“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” is something that you might say which means you can not make a good quality product using bad quality materials. Or, to produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.

Our featured cobalt blue silk purse, with interchangeable purse silk accessories, is the real deal. Quality materials and final products are very important to us here at Sharon Barber Purses. Silk is a desirable material in fashion. The gorgeous fabric has been a runway staple for ages, used by many fashion designers, such as Dior, Chanel, Lanvin, just to name a few.

Silk is a natural fiber. It’s both renewable and biodegradable made from silkworms (not a chemical-based synthetic process like most other mainstream materials). Knowing that you choose to purchase earth friendly fashion / eco fashion makes splurging on that one-of-a-kind silk purse a little less painful.

We are pleased that a Sharon Barber ”Debi, The Puzzle Purse“, will be up for auction tonight at the Arkansas Dressage Society’s silent auction, in conjunction with their annual banquet. The Society’s 2013 event will be held at the Little Rock Zoo in Little Rock, Arkansas, for their members.

The purse base  is dressed in an interchangeable purse bay pony wrap and an interchangeable purse black strap. It is “one of a kind”, but custom orders are available with a look similar to it.

Dressage, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:  Equestrian sport involving the execution of precision movements by a trained horse in response to barely perceptible signals from its rider. Particularly important are the animal’s pace and bearing in performing walks, trots, canters, and more specialized maneuvers.

The Arkansas Dressage Society is a not-for-profit organization and is a General Membership Organization of the United States Dressage Federation. The Society has served the dressage riders of Arkansas for over 3 decades. See more at their site: Arkansas Dressage Society.

There is a saying: Behind every great / successful man there stands a woman. It is said to emphasize that men’s success often depends on the work and support of their wife or the women that support them. The First Ladies of the United States of America have certainly contributed to their husbands success. We had fun collecting these little known facts about some of our First Ladies.

Martha Washington, 1731-1802:  George Washington’s wife was the first to be given the title “lady” by the press, as in “Lady Washington,” and the first wife of a president to appear on U.S. postage stamp.

Mary Lincoln, 1818-1882:  Abraham Lincoln’s wife was the first to hold séances in the White House, to be attacked in the press for lavish purchases during wartime and to fight for the abolition of slavery.

Ellen Wilson, 1860-1914:  Woodrow Wilson’s first wife was the only professional artist to become first lady. After her death in the White House, her husband married Edith Wilson, a direct descendant of American Indian princess Pocahontas.

Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962:  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife was the first first lady to hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column and a monthly magazine column, and host a weekly radio show.

Jacqueline Kennedy, 1929-1994:  John F. Kennedy’s wife was the first first lady to hire a press secretary and a White House curator. She also won an Emmy Award for her television tour of the White House.

Betty Ford, 1918- :  Gerald Ford’s wife once worked as a professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company. She also founded an alcohol and drug treatment center in California that bears her name.

Hillary Clinton, 1947- :  Bill Clinton’s wife hosted the first White House webcast, and is the only first lady elected to public office—the U.S. Senate, and to seek the presidency.

Laura Bush, 1946- :  George W. Bush’s wife is the only first lady to give birth to twins, to work as a librarian and to substitute for a president in his weekly radio address.

Michelle Obama, 1964- :  Barack Obama’s wife is rarely seen carrying a purse. There seems to be no need.

Resources:  firstladies.org and Huffington Post.

Identification - The most important thing to keep with you, in your purse, at all times is a piece of identification, such as your driver’s license. It is a requirement that you carry it with you when you drive your vehicle, but also it’s necessary in case of an accident or emergency.

Health Card - You should also carry your health insurance card, in case of emergencies, along with any vital documentation about health conditions, medications or allergies you may have.

Emergency Contacts -Keep a list of emergency contacts in your purse, or wallet, and list these people in your phone as well, under the name ICE (for In Case of Emergency) or simply “Emergency”.

Credit Card Funds - While carrying several credit cards with you at once is not a good idea, you should keep at least one emergency credit card on you. You never know what could happen.

Cash Funds -You should also carry a small amount of cash at all times. A $20 bill tucked away in a hidden pocket can be a lifesaver in situations where a credit card isn’t accepted. Secret stash space, in a Sharon Barber women or kids style purse, is under the wrap (between the wrap and base). No one would know it’s there. A small stash of fives and ones will come in handy for tipping valets and waiters, while quarters will be useful for toll roads or parking meters.

Coco Chanel brought us the “little black dress” in the 1920′s. It eventually became and continues to be a symbol of sophisticated simplicity. Vogue magazine predicted at the time that it would became, “a uniform for all women of taste”. Dressing in a monochrome black outfit, regardless if it’s a dress, suit, or pants and sweater paired with black shoes and a black purse is always stylish for women and little girls of any age, style or size. It’s the perfect backdrop for any accessory, but pearls give it extra sophistication. Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s epitomized the standard for wearing the little black dress accessorized with pearls.

Royalty, down through the ages used pearls to adorn their necks, hands, ears and clothing. The pearl was known as “The Queen of Gems” and it wasn’t until the beginning of the twentieth century that the common person could afford to buy pearls to wear with their “little black dress”. Kokichi Mikimoto, in the early 1900’s, perfected a way to culture pearls, which made pearls more affordable. Up until this time, it was only the wealthy who were able to have them and quite a status symbol they were! By mastering the techniques of culturing, Mikimoto made pearls available to virtually everyone in the world.

Pearls are a symbol of harmony, perfection and purity. They were often used for engagement rings and symbolized eternal love and togetherness. In the past, pearl engagement rings were very popular, but today they are relatively uncommon for engagement. However, they are popular for every-day and special occasions in fashion accessories, such as earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

Sophisticated simplicity for any little Princess or Queen: black purse, black shoes, “little black dress” and pearls.

With identity theft running rampant the last thing you want to lose is the one card which identifies every aspect of your financial and personal life. Too many women carry their Social Security Card in their purse. Please reconsider and keep your card in a safety deposit box at your local bank and memorize it. In the rare instance you need it for a new employer, for example, just make the trip to your financial institution and return it as soon as you have provided it. You may consider your Social Security Card just a piece of plastic, but in the hands of an identity thief this plastic card is golden. It’s one thing you should never carry in your purse.

Simple steps now could prevent major problems later, so women get that card out of your purse right now. You will be thankful later if you are ever the victim of purse theft.

January 29th is National Puzzle Day. It’s the day to celebrate all kinds of puzzles and of course we are celebrating with our Debi, The Puzzle Purse. You can take her apart, put her back together any way you chose with her many accessories for a whole new look. It’s just like working a puzzle, but it not a challenge for little girls.

You may celebrate it with crosswords, number puzzles, jigsaws, brain-teasers or other puzzling things. However you do, puzzles are a great way to spend time with friends, or family, for some good fun together and puzzles are a good mental activity for any age. You could even make your own puzzles. There are many suggestions at E-How. Have Fun!

What’s your favorite puzzle? We would love to hear from you. Contact us here.