Top 5 Picks for Mother's Day Gifts

With Mother's Day around the corner, it's a no-brainer to share with you my top picks for Mother's Day. I'm a mother of three very active children and even though I have these items below in my possession, that doesn't mean I don't need more Vera Bradley! Especially number one and number 5! I hope my husband is reading this....

Please note on all of these, take extra care to look at her wardrobe and/or décor. Know her favorite colors! Vera Bradley comes in all colors of the rainbow and then some! She will definitely appreciate that extra touch if you get her something in her favorite colors.

1. Vera Bradley Zip ID Case with Gift Card (or Car Key) – This also makes for a great teacher's gift! Vera Bradley Zip ID Cases retail for $12, or you can pick up a Disney Vera Bradley one for $15. In the clear ID window, simply insert a gift card to her favorite store, Starbucks, spa... the possibilities are endless! If you want to step it up a notch even further, attach the key to her new car to the handy silver logo key ring and REALLY surprise her!

2. Vera Bradley Hipster – This is a crossbody bag, so it's perfect for busy moms to keep their hands free! There are lots of Vera Bradley crossbody bags, but this one is the classic Vera Bradley bag. They retail for $60, but you can find them in retired colors for less if that's a bit salty for you. They are lightweight and have adjustable straps, which make it a good choice for moms who have neck, shoulder, and/or back pain. They are great for errand-running, shopping, taking to the ballpark, etc. Make her life easier with a Hipster!

3. Vera Bradley Preppy Poly Bags – Really any bag in this line will work. Preppy Poly is lightweight and water proof. I personally use my Preppy Poly Tote as a diaper bag for the gym and church. Kids spill all sort of things, and this material will let Mom worry less about that happening. The material is easy to spot clean and very durable. Preppy Poly comes in lots of colors and select patterns. The purses start from $50 on sale to $158 retail, but you can also often find these cheaper on Vera Bradley's eBay store. I paid around $30 for my generous sized Tote there.

4. Vera Bradley Throw and Book – This one comes with a warning. Throws ARE ADDICTIVE! Vera Bradley throws are very popular and famous for their softness. The colors are eye-popping and fade-resistant. You will want one, two, or three for yourself! My husband sleeps with at least two of them every night. Regular sized throws range from $24-$49 and the extra large throws start at $40 on eBay. Now if she's going to curl up with a comfy throw, you need to get her the new book by the cofounder of Vera Bradley, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, “A Colorful Way of Living.” Don't cheat her and get the Kindle version, this book pops with color! The best price is on Amazon for $17.24. It's an easy, fun read, and very inspirational.

5. Vera Bradley Weekender – If you really want to wow over your special lady, get her a Weekender to surprise her with a weekend getaway! (That's if you didn't wow her with a new car already, but there's room for both!) The Weekender is a great bag for those quick trips. It has a sturdy base, rolled handles, and a removable strap. In my opinion, it's easy to carry than the Large Duffel. It retails for $98, but, again, you can get it cheaper if the pattern is retired.  As a Mom, I couldn't tell you how utterly happy I would be if I got a weekend getaway! It doesn't have to be expensive, a couple of nights in a hotel away from the kids already sounds like heaven! Sleeping at night, lounging around, eating HOT meals, catching up on ME time... wow. I'm really hoping my husband reads this!

Saving Money on Vera Bradley

I very rarely pay full price for my Vera Bradley pieces. There are only 2-3 items I can think of where I decided it was worth it. Not that Vera Bradley isn't worth the money, but let's face it, money doesn't grow on trees. Plus the more I save, the more Vera Bradley I can buy. At least that's my philosophy, and it's not share by my husband. I did pay full price for my husband's IU collegiate throw; the collegiate line never goes on sale and is always excluded from coupons (boo!). I also couldn't resist the a fw years  back. It was a limited edition line and I never saw it on sale.

