2023 Resolution: Shopping my Own Bags and SLG Collection

[Vintage Leather]

A long standing tradition in this thread is to remind ourselves of how wonderful our own collections are by showcasing them. We can see how far we have come, collection wise, and we reminded that we have all (or most of) what we need making it easier to shop our own closets.



• New theme weeks start each Sunday

• Don’t jump ahead but, if you miss a week, please do show your bags “late”.

• Show bags individually or in a group

• You do NOT have to wear the bags that week

• For added fun, show old pictures from previous years to demonstrate how you have curated it over time.

• This is completely voluntary. There is no pressure to post at any time.





So what are the showcases? In the Fall, we group our bags by makers! Feel free to show bags, small leather goods, or however it is easiest to organize!

August 13 - Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta

August 20 - Burberry, Celine

August 27 - Coach, Chanel

September 3 - Chloe, Dior

September 10 - Dooney & Bourke, Fendi

September 17 - Ferragamo, Givenchy

September 24 - Goyard, Gucci

October 1 - Hermes, Kate Spade

October 8 - Loewe, Longchamp

October 15 - Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs

October 22 - Michael Kors, Miu Miu

October 29 - Mulberry, Prada

November 5 - Proenza Schouler, Rebecca Minkoff

November 12 - Saint Laurent, Tods

November 19 - Tory Burch, Valentino

November 26 - Bags by Jewelers: Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany Co, Van Cleef & Arpels. Alternatively, the pillboxes, compacts and other lovelies made by jewelers that fit in your bag.

December 3 - independent artisans and custom bags.

 

[jbags07]

Taking a moment to rant because I cannot believe it! I've got covid again!

I get it, I'm in the hospital weekly, I'm bound to pick up everything going, but for crying out loud! How many times am I going to deal with this? It's also annoying because the rest of the world has seemingly moved on from it but, here I am, curled up in the corner being pounded by this freaking virus over and over again.

Also, just really ashamed in general because, of course, I've infected my mum and have to try not to let the guilt drive me crazy.

I hope you are over the worst and feeling much better now

finally got around to taking pics for you...the suede booties have the studs on the bottom which I thought was cool and I loved the color of these light blue boots and managed to find a leather jacket that's a very close match. They have the smaller studs along the back in a very light gold (almost looks silver so can match with either). I think they were called love studs instead of rock studs.

Omg! I love love both. Just stunning! The studs on the bottom is such a cool and edgy look. And the blue boots must look amazing with the jacket that matches. Love all the bags you j8st posted too, especially that Bulgari

It's making the rounds here too, especially at school, but no panic about it anymore.

I had aching bones and bad headaches for a few days last week. I didn't test, it went away again. I don't go anywhere anyway. The guy sitting next to DS at school had it the week before....

So sorry you were sick too, but glad it didn’t linger

Had to share my humble version of the "shopping bag" charm made from scratch for my big imposter.

View attachment 5909330

Love this charm!

Had some time this weekend (finally!) to take the rest of the photos I promised (and one I didn’t, but thought would be fun to include).

@jblended, here’s the Laduree holiday charm. I tried for a mod shot, but couldn’t get one I liked, so I used my dresser instead.

View attachment 5909681

@jbags07, here are shots of my Rockstud bracelets. I thought about putting them all on my arm at one time, but didn’t like the white Rockstuds mingling with the metal ones, and didn’t love the metallic leathers mingling with the flat, so three photos. The purple leather one is my most recent, bought earlier this year at one of the Vegas boutiques.

View attachment 5909684View attachment 5909685View attachment 5909686

@dcooney4, these are the latest additions to our stuffed animal collection. The lion is mine (reminds me of the bear in my avatar, which I stole from DD many moons ago) and the lamb is DD’s (her favorite animal).

View attachment 5909687

These are just stunning they are all amazing, the white/free studs, the metallics, and all the colored bracelets — you have a fabulous collection! I think its a style that looks good doubled or tripled up too. Thank you for sharing, i loved seeing them

The first two and the blue one are a different brand called Oliveve. The blue is smaller but it is very unique. It works best when not over filled but it can easily hold everything I carry. It zips closed and has a removable long strap too.

