Sunday, August 10, 2008

It's in the Bag

Hey y'all. Hope you are having a lovely Sunday. Today's topic of discussion is, "What's in your bag?" I have inherited purse issues from both my grandmother and my mother. My grandmother's purse has always been a miraculous place. If you ask her for lotion, she'll pull out the full-size bottle of Vaseline's Intensive Care. I use to love sitting in the back seat of my grandparents' car and rummaging through my grandmother's purse. She always let me have a piece of gum, if I could find one. My mother's purse was never quite as exciting, but it was fun to organize - lots of receipts and bits of paper, coins in all the nooks and crannies. Such a satisfying feeling to put it all in order.

Now, I'm a grownup (they tell me) and have to deal with my own purse. Other than having too many cards (do I really need to have my lifetime membership to the Bungee Zone with me at all times?), I keep it pretty organized. I'm a geek - so I have to have an mp3 player, a handheld computer/phone, two flash drives, and an rsa token with me at all times. And I'm a girl, so there's lipgloss, lotion, nail clippers, nail file, and breath mints or gum. I'm human, so there's an asthma inhaler, throat lozenges, some Bach Rescue Remedy, and ear plugs. I'm a sewer, so there's a tape measure. I'm practical, thus the pens, compass, Swiss Army knife. And that just leaves the receipts (which I purge 3 times a year), an ID badge for work, and my keys (two sets plus a few spares). Really - just the bare necessities.

About a month ago, I finally found a window of time to make myself a BFZ messenger bag and I really LOVE it. I use it as my everyday purse and it's very comfy and stays nicely on my shoulder. It's handy to throw small purchases in, eliminating the need for another plastic bag. But it's roominess has led to another problem - more stuff!

Here's a list of things I've discovered in my BFZ messenger bag (aka Mary Poppins bag):

  • A 14 disk audio book
  • A large pad of paper
  • A paperback book
  • A bag of sunflower seeds
  • A hole punch
  • A large, full water bottle
  • Half eaten, jumbo size chocolate bars
Just for fun, I'd be interested to hear what's in your purse?

-

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ditto the Swiss Army Knife, plus hand sanitizer, restaurant coupons, hairbrush, makeup case, dental fold up thingy, sketch pad, pens & pencils, magnifying glass,cellphone-camera, snacks for the movies[don't like popcorn], a pashmina...so nice to have a large Zaza Bag...always room for more!!!! Would love to see a pic of BFZ creator's personal Zaza bag, & maybe the personal bags of the whole ZAZA team ! Best Ad ever!
J.A.

Anonymous said...

I thought the same thing... we should post pictures of the ladies with the bags they have won. Can you do a separate page with those, Jennie? I have one of Connie.
~ Zaza's Mama

Anonymous said...

Ok, what's in Zaza's Mama's bag? We'll see how I do from memory: wallet, floral bag (full of lipstick, tweezers, floss, lipgloss, nail file), lotion, pens, business cards, gum, sunglasses, calendar book. Now I'll go look. OK, you'd think I hadn't been in there in weeks. Here's what I missed: Queen of Everything kleenex, 3 single serving size raspberry lemonade packs, church buletin, pamprin, ibuprofin, 3 40% off JoAnne coupons and a one hour photo tag.... OH YEAH! I need to go pick those up. I'm just thankful I don't have to carry size 3 emergency underwear for my boys any more. :o)
~ Linda

Anonymous said...

P.S.-Sorry meant Zaza Team creators/sewers ie)Jennie, Leah,Linda,Grace & helpers! Love to see the bags we have never seen, those of the "Zaza Team" who are working so hard to bring Zaza home.
Thanks J.A.

Anonymous said...

I am an old fashioned gal and my purse has to match my outfit, so here's stuff from my two main purses, black and white. Wallet, splenda packet, toothpick, rose flower food packet ??? lots of wadded up kleenex, lipliner, lipstick, mirror, lip gloss, receipts from Frys, Goodwill, Kohls, Joannes and the library from my overdue book fines! Earplug, gum cough drop, mint, pearsons candy with numerouw empty wrappers, non aspirin pill, small address book, several expired coupons, cellphone, I did clean as I looked. Grace

Anonymous said...

Some of you must have back problems! I clean out my purse almost daily. I don't carry much at all: small wallet, keys, a pen, a pencil, 1 tube of lipstick, 2 bandaids, and in my side zipper pouch I keep those cards from various stores.

I bought my messenger bag to carry papers from work, but my daughter is wanting to use it as a backpack for school.

Melissa said...

So I finally decided to stop "blog stalking" and comment.
In my 'purse' (which is much more like a messanger bag cause I hate being 'girlie' and carrying a 'purse', which is why I am excited to one day have a Zaza bag):
My Journal, A hard cover copy of Jane Eyre, my cd wallet, mini tape measure, change purse, wallet, some checks I need to put in the back, receipts that need to be sent to the health plan, random gift cards, burt's bees cuticle cream, lip gloss, advil, Listerine Pocket paks, a random starburst (strawberry flavored), a couple of pens, a button, kleenex, cell phone, nail file, and a pair of socks.
~Melissa in Lethbridge

Jennie C. said...

