planned on doing a little road trip then coming back here, to Frankfurt so that they could see where we lived. And maybe visit a bit of the surroundings.  At the last minute my husband found out that he had to go to Barcelona for work and the idea for the four of us to drive down was born. 

What a week! On the Saturday we drove (just the two of us) to Brussels to meat up with them.  We went out for a meal that evening and were truly ‘had’ in a tourist trap.  The food turned out to be expensive and bad! But then we did a bit of a pub crawl which was great. The next day we got up early and had breakfast/lunch in Luxembourg city!  I even managed to find a little bakery I had been too about 5 years ago that makes the best meringues ever! We then drove to Lyon… We had a short look around but by this point it was raining and we were all starving. So we checked into a Formula 1 hotel. They are the cheapest hotels ever; €30 for up to three people! We watched the football and had a pick nick on the bed.  Mmmmmm, the wine and cheeses in France are definitely the best!

The next day we drove to Barcelona.  Wow, what a city. It was all very impressive! 
Much better than the pictures I’ve taken… 

         

After two days there we headed up the coast for a half day on the beach, pool and camping… 
Then it was already time to head home. 

It was a very, very long trip back. We even got stuck in the road blockades in France!

My poor husband, he was the only one to drive the whole way, plus he had to work while in Barcelona!

Once home we treated him to a few beers to make up for it! We showed them around the city and even visited a few galleries as they are both artists. Before they came I had been worried what Cynthia would think of my bags, I mean she had given me the original patterns, sure I’ve changed most of them, but not all.  She was even generous enough to give me some prints when I first started.  We aren’t in any competition in any way, she is in Canada and I am in Germany.  My market is here in Frankfurt and on the internet throughout Europe mostly.  She sells in shops in Quebec and Montreal as well as in fairs there.  But it was still very generous of her to share everything, basically her lively-hood with me.  So when she said she liked my work and that she even wanted to trade one, I was really moved.  And relieved! I would so love to live near her so that we could work together. Though saying that, she has been making bags much longer and is much more established, I’m still starting out. 

 

Anyway, I hope you liked this little personal touch… Now you know what I get up to when I’m not sewing.

Will you miss me?

So do you think you will miss my daily creations?
Don’t worry, just teasing! ;-) We will only be away for a week or so. 

My sister, the artist, she is the one that inspired me to make bags and even shared her patterns with me when we moved here, has been in Belgium for the last month or so, learning a new printing technique.  Now that the course is finished we will all meet up for a little road trip.  ’We’ meaning; her and her boyfriend, me and my sexy husband.  It will be great, though we still haven’t packed anything and we promised that we would pack all the camping gear to keep some of the costs down…  My husband is still at work and will probably be there late…  I also need to tidy the whole place…  Prepare their room… 

I though holiday was supposed to be relaxing. To be honest at the minute it all feels rather stressful.  

Anyway, I guess I’ll leave you on that note and start packing, cleaning, etc.  Have a good week and be sure to pop around again soon to see some more colourful creations. maybe I’ll post some pictures from our little trip…  If there are any good ones.

   

New bags on my website (continued)

I hope you are appreciating all these new bags.  It’s been hard work, spending every morning adding the bags to my website and blog and all afternoon/evening sewing.  This will be the last entry in this series for a little while though, so enjoy it!

Today’s new bags are one of my best sellers; Round handbags.  Hope you find something you like.

                             

                             

                             

To be honest I’m not usually a big fan of fake-fur; leopard, zebra or any other.  But I thought that it would be fun to try a few bags using it, as a lot of people do like it.  This leopard print even has some glitter in it, though you can’t see it in the pictures, I thought it was fun and funky.  And you know what, one shouldn’t take themselves too seriously. So I decided to give it a go.  I’m happy with the result, what do you think?  Like it?  Would you wear it?

New bags on my website (continued)

Today’s new bags are messenger ones. Hope you see something you like…  

                  

                  

                  

If you don’t see anything that you like, please let me know what you would like to see…  I’ll keep it in mind the next time I go buy material, which should be soon.

Be sure to pop around tomorrow, I plan on adding Round bags.

New on my website (continued)

As promised yesterday, I’ve just uploaded some new Shoulder bags on my website. I hope you will like them!I also changed the navigation on the few pages I’ve recently changed, so the day bag, the wristlet and the shoulder bag pages, well only the English version.  I was wondering if you  thought it was better this ‘New’ way.  Saying that I am getting the new website done, so soon it will much easier to find your way round and much easier and quicker for me to add bags.  At the minute it takes forever and that’s why I don’t do it very often.  I’m hoping that with the new site, I can add new bags as soon as they’re finished, so almost everyday.

