A little sunshine showed up at our door!

I think the polar vortex has worn out its welcome, don't you? It seems we've left to our fuzzy robes, slippers, scarves, giant cups of coffee and...online shopping for months and months and months now. As a result of my polar vortex online shopping therapy, sunshine was literally brought to our front door. Let me tell you how...

I've been carrying a Vera Bradley Hipster bag for quite some time. For a while, it was the perfect purse - convenient size, cross body, several pockets inside and out, and it's washable. After a few months, though, I was beginning to run out of purse space. I found myself in the grocery checkout lane taking four items out just to find my wallet that had gotten buried at the bottom (not convenient, by the way, with four littles in tow). So, I knew I had to go on a quest for a new bag. I was totally spoiled by the cross-body feature, but I wanted something unique, durable, and not $400. 

I thought my quest had taken me to the end of the Internet, really. I'd been all through Etsy with every combination of search term imaginable. I'd looked all through major retailers' sites; I looked through eBay (even the UK and Italy eBay sites). I just couldn't find what I was looking for. I was hoping to make a trip to the Fossil outlet soon, but then I found this.

I know, right?

I was SO excited to find this beauty - made from hemp and with a design inspired by Peter Max's artwork. I absolutely adore sunsets and sunrises. I take a photo of every one I see - be it with my Nikon or an iPhone photo taken through the windshield. I also love to incorporate warm golden hues in the photos I take for clients; so, this was totally up my alley! The only problem was - the listing showed it as a shoulder bag (womp. womp. womp.). I briefly mentioned this above, but I'm all about the cross-body bag. In fact, while I'm usually carrying one baby and holding the hand of another, I really can't have a purse that's sliding off my shoulder constantly. It's just too much. The shop owner, Barbara, kindly offered to customize this bag for me - making it the cross-body style I need. She mentioned that making bags to suit anyone's lifestyle is why she started her shop. I loved working with this sweet lady and since I'm a small business advocate, I wanted to share her shop info with you! You can access her Etsy page by clicking here. She also warranties workmanship for life. FOR LIFE! Awesome, right? Additionally, she offers low cost wear and tear repairs. By the way, Barbara uses environmentally responsible manufacturing processes and makes an effort to reduce waste without compromising quality. This is a top quality bag; I'd say Barbara is doing a great job! Be sure to stop by her Etsy store to see all of her inventory. I think you'll love it!!! 

PS. I was not compensated for this post or asked to review this product; all opinions are strictly my own.