Want an example of perfect timing?  I was contacted by Leilani Pierson, the beauty and the brains behind RokRok Chalkbags, just a few days before our climbing trip to Tennessee.  She asked if I’d be willing to choose any bag I wanted from her collection of gorgeous, handmade chalkbags, to review here on the site.  Begrudgingly, I said yes.  Just kidding.  Of course I jumped at the chance, especially once I saw how amazing and unique each bag was – I had a really hard time deciding on just one, so I listed a couple of favorites for Leilani to let her choose.  You can imagine my delight when I opened up the package in the mailbox (literally hours before we left), and found not one but TWO beautiful bags staring back at me, one for me and one for Cragbaby, just waiting to be thrown in a pack and carted up the cliff.  

My bag was a dainty, flowery little number that is hand-crocheted in a beautiful maroon color.  It has a large purple flower with a yellow center on the back of it, and the interior is a soft and cushy gray fleece.  It is a little bit smaller than other chalkbags that I have had, but it didn’t really matter for my little girly hands.  However, if I were a guy with big, strapping man hands, I probably would find it too small – but if I had big, strapping man hands I probably wouldn’t be interested in a pink chalkbag with a purple flower on it…One of the first things I noticed was that there was no built-in holder for a brush, which I thought might pose a problem while I was working projects.  However, I quickly discovered that a brush could fit through the crochet-holes of the bag – not only was it just as easy to get the brush in and out, but I found that it actually worked out better because I could attach it anywhere on the bag that I wanted to.

Cragbaby’s bag was an adorable blue monkey friend, made out of various materials.  His bag was actually bigger than mine, so although the fun design makes it a logical choice for children, it could easily be used by an adult as well (even ones with big, strapping man hands).  Cragbaby was pretty excited about his new bag, and spent a good bit of the first couple of days of our trip showing everyone his “muh-kee chock ba.”  His favorite part was the little arms and legs (and tail) that flail around with every movement.  At first I figured that although cute as can be, it would be annoying to climb with all of those extra pieces flapping around, but again, Leilani was one step ahead of me.  The appendages are long enough to be tied together, so when your kiddo is ready to get down to business, its easy to secure them tight against the bag.  

Cragbaby’s bag in a motley crew of other RokRok chalkbags!

 Leilani’s bags are all unique, hand-made pieces of art that also happen to function really well as a chalkbag!  Most of her bags range in price from $30-$40 – and as someone who used to sell hand-made patchwork clothing in a former life, I can tell you that this is a fantastic price considering all the hard work and TLC she puts into each bag!  And Leilani does custom orders to! So whether you’ve got an idea swimming around in your head that you’d like to see come to life, or whether you’ve fallen in love with one of her gorgeous premade bags, please check our her etsy store.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to tell her Cragmama sent you!