The shelf of many handbags

Now as you may know I’ve been having a good clear out lately, partly due to my excessive hoarding of clothes and because we want to move house this year. Most of my shelves were piled high with maternity and old work clothes so they’ve all been bagged up and donated to charity. Unfortunately it didn’t leave as much space as I was hoping so I will have to be a bit more ruthless. I have one shelf which I’m just not sure what to do about – the shelf of many handbags.

I’m not really a girly girl so I don’t know how it happened but I have a handbag collection. To be fair I haven’t really used many of them lately, they look a lot smarter than the image I give out as a slightly dis-shevelled mother of two. My collection is also morphing from the leather handbag into <shudder> the more practical handbag, aka the changing bag. Gone are the days when I took the commuter train to work. I don’t need to look smart these days and the only train I take is the occasional one as a treat for my train-mad son. My handbag no longer contains a packed lunch, glossy mag, make up bag or spare pair of dancing shoes but endless nappies, wipes, dummies and Diesel 10.

Until Little Sis came along I was thinking about selling the handbag collection but now I have a little girl I think she may rather like them when she’s older. I can remember which shop they all came from, if they were presents or I bought them for myself, even which season they are! A couple I have given away to my sister but the rest I have kept. Perhaps I’ll rescue them from their dust bags and use them again or perhaps I’ll just keep them as one day they’ll be vintage – which makes me feel really old!