Love In My Handbag

By Dawn Lyons – Guest Post for Candy Coated Bags

My introduction to handbags came from two extraordinary women – my mother and grandmother.

As a little girl, I spent a lot of time in our car, as my mom would have to drive downtown to pick my dad up from work. Mom would let me look through her purse to help pass the time. Oh, the treasures that were revealed with the slide of a zipper, the pop of a snap or the release of a buckle! My favorite item was mom’s lipstick, held in a perfectly sized, colorful fabric box with pretty stitched designs all around it. A flip of the magnetic flap revealed a mirror that was just long and wide enough to reflect the lips to assist in applying the creamy color. The lipstick case was always easily located alongside Mom’s long, thin wallet, prickly hair brush and near the crackly, clear wrap that held a few Kleenex tissues. Then, there was what I considered the “special” area – a pocket secured behind a smaller zipper. This is where Mom kept a nail file and emery board, so our nails could be kept clean and neat at all times. A small, oval container, purple with a flower design on top held hard, white circles that would clink around inside, which I knew were pieces of medicine that mom would take if she had a headache. More importantly, that special zippered pocket always held a package of gum. Sometimes the flavor was cool peppermint; other times spicy cinnamon. I was often allowed to take out a stick, tear it in half and then peel off the foil wrapping – half for me, half for Mom. I assumed it was the gum that gave Mom’s handbags the slightly sweet scent they always carried inside. 

I remember having handbags to play with but when I turned 12 or 13, I started carrying a handbag with me all the time. A girl needed “things” when she went to a friend’s house, or to the mall!  Plus it was a sign of maturity – “ladies” carried handbags – all the time and everywhere they went. But this took some getting used to and I once forgot my taupe corduroy bag at my grandmother’s house. It closed only with an inside snap button, and also had the important “special” zippered pocket inside.  When I returned to get it, Grams told me she had put some things into the handbag, specifically adding that she did not open the bag, but just slipped some things inside around were the snap held the sides of the handbag together. During the drive home, I found myself going through my own purse. To my delight, Grams had placed inside a few things she believed to be essential items for a lady to carry: a travel-sized perfume, lip gloss, a package of gum and of course, an emery board. Had to keep those nails neat!

I cannot count the number of handbags I have owned since then. With all the different styles, colors and uses, they are both fun and functional. I carry some things that Mom and Grams didn’t – I always have a book to read and a supply of wet wipes. But a few things from those early experiences with handbags have stuck with me. Gum and mints float around the main area of my handbag for quick access. When I reach for them, I often hear the crackling of the travel package of Kleenex. The zippered pocket on the inside always holds at least four items: lip gloss, a travel-sized perfume, an emery board and a pretty purple container with a floral design on the lid. Mom and Grams are both gone, but I carry special memories and their love with me.  Right there in my handbag.