Milo & Saint handbags

OK, I'm getting withdrawal symptons - time for more handbags... take a look at this one, the Hardwick by Milo & Saint.

Joy of joys, instead of a zip it has a snap-closure like an old fashioned frame purse.  What's more it has two sorts of strap: one 'cross-body' strap for those 'hands free' moments, and also straps to carry the bag on the shoulder.  There are several pockets and compartments to keep you organised, plus it has great detailing - it has boxed pleating used on the front pockets, and a very pretty lining.

Wow, look at that, v smart in jet black.

Milo & Saint has several other styles - the Chantry clutch bag; the Drayton bag which is similar to the Hardwick but slightly smaller and simpler in design, and the main compartment has a zip closure; and the Franklin tote which has a long shoulder strap, and a large zipped main compartment, for totin' around lots of stuff, elegantly.

The bags can be bought directly from the Milo & Saint website.

Charlotte Farmer Royal Wedding tea towel

 I spotted this Charlotte Farmer tea towel at the Selvedge Spring Fair

- thanks to Charlotte's blog for the pics - there were so many people crammed round the stall, I couldn't get a good pic myself.

And these neatly illustrate some of my current biscuit obsessions, namely the pink wafer and those wicked Tunnocks Teacakes.

Oh yeah custard creams

Mrs Osborn's favourite shops - Mimi on Cheshire Street

Mimi on Cheshire Street is where my obsession for British-made things really took hold.  I love love love those old fashioned frame-style purses that close with a pleasing snap, so imagine my delight (c.2004) when I discovered her collection of said purses, in a rainbow of colours.  I wanted one of every colour; I settled for a green one, and a silver one (with a hot pink lining).

From there it was but a skip and a hop to purchasing bags (yes, that is plural) designed by Mimi.  I favour bags with long straps and a zip along the top - so my hands are free for swatting pesky children, and my possessions stay safe as I hurtle around town - and Mimi has designed plenty of those over the years that have somehow found their way home with me.  A particular favourite, not unlike the Delilah (see below) was made especially for me in fabulous orange leather.

I popped along to Cheshire Street earlier this week to take a look at Mimi's Spring Summer collection.

Delilah in tan.

Let me tell you all about it:

soft, slightly grainy leather,

one long strap cross-body strap, 

and one shorter strap to wear bag on the shoulder

zip top, inner pocket with zip.

Perfect.

Gracie purse with long strap - brilliant! - on mannequin.

Little Peggy satchel in hard leather hanging on wall to the left, 

and red and green ones on table (just seen)

Hero  messenger bag hanging on wall

Louis laptop case and Oscar travel wallet (on top of cabinet)

Gloria clutch bag - especially like the sparkly leather in sorbet colours- which I have seen up close, and it is delicious (top left in cabinet),

 and Lucy purses (bottom shelf in cabinet)

Big Teddy shopper bag - 

did you know the school book bags fit neatly inside? 

(hanging on wall and on desk)

Mimi's Elsie satchel

Perhaps this blog features too many bags, but this is too good to miss: Mimi's Elsie satchel is on sale, for the first time ever. I have it in yellow - it is as lovely as it looks.

hand made on the high street

Unexpectedly, a free morning: free of kids, free of work. What to do? A quick bus ride into town, to check out hand made things on the high street.
Starting off at Liberty - not exactly 'high street' unless Regent Street is your usual shopping haunt - I found Annina Vogel who makes jewellery using antique gold charms.  Each piece is unique as the charms are not replicas but the real thing and diamonds often feature. Lovely. Pricey. (I'm finding it hard to find anything on her website for less than £250) **sigh**

Might as well go for broke and show you this All Hearts Victorian charm necklace - which costs many thousands £££

On to TopShop which has been stocking hand made headgear by Chapeau Claudette for a while - today I found this Kylie clip - cost about £10, which is much more pleasing.

BARK jewellery is not currently in stock at Anthropologie, but I noticed this piece worn by one of the very nice gals in the shop:

and also Mimi's Honey bag in nice soft, slightly grainy leather - zip closure at the top, with a short strap and a long detachable over the shoulder strap too (this style is currently on sale on the Mimi website, thus cheaper than at Anthropologie).

Tamara Fogle's purses and bags

I love those old fashioned 'frame' purses, in fact they are a bit of an obsession (via Mimi, they were the starting point for my interest in British made things), and Tamara Fogle makes a whole range of purses and bags which feature the old fashioned-style frames that make a pleasing snap when they are closed.

