Fabulous Jewel Tone Handbag Bonanza! As promised, here are photos of catalog pages from the General Crafts Corp. Jewel Tone kit purses of the late 1960s. For more detailed information about these handbags, please see my post of June 1, 2007.

I don’t have every one, but I do have a bunch—in the neighborhood of twenty-five (I'm so ashamed!)—including some duplicates (extra shameful!). The first six photos are of the fold-out catalog pages. The seventh photo is of a single-page insert that says the purses are now available in black. The eighth picture is a make-by-number pattern of their peacock model, and the last is the finished product, which I'd be too lame to do myself, but thank goodness there are crafty people out there!

Catalog Pages












Now in Black!


Peacock Pattern


Peacock Purse

Wooden Collins Box Bag with Turtle. 1960s. Maker: Collins of Texas. Brown wooden box with leather handle and painted-on turtle, which is decorated with polished stones. It has the word “Poki” on it—the name of the bag, and, presumably, the turtle—and the Collins of Texas “C”-with-a-horse logo. Like the two previous purse posts, I got this bag at the Long Beach swap meet, where I had a friendly disagreement with the guy selling it. He called it an “Enid Collins,” which it sort of isn’t. This is a later model, made by the Tandy Company, after Enid sold her company to them. Some might consider it a matter of semantics, but, generally speaking, most bags with the "EC" logo—when Enid was still part of the company—are more valuable than the Tandy-made creations. I did some research and saw that the Poki design was made in other colors, using a variety of faux gems and dealybobs. This has double-appeal in that it’s a Collins and is also a turtle collectible. I just happened to think it was adorable.

Floral Trunk-Style Purse. 1960s. Maker: JR Florida. Adorable little vinyl trunk-style purse with pattern of green and blue daisies and sunbursts. Trimmed in green and blue velveteen, with goldtone closure and acrylic handle. I picked this up at the show in Long Beach last week. The seller wanted six bucks for it, but it has some cracks to the vinyl on top and in the back, so I set it down. She then asked for $4, which I accepted, but I felt kind of bad about it, because I’m sure it seemed like I was negotiating when I pointed out the damage, which I wasn’t. Not for six bucks. So I gave her my sincere thanks for letting me have this cute little addition to my collection for practically the cost of a Starbucks’ grande nonfat cappuccino with four Equal. (Yes, I need my chemicals. I’m counting on them to keep me young.)

Storefront Basket Purse. 1960s. Maker: Caro-Nan. I’ve always wanted a basket purse by Caro-Nan, and I picked up this one last weekend at a swap meet in Long Beach, California. It's woven wicker with a wooden top and handle, stained a rich brown; plus an antique-finish goldtone metal latch. It features a painted-on town with storefronts with the words “Museum,” “Pastry,” “Boutique,” “Photos” and more. I’ve seen quite a few Caro-Nans with real store names written in to match real towns across the U.S., making them very collectible for those who want hometown memorabilia. Some have “titles” on the underside of the wooden lid in addition to the Caro-Nan signature. Many of them have different signers, indicating that Caro-Nan employed a variety of artists to make their basket bags, which also have golf, bird, tennis, sailing and other themes. This bag has a red quilted lining and a penny glued to the top for luck. I think I was pretty lucky to stumble across this one, which is in great shape.

Travel Theme Kit Purse. Late 1960s. Maker: General Crafts Corp. This is another in my collection of vintage Fabulous Jewel Tone Handbag kit purses, made in the Collins style by some talented crafter in ye olde days of yore. This tote is green and features a travel motif that includes a sequined Eiffel Tower and the words “Paris,” “London” and “Rome,” along with various and sundry faux gems and dealybobs. Alas, this bag is in need of some repair as the latch cover—which I still have—has broken off. Wear and tear is common with these style bags—latches break, jewels fall off, grommets pop, etc. I’m from the ‘60s, too, and I have similar issues. My jewels and grommets burst all the time. Sometimes noisily, which would be embarrassing if I had any shame left.

Hello, fellow vintage aficionados! I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting—I’ve been tied up with work. (Work = money to spend on purses!) I promise to get back to my regularly scheduled posting, but, in the meantime, thought you might enjoy these two photos. The first one is a sub-collection of mine: vintage lipstick mirrors. I have others strewn about the house, but this is the bulk of my collection. My favorite is the pink-and-blue rhinestone-encrusted beauty on the right. Also on my vintage vanity, partly pictured, is an old pin cushion next to a pair of '50s red polka-dot gloves. On the left, you can barely see the corner of my framed wedding invitation from (gasp!) 1985. Scroll down for my comments on the second photo.



Remember when I joked about the bipartisanship of my wicker donkey and elephant purses? They were on my vanity chair, but I'd moved them aside so I could take some pictures. When I looked over at them, I realized they were leaning next to each other, grinning as if they were best of friends. Had to capture it for you.

Artsy Cage Purse with Hand-Holding-Flowers Motif. 1960s. Maker: Jolles. Black cage-like metal purse—reminds me of storefront security gates—with a hot pink felt interior lining. There are pink and blue felt dots stuck to the outside, some of which have pharoah-head faux (fauxroahs, heh) coins stuck to them, as well as a bouquet of flowers clutched by a black ceramic hand. Usually, you see the hand motif in Victorian jewelry, but this—well, this is an outstanding use of it and the other hodge-podge décor. It’s also really, really weird, which makes it one of my favorites.

