Dooney and Bourke DIY Purse Restoration

When I was a poor college student (working as a Big Lot’s cashier), I would see customers carrying colorful Dooney & Bourke bags either in monogram or heart prints.  Oh, how I coveted one of those rainbow purses, they were named the “It Bag” for good reason.  Carrying a Dooney & Bourke created an immediate class distinction between the girls that could afford the brand and those like me who could only admire them from afar - with a part-time, minimum wage salary those designer purses were always out of my reach.  While my cashiering gig couldn’t afford me a prized designer bag, it did begin my education as a consumer.  The tragedy of being born poor with expensive taste meant that I needed to get creative.  My first handbag purchases were real leather vintage beauties without brand tags.  I carried those babies for years and when it was time to retire them I held a sad letting go ceremony.  Those bags taught me that what I loved more than a brand name was quality.  Famous designer Coco Chanel said, “The best things in life are free.  The second best things are very, very expensive.”  Don’t let the snobbish literality of her comment distract you from the true meaning.  Things that are usually expensive (and worth the expense) usually follow the principle of quality.  In terms of purses the materials used to produce the handbag as does the craftsmanship dictate the quality and price of the end product.

This is the before picture after I had washed it and dried it.  

I forgot to take a picture of the very initial sad state.

A few months ago I came across a Dooney & Bourke purse at my local Goodwill, it had seen better days, but it brought back memories of that one bag that got away.  After full examination: the leather was full of stains, the lining dirty, the edging fraying and the shape crushed (from bad storage) and thinking that I had probably blown seven dollars I decided to try to revamp it anyway.  I did some research and discovered that the purse I had in my possession is an All Weather Leather Satchel, it probably dates to the eighties and it was made back when things were made in the USA!  Everything about this information excited me, I felt like a girl whose grandma had passed on a family heirloom.  All this information came from the tag inside my purse and the serial number on the back of it.  Usually designer bags have a way of dating their bags, stamping the style in addition to sharing where it was made because they are proud of the craftsmanship.  My research also suggested the dunking method as a way to restore the purse.  Thus the following will be a description of how I resuscitated her back to a second chance of life.  

 The dunking method consists of dunking the bag into a tub of soapy water and letting it sit for thirty minutes on each side, then scrubbing the grime away.  Once washed it can air dry with something inside to help reshape the bag. 

I used Angelus products.  Cream leather paint, light brown dye and a satin finish.  

I used painters tape to make sure I did a neat job on the trim.

 The dye is a little tricky and messy.  You have to be quick with the brush to spread it evenly without leaving trails of the brush.

Little details like polishing the hardware take years away. The right side has been polished so that you can see the difference.

I have worked on this bag off and on for a month, doing the steps slowly in my free time.  We have grown quite close through this period of reconstruction.  In the mid-eighties and early nineties this baby sold for two-hundred-ninety dollars, the price even today sounds high; but look at the testimony of life.  This purse is almost as old as I am!  On Facebook a friend expressed her frustration with people spending over two-hundred dollars on a Michael Kors purse instead of buying something less expensive and donating the rest to charity.  While her remark sounds quite reasonable, I disagree with it completely.  Cheap fashion hurts people and the planet in the making, paying a little more for an item means more use and less discards.  If you are clever like me, you will have someone else pay the high fee and wait patiently for it to reach your local thrift store.  In another post I will go over the many hands that an item goes through before it reaches the store to continue my argument that spending more on quality verses less on quantity is the best type of consumer to strive to be.          

New Rehabilitated Purse!

Four Years Blogiversary

I have been in a bit of a blog funk, lately… Thanks for sticking with me, even if my posts are lacking original photos and the topics have been a little redundant…  Life has been a bit hectic, so hectic that I forgot to commemorate year four of my blogging.  Yes, it’s been four years of writing things that pop into my mind early in the morning; but, after four years, I feel like it’s time for a change.  I just finished a four week course on Catholic Social Teaching and I learned that change requires small actions.  It’s easy to say, “All we can do is pray” when issues around us seem too big for our little hands or to become overwhelmed and pessimistic about the many needs we see in our society.  “Starting by doing what’s in front of me” is something that lately has been my motto adapted (of course) from Mother Teresa.  There’s seven principles of Catholic social teaching:

