2019 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?

[More bags]

Thans ElainePG and MoreBags!
I bought The Shaeffer at Flax in San Francisco in 1990/91. I haven’t shopped for fountain pens in a long time so don’t know if they still do this nib. I fell in love with the look of the nib and the silky smooth writing sealed the deal. It is definitely one of my favorites!

The So Dior is lambskin side and out. The fancy chain does make it quite heavy, which is its only drawback but it’s super silky smooshy, which is Dior lambskin. It has that interesting cannage “grommett” which adds another level of interest...like jewelry. There is a slip pocket on the outside in the middle behind the cannage band, which could be used to stash a phone or bus ticket, though I don’t use it. It is from 2011.. I was mad for Dior that year..here was the commercial that entranced me. You’ll see the So Dior in the last room aren’t all those bags divine! I think that was the heyday of modern day Dior (no clue what they’re doing to the brand now)






Thanks catsinthebag! I love pen and I love paper..so old fashioned, I know. I have got to start ysing all these pens Ive amassed cuz they do spark joy and what’s the point of having them if I don’t use them. So this is one of my themes for the year.

I love this commercial, too! Amazing eye candy and I saw your bag, thanks for the timing tip!
Your earlier pen and bag pic made me think about bringing out my pens, too. I love me some great stationery - paper, notebooks, pens ... all of it! @Miss_Dawn has a wonderful collection, too.

I did it!

#10 of 10 for the challenge. I wore my Ltd. Edition Black studded Diorama WOC to an alumni sorority event today. The attire was dressy black with tons of pearls so, she was a perfect accent! But, I swear by the Great Turtle that Th ese bags don’t hold a lot. Lol!! It makes me rethink my back o’ the head plan to get a pink Chanel WOC.

I don’t have the best photo of this bag from today View attachment 4323276 I actually repurposed the photo I sent to my main BFF as she wanted suggestions because she ACTUALLY MAY BUY A DECENT BAG!!! The one good bag she owns is one I bought for her (a Dooney & Bourke Alto). Her other bag is a beat up, pleather, zipper infested, lime green monstrosity that couldn’t have cost more than $25 new and saw it’s better days over a decade ago.

She feels about bags like I do about scarves or belts... or putty knives. LOL! She just does NOT get why anyone wants / cares / collects / etc. Having her in my life is a welcome reality check when I’m about to plunk down an ungodly sum of dollars on yet another bag.

BUT, I may have infected her with my mania at least a bit. She admitted an affection for Dior bags from all my ranting, sending photos and dragging her into the stores. And, she said she may want to look at a Lady Dior.

This is the equivalent of me deciding to go camping...

like for real...

in the woods...

with bears and trees...

and no hotel rooms...

or concierges...

just untamed ...nature.

LOL!!!!!

(I still have to do my red bag challenge. Eeeek! So few days left!)

Your commentary is very funny! Your LE Diorama WOC is gorgeous!

Your bag is gorgeous. I’ve been tempted so many times!!!!

OH MY GOSH!!! I love that commercial!

To me Dior’s recent high water mark was about 3-5 years before and after this time. Total swoon!!!! You could wear all those items and still look stunning. I mean my gawsh. That gold LD they show. I just can’t!!! I also loved the Rafe years. He did great things with the brand.

What are they doing now? Delivering product that isn’t fully true to the band ethos. I haven’t abandoned ship. The quality is still wonderful. I can still find feminine glam in some items. And it’s one of the only premier brands I will suck up the price and buy clothes and shoes as well as the bags. But much of it feels off to me. I can’t WAIT for a new head designer.

+1 fantastic Dior goodies in the video, sign.me.up

 

[Sparkletastic]

LOL putty knives!!

I swoon over this WOC! It’s totally unlike anything in my wardrobe but I aim to keep an open mind and this is definitely coming into my way of thinking.

It’s totally unlike anything in mine either.

I swore I would never get a WOC. But after getting this, I loved it so much I hinted enough that Mr S. bought me a second one (silver Fendi) a few weeks later.

And, it’s studded. I don’t usually go for that approach to style but it works so well to “ground” some of my more girly outfits. I’m madly in love with this bag.

 

[essiedub]

I love this commercial, too! Amazing eye candy and I saw your bag, thanks for the timing tip!
Your earlier pen and bag pic made me think about bringing out my pens, too. I love me some great stationery - paper, notebooks, pens ... all of it! @Miss_Dawn has a wonderful collection, too.

