Two Turtle Doves in the Bag

Photo by Ben Earwicker
Garrison Photography
www.garrisonphoto.org

Day 2

We've established that readers like books.  Problem with having lots of books is that you've got, well, lots of books.  I don't know if you know this, but lots of books is lots of heaviness to carry around.  That's why a book lover is also a tote bag lover.  

This is a great gift idea for readers of all ages.  I remember when I was little my mom made me a small tote bag out of denim.  The front pocket had a cross-stitched picture of a little girl hanging upside down from her knees on a giant letter "S" (my first initial).  My favorite part was that the little girl's braids were dangling down and she had the happiest little stitched smile.  My mom was super crafty like that.  The bag was the perfect size for carrying around the ridiculous number of books I was convinced I needed with me at all times in order to survive.

My own kids have tote bags of their own that we take to the library every other week to check out new books.  Theirs are not hand-made with love (Mother-of-the-Year contender I am not).  Theirs are reusable grocery totes, but after peeking around on the internet for suggestions for you, dear readers, I think my kids may just get some new hand-made bags themselves.  No, I'm not making them, but the lady that made them is someone's mother, so that's got to count for something.

Your first stop for tote bag shopping should be Etsy.  Etsy (short e sound), is an online community of craftspeople buying and selling unique and freakishly amazing gift items.  The selection of handbags and totes on the site is slightly overwhelming (I cannot tell a lie), but you can customize your search easily and find just what you are looking for.  I'll show you just a few of my favorites.

Fold and Tote all folded neatly.

These are the totes ready for books.   

Let's just say the birds on the 

brown bag are Turtle Doves.

Loving this foldy-uppy thing (not the official item name, but much more fun to say) from Beckasoup.  We've all had it happen to us before, right.  You are just walking down the street and the next thing you know you have a dozen books in your hands.  Maybe you passed a used book store, maybe a yard sale or maybe the book gods were just smiling on you that day and blessed you with immaculate possession of a dozen of your favorite books?  Who's to say? Either way, you've got a load a books that need carrying now.  What's a bookworm to do?  Take out this handy foldy-uppy bag and carry those books in style, my friends.

A Yellow Bird Bag

Or check out this Yellow Bird Bag (on the left - just in case you are color blind or something) from KnottyByNature.  Look!  More Turtle Doves!  There is a 20% discount being offered by this seller until December 24th.

Market Tote - Trees

At Shady Lane Handmade, I found some lovely trees for all our birds to nest in (bag on the right).  I'm partial to the corduroy used on this one, but I have a strange tactile disorder that presents itself in rather embarrassing ways.  Like the time I was petting a co-worker's shirt sleeve because it was the softest corduroy in the world.  I didn't even realize I was doing it until he looked at me with a horribly pained expression that very clearly read, "Never do that again."

I also stumbled across and interesting facet of eBay buying called WorldofGood.com by eBay.  On this site, you can browse items and can choose for your purchase to make an impact on People Positive initiatives like preserving traditions and self-empowerment, Eco Positive programs, Animal Friendly services, or supporting a specific cause.

Say I gift this bag here. 

Organic Cotton Dahlia Tulip Bag

My gift not only gives my friend a great place to store all those books that spontaneously appeared in her hands, but it helps to support improved nutrition, health care, education and training, as well as creating employment for women in an environment that exceeds the Fair Wage minimum standards.

That's got to make you feel kind of warm and fuzzy.  Bet it makes your books extra light too!

If none of this is sparking for you, you can always go with an absolute classic.  The Lands' End Canvas Tote, whose only fault is that it lasts abso-freaking-lutely forever, so you never need to buy another tote bag - ever.  And while I do LOVE these bags, I can't imagine a world in which I have no more need to buy totes.

To keep reading the 12 Days of Christmas use these links.
Day 1 — 12 Days of Christmas
Day 3 — Ooh La La Hens
Day 4 — Do Birds Get Cold Feet?
Day 5 — Finally, Jewelry
Day 6 — Geese Are Scary
Day 7 — Serene Memories of Books Past
Day 8 — Do Cows Make Wine?
Day 9 — Let the Words Dance across the Pages
Day 10 — Gifts from Scratch
Day 11 — Pipe Dreams and Deadlines
Day 12 — Drumroll Please…