Let's check out the myriad of ways you can avoid paying full price on those gorgeous Vera Bradley bags:

1. Coupons – these used to be so wonderfully abundant! Back in the hey day of blissful mass ordering, 2011 – 2013, Vera Bradley had $20 off $75 coupons galore. They primarily send coupons through online purchases. Ladies were ordering like mad, especially with the free shipping of $75 or more. Now they have scaled them back, coupons are now $30 off $125 and you're not guaranteed to get one in your order. These coupons are only good on full-priced items. These coupons can be used online or in a store.

2. Birthday coupons – be sure to sign up with Vera Bradley to get their best coupon, the birthday coupon! It used to be either 40% off one item or 25% off your entire order, but now it seems to consistently be 25% off your order. It still does not include the collegiate line and I don't believe the full priced leather. However it does include most full priced items! You can use this online and in the store. You can not be able to use it for a hot holiday sale at the outlet stores, but check first. Vera Bradley is very inconsistent with sending out birthday coupons. I didn't receive one for about four years and then started receiving them again. Just call customer service and they will give you a code if you didn't receive your coupon during your birthday month.

3. Retirement – you may be really itching to buy something in that newly released pattern, but good things come to those who wait, If you can wait until the pattern/item retires, then you will get a better deal than when buying when the pattern/item is current. Vera Bradley retires patterns/items about 3-4 times a year. They will announce ahead of time what patterns are going to be retired. However, they don't annouce style retirements. The best way to see if a style is going to retire is to check out the style when there is a new pattern release. If the item is not showing up in the newest patterns, there's is a 99% chance the style is going into retirement.

4. Sales/Promotions – Vera Bradley has a lot of promotions throughout the year. You can sign up for text alerts to stay on top of them. I have also signed up for their email list, but their emails are not consistently sent out and don't usually announce sales. Typically their emails only talk about new patterns/styles or remind you of what you recently browsed on their website. They often have great holiday sales, especially at their outlet stores. My favorite is when they offer a free item with purchase on top of a sale.

5. Price Adjustments – if you find the same item you purchased is now cheaper, you have 10 days from the date of your purchase to contact customer service for a price adjustment. You will receive a gift card for the difference.

6. Vera Bradley eBay store (Vbay) – a few years ago Vera Bradley started selling on eBay directly. They had a lot to learn in the beginning! Shipping wasn't free as it is now, and they tried to treat it as an extension of their website, instead of as an eBay store. A lot of negative feedback resulted, but they have since learned their lesson. It's a great place to find deals! They often have slashed prices, free shipping on everything, and often have additional discounts depending on how much you spent. They update their eBay listings a few times a year. Their eBay store does include the “factory exclusive” items that are made for their outlet stores, but now Vera Bradley states this in the listings. Pay attention! You won't find current items, but you can get a steal on retired ones!

7. Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy, are all popular websites to buy Vera Bradley from. On these, excluding Amazon, you can find great prices on both new and used Vera Bradley. Amazon only has new Vera Bradley. If you're buying used, please make sure to read the listing, see all the pictures, and know exactly what you're getting. If you're buying from a person who's selling out of their house, make sure the home is smoke free, and if you have allergies, pet free. It's really difficult, but not impossible, to get smoke smells out of fabric bags. Be sure to check out the eBay Completed Listings in Advance Search to see how much items are selling for. The green price means it sold at that price. Search by Recent First. You don't want to over pay!

8. Department Stores – Vera Bradley has branched out to department stores in the last couple of years. I never thought I'd see that happen, they used to be so strict with their brand control. You can even sometimes find retired Vera Bradley at Sam's Club! Discount retailers like Stein Mart and TJ Maxx now often have Vera Bradley retired pieces. They also now sell current items in the big department stores like Macy's and Dillards. When those stores have promotions, they often include Vera Bradley. This can be a great way to get new items at discounted prices. Vera Bradley also has patterns that can only be found at the large department stores, like Winter Palace.