Your commentary is very funny! Your LE Diorama WOC is gorgeous!


+1 fantastic Dior goodies in the video, sign.me.up[/QUOTEy

I love this commercial, too! Amazing eye candy and I saw your bag, thanks for the timing tip!
Your earlier pen and bag pic made me think about bringing out my pens, too. I love me some great stationery - paper, notebooks, pens ... all of it! @Miss_Dawn has a wonderful collection, too.

Your commentary is very funny! Your LE Diorama WOC is gorgeous!


+1 fantastic Dior goodies in the video, sign.me.up

Yes yes, bring out the pens! What the heck, if you own it, you should put it to use. We love our bags and all the goodies inside! I also have an SLG problem..sigh

 

[essiedub]

Your bag is gorgeous. I’ve been tempted so many times!!!!

OH MY GOSH!!! I love that commercial!

To me Dior’s recent high water mark was about 3-5 years before and after this time. Total swoon!!!! You could wear all those items and still look stunning. I mean my gawsh. That gold LD they show. I just can’t!!! I also loved the Rafe years. He did great things with the brand.

What are they doing now? Delivering product that isn’t fully true to the band ethos. I haven’t abandoned ship. The quality is still wonderful. I can still find feminine glam in some items. And it’s one of the only premier brands I will suck up the price and buy clothes and shoes as well as the bags. But much of it feels off to me. I can’t WAIT for a new head designer.

Yeah those were the days...le sigh...now Raf is at Calvin Klein though I haven’t followed what’s happening there. Galliano had that fairy tale drama a la Karl L but he let his racist stripes show..anyhoo...
I am so NOT feeling the toile they're doing..does this speak Dior to anyone?!

 

[More bags]

Yes yes, bring out the pens! What the heck, if you own it, you should put it to use. We love our bags and all the goodies inside! I also have an SLG problem..sigh

High fiving you as a fellow SLG lover
I’ll bring out my pens, please rotate/show us your SLGs

 

[tealocean]

I wish I had an inherent ability to keep surfaces clean! It's something that I value and yet, unless I have an ironclad system/place for things, it's difficult to keep up with it. It's definitely been easier for me to succeed if I take it one drawer/corner/small area at a time. There are areas I consider 'no fly zones' where I avoid cluttering the surfaces. Now to expand on those. The mail glut is a big problem and we need to create a shredder and his/hers/house baskets station to get it under better control.

In the fall I got a start on clearing out our upstairs space to be a studio and second 'hang out/quiet reading' spot for us; the deal I made with myself was to realize progress, not do it all at once, so if I clear a pile it is actually resolved, not just moved for the sake of meeting some manufactured deadline. Even though I have been a little stalled out because of the holidays and some work tasks, when I go into that space the progress is real! Very inspiring and it just feels good to have things be more manageable. Turning down hand me down gifts is a huge challenge - I'm always a little afraid of offending the givers in our family since they are trying to be helpful. The other big challenge is avoiding the shiny object! urge to add to my bags and wardrobe, in particular. Really focused on right-sizing my collection.


I think it has taken me most of adulthood to figure this out! I am definitely a cleaner more than a tidier - a dirty house makes me crazy.


Your move story is familiar. We really purged and sorted and still had a giant pile left that I would have gladly just sent to the dump. Most of it was useless. We culled what we could for donations and tossed the rest.
It sounds like you have a fantastic start on nesting! Your projects sound gorgeous.

Your hang out/reading space sounds like a worthy goal! What a great reward to look forward to! I really like your slow and steady method. I'm hoping that doing things that way will keep things in check. As I keep going around doing little things, it won't get a chance to build back up more than what we need and use.

I had to really learn how to keep flat areas clear. For a while I put notes to myself on the counter. This was hilarious. Even now, if I put something on a counter for just a minute, others will follow suit. Instant "hot spot" (Flylady says). Thankfully DH was always on board. He did seem hesitant at first, but now he loves it. I didn't like moving everything to clean the counters so I asked if we could take everything off. Now I can just wipe things up right after every meal in a matter of seconds. The children were able to help sooner without needing to lift a heavy crock pot. For the mail, we write the date on the envelope of anything that needs action and stick it in a large plastic envelope. Then we sit down to empty it when we have time to dedicate to it. We have a shallow drawer for any catalogues, ads, or coupons we want to flip through later. I have to remember to get to it or empty it!

