songlines ... bags with a story

songlines ... bags with a story http://www.bagswithastory.com on my journey to find pre-loved fabrics with an australian story, to create bags with a story that will then continue with the buyer posterous.com Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:33:54 -0800 4 candles lit .. what's next? http://www.bagswithastory.com/4-candles-lit-whats-next http://www.bagswithastory.com/4-candles-lit-whats-next christmas of course! and then it is almost time to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012!

the motto of this years nye party in sydney is 'time to dream'. well, i am dreaming of more summer (we had a pretty cold and wet one so far) and finally more time and energy for songlines bag .. components for three of them are gathering dust on top of the sewing machine .. and the coffee stain is still there too :( well, projects for 2012! merry christmas and happy new year to all of you - and start to dream! i will head up the coast and dream while surfing on a beautiful australian beach :)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:48:05 -0800 summer is here .. but the stain is still there http://www.bagswithastory.com/summer-is-here-but-the-stain-is-still-there http://www.bagswithastory.com/summer-is-here-but-the-stain-is-still-there remember the coffee stain i got in my bag after hiding it in my bag to get on the bus? well, i finally got around to sticking it in the washing machine.

45 minutes later .. the stain is still there. any ideas out there on how to get a soy milk coffee mixture out of the material???

ps: the story is still on after the wash cycle :)))

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:19:45 -0800 tequila? more than one way to enjoy the agave plant http://www.bagswithastory.com/tequila-more-than-one-way-to-enjoy-the-agave http://www.bagswithastory.com/tequila-more-than-one-way-to-enjoy-the-agave agave is primarily known as the plant to make a nice variety of tequila and mezcals. at a little organic market in the city of oaxaca i came across an unusual vegetable: 'flores de maguey' or agave flowers. even my Mexican family had mostly never heard of the possibility of eating this part if the agave plant. we finally found a knowledgable source to provide us with information on how to cook flores de maguey (take out the flower stem inside; wash; cook in boiling water; drain and then fry in the pan with onions and egg). the end result was .. well .. it was ok. the flowers taste a bit like chicory. as the preparation was also pretty time consuming i think i will not repeat the experience that soon. but it was fun to try something different!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:47:16 -0700 dia de muertos - greetings from mexico http://www.bagswithastory.com/dia-de-muertos-greetings-from-mexico http://www.bagswithastory.com/dia-de-muertos-greetings-from-mexico the day of the dead on november 2nd is a big holiday in mexico - and even more so in the state of oaxaca. celebrations start on october 31st with setting up altars with food, drink and flowers for the departed (i even saw one with steven jobs ;)) and spending the night on the graveyards with the graves decorated with flowers and candles waiting for the souls to come at midnight. some graves have amazing pictures of jesus or other holy images in colored sand on them. a lot of people dress up in skeleton costumes or vampires or anything that is half dead ;) in addition the outside of the graveyards resembles a fair with food stands and amusement rides. an interesting experience! greetings from beautiful mexico :)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:45:00 -0700 how good is this way of getting to work?! http://www.bagswithastory.com/how-good-is-this-way-of-getting-to-work http://www.bagswithastory.com/how-good-is-this-way-of-getting-to-work

one of the joys of living in manly - you get to take the ferry every time you have to go to the city. if you work downtown, you have the pleasure of having 30min every morning and afternoon to sit back, enjoy the view and breath the fresh salty air. there is no better way to get started before and to wind down after work!

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-most-beautiful-ferry-rides/4

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:30:00 -0700 sewing for a good cause OR best team building ever http://www.bagswithastory.com/sewing-for-a-good-cause-or-best-team-building http://www.bagswithastory.com/sewing-for-a-good-cause-or-best-team-building

last week i finally got back to the sewing machine. not for bags, but for a good cause. as part of a vodafone foundation good cause, over 100 vodafone project managers gave the new pathways service of youth of the streets a massive makeover .. and as part of that i was busy sewing curtains all day.

after having spent 6 hours at a task we would all achieve easily - 100 project managers should handle this easily, right?!? - i have to take my hat off to all the reality renovation shows. time just seems to fly and everything takes longer than planned. at the end we were all still very proud of our achievement. and i have to say it was the best corporate team building i have ever been to - doing something that benefits others feels so much better! and those kids really deserve it.

youth off the streets is a non-denominational community organization working with young people aged 12-21, who are facing the challenges of homelessness, drug and alcohol dependency, exclusions from school, neglect and abuse.

