Etsy Spotlight: Arrowsarah’s Faith\Hope\Love\Peace\Soul Wooden Box Purse

by Contributing Columnists Nicole M aka
Sugar Shox Crafts

The printed word is a beautiful thing. In both the visual spaces they occupy and also in their meaning, words can artistically rival a Rembrandt or Picasso painting.

Angela Mosera’s (“Arrowsarah”) Faith\Hope\Love\Peace\Soul Wooden Box Purse (her “Word Box,” as she nicknamed it) shows what power words can have on the senses. The 6” by 6” by 6” cube-shaped pine body uses typeface as its main graphical element to pull one’s eyes in. One word (“Faith,” “Hope,” “Love,” “Peace,” or “Soul”) is written on each side in giant capital Arial Extra Bold letters, including on the top lid.

Color also contributes to the stunning visual effect of the purse body. The natural wood finish of the letters sharply contrasts with the body’s black background.

Angela said the body’s design comes from her background in graphic design. She previously worked for a large ad agency in Dallas, where she hails from, and now freelances her design work, in addition to having it as a main focus in her Etsy shop.

She put a great deal of thinking and persistence into this purse. Angela said she felt something was missing from its first design, where the “Faith\Hope\Love\Peace” words simply went around the outside of the box.

“Once it was done, I knew it needed something on the top. It took me a long time to figure out what word needed to go up there, but when I finally thought of ‘soul,’ it was like a light bulb went off,” she said. “‘Soul’ is the root of all the other words and if you lose faith or hope, you still have soul.”

Angela has made five boxes so far with this design. It happens to be the most popular design of all the many box purses in her shop. It is also mom-approved; her mom carries this very same design!

The work of fellow Texan Enid Collins sparked Angela’s original interest in making box purses. Collins was famous in the 1960’s for her wooden rectangular box purses, which featured hand painted scenery and animal designs. Today, Collins’ work is highly sought-after in the vintage market.

“I had been collecting her purses for a while, and they are just so awesome that I wanted to bring them back with a modern twist,” she said.

Since she started making them in 2008, Angela has made over a hundred of these box-type purses, and plans to make more in different styles.

“I’ve made well over 125 by now,” she said. “I’m always trying new boxes like upcycled cigar boxes and boxes that are different shapes and sizes.”

They are all available for purchase through both craft shows and her Etsy shop.

Creating her box purses has also led Angela to love working with wood. Though she had never really worked with the material before, she’s been incorporating it into more of her work lately (including her jewelry, which she also sells), and plans to try some jigsaw-cut designs as well.

Check out all of Arrowsarah’s wooden creations at craft shows in the Dallas area and in her Etsy shop! She’s also on Facebook!

Tags: bag, etsy, faith, handpainted bag, love, online shop, peace, soul, square handbag, sugarshoxcrafts, wood bag, wooden handbag, words

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