Felt Tote Purse with Mama Poodle and Puppies. 1960s. Maker: Garay. Wonderful navy blue felt (possibly wool) tote-style bag with appliqued turquoise mother poodle carting her pink poodle puppies in a mustard-yellow wagon, via a rope pull. The appliques are held on by tiny gold studs. Lined in blue felt with two interior pockets, one with zipper.

These are the purses I crave. So whimsical and clever and unusual! I’ve only seen a few Garay bags with poodles, so I feel very lucky to have found this one.

Pair of Floral Needlepoint Purses. 1960s. Maker: JR Florida. Two similar purses, one black, one brown, both with floral needlepoint detail by famous maker JR (Julius Resnick) Florida. They are woven fabric handbags with needlepoint fronts trimmed in matching edging. The brown one has an interesting snap-handle closure and the black one has a more traditional goldtone clasp. Both have interior zip pockets.

I have quite a few JR bags, with needlework and appliques, in traditional form, tote and box-style. What amazes me is how much work that went into each of these. Considering the mass-producing of today's purses, this style is truly a lost art.

Have you checked out our sister site, The Vintage Purse Gallery? We've got photos galore, and a link to our Facebook page, where vintage handbag lovers just like you are sharing advice, comments and a passion for purses!

Under the Sea Kit Purse. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. Possibly a General Crafts, JewelTone kit purse (although there were other kit makers), this tote style bag has a textured background and features an under-the-sea motif of real shells, faux coins, felt fish, seaweed and a treasure chest full of all kinds of kitschy gems and odds-and-ends.

This is my newest acquisition—and the latest addition to my massive collection of kit bags—and, nope, I didn’t already have one like it!

Mixed Media Strawberries Handbag. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. Mustard-yellow textured fabric bag with velveteen leaves, floral needlepoint patches and three-dimensional velveteen strawberries with leaves. Some of the faux pearl “seeds” are missing. Two interior pockets; one with zipper. Snaps shut. Matching cloth handle.

I’m kind of surprised this one doesn’t have a maker tag as it’s reminiscent of so many famous manufacturers of the era. Could be that an industrious lady added the fancy bits to a plain yellow bag.

Got Facebook? Our Vintage Purse Gallery page has been getting some likes from some like-minded purse persons.

Lot of Plasticflex Plastic Tile Purses. 1940s. Maker: Plasticflex. Four Plasticflex brand bags (with red apple motif on tag because they were made by the company Robert Appel, New York). They all feature lightweight plastic tiles fastened together with cloth or leather lacing to form a zip-top purse. The brown clutch has an acrylic or Lucite pull. The ivory clutch has red and green laces (which are flaking with age), a red zipper, and a red crochet handle, possibly added later. The brown and white one has narrower tiles. The ivory one also has narrow tiles, and the addition of handles, which are rare for Plasticflex purses.

I love these because I love the combination of plastic and unusual or beautiful shapes. I don’t know why. I think it’s a tactile thing. I just want to touch them. I also collect early plastic and celluloid jewelry and have a lot of necklaces, pins and bracelets from the ‘40s and ‘50s. Which would require an entirely new blog!

To see more detailed pics of these bags, please check out The Vintage Purse Gallery.

Plastic Covered Purse with Square Dance Motif. 1950s. Maker: Soure. Ivory-colored fabric tote-style bag with intricate drawings of 19th century square dancers. The front has two ladies centered with their gentlemen off to the sides. The women’s prairie dresses and the men’s jeans are embellished with raffia. There are also decorative beads, buttons and rhinestones, and the bag features musical notes and partial lyrics. The back of the purse has a man and a woman dancing. Even the bottom of the bag shows partial pictures of a dancing couple. Plastic handles and an ivory-colored interior. Interior zip pocket and interior open pocket. Some yellowing and cracking due to age.

This is my most recent acquisition and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I love Soure bags, and this is one I’ve never seen before. That doesn’t mean others like it don’t exist, but if I’ve never seen it, then there can’t be too many out there. Let me know if you have one, too!

Are you on Facebook? Please take a moment to like The Vintage Purse Gallery! 

Rectangular Popsicle Stick Purse. 1940s-70s. Maker: Unknown. Handcrafted rectangular Popsicle (or craft) stick purse with rope handle, partial lining, hinged top and interesting diamond design on the front. Era unknown as these were popular for quite a long time and people are still making them. They are often listed for sale under the categories of tramp art, folk art and prison art.

I have two with this design (see pics below). One’s a little darker than the other, probably because the sticks were lightly wood-stained after construction.

The third photo shows my collection-within-a-collection. Amazingly, I get more hits—mostly from Asia—on this blog to view my Popsicle stick purses than any other handbag. Could be because someone posted one of my photos on his or her site and added a link to my blog, which I appreciate. If you want to use any of the photos here, please e-mail info(at)wendydager(dot)com.

Are you on Facebook? (Really, who isn't these days, besides my mom?) Please take a moment to become a fan of The Vintage Purse Gallery!