9. Outlet Stores – Vera Bradley now has their regular stores and outlet stores. You have to be careful with the outlet stores because they sell their “factory exclusive” items here and the quality, in my opinion, is a little lower than the regular stores. For instance, the factory exclusive bags have nylon lining instead of the interior patterns. However, around the holidays, the outlet stores can have great sales. They also accept phone orders and orders over $75 are shipped free. The outlet stores also have outlet exclusive patterns like Chandelier Floral, Fiesta Floral, and Pirouette Pink.

10. Annual Outlet Sale – I LOVE this sale! Granted, prices were lower in previous years, but if you're around Fort Wayne, you have to go. This sale is every April. Prices are around 40%-60% off, sometimes more. If you go early, you can find some current items (probably seconds), hard to find limited releases, and unique items they used for photo shoots/advertisements. If they offer a coupon for the Annual Outlet Sale, it's usually found in the local Fort Wayne newspapers and in the Indianapolis Star. You can't use regular coupons, birthday coupons, nor gift cards. There are no returns nor exchanges with items purchased at the Annual Outlet Sale. If you're interested in going, please check out the most comprehensive guide to the Annual Outlet Sale here in my blog!

11. Third party websites such as QVC, eBags, Zappos, and Zulily have Vera Bradley. QVC even has exclusive patterns like Meadow Garden, Raspberry Banana, and Key West. QVC also has Easy Pay for Vera Bradley from time to time.

12. Online rebates – these are a no-brainer for anyone who shops online! There are several out there, like eBates, Mr. Rebates, and TopCashBack. Simply register at one of these sites, then go through them to get to where you are shopping. With Vera Bradley, you'll usually get 3%-5% back from your purchase. Once the order is comfirmed, the money is processed into your account. Then once it's available, you can withdraw it. You may have to accumulate a certain dollar amount to be able to withdraw it, like $10. These rebates do take a little time to be available, but what's the harm? You'd be leaving money on the table otherwise. You can use these online rebate sites to also shop the department stores and third party websites that sell Vera Bradley. I've personally received over $2000 back over the years.

13. Facebook groups are a great way to not only find deals, but to connect with other Vera Bradley fans and learn more about the brand. They are a great resource to find sales, learn about upcoming patterns/styles, and where to shop. I highly recommend joining Vera Bradley Buzz to stay on top of the latest Vera Bradley news. You can't sell there, but there are lot of other Vera Bradley Facebook groups you can buy and sell in.

14. Craig's List/Garage Sales/Estate Sales – I'm from Indiana, the home of Vera Bradley, so I'm used to seeing Vera Bradley at garage sales and estate sales. If items don't sell at garage sales, you'll find them on Craig's List. I've found a lot of cheap Vera Bradley on Craig's List. I've lived in places where Vera Bradley was popular so you could find a lot of it, and I've lived in places where Vera Bradley wasn't popular. I didn't find a lot, but what I did find was cheaper because the people selling it wasn't familiar with Vera Bradley. These are fun places to find vintage Vera Bradley! Just use common sense and stay safe.

15. Goodwill/Salvation Army/Thrift Stores – the down side of living in Fort Wayne was that the local thrift stores sold their Vera Bradley inventory at crazy high prices. However, now that I don't live there, when I find Vera Bradley, I can find it crazy cheap. Also check out second hand stores like Plato's Closet and Clothes Mentor. Most of my Vera Bradley jewelry collection came from one stop at a Plato's Closet! I've even found new cheap leather wallets for $35, new in the box!

16. Poshmark, Mecari, LetGo, Tradesy, Vinted, Threadflip, Listia, ThredUp, and other countless reselling apps are so easy to shop from! My favorite and most trusted is Poshmark, and I've bought from Mecari, too, with no issues. You can find lots of sellers just looking to get rid of their Vera Bradley, listing it, and not doing their homework to find out how much their Vera Bradley is worth. It can also be on the flipside, I once saw a used cosmetic bag for sale for $90! Used!! However, you can make offers and bundle to save more money.

