52 Card Project 2021: Week 21: Purse
May. 27th, 2021 02:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrLike so many women, I am constantly on the lookout for a better purse solution.
I carry too much. I have upsized and I have downsized, looking for the right balance between having enough of the things I use constantly with me when I need them, and ease and comfort. I am extremely picky about having a well-organized purse, because I never want to have to root around for what I need. Everything is in a consistent pocket. I like purses with a key strap so I never have to hunt for my keys.
For the past several years, I have (to the wonder and probably faint derision of my children) carried TWO purses: a technology purse (with my phone, iPod and tablet, and charging cords and plugs) and a financial purse (wallet, checkbook, and everything else). This was rather embarrassing. And the purses were heavy. This week I decided (yet again) to rethink and try to do something about it.
The underlay of this card is a soulcollage card I created in 2008, a 'Committee card' (i.e., representing an aspect of myself) called the "Bearer of Burdens." This is the post when I first created it, and I blogged about it further here in 2011. I was always the sherpa for my family, the organized and prepared one, the person who carried the tape measure, the dental floss, the handi-wipes. Part of this was because of the sheer fact that I was the ONLY member of my immediate family who DIDN'T have ADHD, and so I would often have to whip something out at a moment's notice to save the day.
In the lower right I have put a picture of the new rather large tote purse I found this week (and spent too much money on). In the sky above the camels, I have placed pictures of EVERYTHING I am now carrying in the purse:
• pens and checkbooks
• a quilted cup cosy (shaped like a corset) for hot coffee cups
• a Stasher bag with charger, charging cords
• my iPod touch
• keys
• a card case where I keep my credit cards
• my tablet for reading (which I am constantly whipping out to read from whenever I'm stuck in a line)
• dental floss
• redacting tape for making corrections in my checkbook register
• mini Stasher bags with charging plugs and earbuds
• tweezers (I HATE the little hairs that grow out of my chin and pluck them out the instant I feel them)
• mini tape measure
• chapstick
• a dental squeegee thingummy for irrigating out the food particles that get caught in the hole where my wisdom tooth used to be
• a card case for business cards for my employer
• a checkbook register
• my phone
• a string bag for purchases
• a utensil case with bamboo utensils
• cough drops
• wallet
• kleenex holder with handkerchief inside
• brass nameplate I wear at my organization's events
To the right, I have placed pictures of the items I've removed from the purse in the hopes of making it lighter (with the red x's over them).
• a Moleskine notebook
• a manicure case with nail files and a compact mirror
• my old wallet
• my old worn card case
It IS lighter, which is a relief, and well-organized, but still, it's ridiculously big. I will try to be mindful of removing just what I need to a smaller purse when I am going out for a limited errand--except that I hate switching things back and forth. I'm always afraid I'll absentmindedly leave my wallet in the wrong purse and then won't have my driver's license when I need it.
I'm reminded of the time I watched Fiona emptying her (much smaller) purse on a table in front of me, and I inquired, rather baffled, why she had a plastic cockroach in her purse.
"The more important question," she informed me loftily, "is why don't you carry a plastic cockroach in your purse, Mom?"
Purse
Click here to read about the 52 card project and see the year's gallery.
I carry too much. I have upsized and I have downsized, looking for the right balance between having enough of the things I use constantly with me when I need them, and ease and comfort. I am extremely picky about having a well-organized purse, because I never want to have to root around for what I need. Everything is in a consistent pocket. I like purses with a key strap so I never have to hunt for my keys.
For the past several years, I have (to the wonder and probably faint derision of my children) carried TWO purses: a technology purse (with my phone, iPod and tablet, and charging cords and plugs) and a financial purse (wallet, checkbook, and everything else). This was rather embarrassing. And the purses were heavy. This week I decided (yet again) to rethink and try to do something about it.
The underlay of this card is a soulcollage card I created in 2008, a 'Committee card' (i.e., representing an aspect of myself) called the "Bearer of Burdens." This is the post when I first created it, and I blogged about it further here in 2011. I was always the sherpa for my family, the organized and prepared one, the person who carried the tape measure, the dental floss, the handi-wipes. Part of this was because of the sheer fact that I was the ONLY member of my immediate family who DIDN'T have ADHD, and so I would often have to whip something out at a moment's notice to save the day.
In the lower right I have put a picture of the new rather large tote purse I found this week (and spent too much money on). In the sky above the camels, I have placed pictures of EVERYTHING I am now carrying in the purse:
• pens and checkbooks
• a quilted cup cosy (shaped like a corset) for hot coffee cups
• a Stasher bag with charger, charging cords
• my iPod touch
• keys
• a card case where I keep my credit cards
• my tablet for reading (which I am constantly whipping out to read from whenever I'm stuck in a line)
• dental floss
• redacting tape for making corrections in my checkbook register
• mini Stasher bags with charging plugs and earbuds
• tweezers (I HATE the little hairs that grow out of my chin and pluck them out the instant I feel them)
• mini tape measure
• chapstick
• a dental squeegee thingummy for irrigating out the food particles that get caught in the hole where my wisdom tooth used to be
• a card case for business cards for my employer
• a checkbook register
• my phone
• a string bag for purchases
• a utensil case with bamboo utensils
• cough drops
• wallet
• kleenex holder with handkerchief inside
• brass nameplate I wear at my organization's events
To the right, I have placed pictures of the items I've removed from the purse in the hopes of making it lighter (with the red x's over them).
• a Moleskine notebook
• a manicure case with nail files and a compact mirror
• my old wallet
• my old worn card case
It IS lighter, which is a relief, and well-organized, but still, it's ridiculously big. I will try to be mindful of removing just what I need to a smaller purse when I am going out for a limited errand--except that I hate switching things back and forth. I'm always afraid I'll absentmindedly leave my wallet in the wrong purse and then won't have my driver's license when I need it.
I'm reminded of the time I watched Fiona emptying her (much smaller) purse on a table in front of me, and I inquired, rather baffled, why she had a plastic cockroach in her purse.
"The more important question," she informed me loftily, "is why don't you carry a plastic cockroach in your purse, Mom?"
Click here to read about the 52 card project and see the year's gallery.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-05-27 08:04 pm (UTC)For several years I used a scaled down version of a laptop bag that my mother made for me. I had seasonal variations because she needed to make a new one every time she taught the class at her quilt shop.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-05-27 11:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-05-28 02:03 pm (UTC)Then I put it into a larger purse when I need to carry around extra stuff like two pairs of glasses, water, a notebook, etc.
Hoping you find a good solution!