Bag Bling: A Review

What is it?

Visitors to Blog and the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog have realized I work closely with Leigh Designs on models and stitch guides. It's a fun relationship for the both of us but sometimes I do other things, like test drive a new product.  Last summer Leigh sent me this to see how I liked it and how well it held up.  It's Bag Bling, made in the U.S.A. and now distributed by Leigh Designs.  It is a thirteen inch long string of beads with a lobster claw clasp at one end and a splint ring and another lobster claw at the other.  Just above the big fancy bead at the split ring/lobster claw end is a small split ring.  You can clip the top lobster claw end to this little ring to make a choker style necklace or to keep it securely on your purse or stitching tote.

Bag Bling and Keys on my Lee Nylon Tote

 

Each Bag Bling is unique. Mine combines Swarovski faceted beads, a pretty floral blown glass bead from Czechoslovakia, a very large purple glass bead, and various other smaller purple bead of various styles and a few blue beads to make up the strand. Leigh tells me some of the beads are antique and some are new. Each is chosen with the main color scheme and an overall harmony of design in mind.

 

Close Up of My Bag Bling

You can see more Bag Bling on the LD website.  Clicking on any of the photos will show you a closeup of the color schemes available.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/BB-Home.html

I use mine to attach my keys to my purse but if I ever go anywhere I'll probably put it on the stitching tote I take with me to keep my scissors handy but secure. Once I get where I'm going, I'll remove it from the bag and use it as a scissors fob so I can keep up with my traveling scissors easily in a hotel room or beach or wherever.   On the Leigh website you'll see it used to attach one of the bigger Ashland Sky bags to one of the smaller.  There are a lot of ways you can use this. My wrist is small enough I could use mine as a bracelet if I doubled it.

How sturdy is it?  Mine has been riding around on my everyday purse since early August with my heavy key ring attached to the lobster claw at the bottom.  It gets tossed in the car, dumped on the kitchen counter, stored in a desk, etc.  Despite all this abuse, it looks brand new and shows no sign of coming apart. The lobster claw holding the keys gets opened and closed constantly but it hasn't shown signs of damage.   Even the large purple glass bead isn't scratched and I was sure that would show wear very quickly.  I've had beaded scissor fobs come apart with use after only three months but I've been Bag Bling'd for nearly six months without any apparent damage.

I'd recommend this, particularly if you travel, as a great way of keeping your scissors or keys attached to something larger.  Besides, they are just durn pretty and you know we stitchers are all about the eye candy!  Where do you get Bag Bling?  Your favorite shop can order from Leigh Designs if they didn't pick up any at Market.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 22, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.