their music for years. My darling husband, Raymond, gave to me for our anniversary gift a trip up to the Liberty Science Center, in Northern NJ, to see U23D. Amazed and blown away by the show is an understatement! Not only can these guys rock your world, but the whole beauty of it is that God's word is laced throughout their music and it is played so FREAKING LOUD!!! Amen brother, Amen. I have to say, I kept a count of Edge's guitar changes....he changed that mighty fine instrument 12 times, and only one was a repeat offender. His third guitar was a silver glitter guitar, and was my favorite of the evening. U23D was an entertainment production to experience like none other. It literally is the first of its kind, and I am so glad to have seen it. The only thing missing was "smellovision!" When Raymond and I left the show and we were walking through the parking lot, I said to him,"Ya know, I think Edge has to be the coolest person to ever walk the face of the earth." "What about Bono? I thought he was your 'Main Man'?" Raymond replied. "Well, yes, I love Bono. I love all that he does, what he stands for, his compassion for those who are forgotten, everything about him, BUT, Edeg is just so COOL! Do you know how many times he changed his guitar?" I said starry eyed. Anyhow, another element of the show that must not be overlooked is U2's focus on the ONE Campaign. Their desire to make aware the injustices of the African peoples, and bring a right
to all that is done wrong to them humbles me. I am an active member of the ONE Campaign and believe strongly in making sure Washington keeps their promises for the Millennium Development Goals. For this reason, I have decided to devote a handbag to the ONE Campaign, and will give 20% of all sales to ONE. I left U23D feeling convicted, and knew that I had to do something for the ONE Campaign. Just after our magnifying conversation about the show in the parking lot...well, that thing that God does to me happened again. God spoke to me in a vision. He showed me immediately the new bag I was going to create. He showed me the colors, the stitching, the fabric, Africa, everything! When this happens, it's like images in a file flying before my eyes at super high speed, and miraculously, I am able to read and understand all of it instantly. So with this, I present to you the ONE Bag. The scripture verse I have chosen to go with it comes from the book of Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." I can not think of a better command from scripture to go with this purse.
As I mentioned earlier, Edge's silver glitter guitar was my favorite in the show, and was the inspiration behind the silver confetti sequence on this handbag. The red stars on the shoulder strap, of which there are 4, are pulled from Bono's leather jacket he wore. The sleeve of his jacket revealed 4 red stars. The main material used on this bag is going to surprise you. I have had many women ask if it is leather. My response was,"Have you ever seen vinyl look so good?" Yes, it's vinyl (a high quality vinyl), and it looks AMAZING, if I do say so myself. (No animal slaughtered here.) The shiny red background is red patton. All of the metal used on the handbag is galvanized steel. Collar studs finish off the look on the shoulder strap, which wrap around 3" metal rings.
If you click on the photo, you can get a closer look at the fine detail stitching around the word ONE. This appears the same around Africa on the other side. Confetti sequence is behind the cut out. A selectively placed row of hole punches have been placed around the edge of the front and back, which is then trimmed out with a zipper for affect. Closer attention to the hole punches will find red patton in the background for a hint of color.
This particular bag shown here is a limited edition. I will probably only make 5 with the "I (heart) U2" on the inside panel, and the bull's eye opposite it. All others will be solid red, with the python print pockets. The writing is done in black fabric paint, black Sharpie, and a Pilot Silver Marker. For those of you who are not familiar with the Vertigo Tour, the bull's eye was part of U2's imagery. Slide pockets on the inside display my signature "cascade" of fabric with a mole skin that mimics that of black and white python. This handbag is just as sexy on the inside as it is on the outside. You will never find anything less in a Scarlet Clover handbag!
