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The Magic of Macy's: I found THE PERFECT PURSE! by (me!) mrs. sandra mickanen! (topps!) writeousmom

 in 2025 i will have been posting here on this blog for 20 years!  -but you know, you would not, prior, ever regard SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com as a FASHION blog..

or a WEIGHT LOSS, NUTRITION, blog..   BEAUTY & MAKE-UP..   WEDDINGS...  

or an exercise blog..    or, how-to-parent blog..   but i am going to be writing on those unaddressed, purposely neglected/avoided, culturally popular topics in 2025

and i am very excited to get started! so excited, i can't even wait til 2025

and i'm going to start by writing about the magic of macy's.   -not that i havent written about macy's before..  but i've written about it, without writing about fashions, beauty or make-up, in a direct way, really..

and for my fellow human-memory-storage nerds, i will [without the aide of research/confirmation] bullet point a few macy's stories i know i've written, from memory, and without giving the story away, so to speak

* my dad being santa at macy's

* lancome, us as 3 generations models

* my traumatic macys bathroom experience

* my laughed til we peed in the dressing room at macys experience with my sister; thanks to our mom

* the spiritual intervention that prevented my purse contents from being stolen while shopping at macys

* purchasing swimsuits during 2020  [purposely not using the c word] when no dressing rooms were available at macys

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and there's probably more, but those rise to the surface..   and i've already probably shared that 80% of everything in my wardrobe is from macy's.  and if i've gifted you clothes or jewelry, chances are very high i bought it from macys..  i think it was my very first credit card, but didn't keep, so can't verify..

but i remember the struggle for that 1st card...  need to have a credit history in order to get credit..

   -so, how on earth do you start then?

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anyway, let me not get away from my excitement:   i found the perfect purse! (for me).

k, now.. let me speak of my purse shopping criteria.  [skipping here about how i used to always carry a purse...   (or, bowling bag, as my kids like to tease); and then stopped using a purse entirely for a stretch   'quickest way to lose 10lbs']

and one of the great things, for me personally, about being in my 50's, is that i have learned to seek, (and find!) when it comes to fashion, what works for me; what i like, vs. being influenced by peer pressures, online influencers; media; brand names; false commercials..

further i would add, that as i've blogged 20 years without including ads on my blog, i am not tied to liking something i really don't like; i have no reason to 'pretend' or make anything up..

   -the scripture, 'who God sets free, is free indeed' is coming to mind & heart here..

so, 

back to my perfect purse:

i am not seeking a particular brand for status; period.

i am seeking something very pragmatic; utilitarian.  like it needs to pass my 'how i actually USE IT on a day-to-day basis test  [not, can everyone see the brand name test].  it needs to pass my, 'what i actually keep inside it, for what' test..

and! it needs to pass, my 'where/how i use it' test, and!  it needs to pass my 'where i place it in my jeep test'

those are the primary concerns i brought with me on my purse shopping adventure..

pragmatic:

i will be wearing my purse  -not carrying- my purse; i will need a long, strong, adjustable strap so that i can wear my purse, strap over my shoulder, around my body.  i like to be hands-free...

purse shopping is like wordle; lots of process-of-elimination to immediately focus in on what i do want; vs. what i know i'm not looking for..  and since we are blessed in these parts to have 1000's of choices; process of elimination becomes a very important skill set for a lot of things..

so i can immediately eliminate clutches.. or anything i would have to 'carry'.

next,  i can immediately eliminate any back-pack styles

when i want to get something out of my purse; i want this experience as fast and efficient and quick n easy as possible..  i want visible and physical access to my purse and contents of my purse at all times

this not only eliminates backpack styles, but immediately eliminates any purses where the flap is folded over, any purses with lots of snaps and buttons or magnets, velcro, etc.  it also eliminates any purses that are too big or deep, where you have to sit n search for things..

and helps me zoom in on only smaller purses that zip (for protection of contents); and zip specifically, write at the top

when i hold the purse, seen in the pictures i provided here, the adjustable strap allows me to place it  -ergonomically- write where i want to reach; comfortable on my body, height wise, AND allows me to just glance down at purse, unzip, and immediately see/get what i want..

LOVE!

so; -a smaller size purse with zippers on top; and i like a vertical orientation..   vs. horizontal.   -reason being; cell phone.   i love this purse, because i can place my cell phone in the front area; vertical,  and zip it closed.  -i love that i can 'feel' through the fabric, and be reassured, without unzipping and physically looking, but i can just 'feel' and reassure myself that i remembered my phone,  my phone is with me..

LOVE!

i need kleenex close at hand..  this purse offers an area, without a zipper, where i can easily store and grab kleenex at will..   i also, playfully, use this area to place advertisements for where i am..  and delight in seeing this in pictures later..       

LOVE!

i will also be carrying, touch-up make-up, floss picks, chapstick..  odds n ends..

this purse has a separate area, where i can zip in, life's little helpful blessings

and an additional area, i can zip in the more important and valuable things like id's and money.

