Ta da! Yes, I’ve finally made a start on my challenge! Woo hoo! Admittedly, it’s a very small item but it’s one I’ve coveted for a bit (ever since we went shopping in Worcester and I saw one in Monsoon – there’s also an oilcloth bag in a pretty kitty pattern I’ve just GOT to have).
somewhere to keep my pixie pennies and leprechaun gold
Clasp purses hold a very special fascination for me. As a child, I was often the recipient of stuff grown up aunts and cousins didn’t want any more; my bedroom cupboard positively bulged with hand-me-down clutch purses, evening bags in mock croc with chains for handles (look, it was the 70s, all right??) and saggy looking satchel-types in soft not-really-leather-but-trying-hard-to-look-like-it. And clasp purses. Lots and lots of clasp purses. My favourite had a gently curved gilt frame and a coarse coat-like fabric in checked green. It looked, now I think of it, like someone had made it from a corner of a cast-off coat. I loved it. It accompanied me on many seaside holidays, carrying the coins that paid for the pony-adventure-novels that kept me quiet in many a rainy caravan. In fact, I think I probably loved it to death – eventually the fabric frayed and pulled away from the frame, exposing it’s unglamorous cotton lining and, finally, the clasp itself broke and simply wouldn’t remain closed. Sad times.
So a new clasp purse is a wondrous thing. Especially one that hasn’t been mass-produced by an underpaid factory worker a very very long way away. And it’s doubly good because it has a mushroom on it (those who know me are well versed with my mushroom and toadstool obsession – I’ve put them on bags, tee’s, jackets and skirts). And it’s purple. The lining is a lovely purple cotton. It’s probably not really the right choice – a lighter colour might have made it easier to find those pesky little 5 pences that will undoubtedly hide right in the corners but, you know, tough cheddar. I like purple. And an abundance of horrid little 5p’s (does anyone like them? Or are we, as a nation, unilaterally opposed to those annoying little bits of silver that just don’t seem big enough to grasp when you’re in a rush?) means I can invest in one of those sweet little VW camper money-boxes I’ve wanted for so long.
I actually can't wait to go shopping now and use this!
The only downside is that it doesn’t have anywhere to keep bank cards, receipts, etc. But that’s ok. Because I have lots and fabric and a sewing machine and another challenge to meet next week 😉
embracingmessyhair.wordpress.com 