topic Re: Fun Handbag question! in Handbags

Fun Handbag question!

Eva-QVC — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 14:33:35 GMT

Hello Everyone! Courtney Cason was recently in the Atrium here at the Q asking people if they remember their very first handbag. Here is a link to the video with a few gals at the Q describing theirs;

Handbag Video

After you check it out, come back and post about your first handbag.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

jaxs mom — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 14:44:38 GMT

The first one I remember I was 12-13 and it was a curved bottom saddle bag in brown tooled leather with flowers and a brass curved latch. I bought it at the swap meet. It looked somewhat similar to this one.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

NycVixen — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 14:57:00 GMT

I do! There is photographic evidence. I was about 4 or 5 years old. It was a red crossbody saddle bag! LOL.

My mom would go crazy looking for it all night when I would 'lose' it and would plead with me to go to bed saying it would turn up in the morning. The next day, she would find it in the fridge next to the peanut butter where I had put my sticky fingers. LOL.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

shoppingbabe — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 15:59:36 GMT

My first handbag was a little hand held bag, in a greenish/gray color. My father bought if for me when I was a year old. I carried that bag everywhere and stuffed it until the seems came undone. My mother kept throwing it in the garbage, but my father kept taking it out and finally put it somewhere she couldn't find it. After my father passed away my mother gave it to me. I still have it to this day. I put it in a shadow box and having it hanging in my TV room. It is 54 years old. I have been a lover of handbags and collecting them ever since.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

DoneTryin — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 17:18:03 GMT

Yes, & what a blast from the past. It was southwestern style hand-tooled leather wristlet that my maternal grandmother gave me for Christmas when I was about 9 years old (a lonnngggg time ago). She had a great sense of humor & put a few things in it that were like what she had in her handbag: a handkerchief (not wadded Kleenex!), some loose change, bobby pins, gum, an almost-empty tube of lipstick & a cigarette. Well, in those days people thought it was OK to smoke - no, I did not smoke it.

Wish I had that wristlet, & my Grandmother, back again. Sigh...

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Bird mama — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 17:58:36 GMT

Hmmm, the first handbags I really remember are the ones I received when I made my first Communion.

That was in the late 60's so me finding a picture of them, especially the daytime bag is next to impossible.

My daytime bag looked like this.

My evening, who am I kidding, my afternoon bag, for the communion party looked something like this:

Re: Fun Handbag question!

RedTop — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 18:03:04 GMT

As a little girl, I loved "pocketbooks", and always had several well used adult cast offs in my playhouse. My first pocketbooks were the clear plastic ones in the toy department from G C Murphys that came with a comb, plastic lipstick, plastic bangle bracelet, etc.

My first real purse was bought as part of my Easter outfit when I was 5 1/2, and is in my cedar chest. It is white plastic with a short handle, slightly bigger than a 5x7 picture frame, snap top, and on the front behind a clear layer of plastic is 5 pink rosettes. I still love that little purse after 55 years.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Buckaroo2 — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 18:10:42 GMT

Oh my gosh @Bird mama. I have the exact same communion handbag you have pictured. ( Top pic.) It came with a rosary in a little case and a child's bible and a pin. That wasn't even my first handbag, however. My mother gave me an orange patent Betsy bag. Wish I still had that one too.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Bird mama — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 18:13:00 GMT

@Buckaroo2

Yea, mine came with a prayer book and rosary. Nice memories.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

beckyb1012 — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 19:29:20 GMT

Re: Fun Handbag question!

KathyPet — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 21:43:41 GMT

Wow, you ladies have some great memory. I have no idea what my first handbag was or looked like.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

dosey — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 22:29:38 GMT

The first purse that I can vividly remember was a box purse that my mom gave me. It is similar to this one except it had only flowers on it.

I loved that thing!!

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Jayhawk Girl — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 00:35:56 GMT

what a fun thread!! And, yes I remember my first handbag. It was a red "patent leather" (more like plastic) little bag. I used to carry it on the handlebars of my bike!! I would give anything to still have it as I have grown up to be quite the purse girl!! Love them.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

willdob3 — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 01:42:20 GMT

What a fun subject!

My first handbag was handmade for me by my grandma! I'm not sure how old I was, not very old, that is for sure. It was a mint green woven material, a small drawstring closure... It was very special & I love that style bag to this day!

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Nonametoday — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 01:48:12 GMT

I posted this with Courtney but copy-pasted it here.

I was in first grade and my best friend had the cutest little handbag. In retrospect I think it probably the bottom of a metal powder box covered in pretty faile fabric, bottom of brown and gathered with eyelets and through each eyelet was run a pasamenterie-twisted silk cording which ended above the same fabric in a buttery yellow with tassels on the tied off ends. It was similar to a fortune cookie clutch but more framed around the bottom. I admired it all morning and at lunch I asked her if I could touch it. She nodded yes.

