The Landlocked Sailor

When you’re trying to downsize and

live life with no more than 100 possessions,

the first step is to stop buying stuff.

The next step is to edit the things you already have.

For me, that included a few painful (but enlightening) hours going through all the handbags I own. Guess what: I had a ton of handbags, and none of them were exactly right for any particular occasion. So, after editing, I still needed one big, multi-purpose beach-style bag for when I’m traveling by bike.

I’ve implemented the one in/one out rule for myself, meaning that for every new thing that I acquire, something must go. In this case, it will be one in/fifteen or twenty out! Yay!

Since it’s important to know where your stuff comes from, I wanted something handmade and recycled/upcycled.

Look what I found on Etsy!

Recycled Suit Multi-Purpose Bag/Backpack by MyGreenMonkeyDesigns

Of course I couldn’t resist this Red Star Recycled Sail Tote by Reiter8

Gotta Love Coffee! Recycled Coffee Sack Extra Large Tote by JungleJute

And, of course, we’ve got to do a plug for cycling! Recycled Cotton Canvas “Lone Cyclist” Tote by TheCraftPantry

One more cool bike-basket thing, which may or may not be something I need:

Roll-Up Picnic Blanket by ThingsBySLO

Related articles by Zemanta

• Would You Rather: One Convertible Bag Or Four Multi-Use Handbags For The Same Price? (shefinds.com)
• EtsyFinds: Purses (fatchic.net)
• Etsy Find: Handmade Silk Clutches with a Southern Twist for Spring (shefinds.com)

I’ve mentioned before that I really love the many meanings of nautical signal flags. Once you catch on, some combinations that were probably meant to be randomly decorative become really funny. For example, the combination Mike-Golf-Victor, or “MGV,” means “Patient has foreign body in the nose.” If your initials are MGV, it might be helpful to know that before using nautical flags as your monogram.

The idea for this R+J bag, though, simply came from the idea that Romeo+Juliet would make a cute combination. The red side is the “Romeo,” flag, which can be interpreted as simply the letter R, or if at sea, “Preparing to Replenish.” The blue and white “Juliet” flag, or letter J, means “I am on fire and have dangerous cargo; keep clear.” Looks like Juliet is running away from Romeo!

I thought I’d better look up the meanings of R & J together, and this is what I found: According to the International Code of Signals, R+J means “You should keep your engines ready,” whereas J+R means “I expect to refloat,” that is, after having run aground. So, nothing too embarrassing if you happen to carry this handbag in the presence of a medical officer who happens to be well-versed in the International Code.

As a practical matter, there are SO MANY combinations of signals that mean so many things, especially the very specific medical emergency code; it is unlikely that anyone has actually memorized the entire thing. Unlikely, but not impossible!

If you’d like to order your own custom bag, contact me through my Etsy shop: http://www.thelandlockedsailor.etsy.com or the big red Etsy button at the bottom of this page.

Whadd’ya think?