I’ve been saving a clipping of an interview with Lisa Boucher from a local newspaper waiting for an opportunity to explore her website and post about it here on AllChic. Well now I’m wondering why I waited so long. Lisa is the owner of  Green-n-Groovy, an earth-friendly boutique in Northeast PA. Lisa sells the work of 78 artisans and is always on the lookout for new artists to work with on a consignment basis.  Lisa sells clothing, jewelry, home accessories, furniture, baby items and artwork…almost everything made from recycled materials. My personal favorite is the jewelry made from typewriter keys. Wandering through her website catalogue just might be inspiring me to get back to work on my jeans bags.

Nicole Roberts of NokHoo Laptop Bags has designed a line of beautiful backpack laptop bags.  Why the name Nok Hoo? Well Nicole has lived in Thailand and says that NokHoo is the Thai word for owl…which, coincidentally, I’ve come to learn is my totem animal.  According to Nicole,

… owls are both handsome and wise, it seemed like the perfect name for these bags. (Yes, there are other variations of the spelling, but I like this one best.) In the Thai language, they associate each letter with a word. The letter H is called “ho nok-hoo”. My logo is a stylized version of this letter made to look like an owl’s face.

In addition to the dragon-themed design inspiration, the Shirrush NokHoo bag (shown above) has every compartment you’ll ever need – you might not even need to carry your purse.

• Main section includes separate laptop pocket and secret zip pouch.
• Zippered front section provides multiple pockets made for cds, business cards and gadgets.
• Detachable phone pocket on strap.
• Elastic side pockets for easy access.

As I’ve written before I’m a fan of all things Steampunk… like this and this.

Suzanne Lazear is an author and a blogger at Age of Steam. I came across her detailed post(s) about Steampunking this dress for a Dickens Ball. Follow her progress with part 1 and part 2 of How to Steampunk a Dress Without Really Trying.   I hope we get to see the finished product with the third installment, Suzanne. Hint. Hint.

*Update* Part 3 in which Suzanne goes to the Dickens Ball, complete with photos of the finished dress.