Valley of the Muse

From Editorial Ass: Robert the Publisher’s Gem of the Day
Fantastic anecdote about why fear of failure is a wasteful emotion and examines how little it really does for a person.

From Meta Writer on LiveJournal: Synopsis Writing: or, Why I Would Rather Scrub My Toilet With A Toothbrush
One writer’s struggle with writing the dreaded synopsis for a story submission.

From Musie: Tim Burton’s Magical Fashion
Report on recent editorial in Harper’s Bazaar that features Tim Burtonesque inspired designer fashion. Includes images of shoot.

I’ve updated the side bar with a list of blogs I follow. These have been part of my dailies for years in some cases, which in blogging terms is quite a long time.

Bentos

Lunch in a Box: Building a Better Bento
If you’re new to bento-making, I really recommend “Lunch in a Box”. Be sure to check out the FAQ and top tips to read about the basic principles of bento-ing.

Bento Lunches community
Once you’re ready to start sharing your bentos, you can showcase them on the “Bento Lunches” community on LiveJournal. Lurking helped me learn what works and what doesn’t and gave me the confidence to try it out myself.

Fashion

The Fashion Police – Fighting Crimes of Fashion
Features a great mix of high fashion, affordable trends, and fashion disasters. Images and witty writing keep me coming back.

Personal Finance

The Simple Dollar – Financial Talk for the Rest of Us
One of the best blogs around for personal finance and frugality, updated several times a day. The writing style is clear and personable, the topics varied and easily applicable. There’s a reason he’s ranked as a top blogger, and he sets the standard for all blogs regardless of topic.

Wise Bread – Living Large on a Small Budget
A number of different bloggers contribute to various topics centred around personal finance, frugality, careers, family, etc. Includes product reviews and giveaways.

Photography

Dark Roasted Blend – a weird and wonderful photography blog
I’m always fascinated by what’s posted. The images are at times humorous and achingly beautiful art.

Publishing Industry

Trio of publishing blogs that I always enjoy.

Editorial Anonymous – A Children’s Book Editor
Mostly writes about being a children’s book editor, but if you’re interested in being published, there’s a lot of good information here. Takes the time to answer reader questions about things like why you don’t need to illustrate your picture book before sending it to a publisher, and what to say when an editor calls you and tells you they’re making an offer on your manuscript.

Editorial Ass – a recovering editorial assistant
Mix of personal anecdotes, publishing news and what it’s like to be an editor. Personable style that’s amusing and helpful.

Pub Rants – a literary agent blog
Publishing industry from an agent’s perspective (rather than editor like the previous two), this blog covers industry-specific information that an unpublished author needs to know about, such as advances, query letter etiquette, etc.

What are some of your favourite blogs that you check daily?

A few weeks ago I went to San Francisco and couldn’t resist buying the most adorable purse. The store was Loyal Army Clothing and I had the hardest time deciding what to get from it. If you click on the pic below, you’ll see the details, like an onion with a tear and a carrot with a toothy grin on the healthy side, and the hamburgers with vampire teeth on the unhealthy side.

If you’re looking for cool T-shirts and accessories go to http://www.loyalarmy.com/

Then I went to a BBQ where I met a girl who makes purses out of recycled magazines and wrapping paper, and decided to make this into a post featuring some of the unique bags that I’ve found.

Hamiltontankgirl makes purses out of recycled magazines, and my favourite one is the sushi purse shown below. I like that it reuses magazines and that it’s waterproof. She also can do custom designs. Her etsy store is here.

This bag is also from etsy, and I love that it’s made of different fabrics. The artisan has a few different styles, but I thought this colour/fabric combination was the best one. Tremundo’s etsy store can be found here.

If you prefer bags with sleek, clean lines, you’ll love these bags from Revamp Productions. They have a retro pin-up feel, and my favourites are in the style of a classic car (shown below). Check out their website for more styles and colours.

Or if you’d prefer your purse look like modern art, you’ll love the purses by Eylem Binboğa. The black cherry touch at the side is so pretty against the purple leather on the purse below. Visit Accessories by Eylem Binboğa here.

I couldn’t resist including the following two. They’re not really bags, but instead cakes that are made to look like bags.

If you’re in Toronto (like me), you’ll want to contact “Sweet Things” for your next creative cake art. This Louis Vuitton purse looks delicious and pretty. Blog with other examples (including a yoda cake!) can be found here.

Or, check out this Prada inspired purse cake by “I Dream of Cake”. The website has some beutiful high end creations.

What do you think of these purses? Do you create unique purses and bags? Have you purchased one? Leave a comment and link!