Big Red!

I found this monster of a purse at a local charity shop and thought it would be something wonderful to add to my collection.  Seeing I've got a really tiny one, it would be a great irony to have a large, oversized purse; so I got it.  And I'm glad I did.

Isn't it lovely and big and just that little bit cumbersome?  I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure it will work just perfectly - if not better - to what I need.  However, I do like my coin purses to be cute and discrete things that hold my money and other people's attention just long enough for them to be wowed a little bit before I put them back in my bag.  This one, however it on the bigger side; I wouldn't know where to begin with its uses.  But it is something to behold with its colour.

Glo-Mesh History Mystery

A lot of people wonder where Glo-Mesh handbags come from; and why they are so hard to find after being so popular for such a short period of time.  I've done some digging around and found a few little-known facts about this very collectible, must-have for every woman.

As it was mostly produced in the 70s and 80s, but not exclusively – silver mesh had a bit of a following in the 60s with companies like the US-based Whiting and Davis that were producing mesh well before this.

The mesh came in a range of basic colours, along with some less common and more collectable ones.

However, the term ‘Glomesh’ is the official trademark of the company you asked about (Glo International Australia). If it isn’t labelled ‘Glomesh’ then the item should be referred to as simply ‘mesh’ or ‘alumesh'.  

‘Glomesh’ was manufactured in Australia and so, many Glomesh designs have a four digit design number somewhere on the label of the bag. This can be of assistance in dating the item.  However, if you've bought your bag at a charity or second-hand store, the tag may have been cut or worn out.

If you’re lucky enough to find a swing tag attached to the item, this will help in dating it. 60s bags have swing tags/sticker labels with a sort of rounded triangular shape, like a plectrum; later ones have a square tag with a gold ‘G’ on it.

If the original box comes with the item, this too can help you date it – older boxes have printed off-white cardboard that’s designed to look like glomesh; later boxes are grey with thin diagonal pink stripes and white lettering.

Cheaper mesh, which mostly seems to come from Hong Kong or China, will tarnish easily and is generally not worth your while (unless it’s an amazing shape or colour or something).

There are three most reputable brands of mesh:

Australia – Glomesh (Glo International Australia) and Park Lane
USA – Gold Crest and Whiting and Davis (USA)
Germany – Oroton

That’s about all it I found find about Glo-Mesh (alu-mesh).  Never underestimate the value of talking to the older generation. Even ladies (and some gents) who don’t take an interest seem to know the difference between Oroton and ‘Made in Hong Kong’. 

If you go into an antiques shop/fair/market where people seem to be selling loads of mesh, they will probably be wonderful founts of wisdom. You can also check fashion magazines from the 70s and 80s, which will probably assist you in identifying designs and trends of the period.

I got all this information from a wonderful website from Google.   All of this information was gleaned from a blog site; as I couldn't find anything about these particular types of bags.  I've been obtaining a lot of my history from my parents and other people who used to own Glo-mesh or other mesh bags.

Crete Coin Purse

I had a muddled up day; forgetting a multitude of things but it got figured out in the end.  And my day got even better once everything was unpacked at home and I walked to the post office to check the mail to find a little parcel sitting in the PO Box for me.

On the way to the service station (to buy some milk), I found one of my dear friends from Bookcrossing had been to Crete and has sent me a lovely little coin purse from there.  She had contacted me and asked what my address was about a week ago; but I didn't think this lovely little darling of purse would be waiting for me; she has such great taste!  

Immediately, I put my $5.00 note into it and tried it out.  I love how it has a definite sharp clip and none of the money pokes out the sides.  Then, once I received the change from the man at the counter, none of the money fell out the sides (sometimes this happens; it all in how the item is made and nothing else).  Definitely a great purchase made by one of my friends.  I will use this one again.

Sweet, '80's and Flowers

Well, I love a wallet at just about anytime to take anywhere; this one is without acception one that will stand out in the crowd, if I want it to.  

I bought this one at a Life Line and thought it looked a little tired until I opened it and found it was bright green inside!  What a difference this would have made to somebody's day when they were looking for that

receipt or some spare change to give to a charity.  And it's that type of green that you either liked or you didn't.  This one is the colour I like; but it has to have the right handbag to go with it.  So, I may yet test it out next week while I'm shopping and let you know how it goes!

Greek Goddess About Town

I had a good day today at the Life Line.  There's been a handbag there that has been sitting on the shelf for about a month now; and nobody's gone near it.  But I've had my eye on it for a little while.  So, today was the day I picked it up and checked it out.

It was one of those collage-type ones that has a lovely medium-length handle, a bit of mixed media stitched

onto the front and some great photographic work to make it look like it's been around Athens, Rome or somewhere authentically Greek! 

I loved it immediately; and for about $6.00, it wasn't a bad price either.  So, I nabbed it for my growing collection.  It'll come in use when I need to go out again soon to my volunteer work; it's just so cute!  Until such time, it'll be untested.