I picked it up and would not let go. So after we reached our room, we made an agreement, she could have my notebook which she really admired in turquoise and pink and I would have her little purse. Oh, boy. When her mother got hold of my mother on the phone, I was marched to the car and took a ride to her house and handed her back her little purse. I did not want the notebook. I had more at home as we owned a little shop where we sold school supplies, but my mother made me take it so I could study my spelling words (which I had no need to do at that time).

Through the years we were best of friends. Our tastes in clothing was very similar. We shared clothing when we were in high school. We separated in college years.

My mother died unexpected one weekend when I was home visiting. I called her to ask if she wanted to go shopping with me as I was going to buy clothes for the funeral. She replied... "just come look in my closet and take what you like. I don't even need a notebook. Just bring what you take back after the funeral."

She hugged me and we cried and then she showed me the little yellow and brown purse that she kept in a special place as the memory of our friendship through the years. Right before she died of cancer two decades later, she called me to ask me to come see her before the end. I had to travel by car as I could not get a flight but I made it 700 miles in less than a day, and she gave me the little purse I always coveted. We were in our 60s, so many decades we were still connected by the little purse which is somewhat threadbare now, but I still have it and it is still emblematic of a longtime friendship that went to the grave.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

1Professor — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 02:15:36 GMT

@Eva-QVC

My first purse was given to me at age 4. It was red plastic with a great handle that I used to carry the bag on my shoulder, with as much sophication as a wee child could pull off.

People gave me pennies and I kept them in that purse, proudly spilling them all out for display whenever I perceived any degree of encouragement.

This one:

Naturally, that's probably too young to start a female child on a purse focus. I am now an avid collector. I blame it on the magical red purse.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Eva-QVC — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:30:53 GMT

@Nonametoday - I'm so touched by your story. Who would have thought that the love of a handbag would be the start of a lifelong friendship. That little bag came full circle and you were both lucky to have each other in your lives for so long. Thank you for sharing such a sweet story.

@NameAlreadyTaken wrote:

I posted this with Courtney but copy-pasted it here.

I was in first grade and my best friend had the cutest little handbag. In retrospect I think it probably the bottom of a metal powder box covered in pretty faile fabric, bottom of brown and gathered with eyelets and through each eyelet was run a pasamenterie-twisted silk cording which ended above the same fabric in a buttery yellow with tassels on the tied off ends. It was similar to a fortune cookie clutch but more framed around the bottom. I admired it all morning and at lunch I asked her if I could touch it. She nodded yes.

I picked it up and would not let go. So after we reached our room, we made an agreement, she could have my notebook which she really admired in turquoise and pink and I would have her little purse. Oh, boy. When her mother got hold of my mother on the phone, I was marched to the car and took a ride to her house and handed her back her little purse. I did not want the notebook. I had more at home as we owned a little shop where we sold school supplies, but my mother made me take it so I could study my spelling words (which I had no need to do at that time).

Through the years we were best of friends. Our tastes in clothing was very similar. We shared clothing when we were in high school. We separated in college years.

My mother died unexpected one weekend when I was home visiting. I called her to ask if she wanted to go shopping with me as I was going to buy clothes for the funeral. She replied... "just come look in my closet and take what you like. I don't even need a notebook. Just bring what you take back after the funeral."

She hugged me and we cried and then she showed me the little yellow and brown purse that she kept in a special place as the memory of our friendship through the years. Right before she died of cancer two decades later, she called me to ask me to come see her before the end. I had to travel by car as I could not get a flight but I made it 700 miles in less than a day, and she gave me the little purse I always coveted. We were in our 60s, so many decades we were still connected by the little purse which is somewhat threadbare now, but I still have it and it is still emblematic of a longtime friendship that went to the grave.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

TY — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 00:32:11 GMT

I still have some of my toy handbags from when I was a child but my first grown up handbag is a white beaded evening bag that I got as a gift in 1963. It was made in Japan and there's a beaded pastel floral decoration in the middle. It has a silver tone frame closure and a beaded handle. I carried it for my wedding. I'll never give it away.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Shawnie — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 03:46:09 GMT

Not a clue. Really not a clue at all.

Re: Fun Handbag question!

Sister Golden Hair — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 03:52:12 GMT

My first purse was a gold open-work metal oval with a Mother of Pearl lid and small handle. I was only able to carry it to church.

Back then, we always wore white gloves to church and I thought how pretty the lid and my white gloves looked

A wonderful memory