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What’s In Your Purse?

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For the last several years almost all of my purses have been big and red and from Liz Claiborne. Not that I pay department store prices, or even retail! I find them at places like Marshalls, TJ Maxx or Bealls Outlet and pay half (or less) of the usual price. There’s just something about a show-stopper red purse that can carry whatever I need and look fabulous doing it. Plus, it matches pretty much everything by needing to match absolutely nothing!

As promised, here’s what was inside my purse as of Monday evening:

What's in My Purse?

What's in My Purse?

Clockwise from the upper left corner:

  1. Tome of Runes (my first illustration credit–it came in last week and I’ve been carrying it around because I’m just so tickled it’s done!)
  2. Monthly planner (stuffed with store coupons in case I feel like shopping) and postage stamps (yes, I mail things–not bills, though, that’s what online banking is for!)
  3. My Red Notebook (everything from budgets to project notes to podcast playlists–it’s my life and I go through one a year, always red)
  4. Travel Amulet
  5. iPod (in red case… are we sensing a theme, here?), charger and ear buds
  6. Calculator and 6 pens (I highly suspect at least one is dead or broken)
  7. Prescription sunglasses
  8. A sash from the skirt I wore 2 weeks ago
  9. Ginger pills and Lactaid tablets
  10. Wallet, smaller card case, coin purse and passport
  11. Umbrella holding down a stack of store receipts
  12. Keys and a separate ring of those store scanner tabs
  13. Nail file, tweezers, compact, 5 lip glosses (3 tinted, 2 clear) and 3 hair clips (that’s where they all went!)

The only thing not pictured is my cell phone–when I’m home it’s usually on my computer desk or on it’s charger.

Now, who else played along?

*crickets*

Sigh…

Whoever thought it’d be so difficult to give stuff away!

But, hey, it’s my giveaway and I’m going to give it another try. That’s right, I’m extending the deadline.

You have until Sunday, October 24, 2010, at 8pm Eastern do the following:

  1. Dump everything out of your purse (arranging it nicely is optional)
  2. Take a picture of it
  3. Upload the picture to some public place (your blog, Facebook, Flickr, etc.) and leave me the link in the comments OR email it to me at randomactscomics@gmail.com

See, it really is that simple. And I’ll pick one purse photo at random of those submitted and the owner of that purse will win a prize that I will mail to you. It will be purse-themed. It will be a mix of store-bought and hand-crafted items. You will either love it or decide it would make the perfect regift for the neighbor/teacher/co-worker at some point in the upcoming holidays, thus saving you a shopping trip–that parts up to you.

Now, go find that camera!

Find Me on An Organized Life

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It’s the other half of the blog swap, today, as my post for Kathleen (Crafting Without Chaos) is now up over on An Organized Life.

Make sure to check out her giveaway for organizing supplies here, and read yesterday’s post (An Organized Purse) and leave your comment with a link to a picture of what’s in your purse for a giveaway of my own! You’ve got til the end of the month for Kathleen’s giveaway but only until 8pm Eastern tonight for mine!