Palm purse (I have one of these - large enough for credit cards, cash and other bits and bobs if you want to travel light on a night out, such as mobile phone, lipstick, whatever)

I like this bag that looks like an old fashioned doctor's bag - the Landsdowne, in brilliant red

Tamara also uses antique fabrics such as Hungarian grain sacks; the Grab Bag below uses a quilted Indian textile:

Susannah's Jumbo clutch

I took a peek at Susannah Hunter's blog to see that these lovely clutches are in now in stock at her Rugby Street store.

Love is...(Part 1)

...a cliche of red and pink.  Get ready for Valentine's Day

Go out on the town wearing this little number: Belle & Bunty Eliza silk georgette maxi dress at ASOS

red Cambridge Satchel available here 

snuggle up under a Melin Tregwynt blanket (range of sizes available): Knot Garden, in ember, available here

say it with...lobsters from Tatty Devine

for the key to your heart: Susannah Hunter key ring from here

seriously amazing handbags from Susannah Hunter

I adore Susannah's bags. They are, quite literally, works of art.  Each handbag is made by hand in her London atelier just off Lamb's Conduit Street, out of soft brightly colour leather, decorated with an arrangement of appliqued flowers, and lined with velvety material.

I particularly like her daisies and anemones which pop up through the seasons on different colourways - for Spring Summer 2011 the daisies are on a pale dove grey haversack: a very handy bag if you have kids and need to have your hands free, but want an alternative to those dreaded 'sensible' mummy-nappy bags. NB - Susannah's bags don't usually feature zips, using magnetic poppers instead which is a consideration for those that want things extra secure.

and there are blue anemones on a white overnight bag: perfect for those Bridget Jones Mini Breaks - I have a vision of St Pancras International, just about to board Eurostar, SH bag in hand...

I also love her seascape which this season is available on the Alex bag:

As befits a work of art, they cost serious amounts of £££ - so you might have to raid the kids' piggy banks for this one.

Mimi - sale on!

Mimi, my fav bag shop on Cheshire Street, is having a sale. Unfortunately for me, the oilskin shopper bag (Teddy) I have had  my eye on ALL WINTER is no longer available, and the Beau is not on sale (and thus remains far to expensive for me to ever consider). But Dora is in the sale, marked down from £124 to £80, and it looks lovely in the pale gold (pictured here in silver).

Music satchel / case / bag to put your sheet music in: Cambridge Satchel Company, Matt Fothergill, Mimi

My daughters' tootling on the recorder hardly justify splashing out on music bags, but these are nice - and could be used as work bags, if only for flat-ish things.
Cambridge Satchel Company (so popular that your Christmas order must be with them by...erm... tomorrow) says a laptop computer could fit into theirs...yours for £73.

Cambridge Satchel Company - (chic and more interesting than black) navy music bag

Matt Fothergill's music satchel is more pricey (£149) but leather looks softer and stitching looks nice.

Matt Fothergill music bag

The one I want is Mimi's Beau, new for AW10 and inspired by a music bag, and costs a lot more than I can find in the girls' piggy banks (even though the going rate for the Tooth Fairy is £1 per tooth; there has been massive inflation since the 1970s). £360.

Mimi Beau bag, music satchel inspired, lovely tan colour

One can dream.

Mimi's new collection

This deserves a post of it's own: Mimi's AW 10 collection is now available on-line. Hurrah! I am a devoted fan of her bags (her classic Elsie satchel is a top favourite) and purses, especially those that have old fashioned clasps...Kitty purse, tan goatskin is in current usage.

Kitty

 but this season she has some new, very tempting zipper purses (sweetly named Burt and Ernie) that come in some very yummy colours - soft gold, pewter...

Burt

Ernie

Dora and Honey bags are back again in new range of colours, and also printed leather, but I rather fancy the Teddy oilskin shopper - it looks like it can hold a lot of gubbins, it's waterproof and best of all it's got a zip to keep everything safe inside.

Teddy

back to school

School term started today; why did I wait so long to order my lovely new (navy) satchel from the Cambridge Satchel Company? I've been cyberstalking it for months. Huge demand so that the Back to School look may have to wait until October (which will give me long enough to wonder why I chose navy instead of red).

I'll have to make do in the meantime with my classic Elsie satchel from Mimi (one of my absolute favourite shops on Cheshire Street, off Brick Lane). The yellow is gorgeous, but I'm not sure about off-setting it with brown beige grandad cardi as pictured here; it looks v good with dark grey and navy.