As I sit here, warm and cozy in my home, with a foot of snow around my house, I’m yearning for the signs of spring. That first bloom of Forsythia , Daffodills, and finally a burst of beauty from my favorite flower, Peonies. There’s something special about this flower. They are delicate but quite large, some of mine reaching plate size! They have a beautiful softly sweet and fresh scent that I adore, yet there time here is short. Capturing that beauty is never easy, yet I see it here in this example by Christian Louboutin.

The Eden Peony clutch is an object of great beauty. A spherical ivory satin clutch is accented with an oversized tassel with a gold chain strap. Beautiful grossgrain ribbon is formed into a lush peony flower and little gold Louboutin stilleto clasp peaking through. Luxuriously lined in red satin, this is a little treasure of a bag.

A surprisingly roomy bag at 7″ x 7″ x 5″, you will not have a problem carrying your necessary items. There’s even room for tissues if you can’t keep a dry eye! The strap has a 23″ drop.

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Kate Spade is known for her adorable and proper styling. She hails from my home town and holds a special place in my heart. Darling lady bags, precious pumps and flats along with a plethora of other cute products perfect for gifting are available by this designer.

This Skipper Flower Bag caught me by surprise as a little bit different! I simply had to drop all of my other plans and write out it! This bag is so adorable for the holidays. The best part, there’s still time to get it for your special events!

Typically, I do not gravitate to floral handbags, but this one is so pretty. I think the velvet material just adds a lot of depth and texture that makes it a statement piece. Rich in black or brilliant in Fuschia! The oversize flower is roughly the size of the bag and it’s done in a beautiful, not kitschy way.

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I realize that we haven’t even gotten past Christmas yet, but it’s never too early to think about Spring (at least for me anyway)! And what better way to think about Spring than a nice Spring-y color on a handbag? Let’s see, what would be a good color? Ah yes, Lime Green! It’s the perfect color for putting a little spring in your step! But don’t worry about looking out-of-season in the middle of Winter. As my fellow TBFer Jess pointed out, Lime Green is the hot color for Christmas this year as well. It looks so fresh in that classic red-green combo! And it will look just as fresh with your Winter wardrobe and carry you all the way into Spring! So give Lime Green a chance, you will find that it looks stunning on a handbag! Just check out these beauties I have pictured below!

Diane von Furstenberg Belle Ruffle Evening Bag in Citron
Nothing screams DVF more than something that sits a little bit outside of the box! I love the cute ruffles adorning the front side of this clutch. Plus the studded leather trim adds just enough edge so you don’t feel overwhelmed with “fluff”. The perfect accessory for all those holiday parties!
$365

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In Greek mythology, a nymph is a minor goddess. They are typically associated with a land form (e.g. woods, river, etc), but can also be part of the retinue of a god. An interesting tidbit, but I am not exactly sure what it has to do with the Valentino Nymphe Garden Tote you see pictured here.

A crazy gorgeous piece, the tote features a rather dramatic display of silk blooms. I love how the cream and blush flowers at the top fade to gray and then black as they make their way toward the bottom. The flowers are simple and relaxed, not packed together and stuffy like other flower-filled bags.

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Valentino handbags never fail when it comes to making me drool! Each one is drop dead gorgeous in its own unique way. And for many bagistas, a Valentino handbag is the ultimate holy grail! The designer is famous for a lot of things. However, when I think of Valentino, it is either big bows or rosettes that come to mind. Hmm… but which one screams Valentino more? Right now, it has to be the rosettes! Oh my gosh, the Valentino Petale Tote is simply exquisite! But lately, Valentino seems to have moved past the extra large rosette design and has been experimenting with rosette clusters instead.

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If you’re looking for a bag that’s artistic and feminine, a great path to discover is the stunning collections of Valentino Garavani. The Houses elegant pieces are quite charming, even if they’re not your style; you’re sure to admire them. I believe I have officially run into the most elegant Valentino handbag I’ve seen. It’s the Alice Glam sequin and feathers Tote, and by all means take your time and stare, as there is a lot going on in this piece. The simple concept of a nude leather doctor’s satchel is then adorned with an array of textiles. A complex design of beads and sequin creates this grand swirling appearance and then an array of multi sized rhinestones gives off the last finishing touches to this ultra shining piece. Simply turn this piece to its opposite side and you’ll discover a dangling tail of feathers, a more exotic attempt to Valentino’s common florals and ruffles.
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There is a mixture of punky, prep, romance and street vibe in All-American brand Coach’s latest, the Bella Tote. This piece is featured in the Poppy Floral Graffiti line, which is either a hit or miss for you depending on your taste and age group. I don’t like to compare two very different name brand parties to each other, as far as having similar ideas in their collection, as I like to believe that each designer brand storms up their very own ideas. This line is indeed funky and fresh, but the oversized printed floral design along with graffiti tagging throughout the background of this bag is not such a fresh idea, considering the fact that French House Louis Vuitton presented the Roses and Graffiti concept for their Stephen Sprouse collection, last year.

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Muratori Bags is the new eco-sensitive handbag line, fresh out of the works by Julie and husband Todd Berard.

What’s in the name? Muratori, pronounced muir-a-tour-ee is Julie’s grandmother’s surname.

And there’s some amazing new news since we first mentioned Muratori Designs a couple weeks back. The him and her collection is now conveniently available online through endless.com as well as in-store availability at DavidLawrence (The Bravern, Bellevue, Washington). In other media news: watch Julie Berard show off the latest Spring handbag styles and trends on King5 and next time you’re at the grocery store pick up a copy of Seattle Magazine’s May edition and check out the Muratori feature.

Which leads us to our next giveaway! The amazing duo behind Muratori Designs is giving away one of the crown jewels of their new Spring 2010 collection, the Petal Hobo in Cream! (*faints*)

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In the beginning, I’d have to say I was not impressed with Diane Von Furstenberg‘s handbag efforts. They seemed like an afterthought. Perhaps someone told her she needed bags to complete her line and her attention was focused on her clothing line. Where was the impeccable and fabulous textile selections? Where was the pattern? We started to see the real Diane emerge with her Stephanie bags last year and now I believe she is fully focused on producing amazing handbags with the DVF vibe.

When I first saw this bag, I was blown away! Typically, I’m not about a lot of color in my handbags, let alone wild abstract patterns, but sometimes it is just done right and I can’t help myself…The DVF Sugar Print Shoulder Bag is just such a bag.

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