Anyway, that’s all coming in the near future, in the mean time I have added a few Shoulder bags and I hope to add some Messenger bags tomorrow. So be sure to pop around again then.

                     

                     

                     

 

 

New on my website

I’ve just added some new Day Bags and Wristlets on my website so why not check them out.

Hope you find something you like.

I will be adding some new Shoulder bags tomorrow so be sure to pop around again then.

New Bags

I’ve been soooo busy since the Stilblüten fashion fair last weekene!  It’s great!!!  But some things, like the blog, have suffered a little.  Sorry.  As you’ve seen the article in the Frankfurter Rundshau was great.  To be honest I am really proud of it, I hope that doesn’t sound too arrogant.  Since it was published I’ve been contacted by friends to say congratulations, customers wanting to know if I would them a custom made bag, customers who simply want to come over and see them and even shops.  It’s all so great, it finally feeling like things are taking off. The thing is, that just the week before I started working in an language school as well.  So I’ve been able to keep up with the calls, emails and sewing, but as mentioned before, other things have suffered a little. The place is a real mess too! ;-) 

Well, here are some great new bags to make up for it.  As you know I am having a new website professionally done, so I will not add these to my site yet. It’s so long to add them as it is now. But if you would like one of them though simply contact me.

 

 

I really like them!  They are all soooo colourful, happy looking even.  I can’t say which is my favourite though, as they are all so different.  It’s a little hard to see, but on the denim messenger bag the ribbon is the Bavarian one, that I used on the little day bags from the entry on the 19th of May. 

Which is your favourite? It would be nice to hear from you.

Are there any colours you would like to see bags in?

 

ALEX in the Press

Fankfurter Rundschau, Tuesday 3rd of June, 2008

Translation below.

Click on article to enlarge.
 
Radiating colour: Alexandra Dinan-Mitchell with her colourful accessories

Super Bags

the designer Alexandra Dinan-Mitchell sews unique and stylish carriers;
by Kristiane Schengbier

At the Stilblüten Fashion Fair last weekend, welcomed the dainty young woman everyone to her stand with a smile and a ‘hello’.  Many Frankfurter Designers who aim to steer us away from the typical shopping mall styles got together last weekend to present their original clothes, jewelry and accessories in the small exhibition hall in Brücken Street.   

Alexandra Dinan-Mitchell is a little different from all the others.  She isn’t ‘cool’, she isn’t loud and doesn’t attract much attention.  She is simply nice and easy going, she even  watches ‘Germany’s next top model’, after only a few minutes it feels like we’ve been friends for years. ‘Why not come by with a few girl friends to my workshop and browse through all the bags, I’ll even get us a bottle of bubbly wine’ says the designer.  Always beaming, she produces and sells under the simple yet very personal name ALEX.

Every bag a one-of-a-kind 

Bags are her thing, she produces these all on her own.  Every single one is different. ‘I find the details very important and everything is made with love’ she says.  She only buys small amounts of each material, and only sews what she likes.  Her favourite is denim, but in all sorts of bright colours as well as cottons of all sorts. For variety and contrast she will also use cord, velvet and loads of other materials. She insists though that everything has to be practical. There are pockets either inside, on the back, under the flap or both, so that you don’t have to search for your wallet or keys.  ‘I always think about what I would like, what I want out of a bag’ her strategy is so simple it’s clever. ‘Today I’ve sold loads – one bag could have gone three time, which is funny as I’ve had it for ages.’

Naturally flexible

She even runs her internet site shop (alex-original-handbags.com) and blog all on her own. She is honest though and admits that it’s not all that easy doing it all on your own.  ‘Last year at Museumsuferfest I stood on my own at my stand from early in the morning til late at night.  Luckily friends came around a few times so I could go to the toilet!’ She’s not sure how this year will be yet.

Alex is natually flexible.  The 34 year old is originally from Quebec, Canada but within Germany she has also lived in Bremen, Mainz and Erlangen.  All before living with her husband for a short while in his homeland.

About a year ago they settled here in Frankfurt; ‘Frankfurt is great’ she says. Slowly but surely she is createing herself a regular clientele, she also organises fairs with other designers and maybe even one day there will be children.