Our Favorite Earth Friendly Handbags

There are several companies that make handbags from recycled material and here are just a few of our favorites:

Vegan Queen - Really cute handbags in a sort of retro Louis Vuitton style (in my opinion) that have a slightly edgy feel to them! These bags are designed by a vegetarian and are made from natural rubber, PVC free polymer, nickel free zippers, and organic cotton terry for the lining. These bags can be found at http://www.veganqueen.com/

Matt and Nate - Each bag comes with a positive message that is on it's design and are all about vegan! One line of their handbags is made from recycled water bottles and the styles are very fresh and fun. These bags can be found at http://www.mattandnat.com/

Kim White - Kim's bags are made of reclaimed car upholstery from the 1970's and 1980's, as well as vintage fabrics used for furniture coverings from the 50's to the 1970's. My personal favorite, however, is the bag made from airline seat cover fabric! These bags are available at http://www.kimwhitehandbags.com/

At Henrietta's Handbags, we also care about the enviroment and have a full selection of market bags to carry your groceries and a full line of patterns for market bags that you can make yourself!

The Latest in Purse Design - Solar Purses

Do you constantly forget your cell phone charger but never leave your purse behind? Then the latest invention may be just what you need - a solar purse that recharges your cell phone or an iPod!

A student at Iowa State University created this handy dandy handbag by using cells in the fabric and he is currently talking with potential distributors. There are some tradeoffs to this technique - the very fact that the solar panels are flexible make them more durable but less efficient. Testing is currently underway to see how fast the purses can recharge a phone or an iPod.

When this bag eventually reaches the market, the cost will be approximately $300 to $400.

New Handbag Designer Line MUXO

Yet another celebrity has entered the realm of handbag designer - model Camila Alves whose main claim to fame seems to be having the baby of Matthew McConaughey. According to the press release, the word "Muxo" supposedly means "Goddess of the Water" in African (I'm not sure what language that is, exactly).

Each bag is handcrafted of Brazilian leather (Ms. Alves is originally from Brazil) and her partner is her mom who has a background in fashion design. I love rags to riches stories and this is one of the best - Ms. Alves came to this country and cleaned houses to make ends meet. She loves to travel and her bags reflect her love of New York and her love of her native country, Brazil.

These leather handbags range in price from $450.00 to $1,400.00 - no word yet on where they will be sold.

Templates To Design Your Own Handbags

Clover Company has come up with a
new way for crafters to make and design their own handbags - plastic templates instead of paper patterns! So far there are 2 different templates - The City Collection (6 handbag designs) and The Town & Country (6 handbag designs).

Town & Country Collection

The designs available for the Town & Country Collection include the Suburban Bag, the Suburban Plus Bag, the Metro Bag, the Metro Plus Bag, the Cosmo Bag, and the Cosmo Plus Bag.

Designs available for the City Bag Collection are the Portfolio Bag, the Portfolio Plus Bag, the Savvy Bag, the Savvy Plus Bag, the Chic Bag, and the Chic Plus Bag.

City Bag Collection

Henrietta's Handbags is now offering these 2 templates for only $19.95 with free shipping in the USA and Canada.

E-Bay Will Appeal It's Conviction In French Court

E-Bay has been fined almost 63 million dollars in a year and a half long case brought by Louis Vuitton, which accused the online auction business of selling fake handbags and perfume.

The French court decided that E-Bay had allowed the sale of fake Louise Vuitton handbags and issued a "cease and desist" order - if this order is not obeyed, E-Bay could face fines up to around $78,540 per day.

E-Bay says that they will definitely appeal the decision, saying that they did not infringe on any copyright law and that, in reality, Louis Vuitton is just trying to shut out any competition.

Another case was just recently lost by E-Bay, again in French court, when they were convicted of selling fake handbags by Hermes.

Handbags From Your Pet Hair

Do you love your pet but hate the fact you find pet hair all over your house? Danelle German, the owner of The Catty Shack, a feline grooming and spa service in South Carolina, came up with the concept of turning that unwanted cat hair into custom made handbags.

The hair is spun into yarn and knitted into a one of a kind bag, made from your beloved pet's hair! The first step is collecting the hair and "carding" it, which means combing the fur in the same direction to prepare it for spinning. Bags take about 3-4 weeks to make.

Prices range from $45.00 to $300.00 and collection kits vary in price from $7.00 up to $78.00 and you are given instructions with these kits on how to best collect your pet's fur.

This would make a great gift for the person who loves their pet absolutely!

The Finished Handbag!

How To Recognize a Genuine Birkin Handbag

A genuine Birkin handbag is a big investment and should be approached with care and knowledge - an accessory that can cost as much as $8,000.00 is not to be taken lightly!

Here are some signs that the Birkin bag you are interested in is real:

• Look at the logo very carefully. The makers of the Birkin bag (Hermes) owns the font and the typeface and it is not easy for forgers to copy. Go to the Hermes site or, if it is available, a store that you know carries genuine Birkins and study the logo.


• Feel the leather. The leather used in a Birkin is top quality and feels very rich and also has a distinctive leather smell.


• Look at the stitching. All Birkins have what is called a "saddle" stitch which is created when two needles crisscross each other to form an "X" pattern. The purpose of this special stitch is so that, even if one stitch breaks, the handbag will not unravel.


• Something that is much harder to see is that the thread used to sew the bag is coated in beeswax.

Birkin handbags are designed to last a lifetime and, if the bag you bought online as "genuine" falls apart, changes are it is not real.