Summer Breeze - Cool Inspiration

Summertime, 
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high...

I have to be honest: summer is not my favorite season.  You can blame the bloodthirsty mosquitoes or the sudden parade of insects that show up out of nowhere, or the humidity that leaves the southern air all hot and heavy.  

But when I see a palette of color as fresh and cool as the aqua one above, I am forced to reconsider!  Summer is also crisp linens on the line, ripe, juicy peaches, lemonade and sweet tea, daisies swaying in a rare breeze, and bare feet on warm concrete.  A rush of cold water in the creek and air smoky with the promise of prize-winning barbecue...yes, let me reconsider!

Prone to Wander...Bohemian Style

If I wanted to mosey around a new city in the summertime, this is what I'd want to wear: A cool, gauzy white shirt, an armful of brocade-wrapped charm bangles, funky paisley sunglasses, sublime Moroccan-inspired metallic sandals, and an extra-large leather Boho messenger bag for gathering the day's bounty.

What I Did Today

Sometimes (OK, often!) it takes a special request, a custom order, to get me to do something I've been meaning to do for a very long time.  Case in point:  I made these custom leather snap-on belts today in assorted colors.  If you're a buckle collector, then you're probably already familiar with these gems.

The leather I used is sturdy but soft, for an effect that's a little more feminine than the stiffer belts we're accustomed to.  I finished each one off with meticulous top stitching.  For this photo, I paired them with a horse-themed vintage buckle from my own collection and called it a day.  (And a very good day at that!)

Custom handmade leather snap-on belts

That Old Time Feel

If ever a collection whispered my name...

Check out this awesome Treasury curated by Pearle Northrop on Etsy!  I'm glad she chose my black leather antique key messenger to be a part of it!

Wordless Wednesday

Nice Package!

Don't you just love special occasions? I tinkered with some gift wrap ideas while wrapping this order today.  Brown Kraft paper box, antique key stamp, text from an old book page, and paper twine.  ♥

I just ran to check, and (gasp!) yes, I butchered an unbearably old book for that sliver of text!  Next time I'll check first, though in my heart of hearts, it has far more value on this gift box than sitting dusty on my bookshelf, waiting to be used only as a photography prop.

Elbow Deep In Leather and Doilies

LOOK at what's coming off the machine lately!  Since I first debuted the Boho Messenger Bags last October, I've made many renditions.  Happily, orders for and interest in them have not ceased.  (KNOCK ON beautiful, semi-gloss hardWOOD floors with chevron inlay border!)

These are just the latest ones that I shipped out. 

Medium Boho In luscious Mahogany leather

Look at that KEY!!!

Looks beautiful coming...and going.

XL Deluxe Boho in rustic Toffee Crackle leather

Delicious Details

I kind of wanted to keep this one for myself!

New Items from Urban Heirlooms!

It's been a while since I touched my blog.  The truth is, I've been elbow deep in vintage doilies, cowhide and antique keys, but I thought it wise to come up for air and let you know what I've been up to.  I hope you like these!

BOHO BAGS

 To PRE-ORDER a boho bag, please contact me at info@urban-heirlooms.com for complete details and available leathers.  All bags are hand made to order and one-of-a-kind, so no two are exactly alike.  Due to demand, as of today, current turn-around time is 6-8 weeks.

"Charlotte's Web" 
Medium Boho Messenger

"Sisters" Medium Boho Messengers

Large Deluxe Boho with All-Leather Strap Option

XL Deluxe Steamship Style Messenger

Antique Key Necklaces

These necklaces are made from some very unusual keys I've been collecting over the past several months.   They were just waiting patiently to be strung and photographed and listed...for your viewing pleasure!

Antique Skeleton Key Necklaces for sale now.
Hurry before they go!

Boho Vintage Folding Key Necklace with Filigree Bead Chain

How Do I Look?

 I bought this Victorian cotton and crochet lace butterfly camisole from Adanta3 Vintage.  It's the perfect backdrop for my necklaces.  Just as I thought!

These 3 Keys

Look what I found! I think they're pretty spectacular.  Not sure what I'll do with them yet, but I definitely want to see them on a leather bag or clutch. 

