A love-ly bag - for Valentines Day!

Erin spotted a very cute Gladstone handbag on Facebook marketplace last week.  When I made contact with the seller, the bag was already pending collection.  

Fortunately for me, that sale fell through - so Nick and I collected the bag yesterday.

Given it came home on 13 February, the bag was deemed to be a Valentines gift - and a love-ly one at that!

We were aware the bag was missing one of the buckle prongs and had thought we would replace that small part.  

When I was examining the bag on the way home though, we decided removing the second buckle prong would be easier - and the strap seemed to sit nicely without it.

As you can see from the top pic, the bag was otherwise in very good condition.  A few small marks were evident, along with light tarnish to the clasp.  It had a key and really just needed some TLC.

I enjoyed meeting and chatting with the seller at the arranged pick-up time.  She had bought the bag from a vintage shop and didn't know anything else about it.  

There is no maker information but it appears to be  quality, hand-crafted leather. 

I used saddle-soap to clean the bag today and used a damp magic sponge to gently rub at some of the marks.  I then applied a number of leather conditioning coats.  The leather was very dry and drank in the treatments.

There really wasn't much other work necessary.  I went over the tarnished clasp very lightly with superfine steel wool and think it looks better for that minor polish.  

Nick asked if I was going to put an initial keyring on it, like the larger bags.  I admitted I was thinking along those lines!  After pondering, I remembered my baby bracelet, engraved with my full initials. 

There was a long period after my first marriage when I used a different surname.  Since Nick and I married (15 years ago!), my childhood initials are again appropriate to use.

Nick removed the chain from the initial plate of the bracelet and punched small holes in the clasp strap.  

Initially the plaque was pinned to the leather, while we pondered the best method for it's permanent attachment.

At some point Nick remembered a hobby store in Ipswich, so we took the bag and plaque there to discuss options with a lovely gentleman.  Once we showed him our plan, he brought out boxed of tiny bolts and nuts.  He had so many!

Nick fixed the plaque to the bag clasp while I was napping in the afternoon.  As with the larger bolts on the hatbox handle, he made sure the slots lined up perfectly - cos I'm fussy about those details!  

So now the latest baby Gladstone bag has formally joined the ranks of our monogrammed luggage!  Don't they look wonderful all lined up together?!

I'm really not sure how this bag will be used.  It might still serve as a handbag.  In any case (hah!) it was well worth the $20.00 asking price - and I'm sure I'll have a love-ly time using it!

Nick and I called into an op-shop after buying the bolts.  The volunteer behind the counter was very taken with my little bag and praised it most highly.  We spent quite a long time chatting and laughing - so completely overlooked browsing the shop for bargains!

Owl drink to that!

Nick and I very recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with a bit of a splurge - lovely accommodation, dressing up and dining out - it was wonderful!

Tea, coffee and small cups were provided in our room but both of us prefer to use a larger mug.  Nick found these dancing owl mugs at an op-shop while we were away.  There were a $2.00 bargain!

I made them each a padded carry bag once home again, so they can come on other non-camping adventures - safely stowed in our Gladstone bags.  

The project became a bit bigger than I first intended but I quite enjoyed some creative pottering.  (All the fabrics and notions were downstairs, which was another bonus).

I'm not sure we'll use the mug rugs (aka oversized coasters) but I found the scraps of owl fabric when rummaging and they were such a good match for the mugs that I decided to liberate them from the stash.  

The tea wallet was an easy make to hold a few of my usual favourite teas. (Some brands/blends trigger headaches, hence I prefer to bring my own).  There's enough room to pack small containers of coffee and sugar replacement tablets with Nick's mug.

I followed an online tutorial to make the drawstring bags.  They are a little different to those I've made previously.  I adjusted the described method to add interfacing and batting because I wanted to provide extra protection for the mugs.  Gotta look after our $2.00 investment!

Hats off to us!

Happy New Year!  I ended 2020 by giving Herb (a Gladstone bag!) his spa treatment - and then we welcomed 2021 by restoring this leather hat box.  How good does it look now?!

We bought the hat box at a December garage sale for the princely sum of $5.00 - yep, it had definitely seen better days.  It was very nicely made and we believe it might have been a special piece when new.

The box was in pretty good condition inside but I really wasn't sure I'd be able to restore the piece, given all the stains to the outer leather.  However, given the bargain price I was going to have a try!

I've watched many bag restoration tutorials on YouTube and decided to darken the leather with a few coats of Neatsfoot oil - hoping to lessen the visibility of the stains.  After a number of those oil applications, I used dark tan shoe polish to further even out the colour.  Once I was happy with those efforts, Nick was called upon to assist with handle repair.

In rummaging for something else, I found a belt in my drawer.  It was the same width as the mounts for the previous handle and deemed suitable to use for the repair.  I wasn't keen on the colour but thought to flip the piece upside-down and then darken it with the shoe polish.  Success!

Luckily Bunnings was open on New Year's Day and we ventured out to acquire a leather hole punch, some brass screws and extra glue.

Once home again, Nick attempted to punch holes in the belt piece.  Contrary to the belt's claim to be leather, at least one layer of it was not - and the punch wouldn't cut through.

Plan B was to first glue the handle in place, then drill holes and install the brass bolts when the glue had dried. 

