Vintage Finds -Swanky Edition

I have a fun find to share with you. When I spied this orange velvet mid-century goodness I was thrilled. It just needs to be re-stringed and some paint touch ups. It was love at first sight! I love this sort of retro goodness but it usually invokes the husband to say, "Why do you like ugly things?" He just doesn't share my love for orange velvet. Sigh. This thrift trip also involved getting a cute TopShop skirt & a pencil skirt for free! How I love coupons.

 Upon further investigation I discovered this thing had hinges on the side...

Ah, finally... a completed sewing project. I'm quite proud of this one, even though I literally hit a snag here and there. But, one broken needle later and many glances at the manual and I have this retro beauty.
I'm not new to sewing but, I'd still call myself a beginner. I used the folk bag pattern from the book, One Yard Wonders (which means this purse only cost me $12 to make!) The instructions were easy to follow and I learned a much smarter way to make a pocket and insert a lining. I'm going to make another one of these bags with the Heather Ross ponies fabric I've been saving. I had a bit of fabric left over so maybe a matching ipod case or card wallet is to follow.