Dignity of the Human Person

Call to Family, Community and Participation

Rights and Responsibilities

Preferential Option for and with People who are Poor

Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers

Solidarity

Care for God’s Creation

Having an awareness of these principles has taught me that there’s no issue that is too small.  I have always been fascinated by nature, once in a young adult group I shared about my ways for caring for the planet and how I felt called to work with no kill shelters and this guy asked me to get more important causes.  As I journeyed back into the Catholic Church; my love for planet earth and his creatures has many times been taken as a liberal stand that needs conservative enlightenment.  People often made me feel like I needed to get “real important” causes and this attack made me keep quiet.  Thanks to this class I now see that caring for God’s creation is one of the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching- so this passion that has always motivated my actions is not a liberal stand that I picked up in my public education- it’s a gift given to me by God.  Just as people feel called to fight for the rights of the unborn, homeless, imprisoned, human trafficked… Our church calls us to be good stewards of God’s creation and that means the planet as well as all the creatures that live in it.  Thus, this fourth year of my little writing space, I plan on voicing my thoughts on issues and causes that I fight for on a daily basis.  I hope to raise awareness on issues like recycling, reusing, good shopping practices, fast fashion, fair trade, ending sweatshops, rights of workers, spaying and neutering pets, visiting abandoned seniors- among other topics. 

Thank you so much for your continued support!

The Catholic Church: Too Many Rules

One thing that I found most unattractive about the Catholic faith were the many rules that seemed to overshadow the beauty of Catholicism.  As I shopped for a church to join, my journey took me to many different protestant churches; but, the Eucharist called me home.  When I arrived (home) I still had quite a defensive stance.  Any mention of rules and my mind would begin to formulate arguments and attacks to defend my image of a hippie Jesus.  I had issues with anything from the simple adhering to an expected dress code if I wanted to serve during mass, “At Calvary Chapel they wear shorts and flip-flops for Sunday service because Jesus is our BFF.  Isn’t simple dress a sign of humility?”  I wasn’t shy about voicing my opinions or of sharing my beliefs in how much the church needed a makeover.  Looking back I want to thank the many speakers, teachers, religious, priests and friends who allowed me to ask these naïve questions and who provided answers that challenged my immature faith.  Most importantly, who waited patiently for me to grow!  Years later, I’ve come to realize the importance of structure and to appreciate the laws that govern my faith.  In fact, all societies need boundaries.  For example, if a car driver doesn’t respect a red light, he is placing himself and others in danger; thus, traffic rules are implemented for everyone’s safety.  So, if our secular society accepts the importance of laws why does it have such a hard time accepting that God also gave us standards to live by.

A friend jokes with me that though I set on finding the most liberal church the one that asked the least of me, I ended at the one that asks the most.  I traveled the world of protestant churches all over Orange County, looking for a place to grow roots.  I began at a small Old Catholic Church in Old World in Huntington Beach.  After attending a couple years the priest told us he would be leaving to start his own parish because he had disagreements with the head reverend of that community.  Not knowing any better I followed the priest to the new church which met in a small office building.  Eventually the drive was too far so I moved to Saddleback, Calvary Chapel, Crystal Cathedral among others – until I realized that I missed the beauty of the Mass and the Sacrament of Communion.  All these churches that I attended commonly were started by a man who felt a calling to begin a new congregation for Christ.  They felt that the place they were attending was not suitable or that God was sending them on a mission to begin a new church.  For many, like my former self, this doesn’t seem like a big deal because we assume that the people are honest and holy, but who keeps them accountable?  In the Catholic Church, we trace our lineage back to the apostles, back to the day that Jesus gave the key to Saint Peter.  Our history and tradition is important and since its beginning, the church in its wisdom, has developed canon laws and a magisterium to protect the authenticity and integrity of the faith, to safeguard it against abuses and to keep us united under God.  

