Easy Way to Protect Leather Handbags from Strap Indentations During Storage

Welcome to the 552nd Metamorphosis Monday!

One of the joys in my life when my son married was gaining a wonderful daughter-in-law. With each passing year, Nancy and I grow closer. We were just talking last night about how awesome it is that we have such similar tastes in decorating, food, fashion and especially handbags! lol

This past weekend my son was out of town for three days so it was just us and the boys. When dinner, baths, books and snuggles were all done and the little ones were safely tucked into bed for the evening, we had the best time talking and laughing over a glass of wine while drooling over all our favorite designer handbags online. I wouldn’t give anything for the experience of having been a “boy” mom and now I feel doubly blessed that in this second phase of my life, I can experience the joy of sharing all the fun “girl” stuff with my beautiful daughter-in-law.

Yesterday, while the youngest napped and the oldest watched a movie, Nancy and I tackled removing a gigantic juniper bush in the backyard that had grown to the size of a king-size bed. My son and dil inherited the mega bush when they moved to their home a few years back. Over the years, it has eaten every baseball or frisbee that ventured near, viciously attacking anyone who tried to retrieve it.

Nancy and I alternated cutting and hauling yesterday and got the job done. It took about 2 hours. You can see how large it was by the amount of dead grass all around it. The bush was quite dead down inside so very, very prickly. When we were done, our legs and arms looked like we had been in a fight with a porcupine. Soon the stump will be removed, the lawn overseeded and the boys will have a new space to play.

But this isn’t a “Before and After” about the removal of a bed-size, leg/arm-eating juniper. How about some handbag inspiration instead? Yay, that sounds like way more fun! lol

Juniper

 

Handbag Hack: Protect Your Leather Handbags from Strap/Chain Indentions and Damage

A while back I shared this photo when I hacked some inexpensive shelving to create much-needed shoe storage in one of the closets off my master bedroom. (See that previous post here: A Closet Update: Hacking Shelves for Boot and Shoe Storage.)

Visible in that post were two Chanel bags: a vintage “Lady Diana” bag that I had purchased on eBay many years ago and a Chanel WOC (Wallet on Chain) purchased from the Chanel Boutique on Madison Avenue in New York a few years back. I still have the Lady Diana bag and use it for special occasions or special dinners out. I really enjoyed carrying the WOC the first year I owned it, but when I found I was rarely using it, I decided to sell it to Fashionphile to purchase another bag I had my eye on–a bright pink Chanel Mini Flap bag.

In this photo below from my closet boot/shoe storage post, you’ll notice I have something on top of my “Diana” bag. That’s tissue paper, folded and placed between the soft, leather quilting of the bag and the leather/chain shoulder strap of the bag.

Boot and Shoe Storage

 

The interwoven leather chain strap is a signature design for Chanel flap bags and is rather weighty. When you purchase a bag from a Chanel boutique, the sales associate always neatly folds and wraps the strap so it doesn’t rest directly on the top of the bag which could cause it to create indentations into the leather. Before purchasing my first Chanel bag, I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube so was familiar with this method for protecting the soft quilted leather design of the bag.

Chanel Bag, Lady Diana

 

When I replaced my red Wallet on Chain bag with the pink bag earlier this year, I did my best to protect the top of the bag whenever I wasn’t using it and it was stored in my closet. Again, I placed folded tissue paper between the chain and the bag. This works pretty well but anytime the bag is moved or shifted, the paper has a tendency to slip out. So, I’m always having to reposition the tissue paper hoping to keep it in place and the bag protected.

Recently, I got an idea and ordered a set of these child car seat strap covers. They looked about the right size for what I had in mind.

Protect Chanel Leather Bag from Chain Indentations, Damage During Storage

 

Happily, they were exactly what I needed! They are perfect for separating the chain strap from the soft leather of the bag when I’m not using it and it’s stored away.

Protect Your Chanel Lambskin Leather Handbag from Chain Indentations & Damage

 

When stored away, the majority of the chain falls gently down inside the bag where it rests along the bottom of the bag. It’s just the chain that’s left along the top that can create an issue if it’s allowed to rest atop the bag for long periods of time. The indentations from the chain into the leather can be subtle, but it’s best to avoid them if possible since the quilting doesn’t normally bounce back once it has been damaged.

Pink Chanel Handbag, Chain Stored Inside, Lambskin Protected from Damage

 

I love how supportive and light-as-air the covers are, adding zero pressure to the top of the bag. I’m thrilled with how this is working to protect the top of my bag.

Chanel Lambskin Handbag, Protect from Chain Damage Indentations

 

Since they came two to a set, I have one leftover to use with my Lady Diana bag. If you own a Chanel bag or a bag with a heavy chain or strap, and have been wishing for a better system for protecting the top of your bag, you’ll find these covers available here: Strap Covers.

Protect Chanel Leather Bag from Chain Indentations, Damage During Storage

Looking forward to all the great Before and Afters for this week’s Metamorphosis Monday!

 

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Metamorphosis Monday

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In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Feel free to link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, decorating, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, fashion, travel or DIY related. Please do not link up to the party if you’re only doing so to promote/sell a product.

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Comments

  1. Thank you for hosting!

  2. Thanks so much for hosting each week!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  3. Linda S. in NE says

    Susan, As usual, I have several links I would like to visit in today’s post. I am able to open your link to the car seat strap cover, but none of the MM links will open for me. Any clues, or suggestions? My Chrome recently just quit working, so now I am using Firefox to access the internet. Not my idea, and I don’t know why it happened. Any ideas?

    • Umm, I’m not sure. I know when I’ve asked InLinkz in the past, he always says that’s it’s normally an outdated browser. Check to see if you are using the most version of your Firefox browser. Just Google to see what the current version is, then check to see which version you have on your computer. Or, Google for “Firefox Updates” and you can see if it tells you there’s a newer version. I have a feeling it’s an outdated Firefox browser.

      • Linda S in NE says

        Replying to my own post, but I just discovered that when I used my Kindle (Android) to access your blog, I had access to all content, just like always. Go figure!

        • Linda, Aris emailed you with some questions, trying to figure out what the problem is. Hopefully, you guys are working on it. Hope he can help!

  4. Thanks for hosting, I love these parties.

  5. What a clever idea! I don’t have any purses with chain handles but know what to do now if I get one.

  6. Cyndi Raines says

    What a smart girl you are! You should share the idea with their marketing department, they may reward you with another purse, haha! Glad you are enjoying your time up north. Eventually, this will feel like home and you’ll want to move! Hehe at least all but for winter. Thanks Susan.

    • lol Well, I think they should offer something like this with every bag they sell. Thanks, Cyndi! I’m headed south tomorrow. It’s been a lot of fun but time to get back home and work on some things around my home. Need to get some quotes on having my front porch painted. Ugh.

  7. Susan what a super idea! I just ordered a set from Amazon for my Chanel bags . You always seem to have a knack for thinking up these ideas. I applaud you!!! You should market to Chanel! Maybe they will gift you a bag? I just saw one in Saks for $4200! Ouch too expensive for me!

    • They should provide something like this with every bag they sell, shouldn’t they? I know, their prices have really gone up the last few years!

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