The Union Jack has the most basic colours, yet it consists of around four flags in one; thus the word 'union'. And Mum got me this one from London. However, it's one of the ones I can't use due to some of the beads undoing on one of the stripes. So, I have to keep this beautiful - if not heavy - little purse in a plastic zip-lock bag so I don't lose anymore beads.
And so, until I find another purse just like it, I'm without a London/Union Jack beaded purse. It's unfortunate that this one has to stay in the basket; but I don't want to lose all the beads while I'm out one day. But it's gorgeous to bring out and look at how much work has gone into it.
This has got to be the cutest one out of the lot! I bought this one at Oxfam when it was on sale for $3.00 recently only because it was beautiful; and I was looking for a green one. There were plenty of black and blue mice there, but I wanted a green mouse; and this one was bigger than the others as well.
I've used this coin purse and its only drawback is that it's big enough only for smaller coins and not folding money. So, seeing that's the only problem with it, I guess it's still usable. And so, I'll be slotting only the barest amount of $2 and $1 coins into its darling zipper back for emergencies and using another coin purse for proper usage. Now, that's not a bad idea.
I love this one; and yet, I don't really know when I'll use it. It was bought just last pay and appeared very boring when I picked it up; however it was inside that caught my attention. The jaffa colouring of the inside is beautiful, so I couldn't pass up this one!
I've seen a few of these before and wonder where they come from. The last one I had was silver and it contained sweets/lollies for Easter. However, I'm sure this one was used for something different. I'm not sure. Nonetheless, it's in my house now and will be used in the future some time.
I found this gorgeous one too good to pass up. However, I also found one rather major problem with it; and it's not a good one. Despite it being such a lovely find and very beautiful, I can't get it open; even though you can see a picture of it open here (I had to use a pair of scissors to prise it open for that photo to be taken; dangerous in more ways than one! Can you imagine if I tried that in public?).
So, this one stays in its packet and in the elephant-grass basket with the few others I have and don't use for various reasons (each one is different from each other). However, I wouldn't want somebody else to have this coin purse and throw it out because it wouldn't open. I keep this one because of its beauty; not because of its practicability. So, here's one just for show.
I almost didn't buy this one; mainly because it's bigger than most of the ones I own. But I did. And I'm glad I did. This rather large coin purse has yet to be used and this is only because I'm terrified of losing any of the gorgeous bead work on it. It was found with a few others at a second-hand shop and - as I said - almost left behind due to how big it was.
So, I may yet take it to the coast this Christmas and use it at that markets; where it'll get the most use. How good will that be? It'll also match the feel of the place too!
Now, I thought to do this one next; seeing it's not going to be in my collection for very long. Yes. I'm giving this one away to somebody on another website as a prize for Halloween. It's going to be a fun Halloween Prize Pack.
I found this almost-new 'Goosebumps' wallet at a Life Line store in the condition it's in. I didn't have to clean it out or wipe it down. There weren't any weird or gross surprises in it either. And so, I was pleasantly surprised t
o see this one in the box with a whole lot of purses and smaller bags.
In the prize pack, I'm also including 3 Goosebump books, a bag of lollies, a set of Halloween straws and Halloween stickers (all 422 of them!). And now this wallet is going in to make the pack complete!
This is one of first I picked up here in Brisbane; and one of the many that started off the collection I have now. It's money pouch I purchased at the Medi-evil Fair at Musgrave Park some years back now. And isn't it a beauty! I don't remember what I paid for it, but I have used it many times since when there's been a book sale on and I need to carry a large amount of money on me and one of the smaller coin purses just won't do.
I do remember that there was a large variety to pick from; and I had problems with the differing styles; wishing I could have bought one of each, and not being able to afford more than one! I'm so happy I chose this one as it's eye-catching and does hold a good amount of money. I haven't seen another quite like it since; but I am on the lookout for another in a different colour and a little smaller but in the same style.
This one looks like something of a make-up kit; yet it's a little small for anything to do with make-up. I say this because it's got the cutest little mirror inside it. However, I have to get the hinge looked at because the clasp doesn't close completely; and so I have the big problem of losing money if it falls on its side in my bag. So, at the moment, I'm not able to use it.
I bought this one from a Life Line store and I had to wipe it over a little with a slightly damp cloth once I got it home; otherwise I've done little else to it. It's a beautiful little purse that really isn't all that secure; but I do look forward to getting it back into action.
I was given this one by one of my cousins, who now lives in Switzerland. I don't remember which year she gave it to me; but I do remember she had put a Yen in the coin department of it and for around 6 months, I didn't lose the coin.
Then, one day, it was gone. I don't know exactly when or where I lost it, just that it broke my heart it wasn't there anymore. I do love this little 
purse; even if I haven't used it for a while now. It's a sentimental kind of love.
And I don't see myself giving it away anytime soon as it's still in one piece and useful. Along the front edge where there's a metal piece, there used to be a word - 'equip' - and through use and wear'n'tear, it's been worn off.
I bought this groovy little number at my usual haunt; which is a charity store - along with around ten other purses. Sometimes this happens. I'll wander into a charity store and find ten coin purses; other times just one. But then, on other occasions, I'll walk out empty-handed. It's just how it all goes.
Anyway, this cool little purse jumped out at me from the whole lot I was struggling with as the purse to use for the day. Its colour and size was very interesting. It 
may not look much, but this purse can hold a lot of money and I'm always using it when I'm out and about.
