2024 Resolution: Shopping my own Bag and SLG Collection

[Sparkletastic]

December Activities and Challenges - pick and choose as you please.

I. 2024 Year In Review Reflection
(Thanks @Vintage Leather)

Utilize these thought starters to evaluate your collection, your usage patterns and your lessons learned in 2024.
• What is your most useful purse?
• What is your best purchase of the year?
• We’ve all had a lot of lifestyle changes this year - how has it affected your style?
• What is the one thing we’ve learned this year that you want to take into the next?

II. Setting 2025 Goals
Take this month to consider what you want to do with your handbag collection, wardrobe or even your beautiful life in 2025. Share these thoughts in January when we start the 2026 Shopping Your Closet thread.

III. End of year optional challenges

• Holiday colors: December has many holidays celebrated across the world - red & green, brown & gold, blue & white and more! Pick the holiday that you want to honor and wear / show off your bags in those traditional colors.

• End with a bang: As we come to the last part of the year, wear the last bag you’ve purchased at least 3 times this month.

@Vlad please pin this to the top of our thread.

 

[More bags]

November Update: Intentions, Challenges, and Stats

• Bag Rotation: carried 18
• Most frequently carried: Ateliers Auguste Mini Monceau and Hermes Evelyne
• Exited items: 27 - clothing, shoes, household items

November 2024 Stats
Bags - 0 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

YTD 2024 Stats
Bags - 3 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

 

[More bags]

Just enjoying reading about everyone’s experiences, and hope for a peaceful, healthful, and joyous end of the year for all of us We had 17 for thanksgiving. I make a big meal and this year, I packed tupperwares filled with leftovers prior to the start, so they would be fresher. I worry about food safety with stuff sitting out on a buffet. Didn’t shop this weekend (except for a few mini muffin tins. And, planned a couple of purchases today as gifts. So far so good in terms of mindful shopping and food consumption.

@DME, brisket for thanksgiving sounds tempting. I ordered a small smoked turkey and ham; my mom’s housekeeper made fish and lamb. My friends’ favorite dish are probably mini caramelized onion tartlets and crisp cheddar cheese baked biscuits. My favorite dish is Mac and cheese made by a friend. DHs favorite is my stuffing : three kinds of homemade bread (duck fat cornbread; sourdough focaccia; and American dinner rolls, dried out, in a bit of homemade brown, mixed poultry stock, sautéed vegetables and herbs, and egg and baked. Another friend brought pies which we served with homemade ice creams. And I made a corn pudding, recipe from a TPF friend. Second pic is a splurge: homemade duck fat sourdough waffle triangles with osetra.

im also wearing more of my older bags (28 and 32 Kelly sellier and a black barenia b30 — all covid era resale deals at about a third or a quarter of retail price, refurbished and restored by @docride — with cold weather coats and pants). And vintage from my own closet scarves and jackets ( 20 year old or so mixed with current). Plus uk doc martens. All good, and so long as I’m using what I already own, I’m happy. The boucle jacket in the last pic is from 2004

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What an amazing feast - it looks delicious.
Great outfits as always!

 

[dcooney4]

I’m recovering from my last planned surgery which was at the crack ‘o dawn this morning. I had so much anxiety - not because of the risk it presented which was minor - but from just having to be put under yet again. I’ve developed a phobia of sorts. When I came out of anesthesia, I was in joyful tears to be done!

In two weeks, I can finally get back to exercising to regain my fitness level. I know my barrage of bag buying this year was in part self soothing but at least I can review my purchases knowing I got exactly what my collection needed vs a series of unfocused impulse buys.

This is my bday month (Sparkly Sagittarius here!) and Mr. Sparkle is giving me my mystery bday bag this week as a mood lifter following the surgery!!! DD (his usual purse plot accomplice) knows what he purchased and refuses to give me so much as a hint but said she’d be happy to borrow it! Curiosity is killing this kitty so I can’t wait to see!

Happy Birthday! So glad your last surgery is over and done with. I am curious which bag he bought you too.

 

[dcooney4]

Just enjoying reading about everyone’s experiences, and hope for a peaceful, healthful, and joyous end of the year for all of us We had 17 for thanksgiving. I make a big meal and this year, I packed tupperwares filled with leftovers prior to the start, so they would be fresher. I worry about food safety with stuff sitting out on a buffet. Didn’t shop this weekend (except for a few mini muffin tins. And, planned a couple of purchases today as gifts. So far so good in terms of mindful shopping and food consumption.

