Lexie Barnes, one of my favourite bag designers, has released her new collection of bags - the Candy Collection! Three bright patterened fabrics are the hallmark of this collection.
She didn't do any laptop bags this time :( but she does have a new clutch - the Libby - which is perfect for an iPad, Kindle, Kobo or other tablet.
I really love that blue fabric - great colours all of them, perfect for spring.
Just starting to get into the swing of holiday season (after, ahem, taking a few months off from reviewing bags here). First bag of the holidays - the Shine 2 from IceRed Bags. Appropriately red, glittery and festive!
From the review ...
The Shine 2 is a mini version of the Shine Glossy Laptop Bag, made especially for your smaller laptop, netbook or the iPad I hope I'm getting this holiday season (hint hint, Santa. HINT HINT.) My review bag is a deep cherry red with white trim - a perfect match for my houndstooth winter coat, although I may now be forced to buy red boots to complete the look. I don't WANT to...I HAVE to. You know how it is, ladies.
Like the original Shine, the Shine 2 is made of glossy vinyl with nylon piping - so it looks sharp and is very practical in Vancouver, where precipitation is, shall we say, a frequent occurrence. It's also extremely lightweight - even with all of my gear in it, it feels lighter than my purse. It comes with a matching padded shoulder strap for over the shoulder or cross-body action but it's so light, I mainly used the two snapped handles to tote it around.
Check out the full review of the Shine 2 Compact Laptop Tote!
I came across this great post by Jan over on PoppyTalk (a great blog on emerging designers, with a focus on handmade) about bags for your bikes - if you can't have the traditional basket. She posted a number of photos from different designers. This one is my fav - it's the "Bicycle Bag" designed by Alexandra Cassaniti and available from OogaBooga for $96.
So, it's hot in Vancouver right now. Very hot. As in, history making heat wave hot, with a good dose of humidity to boot. One of the only places it's really pleasant to be right now, in a city that doesn't believe in air conditioning, is at the beach, lolling in the Pacific breeze. And that's where the Lexi Barnes Classic Tote comes in.
What could you ask of a beach tote? That it be lightweight? Roomy? Stylish? The Classic Tote excels in all these areas, and can take on the city as well as it takes on the beach. I toss in my beach essentials, and a few non-essentials (hellooo, picnic!) and the sand is mine to command. Also, the nylon exterior is perfectly able to brush off any accidental drips, of, say, deliciously creamy ice cream.
Seriously, we here at Funchico cannot say enough good things about this bag - the jealous stares from our fellow beachcombers don't hurt, either.
There are three sizes and three colours of the classic tote to choose from (we adore the copper!). They range in price from $79 to $119 - check these hot totes out on the Lexie Barnes site!
The lovely Lisa at O Yikes! was kind enough to send me one of their sporty, colourful Slingback 9-2-5 Packages to try out a while back. It's a very compact, good-looking bag.
I did have a couple of size issues with the Slingback, however, so I was unable to perform my usual "week of use" testing prior to my review. Just wanted to let you know up front - I have touched, poked, prodded and admired the bag, but have not taken it into the fray.
The Slingback's laptop sleeve fits up to a 13" screen and my MacBook Pro is 15". FYI - O Yikes! *does* make a large laptop sleeve that fits up to a 15" laptop - but the large sleeve will not fit in the Slingback. The other thing the Slingback doesn't fit is me. I didn't get out the tape measure, but let us say this: if you are at the upper limit of size at Lane Bryant or are very large bosomed or barrel chested, the Slingback is not the bag for you.
That all being said, there's much to recommend the Slingback. The 9-2-5 Slingback Package (the Slingback, the matching laptop sleeve and accessories pouch) is a great value and makes for a very versatile bag. Leave the laptop sleeve out and use it as a diaper bag - or leave the Slingback at the office and take the laptop sleeve to your meeting (it has its own shoulder strap!).
The Slingback is made of sturdy nylon material with solid, good quality hardware (zippers, clips, etc.) I love the cheerful colours it comes in - I chose the Tangerine Raspberry colourway (my wedding colours!) but it's also available in more subdued tones if you prefer. 
The Slingback itself is well thought out and offers plenty of organizational options. The smaller front compartment has a generous gusset and a mesh pocket to help keep things in place. The larger main compartment has plenty of zip pockets and pouches for your valuables and other daily essentials, from USB keys to talcum powder.
The Slingback's ergonomic strap fastens across your chest with Velcro and a buckle to keep it secure. And the chest strap has a holster pouch for easy access to your cellphone, mp3 player or PDA. I also like the exterior bottle holder - excellent for your water or, when riding public transit, your flask.
The laptop sleeve is as padded and sturdy as the Slingback. As I said, it comes with its own shoulder strap, but also has handles for easy toting. The laptop sleeve has a back pocket as well, for a notebook or similar, and it comes in the same bright colours as the Slingback. 
The square accessory case was my personal favourite part of the 9-2-5 Package - it's big enough for my powercord and mouse and the see-through mesh pockets let me see what's in there without having to empty the thing out every time I was rooting around for a memory card or lozenge.
