Amanda Powell loves creating custom, one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork for her customers—but in this case she isn’t referring to the tattoos she creates at Lost Art. Miss Amanda’s Art and Such is Powell’s line of purses, wallets, jewelry and small paintings carefully handmade and customized by Powell herself. Her jewelry is made of hand-tooled metal, but incorporates softer, more feminine materials such as ribbons, beads and feathers. Her handbags and wallets are a colorful collection of vintage pieces customized with tattoo-inspired acrylic paintings.

Although there are obvious differences between creating a hand-painted handbag and a tattoo, these two aspects of Powell’s art “evolved together.” While still apprenticing at a tattoo shop, Powell began painting on vintage thrift store finds. “I started putting [tattoo ideas] on the purses because I thought it was a fun way to wear art … It’s classic design––classic imagery that people can relate to,” she says. Powell’s designs feature anything from beautiful gypsy women, peacock feathers and cute, fat little birds to traditional rose or skull motifs. Just as the shape of the human body directs her for a tattoo drawing, the size and shape of a vintage bag can inspire and direct

her design, “A lot of the setup process is very similar,” she says.

Powell’s line of unique earrings also provides an alternative for those of us with stretched ears who believed that “dainty dangle earrings” were no longer an option. Powell’s collection features long, feminine hanging earrings that work perfectly slipped through an eyelet or tunnel as well as similar styles for regular piercings.

Powell says that the great thing about her crafting and her tattooing is that “you’re collecting artwork, but instead of hanging on your walls in a room in your house, it’s on your person, so you have it with you all the time.” Her work can be playful, intricately beautiful, or simply badass, but it’s always one of a kind. The nature of her craft means that no design can be duplicated, and no matter what you choose, you’ll walk away with a unique, artful accessory.

Stop by Powell’s table at Craft Lake City on August 13, peruse her new Etsy store at missamanda63.etsy.com, head into SLCitizen or glance around her artist profile at lostarttattoo.com to support this talented local artist.