My Awesome New Bag!!!

Anyone who is wanting a really nice, good quality, WAHM-made bag, purse, or child's backpack... go visit my friend Jessi! She is quite talented and her work is beautiful! Caroline has one of her toddler backpacks (she is actually pictured with it on the website), and I just got this gorgeous bag that she made - an early birthday gift from my husband. :) I am using it as a replacement for my diaper bag... it is so much smaller and more compact, and it doubles as a purse. I can carry it either over one shoulder or across my body (helpful when walking around places while carrying a baby or toddler!). And its colors go really well with most of my clothes, as an extra benefit!

I first saw Jessi using a bag she had made that is basically identical to this one. We were at the aquarium in Chattanooga, and she must have noticed me admiring the bag as she kept pulling things out of it that I was surprised could all fit inside it! She referred to it as her "bottomless bag," and I asked her if she was making more to sell. She said that she had just made this one and hadn't had much positive feedback, so she didn't know if they were really marketable. I decided that I wanted one, and then once my birthday was coming up, I asked her if she'd make one for me. And here it is!

Jessi also refers to this style of bag as "Mommy's Tool Belt" - and that it is! She currently has a beautiful one up for sale... probably the third one made in this style!

So here's a tour of this incredible bag... I hope you will want one too and go support Jessi's business after reading this!

I will start with one of the coolest features: the elastic side pockets. They are spacious enough to hold a sippy cup each, and there is still room to slip some smaller items in there if need be. My kids can get their cups in and out easily. The pockets cover the area of the entire side of the bag.

The opposite side also has a pocket that covers the whole side of the bag. This side is a flat pocket that is perfect for holding a disposable diaper or three. That is typically all I need when going out, even for half the day (and I always try to have backup diapers in the van for re-stocking!), and they fit so perfectly in this space. There are three plastic snap closures on this pocket to keep it flat - I usually put this side against my body and the side containing the cups facing out.

Here's a shot looking down into the main part of the bag. Inside, you can see more pockets - yay!! Each one is smaller that the exterior pockets, but they are still vry spacious for what I keep in them. In one, I keep my wallet and sometimes lip gloss. In the other, I keep my cell phone, relevant coupons, a little thingie of diaper rash cream, and a little tape measurer.

In the main part of the bag, I have a snack container for my girls, a pack of tissues, my keys, a bib for my one year old, my calendar/planner, and a thin pack of wipes. I also throw other random things in there as needed: I think there are some fruit leathers in there as well as a bottle of Calmes Forte for Kids (aka "travel-tabs"). And truly, more could fit in here if necessary. I also like that this section is open with no snaps or zippers... easier access. And everything stays put deep inside.

This photo is just to show you how much stuff I have in this bag! Okay, so i don't have the large pillow at the right in there, but everything else fits nicely and in an efficient and easily accessible way. The thing I have the worst time with is diaper bags where everything falls to the bottom, or there are no pockets, or the pockets are not located in helpful places on the bag (or they are too small). This bag keeps me well-organized and able to have things I need in my hand almost immediately! Even my keys don't take too long to find when I just drop them into the center section.

Just look at all the things you can carry in such a relatively small and convenient way!! Did I mention how much I love this bag??? ;)

Go check out Jessi's website - she does custom orders, too!