We still have a lot of stuff, and we will have a lot of it as long as the children are home. I love that they can have so much fun and creativity and loads of books. I want to make sure they can easily find and enjoy it all.

I'm pretty sure keeping things clean is more important than tidy. I prefer tidy as long as everything is reasonably clean. The bathrooms and kitchen get a quick wipe down every night, dishes are done, and everything gets a weekly cleaning. It's the things like scrubbing baseboards I'll delay on in favor of keeping things tidy though. Quicker cleaning is a huge motivation for me to have our spaces clearer. Have fun getting ready to enjoy your new quiet space! It sounds heavenly!

 

[tealocean]

I agree. Neat and clean are completely different things. If I had to pick one it would definitely be clean. Lol!
I wonder if some of the clutter issues is distraction. A busy brain may just put something down as it moves to another task. Plus I find it impossible to be near if I don’t have EASY and proper storage with an automatic routine to put things in their place. Whenever I first move into a house it’s chaos for a few months as I try to figure out the best place to put things. For example, if I don’t have a place to sort and put away mail right as I come in the door with it, it will land on the first flat surface I sorted and forgotten til I pass it again. So I have 3 upright document holders in my mud room coat closet - His, Hers, Bills. I pitch junk mail in the trash can by the door. Same with keys. I immediately install hooks in the laundry room / mud room of every house because that’s how we enter from the garage. Otherwise, I’d never now where my keys went. My mind is busy and I’d just drop them somewhere and wander off. lol!
I miss having an orange bag in my collection. This leather is so shmooshy pretty. I have to use my to do list or I’ll forget. That’s the only way I can keep from having things “out”.
Thanks!!
This is so super cool!
Yes!!! The drawer folding thing has given me life!!! LOL! I looooove that I can see everything!
I haven’t read her book yet either. All of the tips I use I’ve picked up on tPF. Lol!!
I think it’s 10,000 times harder to stay neat / organized / clutter free with kids. And, it’s not as simple as teaching them to put away their things (which is hard enough). It’s the sheer volume of stuff you need. A lot of my purging in past years was finally getting rid of paints, colored pencils, poster board, foam pieces etc that I had to keep on hand because there was always some project from grade school science projects to college cheer team pep rally signs - and I would have murdered everyone if I’d had to keep doing last minute, late night WalMart runs. LOL! So keeping “stock” was necessary. Now, no need for all the extra kid stuff. Neither of my kids are anywhere near marrying and having their own children but, I wonder what having grandchildren will do down the road. My kids still seem like babies to me. I cannot imagine having grandchildren.
YAY!!! On the closet!!! You will be in heaven!!

Dog beds. Lol! I think most of us have a “thing” we may be blind about. I will tend to know we need a thing and forget I purchased it. Then I purchase it again and again. Once I had something like 10 bottles of BBQ sauce in the pantry because I kept forgetting I bought it.

Moves are perfect for purging when you pack yourself. When we’ve had a corporation move us they pay for the movers to pack and unpack. So I tended to end up with everything at the new place. These last few moves were choice. So we packed and unpacked. OMG! When you have to wrap and pack an oddly shaped, fragile or leaky thing, you reeeeaaaallly start to wonder if you need the thing.

I like your set up for the mail. We have a nightly routine, and when we change it and then forget to do something, we realize how automatic it. It's kind of scary.

I look forward to being a grandma, but you're right …. what will we have for the grandchildren? It can all go in a closet somewhere or that's where it will begin! Uh oh!

 

[tealocean]

Decluttering and getting rid of things instantly makes me feel better! With moves, I’ve automatically done this but then we still end up having tons of stuff to move and I have no idea how we accumulate so much!! Years ago we lived in a duplex and moved into our first house. We decided not to pay movers and moved it all in a UHaul ourselves about 20 mins away to our new town, and we figured we’d be making just one trip in the truck. We ended up needing 4 SUV trips plus the UHaul trip, and we almost needed to take the huge UHaul back for a second trip. Stuff was just hiding in every nook and cranny. That was eye-opening. Moving may be a total PITA, but it also helps you to purge and clean as you’re doing it. We’ve moved about once a year for the past 8 years we’ve been together. First, it was individual moves before we lived in the same city and then it was moving together across town or between states.

