Speak Softly and Carry a Vlieger & Vandam Bag. The 2012 Guardian Angel Collection.

I stumbled upon the amazing weapon embossed Guardian Angel bags from Vlieger and Vandam back in 2005 when they were made of felted wool (below). The brand and their collection has grown and become more sophisticated in the past few years.


above: The 2005 V&V Guardian Angel Bags were made with embossed wool

Now made with fine aniline leathers from the greenest tannery in the world (Hulshof Royal Dutch Tanneries) and handmade embossing in the Netherlands, the Guardian Angel line includes structured and soft bags for both men and women, clutches, attache cases, wallets and iPad cases.



above: the metal embossing is done by hand using tools like the stamping gun shown above in the Netherlands



above: their newest collection is now lined with a silkscreen printed fabric of guns and knives

For their Autumn Winter 2012 Collection they have introduced three two-toned Classic (structured) Guardian Angel Handbags with detachable straps in Brown/Pink, Brown/Grey and Black/White leather:




New for 2012 are large and small soft versions of their Guardian Angel bags in black, brown or grey leather with detachable leather straps:



Unisex Guardian Angel attachés and shoulder bags in black, brown and grey leather for 2012:



The 2012 Guardian Angel clutches come in three styles (handcuffs, gun and knife) and black, brown or grey leather online. The gold, silver and blackened detachable chains are sold separately.

Other clutches in colored suede are new for 2012 but not available in their online store (yet):



iPad cases in Guardian Angel (black leather) or cracked screen (black leather):


Gun stamped zippered wallets and billfolds for 2012:



The Guardian Angel bags are popular among celebs like Fergie Rhianna and Rumor Willis (shown below carrying her large soft black Guardian Angel bag):


In addition to their Guardian Angel line, they make other stunning totes and handbags, small leather goods and scarves.




Vlieger and Vandam

Cartier Premieres Gorgeous Short Film, L'Odyssee de Cartier, A Visual History of The Brand.

Carter has been airing this three and a half minute commercial, L'Odyssée de Cartier, which is a beautiful three and a half minute film consisting of seven chapters, shot by Bruno Aveillan for the luxury brand.



The new Cartier film, which took two years to make, is a journey between dream and reality and the very first time Cartier has decided to create a cinema epic focusing on its 165 year history, its values and inspiration, its artistic and universal scope. The lush visual story features the Panther, the historical icon of the House of Cartier.








The dedicated website features the seven chapters of the brand's Odyssey film, the making of, information about the musical score and other bonus features. Learn how they trained the three panthers and other interesting information at their site.



L'Odyssee de Cartier

Artists Reinterpret Emoticons In Their Own Style of Work For The Noteworthy Project.

The Noteworthy Project asked different artists to reinterpret emoticons in their own inimitable style. The process and final pieces were documented on film and directed by Oscar-nominated and Sundance-winning filmmaker Jessica Sanders. Below are those films and the final artworks.

:( by Tim Biskup:


“My goal was to present a midpoint between the :( emoticon’s abstraction of sadness and the literal representation of it in the photo of my daughter, thus inserting my own expression into the equation.” - Tim Biskup



Tim Biskup's final piece:


:-) by AJ Fosik:



“I decided to transform the devious emoticon into an idol, taking a digital [way of conveying] emotion and meaning and merging it with a traditional physical one, subverting both to create something new.” - AJ Fosik



AJ. Fosik's final piece:


LOL by Megan Whitmarsh:


“I wanted to create a LOL that radiates optimism, using a handcrafted, analog, pop vision to capture its warmth and cheerfulness.” - Megan Whitmarsh



Megan Whitmarsh's final piece:


OMG by Reza Ali:


“OMG invites its audience to interact by speaking to it. Besides surprise, it can represent joy, sadness, anger, excitement, fear, shock, and relief. OMG changes in real-time to reflect that variation.” - Reza Ali



Reza Ali's final piece:


;) by Craig + Karl:


“The ;) emoticon depicts our dynamic: a closed eye dreaming, forming ideas; an open eye, developing them. A smile links us.” - Craig and Karl



Craig Redmond + Karl Maier's final piece:


About The Noteworthy Project:


Our potential for human expression is huge, but at some point technology started getting in the way of our passion. We’ve been so busy tweeting and texting, we may have accidentally left behind what makes us human.

The Noteworthy Project documents a series of projects that examine what happens when communication is made by hand.

Noteworthyproject.com