I’m a can-do kind of girl, so I’m partial to the backpack configuration. It has even support and Astrid’s triangular shape is perfectly set off.

There are times when something a little more surprising is needed. That’s when a handy zipper in between the shoulder straps close to form a slingback.

Or, I can just carry it around with me wherever I need to go.

Best of all, Astrid has all three outside pockets where I can easily slip in my keys, ID, basically everything that I scrounge around for every day.

With its buttery soft leather, Astrid goes from easy casual to chic night out without me having to worry too. Check out some of our new bags on poketo.com.

Stories like Béa’s remind us that everything can have a second (even more fabulous) life like our Street Banner Bags.

From street banners on their way to the city waste basket:

come colorful one-of-a-kind bags durable enough to go wherever you go:

Best of all, each one comes built-in with a story to tell. Just like this.

What around you has a great second life to live? Share your projects with us!

Hi, Angelica, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Well, my nickname is Angie, just like Poketo’s co-founder. I’m an LA native, born and raised. I actually grew up in East LA. I’ve always been interested in art and cooking and stuff of that nature.

Angelica wearing her Poketo t-shirt and carrying the cute Marisol.

So, you’re sporting a Poketo tee I see. What attracts you about Poketo?
I like the Poketo line because it’s very artistic and it’s unique.

Oh cool. So, Angie, could you introduce us to your little one?
This is Marisol. She’s 9.5 months old.She’s just learning to stand and starting to crawl. She’s very curious. She’s trying to get at everything!

So, what’s your regular day like?
I’m a stay at home mom. I used to work. Now I stay home and I take care of Marisol. Usually our days are get up, eat, take a bath. We like to go out and hang out with other moms. I’m in a meet up group with different moms who are into arts and crafts and are artistic. I met them through Meetup.com. They’re into the same things I am. I want moms that are arts-y moms.

What else keeps you busy?
A lot of times, Marisol and I walk around a lot in the city. I take a lot of photos of the art around here and I actually started a blog called Post Mad Bills. I like to consider myself the unofficial curator of the arts district. I just started it because I’ve been taking pictures since last November. I just started collecting them and putting them up online.

That sounds like a fun blog. Any interesting stories while taking photos?
This past Friday we were at the Angel City Brewery. I saw this guy doing a cross between Sanskrit and Thai. It turns out that it was the guy doing all the Buddha and Gandhi that you see around town. His name is Bill.

The other thing was…you know that art work on 4th and Alameda? Somebody painted it over with blue paint, I met that guy. When I saw what he was doing, I went up to him and like, “What are you doing? That’s a JR!” He’s like, “Oh no, we talked about it. We’re doing a collaboration.”

That’s what I was hoping would happen throughout all this is to meet the artist. That’s always cool, to meet the artist behind the art.

So, Angelica, what Poketo goodies catch your attention?
I really want to get that Pocket Tote. It could double as diaper bag. You could take it with you to the park, on play dates, to the beach. It’s not like some frumpy thing that you’re carrying around.

I saw the paper flyers. I thought those are really cool. They’re really artsy so you could display it at your house.

The crayon rings too. It’s cool but you could also play with it with your kids at the restaurant with the paper placemats. I thought that’d be really neat.

The new dresses are also great because they’re unique. They appeal to the type of mom I am. It would help you keep your unique individual style, but at the same time still be comfortable.

Could you explain what type of mom you were referring to?
Well, I consider myself to be an artsy, liberal, unique, slightly bohemian. I’m not the type that’s like into mainstream stuff.

Awesome!

Angelica remind you of your mom? Shop poketo.com to find the perfect gift for Mother’s day.
More from Angelica Reedy at Post Mad Bills.

Different makes people take a second look… which is why we are loving our newly-launched line of upcycled leather goods. Each one of our passport cases, clutches, card cases, button wallets and pouches are all unique. Made from vintage sofa leather rescued from the waste stream, each soft and supple leather accessory gives new meaning to the words “sustainable” and “style.”

Every item in this collection is guaranteed one-of-a-kind and handmade by a South Korean non-profit design firm that specializes in re-purposing cast-off materials. We can’t even ship you the same exact one you see online because not every item is exactly the same. Jordan at Dwell gets it right on the nose, when she writes, “You get a little grab-bag thrill with every order.” That’s exactly how we feel each time we go pick one out to send you guys.

Check out our newest upcycled leather collection!

The Pocket Tote has a Ripstop nylon body and handles, and is lightweight and durable. Ripstop is the same tough stuff that sails, parachutes, and hot air balloons are made of.

When you’re done, you can fold it into itself.

There are two colorways: Forest and Sky!

The series includes three styles:

The Recycled Street Banner Bag

The Bubble Bag

The Recycled Suit Tote

* * *

A lot of love and hard work is put into every bag, and we wanted to show you first hand how these bags are made in Korea.

STEP 1: Gather the material. Street banners are found everywhere in Seoul, from buildings to streets. Instead of trashing the nylon material, volunteers gather the street banners from all over Seoul.

STEP 2: After gathering the discarded materials, they organize them and clean them.

STEP 3: The street banners are taken to the workshop to be cut and sewn into bags by designers.

Check out the full line here!