Many of the saints speak of obedience as a path towards sanctification.  While following rules is not very popular in our society one of the aims of Canon Law is to help us reach sanctity.  It shows us a path to follow that will help us become saints.  I have spoken about how outside the church people can feel inspired to begin their own Christian parish if one is unhappy with the current selection.  Yet, in the Catholic Church there’s an order and rules that protect communities from people who decide one day to begin their own movement.  If a priest can’t get along with another fellow priest he’s encouraged to try to work it out and to pray.  The Old Catholic Priest that I used to follow told us he was starting his own church because he couldn’t get along with the bishop of his parish.  He felt that he had been instrumental in bringing people into the community and helping it grow; but the bishop didn’t recognize his efforts.  So, in his homily he told us that he would be leaving that he had rented a venue to have services and we were encouraged to follow him.  This should have been a warning sign for me; but I followed him thinking that he was behaving in a very reasonable way.  He didn’t like his boss so he was taking the measures to address the situation.  Instead of promoting unity he was asking us to follow him to his new church and many of the people in the congregation did.  While I (like many others) didn’t see the fallacy in his actions, I now see that if a priest is unhappy with his post leaving to begin his own congregation is not an action that promotes unity. Our faith and tradition tells us that how we deal with our trials is of great importance in our process of sanctification.  When we have a challenge we must fervently pray and practice humility before we decide to go rogue.  I think of Saint Therese of Lisieux she speaks of having difficulties getting along with some of the nuns in the convent, yet she saw these opportunities to grow in charity, virtue and holiness.  We have many examples of the saints who had difficulties getting along with other brothers and they didn’t run away, but humbled themselves.  They took these challenges as opportunities to grow in holiness and please God.  The Catholic Church has rules that clearly state how priests are to deal with their superiors, I believe it clearly explains their role before taking vows.  There’s this spirit of service of brotherhood of working together towards the common good and salvation of souls.  And that’s precisely why the Catholic Church has a well-developed canon, so that instead of running away we come together united in one faith and one body. 

Beauty Free From Utility

Science can’t explain why something is beautiful…  Yet, one of the paths that constantly connects people to God is beauty.  The liberal arts are not practical, but in their impracticality lies a secret passage towards the majesty of God.  Hum… When I was younger I always used to think that I was useless because my talents were so impractical.  In Mexico, my sister had gone to several trade schools; nursing and seamstry gave her skills that made her a creator an asset to the community.  People sought her for dress making or nurse related reasons.  However, my talents “book smarts” (writing and an avid reader) didn’t compare with the hands on talents I saw in all members of my clan: mom a great cook, dad a great farmer, brothers a super mechanic and construction worker…  Being part of a family with so many talents that helped the community always made me feel like a weirdo.  Other than perhaps using a book as a weapon in the case of a robbery- I didn’t see my skills as gifts that benefitted anyone else other than give me great enjoyment.  Then I returned to the Catholic Church and I saw the Cathedral walls covered in art, the windows in colorful stained-glass and heard poetry from the pulpit.  You would think that these encounters with beauty would serve as encouragement; but, I criticized the church misunderstanding why we keep all this beauty- instead of selling it to help feed the poor.

Last night, I went to a concert with my buddy to enjoy a band that we mutually like.  The stadium was quite full and I thought we all seek beauty whether in music, film, poetry, art… BECAUSE Man can’t live on bread alone, he needs another type of sustenance a sustenance that feeds the soul in ways that a meal cannot.  There has always been this fight between those who think that nothing in the world is God so we must reject everything in the world and what our church teaches that everything in the world speaks of God and can lead us to Him.  When I went to Rome, I remember entering the city and seeing many large statues of the saints on the rooftop of a church, I looked admiringly at the art before me and I had tears in my eyes because I knew that I was surrounded by God.  Those larger than life statues showed me that God is always close.  That’s when I understood that beauty leads people to God and our Church guards these artistic masterpieces because they draw us closer to Him.  The liberal arts are impractical, but it’s this impracticality that makes them so endearing- because a true writer like a true artist writes simply to create beauty free from utility.  A beauty that ascends towards the heavenly realms because “the heart has its reasons that reason knows not.”

As I sang along to some of my favorite songs with HA*ASH I thanked God for giving us the arts because a life with music, poetry and art sure elevates the soul (smile).  

A Correlation Between Happiness and Thankfulness

These past two months I have been studying Bishop Barron’s “The Pivotal Player’s” series and I have come to know a few dynamic Catholics a whole lot better.  The most recent GK Chesterton.  Through the videos I’ve learned that gratitude was a huge influencer in Chesterton's conversion.  He realized one day that he had so much to be grateful for and if there was this desire in him to be thankful, then there must be someone to thank.  I found his tipping point into the Christian life to be so genuine and beautiful because I am not a grateful person by nature- I don’t think many of us are.  I have been working on this with my nephew because he has trouble remembering to say thank you after people help or do something for him.  As I have been working on reminding him to verbally express his gratitude, I realize that I also need a reminder to stop and thank God.  Most of the time I am so preoccupied with getting all my tasks and commitments done that I forget to take a moment to just be grateful.  I am not sure if I shared this quote on here before, but here it is (again):

Thankful for my friends.

“You say grace before meals.  All right.  But I say grace before the concert and opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in ink.”

