If you, like me, don’t want to spend the money on a nice leather purse, especially for summer, follow my daughters’ advice to me: get a fabric bag. For the money you save, you can feel good about replacing it when you need to. Who knows? Perhaps it will even prove to be washable.
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And, tell me, have you ever used anything really crazy for a purse?
Another thing you can do, if you’re crafty….is buy a cheap fabric bag in a good shape and construction on sale, but looks UGLY (I mean butt ugly, as in you’d never pick it up for your worst enemy)…then buy some great fabric, and if you’re good with a needle and thread, sew the fabric in strips, or in any way you want, OVER the ugly fabric, and immediately you have a jazzed up great looking purse (from the outside). The construction of the purse is already done for you and it’s personalized and unique 🙂
Oh and my “craziest” purse, is a cigarette case.
No joke… it holds my cards, a single key, some public transportation tokens, looks sleek, snaps shut so it won’t open by accident, and fits in my pocket 🙂
The only thing is I need a tiny cellphone to fit into it 😛 And i’d be set
For my senior year in high school & my freshman year in college I used a canteen holder I found at the army/navy store. It had a great messenger style strap, a cute little pocket on the outside (I used it for change. I have *no* idea what they used it for out on the field), it was kind of furry on the inside (to keep a canteen cool?) and was a nice, soft, canvas-y army green.
I’ve always wanted to make a fabric purse…So many craft ideas, so little time!
I don’t normally think of myself as the functional style type, but when it comes to purses, I’m functional all the way. I didn’t even carry a purse for many years. After I started driving, I carried just my wallet. Then I accidentally forgot it in a dressing room in the mall once. OOPS! So I bought a purse. I pick one I like that goes with everything (black or my signature color) and use it until it falls apart. As plain looking as possible, and no (NO) purse transferring. I don’t even carry it unless I’m driving or think I’ll need something out of it. (This is also a good way to avoid spending money when you weren’t planning to ahead of time. 🙂
Oh well. One of my friends exclaimed one time, “What kind of girl are you?” when I appeared at church purseless. Maybe I’ll be more feminine in this department one of these days…
FB ~ you’re a genius! A cigarette case, that could work! Alternatively it could replace the wallet.
bonnie ~ my hero is totally into web-gear, he would love that. I’ll have to look into raiding his stash. But, like Katie, I am so not into purse changes!
Too bad there’s not an urban outfitters here (I suppose I should investigate their shipping prices).
Fabric bags can be so very cute, and cheap, too! 🙂 Also, if you want a leather bag, try looking at KMart and (if you’re really frugal) their clearance section. I know, I know, but sometimes they actually have leather bags, and I got a clearance leather bag once for around $5.
Making your own is the way to go. My most practical bag is one I made myself and I use it all the time. Unfortunately, it just isn’t lasting as well as a leather one would. After 6 months of regular use it’s starting to get a few rough patches. I might be able to patch them up though.
I’d be willing to change bags after 6 months, if it meant I had something functional and affordable AND if it meant I didn’t have to go shopping. 😉
I never rocked a canvas bag before.I’m really picky about non-leather bags.