FashBlog.com

by Christina VanGinkel

Whenever I initially think of a purse, my overstuffed, medium sized, hard to find anything in, black leather, over the shoulder bag pops into mind. What I am in search of though is the perfect little bag that I can toss a few dollars of cash in, my I.D., cell phone, and a lipstick, and not an evening bag per se, but one that would go the limit from afternoon to evening. My new interest in a purse to use for those times when I do not want or need my regular purse really got a push when I had coffee out with a few friends yesterday. As I struggled at the counter to pull out my wallet from beneath my checkbook, PDA, and an assortment of everything else that had landed in my purse the last few days, I realized everyone else in the group was simply slipping there money out of small, organized little bags. More often than ever, I had been noticing women with similar purses. Cute little or mid size bags that only held the most basic essentials, not half the kitchen counter and a child's dresser.

As our meeting was nothing more organized than a gabfest, as soon as we were seated, I asked everyone how they each managed to have such empty, organized purses. Each one responded the same way. These were their going out bags. Like an evening bag, they use them to toss in the essentials when they are going out somewhere quick without kids or household errands to run. A few women did admit to carrying them even to some of the more traditional places they would normally have reserved for their regular purses. They said they left their regular purse at home, or even in their car, and would immediately transfer sales receipts and such to that purse as soon as they could.

The key to finding the perfect one, they all told me, was to throw out your traditional shopping sense when in search of one. Storage options are secondary to looks. You can also make your own bag, via crochet, knit, sewed, macrame, even beaded. Handcrafted bags even seem to be more popular as they are a simple way to show off your crafting skills and end up with a useable item.

I am now intent on creating the perfect little purse for myself. I even have an idea on how to make one quickly and inexpensively. As I love to crochet, but do not think traditional yarns would hold up for this purpose, I am going to crochet one from variegated colored hemp cord, used traditionally for making necklaces and bracelets. The colors are subdued, and the hemp will hold its shape if I use a single crochet throughout the bag, maybe adding a row of a decorative stitch such as a shell every so often. With a simple cinch closing and crocheted strap, it will crochet up in an evening and be ready for my next coffee out with the girls. I can hardly wait to show them how they all inspired my stylish creativity!