Vera Bradley 101: For the Beginners

First I want to say welcome! We have cookies! (Well, not really but it'd be really cool if I did). You may be reading this in research for your next bag. Or maybe you want to learn about the new Vera Bradley you received as a present. Let me teach you why you should love it, cherish, it, and sometimes let it go (to get another Vera Bradley bag):

1. Vera Bradley was founded by Patricia Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard in 1982. They worked together selling wallpaper and noticed while traveling how boring and blah luggage was. So they went to work creating their own line of luggage and handbags to solve the problem. The company is name after Barbara's mother, Veronica (Vera) Bradley, who sold bags for them in Florida until she passed away in the early 1990's. The company is headquartered in Fort Wayne.

2. The company was once well-known for making their bags in the US. The older bags have tags with “Indiana” specifically on them. However, the company took most of their production overseas to China in the late 2000's and now all of their products are made overseas. Customers often assume the bags are still made in the US. (pic of Indiana tag)

3. Although the company has diversified into leather, accessories, bedding, perfume, jewelry, etc, they are most well-known for their fabric bags. They are lightweight, often washable, and generally affordable.

4. There are a lot of patterns available in each of the Vera Bradley styles. They release new patterns about four times a year, and usually several new styles in the all the current patterns along with each release. They “retire” patterns about twice a year, and styles a little less often. You will discover a style is retired if you search their website, www.verabradley.com, and that style is not made in the newest patterns. Retired patterns will go on discount and will be sold at their outlet stores. You can find a decent list of retired patterns at  www.verabradley.com/us/static/retiredpatterns. However this list does not include special editions and limited releases.

5. Annual sale vs outlet stores, this can be very confusing to a Vera newbie. The Annual Sale is the annual outlet sale Vera Bradley hosts in Fort Wayne. They opened their first outlet stores a few years ago. At the Annual Sale you'll find seconds, returns, unique items used at photo shoots, limited release items, and older items if you have a keen eye. The outlet stores have “factory exclusive” items and retired items. If you're interested in attending an Annual Sale, check out my three part guide for the Outlet Sale. You won't find a more comprehensive guide on the Internet! You can follow the sale on social media using #vbas17. Just change the year accordingly going forward.

6. There are several Vera Bradley fan groups and resell pages on Facebook. I highly recommend Vera Bradley Buzz. The ladies there are super helpful and drama is not allowed. You can also follow Vera Bradley on Instagram, Twitter, and through their blog Inside Stitch.

7. Pattern placement can be very important. For example, you don't want a bag with a decapitated bird on the front if the pattern has birds in it. Every bag is unique with the fabric line. If you're buying on eBay, check with the seller to make sure what the bag actually looks like. Some sell multiples of an item and use stock photos. You can't pick your pattern placement when ordering from the Vera Bradley website, nor with placing phone orders with the stores. Placement pics

8. The diamond stitching on the Vera Bradley bags is iconic.  However, it's also a difficult stitch for manufacturers. Very often some of the diamonds do not line up. It's up to you how off you'll find acceptable. This does not mean the bag is a fake, nor is it defective (unless the stitching is WAY off). (Off diamond pic)

9. Coupons – The most common coupon is $30 off your order of $125 that you can receive with your online order. This coupon can't be used for sale items, the collegiate collection, nor the leather line. You can sign up at stores and join their email list. There they will ask for your birthday and you should receive a birthday coupon during the month of your birthday. I say should because Vera Bradley is not consistent with their delivery. I suggest calling customer service if you don't receive one. It's the best coupon you will get from them. It used to be 40% off any one item or 25% off your entire order. This coupon does include sale items. Both online orders and phone orders with a Vera Bradley store offer free shipping when you spend $75 or more. (Insert coupon pic)

10. If you aren't a hoarder like me, you can resell your used bags. Ebay is the most popular website to sell them on, but there is also Poshmark, Mecari, Vera Bradley Facebook resell groups (not in Buzz that I mentioned earlier), and Etsy. If your bag shows a lot of wear, maybe you could sell it for scrap. You should except to get 20%-30% of the retail value back, if your bag is in great condition.

