favorite shop friday: showpony

Trompe l'oeil. That's the term that always come to my mind whenever I look through today's favorite shop. It's an art term that means "fool the eye" and, to me, that's the theme of Emma's work in her shop Showpony.

For example, her vintage shopping totes: is it a lacy Victorian handbag or a practical cotton tote bag?



And look at these darling vintage clutch purses! Do they have a dainty button closure or a handy zipper closure?



But however much I adore her screen-printed bags, it's her Hiding Place purses that I really love! This beautiful clutch is covered with a gorgeous pattern of pretty leaves, birds and flowers...but take a peek under the folds...



...and you'll find a darker side of nature: spiders, bugs and thorns!





And look at how she's designed her Passing Time bags...





For me, her bags are beautiful, charming and fun...but also carry a statement on how we tend to cover the ugly parts of life either by disguising it or by hiding it completely. How we tend to try to "fool the eye" in life!

You can keep up-to-date with Emma and her Showpony doings on her blog. (And she's also having a sale on all her Hidden Pattern products until Saturday, January 26th...so if you hurry you can have a great bag at a great price!) You'll find her shop at http://showpony.etsy.com.