Fall 2017 Vera Bradley Items I Can't Wait to Try!

Not surprising, I have my wish list for new Vera Bradley items made out. I think there are some really exciting pieces out there now and I need them in my hot little hands! I'm trying so hard to behave, since we are moving in less than a year. We already need a storage unit to remove clutter and store some of my collection to show the house. There have been recent reports of storage unit break-ins, so it makes me very nervous to store my precious Vera Bradley collection outside of my home. I'm already planning on sending my Disney Limited Edition doll collection back with my in-laws, and I may do that with some of my Vera Bradley. That would alleviate my huge fear. Frankly, the furniture and clothing we need to store away I'm not too worried about. We make it a point to NOT get nice new furniture with little furniture-abusing kids, I wouldn't be surprised if the thieves shut the door right after opening it. ;) My guess is that my now-resolve will disappear in October when (hopefully) I receive my Vera Bradley birthday coupon. I've been known to do a lot of damage with my birthday coupon.

Here are my top five items I would love to have:

5. Get Carried Away Tote -I have one of these in Java Blue already. The reason I haven't shown you it in a YouTube video is because my orange cat claimed it as his and it's covered in fur. Unfortunately, he and our black cat both passed away in August, unexpectedly. I can't bring myself to clean it. So I need a new one!

4. XL Throw – I live up north, like NORTH north. We have super duper cold windy winters. We LOVE and LIVE in our XL throws at our house, all five of us. We are approaching our last winter in the tundra, and man both Mini Medallions and Ditsy Dot Stripe are calling my name, no begging me to take them home. However, they are a bit bulky, especially when I already have so many, so I'm trying to restrain myself.

3. Bedding – We are serial bedding abusers. I say we, but I really mean everyone else in my family but me. My kids are kids and my husband is a chronic late-night snacker (and does NOT have the gut to prove it, grrrr). My cats loved to lay on our bed, also adding to the bedding problem. So I never buy nice bedding. We have a king-sized bed, and until now Vera Bradley didn't make king-sized bedding. I really do need new bedding for our master bedroom, but what if I buy something that goes well with the current dark gray walls and then doesn't in the new house? That's the ONLY thought preventing me from buying Vera Bradley bedding. Well, that and I don't like moving bedding across the country. I prefer to get new with each move, it's just a quirk of mine. But, wow, that Vera Bradley bedding is GORGEOUS!

2. Midtown Belt Bag – Although I haven't done a video on them yet, you guys know I love my travel belt bags (yes, FANNIE PACKS). I love that Vera Bradley calls them Belt Bags, but they are FANNIE PACKS. The new Midtown Belt Bag is RFID protected, meaning that thieves can't steal your credit/debit card information off the chips in your cards. This Belt Bag is also made

of Preppy Poly, a waterproof material. I love my older travel belt bags, but the cloth ones were easily abused. I have several items in Preppy Poly and the fabric holds up pretty well. The third

and other huge plus to the new Belt Bag is that the waist strap can be extended to wear it

crossbody, making less of a FANNIE PACK.

1. Carson Shoulder Bag – Not to be confused with the leather Carson Saddle Bag, which is entirely too small, I really would like a Carson Shoulder Bag in Heirloom Paisley. I've heard mixed reviews on it, but I love that the strap is interchangeable. I hate having both shoulder straps and crossbody straps on one bag. I know some ladies don't like the gold and silver hardware mixed with the interchangeable straps, but I don't mind it. I wear a mix of gold and silver jewelry all the time, I don't mind continuing that theme with my bag. Another reason I want one is that it reminds me of my beloved Saddle Up Bag, with the front flap and large back exterior pocket. I'm also in a limbo with my youngest. He doesn't need a diaper bag anymore, but he's still in diapers for probably another year (judging by when my oldest son potty-trained). I just need a bag that's big enough to hold my stuff, a small container of wipes, and a diaper. It looks like the Carson is big enough to do that? Man, I need a Vera Bradley store near me!!!

My Take on the Vera Bradley Purse Backpacks – Hadley vs. Leighton

I recently purchased two of the new(ish) purse backpacks from Vera Bradley, the Hadley Backpack in Classic Black (microfiber) and the Leighton Backpack in Rainforest. Immediately I was struck by how small they were. Duh Stacy, you didn't look at the dimensions! As I've said before, I don't have a Vera Bradley store anywhere near me, like anywhere within a 1000 miles or so. I'm out in the sticks.

I wrapped up YouTube video last night comparing the two. Here are my observations:

1. Both pleasantly surprised me on how much each hold. The depth on both make up for their small sizes. Both are fully functional as purse backpacks. They both easily held my essentials, wallet, sunglasses, pen, breath mints, a little makeup in a Small Cosmetic, feminine products (hidden in a Slim Kisslock Case), keys, a small hairbrush, and travel sized lotion and body spray.
2. The Leighton's side pockets are slip in, while the Hadley's are zippered. The Leighton's are large enough to easily hold a water bottle, which is a fantastic feature! The Hadley's were small, but since they were zippered, the side pockets were a great place to hold my keys. They aren't big enough to hold any cell phone.
3. The Hadley Backpack's front zippered pocket has a hole with a grommet to feed your charging cable to your phone, and on the other side of the pocket, there is an elastic slip-in charger pocket. Very handy! As a parent, it would be a piece of mind to know my daughter's phone should be always charged.
4. Vera Bradley's website shows a cell phone slipping into the Leighton's slip-in pocket on the back exterior. Personally, I prefer to have my phone in a more secure pocket. If the backpack had a back zippered pocket, then I'd have no issue.
5. I'm not a fan of the Leighton straps. They are like belt buckles, with three adjustable holes. The straps are limited in how much they can adjust, and have a greater possibility of coming completely unbuckled. If you aren't paying attention, this might make theft a little easier. The Hadley's straps had traditional backpack buckles with slide adjustment; however, the straps are nylon.
6. If you want more a more traditional-looking Vera Bradley backpack, the Leighton is the one for you. The Hadley line has distinctive micro-diamond stitching. I actually really like the micro-diamond stitching, but that's personal preference.

My overall take is that both backpacks are great as purse backpacks. If you haven't seen one, trust me, they are too small to be used as anything other than purse backpacks. While both had great features, I prefer the Leighton over the Hadley Backpack simply because the Leighton holds more, including a water bottle. I don't have a portable cell phone charger (yet), so the Hadley's greatest advantage over the Leighton is lost on me.