Yes a new change for 2018. I am changing Whatever Wednesday which was the day for random posts about random subjects to What to Buy Wednesday where I am aiming to review various products around the shops and online and give them a teapot rating out of five. 

So for my first 'What to Buy' this year I am reviewing a new handbag. Oh surprise surprise I hear you say, especially those that know me very well. Not another new bag!! This one I'm not actually supposed to have yet as it is an early birthday present. My birthday is only next month and I think my mum thought it may border on child abuse or some sort of torture to forbid me from using a new handbag.

It is gorgeous, very soft leathery looking bag and yes it is one of those 'bags within a bag' which I think is the greatest idea ever. Two bags, yes two!! Oh I'm in heaven. For those who don't know me at all I am a total bagaholic. I love bags, all types too. I can actually get excited about the shopping bags at the checkout in the local supermarket. Sad I know. 

This newest member of my collection came from The Little Shed which is very lethally situated around the corner from where I live. Lethal because they just stock gorgeous handbags, gifts, they have cake, tea and coffee and what's more lovely friendly staff. It is literally so hard to pass by without going in, I'm addicted. 

The smaller bag fits inside the bigger bag and can be secured with press studs but get this, there is also a nice long strap provide too which you can attach to the larger bag or to the smaller bag so the possibilities are endless.  Both bags are very roomy and the smaller one has a main compartment with two inside pockets and a zipped pocket on the outside. Believe me I carry all sorts of stuff around and there is so much room here and you can keep everything nice and tidy using the small bag or leave that at home and just chuck everything into the big bag, it's totally up to you and how you are feeling at the time.

Just love a bag I can change my mind with and stay dainty and small or go large and shopper type. This one pictured is a dark grey colour but there are other colours available - an olive green and a light pink were in stock today. The price? £26.99 so if you want to know more or are interested in purchasing one you can find details about The Little Shed in Allestree here at: www.thelittleshedallestree.com

So what teapot rating do I give this item.....well its a........ 

5 stars out of 5!! yes a very happy bag lady......well erm, customer sounds better.

Thank you for reading my review today. Please join me tomorrow for a Verse for Thursday as usual but for now.......

​Take care. 

This is what I found in my handbag this morning thanks to my teenage son. He thought I would have noticed it before going out but nope, there I was ready to get my purse out and oh, there it was, our tv remote control. I wondered what I was going to do with that all day, a useful device some may say if it was programmed to control people. You could turn the volume down on someone if they were talking loud or the noise from the traffic on the road. If someone looked a bit peaky and off colour you could turn their brightness up or turn it down in the middle of a menopausal hot flushy moment.

That got me thinking about the amount of stuff we as women carry around in our handbags, probably a lot of things in there we don't use or have had rattling around for a few years. I know if I swap hand bags or downsize for a night out I end up cursing myself as I've left something in original 'everyday' handbag. 

I am pretty well organised inside my bags. I like everything to have it's own place, I'm not a 'chuck it in' person. I have a make up bag with bits and bobs such as headphones, a pen, anadin extra, and a lipstick in, ya know all those small bits that if let loose they would just sit at the bottom never to be found again. I have my purse, phone and keys which are the three essentials for any bag and a fan for my hot flushes. I have to have an extra card holder for my immense collection of loyalty cards, honestly I have one for every shop. This sometimes gets left behind on bag swap and then it's so annoying when I haven't got it with me and I visit a shop that I require my card for. I have now started to log them into my phone, yes there's an app for that, ha then I've got them with me whatever the bag of the day is. 

It's a big decision when it comes to bags, do you have a big bag and throw everything in or do you go small with the essentials? I've taken to using the bag within a bag which kind of solves that problem. You take your small bag, which acts as am organiser I suppose, pop it in a large bag then you can have everything in including the kitchen sink, then if you are going somewhere which just requires essentials such as purse, phone, keys then just take small bag out of big bag and away you go. Great idea eh? This way you are not forever having to change handbags like I do and forgetting to take your added extra bits with you. 

I do like to use a different bag but that's only because I have so many of them and feel the need to rotate the collection. It also depends on the seasons, my mood, the weather, do I need to carry an umbrella, am I going on a date and needing extra polyfilla, oh I mean make up. I don't think some people realise how important this is. 

There are those people,, and I can't believe I am going to say this but those who do not like handbags!!!! OMG....what???? No handbag. Who are these people? What's more where do they put their stuff? I could not exist without a bag of some sort in my life, even if it's a small bum bag when going on a walk, trouble is I wouldn't be able to fit a tv remote control in there.

I do remember when my bag used to contain baby bumf such as wipes, toys, drinks bottles, then came ipods and DS games consoles, now it's obviously tv remotes. The mind boggles. With the progression of technology these days you'll only need your phone or a watch, not sure what happens with your Tampax but there may be a day when, dare I say it, the bag becomes redundant!!!! Nooooooooooooo, that will never do and I will not let that happen. You can always rely on Tesco for a bag for life and that means life!

I will leave you there wondering if you may have alien objects in your bag and useless pieces of equipment or obviously have a new hobby which entails changing random tv channels on the go.

Thanks for reading, I will be back tomorrow with a Verse for Thursday so join me then.

Take care for now.........

I know what your thinking......did I really need another new bag? No probably not but there was a sale on the Cath Kidston website and she lured with in with almost 50% off.

I'm a sucker for a new bag and for those who know me well reviewing another bag will not come as any big surprise. If I go out shopping I always have to include a bag shop of some kind. It's like a radar, I'm drawn towards them in a hypnotic state. I'm sure I've taken part in a secret hypnosis act in a former life and they have programmed me to hunt down and buy loads of handbags. That's my theory anyway, some may say it is just your obsession Sue form the Brew. Well ok we all need one, as long as it's not unhealthy and under control, that's fine.

So a pretty little backpack this time. I own a couple of Cath Kidston bags and they are all different. This one is really roomy, it fits an A4 folder in and you can get a 13-15" laptop in as well so plenty of room. The actual measurements are 35cm x 32cm x 12cm and it has two zipped pockets at the front, two pockets on either side with a magnetic fastening and a zipped pocket inside. There are also two more open pockets for maybe popping a phone in or similar items. It has grab handles at the top and obviously the straps for wearing it on your back. It is nice and comfortable to wear as it is made of 100% cotton. 

I love it and it will get used quite a bit when I'm out and about. My only concern as I seem to have with every bag I buy is that it is soft fabric and not sure how well it would perform in the rain, but I guess the answer is not to stand out in the rain too much with it. Quite impossible at the moment in the UK, our summer has disappeared slightly. August is proving to be a wash out so far, typical when it's the school holidays. There will definitely be a heatwave in September when the kids go back to school.

Here is the link to this bag. It was in the sale reduced from £40.00 to £25.00 so a bargain to be had.
www.cathkidston.com/cath-kidston/highbury-rose-zipped--backpack-1021084 

Thank you for reading and if you have bought a new bag please share your thoughts and experiences, I have to fill my obsession in some way. Think of it as therapy for me.

Take care for now but don't forget to join me tomorrow for my Verse for Thursday.