I love all of your artisan bags, especially the Oliveve’s. Its not a well known brand but they have amazing pieces. I have one too and its such a great bag but haven’t carried it b/c — too many bags. Its been sitting on poshmark forever with no nibbles. Your pic may cause me to reconsider selling!

 

[880]

Thank you both so much. I'm just a bit grumpy because I'm ill. Hopefully this will be over before we know it and I'll stop being a sourpuss.

Thank you so much! It's oddly reassuring to hear that it's not just me. There's almost no talk about it anymore and I felt I was going mad when they swabbed me and told me it's positive. I'm taking every precaution I can (including masking all the time) but nobody else is, so it's frustrating that I'm the one who keeps catching every single strain.

Oh dear. Feel better soon. Thinking of you, and pls don’t feel guilty about your mother. Hugs

 

[dcooney4]

I hope you are over the worst and feeling much better now

Omg! I love love both. Just stunning! The studs on the bottom is such a cool and edgy look. And the blue boots must look amazing with the jacket that matches. Love all the bags you j8st posted too, especially that Bulgari

So sorry you were sick too, but glad it didn’t linger

Love this charm!

These are just stunning they are all amazing, the white/free studs, the metallics, and all the colored bracelets — you have a fabulous collection! I think its a style that looks good doubled or tripled up too. Thank you for sharing, i loved seeing them

I love all of your artisan bags, especially the Oliveve’s. Its not a well known brand but they have amazing pieces. I have one too and its such a great bag but haven’t carried it b/c — too many bags. Its been sitting on poshmark forever with no nibbles. Your pic may cause me to reconsider selling!

Which Oliveve do you have?

 

[jbags07]

Which Oliveve do you have?

I have the small Kiera tote in a blush/natural kind of color.

 

[dcooney4]

I have the small Kiera tote in a blush/natural kind of color.

Do the handles lengthen on it? Cute too!

 

[jbags07]

Do the handles lengthen on it? Cute too!

Thank u! Its a cute little bag. The handles can lengthen by adjusting those metal tabs….so you could make them long enuf for shoulder carry…

 

[Katinahat]

Dear all,

After a transformational 12 months I’m popping in to say Hi as I was suddenly thinking of you all. I hope you are all well and happy as the festive session approaches. I won’t go into details other than to say I was hugely unwell at the end of last year. A product of some awful past experiences that left me struggling with life. 12 months later so much has happened both with my parents and immediate family plus with my recovery and personal experiences. Im doing ok but now work part time to stay healthy and am in the process of reporting a lot of what happened a long time ago to various authorities.

Anyway, on bags, being unwell reduced my carrying. It probably also reduced my joy in my collection for a while. I haven’t bought anything for nearly a year. I love certain pieces but others sit doing nothing. My shopping has been more limited but centred around jewellery for my new multi lobe piercings - midlife crisis or making a statement about me. Diamonds are good for the soul right?

I’m now considering selling some of my collection. Things I’m less likely to carry because I have similar others I love more. Items my DDs won’t want as I’ll keep some for them. But it’s hard to part with things that were once so loved and tell a story. I will not sell any way than taking them to a specialist second hand shop (I have way too much going on to deal with anything else) so I’ll get very little back that I paid but perhaps enough to buy something I love more now.

I hope you are all well and any advice gratefully received. Should I part with my Bayswater that started my mulberry love for example or is it part of my history. Should I focus on rehoming the Coach bags I don’t carry now. Or do I just keep them all - so hard to decide.

Kat

 

[Bag peace]

@jblended, here’s the Laduree holiday charm. I tried for a mod shot, but couldn’t get one I liked, so I used my dresser instead.

Love the charm, bag, bracelets and snowman! Thanks so much for tagging me!

So, basically I got COVID from a dog and gave COVID to my parents via a dog........😑

Wow, what a story! Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone in this.
I hope everyone is feeling better now.

I hope you are over the worst and feeling much better now

Thank you! Not out of the woods yet but, slowly coming to.

