I am Mary Poppins

Okay, let’s start off with a dose of honesty here. I am clearly not Mary Poppins – I am NOT perfect in ANY way – but, based on what I carry around with me every day you might think my ability to stuff my bag to overflowing is pretty darn amazing.

Let me show you what I mean…

This is a sample of what I quickly pulled out of my handbag today. I say sample, because this is probably about 1/3 of what was actually inside. You can’t see the band-aids, the mini sewing kit, three kiddy squirt guns, coupons, sunglasses and the jumbled up jewelry…

Good heaven, it’s a miracle I don’t have some sort of shoulder balance health issues. Please tell me that I am not alone?

Though it’s all in there, or maybe because it’s all in there, it can be a little difficult to find things. I have “lost” my keys on multiple occasions, there is a very real chance that all this “stuff” is the reason I didn’t get to your call on time and no one else wants to carry around my bag, to say nothing of the idea of rummaging through it for something.

I am thinking that fear of the unknown may be a universal feeling for most men. How willing is your husband to dive into your bag for something?

Grace Adele Handbags and Accessories

Enter the answer to my handbag chaos…Grace Adele – a newly launched Scentsy company.

You may remember that Scentsy was the presenting sponsor at SNAP! They were a dream to work with, and I was excited when they offered to share some “top secret” information with me a few weeks ago (I totally geek out over stuff that).

Well, I have been holding the knowledge of this new company in for about a week and it’s been killing me. Especially after a box full of beautiful goodies arrived for me to share with you!

(Seriously when just the packaging is this pretty, you know what’s inside has got to be even better.)

What Makes Grace Adele Unique

I am not a fashionista, or even particularly trendy, but I can tell you that a woman’s handbag reveals much about her life – organized, chaotic, fashionable or low-key. Grace Adele makes pulling your look together (whatever it is) EASY.

1. Pick a color. There are seven colors offered – Red, Zebra, Teal, Black, Leopard, Natural, and Purple.

2. Select a style bag. Once you’ve decided on a color, select one of seven bag designs. The company has made it easy to keep track of the style by providing each with a name.

I’ve got the Mary bag in red. Isn’t it the perfect color?! I’ve been looking for a nice red bag to use in the fall and winter months for a while now. I am really excited to use this!

3. Choose a clutch. Once again, there are seven clutch bags, each with a woman’s name.

I have the Lou clutch in natural. Its got sort of an ostrich leather look to it.

Each clutch is envelope-style (my favorite) and comes with a detachable strap so that it can be used snapped to the outer pocket of the larger bag, or used as a stand-alone when you want to carry something a bit smaller (which honestly, for me is never).

4. Add on some handbag bling. Grace Adele has a line of fun accessories you can use to dress up your bag. My bag has a fun little clip on tassel, but they company has everything from flowers to mirrors and ring bling.

I am probably a bit more invested in the functional accessories offered – a grouping of fun notebooks and wallets.

I’ve been using a smaller wallet for ages (funny since I always have such a big bag) and I was really happy with how much better everything fit into this clutch-style wallet.

5. Perfect your look with fun jewelry. I am in love with the great accessories in this line.

This bracelet is from the Unchained Collection. I love it and can’t wait to get my hands on the necklace. Though Unchained is probably my favorite in the line, I also enjoy the Bauble and Pearlcollections too.

I am enamored by ALL of their rings, although I wish they all came in more sizes. I think that they are going to sell like crazy.

Smart Interior

What really sets the Grace Adele line apart though is the bag’s smart interior.

In the last month and a half, I have managed to break open a travel sized bottle of mouthwash and a small container of hand sanitizer. How do you feel about a used bag that smells like mosquito repellant? Turns out I’ve got one.

If only I had this awesome little make-up bag before all the spills…

What’s great is that the little make-up enclosure has its own pocket inside the bag.

There’s actually a pocket for EVERYTHING…

Remember all the stuff I had pulled from my bag?

Everything but the planner and the Ikea catalog has been sufficiently tucked away in my new Grace Adele Mary-Lou bag and clutch. See? The planner fits really well, but it blocked some of the pockets I wanted to show off in this post.

Pretty fantastic, no?!

For the record, I also tested how easily I could cart around my iPad, a notebook and even laptop in addition to the items already carefully stowed away. The iPad fit well. The laptop (it’s a Mac) fit, but wasn’t SUPER practical.

I am hoping this ingenious interior will help me to be a bit more organized, ensure I do get your call and makes fetching things more reasonable for the little dudes in my house (it’s not so dark and dangerous).

The Bottom Line

Well, the bottom line is that I am really excited to take this new bag out for a spin – it’s headed to New York City with me this week – but, I bet you’re wondering about the price of all this great stuff (I was).

The great news is, it’s super reasonable. Bags start at about $80 and accessories can be purchased for as little as $10. ALL of the items I received could have been purchased for less than I have often spent on one bag. Even better? Grace Adele has a program called Stylish Savings, which bundles additional items at a reduced cost.

What I Really Want to Know Now

So now I am really curious. What do you keep in your bag? How do you store it?

I would love to have some of you share what’s in your bag. Let me know if you’re interested!

Disclaimer: Scentsy provided me with advance information on the new Grace Adele company, along with sending me some of the company’s fun bags and accessories. I was not financially compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.