3-Dimensional Paper Doll Window Box Purse. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. In addition to vintage handbags, I also have a teensy—OK, it’s BIG, but not as huge as my purse collection—assemblage of “ribbon ladies.” These were made in the 1920s-1960s and featured paper dolls that were “dressed” in fabric, and then framed behind glass for display. (Caveat emptor: A lot of reproductions are being made today and sold as old on eBay.) Mine are mostly from the ‘40s or so, but I have one that features a picture from Le Moniteur de la Mode, a 19th century French fashion magazine. The beautiful paper ladies are wearing elaborately-designed cloth dresses, which you can see here in this shadow box, which I've got displayed on a wall in my living room. Well, imagine my excitement when I came across this purse, which features women of the same era. They’re not wearing fabric clothes, but their paper dresses were created in a similar 3-D style. I suspect they’re mid-20th century prints reproduced from another old French fashion magazine, La Mode Illustre, which some clever crafter used to make this delightful box bag in the ‘60s. The ladies are behind a glass window, which is trimmed in green and gold. The avocado green paint on the wooden purse was a popular color choice in the ‘60s and early '70s. I had a dresser that same hideous color. Note: The purse was only put on top of the shadow box for the photo. She's now safely back upstairs in The Pink Room. Although, she's definitely art, don't you think?

Wicker Donkey Purse. 1950s/60s. Maker: Midas of Miami. Fabulous vintage natural wicker “figural” handbag in the shape of a donkey. She has a golden handle, bridle and closure. She wears a purple velvet bejeweled hat and carries a purple velvet saddle containing a treasure chest of glued-on faux jewels. Her gold fringe mane has tan velvet bows, as does her tail. She has gold fringe and beads decorating her chest. This was the first—and only—purse for which I broke my under-$50 rule. And, what’s really cool is that she’s the perfect mate to my wicker elephant purse. I feel very bi-partisan when they’re next to each other!

I’d planned to show you one of my newer acquisitions, a wicker donkey purse, but I’ll save it for another day. I’m posting this photo instead, as we had a 4.5 earthquake last night and my beautiful 1920s French mannequin head flopped over. Luckily, she didn’t break. She also made it through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (I bought her from a San Francisco-based dealer in '94, after the Northridge quake), so I guess she’s one tough chick. Here she is modeling a ‘40s hat I purchased from the original owner, who told me she spent a week’s pay on it while working in a factory during World War II. She’s also got Herman the Ermine (don’t ask) wrapped around her neck and, of course, a lovely 1940s handbag. There’s no label, but it’s obviously a Cordè, with its swirly textured design. I love the acrylic zipper pull and wristlet handle. And I love my mannequin head. Which is why she’s been moved from the top of my ‘40s vanity to the carpeted floor. Not as much of a drop if we have another quake.

Visit my new vintage shop, Cancan, at Ruby Lane! I'll be adding more clothing, jewelry and collectibles soon. And check out my cool logo, designed by my bud, the famous New Jersey artist Chillpaw!

Black Evening Bag with Needlepoint and Beadwork. 1960s. Maker: Caron of Houston. Black stretch-knit fabric bag with mesh insert that features needlepoint flowers, thousands of tiny, multicolored glued-on beads, big faux pink and red jewels and goldtone leaves. The whole busy mess is framed by curly gold-and-black interwoven trim. This eye-catching style is very typical of Caron. I have a number of these bags and they never fail to garner compliments. And cause blurred vision.

I know this is a little different from a regular posting, but please indulge me as I share a bit more of what else is going on in the vintage hideaway my family refers to as “The Pink Room.” In one corner, I have this exquisite pink beaded 1920s flapper dress; so very fragile and heavy with its glass beads. I have a story about the dress: About 15 years ago, I was wearing her at a wedding, and noticed there was a dirt spot on the front. I licked my finger and used it to rub at the spot, and a tiny part of the silk DISINTEGRATED. That’s when the poor old thing was relegated to this dress form. I was afraid if I wore her again and someone spilled a drink on me, I’d be nude. On her shoulder is an enormous, thick, luxurious fur with faces and tails. It belonged to a woman named Edna, a former showgirl. The salmon-color cloche is one of my first vintage hats and I would never part with her. As this blog is about purses, I most certainly won’t forget to tell you about the gorgeous ivory beaded flapper bag you see with the dress. I got it in the early days of eBay—before people became word-search savvy—and it cost me around ten bucks. Ah, I love beautiful things. Especially when they’re cheap.

Vintage Mixed Media Under the Sea-Themed Purse. 1960s. Maker: Straw World, Hialeah, Florida. This is one major fashion statement of a purse, made of thick bands of wicker and covered in the front and on the sides with burlap. The burlap was then decorated with real shells, seaweed and a genuine dead seahorse, which looks almost angelic with its shell wings. There are also scattered rhinestones, faux pearls and opalescent stones, as well as gold edging. It practically screams ‘60s Florida tourist, with big cat-eye sunglasses and Bermuda shorts. When a purse is this bulky (12” high, 14” across, 6” deep), I’m worried that I’ll bump against something, so don’t take her out, because her décor is somewhat fragile. Some of the shells need to be reglued and, also, I’d hate for Mr. Seahorse to break, considering how long he’s lasted. Also, I don’t own any Bermuda shorts.