Hints On Leather Handbag Care

1. Number one hint for taking care of your handbag and extending it's life is - Don't over fill your bag (I know this is easier said than done being guilty of constantly doing this myself), but overfilling stretchs and distorts the shape of your bag as well as straining seams and handles.

2. If you have one, always store leather bags in a dust bag or fabric bag when not in use.

3. If your handbag becomes damp or heavily rain spotted never dry in sunlight or artificial heat such as on radiators or in front of a fire. The heat can remove the natural oils leaving the leather feeling rough and brittle. If your handbag becomes wet first gently pat dry with a soft cloth, then leave to air dry naturally then finally polish using leather cream and another soft dry cloth.

4. If your handbag becomes soiled, firstly wipe gently with a soft dry cloth and then gently polish using leather cream and another soft cloth.

5. Never store light coloured handbags next to dark coloured handbags as leather dyes can migrate fom one bag to another. If this happens the migration process is irreverable.

6. Occasionally feed your handbag by gently polishing using leather cream, this will help keep the leather supple, clean and protected.

A good leather handbag properly cared for will last a lifetime, however this is rarely the case as most of us mistreat and don't look after our bags. As with most things in life it is much easy to say what to do but much harder to remember to do it. Happy Handbag Shopping at http://www.sonjabentley.com/

Lulu has landed

The new autumn winter 09 LULU AUSTRALIA range for women who like their handbags with a little more individuality have just arrived. I love then all but the Maxi Stripe is my favourite - matches every outfit so have already grabbed one for myself! All limited edition so get one whilst stocks last. www.SonjaBentley.com

What are the different types of leather used for Handbags?

Although the sun is shining this month sees the autumn/winter handbag collections ready for delivery into store. And with so many rich, soft leather handbags to choose from just what are the different types of leather used for handbags?

Leather is any type of tanned animal hide. Different types of leather are characterized by both the type of animal skin used and the tanning and manufacturing methods employed. The most common types of leather are made from cow hide, which is coloured by tanning.
Softer types of leather are used for Handbags. Full-grain leather, used in the finest leather bags, is not altered past removing the hair and tanning the hide. Therefore, it requires raw materials of excellent quality. Top-grain leather is sanded on one side and given an artificial grain in order to hide imperfections in the raw material. The other side of this type of leather is fuzzy. Suede is fuzzy on both sides, as it is cut from the inside of an animal hide.Brain-tanned leather or buckskin, made with animal brains or other emulsified oils, is washable and significantly softer than any of the above varieties, but it is also the rarest, as it is costly and time-consuming to produce.
Other types of leather include patent leather, which has a very shiny, smooth finish, often coated with plastic; and shagreen, a rough leather usually colored green. Napa leather is known for its softness, as is slunk, made from the hide of a calf fetus. Vachetta leather is typically used as a trim on handbags.

Cow leathers used for handbags are often given an embossed finish to create the look of a skin from an expensive or endangered species, such as ostrich, crocodile or snakeskin.

These and more lovely leather bags are available at www.SonjaBentley.com

The Perfect Weekend starts with a Perfect Weekend Bag

The holidays are finally just around the corner and we can imagine glowing faces, cool drinks and warm evenings......and most importantly start planning for a few weekends away. Just in time for the Summer season http://www.sonjabentley.com/ has a new range of weekend bags and holdalls in lovely mock croc and faux suede. Take a look at the fab prices as well nothing more than £30.

Best Seller Back in Stock

The London Bag - our best seller is back in stock - hurrah! But sadly on a fixed allocation so only available whilst stocks last- boo!!

The LONDON Bag from the up and coming designer LULU AUSTRALIA is, like the city it is named after, Stylish, Chic and Fun. Bright stripes and white croc faux leather. Perfect for Summer and sunshine. Buy it whilst we have it!

At www.SonjaBentley.com

Summer is on the way

At last I can take my coat off without my lips turning blue. The sunshine has arrived in Bedfordshire and I can start burying all of my dark clothes in the bottom of the wardrobe. A sure sign that Summer is definately on the way is the arrival of my fab new range of Beach Bags from The Old Bag Company.

The Spotty Charlotte is a big, bright machine washable canvas shoulder bag. It is ultra practical with pockets for beach shoes, bottles of drink, magazine sleeves, removable pouch for wet swimsuits and a zip closing pocket for valuables. Practical and fab looking a must for all beach babes and available from the web site for a bargain £35. What could be sunnier than that! www.SonjaBentley.com

Summer 09 Italian Leather Handbags arrive

In spite of the general gloom, handbag colours for summer 09 are bold bright and cheerful. And I am pleased to say on sale at my online shop. http://www.sonjabentley.com/ I have bought in handmade Italian Leather Handbags from the Milan Fashion Company in beautiful mock croc and ostrich skin finishes. Only problem is I may have to keep one or six for my own personal use. Guaranteed to cheer me up for the whole of the Summer.