Whenever we leave the house we have the opportunity to take a little part of it with us in our handbags… Mine is alternatively a mess and a little piece of re-assuring heaven and it is only a regular culling that allows to be the latter more often than the former…
Whats in yours? Does it represent who you are? Is it old, battered or a bit too shabby to be chic? Or is it an ode to practicality, where form lags so far behind function, it’s almost gone out of the window?
We women carry too much. Too many memories. Too much emotion. Too much junk. We let the daftest things weigh us down, stuff our bags and purses with all manner of nonsense and live in fear of our lives literally being stolen from upon our tired old shoulders…
The same rules that apply to puttering around our home apply to puttering in miniature in our handbags: first we have to choose a bag that speaks to our souls. Second we must understand that beauty can only exist where there is cleanliness and order. Third we must choose items that represent who we are and what we need, to live inside and fourthly we should where possible, make it as pretty as possible…
Brocante-ing Your Bag…
1. Tip it out and throw away anything obviously junkworthy.
2. Wipe out the inside and then take a good look at it. Is it past it’s sell by date? Kind of ugly. Too old? Too new? Too heavy? Do you need a new bag? Go ebay something beautiful!!
3. Do you carry make up around? Is it manky? Do you use all of it on a daily basis? Really? I don’t mean in a life or death, gotta see the teacher kind of way, but in a "need a touch up" kind of way. If not, cull it to the essentials, find a tiny vintage little purse and pop it inside. Keep an eye out for those cute little vintage lipstick holders with the mirrors on the side…
4.Do you think it would be sad if we colour coded the contents of our handbags? No, me neither. How’s about raspberry and tobacco? Or coffee and cream? Everything pink? Yes please…
5. Now I don’t know about you, but I need a notebook. Something tiny and pretty and pleasing. Not a reporters notepad please. Something fancy, wrapped in a ribbon to which you’ve attached a pen. Create a tiny little scappy page or seven, that represents your home: stick in fabric samples, paint colours, little reprentative images…
6. Brocante your mobile phone: Use it to store all essential info, so you don’t need an address book in your bag. My friend Clare keeps a photo of her back garden on hers, so she can instantly transport herself back to her favorite place in the world…
7. Survival in an ugly world is guaranteed if we carry around a few little lifesavers: a couple of herbal teabags, some violet pastilles, bach remedies, a vial of lavender oil etc, etc. Think gentille and ladylike…
7. It goes without saying that a few vintage handkerchiefs are essential…
8. Wrap a few photographs in ribbon and pop into a ziplock bag, or take the glass out of a teeny little diamante frame and carry your sweetheart around in style…
9. Old fashioned compact mirrors are ubiqtuos at antique fairs and add a tiny bit of glitz to your life everytime you look inside…
10. Pinning vintage paste brooches to your bag is oh so chic, but if it isn’t possible, pin a little collection to the lining inside and smile at the glamour of it every time you open your bag…
11. Tie your house keys inside your bag with a plait of ribbon or braid. Use a tiny little fake flower as a keyring adornment, or keep an eye our for tiny bracelet charms and start a keyring charm…
12. Throw in a knot of your favorite fabric to which a few drops of your signature scent have been added, and blast a little spray of scent into your bag, everytime you spray yourself…
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
* Go through your magazine collection and pull out every July/August issue you own, then sit down to gather seasonal inspiration. *Line vintage tins with greaseproof paper and use them as mouth-wateringly happy lunch-boxes. *Allocate a "show-off" shelf for your kids artwork,…
"Living artfully might require taking the time to buy things with soul for the home. Good linens, a special rug, or a simple teapot can be a source of enrichment not only in our life, but also in the lives of our…
Consider me a camel today. Bear in mind that my back is broken and the straw that broke it was about the size of a very old fashioned tv. The sky is black this morning. That spooky rainy kinda black the sun…
Todays page in Simple Abundance urges us to re-discover poetry, both so that we should experience our own view of the world through someone else’s eyes and so that we can for a moment taste emotions we may have forgotton through an…
Here begins a new series on BrocanteHome: the occasional, unedited spilling of my morning mind on to the screen. Approximately seven hundred and fifty words  of stream of consciousness, transparent writing inspired by Julia Cameron. So you can dig a little deeper…
Oh Kristy thank you, thank you, thank you. I love my scrumptiously pretty tin. It’s the perfect size for the dolly pegs in my little laundry room. You are an angel. I’m sorry I’ve been such a rubbish friend lately. Hope you…
6 Comments
This one of those things I have to work on otherwise, my handbag becomes dreadful! I have a Cath Kidston coin purse where I keep my lipstick,a small compact a few mints and change. Just by adding this change purse I feel more organized. Now if I could order the coin purse in every colour! Alison, I am off to clean out my handbags. Joanna
This one of those things I have to work on otherwise, my handbag becomes dreadful! I have a Cath Kidston coin purse where I keep my lipstick,a small compact a few mints and change. Just by adding this change purse I feel more organized. Now if I could order the coin purse in every colour! Alison, I am off to clean out my handbags. Joanna
Oh Alison, I just love your ideas! How fun! I'm going to go start "prettying up" my bag right now! (And keep on the lookout for a nice vintage bag as well!) -Susana
Oh Alison, I just love your ideas! How fun! I'm going to go start "prettying up" my bag right now! (And keep on the lookout for a nice vintage bag as well!) -Susana
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This one of those things I have to work on otherwise, my handbag becomes dreadful! I have a Cath Kidston coin purse where I keep my lipstick,a small compact a few mints and change. Just by adding this change purse I feel more organized. Now if I could order the coin purse in every colour!
Alison, I am off to clean out my handbags.
Joanna
This one of those things I have to work on otherwise, my handbag becomes dreadful! I have a Cath Kidston coin purse where I keep my lipstick,a small compact a few mints and change. Just by adding this change purse I feel more organized. Now if I could order the coin purse in every colour!
Alison, I am off to clean out my handbags.
Joanna
thankyou Alison! I need you right this very minute to come and brocante – me!
you have style, girl!
thankyou Alison! I need you right this very minute to come and brocante – me!
you have style, girl!
Oh Alison, I just love your ideas! How fun! I'm going to go start "prettying up" my bag right now! (And keep on the lookout for a nice vintage bag as well!) -Susana
Oh Alison, I just love your ideas! How fun! I'm going to go start "prettying up" my bag right now! (And keep on the lookout for a nice vintage bag as well!) -Susana