So let’s think back to 2009 when Disney decided to give you free admission to a park on your birthday. This was the year my family became proud DVC owners at Baylake Tower. We already had a summer trip planned to get my youngest his first haircut on Main Street. Now we have points and a small airfare credit, so my husband and I decided to take a quick trip down that Fall for my birthday. Since we were already AP holders, I was given a gift card with one day admission on it. I had something in mind that I had seen on our June trip. It was a fun looking comic printed handbag at Trend-D, now before this fateful day I was a high-end handbag snob most of my bags were Coach with a spattering of Gucci, Burberry and Dooney. The bag at Trend-D was by a company named Harvey and they made Seatbelt Bags. My gift card would cover about half the cost of the bag which was around $150. I was used to these prices so that part didn’t scare me, what I was afraid of was would I really use a bag completely made of seatbelts and a Mickey comic strip when I left the Disney bubble? I decided it was no different from my many pieces of jewelry or clothing that I wear proudly year round. Now to pick the style. The print was the same for all and the comic only had slight differences. This bag has 4 styles, the large satchel, medium baguette, medium tote and convertible tote. I think only the baguette and satchel were available so I went with the satchel. New bag in hand i skipped out of Trend-D with a “Happy Birthday” to me song playing in my head. The next few weeks at home using the bag were great. I got so many questions and compliments and I then began researching where I could find more Disney prints on the Harvey’s Seatbelt Bag Site. (seatbeltbags.com) Then my world was turned upside down. It was announced that there would be a new couture handbag line at the Disney Parks in collaboration with Dooney & Bourke. I was now on the hunt trying to find out anything I could about these new bags. I had friends who were able to secure their own bag and once I saw those pictures popping up on the web all was lost and I fell in LOVE and had to have this new bag. I had some wonderful friends who were going to Disney World in January 2010 and they offered to try to get me both the tote and wristelet. These bags had an additional hurdle no 2 were fully alike so I had to put my faith into my friends that they would pick a bag with a good placement of the print. sure enough they found me both pieces and called me from the Emporium describing each bag they saw. Now I had to wait for them to fly back. Now we don’t live exactly close to each other but we use the same airport, so on a cold January night I drove out to the airport to welcome them back and collect my new baby.
It is with these 2 bags that my obsession began. I sold a good portion of my non-Disney bags for the sole purpose to fill those spots with more Disney couture bags. I haven’t looked back since and i am always looking for my next Disney bag. I go back and forth between the Harvey and Dooney bags. I haven’t been able to settle on just one line but to me that is part of the fun.
Are you Disney bag obsessed?
Do you stick with one line of bags?
Let me know what you want to learn about.
I don’t stop at bags wait until you hear about my iPhone cases and jewelry.
Gotta run I think a new bag is due to be released.
My name Jill Laperle. My first trip to Disney was way back in 1978. I still remember the first glimpse of the Magic Kingdom with my parents. I even still have some of those unused original tickets buried in a box.
I met and married my Prince Charming (Jeff) and we have 2 Princes (Riley and Aidan). Mickey and Minnie were kind enough to pop in at our wedding (thanks to our parents) and we had an amazing Disney honeymoon. Both of the boys had their first haircuts at the Main Street Barber Shop when they were a year old. In 2009 we became proud DVC owners at Baylake Tower. I have graduated from the College of Disney Knowledge and keep up with that training just to help people plan trips. I made it to the second round for Moms Panel after years of applying. I will keep trying knowing one of these years it will be my turn. I was a beta tester for Disney InsidEARS. I may have a small obsession with Disney Dooney and Harvey Seatbelt bags. I also love collecting Disney iPhone cases, Chamilia beads and other jewelry finds. I am always showing a Disney Side in a small way. Anything else you would like to know just ask.
NDM #117
My favorite bags are the shopping bags in paper at the beginning of EPCOT. http://www.collectingcandy.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CC_Walt-Disney-World-Epcot-Center-Orlando-Florida-souvenir-bag-1982.jpg