Caring for my Accessories




Whether my accessories are brand new or very old, I treat them all the same...with loving care.  I really do.  If something is good enough to make it into my small house then you better believe I love it and treat it with respect.  Every season I take stock of what I wore and what I didn't.  And just because I didn't wear something this season doesn't mean I don't love it, it may be that I just wasn't feeling it this year.  I've had a lot of my clothes for decades now and they come in and out of my radar in different ways.




I always wipe down all my bags I've worn and will even go so far as to vacuum the insides to get rid of any dust that may have accumulated.  I stuff them with tissue paper and put them in a dust bag and store them in my armoire.  Shoes get a similar treatment. They all get cleaned with warm sudsy water and even the soles are wiped down.  Sandals get wrapped in tissue paper and stored in a special box in my closet until next year.  This year I rarely wore any t-strap flat sandals.  I mostly wore 2 pair of block heel slides.





This is the first new handbag I've bought in ages.  Something about that Bee and the colors got my attention and I kept coming back to the Frances Valentine website until one day it was 70% off.  I look forward to using it next spring and summer.  Do tell how you care for your accessories bc as usual I learn something new from you. x



33 comments

  1. I use saddle soap on my leather bags and shoes. Out of season shoes are stored in shoe boxes and the handbags are kept in the guest room closet where my out of season clothes hang...we have one tiny closet in our bedroom and I share this with my husband...he has more clothes than I do!
    Its important to care for our things if we want them to look good and last longer...
    Your new bag is very bright and it will be a fun spring and summer bag! FF likes her bees too!

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    1. thanks for sharing your tips leslie. i will have to look into saddle soap as i'm sure there are oils/nutrients in it. x

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  2. I, too, clean my shoes before putting them away for the season. I store them in the boxes they came in. If I don't have that box, I buy clear shoe boxes. I keep them all in a closet in another room. I have a hanging storage organizer from Ikea that I store my handbags in. I clean them out well, but don't stuff them with tissue. I like that idea; I think I'll try it. Your new bag is very cheerful! And, I love the black and white outfit!

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    1. thanks kathy. i never used to use tissue paper and then after a season or 2 i noticed the bags were collapsing in awkward ways so stuffing them made sense. x

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  3. Hi Janet did you know that the bee was adopted as a motif for Manchester England during the Industrial Revolution 150 years ago ? The worker bee was said to represent the hard work of Mancunians in the textile mills that were commonly described as 'hives of activity. Recently it has become a symbol of strength and unity in the city after the terrorist attack at Ariande Grande's concert.

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    1. thanks elaine, i did not know any of that. i love that it is a symbol of strength and unity. we could all use a dose of that now. x

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  4. I am not quite as fastidious as you ladies. My shoes are stored in plastic shoe boxes along the floor edge of my walk-in closet. (Hubby has his own closet.) I do regularly polish my shoes when needed, something my parents always did. My leather Mary Janes always looked nice as a child! My husband installed a row of hooks on the back wall of my closet, and from there I hang my bags and scarves (small amount.) I actually do not have a dresser, believe it or not. I have two plastic covered boxes on my closet shelf--one contains all undergarments and the other contains socks. I hang my nightgowns and sleeper pants. My husband redid my closet when we moved in and added double hanging space and new shelving. It's wonderful for minimalist me!

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    1. thanks for sharing isabella. i would really love to have my closet professionally done but more than likely that will never happen.:) i learned to take care of my things in grade school too! x

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    2. Me too Isabella, though I got rid of shoe boxes too aside from 4 for my 'going out shoes', which of course never see the light of day, they feel like stilts now.

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  5. I can't afford multiple pairs of shoes and handbags. I have one pair of shoes, one pair of sandals, one pair of boots and one handbag. When I stop wearing the shoes or boots, I wipe them down. Once in a while I completely empty my handbag and turn it upside down to shake out any debris.

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  6. Oh boy... my accessories wish they lived at your house! I bought a handbag last year (Cole Haan) that came with a dust bag (first time ever!) so I now know to store it in the bag come summer. But that is all. I really must pay more attention to these things. Thank you for the advice and motivation!

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    1. thanks for sharing maureen. well now you have something to do in your spare time. lololol. xo

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  7. Ugh. This is something I need to get much better at. I usually just put the outgoing season's shoes on the top hard to reach closet shelf and bring down the current season. I stuff smaller bags into larger bags to save space and only stuff the first bag with tissue paper. I need to make the switch this weekend as the weather is finally turning so thanks for the inspiration and motivation for taking better care!

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    1. i'd love to pop over and help your transition the seasons. has to be one of my favorite things to do! x

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  8. I also take care of my bags and shoes, one day I sat in my sewing room and using pretty material left over from other projects made 'cushions' to fit each of my bags, I then stuffed them with various odds and ends ie: left over bubble wrap or wadding and in some cases I filled clean plastic bags from shopping with other scrunched plastic bags until they were full enough to fit in the pillow. I then sewed up the open end. It takes only a second to stuff them in the bag or pull them out, they fit quite tightly and help the bag keep its original shape. I also store them in drawstring bags that I made. It was a lovely days project, used up a lot of leftover fabric and didn't cost one cent.
    My other really good tip is that I have 2 clear plastic make up type pouches with all the little things I might need,
    tweezers, emery board, tissues,perfume, small samples of make up etc. small comb amd mirror. Small notebook, pen etc., I then put these,plus my purse and keys into my bag and I'm ready to go, I take them all out when I return re- stuff the empty bag and put it in it's cover, it takes only a couple of minutes but saves so much time and energy hunting for things and I feel like I am using a brand new bag each time. Such a small thing but it makes me feel happy. Thank you for a lovely blog. Carol