Guest Post: The Organized Purse

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Thanks to a recent tribe-building activity with the SITS Girls, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several bloggers in what’s become known as the Creative Living genre. One of these lovely ladies–Kathleen Boland, a professional organizer in Alberta, Canada–has graciously traded posts with me, today, and this week we’re talking purses.

~~~oOo~~~

I only have one purse. It is a classic black butler bag. I’m very particular about my purses. I buy them rarely and they have to live a long life. I wish I could say that I have a bag for every outfit, but that doesn’t fit my lifestyle or my budget. I’m just not that kind of girl. So if you are like me and you have one purse, it probably stores your life in it.

Even when I do a seasonal clear out of my purse I still can have over twenty items in it. If I had to do an inventory today here’s some of things you would find in there …

  1. Wallet (Slimmed down to the bare essential cards and info)
  2. Coin purse
  3. Calculator (I hate doing math in my head for billing clients)
  4. Timer
  5. Crayons in an old card box (Not all restaurants have them for kids)
  6. Keys
  7. Hand cream
  8. Mini-Flashlight
  9. Calendar (For making appointments)
  10. Notepad and pen
  11. Kleenex
  12. Granola bar
  13. Measuring Tape
  14. Dental Floss
  15. Nametag and Association Pin
  16. Matches
  17. Emergency tampon
  18. Hair elastics / bobby pins
  19. Individually wrapped hand towelettes
  20. Lip gloss and chap stick (Absolutely necessary here in the north)
  21. Mascara
  22. Ear plugs (From the activity with helicopters a few weeks back…)

Does that seem like a lot? Not to me. I’m so glad that I don’t have to pack the baby bag anymore. That thing was heavy…probably heavier than my child.

I seem to have a few “what if” items in there. I guess I like to be ready for anything. I could probably slim it down even more it I had to, but I like that I can pull out a Kleenex when someone sneezes or have a measuring tape on hand when I’m shopping for home accessories or furniture.

I love a purse that keeps me organized. The butler bag is separated into section so I just drop my stuff where it needs to go. I love that. I have seen other products that do the same thing if your purse is just an open style, like this one at Kangaroo Keeper or this one at CCKmode .

Before I had this bag I was a slave to the zipper bags. All items that belonged in the same category went into zipper bags into my purse. (Children, Health and Beauty, Work related, Money related.)

As a Professional Organizer I am always hearing about people putting the strangest things in their purses. Here are a few that should NOT be in your purse:

  1. SIN Card or Social Security Card
  2. Credit cards that have not been signed (Do it as soon as it comes in the mail)
  3. Leaky containers …ewww
  4. Important documents like your Power of Attorney (No really, it happened once)

Your purse is a living, breathing extension of you. Take a few minutes each day to pull out the contents that have been deposited that need to be filed, purged or shredded. It will take less than a minute and you will know that your purse is ready for your next adventure.

Take a few minutes now to do your own personal inventory of your purse. What is in there that can go into categories? Can I use something to organize the contents better? Do I need to re direct some items to another home?

Get your purse organized and have everything at your fingertips when you need it!

Tip: If the bottom of your purse is getting floppy, cut out the bottom of a cereal box to make a new support for the purse base. You can pull it out and replace it when it gets sticky or bent.

I’d love to hear how you got organized so please leave a comment so I can enter your name into the draw for a prize of organizing products. Visit me here and follow along each Friday for all the organizing fun.

~~~oOo~~~

Thank you, Kathleen!

Okay, ladies–it’s time to spill your purses! Take everything out, take a photo of it and send me a link to it (flickr, facebook, your own blog–anything goes)! On Thursday I’ll post my own photo (already took it a few minutes ago) and announce the winner of the giveaway, drawn from the names of everyone who links me a picture of their purse contents! What will the prize(s) be? I’m still deciding, but it’ll be worth it, I promise you that!

You have approximately 36 hours (more like 38), until 8pm Eastern, Wednesday the 20th, to send me your links.

A Tale of Two Notecards

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Thirty-one Notecard

my Thirty-One Notecard

I love stationery.

Actually, it might be that I love getting cards and letters in the mail (bills, not so much). I still have ones I received as a child from family members and a few Mom saved that I wrote to her while away at the dreaded summer camp.

My high school English teacher (I had her 3 of the 4 years for one thing or another and was her teacher’s aide during my Senior Year) gifted me a gorgeous box of personalized note cards just before graduation. I loved them dearly and felt oh so posh sending out my graduation gift thank-yous on those heavy white cards.

Over the years I’ve dabbled in making my own stationery but, as I’m sure we can all agree, we just don’t write cards and letters very much any more. Email, cell phones, texting–it makes the time a message spends traveling over physical miles positively glacial. No wonder we call it snail mail!