Now that we have a decent sized house, I’m afraid of continuing to add and add more. As just one example, hubby has this weird thing about buying dog beds because he wants the dogs to be comfortable. We have accumulated (and gotten rid of) so many different metal frame and fabric dog beds. He thinks a fabric bed isn’t enough for the older dogs because of arthritis. He’s probably right but our bedroom does not look great because of dog beds piled on one corner of the floor. And they’re humongous to fit a Rottweiler!

Putting together the nursery, we needed to empty out that room and closet. We actually got rid of some massive furniture in our other guest bedroom to make room, like the huge dresser, three side tables, and ottoman, and took some other items to donate as well. It was a nice purge. Now we just have to furnish the nursery and finish the closet, and I can start arranging and decorating a little bit! I’m looking forward to that.

We also made a decision and we’re starting the master closet revamp early in February! We will combine our laundry room and current closet to make about 200 square feet of space total. My husband will tile the floors and paint the walls (and maybe put in a different light fixture) and we are having some open and closed cabinets put in to store bags, all of the clothes, shoes, etc. We will also eventually replace the IKEA dresser in the bedroom with a low dresser so that will be our final bit of clothes storage needed. Exciting! And that will also be done in time for “nesting.”

Enjoy all this and take advantage if you go into "nesting mode"! That sounds like fun getting ready for your sweet little one.

 

[tealocean]

talking you accumulating stuff and keep bringing the same thing again and again...
My DH went to empty the trash bin last night, we have a huge skip behind our house, and oops! he did it again!
i just came back from Vets, did the first round of necessary procedures, now we need to wash her, it's a female and we named her Snowflake

Aw!! She's so cute!

 

[tealocean]

I know what you mean about relocating being a trigger to purge and clean. We've done that every time we've moved, whether it was across town or across state lines! And each time we do it, we promise ourselves (and each other!) that THIS TIME we are NOT going to accumulate so much "stuff."

HAH!!!

I've finally learned not to wait for a relocation to keep on top of the "stuff"... for us, extraneous clutter (and I'm not talking about junk... I'm talking about clothes, books, unused kitchen tools, and so on) must be managed on a yearly basis. That's what spring cleaning is for, though I usually get in the mood to do it in January. The Hubster has learned this about me, and when he sees that telltale gleam in my eye, he knows it's time to go hide somewhere before he gets boxed up and taken to the thrift shop!

Fortunately, neither The Hubster nor I like to see visible clutter. So we're both good about putting things away, and our house always looks tidy. The down side of this is that clutter accumulates in drawers and closets. "Out of sight out of mind"... until January rolls around, and I start peeking inside cupboards!

Elaine, I am the same way with keeping clutter out of sight in the drawers and closets! We got our bedroom closets in order last summer, but now I'm working on the drawers.

 

[tealocean]

Ok. Now I’m waffling. Lol! Since I realized I can just dye the ivory bag, I’m thinking of other potential colors.

I was originally thinking pink. Something like this color.View attachment 4317748
But, I have three pink bags - a hot pink Dior, salmon pink Prada and today’s pale pink Fendi. In a collection of 26 bags - of which 7 are black, do I need a 4th pink?
Last year I wore my pink bags a total of 13 times. So, probably not.

I thought about green which is a color I want in my wardrobe. But, a big green Chanel flap seems a bit much. Plus, while I love the color green, I’m not sure how much I’ll wear a green bag.

The two other colors I very much want to add are bordeaux and navy. I don’t see this bag looking good in bordeaux. And, I have a red Chanel jumbo. So, nix the burgundy.

Where I think I’m going to land is a rich navy. I just asked if I can do this color. Even cooler if I can get a metallic sheen. View attachment 4317743
The only question on navy for me is around the interior which is a light caramel color. It makes a nice contrast with the ivory. View attachment 4317747 But, would it be too much contrast with the navy? Perhaps not since many black Chanel bags have red lining. And, all my Miss Diors have a leather lining in a contrasting color.

With the dying, I worry a teeny bit about someone thinking the bag is fake but, I can’t let that stop me from getting the right color for me.

I’m open into any and all thoughts. I think I’m going to post in the Chanel forum and see what people think.

I like the blue idea, but would choose a slightly more vibrant jewel toned blue (cobalt or sapphire) especially since you're going metallic. To me those would be more fun and still rich and elegant. But perhaps navy is more classic for Chanel?

 

[pdxhb]

It’s totally unlike anything in mine either.