LOVE!  i place cell phone front compartment; helpful blessings center; valuables closest to my body zipped closed.

and, lastly, it does have a smaller, area, in the front, with another zipper for protection; and i use this area for something i know i will for sure be needing/using that same day, so i don't have to search through anything, i can get write to it..

i.e., ticket to an event 

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summary: adjustable strap i can wear it over me vs. carry it; zippers at top, vertical orientation; 5 distinct/primary zipper compartments, with one open for emergency kleenex..

NOW

gets even better

in the open compartment, you will see in my picture, i also have...  (drum roll here...)

SUNGLASSES CASE!

these were in fact, purchased separately, and not at Macy's.   the one with the glasses in the design itself, bright pink & bright green, that was a gift from my sister.    LOVE!  

i learned that one of the ways you ruin the fit of your sunglasses the quickest, is by sliding them up on your head, like a headband,   -which i have loved because it gets my hair out of my face, but..  it does damage the fit, the shape

so i have successfully broken that habit, which i had for many, many years

now what i do; i do not 'push' my sunglasses up on my head.  i remove them, and quickly, easily, conveniently, PLACE THEM, inside their designated cute little holder case.

so, in order to be quick, easy, convenient..  this container also has to be easily accessible AND have a zipper at the top.   the way i have this set up, i don't even need to remove or move the sunglasses case at all,  it sits open/waiting,  i literally, just slide sunglasses in, and pull sunglasses out, at will.  i keep the zipper partially open at all times, and the orientation in my purse, is again, vertical..   perfect!

i LOVE the case my sister gifted me, also, because, it has a small zipper compartment on the side.  this is the perfect place to keep your little sunglasses cleaner fabric..

i was so enthralled with my whole set up -the perfect utilitarian purse + sunglasses case, that i wanted to duplicate my experience in different colors, for different seasons..

i am a fan of the changing seasons that inspire the different fashion palettes..

i had no success finding an exact match, with only a color change, when it came to the sunglasses case

i did find!   magic of macys..    an exact match in the purse itself; so i have one for fall/winter; and one for spring/summer..

the sunglasses case my sister gifted me, is spring/summer..   so i did find one, with colors/design that complement my fall/winter purse..  but, it is not designed the same

it is missing the zipper on side for cleaning fabric..; and it unzips all the way around; not just the top (i like just the top; its all that is necessary)

but! IT HAS A FASTENER, which allows me to ATTACH IT SECURELY to my purse. LOVE THIS!

      i am enormously pleased.  of course, the ideal sunglasses case for me personally, would have the zipper compartment on the side for cleaning fabric; PLUS a FASTENER to secure to purse;  and only unzip at top for the sunglasses..    and, it would just be pretty to look at. 

and if i really put my wildest purse dreams out there..  it would be this purse, in 4, not 2 different colors, one for each season, plus one extra fancy one for special occasions; and each one would have a very pretty complementary sunglasses case..

as it stands, i LOVE it, and BONUS! BONUS! BONUS!  the jeep i drive, has a smaller sized compartment   -as a matter of fact, my 2 door jeep willys just doesnt have a lot of  -free space- so to speak, in general, for -stuff..

i can't think of a purse i carried in the past that would fit inside what i use now;

but!  this purse i wear now..  it also FITS PERFECTLY inside the compartment, that securely closes, in my jeep

that got me to thinkin'...       dear Jeep,  i have an idea about what you can add to your merchandising line...

because, while i'm not a name brand person when it comes to purses..

i just LOVE all things JEEP..      i placed their sticker on the gum container i keep inside my jeep and just re-fill...

how cool would that look on a purse? sunglasses case.. THAT FITS INSIDE YOUR JEEP COMPARMENT...\ !?!

      caveats/improvements that can be made to my perfect purse:  the zippers can sometimes open so far to the end, that they get stuck, and i have to really wiggle/work to re-zip them..  i have learned to just make sure i don't unzip them all the way; only enough to get at what i need.  

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   -first of many fashion related posts to come...   AND many (but not all of them) Magic of Macy's related...   and i just LOVE how, the acronym ='s MOM.   don't you?  I am a 2nd generation Macy's shopper..  

and my first post since getting "MARRIED!" this past NOV 19TH, 2024.

oh! i can't wait to write about that too...   lots of pix; lots to share...     i'll be working on a collage all day today... 

and you know what else!  there's gonna be fresh and new in 2025..   some COOKING BLOG POSTS..  trust, me, in the past 19 years you'd never refer SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com to anyone looking for recipes...  but, mr robert mickanen...  (my sexy!)   he can cook people!

well, that's colloquial..  he doesnt cook people..   [giggling here]  he can cook, ~anything!   amazing mick meals, i call them..   and we'll share this blog in 2025; take turns, each writing about the things we love...

our criteria for posts in 2025:  do we LOVE it...   write about it; in detail... 

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Glory be to God,   Hallelujah!  Selah!  & Amen

#fashion #purses #macys #jeep

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 11:48 AM