Handbags, ebay and autumn light

Random handbags

We found a random handbag while sorting out my Gran's. Where its from or how old it is has become an intriguing mystery especially when my Gran rarely kept or used handbags, she had two favourites and that was that, this one was merely hidden upon a wardrobe shelf.

A soft leather, the handbag material itself is now rather blotchy, with a small strap which hooks at either side, they are slightly rusty and old. With a small and well working clasp upon the front a pocket runs along it's length at the back. The handbag opens to reveal a purple (rather then the blue the camera has depicted) inlay - its colour is so vibrant and bright - far from a colour matching any of its modern contemporaries. A selection of small pockets align across the front, one holding what seems its original vanity mirror so neatly slotted into its pocket. Opening to three compartments, the middle one is tightly held by a clasp, to open it is to reveal something I've never come across in contemporary handbags - an internal hinged pocket, its colour the same as the inlay with a leatherette brown insides - perfect for loose chain.

Yet with no known history of it and with no information provided inside the handbag itself - no marks or names are presented its a little lost item of the past. Its possibly too worn to use but its a perfect accompaniment to my compact collection for a shiny vintage compact would be a fitting partner to slot into this handbag.

Is there even a way of dating handbags?! - all ideas and thoughts are kindly welcome

The eBay find

Somehow I've managed to keep away, or never really stumble across using eBay, even my parents managed to beat me to using that website. Even through the site is well established and used by the millions I've never really had a need to bid for anything. Until I thought of eBay as the perfect site and place to expand my recent collection of powder compacts. It's a hobby, well a collection I'm not going to get into just for economic or monetary value, more for the history, the shapes and designs of these individual cases. Somehow I'm even stopping myself from bidding for everything beautiful on there, my self control seems to have found new boundaries.

So to get the virtual ball rolling, a round Stratton compact caught my eye. With its blue top with paler blue and white flowers, their shapes outlined in the gold matching the casing, it is the classic Stratton compact with it's infamous stars on the bottom. Inside a clear mirror with the Stratton name is engraved into the upper casing. Going on to flick up the cover which keeps in place the powder case, its bottom is showing and is somewhat marked - but its nothing a cheap powder inlay couldn't fix.

It was the colour that got me, especially when the sun catches its top, its blueness is so bright and after going for 99p (plus the old postage) and a good little dust and rub this afternoon its a perfect little addition to my collection.

And a final little dressing table picture

I'm still missing my digital camera after it got landed into the bin after the white screen of death so I still have to resort to using the camera phone. For a 3MP LG camera phone it does a rather good job - the girl is just hoping she gets a proper camera for her birthday next week! Anyway, I was playing around with my phone while I was taking the above pictures of my compact and eyed up my mirror (also use to be my Gran's) which after a good fix of mending the hinges it now sits nice and proud on my dressing table. I just love how the autumnal evening sunshine casts its rays onto the mirror and how it creates an airy, hazy atmosphere into the room. It seems to give the mirror a kind of power, ancestral somewhat fitting to its heritage.