Thanks to the NY Times and this article, I just splurged BIG time on the most adorable purse EVER.
It's from this Etsy shop, rebounddesigns (also see her web site here), and was hand-made from an actual book cover. Which is quite possibly one of the coolest ideas ever. And WHICH book, you ask, enticed me to plop down the most money I've ever paid for a purse? (I think Georges is probably wincing a little as he reads that last bit. Don't worry, sweetie, it's a lot less than a Louis Vuitton. Or, say, an iPad. And I love you.)
None other than Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Which I just happened to finish re-reading YESTERDAY.
As a writer and a serial Jane Austen fan, how could I NOT buy it? And it was the LAST ONE (na na na-na na!) I consider it destiny: this purse and I were made for each other.
My only regret about buying it is that I will have to wait until May 25th to get my hands on it, as I decided to have it shipped to my mom's house in New Jersey for safety and that's the day I arrive for my next visit back home. I'm considering it a birthday present for myself: I turn 49 on May 19th and I think entering the last year of my 40s warrants such drastic "retail therapy" measures to take the edge off the horror of this reality. And also I recently finished that big ghostwriting job that ended up taking 18 months longer than I'd estimated (mainly my fault, by the way), and hadn't yet come up with a small reward for myself for that. I rarely buy anything frivolous for myself, but I think purses are quickly going to become my new fashion-passion. For one thing, they always fit no matter what you weigh, and here in Paris I have a hard time shopping for clothes or shoes that fit me.
I'm so excited about this purse. I was dead tired this morning, having been up half the night with severe back pain, but suddenly I feel a whole lot better.
I may even want to sleep with this purse when I get it. That's how much I love it already.
*Product images from Rebound-designs.com.
