From My Closet: It's in the Bag

I have a sick, sick obsession with handbags. I mean, it's not as bad as my sick, sick obsession with shoes, but it's up there. I have an entire set of cabinets in my laundry dedicated to my bags, which I dutifully hide from my husband. Because if and when he ever goes to that cabinet, I'm definitely going to be forced into a trip to Goodwill. I don't like that. I mean, I like charity... but I don't like parting with my stuff.

The funny thing is that I'm not one to switch bags according to outfits. I usually search out one bag per season and that's it. I will carry a clutch for events and I have a fancy schmancy designer bag that I'll take on the occassional date, but otherwise my bags are poor workhorses. I thought I'd show you my current bag and what I schlep around on a daily basis. Uncut and uncensored. OK FINE I took out the old receipts that have a tendency to collect in the bottom of my bag. But only because I don't want you to know how often I shop.



Alright, here's the dirty mess of my bag right now. Here's a rundown on what I carry and must have with me at all times or I develop tics.

The bag: Right now I'm carrying a dark blue Roxy bag. I initially bought it because it had only one strap and I hate double strap bags because one is always falling off your shoulder. I also loved the hardware. Now I'm kind of getting sick of the large black hole-ness of it. I'm in the market for a white bag. Any suggestions?

My wallet: I got it from PacSun I THINK. I went through a zipper phase last year and I loved it. Inside you'll find very little money, my green card (do you know that immigrants must carry their card at all times? I'm so ethnic) pictures of my fam and like a million punch cards for various businesses.

Tissues and wipes: Proof positive that I am a mother. An intolerant mother. There is nothing grosser than a dirty face on a child. I swear, even of a spot of ketchup on my kids' faces gives me the heebie jeebies.

My iPhone: That's the pink striped thingy up here. I had to get the most flamboyantly feminine cover to keep my husband away. I am in love with that stupid little gadget. I used to leave my old phone all over the place. This one is kept firmly at my side at all times. I play Words With Friends with my brother and it's bad.

Lightning McQueen: Yep, I have a son who is a psycho in stores. Lightning gets a good three minutes of quite time.

Sunglasses: I never leave the house without them. The sun is obnoxiously bright here and I love me some aviators. Plus they hide baggy eyes when I don't have time to do makeup. The ones here are Marc Jacobs. I had another pair but my lovely son snapped them in half. He's just an angel, isn't he?

CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain: Yeah these are like cracksticks. I think they are so cool. They go on like markers and while they don't stay forever, they do give my lips a pinky tone for a long time. The one I have is the darkest red possible. I like it because if I'm not wearing anything else, I can use it and look "done." Ideal for running into stupid ex-boyfriends and not being embarrassed.

Pen and Cheques (YES I SPELL THAT THE CANADIAN WAY): Please note that I never carry my own cheques, only my husband's. From his account. That's how I make guilt-free purchases. I paid for my last haircut that way. Mua ha ha.

Maybelline Pure Makeup: This is my emergency stash. It's a super, super sheer foundation that makes me look awake in a pinch. It's my insurance when I head out of the house makeupless or forget to pack my makeup when going away for the weekend.

Keys: I lose them on an almost daily basis.

I am actually really excited that my kids are getting older and I don't have to carry so much for them anymore. My son is old enough to even forgo the emergency diaper (although I know that's tempting fate.) So I get to carry my bare necessities without being bogged down with like, an extra pair of clothes, diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, the kitchen sink, etc.

Perhaps we do a bad diaper bag Freaky Friday? I like it!

Clutches! (Okay, and handbags in general)

K, so I wrote an entire blog dedicated to my hatred of diaper bags (You can read it here) Point is, I really, really hate them. Mom bags in general are pretty bad. But especially diaper bags. ANYWAYS, there are so many cute bags out there I don't know why you would have an ugly one. Especially with the reappearance of the satchel bag, which is perfect for the multi-function lover, you have NO EXCUSE to be carrying a bag with a teddy bear on it. K?

Let's familiarize ourselves with the different types of bags. Then, later when you're searching for yourself, you can look around using the style you like the best and which will suit your needs the most. All the bags I post will be from http://www.shopsueyboutique.com/ which allows me to have more handbags than I would ever need, in a million years. I'm not even kidding. I have an entire cupboard in our mudroom dedicated to handbags. My husband is disgusted.

THE SATCHEL

Satchel's are my personal favourite because they look very streamlined and a little more professional than your average bag. I like to at least maintain some semblance of being organized, even when I'm not. They are a medium-sized bag, usually with multiple pockets and goodness for better organization. I loved these when my daughter was still young enough to need all manner of snacks, drinks, and tiny board books. I really prefer satchels in grown-up textures, since they are grown up bag. Croc, python, etc. But as for colours, anything works, I especially love deep jewel tones, plums etc.

THE TOTE

The tote is the biggest of all the handbags, which makes it super functional and awesome. The best part about a huge bag is that it probably makes you look smaller in comparison (I hate seeing bigger girls with tiny little purses, it looks ridiculous). I recently started carrying a tote when my daughter starting wanting to bring colouring books everywhere. Also, I travel alot and they fit everything on the plane so I am not struggling with 8 bags. Love.

THE SHOULDER BAG

Also commonly known as an evening bag as well, it'll be the smallest of your typical handbags. That means that unlike the satchel, which is carried over the arm, or the tote, which is carried in the hand, it's carried (duh) over the shoulder. If you're choosing this, look for a drop (the word that describes the length of the handles) that is comfortable on you. Move around. Lean forward. Nothing is more ANNOYING than straps that are always sliding off your shoulders.

THE HOBO

The Hobo is by far the most relaxed of all the bags, and I carried one before I needed to be more organized. They are floppy and soft, and typically only have one or two compartments. This would be ideal if you didn't have as much gear (read: older kids) and just needed to chuck in a few things. Also great for those who demand comfort. They are going to be very slouchy and unstructured, usually in a 'u' type shape. Love it in a serious colour because its a fun bag.

THE CLUTCH

My very favourite of all bags because it goes with them all. My secret is to get an adorable clutch. Make sure it has a) pockets and organizers for your cards etc, to replace your mom-wallet and b) a wrist strap. Then, pop it into your giant bag when you're lugging it around with your kids. Later, when you have a date or are just running out on your own, you can just pull your clutch out and have all of your important stuff, and not look totally frumpalicious when you don't have to.