Nick took a break to walk the dog and I had an afternoon nap while they were gone.  When I woke later, the handle was finished and looked absolutely splendid!

Nick used six bolts (with 12 washers) to attach the replacement handle - and they cost just under $5.00.  

So for an investment of just $10.00 we have now added a leather hat box to our growing set of monogrammed luggage!  The glue we had was enough for the handle attachment and all other leather cleaning, moisturising etc products were also on hand.  Minimal outlay was necessary, just a lot of TLC and some thinking outside the (hat) box.  Gotta be very happy with that!

Glad to see in the New Year!

In about mid-October, we found another leather Gladstone bag in an opshop.  Yep, that brings the tally to four of this style (one in vinyl) - as well as the darker leather medicine bag!

Both opshop purchases weren't planned but we do love a bargain and this bag seemed a good deal at $40.00. 

The previous vinyl opshop bag was $20.00 but then required a $10.00 repair and yes, that was excellent value for the work done.  (Replacing the lining and re-assembling the bag is a mission for early in the New Year).

The $40.00 bag was made by Herbert Caspari, so has been dubbed Herb.  It seemed in pretty good condition, albeit in need of some TLC.

It came away with us, untreated, for our late October/early November camper trailer trip and proved a handy addition to our "monogrammed luggage".  Today I decided to give it an overdue spa treatment - as my last 2020 project.

I cleaned the outside with saddlesoap, treated some scuff marks with magic sponge and applied a few coats of neatsfoot oil as well as one of hydrating cream. Later in the day I went over the bag with a light application of shoe polish, particularly to disguise the wear marks - which worked well.  I  followed with a last generous treatment of the leather cream.

The lining is intact, though the pocket may need some stitching.  I've left everything as is for now.  Reassembling the vinyl bag is next on my project list.  Depending on how easy that goes together, I might consider replacing the lining of this bag. Maybe!

Travel bright!

Nick and I did a lovely overnight trip out to Dalby recently.  It was the first outing for his new luggage set, so there were various photos taken. (I'd used my vanity case for another overnight trip with Erin just prior to going away with Nick).  

I've been pondering improvements to my organisation since returning home.

We were at a chemist yesterday.  While waiting for scripts to be filled, I browsed the travel accessories.  I found a very cheerful orange set - of soap holder, toothbrush case, bottles and tiny jars. 

I tested them in the vanity case last night and liked how they looked with these purple pouches (found in an opshop ages ago). 

Today I bought a face cloth.  True orange was hard to find, so I opted for "rust" instead - and then I embellished it with a strip of paisley fabric this afternoon.

I found a tough plastic zip pouch in Daiso.  It's more upmarket than the ziplock bag I usually pack the wet cloth in!

Jammin'!

Ann very kindly gifted three kilos of mulberries from her backyard tree, when we visited her in Dalby.  I processed one kilo as pie/pudding filling on Friday night, which made three containers for the freezer.

I made the remaining mulberries into jam yesterday, batching one kilo at a time because that's the capacity of my two-litre pyrex jug (which I use in the microwave).

Last year I was able to make just one jar of mulberry/apple jam, using the small berries we can access from branches that overhang into our yard.  The berries are even smaller this year, so I didn't try to beat the birds.  As pretty as that single jar of jam was, I'd overdone the cooking a little so it was almost fruity toffee!

I was very conscious of extra carefully watching these batches, peering through the microwave door to check on the bubbling concoction!

My increased scrutiny worked and I was far more pleased with the end result - six large, fabulously red jars of mulberry jam!

Bags not removing rivets!

Earlier in the week I dropped our $20.00 vinyl bag to a leather-worker.  It made sense to have the handles repaired by someone more experienced in that work.  I returned to collect the bag today but the lovely fellow hadn't finished due to having difficulty extracting two rivets, necessary to enable the repair.  

Nick had the same difficulties removing similar rivets from the second (leather) $20.00 bag, so I'll collect the vinyl one next week.  In the meantime I have ordered waxed thread and harness needles, which I'll need to re-attach the frame to the bag (at the same time as replacing the lining). 

We ordered a different style of rivet to replace all those removed from the brown leather bag.  The new style screws in and can be removed fairly easily, if necessary.

I took out the lining from the doctor bag and unpicked it carefully so I can use it as a pattern.  However, I am still deciding whether I want to make the new lining in the same style or more like the one I did for the other bag.

While I ponder the lining, I removed a lot of the cardboard stiffeners from the bag.  Nick started that mission the other night and then I did more yesterday.  I lay a damp cloth over the old cardboard, which then scraped away fairly easily.  At this stage, the base cardboard has been left in place.  The bottom of the bag bows somewhat and we are thinking of the best method to flatten it.  If we can avoid taking out that last support piece, we will.  We do plan to replace the four side support pieces so as to give the bag better shape and structure.  And yes, there has been a lot of YouTube research about vintage luggage restoration!

I polished the metal hardware on the frame today, as well as two clasp pieces that mount on the narrow ends of the bag.  I used Brasso and fine steel wool to brighten all of them.  Given the replacement rivets will be shiny new, I polished more vigorously than I had for the other two Gladstone bags.  The handle received a bit of attention also. (I'll take some "after" pics of the centre section another day).