Silk Cocoon, and Mica's Bag, Part 1

We have a long weekend ahead, I'm already feeling the pull...especially because we've caught up with the rest of the world's heatwave with temps in the upper 20s, even into 30s, predicted for this week  (that's in the low 80s-90s for you US folks). It feels like summer!

I've finally gotten started on my next Art Project, an illustrated purse for my dear blog-friend Mica of Away from the Blue (go say hi, she's lovely!), and I have pictures to share of my progress so far. They're after the outfit pics, but I know you want to scroll down and look, so I'll wait... 

Done? Okay! 

This weather-appropriate outfit was nice and cool, but also kept me from freezing in the air conditioning in our office building. 

• Silk cocoon - NancyMac, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in June for dinner with L's aunt
• Top - Tatum & Olivia, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in June with Hawaiian print pants
• Skirt - Andrea Jovine, vintage, thrifted; last worn here in May with zebra and orange
• Sandals - Lucky Brand; last seen here a couple of weeks ago with a coral dress

I'm lucky to work in an AC'd environment - most homes here don't have air-conditioning. 

Anyway, this outfit performed very well both indoors and out. 

The ruffled top is sleeveless and washes well, which is good since I spilled some of my Korean chicken down the front of it (arg!) so it's currently sitting with corn starch on it to pull out all the oil. I'll then Folex the crap out of it and hope for the best. 

The skirt is linen, and I have wee shorts on under it. 

Isn't the silk cocoon amazing? 

It's warm, cool and provides excellent sunblock. Plus, I get to flutter around like a butterfly. It does have the tendency to catch on things, so I have to remind myself to move slowly and not make any sudden moves.

Masked up. 

I have touches of snakeskin in my outfit that match the mask. 

Incognito. 

A very mysterious person! 

The stuff: 

My hip/butt is feeling a bit better - heels don't seem to affect it. I painted my toes with ancient quick-dry gold polish (it's from c. 2002). 

Matchy bling: 

I actually built the outfit around this new-to-me eelskin belt - I noticed how well it went with the silk cocoon and it took off from there. 

• Belt - Club Monaco, thrifted; purchased here for $6.95
• Cuff - thrifted
• Metal bracelet - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Earrings - thrifted, Sidney
• Amber ring - c. 1996
• Silver/smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neumann, vintage mall

Art Project: Mica's Bag

I reached out to Mica several months ago - she's been a staunch supporter and fan of my various Art Projects (here), so I wondered if she had an old purse that was scuffed or damaged that I could give new life to. We emailed back and forth - she was charmingly enthusiastic, love her! - sending pictures, measurements, and ideas for what could go on it. Mica ended up buying this new-to-her second-hand purse for me to decorate. Awesome! 

She shipped it to me from Australia - I was prepared for it to take weeks and weeks to arrive in Canada, but kudos to Australia's mail service, as it arrived in just over a week! Impressive! Mica, I apologize in advance for Canada Post taking FOREVER when I ship it back to you! 

What a sweetheart - she included a lovely card and a family pack of TimTams! As you can see, I ate two while I unpacked the purse! These are very dangerous biscuits/cookies. I shared them a few nights later with our pals Chris/Ali as I knew I'd eat them all myself otherwise. 

And here's the purse! I think it's called the "Mini MAB" (Mica, please correct me if not) and it's by Rebecca Minkoff. 

That's the front - it's a very pale lilac purple. 

The back: 

There's a little zip compartment under the flap. 

The sides of the purse open up.

I know Mica might wear this with the sides open, so I'll definitely be embellishing those! 

Are you ready, Mica? I did some colour testing with my usual Tombow alcohol-based paint markers under that back flap.

Mica wanted pinks, purples and blues, and I aim to please! Ignore that aqua on the right - I'm not using that colour. 

Once I'd tested all the potential colours - they look much different on a leather surface than they do on paper - I took a picture of them. 

Along with my notes from our emails. I'm not guaranteeing all of these "wishes", but she's getting a lot of them: 

• Feathers/like peacock jacket
• Flowers
• Big M on front
• Vines & leaves
• Blue, pinks, purple
• "I can" "I will" - a saying/mantra she uses
• "Crazy Bag Lady" - Mica tells me she refers to herself this way to people, love it!

As with all of my pieces, I don't just start drawing on the item right away - we have to PLAN, people! In addition to writing down all of the colour numbers on the pens (this really helps), I also grouped them by the 2-3 colours in each range. 

The sketches are ideas for each side of the bag. 

• Left (sideways) - two ideas for the back, including a couple of variations for the flap
• Middle/top - my plan for the front
• Middle/bottom - my plans for the sides
• Scrawled notes - for my placement of "I can" and "I will"

I've since come up with another idea for the back (it's even better!), and I am also going to do a banner message on the bottom of the bag (it's a secret!). The bag has a few scuffs and discolourations, but no one will see them when I'm done with it. 

I started with the front, as I had the best/strongest vision for it: an invisible "M", in the same manner as a Zentangle tile I made for former coworker Mailen in August 2019. I did several of these in different designs for coworkers and friends - they're the genesis of my urge to embellish clothing. I did a bunch of Zentangle paper fans over the years, but never made the connection to clothing until I did my Floralized Fluevogs (here, scroll down)

On the cardboard, I was able to outline the letter with pencil and erase it later, but that doesn't work on leather. 

I used a water-based light grey fine Staedler pen (one shade lighter than what I've used on other pieces) to sketch the M on Mica's bag. 

You might be able to juuuust see the lines there - I'll eventually wipe them off with a damp paper towel. I start by making dots to position the roses and then rough them in, leaving room for vines and extra leaves. If you compare this with my sketch above, you'll see I added several more roses.

The denser the "background" design, the more the negative space M will pop out. As I darken up the rough drawing (I think of this as "blacking it up") and add more detail, the M appears.

See it on the left? Your eye fills it in as a solid.

I finished the right side of the purse yesterday, sitting out on the deck in the sun.

Colour is next - exciting! I am enjoying working on such a compact piece - it's much easier to manipulate than the giant Autumn Jacket, and of course, there is less acreage to cover, so it's faster!

Mica, I hope you like it so far!