Handbag triage

Today I weeded my closet of 42 shoes, 42 handbags, and about 4 large garbage bags full of clothing.  Interestingly I found several items that I didn't recognize.  And there were tags still attached.  No one tell my husband that, please.

I kept tally...just to satisfy my curiosity of how bad the situation really was.  The unfortunate part came when, after about 5 hours of sorting and reorganizing, I realized I forgot the coat closet.  And the attic.  Ugh. "The Disemboweling of Nancy's Closet: The Sequel" coming to theaters near you January 22!

Sadly, many of those handbags that had to be tossed were crushed, misshapen and now unusable. But in the process of this behemoth of a task, I came upon a great way to keep my surviving handbags in great shape for the long term...old socks and tank tops!

Sad, deflated, flat handbag

Stuff socks with other socks (Yes, I know it looks like a phallus) 

Stuff purse with socks = happy handbag

Old tank tops and tees also make great large bag stuffers.  Here I took a hideously pumpkin-like tank top, filled it with a couple of old tees and made a little cloth football:

Insert a couple folded tees into tank top

Tie the left shoulder to the right bottom corner and double-knot

Tuck the remaining corners in under the knot

The finished product

Stuff it

So in addition to the above, store your handbags upright (but not hanging) and away from sunlight or excessive temps. Use dust covers that are dust-proof (duh) yet breathable.  For more tips on how to keep your handbags lookin' spiffy, check out this link.  

And someday in the future, if I discover a way to store my shoes without getting them all jacked up in the process, I'll gladly share that also!