GK Chesterton is remembered for his genius, he was a charismatic Catholic apologist; but he is also remembered for his joy.  He had a great sense of humor.  People loved him because he lived like a Christian on Easter morning.  And someone who is constantly happy (truly joyful to the core) is also someone who is as thankful for the smallest detail as for the most expansive, blue sky. 

Some old pictures I never got to share.

This morning I am thankful for mind and my sanity.  I was watching a show last night on UK teens that suffer from mental illnesses and a last resort hospital that tries to help them get well enough to return to society.  It made me think about me and my friend (Lud) who has autism and how we are two of the lucky who get to live “normal” lives even with our challenges.  It made me thankful that God healed me and that I have so many people that love and support me.  In American society, life moves so quickly.  I read somewhere that we have built all these machines that help us do things and get us places faster, but instead of giving us more time – we use these advances to pile more things into our days.  We are so used to activity that when we have a moment to reflect we don’t know what to do with it.  Thus, learning about GK Chesterton’s conversion stemming from his desire to thank the Creator for His creation really shows that it’s necessary to stop and smell the roses and thank God for their perfume.  I forgot what saint said that if the only prayer that we ever learn is, “thank you,” we would need no more… What are you thankful for this morning?   

Do What's In Front of You

Last week I had to take my mom to the doctor for a routine procedure.  While she was getting prepped I was allowed to remain in the room with her since I am also her translator.  Ever since I was a child that has always been one of my responsibilities to go to doctor appointments with my parents as their translator.  In recent years, their insurance started providing translating services and I was relieved of that duty; but since, her cancer scare my siblings and I rotate in attending doctor appointments with them.  Last Thursday, something happened and I realized how difficult it is to go from being the child to the caretaker of one’s parents.  Shifting from having this image of my parents as the strong, invincible protectors to slowly seeing their bodies failing is really hard.  As I remained by my mother’s side and saw her fears, there was a shift in roles.  I was now the one encouraging her that all would be well.  While we waited for the doctor to come wheel her away to perform the procedure, she began to talk to me about death.  She told me that she had written a note earlier that morning as a sort of Last Will so that we would divide her assets evenly.  I couldn’t believe that she was so scared about this procedure and I felt like such a bad daughter because it was only in that room seconds from the procedure that she showed me her fear.  Mom is one strong cookie, always optimistic and positive; thus, to see and vocally hear her fears was a new and uncomfortable experience.  In that hospital room, I realized that slowly I am becoming the caretaker of my parents…  All of us who have aging parents come to this fork in the road at some point when we realize that our invincible parents are mortal beings with an earthly expiration date- that they are not exempt from the deterioration of their bodies.  As I kept her company I tried to be the caring woman she has taught me to be, I listened to her fears and tried to keep her spirits up.  I prayed for her and as they wheeled her away I gave her a big smile and thumbs up to show her that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Then I went into the waiting room to console my other worried parent.  Having been in the waiting room for almost an hour he was a little restless so I took him outside the hospital grounds to a small garden I had seen when we went in.  We sat on a bench and the simple change in scenery seemed to relax him.  I told him mom was well and she should be out in about forty-five minutes.  Then I engrossed him in conversation to distract him from worrying about mom.  We had a great conversation before I was called back inside, I told him that I would be inside with mom for over thirty minutes while she came back from the anesthesia and then we would be able to go home.  He remained in the garden in a more peaceful frame of mind.  Inside, I smiled as my mom opened her eyes and told her what she has told me countless times before, “see that wasn’t so bad.”  

Mother Teresa had this simple philosophy that all we had to do to become saints is to do what is right in front of us.  Accompanying my parents to doctor visits doesn’t seem like a grand gesture, at times it even was an annoyance; but, as my parents have gotten older and as I too have matured I realized that it is these moments when we can make the most difference.  Our families must be the place we start to cultivate the Fruits of the Spirit.  Even when things get difficult and uncomfortable or as the roles shift from recipient to caregiver God is with us - giving us what we need to slowly make the shift.     

Weekend to Myself

I had such a beautiful weekend free of commitments.  This gave me a lot of time to be home and finish projects that I had lingering in my mind.  Mom tells me that I don’t have to go to every event that I get invited and maybe she’s right, maybe I need to start practicing declining things and learning to say no.  Yet, because my top love language is quality time – if I am not present for others I feel like a bad friend. However, lately I had been feeling so overwhelmed because I am an introvert and I charge myself by being alone and I've felt like I was running low on batteries.  Thus, this weekend of me time really helped my spirit.  I desire a life at a slow pace, sometimes I dream of living in the country, in a farm, with animals - living off the fat of the land.  This little fantasy, makes me think that withdrawing is the only way that I will slow down.  Yet, I know that the present is all that I have and I need to practice slowing down now.  I need to do a character study on Martha and Mary to discover the lessons Jesus taught us through them.  In addition, to practicing saying no and refusing some activities.  Though, at the moment between homework readings and reading Harry Potter with my nephew I don’t know when I will be able to dive into Martha and Mary! 