Keys today are so generic looking; there's nothing special about them.  But the act of opening a door, any door, with a key like this automatically becomes a grand gesture.

Enter to Win a $50 Gift Certificate!

Like my Facebook page and be entered into the drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to shop at Urban Heirlooms! 

Once I reach 200 Facebook fans, I will draw names from my spiffy antique top hat, and someone will be mighty happy!  Deadline to enter is Friday, December 9th, 2011 at midnight ET.

HURRY! I will draw names on Saturday!  Good luck!

Boho Leather Messenger Bag with Crochet Lace & Antique Steamship Key : The Finished Product!

XL Gypsy Boho Messenger Bag from Urban Heirlooms.

I thought you'd enjoy seeing the finished product.  This one went quickly!  And of all the bags I've made, it's by far my favorite.

I'm doing my darnedest to finish up two smaller ones from this collection, so I hope I'll be able to show you those in the next week or two.  Stay tuned...and have an amazing week ahead!

New Gypsy Bags Coming: Steamship Keys & All The Gorgeous Details

Details from the new XL Gypsy Messenger Bag from Urban Heirlooms.  Shown while still in progress, this one is lined with a classic ticking stripe and features an inside zippered pocket and cell phone pocket, plus a patch pocket on the back with a leather tie.  Coming soon!

I had so much fun with and got so much attention from my last collection of leather and crochet lace gypsy bags, I decided to continue in that vein and work on another collection.

This group will feature a burnt sugar brindled leather (think caramel colored with darker striations of color throughout the hide), more fabulous antique keys and matching antique brass hardware, plus lots of special, nifty little details I think you'll really love.

Making History:  An antique key from the Commonwealth Steamship makes a special souvenir on the new XL Gypsy messenger bag.

The gypsy bag I just finished stars one amazing antique key!  It's a stateroom key from the steamship Commonwealth; Room 176 to be exact.  I wonder what guests slumbered in that fancy cabin?

Contemporary painting of Commonwealth by amateur artist James Bard, c. 1860

"Commonwealth was a large sidewheel steamboat built in 1854–55 for passenger service on Long Island Sound. The most celebrated Sound steamer of her day, Commonwealth was especially noted for the elegance and comfort of her passenger accommodations, which included gas lighting, steam heating, and an "enchantingly beautiful" domed roof in her upper saloon...

"The saloon deck also featured an after cabin fitted with thirty large sofas, allowing passengers to "sit and enjoy the magnificent prospect of the evening passage on the Sound with comfort.  The main passenger deck (housed) 120 staterooms, fitted with two beds each, and a number of bridal suites. The staterooms were large, well-ventilated, and designed with "Oriental elegance", incorporating materials such as satin damask, moquette, lace, velvet tapestry, and rosewood furniture.  Also on this deck, abaft of the engine room, was "a spacious and splendid ladies' cabin, unsurpassed in style and finish."

"During the American Civil War, (the Commonwealth) was part of the transport network that moved northern state Union regiments to the battlefront. Commonwealth's end came prematurely when she was destroyed by a dockyard fire at Groton in December 1865." - Wikipedia

How's that for history in the making?

Delicious Neck Candy: 7 Fresh, New Antique and Vintage Key Necklaces

Sometimes I get on a roll.  I get in my studio and I STAY in my studio, unmindful of the hours sneaking way past 3 am.  Through podcast after podcast and glass after glass of iced tea, out of these dream-defying moments some real magic can be made--like these 7 one-of-a-kind necklaces starring antique and vintage keys and components.  For sale now at Urban Heirlooms.  I hope you like them!

Bellisima

Ornate Italian vintage brass folding key on antiqued brass link chain

For Keeping Secrets

Antique brass ram's horn key and antique cast bronze escutcheon

Key to the Conservatory

Ornate vintage brass skeleton key on antiqued brass chain

Industrial

Vintage skeleton key on soft deerskin cord

And some inspiration out of Africa:

Tribal Lariat

Antique bronze key, African cowrie shells, tattered silk and carved resin

Ram's Horn

Vintage ram's horn key and African cowrie shell charm

Country Club Token

Vintage key, African cowrie shell charm, and a vintage 5 cent token from the Northwood Country Club