Wednesday, May 14, 2008

When Necessity is the Mother of Reinvention

What do you do when you have a pile of debts to pay off and you still need a new look for a new season at work? Easy, you reinvent your old stuff. That's what I've been doing lately. Like today I dug out this old bag I bought at a second-hand market a couple of years ago.


It's a lovely jute-woven type shoulder bag in a beige brown shade, very summery as well but boringly plain. It had a little flower applique when I bought it but in a horribly jarring light blue colour. Tore that off as soon as I took it home too. Well, I took a long hard look at it today and bought some sequins and floral appliques in a nicely blending shade, and voila!

20 comments:

  1. Bag hi maw miss nuho hian an han hmang tangkai khawp a, engkim a awm.. kha daih kha. Mipa chuan bag ah trut hi a buaithlak viau a.. buaithlak a nimai ka sawi zui thiamlo :-) Engpoh nise second han dthin hi nu..ho hian an va peih em em.. ka bazar pui peih miahlo.. ke kham duh eeeeeeeeeeeeee mai :-)

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  2. Nice work with the Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V although I like the minimalist original better. But then again, that's just me.

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  3. sawmpui, bag hi thil tangkai deuh mai asin. Khum leh rizai te poh hi leng vek nghe nghe se tha tur ania. Tunlai chu mipa pon ipte ah an ching toh alom. Kan students te poh hmeichhia aiin mipa hian an ak lian zok daih nia. Thep thawl deuh deuh hian an ak kual hnak hnak reng peih

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  4. Haha thanks, Philo. I take it you're not one of those flower power enthusiasts? I'm mostly into minimalism myself but once in a while, into every young or old girl's life, a little floral embellishment must fall :)

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  5. Nice work, I think. Frankly, I wouldn't have noticed the difference if you hadn't explained it and shown the transformation. This part of me is what bugs my wife so much. To me, her (many) bags and shoes look the same, more or less :)

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  6. OOh..Thats beautiful, I get what you mean. Have to jazz up my whole room next month on a shoe string budget....

    Bringing out all the paint/scissors/glue I have!

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  7. Bag hlui side A & B i ron dah top emaw ka lo tia....
    I va lo designer/repairer/idea reuh ve a?
    Kan nu bag hlui min lo cheithat sak ve la
    :)

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  8. oh wow! I love it, it already looked pretty before, but so much more prettier after. I've been motivated! I'm shutting down this computer right now, gonna get busy with needles and stuff!~

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  9. Can you do the same with my 4 years old reebok sneakers? I really don't mind if it has the ribbons and buttons attached to it like your bag, after all, we now live in the age of metrosexuality. :-P

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  10. Tsk tsk typical male, Plats! Just like my brother-in-law too.

    vague entity, yeah go for it. It is possible to be creative on a small budget.

    samupa, ka thiam em em poh a ni bik lo. A tulna a zir ani zok :)

    Uh Jerusha, somehow I can't imagine you with needles and stuff but I'm sure you can come up with sth really beautiful and original.

    Illusionaire, sneakers with ribbons and buttons? Hmmm I think they'd look pretty rad with spangles, mirror-work, glitter dust and multi-coloured beads!

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  11. a designer too...??!! Girl is there no end to your talents? You give the rest of us massive inferiority complexes, sob sob. I once got it into my head to piece together a teddy bear for home science class, and I ended up sewing my finger..seriously. The needle went right through and came out the other side. MY mom (as usual) finished the task.
    Observing me browsing through bags the other day, my friend commented that I'm getting pretty "senior"; according to him, girls, as they age, go through phases where they drool over large bags, then smaller bags, then tiny bags, then dogs... and after that, there's no hope. Hmmph!

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  12. Me give you a complex? Hey it's the other way round! I was always all thumbs at needlework in school too. Guess I never had to deal with this kind of do or die situation then :P And tell your friend that senior senoritas are the best!

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  13. Great designing, looks real pretty after you've worked on it. But me, i'd rather use the plain old one as it was.

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  14. Awwww mesjay, you gotta go try a little flower power sometime :P

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  15. Now this is one topic which I am definitely interested in. I am always decorating, un-decorating, redecorating my bags. I once had a denim bag which went through at least five transformations before I finally dyed it black and lost interest. I think it's great fun.

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  16. Hey ambs, show some pics. You must be quite a craftswoman. A friend of mine made this really jazzed up bag with lots and lots of intricate beading, and the really teeny tiny beads at that, and she said it took her months to finish.

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  17. khaih...thiamthil i va lo ngah wreuh ve...kei chu ka hmeichhia lo tops, wen it cumz to sewing, flowers, pets etc etc....

    im impressed...ka tum ve don...lolz..ka thiam awm lo vei...

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  18. Ois virgo, ka them thiam lo ltk. Ka nu pon ka naupanlai chuan min manganpui zok, laphiar tih vel te kha ka beidong thak! Ti ve roh, in lak nu nan poh tha ve a haha

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  19. your house is pretty posh.. so the post is a bit of a contradiction in itself...

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  20. Pish tosh tinks, that's my place of work in the picture - the rabbis' hang-out.

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