Vintage Carpet Bags

Ever since I read Vintage Coconuts blog about her awesome find, I have been obsessed with scoring a carpet bag of my own. I searched the thrift stores and Goodwill with no luck. My sister told me the antique store was selling a few but the lowest was $60 and way out of my price range. Instead of praying to the thrifting gods and hoping to find one local, I decided to search Ebay. I normally do not buy off Ebay because of the inflated prices but I was able to score not one, but 2 carpet bags for far less than the one at the antique shop.

The first one was a BIN with only a day left. I really loved it but wanted to see what else was out there. The second one I loved was at auction with two days left. I was afraid I would not win the auction, so I bought the first one.

Have you ever seen the Miche purses? They have a shell and interchangeable covers. You can get a different look without buying more than one purse by simply changing shells. This one is a vintage version of that. It doesn't have a brand anywhere on it. You can unsnap the carpet cover, flip it over and snap in the black vinyl side. You could also leave the cover off for the black cloth side.

with carpet cover

with black vinyl

with cloth side

I am totally in love with this purse and it is just the right size.

I ended up winning the auction on purse #2 plus it had free shipping. I had measured my wallet before placing my bid to make sure it fit. I got the purse yesterday, and didn't take into account that is gets smaller near the top and my wallet is too big. I love the colors on this bag and only wish it was as large as the first bag. The chain was also a selling point for me. I may end up reselling it on Ebay if I do not find a smaller wallet.

I'm afraid I'm going to be starting a carpet purse collection as I am currently bidding on another purse. If I win this one, all 3 of them will still have cost me less than the one at the shop. If I win that purse, I will post an update with the picture. Wish me luck because I really need want it.


UPDATE: I won the other auction. Here is the seller's picture of the purse.