With such a love for beautiful bags, its no surprise that when I first found out I was pregnant with Drayton, I began dreaming of a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag. I looked online, saw the Cake line and thought "who would ever pay that for a diaper bag!" I immediately went back to looking at the regular PPB bags and decided I wanted a boxy backpack. My sweet husband bought it for me...paid full price I might add...and when it arrived I absolutely loved it. Until baby actually came along. Then, I began to hate the fact that the changing pad was attached to the front of the bag. I either had to bring the entire bag to the changing area of a restaurant/store, or I had to remove the changing pad (it was velcroed in). People, Velcro is loud. Very loud. Especially when you're sitting in a church service or funeral. After a few months of carrying it, I decided it had to go. It was listed on eBay.
When it sold, I purchased a Cake Society Satchel in Midnight Blackberry. I got it used, on eBay, for an unbelievable price. The Society Satchel is by far the classiest, most elegant, option in the Cake bags. When she arrived, I was smitten. She was beautiful.
Even though she was used, she had rarely been carried and came in impeccable condition with all the pieces: long strap for carrying as a tote/backpack, changing pad, wipes case, and stroller clips. I loved this bag for approximately 4 months. Then, Drayton's toys started getting bigger and he was using his sippy cups more than his bottles. Soon, it was no longer big enough for long outings. We're very involved in our church and spend a minimum of 4 hours there on Sunday mornings and another 3 hours or more on Sunday evenings. This bag simply didn't hold enough for days like that...and this was my "church" bag. So, once again, my sweet little baby bag was listed on eBay.
It sold in just a few days and for more than I paid for it. (SCORE!) Then, I began the long wait for the day a Hampton Holdall would be listed. Sadly, the Hampton Holdalls are not as prevalent on eBay as the Society Satchels. The money from the sale of my SS sat in my PayPal account for weeks. Weeks y'all. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to just leave that money sitting there! Eventually, my patience paid off and one day I found a Black Forest Cake HH listed. Then, I had to wait through the auction, shipping, etc. Finally, last week, my new bag arrived and now, I have to tell you how completely amazing it is.
First, like the other bags, she is beautiful with her tweed background and black burnout velvet designs.
Second, she is large and holds a ridiculous amount of stuff. Its so ridiculous that I have everything in there for a toddler and still have room leftover. When you open up the clasp and unzip the top of the bag, this is what you see:
There are actually 3 compartments there. The middle, and largest, compartment holds a medicine case, 6 children's books and several toys. Hi Bob!
One of the side compartments currently holds a changing pad, wipes case, 5 diapers and diaper rash cream. (This bag didn't come with the original changing pad. I'm actually ok with that since changing my baby's bottom on the same changing pad another baby's bottom was changed on, kinda freaks me out. Plus, I was able to order a replacement from PPB for $10.)
The other side compartment usually holds a change of clothes and a bib, in addition to the now present Boogie wipes.
Now let's talk bottles. There are 2 interior pockets (in the middle compartment) which could be used for bottles and there are also 2 exterior pockets for bottles/cups. The exterior pockets are hidden. When you look at this picture, you probably think "what bottle pocket" right?
This bottle pocket only holds 1 sippy cup, but it will actually hold 2 bottles. I tested it by putting 2 of Drayton's old Avent bottles in each side. They fit perfectly.
As if all of that were not enough, she also comes with stroller clips. What more could you ask for?
(Stock photo from PPB)
I wish I had purchased the Hampton Holdall the first time around. It is so perfect for chronic over-packers and people with more than 1 child under the age of 3. My only complaint is that it doesn't come in all of the old retired prints like French Gooseberry and Buttercream. You can get those in the Society Satchel style though. My consolation is that if I ever have a girl, I can get this bag in the beautiful pink and grey combination Berry Chiffon. Currently, this bag is available from PPB in Black Forest Cake, Plum Tart Cake and Key Lime Cake. If you're willing to drop some really big money, you can also get it in the leather versions.
Currently, I'm saving my $$ for a key lime...