Yots-vodafone-foundation-sewing

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:53:00 -0700 wednesday wisdom http://www.bagswithastory.com/wednesday-wisdom http://www.bagswithastory.com/wednesday-wisdom

currently i am working on another project than songlines. actually i am only working on that other project and don't have time for my bags - inbetween here and there, i do have to make some money. although i cannot apply all the principles in this project from mike dempsey's design business tips, there are a few that ring a bell. http://bit.ly/oTLVkS

most important one: retain a sense of fun

and close follower up: appreciate the wonderful area that you work in (i think i can adapt area to the context of the part of world i live & work in :-))

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:08:08 -0700 from the field into the shop - the future of german flour sacks http://www.bagswithastory.com/from-the-field-into-the-shop-the-future-of-ge http://www.bagswithastory.com/from-the-field-into-the-shop-the-future-of-ge 19th century flour sacks, military tents or mattress tickings turned into fashionable accessories - a beautiful job by uk brand tamara fogle. and all crafted in family-run workshops in london. if you have some money in the piggy bank, spend it here: tamaralovesleather.com

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:37:54 -0700 doesn't this just say weekend for you? http://www.bagswithastory.com/doesnt-this-just-say-weekend-for-you http://www.bagswithastory.com/doesnt-this-just-say-weekend-for-you or at least party time? luna park in sydney is an amusement park stuck in time (let's say the 60's): arcade games, small ferris wheel, wild mouse roller coaster etc. you get what i'm talking about.

on my way home i walked passed luna park and it's impressive entrance. the end of a busy week - sadly no songlines related activities. but now the weekend starts, how good is that!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:17:00 -0700 inspiring australia, making tracks http://www.bagswithastory.com/inspiring-australia-making-tracks http://www.bagswithastory.com/inspiring-australia-making-tracks

beautiful music, beautiful scenery - australian landscape as musical inspiration: http://www.australia.com/campaigns/makingtracks/index.htm

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:59:10 -0700 exploring design in melbourne - the summary http://www.bagswithastory.com/exploring-design-in-melbourne-the-summary http://www.bagswithastory.com/exploring-design-in-melbourne-the-summary

what an amazing long weekend in melbourne. time just seamed to disappear, running around exploring the city and it's surroundings and the state of design exhibition. and the songlines bag prototype handled rain, shine and being dragged around perfectly! and it also got compliments for being cool and really well made at the state of design exhibit ..

if you are looking for a nice hotel in melbourne - the olsen in south yarra had cool rooms, great service and the perfect position to go shopping in chapel street or head into town (and thank you travelzoo for an awesome deal ;-)).

the state of design:made exhibition in the royal exhibition hall was truely inspirational. as there were signs in quite a few spots 'not' to take pictures, i only had the chance to make mental notes. have a look at their website to see some pics. my favorites:

the paper plane academy - how awesome is that! i was tempted to join in the fun .. then my 'i'm a grownup' got in the way. now i'm building paper planes secretely at home ;-)
beautiful reusable porcelein takeaway coffee cups from ingrid tufts
well crafted bags by matt, who just moved into the nicholas building, one of my favorite quirky creative buildings in melbourne. mr r. could hardly get his fingers of the latest mattt prototype of a 'man'bag and backpack in one. i think it is already on his xmas wishlist ..

great coffee, cool design and all of that with a good conscience - head to kinfolk near the southern cross station. everybody working there is a volunteer and they redistribute all their profits between four selected development projects. you can also take some lovely word leaves by bronwyn lovell for inspiration.

i had some amazing italian food, looked at heaps of cool little stores and spend hours (!!!) in men's shoe shops looking for the perfect boots for mr. r. next time there will be more shopping for me!

Melbourne-songlines-bag-model_2

Melbourne-songlines-bag-inside-model_2

Melbourne-kinfolk-cafe

Melbourne-kinfolk-bronwyn-lovell

Melbourne-men-shoe-shop

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:22:00 -0700 music - this time a bit sweeter http://www.bagswithastory.com/music-this-time-a-bit-sweeter http://www.bagswithastory.com/music-this-time-a-bit-sweeter

sweet like sugar by uncle jed, australian funk and soul. enjoy, while we are slowly drifting into the weekend.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:36:04 -0700 songlines first 'traveling' bag on the way to melbourne http://www.bagswithastory.com/songlines-first-traveling-bag-on-the-way-to-m http://www.bagswithastory.com/songlines-first-traveling-bag-on-the-way-to-m i spent last night finalizing a new prototype bag. sadly the bag making bible didn't make it in time, so i had to spend a lot of additional time redoing seams .. but alas, i made it in time for my flight to melbourne. a weekend of inspiration including a visit to the state of design fair. let's see how the smaller version of the bag works. very exciting!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:29:00 -0700 service design thinking vs bible .. and the winner is http://www.bagswithastory.com/service-design-thinking-vs-bible-and-the-winn http://www.bagswithastory.com/service-design-thinking-vs-bible-and-the-winn

