I am thrilled to be bringing some amazing goodies to the blog today! Woody Ellen is a Belgian artist who creates works of art and turns them into amazing vintage-inspired handbags. I was asked by the lovely Esme from Moxie Mama Wear (who is the sole distributor of Woody Ellen in New Zealand, take note ladies!) if I would like to blog about one of the ranges and, after squealing a little, I jumped at the chance!

It was a very VERY tough choice out of the full 9 collections, but I ended up selecting the Honey Bird collection as I fell in love with the design and felt this would go with a lot of my vintage dresses. The Honey Bird design features a sweet hummingbird amongst the blossoms, with blush, green and pinky-red tones on both sides of each piece. And of course is bag is so expertly designed it’s like wearable art – gorgeous!

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The Handbag:

The Handbag measures 31 x 30 x 8cm, making it the Goldilocks of bags because it’s not too big and not too small! I can comfortably get the rest of the pieces featured in this post in there, plus my huge phone, lipstick, even a mini hairspray and hair brush if need be. At the same time it definitely isn’t big enough to feel ‘clunky’ and could easily function as both a weekday and weekend bag. The material is a combination of vegan leather and microfibre, and like all of Woody Ellen products it’s water resistant. On the inside it’s fully lined with a zip pocket and phone pouch, and I especially love the elegant gold clasp that is a sweet finishing touch. You can pick up this expertly made bag through Moxie Mama for $145NZD.

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The Wallet:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that we all carry wayyyy to many cards around these days. If you like to have them with you at all times (just in case!) then you need this wallet. It’s not going to take up a heap of space in your bag (it’s only 10 x 19 x 2cm) but it’s basically a carpet bag for your cards because you can fit a whole lot in there! The wallet has many, many card pockets as well as a side zip for change and large pockets for notes, and closes with a zip that goes around three sides. It retails for $60NZD and as someone who loves to give gifts that people are actually going to use, can we say ideal Christmas present?! Actually this really applies to the whole Woody Ellen range!

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The Pen/Sunglasses Case:

I totally didn’t realise that this case has a double function until I looked on the product page! This could actually be either a pencil case or a slipcover to hold your favourite pair of glasses – either way, it’s super functional and fits perfectly inside your handbag, measuring 18 x 8 x 1cm. The Pen/Sunglasses case retails for $45NZD and would be especially handy for use as a distinguished sunglasses case for that pair of vintage sunnies as us southern hemisphere ladies come into summer.

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The Coin Purse:

Could this little coin purse be any cuter? If you’re like me and constantly switch bags depending on the occasion (because work and a night out require totally different bags, am I right ladies?), then having something small to keep your essential funds in means that it will transfer from bag to bag with ease. At 10 x 10 x 3cm, the coin purse will fit not only in the Handbag (see above) but also the Clutch, the Clip Purse, the Box Clutch, and of course the Travel Bag – now that’s versatility!

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The Compact:

What a luxury to have such a beautifully designed compact to pull out of your matching handbag! Measuring  7 x 7 x 2cm, the compact really is as it name suggests – compact! – but as we all know this is just the right size for refreshing your lipstick or powdering your nose. It features the Honey Bird design on both sides on the outside (so those around you will see how stylish it is no matter which way up), mirrors on both of the insides, and clips together with a dainty silver clasp. The compact retails for $45NZD and is proving to be a very popular Christmas gift at Moxie Mama!

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A huge thank you to Esme from Moxie Mama Wear for choosing me to write about this collection – this girl could not feel luckier!

Thank you also to Woody Ellen for making the most fabulous bags, and of course Katherine from The Undefined Photography for the beautiful shots taken in the Italian Renaissance Garden at the Hamilton Gardens.

I cannot wait to feature these beautiful pieces in future shoots, so keep an eye out to see just how versatile they are!

Miss Hero Holliday

xo