Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Purse Brite Bright Lighted Handbag Organizer

 If You Don't Use a PDA, Cell Phone, or Wear Make-up, You'd Love it


Instructions say don't fold it, but if you don't it acts like a hoop skirt and pushes the sides of the purse out. Pockets aren't deep enough, tall enough, or functional for large items such as PDAs or Blackberries when organizer is placed inside the purse as the usable size gets eaten up by the bend.

Lite is bright and helpful, but it is also big, bulky, and cuts off use of one the few usable pockets when it is in place. No pocket is large enough for all the make-up one might carry and the lipstick pockets are too tight to relinquish the complete tube (you end up with just the lid in your hand or just the tube, with the lid still in the pocket). Coin slot is flapped - would be best zipped for easier access.

Nice fabric; lite is bright; would fit great into a medium size tote. Idea has merit. Just not really what a modern girl needs. Must've been designed by a guy or by a girl without much to carry. Suggest assessing your needs and making one of your own.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

My Granny's Purse (Board book)

My kid loves this book, a glimpse into a secret adult world


I'm writing this because I'm surprised that anyone would write a negative review for "My Granny's Purse," a clever, charming piece of readable sculpture that still intrigues my precocious 5 year-old daughter after a year and a half.

Despite lots of other available literary treasures, My Granny's Purse has been her consistent favorite, winning the nighttime sweepstakes as my daughter's most-requested reading item. That makes it a winner for dad too - a kid's book that engages and fascinates for repeat visits. But there's something a little mysterious in My Granny's Purse that defies explanation, though I think it's the peek into an adult world that is part real and partly untold that fascinates my daughter.

The ongoing appeal of My Granny's Purse is also mildly surprising given its rather minimal, aphoristic text - a text intended to be humorous in contrasting mom and granda's admonitions ("Throw that junk away" vs. "Save it for a rainy day" e.g.), with no danger that it might stir up any family conflicts (whew, please spare kids the blandness of political correctness!)

Whatever the allure of this piece - part pop-up, part toy sculpture, part reading book, part found object collection - My Granny's Purse has kept its appeal longer than anything else on our bookshelf, so now I'm getting copies for kids of friends as well. Fragile? Not really, but handle with care and apply tape where needed (only the joints are fragile, the cardboard is tough). In any case don't deny your kid a trip into the random snapshots and souvenirs of an entire adult lifetime, glimpsed in the found objects that populate the witty and intelligent "My Granny's Purse." Bottom line: my daughter loves it - she's the one giving it five stars.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Fossil Wallet - Avalanche Execufold (Color: Dark Brown)

I really like this wallet. There really is not a whole lot you can say about a wallet. It has alot of room and it is very nice.


 


 

Friday, August 8, 2008

International Playthings My First Purse in Purple

When my daughter first received this purse as a gift she carried it around constantly for a week and then pretty much forgot all about it. I think that its due to the fact that the contents of the purse are plastic junk. Although it was kind of cute to watch her try to swipe the credit card, I began to fear what this was teaching her about money and spending. Also, the lipstick comes apart, posing a choking hazard for younger kids. As cute as the lipstick was (it was perhaps the best part of the set) I ended up having to confiscate it. The purse set is probably an innocuous toy suitable for imaginary play and dress up, but I just feel that we owe our little girls a lot more credit in providing them with more challenging materials of play. Still, it is fun to do what mommy does, and this purse fulfills that purpose. I just gave my daughter more realistic items to carry around in it, such as old spare keys and a tin of lip balm (to be used under supervision). Alas, she still gets a kick out of the credit card, to my dismay. I intend to replace it with toy money when she's a bit older. The actual purse itself is cute and sturdy, thus will probably hold up well with a lot of play.