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    1. carol i LOVE that you've made cushions for each bag. brilliant! i do something similar re your clear plastic pouch. i have several small zippered bags (they are lovely that i bought from an etsy seller years ago). in it i keep a slim wallet, v small makeup pouch that holds a lip balm, floss, and nail file. all i have to do is add my keys and sunglasses and i'm good to go. x

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  9. Janet, first may I saw I love your newly refreshed blog. For years i’ve Checked in, almost daily, to see what you’re doing and I thank you for the time and commitment you’ve shown. I finally retired and your ideas inspire me to be my best self in my 60’s more than ever. Dehoarding is an interior as well as a physical process, and it helps to see what the end result will look like-some day. Thank you! Allegra

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    1. oh allegra thank you so much. so nice to hear from you. i often wonder about you guys.:) you are so right about dehoarding being an inside job. omg, isn't it?! the mental anguish i expend over a simple item is astounding to me at times! thanks for dropping by and sharing. x

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  10. That torso shot looks like the slender, lithe body of somebody much younger!

    My bad. I don't care for my accessories very well anymore. If I'm wearing a shoe I can wash, I do throw it in the washing machine (yikes). I get hairspray all over my jewelry (oh dear). I do meticulously care for my assortment of prescription sunglasses and eyeglasses. I regularly wash and clean my hairbrushes. I also make sure I keep my makeup sponges and powder puffs scrupulously clean.

    In my younger life...my work life...we didn't have all these cheap, throw-away clothes and shoes. From the time I was in my teens, I bought very good-quality leather shoes. We, maybe a lot of us, never used to think about leather and its origins; only that a good leather purse and leather shoes were a sensible, smart investment. I used to wear, back in the day, a lot of shoes with the stacked wood heels which I would get re-heeled (heel tips) at the cobbler's shop when they'd wear down. I'd get a lot of life from my good leather shoes. They lasted such a long time. Every weekend, I would give out my tote bag which held shoe brushes, soft cloths, liquid polish, paste polish in the round tins. I would rub the polish into my collection of leather shoes I'd worn during the week, let it soak in and then buff, buff, buff. They'd be so soft and supple, looking fresh and renewed. It was a ritual for me, like ironing. I don't do either of these things now, in this day and age. Thinking about it, I sort of miss it! But I haven't bought leather for so many years now, not only to save money but of course also because I have to consider the source. I adore fashion, I follow couture fashion and the designers closely, but the one thing I abhor for as much as it's so much of the time luxe and fab, is the fashion industry's over-use of fur, leather, skins and feathers on the catwalk. You won't see it with Stella McCartney but it's still very prevalent with too many other high-fashion designers.

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    1. vicki you are so right re the use of animal products in fashion. i'm guilty of using 2nd hand products and last year got my first new pair of leather boots from everlane. i hope to use these boots for the rest of my life but i know that doesn't help the poor animal that died for them. thank you for bringing the awareness back to me. xo

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  11. You are so impressiveI in your care of accessories. I do stuff my bags with tissue or plastic bags. I also cover my purses if possible.But I've never thought of using a vacum on my purses. Now will. I keep my shoes in boxes and keep them in good shape. But I don't feel I'm as meticulous as you. Always an inspiration. Thank you.

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    1. sandra thanks for sharing your tips. i think your method is perfect! x

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  12. I'm so impressed! I don't do anything at all aside from putting boot trees into boots although that ruined a pair I'd had for 15 years as they stretched at the calf. Well if I've been in the wood, I dry mud off off my boots but that's it.

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    1. tabitha you have an absolutely beautiful wardrobe, one of the best i've ever seen on any blog. i miss your posts on fashion and travel and the little bits of your home you shared. i'll never forget your pantry post! i wish i had saved a photo of it. xo

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  13. I keep all my shoes in plastic shoe boxes. I'm not fond of plastic but they close tight so dust doesn't get in. Cardboard boxes draw bugs in South Carolina so I never use them. Purses are in a Thirty-one cloth box with a blanket on top to keep them dust free. Like you, I clean everything before storing.

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    1. betty dust gets in mine too. i've thought many times about getting plastic boxes bc the seal is so much tighter. hmmmmm, maybe i will. xo

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  14. Reading your wonderful post and all the comments brings back a lasting childhood/teen memory, so thank you all.

    Once a month my mother would gather us three girls and together the four of us would clean and polish all our shoes, any purses. We would mend clothing. It was a ritual to which we actually looked forward. It taught us to take care of our belongings, to appreciate them.

    I do take care of my clothes and shoes to this day, especially things like my beloved riding boots. But as others have stated, things aren't made as they used to be. It's difficult to feel invested in clothes that aren't really well made--regardless of the price. Ironically, my most favorite items are two long coats I bought last year from H&M and Forever 21, and a thrifted black velvet jacket (soft and fitted at the waist). They are all of surprising quality and fit well.

    I really appreciate being reminded of these early memories. It is also a privilege to feel part of this fine group of women. Reading about your experiences is always such a pleasure and reminds me just how universal these experiences can be.

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    1. thank you. i didn't think this post would bring up so many fond memories for everyone, me included. i'm loving reading all the comments too. thanks for adding your memories here too. xo

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  15. What kind of paper do you wrap your accessories in? It looks almost like butcher paper not tissue paper.

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  16. The small air bags are the best for packing into handbags. Just keep the ones that arrive in your delivery boxes! Or is it just UK/Europe that has these?

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  17. Anna, I was thinking the same thing as I was reading the post. US has them too. I always think what a waste when I cut them to let the air out to fit in the trash, and wish I had some way to re-use them. I don't have a lot of storage space for keeping things like that for some unknown "future use", so usually just put them in the trash. Never thought of using them in that way until reading this post. ~J.

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kindness is never out of style.

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