I swore I would never get a WOC. But after getting this, I loved it so much I hinted enough that Mr S. bought me a second one (silver Fendi) a few weeks later.

And, it’s studded. I don’t usually go for that approach to style but it works so well to “ground” some of my more girly outfits. I’m madly in love with this bag.

OMG hilarious because I was literally thinking these things re: style - I "never" would use a WOC, and I don't go for studs. This one, though, those studs are just exactly right!

 

[pdxhb]

Your hang out/reading space sounds like a worthy goal! What a great reward to look forward to! I really like your slow and steady method. I'm hoping that doing things that way will keep things in check. As I keep going around doing little things, it won't get a chance to build back up more than what we need and use.

I had to really learn how to keep flat areas clear. For a while I put notes to myself on the counter. This was hilarious. Even now, if I put something on a counter for just a minute, others will follow suit. Instant "hot spot" (Flylady says). Thankfully DH was always on board. He did seem hesitant at first, but now he loves it. I didn't like moving everything to clean the counters so I asked if we could take everything off. Now I can just wipe things up right after every meal in a matter of seconds. The children were able to help sooner without needing to lift a heavy crock pot. For the mail, we write the date on the envelope of anything that needs action and stick it in a large plastic envelope. Then we sit down to empty it when we have time to dedicate to it. We have a shallow drawer for any catalogues, ads, or coupons we want to flip through later. I have to remember to get to it or empty it!

We still have a lot of stuff, and we will have a lot of it as long as the children are home. I love that they can have so much fun and creativity and loads of books. I want to make sure they can easily find and enjoy it all.

I'm pretty sure keeping things clean is more important than tidy. I prefer tidy as long as everything is reasonably clean. The bathrooms and kitchen get a quick wipe down every night, dishes are done, and everything gets a weekly cleaning. It's the things like scrubbing baseboards I'll delay on in favor of keeping things tidy though. Quicker cleaning is a huge motivation for me to have our spaces clearer. Have fun getting ready to enjoy your new quiet space! It sounds heavenly!

Thank you!!!
The instant hot spot phenomenon is SO true in our house. I have to absolutely designate the clear areas or they seem to become immediately covered. We are due for a clearing out of magazines, etc. which we do every quarter or so. I've been eyeing a couple storage ideas for our living room so that we can have them without creating any pile on a side table. Another batch of shredding is going to the secure bin tomorrow.
My progress this eve on the new space was rather ironically focused on cleaning my studio - a shared space with other metalsmiths - and then bringing home a category of tools to be used here. So I imported stuff! It's all with a purpose, however. I can see the next steps clearly which is what matters most; that way it's possible for me to get to work right away when I get the opportunity instead of being dazed at the scale of the endeavor and caught in planning mode. I make it sound like we're moving a mountain when really it is about undoing a way of living and creating a new one that does not include quite so much of the keeping-things-for-potential-use.

 

[tealocean]

I had forgotten this William Morris quotation, and I think it's right on target. I accounts for both artwork (beautiful) and the vacuum cleaner (useful).

I also remember a wonderful book from years ago by Alexander Stoddard: "Living A Beautiful Life." She made a great point that even the "useful" things could be beautiful. Like f'rinstance, if you use a colander when you cook, why can't it be a pretty RED colander? And why can't the soap dish in the bathroom be a graceful size and shape? It doesn't have to be expensive... just pleasing to the eye.

I love her books! Thank you for the reminder. I want to go reread!

 

[tealocean]

Thank you!!!
The instant hot spot phenomenon is SO true in our house. I have to absolutely designate the clear areas or they seem to become immediately covered. We are due for a clearing out of magazines, etc. which we do every quarter or so. I've been eyeing a couple storage ideas for our living room so that we can have them without creating any pile on a side table. Another batch of shredding is going to the secure bin tomorrow.
My progress this eve on the new space was rather ironically focused on cleaning my studio - a shared space with other metalsmiths - and then bringing home a category of tools to be used here. So I imported stuff! It's all with a purpose, however. I can see the next steps clearly which is what matters most; that way it's possible for me to get to work right away when I get the opportunity instead of being dazed at the scale of the endeavor and caught in planning mode. I make it sound like we're moving a mountain when really it is about undoing a way of living and creating a new one that does not include quite so much of the keeping-things-for-potential-use.

Now I'm curious! What do you create with metal?