Tips: Getting Your Purse Organized

Ever spill the contents of your purse? Annoying isn't it? In my purse I try to keep such disasters minimized with zippered pouches.

Most purses don't have enough pockets to hold lipsticks, coins, pens and paper. Worse the entire bag has a fold over top that doesn't latch securely. Ever since middle school I've put small items into coordinating zippered pouches. My mom made most of mine - choosing fabrics that coordinated with my satchels. Over time, they've worn out; the last of these had holes where the bleached denim had worn through.

Besides reducing the amount of items I need to pick up if my purse spills and making it easy for me to find what I need in the depths of my purse, the pouches make it easy for me to switch out purses from day to night.

I've chosen sizes that fit in the majority of my purses. I've also organized items so that the essentials always fit. Before choosing your pouches, be sure to measure the length of your longest item and the width of your biggest item.

Right now I have four zippered pouches:

1. The smallest pouch which goes with me everywhere contains lipsticks, glosses, bobby pins, elastic bands, barrettes, and mini-emory boards.
2. The next pouch almost goes with me everywhere. It's my survival kit for clothing mishaps and includes a sewing kit, double-side tape, Tide pen, and other necessities (it's the pouch with the spools of thread design).
3. The third pouch is usually just with me for work. It's got post-Its, a small pad of paper, a couple of pens, and a measuring tape.
4. The final pouch is my touch up bag. It's got hand sanitizer, travel-sized hairspray, foundation, mascara, and a mirror. 

I purchased my zippered pouches from mmmily, she has a bunch of different sizes and has fabrics that coordinate well.

If you're crafty and have the time, you can find fabrics you like and make your own. Here are a couple of tutorials that I found:

• Oilcloth Pencil Bag by say YES! to hoboken (perfect for items that might spill)
• Patchwork Pencil Pouch (Google Docs Link) by Vanessa Hewell of Little Big Girl Studio spotted on How About Orange
• Fabric Pouch by Chelsea of Lovely Indeed for The Sweetest Occasion. If you're hesitant to tackle a zipper, you can add velcro tape to keep this pouch closed.
• Zippered Toiletries Bag by Momtastic spotted on say YES! to hoboken (great for your overnight bag or gym bag)

What's your secret for keeping your purse organized?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.