knit bag with bamboo handles Funky

Then instead of fraying metallic fabric for yarn I’m going to use some recycled sari yarn that I was originally going to used for a scarf.

A new bag for about $25! ($20 yarn + $5 handles)

We’re planning a wedding…so I’m under strict instructions to keep my spending under control. So since I really want a new bag I’m going to make one instead. I discovered this great tinsel pattern over at knitty.com.

My first step is going to be checking out some local craft stores here in Houston to look for some nice bamboo handles.

Old Navy piped tote Update

Also, don’t miss the Black and White Floral Purse, also marked as out of stock on the Web site but tons in the stores. The opening is too small for me (I need quick access to my contents) but I love the simple flower print.

Old Navy has taken the Piped tote (mentioned in Ask the Bag Lady below) off their Web site, but I am still seeing them in the stores. The nylon looks sturdy and in navy blue I think it looks a little nautical as well. The white piping just adds to the cute retro look. Perfect for the rain!

Hook Bag

More accesories for your bag:
Clear Vinyl Handbag File
Protect your bags from dust and damage as you store them in your closet.
Clear Zippered Cubes
Dump all the stuff thats been rattling around the bottom of your bag into one of the cubes, and you’ll never be fumbling around again.

So let’s say you’ve finally found that perfect bag. You researched, shopped, trial run and experimented and it lead you to the bag of your dreams that holds all your bulky stuff and on top of that looks great dangling from your arm.

What do you do with that bag the first time you go to your local sit down restaurant and realize (with HOROR) that you’ll need to rest your beautiful bag on the dirty, dirty floor?

What you do is get yourself one of these handbag hooks and your precious bag will dangle prettily in the air as you grab lunch.

Or not My next bag?

There’s a number of other cute bags at Anthroplogie but my local store doesn’t have them and I’m afraid to order with out seeing the bag in person.

Moving on…

Well my local Anthroplogie didn’t have the green version, just the red. When I first saw it i was disappointed. The red leather looked too fake and shiny. Plus the leather under the large coinpurse was crackling and buckling. Not a good sign. So I left the store without a new bag.

I spotted this green coin purse bag on the Anthropologie site and was instantly smitten. The bag looked big and sturdy and the coin purses made it unique. I was planning on getting a new bag for the spring and this looked like The One. Of course I ran down to the local store to see the bag in person.

Baby Bag Oi Oi

Babies come with great accessories!

Why am I so obsessed with baby bags? I guess because many are both lovely and functional. The Poppy Print Messenger from Oi Oi is an example of this. Love the red & orange poppies against the pale blue background.

two Strike

Keep an eye out for the next round of KC bags, etc. Sounds like there is some good stuff on the way:

“…a series of snakeskin boxy bags and slouchy totes in alternating bright and battered hues…”

So I checked out the bag at the local KC store and didn’t make the purchase. The bag wasn’t as wide as I pictured, and I could see I would have trouble fitting all my stuff into the bag neatly. The leather was shinier then it looked on the site and the lovely muted eggplant was much brighter in person. More of a reddish-purple then muted eggplant. Always a good idea to see a bag in person instead of just ordering off the web.

But as luck would have it KC is doing a drive for clothes for the homeless until 2/15. So I dropped off a few old clothes, and now have 20% off coupon to use until mid-Feb. Check it out if you have a local store.

…another miss in my quest to find my new carry all bag.

I spied In A Snap II over at the KC Web site and thought it would be perfect. I liked the metal grommets and the tote bag feel, but the best part was the beautiful eggplant muted purple which would make the bag stand out from anything else in my closet. Plus as a Bostonian I tend to wear black all the time and an eggplant purple would be perfect to go along with my head to toe black.

Cinda Bag The

Also, don’t miss the Navy blue tote and handbag with white piping if you are looking for something a little different. Or if you’d rather be able to pay your rent this month save some bucks and grab the Old Navy version before it is gone from the sale racks.

What I really like about this bag it the shape. It is a little slouchy to give it a hobo feel, but it still has a lot of structure to it to look very put together. The details on this bag are key with the dangling brown leather pulls and the braided handle.

Back to the bag, I generally tend to avoid brown bags or shoes (mainly because of the always wearing black thing) but I think this rich shade of brown could change my mind. The same bag in the check with brown accents is also very nice, especially if you want everyone to know you are carrying a Burberry.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Burberry ever since I moved to Boston 5 years ago and noticed that 5 out of every 7 people I walked by on the street was wearing a certain checked scarf. I was so naive–I thought the Gap or some big chain must be having a sale and thats why everyone was wearing them! Eventually I discovered the truth and started peeking in the windows of the Burberry store on Newbury Street. Sometimes I would even go in, just to touch all the pretty plaid bags and scarfs. A few years later Stan got me a lovely scarf for out first Valentine’s Day, and I was hooked. Last Christmas I bought myself a pair of Rain boots that I use to splash through puddles.

I also wanted to jump on the bandwagon and start heaping praise on the new Cinda Bag from the Burberry Prorsum collection.

this bag Just try to forget

UPDATE: here is a much less pricey alternative from our friends at Old Navy. Too bad it doesn’t come in green, but it still might be worth it.

The magazine says it is available at NeimanMarcus or Bergdorf Goodman, but I can’t find it at either site. Certainly would be a perfect spring bag for a recent lottery winner, combining two big trends floral prints and the color green.

Here is an interesting bag I spotted in the February issue of Organic Style (Thanks Lis!) It is called Forget Me Not and it is a hand stitched wool and silk bag listed at $1,750.

Bags

Bag posts, bag reviews, bag shopping, other blog posts about bags…anything bag related.

So there you have it.

There I said it. The amount of time I spend on a daily basis thinking/planning/researching pocketbooks/bags/purses (whatever!) would probably shock and frighten the average person. So instead of letting my obsession bubble quiety in my head, why not splash it all over the internet for all to see?

Do what you love.” That’s the advice you hear from guidance counselors/HR departments everywhere as a convient answer for job seekers/high school kids. But recently I used that advice as a suggestion to myself about a new blog. Turns out:

Bag Lady Keri Smith

MUST make me smile  when I use it. I know I have bought the right bag when as I am falling asleep at night I think of the cool new bag I am using tomorrow and it makes me excited about the coming day!
…
also see Christine’s bag of tricks!

MUST be sturdy. i love seeing cute little handmade bags, but mine needs to be tough as nails. I need to be able to put up with a daily beating like being bumped around the subway, tossed into a drawer at work, opened over and over again.

MUST provide me with security, ie I don’t want to worry about losing anything. so while everything in the bag must be easy to reach, I still want to be able to quickly zip it secured away.

MUST make my day easier. for example, no complicated buckles or zippers or anything that makes it take more then one hand for me to read THE ESSENTIALS: my t-pass, chapstick and cell phone.

MUST be able to hold my canon g3. no small task since this is a pretty bulky camera.

I just love creative or unusual bags and i also love Keri Smith’s lovely drawings. Plus it was nice to read someone else admitting to the world they were obsessed with bags. See it isn’t just me–hooray! I also love to have that little “portable comfort zone (littleworld)” that Keri describes, but I also need the bag to make my day easier, not more complicated and i need the bag to make me smile whenever i pick it up.

so what qualities does a bag have to have before I would consider it?

Here’s the bag lady post by Keri Smith that originally got me seriously thinking about a bag blog.