@DME, brisket for thanksgiving sounds tempting. I ordered a small smoked turkey and ham; my mom’s housekeeper made fish and lamb. My friends’ favorite dish are probably mini caramelized onion tartlets and crisp cheddar cheese baked biscuits. My favorite dish is Mac and cheese made by a friend. DHs favorite is my stuffing : three kinds of homemade bread (duck fat cornbread; sourdough focaccia; and American dinner rolls, dried out, in a bit of homemade brown, mixed poultry stock, sautéed vegetables and herbs, and egg and baked. Another friend brought pies which we served with homemade ice creams. And I made a corn pudding, recipe from a TPF friend. Second pic is a splurge: homemade duck fat sourdough waffle triangles with osetra.

im also wearing more of my older bags (28 and 32 Kelly sellier and a black barenia b30 — all covid era resale deals at about a third or a quarter of retail price, refurbished and restored by @docride — with cold weather coats and pants). And vintage from my own closet scarves and jackets ( 20 year old or so mixed with current). Plus uk doc martens. All good, and so long as I’m using what I already own, I’m happy. The boucle jacket in the last pic is from 2004

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Everything looks yummy! Love the outfits too!

 

[dcooney4]

I have been waiting for a bag to be released but when it never happened, I ordered a nubuck bag from Aspinal of London. I hope I love it. I usually try to see a bag I want in person but it is not possible. I have been eyeing this style for two years.

 

[Sparkletastic]

I have been waiting for a bag to be released but when it never happened, I ordered a nubuck bag from Aspinal of London. I hope I love it. I usually try to see a bag I want in person but it is not possible. I have been eyeing this style for two years.

Nubuck is such a great material for a bag. What color did you get?

November Update: Intentions, Challenges, and Stats

• Bag Rotation: carried 18
• Most frequently carried: Ateliers Auguste Mini Monceau and Hermes Evelyne
• Exited items: 27 - clothing, shoes, household items

November 2024 Stats
Bags - 0 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

YTD 2024 Stats
Bags - 3 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

Great rotation!

 

[Sparkletastic]

Rakuten is such a sneaky enabler. They offered 15% cash back at both Saks and Neiman Marcus this weekend. AmEx Platinum has their biannual $50 off plus their personalized discount offers. Add in both stores having their own sales and I grabbed 3 pieces of yellow gold jewelry at great discounts - 2 pair of earrings and a necklace which actually checked off items on my “to buy” list - so I bought but didn’t go rogue. Lol! I have lots of white gold and have been in a mission to expand my casual yellow gold jewelry options.

The bracelet wasn’t on my list but it’s an inexpensive costume jewelry piece that I’ll have fun playing with.

It’s not good to be bored silly convalescing post surgery with working wifi. But at least I kept myself within established boundaries and stayed on handbag ban island. 🏝️

 

[880]

Everything looks yummy! Love the outfits too!

Thanks so much @dcooney4 ! The meal was a lot of fun

 

[dcooney4]

Nubuck is such a great material for a bag. What color did you get?


Great rotation!

Dark navy blue midi London tote.

 

[DME]

Just enjoying reading about everyone’s experiences, and hope for a peaceful, healthful, and joyous end of the year for all of us We had 17 for thanksgiving. I make a big meal and this year, I packed tupperwares filled with leftovers prior to the start, so they would be fresher. I worry about food safety with stuff sitting out on a buffet. Didn’t shop this weekend (except for a few mini muffin tins. And, planned a couple of purchases today as gifts. So far so good in terms of mindful shopping and food consumption.

@DME, brisket for thanksgiving sounds tempting. I ordered a small smoked turkey and ham; my mom’s housekeeper made fish and lamb. My friends’ favorite dish are probably mini caramelized onion tartlets and crisp cheddar cheese baked biscuits. My favorite dish is Mac and cheese made by a friend. DHs favorite is my stuffing : three kinds of homemade bread (duck fat cornbread; sourdough focaccia; and American dinner rolls, dried out, in a bit of homemade brown, mixed poultry stock, sautéed vegetables and herbs, and egg and baked. Another friend brought pies which we served with homemade ice creams. And I made a corn pudding, recipe from a TPF friend. Second pic is a splurge: homemade duck fat sourdough waffle triangles with osetra.

im also wearing more of my older bags (28 and 32 Kelly sellier and a black barenia b30 — all covid era resale deals at about a third or a quarter of retail price, refurbished and restored by @docride — with cold weather coats and pants). And vintage from my own closet scarves and jackets ( 20 year old or so mixed with current). Plus uk doc martens. All good, and so long as I’m using what I already own, I’m happy. The boucle jacket in the last pic is from 2004

View attachment 6097192View attachment 6097193View attachment 6097194View attachment 6097195View attachment 6097196View attachment 6097197View attachment 6097198View attachment 6097199View attachment 6097200View attachment 6097204View attachment 6097205View attachment 6097206

My mouth is watering just reading all of that! I used to do a big Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, but COVID kind of killed that. I’ve never been big into turkey, so finally convinced DH we should do something else. His family’s favorite dish is the BBQ brisket, the recipe for which my MIL got from a church cookbook; she passed along the details, but it took me years to perfect. I do miss my mom’s family stuffing recipe, but I’m the only one who likes stuffing, so… Too much work for just me!