Would I recommend the Slingback to a smaller person with a smaller laptop? Without reservation. It's a cool, unusual shape as well as being a well-designed bag. And, in the spirit of disclosure, when I pass it on to someone who can use it, I'll be selfishly retaining the accessory case. Bigger gals with bigger 'books (or bosoms) should check out the O Yikes! 9.2.5 Messenger Package.
UPDATE: The O Yikes! Slingback has been retired.
I found this great article over at Smashing Magazine (one of my fav blogs) about how people trick out their laptops. They had a few sleeves and bags, but the coolest pics are of the skins, stickers and engravings that people have done to their laptops ...
Totally worth checking out the full article!
Saw this on CoolHunting - Smateria is a Cambodian business that makes wallets, totes and even a laptop bag from recycled materials ...
When not providing protection from balaria, dengue fever and other insect-born illnesses, mosquito nets often end up refuse. Smateria uses a clever recycling method to make functional, attractive bags. The Drink Carton Wallets (below right) also come almost entirely from trash. Companies using the omnipresent Tetra Pak cartons give secondhand containers directly to Smateria, where they thatch them into durable money-holders. The Plastic Bags are have the most directly re-purposed source material. They take a spectrum of used shopping bags and weave them into far more resilient totes.
Smateria employs a workforce of local residents and give equal opportunity to the disadvantaged. Members are fully trained before being given access to equipment and are encouraged to organize and share their own work independently of the aforementioned items. That way everybody wins.
I really love the look of the wallets! There are no interior shots of the laptop bag, so you might need a sleeve. But I love it when a company can give back to a local economy as well as do something good for the planet!
There are two amazing bag projects that I wanted to share with you: Bags for Zaza and the Darfur Project.
I first read about Bags for Zaza through the blog Profy.com
where the founder, Jennie, was interviewed about grassroots fund raising. Jennie is creating cool bags from fabric she already has
in her stash as well as from friends and is selling them on her blog
(via an auction model) with all of the monies going to her brother and
sister-in-law for costs associated with adopting a little girl from
Columbia.
In reading the interview I was impressed with Jennie's take on current fundraising models as well as her personal desire to give people something for their donation - but something made from materials she already had.
I ... embarked on a journey into the dusty closets and corners of my home and started gathering all of my fabric into one handy location, my living room. I'm a terrible packrat and as I sorted through my finds, I projected that I could easily make 20 bags with the materials on hand (I realize now that I can make more than that). I made a pattern from my Darfur Bag with a few little modifications of my own. I sewed together 8 bags and built my blog site before I even mentioned the scheme to my in-laws. I told them what I was doing, then launched my site the next day. I sent out emails to friends and family and sold my first batch of bags within a couple days.
In less than 4 weeks I reached my initial goal of raising $500. However, if you know anything about adoption expenses, you'll know that this is just a drop in the bucket. Gosh, I could go on forever, but I'll wrap up this little history by saying that my sister-in-law (Zaza's momma to be) is sewing up a storm now and other friends and family have also helped with the sewing. It looks like we're going to keep going on this until Zaza comes home.
In a nutshell, inspiration for the scheme came from my desire to support Zaza's adoption in a substantial, but feasible way. And the Darfur Project certainly provided a great model to build on. Another family was raising money for their adoption by selling t-shirts. The project was called "Saving Dowensky" and I've certainly thought of them a lot through this.
Bags for Zaza is modeled after the Darfur Project, another online bag auction started by Joyce to raise funds for the unimaginable situation in Darfur. Joyce has this to say about her project:
It has been an unbelievably fulfilling ride to combine several passions in this project. Listening to the small, still, easily ignored voice of God. Combining a passion (compulsion) for thrifting with a passion to create with needle and thread. Using reclaimed fabrics rich with imagined history and sending them back out into the world to begin anew.
Now skirts, jeans, curtains, quilts, tea towels, kitchen aprons, flour sacks, couches, belts, neckties, bedspreads, and table cloths are being casually slung over shoulders from across the prairies, over the mountains, and over oceans. The joy and connectedness spreads right around the world.
From off my shoulder and through my heart, welcome to the Darfur project.
The bags created by Jennie and Joyce are beautiful and unique works of art. Now they aren't always suited for laptops, but sometimes we need to leave that laptop at home!! Jennie names her bags after different books which is delightful. I encourage you to check out both sites and maybe buy a bag (or two) for two wonderful causes!!
"Slim" laptop bags (or sleeves) are starting to be all the rage. I love the Slim from Knomo. From the review ...
The cool thing about Knomo bags that really appeals to the geek girl in me is that you can register your bag. Each Knomo comes with a unique number and you can associate it with your contact deets via their website. And then if you happen to leave it at the yacht club after a night of cutting your jib, a fellow mariner can call a toll-free number to report your Knomo's whereabouts.
I wonder if I can make one of these big enough for a laptop :)
Wow .. so gorgeous.
Design is by João Sabino. I saw it on Shiny Shiny.
Welcome to Funchico.com. "funchico" is short-hand for "Funky, Chic and Cool". Mainly I write about funchico Laptop Bags and Laptop Sleeves. But we also write about Cool Knitting Bags, great Laptop Backpacks and Cool Laptop Bags for Men. Oh, and we're reviewing Netbook Sleeves and Cases too! iPad Cases have been added as well! And sometimes, there is other stuff that is funchico that I will mention here :) I hope you enjoy!
