Tomorrow we’re going on a short trip down to Southern Ontario to visit Sir Monkeypants’ family, and also to go to the SECRET SURPRISE 40th birthday party for a mystery someone. (Don’t worry, she doesn’t actually read this blog.)

We make this trip about three times a year, so you think I’d have the packing thing down pat by now, wouldn’t you? We usually go for five or six days and this time we are only going for three days, so there’s even fewer things to pack…AND YET. I feel like I’ve been packing for a week now and I still have tons of stuff to do, and it seems I am bringing at least half of the house. This is why I don’t get people who are able to take their kids on vacations to exotic destinations — first of all, the amount of planning and packing involved gives me hives, and the fact that we simply could not take sixteen boxes and fourteen suitcases on an airplane makes me hyperventilate.

I mean, what if we get there and we have NO PRETZELS? WHAT IF???

Better pack the pretzels.

Anyway, while I’m away I have no idea what kind of internet access I’ll have, so to preserve my NaBloPoMo status I’ve pre-written my posts for the next four days on a theme — weddings I have attended and the shoes I have worn to them. The posts turned out great, I hope you enjoy them. I’ll be back posting live on Tuesday.

As for today’s post, something I wanted to do over this month was to feature some of my favourite Etsy shops, in the hopes that it would help with everyone’s Christmas shopping. Since we’re already almost halfway through November I thought I better get down to it. I have several shops I want to feature so I’m going to break my posts up by theme.

Today we’ll talk about handbags, because although I hate to shop for clothes, I LOVE to shop for handbags. It’s funny, because 90% of the time I carry around an enormous diaper bag, and I rarely get to use a handbag ever. I’d still own a hundred of them, though, if I could.

My favourite handbag store on Etsy is Janine King Designs:

She makes lovely, classy tote bags and (squeal!) bags for laptops. I fantasize about being a big-time writer someday and carrying my laptop with me everywhere in a pretty Janine King laptop tote.

Someone on my Christmas list is getting a handbag for Christmas from XS Baggage:

I had one of these bags custom-made for the gift that I ordered and it arrived super fast, and is just gorgeous to boot. It was very, very hard to wrap it up, let me tell you.

I also really love all the bags from The Funky Bag Lady:

So, so pretty. These don’t zipper close — they only have a snap closure — so probably not so good for travel abroad. Excellent, however, for Ladies’ Poker Night — I’d almost want to lose, just so I could pull out my lovely handbag at the end of the evening to settle up.

Lastly, I really like Urban Harmonie:

I’ve had my eye on that pink clutch for a while now, but sadly, I just can’t justify it. If I ever get invited to a ball, though, it’s totally sold.

Happy weekend, happy shopping!