Test Date:   31, July 2010
Place:  Mum & Dad's House


I decided to take this handbag with me last night and found it was lovely and very comfortable.  The zip never jammed and I could find things easily when I needed them.  The area where I put my phone was a little snug; but I think that's because it's never been used before.  Otherwise, once I got the phone in, it was fine and easy to remove; but hard to put back.  It's designed to have a phone in without a cover of any kind.
This bag isn't designed to carry much.  I found I could fit in:  glasses, pill box, house keys, coin purse, phone, pen (but no notebook) and card-carrying containers.  Otherwise, with its stiff sides, other people wouldn't know what you had inside the bag.  I'd use this bag again, however only to carry the absolute minimum of things as it's not something I'd be able to use from day-to-day. 


Usage Type:  Occasional.

A Unique Purchase

I do love it when I happen to see a handbag and it just speaks to me.  And this happened on a day when I was feeling horrible and sick.  You see, if you follow my other blog 'The Book Craze' you would have read that I had an allergic reaction to a generic medication.  Well, it took a little while to get out of my system; and this happened the day before my usual shopping day.  

So, there I was in Life Line looking around and I found this lovely, very retro handbag.  It was in absolutely gorgeous condition and the price was right at $8 or so.  And I found the inside of it was just lovely too; and clean.  I had a handful of coin purses as well to buy. 

Well, last night, I used this handbag and it was perfect for where I needed to go for dinner; however not so perfect for the pub we went to afterwards.  It fits everything well and stands up just nice with the handles exactly where I wanted them (at my knee) when I needed to pick up the bag.  So, when it was time to leave, I wasn't fumbling around on the floor for the handles of the bag.  The main top zip was nice and tight and didn't jam up or break and there was plenty of room for not only my phone, but also my make-up bag and my house keys and meds.  So, this bag certainly passed the test in the early evening.  At The Boundary Hotel, there wasn't anywhere to put my bag as the handles either got in the way or the floor was grotty; so I had to hold onto the bag.  Oh well, I guess you can expect everything out of one handbag.  It is a great bag and was a great find.  I'm glad I didn't pass it up.

Lovely Suede

Last Saturday was supposed to be a day of my Mum and I learning more about our digital cameras.  But it wasn't meant to be.  Instead, we ended up at the Life Line at Creek Road where I found some great bargains in handbags; and Mum saying I really must stop buying them (mainly because I'm running out of room; which I am). 

This lovely suede handbag was one I just couldn't pass up.  It was hanging next to some others that just didn't look as good as it did.  And when I picked it up, it held together quite well.  The zips all work and it I do love how it feels; and now I can't wait until I use it.

Asian Flowers

On Thursday, I had the best luck while shopping.  It just must have been my day.  While I was out at the local Life Line, I found this absolutely gorgeous Asian-style bag that stood out from the other bags; quite literally.  With its colour and the stitching of the flowers on it, you could tell it had been loved by its previous owner.

The inside is in just as good condition; as is the handle.  And just look at the detail on the stitching of those flowers on the outside.  Even though it's only on one side of the bag, it's just lovely.  And none of it has frayed or come undone; which is just wonderful!  The button still does up as good as it did when it was first bought and the inside zipper opens and closes without difficulty.  Yes, I discovered a lovely purse I have added to my collection.  I'm so glad I didn't pass it up when I saw it; and I can't wait to use it.

Hard-cased Cane Number

On Thursday, I had the best shopping day; seeing I was out all day on my normal day for shopping.  And I bought some lovely pieces at Life Line too; including this wonderful bag.

Now, the last bag I saw that was the hard-case type was coconut bag and it was lovely.  But I did the silly thing and passed it up.  This one is similar, but it is made of cane and has the hinge in the same place - on the bottom.  Despite the inside of it needing a complete replacement (the fabric is looking a little worse for wear), I found this bag endearing and bought it.

And today, I took it for its first day out with me.  It worked very well.  There was some teething problems where I felt a little exposed every time I opened the bag (as it shows absolutely everything you own to the public); but if I'm careful, I can avoid those kinds of problems.  Thankfully, there's a handle for each half of the bag; so even if I don't do the bag up, it'll stay together anyway.  All up, a lovely bag to use.  It has a little holder for my mobile phone and plenty of space for all the things I need... a worthy purchase.

Golden

Now, yesterday, I scored well at Life Line.  Actually, I thought I wasn't going to; but I looked over at the glass case and spotted a lovely little glo-mesh purse.  It was in such gorgeous condition that I asked to look at it and the lady took it out for me.  As soon as I opened it, I knew exactly where I had seen one just like it; and you know, the other one I have is in exactly the same condition as this one, but it's white/creme.

So, I bought this - along with two other handbags - and brought it home.  And what a lovely little purse!  The only things missing is the keyring holder and box.  The other one I have is in its box with the keyring holder; and it's never been used.  But that's another story for another time.