Oh dear. Feel better soon. Thinking of you, and pls don’t feel guilty about your mother. Hugs

Thank you so much. We had 2 nights in the hospital because of difficulty breathing but we're back now and feeling better. Exhausted, but better.

Edit: I seem to have lost some of the quotes again.
@dcooney4 @Cookiefiend @jbags07 I love your independent artisans bags! Each one is gorgeous!

 

[Bag peace]

and am in the process of reporting a lot of what happened a long time ago to various authorities.

Dearest Kat! So good to see you back.
I'm so incredibly proud of you for reporting. It's incredibly difficult but absolutely the right thing to do. It may be the one thing that brings you peace, once and for all.
You've been so brave in sharing your experience on here and with your family. You deserve to be free of this burden and I hope with all my heart that this is one step closer to that freedom.
I'm so proud of you. You're a superwoman.
Be well and hopefully we'll see more of you around here in the new year.

Should I part with my Bayswater that started my mulberry love for example or is it part of my history. Should I focus on rehoming the Coach bags I don’t carry now. Or do I just keep them all - so hard to decide.

I believe you should. We often outgrow things that we thought would be forever. Life happens, circumstances change. If there are things you're not using and genuinely won't miss, let them go.
Your story isn't tied to the physical object. You'll always remember your first Mulbs, even if it's not sitting on the shelf. There are others that bring you joy now and you can focus on those. Life should be filled with the things that make you instantly smile.

I've had to let go of some of my bespoke creations- some wore out entirely, one I sold recently. I reminded myself that the memory of acquiring the bag from those artisans will always be with me. I had them, loved them, and released them. It's okay to do that and decluttering can give you room to breathe.

Put them away for a bit and, if you don't miss them, let them go and bring joy to others. If you do miss them, then you know you're not ready yet and can bring them back into your rotation and fall in love with them all over again. Win-win.

 

[Bag peace]

@DME Sorry this is long overdue. I couldn't get my pics to upload for the longest time!
Here's a selection of pics of my dear boy that I mentioned earlier. Pretty much every picture I have of him is with his beloved teddy.



This last pic is of him right after he had a long stay at the vet's last month while he battled pancreatitis. I'm so lucky my boy's a fighter and is still with me today.

Part of the reason I'm not planning to move again any time soon (apart from my selfish need to stay put for my doctors) is because of my fur balls. They're seniors now and can't handle the chaos of moving as well as they once did. So we're giving them as much peace, stability and comfort as we can. Hopefully we have a lot more time left to give them plenty of love.

Edit to resize pics

 

[dcooney4]

Dear all,

After a transformational 12 months I’m popping in to say Hi as I was suddenly thinking of you all. I hope you are all well and happy as the festive session approaches. I won’t go into details other than to say I was hugely unwell at the end of last year. A product of some awful past experiences that left me struggling with life. 12 months later so much has happened both with my parents and immediate family plus with my recovery and personal experiences. Im doing ok but now work part time to stay healthy and am in the process of reporting a lot of what happened a long time ago to various authorities.

Anyway, on bags, being unwell reduced my carrying. It probably also reduced my joy in my collection for a while. I haven’t bought anything for nearly a year. I love certain pieces but others sit doing nothing. My shopping has been more limited but centred around jewellery for my new multi lobe piercings - midlife crisis or making a statement about me. Diamonds are good for the soul right?

I’m now considering selling some of my collection. Things I’m less likely to carry because I have similar others I love more. Items my DDs won’t want as I’ll keep some for them. But it’s hard to part with things that were once so loved and tell a story. I will not sell any way than taking them to a specialist second hand shop (I have way too much going on to deal with anything else) so I’ll get very little back that I paid but perhaps enough to buy something I love more now.

I hope you are all well and any advice gratefully received. Should I part with my Bayswater that started my mulberry love for example or is it part of my history. Should I focus on rehoming the Coach bags I don’t carry now. Or do I just keep them all - so hard to decide.

Kat

I was just thinking about you yesterday. I was thinking of selling some of my Mulberry items that I am not using, and it made me think of you. Glad to hear you are dealing with the past. I hope to see you here more often. You were missed. I am having the same problem trying to decide if my small Bayswater and my Darley that has never been used should go. I am not going to rush it.