Melissa made me laugh out loud. A hard cover book and a pair of socks! The rose flower food packet is fun, too ~ just in case you happen across a hungry rose. And a pashmina! So handy you people are.

Keep it coming.

P.S. Regarding the photos - unfortunately, only two of the 5 sewers on BFZ's team actually have their own bags :o Too busy sewing bags to sell! But send pics to BagsForZaza@gmail.com and I will post them. Then you can guess which one is me.

Anonymous said...

I don't have much in my ZaZa bag...chapstick, my cell phone, a container of stevia, wads of kleenex (mostly un-used), a hairclip, keys, Ivan Doig's "This House of Sky" and a wallet.

ZaZa bags are so roomy though! In the past I have had...a bottle of water, my camera, a bag of glutin free granola bars, my wee makeup bag, feminine hygiene products, my passport and a clean pair of knickers. I was travelling...obviously.

Anonymous said...

Looks like I'm a weirdo.

1. wallet
2. lipgloss
3. cell phone

that's it baby.

BUT, we're not talking diaper bags here...which I could go on forever about it's contents.

Jenna said...

Tempted to comment here a few times about my purse and after looking through it the other day with this blog in the back of my head, I had to comment. This is my everyday purse but does contain two diapers and a plastic wipes container and as of yesterday also: cucumber melon and vanilla sanitizing gels, a small Dora doll, a pink inflatable (inflated) microphone, 4 pens, my datebook, a small pad and paper set, a small fabric zip pouch containing lipgloss (4), compact, tweezers, extra eye contacts and drops, nail clippers, safety pins, etc, ANOTHER small fabric zip pouch containing hair elastics, a fold up brush, headbands, bandaids, and a tampon, oh, my wallet!, cell phone, purple little girl sunglasses, my water bottle, 3 plastic frogs, and sunblock.

I don't think I am ever destined for a small purse.....

Jennie C. said...

Stevia and knickers -- I love it. And why don't I have a pink inflatable microphone in my purse? That could come in so handy!

Jennie C. said...

So excited! I have the lovely blessing of having both my Grandmother and my Mother for a visit. Since one lives 3 1/2 hours south of me and the other lives 4 1/2 north - it's very exciting.

My mother's purse:
*cell phone (with a text from hubby)
*large ziplock bag of paint samples, siding sample, decorating pamphlet, and colour wheel (she's building a house)
*camera
*medium ziplock with more paint samples, a button, safetypins, Canadian tire dollars, calcium, notepad, swipe card, bandaids, Gonzaga University keychain with spare key, mini chapstick
*wallet with all the normal cards, money, and receipts
*travel lotion
*floss (full size - she's a dental hygienist)
*chapstick
*list of vitamin supplements
*keys
*postage stamps
*another chapstick
*another floss
*address book
*passport
*3 nail polishes
*cheque book
*mail for Leah
*pay cheque stub
*robaxacet
*nail file
*measuring tape (not a mini one)
*2 pens

"And that's it," she says.

Jennie C. said...

Now for Grandma:

*toothpicks
*orange post-it notes
*knee-high nylons
*reading glasses
*cheque book
*2 insulen pens
*2 sets of keys (including car keys, even though she doesn't drive)
*wallet with all the regular stuff
*brush
*pen
*tissue (perhaps used)
*2 travel-sized lotion (she's downsized)
*candy wrapper
*bandaid
*panty liner
*and another panty liner
*and a ziploc of panty liners [pause to consolidate]
*makeup bag with 3 lipsticks, bandaids, chapstick, 2 nail files, 2 tweezers, blush

Stephenson said...

How did I miss this one. Better late than never. Now this is before we leave the house. After an outing with my family, just about everything is in my purse for the drive home.

business cards from various peoples
hubby's business cards
grocery cards
wallet
pens galore
my daughter's writing pad
my son's wallet
my daughter's wallet
lipstick in two shades
chapstick
face powder...can't have a shiny nose
lotion
hand sanitizer
nail clips
Giorgio...gotta smell nice
cell phone
comb
tylenol
benadryl
calculator
kleenex
stop watch
band aids
sunscreen
eyedrops

whew...I better go visit the chiropractor.

Colleen said...

I have a small homemade purse containing the following:

- change purse
- sunglasses
- Blistex
- 2 pens
- lip gloss
- work keys
- little wallet of the usual wallet cards
- cute mini Tupperware keychain with Advil inside
- mini notepad that perfectly matches my purse :)
- cell phone
- ipod

Just think how much more I can fit when I get a Zaza bag!!