Anyway, today’s post is about my free weekend.  Since I painted my room I have been wanting to put up one of my all-time favorite verses on one of my walls.  Sunday, I was able to tackle this little project and I am super happy with my results.  Now every morning when I wake up, His words will be the first I see.  I ordered these scripture wall decals from a mom and pop shop online.  They arrived promptly with easy to use instructions.  In less than thirty minutes I had them up on my wall.  I am very happy with the results: "Be still and know that I am God."

I also had a lot of time to devote to my purse flipping.  After I started seeing great vintage, designer, leather purses at thrift stores that needed a lot of tender love- I realized that I could bring them home and refurbish them so that they could be enjoyed again.  I did research on how to repair leather and started many DIY projects that led to me to purse flipping.  I fix the purses and then I find them new homes to keep them out of landfills.  I really enjoy doing this especially when I see the before and after.  On Saturday, I worked on a vintage Dooney and Bourke that initially looked like it was ready for the garbage, I didn’t even think that I could fix it enough for another use.  Yet, it’s coming along just fine.  I will do a post on it in case any of you are inspired to reuse vintage items.

I also, worked on my homework, went to the swap meet with my parents, rested and relaxed.  It was such a great weekend I can’t wait to have another full weekend to myself (smile).  

Thrifty Tales: Refurbished Espadrilles

This week has been a lot of new.  I had my first meeting with the RCIA team to begin planning for our upcoming year and I started my classes back at the diocese.  While I thought I was taking a class on parish ministry leadership, a happy surprise it was to find out that I was actually signed up for Catholic Social Teaching.  As I have been reading the memoir of Dorothy Day, being enrolled in this class felt like a happy god-incidence (smile).  This might turn out to be one of my favorite classes, I love the professor- my first class was delightfully informative, affirmative and encouraging.  I am a green shopper ninety-nine percent of what I buy comes from second hand stores or yard sales.  It’s something that I am passionate about.  I don’t want to contribute to the fast fashion trends because I am aware of the exploitation that cheap garments cost third-world, vulnerable communities.  In addition, I also like to refurbish things giving them a second life as to keep them out of landfills.  While being environmentally cautious is something that I am truly passionate about, it’s not something that I am as vocal about as I should be because sometimes I feel like I get criticized because my causes are not viewed as important as say fighting for the rights of the unborn.  This class on social teaching as well as reading Dorothy Day’s autobiography has helped me understand that no cause is too small.  As Mother Teresa often encouraged, “focus on doing what is right in front of you.”  With all this inspiration I have decided to open another part of my life on here and that is my way of contributing towards fighting the effects of cheap fashion and being resourceful by reusing things to produce less waste.

My blog turned four last week, and I was thinking I should buy a new pair of shoes to celebrate, but instead I bring you these refurbished Tory Burch Espadrille Flats.  These shoes retail for over one-hundred-and-fifty buckaroos because Tory Burch is a brand that ensures their workers are getting proper wages and because the quality of her items mean a longer lifespan.  I found this pair a few months ago for six dollars at Goodwill and without a thought I brought them home because even from second hand retailers they can still run a pretty penny.  I was so happy when I got home, to wipe them clean and try them on only to notice that they were flawed!  Yep, the stitching from several places had come undone.  Not to worry because I am a resourceful woman, mom didn’t raise no fool (smile).  I put them aside, did some research on how espadrilles are put together and viola after a DIY activity I had a brand new pair of espadrilles perfect for these hot days.  
I am super frugal, or resourceful - you be the judge.  I had a couple candles that had twine wrapped on them so I used that twine to sew my espadrilles back together.  Below are the steps.    

Only left shoe had two large gaps.

As you can see the sewing had come undone.

Use a needle with eye big enough for twine.

Then start sewing, imitating the stitches from original pattern on shoe.

 I followed using the holes on the canvas from original stitches and 

ended securing the ends to avoid future fraying.

 Voila! Tory Burch Beacher Canvas Espadrilles ready for use.