.. the service design thinking book, as it arrived before the bag making bible ;-)

my cousin wrote this awesome book on service design thinking, and my own personal copy arrived this morning. apart from the content being great, i just love the look and feel of the book. a thick mat black book, three different colored bookmarks and most off all - the text layout. the way the text almost tumbles of the page on the right, not keeping in line with 'standard' book text layout techniques just makes my heart skip. and the way the book was written is also different - following the concept of service design thinking all the way through.

no wonder the book got european design award 2011 for 'book layout' and also 'best of show'. well done marc & co!!!!

i am getting sweaty hands just thinking about reading through the book and finding out how i can apply the thinking to my bag making process and/or to the consulting i do on the side.

if you would like a copy of the book you can order it directly through the publisher.

Service_design_thinking_stickdorn

Service_design_thinking_font_text_layout

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:34:00 -0700 let's see if the bible helps me as well http://www.bagswithastory.com/lets-see-if-the-bible-helps-me-as-well http://www.bagswithastory.com/lets-see-if-the-bible-helps-me-as-well

.. the bag making bible that is ;-) i am stuck doing the padding on a prototype and a lot of people gave raving reviews about this book. it gives you tips and tricks on how to make bags. hopefully there is a trick on how to sew padding too. so here i am waiting for the deliver of 'THE BIBLE'. let's hope it arrives soon!

the bag making bible by lisa lam

Bag_making_bible

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:10:00 -0700 time for some new australian musical tunes to get over those tuesday blues http://www.bagswithastory.com/time-for-some-new-australian-musical-tunes-to http://www.bagswithastory.com/time-for-some-new-australian-musical-tunes-to

teeth and tongue - unfamiliar skirts

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:07:00 -0700 prototyping: how to sew .. and how not to! http://www.bagswithastory.com/prototyping-how-to-sew-and-how-not-to http://www.bagswithastory.com/prototyping-how-to-sew-and-how-not-to

another lesson learned! after trying to work on a new prototype, my lovely industrial sewing machine was just not performing as planned: left out stitches, decided not to stitch at all etc etc. my frustration together with the start of a nasty flu were not a great motivator, so i decided to go to bed instead and call mr. sewing machine the next day.

what i found out was that sometimes small things can make all the difference - like putting in the needle the right way! industrial sewing machine needles do not have these little indicators to show you how to put them in the right way like domestic sewing machines. i still don't know how one side makes a difference to the other side, but i now know it does. (btw: the long groove has to be on the left and the thread always has to be fed into the needle left to right)

the machine is working fine .. just need to get rid of that nasty flu!

ps: during this experience i had to open seams x-times .. quite a nice pile of thread going to waste :-(

How-to-sew-lesson-learned

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:34:00 -0700 it's one bag, it's two bags, it's three bags, but just one bag .. how did they do that? http://www.bagswithastory.com/its-one-bag-its-two-bags-its-three-bags-but-j http://www.bagswithastory.com/its-one-bag-its-two-bags-its-three-bags-but-j

Hardgraft-3fold-overnight-laptop-portfolio-bag

how cool is this bag: handmade in italia from finest vegetable tanned leather with 100% wool detailing .. and a design that allows you to transform the same bag into a laptop bag, an overnighter or a portfolio bag. saves space in the cupboard - not in the wallet though ;-)

check out more of the hardgraft products .. it's worth it!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:24:00 -0700 what do rainbows and eels have in common? http://www.bagswithastory.com/what-do-rainbows-and-eels-have-in-common http://www.bagswithastory.com/what-do-rainbows-and-eels-have-in-common

Eel-skin-wallets

in this case they have the same color! at a recent sydney laneway market i came across this unusual material for bags and wallets: eel skin. according to the designer, eel is one of the strongest and most durable leathers .. and instead of feeling slimey it acctually felt really nice and soft. we got shown a 'pre-loved' wallet and it still looked great. i just loved the colors.

sadly their website is not up and running yet, but i am sure you can just send them a short email in case you would like to keep an (eely) rainbow in your pocket: info@boutiquesydney.com

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:24:00 -0700 no time for bags .. need to turn cane toad into a prince first http://www.bagswithastory.com/no-time-for-bags-need-to-turn-cane-toad-into http://www.bagswithastory.com/no-time-for-bags-need-to-turn-cane-toad-into

Cane-toad-flixya

instead of improving bag making skills, the focus this week is on passing a project management certificate on friday. so i need to see if i can turn the cane toad (australian for frog ;-) alias 'pretty boring book about project management' into a shiny prince alias 'prince 2 certificate'. still struggling right now, so no time to do anything else .. i don't think just kissing the cane toad will do the trick in this fairy tale.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/761137/Ariane_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAUHTusHwIh songlines songlines songlines