 

[dcooney4]

@DME Sorry this is long overdue. I couldn't get my pics to upload for the longest time!
Here's a selection of pics of my dear boy that I mentioned earlier. Pretty much every picture I have of him is with his beloved teddy.
View attachment 5912672
View attachment 5912665
View attachment 5912666
This last pic is of him right after he had a long stay at the vet's last month while he battled pancreatitis. I'm so lucky my boy's a fighter and is still with me today.

Part of the reason I'm not planning to move again any time soon (apart from my selfish need to stay put for my doctors) is because of my fur balls. They're seniors now and can't handle the chaos of moving as well as they once did. So we're giving them as much peace, stability and comfort as we can. Hopefully we have a lot more time left to give them plenty of love.

Edit to resize pics

He is so adorable.

 

[Bag peace]

He is so adorable.

Thank you! He loves that teddy and won't sleep without it. Melts my heart each time I see him cuddled with it.

 

[DME]

@DME Sorry this is long overdue. I couldn't get my pics to upload for the longest time!
Here's a selection of pics of my dear boy that I mentioned earlier. Pretty much every picture I have of him is with his beloved teddy.
View attachment 5912672
View attachment 5912665
View attachment 5912666
This last pic is of him right after he had a long stay at the vet's last month while he battled pancreatitis. I'm so lucky my boy's a fighter and is still with me today.

Part of the reason I'm not planning to move again any time soon (apart from my selfish need to stay put for my doctors) is because of my fur balls. They're seniors now and can't handle the chaos of moving as well as they once did. So we're giving them as much peace, stability and comfort as we can. Hopefully we have a lot more time left to give them plenty of love.

Edit to resize pics

OMG, he is so cute! And I love how he just cuddles up with his teddy. Adorable! Thank you so much for sharing these photos of your darling kitty!

 

[DME]

Dear all,

After a transformational 12 months I’m popping in to say Hi as I was suddenly thinking of you all. I hope you are all well and happy as the festive session approaches. I won’t go into details other than to say I was hugely unwell at the end of last year. A product of some awful past experiences that left me struggling with life. 12 months later so much has happened both with my parents and immediate family plus with my recovery and personal experiences. Im doing ok but now work part time to stay healthy and am in the process of reporting a lot of what happened a long time ago to various authorities.

Anyway, on bags, being unwell reduced my carrying. It probably also reduced my joy in my collection for a while. I haven’t bought anything for nearly a year. I love certain pieces but others sit doing nothing. My shopping has been more limited but centred around jewellery for my new multi lobe piercings - midlife crisis or making a statement about me. Diamonds are good for the soul right?

I’m now considering selling some of my collection. Things I’m less likely to carry because I have similar others I love more. Items my DDs won’t want as I’ll keep some for them. But it’s hard to part with things that were once so loved and tell a story. I will not sell any way than taking them to a specialist second hand shop (I have way too much going on to deal with anything else) so I’ll get very little back that I paid but perhaps enough to buy something I love more now.

I hope you are all well and any advice gratefully received. Should I part with my Bayswater that started my mulberry love for example or is it part of my history. Should I focus on rehoming the Coach bags I don’t carry now. Or do I just keep them all - so hard to decide.

Kat

So great to see you here! I’ve been wondering how you’re doing and appreciate the update. You are so brave and strong, and I admire all that you are doing to address things with the authorities. I wish you all the best and hope that you find peace.

On whether to keep, or sell, your bags, perhaps hang onto those you think you might miss, especially your beloved Mulberry, a little while longer? Given the year you’ve had, perhaps it’s too soon to make such a huge decision? Agree with @jblended that removing the bags on the potential cutting block from your wardrobe, but not out of your life, would be a great way to test the waters; you can always bring them back in if you decide you miss them. While I don’t think it’s been active recently, @diane278 started a thread some time ago where she talked about her closet for departing bags. It’s a good read, annd others chimed in about how they determined what to keep, or cull, from their collections. Maybe that will give you some inspiration?