11. Speaking of wear, there are consistent places of wear you should look out for on your fabric bags. Primarily the corners and the straps get the most wear. The corners are often the easiest place to find hole. The older bags had layers of fabric to help with this, but the newer ones do not. The straps, obviously, can get dingy and yellow with wear. You could try Scotch Guard on them to help prevent staining. I've never tried it, but I've heard it works. It may give your bag a stiffer, slicker feel.

12. The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer is a big part of the company. Since 1998 they've raised over $25 million for breast cancer research. The company holds events like the Vera Bradley Classic - their annual tennis and golf tournaments, and Tickled Pink – a fun annual night at their Design Center in Fort Wayne that anyone can buy tickets to attend. One pattern in the fabric line of bags is designated as a breast cancer pattern every year. These are marked with special Foundation retail tags. 10% of the profits from the sales of that pattern go to their Foundation.

Top 10 Vera Bradley Patterns with Placement Issues

The concern of pattern placement is very real. Patterns with large designs and/or blocks of color can be tricky. Bigger bags have fewer placement issues, but small items can totally leave off your favorite part of the pattern.  I do think some ladies are too concerned with pattern placement, but who wants a bag with a decapitated bird on the front? The top 3 patterns below I would always request to see the actual item you are getting, if you're buying them online.

1. Yellow Bird –
   

   

   as I've mentioned before, when Vera Bradley's Chinese factory made a lot of items in this pattern upside down and these are available at the outlet sale. So on top of the high possibility of getting a decapitated bird, the bird could also be upside down!
2. Floral Nightingale –
   
   this pattern didn't have the upside down issue like Yellow Bird, but the chance of having decapitated birds on this pattern is also very high.
3. Midnight with Mickey –
   

   

   pattern placement with all the Disney patterns with characters on them really make this list: Disney Dreaming, Bouncing Bouquet, Just Mousing Around, Mickey's Magical Blooms, and Plums Up Mickey. Even Mickey Meets Birdie and Perfect Petals can be an issue. However Midnight with Mickey tops them all. You can get items with no characters on them (and some ladies prefer that), or with bad placement. The characters on this pattern are the largest of the Disney patterns; therefore, making Midnight with Mickey the most difficult Disney pattern for great placement.
4. Canterberry Cobalt/Magenta –
   
   
   
   
   the dominant colors on these twin patterns are black, white, and gray. Sometimes getting the cobalt or magenta colors on smaller items like the Zip Id Case and Lanyards is really hard to find. Also, the symmetry of the circles and where they cut off on the bigger bags like the Tote can bother fans of these patterns.
5. Twirly Birds Pink/Navy – two more bird patterns with the same decapitation issue. However, the birds are swirled into the design, making them more abstract and the issue less prevalent.
6. Animal Kingdom – just even looking at the fabric swatch in the Retired section online at verabradley.com shows you the potential decapitation issue! The giraffe's head is cut off by the border!
7. Heather – this pattern is intricate but the florals and paislies are large, combined with large sections of solid colors. One bag can have more of a purple look while another has more teal. Some ladies aren't fans of the yellow flowers in this pattern. I love all items in this pattern, but I can see where someone can be stuck with a swatch of the pattern they don't like on a bag.
8. Imperial Toile –
   

   

   another pattern with large designs, so placement can be tricky. I have the hard laptop case in this pattern, and I picked it because of the full pagoda on the front.
9. Baroque –
   

   

   although a popular pattern, many do not like the bright yellow/neon green color in the pattern. There are others who want less white in the pattern. It's much easier to hide the dirt that comes from normal wear on the black and gray than the white.
10. Pink Elephants –
    
    the elephants are small, so on bigger items decapitation isn't much of an issue. I have seen it bother ladies on smaller items like the Zip ID Case. The rows of elephants can make the pattern look crooked, or exaggerate if there really is crookedness. This is an issue with the border on the Turn Lock Wallet in particular.