Thing is, I'm on the lookout for either a green one or red one in the same design. They're just the coolest little things in vinyl. And I'm sure there's more just like it in other colours out there in the world waiting for me to collect and use and care for.
This sweet little one was given to me last year for my birthday by a wonderful friend from a bookswapping site. On this site, we have birthday buddies and each year, we all swap birthday gifts and enjoy how giving makes us feel. We also do this around Halloween time and Christmas and Easter too.
However, I love this little purse. It's so well-made and would have taken a long time to finish off with the sequins and beads. I have seen another just l
ike it; however it wasn't in as good-a condition and it was a rose pink colour. I nearly bought it, but I wasn't prepared to fix it up; there was just too many things missing from it. So, I had to leave the rose one at the charity shop.
I'd love to have another one like this in another colour or maybe a little bigger; made from the same materials. They are just so lovely and intricate.
This one was just too cute to leave in the box. It's a traveling sewing kit; which I - at first thought - was a thin coin purse. However, it's the kind you don't see around anymore. So, I picked it up and found that most of its items were still inside it; right up to the needle-threader!
What a find! I may not use it all that much; as the needle-threader does have a rather short life span and they are hard to come across these days. so, I may hold onto this one for the sheer joy of having something that's on the older side of the spectrum.
Besides, what are the chances of coming across another ones of these anytime soon? For me, slim. But people do collect these and in the past, they have come in all kinds of shapes and sizes; this one is just a little more streamlined.
Isn't this one just gorgeous and remind you of hot Summer days by the sea? I found this one - along with a few others - in a charity shop; and I wondered who would want to possibly get rid of it. It just jumped out at me from the box and I wondered why it was there. After a close inspection, I found nothing was actually wrong with it and bought it.
The colour and detail is something you don't see on beaded items much anymore; and that's one thing I really do look for when I'm purchasing a purse like this one. Also, I make sure that it's not losing beads; which fortunately, this one wasn't doing. I have used this one a few times and have had people cooing over its beautiful colouring inside 
and out. Some of them asked if I made it or bought it from the markets.
Truthfully, I love these ones because how long it takes to make them and how easily they are destroyed. Yes, they are delicate and very beautiful.
What a flashy, fantastic and addictive place Las Vegas is! And my parents have been there. This is where this little purse came from. While my folks traveled all over the world on their last holidays, my Mum bought all kinds of coin purses for me from as many places as she could. And this little shiny plastic one is one of my favourites.
I've yet to use it; however, I have the feeling it wouldn't last very long if I 
did. So, I've put some fault Roman coins and other cute things in it so I don't lose those souvenirs and have kept it to one side for a long time until the right time comes along to use it - which right now, it hasn't.
So, this one is around two years old and not yet used; but very cute!
Now, you're going to laugh at where I got this one. My Grandma gave it to me when I was working and she had visited my parents while they were on holidays down at Brunswick Heads. Mum took Grandma to Byron Bay and she picked this one out for my birthday and gave it to me when she returned.
When I took it into work, my boss asked where I had gotten it, and I explained it was a gift from my grandma; well, he thought she was one groovy grandparent! Yeah, my Grandma - who has passed on since in around 2000 or so - was most certainly very much up with the times. She always gave us grandkids modern and up-to-date gifts on our birthdays and at Christmas and I will always miss that aspect about her not being around anymore.
However, this coin purse is one that holds that special place in my heart where my Grandma was absolutely spot-on with the gift; from the right place too!
Now, this one was originally a glasses case; however I have found it a new life as a coin purse. You see, our glasses cases these days are very different compared to the ones from days gone by. This one was found in a charity store and I paid around $5.00 for it; and it's that lovely mesh that everyone's collecting now and I love it! The best thing about this purse is that it's in wonderful condition; except for a little wear just inside where the hinge of the glasses would have rested (as you can see from the second photograph). But that's all. There wasn't any mesh missing, pulling away from the hinges or claspe. This is a very good quality glasses case-turned-purse.
The last time I used this purse, I went into the Life Line Bookfest in June this year and it was absolutely perfect for the amount of money I had for 
it; as well as the change it had to carry! I also met up with my brother and his girlfriend and daughter that day too; and he's nuts about that purse because it's what our late-Grandmother used to use in purses and bags all the time. However, seeing how rare it is to come by these darlings, don't give up on finding them. I was very lucky to see this one; that's all.
This one is one of my favourites; because it's so soft and beautiful. It's made of Deer Skin. Now, before you go calling me names, I was told by the giver of this gift (no I didn't purchase this one from a shop; my whole family and all my friends know I'm obsessed with these darling things), that the deer skin that was used to make this purse was from a controlled kill. This is so that those darling creatures don't become a pest to Canadians and Americans.
I received this one last year and have used it quite a few times over the last year to take shopping and other places; however, I do not take it to special ocassions, that's what the Black Chinese purse is for; or others like it.
This one was a recent purchase from - all places - a Life Line Store! It cost me $1.50 and just have a look at the condition it's in... absolutely gorgeous. I hadn't found any purses on this day until I got to the counter with a bag I was going to buy for my Mum (it was a Florentine-style bag that I thought she'd love - and she does!) and there this darling little purse sat in the basket next to cash register amongst a whole lot of belts and old buckles.
Gotta say: this one and 
another I have in the same style were both found in the same shop for around the same price. So, you never know what people are donating these days.
You can find pretty much anything in charity stores these days to begin a collection. Go and have a look!