Your outfits are amazing! Congrats for largely resisting Black Friday. One of these years I might get to say the same… Like you, I’ve been pulling out some older bags. It’s been fun to revisit them.

ETA: Photo of the brisket. I make ahead and freeze. Helps the sauce really incorporate into the meet.

 

[880]

Thanks @More bags and @DME

I love bbq brisket, but it’s always escaped me, so now I order franklins BBQ and keep a ‘safety brisket’ in the freezer.
If you have any hints for your recipe, I would love to hear it Or, see pics . My stuffing is basically just bread, duck fat, sautéed celery and onions and a bit of liquid. So if people eat bread, they’re okay with it. My crowd doesn’t like fancy stuffing

I was really happy not to do any Black Friday stuff this past weekend

 

[DME]

Thanks @More bags and @DME

I love bbq brisket, but it’s always escaped me, so now I order franklins BBQ and keep a ‘safety brisket’ in the freezer.
If you have any hints for your recipe, I would love to hear it Or, see pics . My stuffing is basically just bread, duck fat, sautéed celery and onions and a bit of liquid. So if people eat bread, they’re okay with it. My crowd doesn’t like fancy stuffing

I was really happy not to do any Black Friday stuff this past weekend

I edited to add a picture to my post above. Happy to DM you the recipe; just say the word! The two tricks for me were realizing I needed to add in some of the cooking liquid to thin the BBQ sauce (game changer) and preparing in advance, then freezing and defrosting before reheating to help the sauce really incorporate into the meat. Sam’s Club here has good brisket, so I always ask DH to get 10 lbs. (recipe calls for 5 lbs., so I double everything). It’s a fairly straightforward recipe, just takes time because the cook is low and slow. It will keep in the freezer for six to 12 months, so I freeze in smaller batches, then defrost and reheat, as needed. We usually have it with baked potatoes, corn and rolls, so it’s a protein and carb feast!

ETA: You had me at duck fat. Yum! My stuffing is also pretty simple. A celery, onion, salt/pepper, butter and chicken broth sauce, then bread and egg. My grandfather taught us to add canned clams, then roll into balls or cakes before cooking. Not necessarily for Thanksgiving, but an alternate use for the stuffing.

 

[880]

I edited to add a picture to my post above. Happy to DM you the recipe; just say the word! The two tricks for me were realizing I needed to add in some of the cooking liquid to thin the BBQ sauce (game changer) and preparing in advance, then freezing and defrosting before reheating to help the sauce really incorporate into the meat. Sam’s Club here has good brisket, so I always ask DH to get 10 lbs. (recipe calls for 5 lbs., so I double everything). It’s a fairly straightforward recipe, just takes time because the cook is low and slow. It will keep in the freezer for six to 12 months, so I freeze in smaller batches, then defrost and reheat, as needed. We usually have it with baked potatoes, corn and rolls, so it’s a protein and carb feast!

ETA: You had me at duck fat. Yum! My stuffing is also pretty simple. A celery, onion, salt/pepper, butter and chicken broth sauce, then bread and egg. My grandfather taught us to add canned clams, then roll into balls or cakes before cooking. Not necessarily for Thanksgiving, but an alternate use for the stuffing.

Yum! Would adore the brisket recipe please! your pic looks much more appetizing than turkey to me ( I’m a red meat eater lol)

 

[Sparkletastic]

Dark navy blue midi London tote.

Navy?!? I can’t wait to see your pics!!! I just peeped the page and that is such a great bag. I’d love to hear how you feel about weight and functionality.

I also saw this from the brand and love it. However, I can’t justify $2200 USD (on sale for goodness sakes!) for a novelty bag. Has every brand gone price cuckoo???? That being said, I need to keep this brand on my radar for its mainline bags that look high quality and well priced.

 

[Sparkletastic]

IT’S HERE!

I celebrate my bday the entire month of December (I mean, why not? ) but got to a slow start this year due to surgery. Now that I’m home from the hospital, Mr. Sparkle has started giving me some of the gifts he’s selected for me. The one he started with (because I’ve been bouncing like a 3 yo kid promised candy since he mentioned it) is my new handbag!

<Let me just remind you. Mr. S. is great at getting me bags I end up loving that I would NEVER choose to spend the money on. Mr. S, thy name is enabler!! He continued that approach with this bag.>

Jimmy Choo Pink Mix Satin Crystal Bon Bon!



(I’ll share two stock photos and just one IRL close up to show the crystals because I’m not up to staging a good pic yet. LOL!)

I think this bag is my spirit animal. I’m going to keep it on my dresser as motivation to do the work to get back to my fully healthy, sparkly, bubbly self!

I can’t wait to be able to wear her!!! Hmmmm, now I need new shoes, right?