Still, there’s something thrilling about seeing an envelope in the mailbox, hand-addressed and obviously not junk mail! I even have a pen-pal these days and it’s been a real treat to get the letters she sends. Sure, I read her blog and can keep up with her that way, but our written correspondence is different.

Reviving the Passion

Just recently I was invited to a thirty-one party by a friend. Their purses may not be my thing, but they have personalized note cards in a variety of styles. Happy to be able to support my friend’s shopping habit I gladly attended the party and ordered my cards (and a purse and a new lunch-tote; I’m a good friend).

Then, a couple weeks after the thirty-one party, I received an email from a representative of Modern Postcard, offering me the chance to try out their service and get a set of note cards or postcards. Was I interested? You bet! (And, yes, I do see the irony in a card company emailing me… first contact doesn’t always happen on the ground, right?)

Cards with Matching Envelopes

The grey goes so well with the pink, don't you think?

Now that both orders have come in and I’ve had a chance to hang out with the finished product for a bit, a review is definitely in order.

Thirty-One, Notecards & Envelopes

  • Variety: 15 different patterns available, including one where you pick your characters to represent you or your family.
  • Ease of Ordering: Through a consultant or the consultants website
  • Personalization Options: Each design determines how many lines and characters per line are allowed. Font selection is what is shown on the sample, no changing from the pre-set designs.
  • Packaging: Delivered by your consultant or the party hostess, they came in a clear plastic snap-closed pouch that makes keeping them from getting crushed very easy. I could see carrying the pouch in my purse if I were travelling and wanted to leave a little note or something.
  • Extras: Envelopes are printed in a color that coordinates with the card design, even on the inside to look like they’re lined. It’s a nice touch!
  • Usability: The cards are nice and sturdy but completely uncoated, which means that pretty much any writing instrument will work–pencil, pen, gel, etc.
  • Price: $18 for 20 cards and envelopes ($0.90 each, before tax and shipping)

Cute cards. I got the Pixie Pink Medallion design because it seemed fun. The only thing, design-wise, I would have liked was an option to have my name printed down in the lower right corner instead of front and center but I understand why offering that many options would make the process unwieldy for the company.

Modern Postcard, Postcards

Photo Postcard by Modern Postcard

Photo by Qedrin, Postcard by Modern Postcard

  • Variety: Postcards and Greeting Cards come in both standard (4.25×5.7) and deluxe (5.7×8.5) sizes, with over 500 different pattern choices.
  • Ease of Ordering: Online ordering only, the website is very easy to follow through the different options available.
  • Personalization Options: With the pre-designed cards it looks like you’re locked into the personalization placement but you still have full advantage of the font options (11 fonts, 6 font size options, 12 font color options). With one of the 14 design-your-own options you choose your size, orientation and layout and can upload a photograph or your own original art for the image. Basic editing tools are available for photos. This would be great for artists dealing in small-run cards for shows, just trying things out.
  • Packaging: The order was delivered in a bubble-mailer (via USPS) with a length of pearl ribbon keeping the cards from shifting around. Simple and effective.
  • Extras: They offer cards for the postcards at an additional $1.50 per 25 (again, for standard size), and return addresses printed on those envelopes for $17.50 with a sliding scale for larger orders. They also will direct mail your order (great for invitations!) if you want them to, for an extra fee per card of course.
  • Usability: And this is where Modern Postcard let me down a little. I ordered a set of 25 standard postcards, so I can’t really speak to the greeting cards. The cards are coated on both sides, glossy on the front. Now, working for a printing company as I have these past 16 years, I know that coated stocks can sometimes resist certain inks and even pencil marks! So I did a test. Pencil was actually okay, ball-point pens needed a little coaxing but were fine once you got them started, but gel and archival-ink felt-tips smeared up to a minute after writing with them. Permanent marker, of course, poses no problem. Not the worst thing in the world, but if you were planning on ordering postcards and actually using them as such, you might want to be aware that your pen choice will be limited if you want it legible. My recommendation to Modern Postcard would be to investigate C1S (Coated 1-Side) stocks for their postcards to increase the user-friendly nature of the cards.
  • Price: $19 for 25 standard postcards, no envelopes ($0.76 each); $29 for 25 standard greeting cards & envelopes ($1.16 each); free shipping
Smear Test on my New Notecards

Smear Test

For all that the coated backs made certain pens a liability, the cards really came out great. The print quality was excellent on the photo (please note: they do give instructions about what sorts of files to upload–if you send them garbage you won’t get roses, folks! dpi is important!) and would not hesitate placing an order with them for show cards or items for conventions should I got that route. The cards were processed in a timely manner and it was a pleasure getting to try them out. It should also be noted that they offer larger quantities (increments of 25), with a decreasing cost-per-item as you go up.

~~~oOo~~~

Style isn’t just what we wear, it’s in everything we do, say and believe. Fun stationery is a little luxury, a small price to pay for something miles removed from a blank sheet of copy paper or a screen full of pixels. Indulge a little (very little, with prices like these) and show the world your style even when you’re no longer in the room.

Disclaimer: I was provided a $19 credit to use towards an order with Modern Postcard in return for trying out their service. The opinions expressed above are entirely my own.

A Stitch in Time…

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… saves a costly repair fee!

Woman has relied heretofore too entirely for her support on the needle – that one-eyed demon of destruction that slays thousands annually; that evil genius of our sex, which, in spite of all our devotion, will never make us healthy, wealthy, or wise.

–Elizabeth Cady Stanton

She may have been instrumental in securing women the right to vote, but I’ll bet even she knew how important it was to look presentable–clothes are our first bit of armor in polite society and a missing button is a target for many things.

Sewing, mending and basic repairs are, often, left these days to the dry cleaner or someone much more “crafty” than the wearer. Or, in a frightening case of predictive fiction, we’ve become like the society in Huxley’s Brave New World:

“Ending is better than mending. The more stitches, the less riches”

We toss items that merely need a quick fix, often because the knowledge of how-to is no longer second nature.

Sure, some things are definitely left to the pro’s–shoe repair is quite specialized and I’m not sure I’d trust walking on a heel held together only by Gorilla Glue (a former coworker’s answer to everything–including bullet holes in our front window).

But basic mending is simple, even if you’ve no desire to make your own clothes from scratch.

The two most common problems (and how to fix them):

  • How to replace a button (shank-style or flat). The trick with flat (2- or 4-hole) buttons is to slip a toothpick between the fabric and button before you tighten your first loop to make sure there’s enough room to maneuver when you’re getting dressed.
  • How to fix a fallen hem with a nearly invisible stitch. It’s the details that make the difference between looking hand-stitched and no one ever noticing (though, in a pinch, duck tape will get you through the day).

Now, ready to wear clothing was a real turning point for the fashion industry. Being able to buy off-the-rack meant more people had access to more styles and things could be made ahead for sale rather than custom tailored.

The down side? We don’t all look the same. One size 10 might be differently proportioned than another size 10, and let’s not even get into the fact that one store’s size isn’t necessarily the same as another’s! Tailored clothing looks better, but it can cost a fortune. Unless, that is, you know how to make simple alterations on your own.

What are the biggies to worry about? Those things that shout “bad fit!”?

  • Hems that drag the ground or puddle around your feet (even when wearing heels).
  • Shirts that ride up because they’re too snug.
  • Shirts that you swim in because they’re too big.
  • Shoulders that slope so far they show your bra strap (no, Flashdance didn’t really come back, y’all!).
  • Bulging zippers or button plackets

Some of these can be fixed with a new hem or a well-placed dart or two, others might require inserting extra fabric of there’s not enough seam to let out. In the latter case, you might want to take it to a pro–they’ll be much better at hiding inserts and such.

Fit is important–it makes us look put together instead of thrown-together and (especially us fluffy girls) can take the focus off the clothes on onto who’s wearing them.