I am highly organized and I find pouches to be my saving grace. I think Truffle’s clear pouches (seen above) were like a gateway drug for me — I first bought one of their clarity pouches around a decade ago (?) and my life has never been the same since. Ha. I find their quality exceptional and clear pouches are genius because they make everything easy to find, and have amassed a collection of them over the years.
But there are many brands, styles, and variations on the pouch that are worth a gander. A few chic styles for keeping bags (lots of great summer ones here!), children’s rooms, and luggage tidy:
I USE THIS MONOGRAM APPLIQUE POUCH FOR CONVENIENT TRANSFER OF EPI (ESSENTIAL PURSE ITEMS*) FROM BAG TO BAG — IT MAKES ME HAPPY EVERY SINGLE DAY
LUSTING AFTER ONE OF THESE ANYA HINDMARCH ORGANIZERS FOR MY BAG THOUGH — GENIUS WITH ALL THE DESIGNATED POCKETS
PBK WET/DRY BAGS — ALWAYS IN USE IN MY DIAPER BAG, ONE MONOGRAMMED FOR EACH CHILD
MENTIONED THIS RECENTLY, BUT THESE PRINTED STYLES ARE ADORABLE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PBK’S WET/DRY BAGS…WOULD USE THIS FOR MYSELF!
MADRE ALSO HAS PRETTY LIBERTY PRINTED ONES
THIS BLOCKPRINT SET OF COSMETICS BAGS ARE SO ADORABLE AND REASONABLY PRICED — AND ALL ARE LINED ON THE INSIDE!!! (GREAT GIFT!)
I HAVE A FEW SIZES OF THE CLEAR POUCHES FROM TRUFFLE — I LOVED THIS BRAND WHEN I TRAVELED A LOT FOR WORK; USED ONE FOR TSA-APPROVED SIZES OF COSMETICS, USED ANOTHER FOR ESSENTIALS LIKE CARD CASE, KEYS, ETC, AND THEIR TECH POUCH FOR IPAD/PHONE
USE THESE CUYANA POUCHES FOR COSMETICS/SKINCARE WHILE TRAVELING BUT TBH THEY DO NOT HOLD AS MUCH AS I WISH THEY COULD AND I ALWAYS END UP WITH OVERFLOW ITEMS I STOW IN AN MZ WALLACE POUCH; STILL, LOVE THE STYLE — PRETTY ENOUGH TO KEEP OUT!
CURRENTLY EYEING ONE OF THESE COSMETICS POUCHES, WHICH CAN BE HAND LETTERED WITH MONOGRAM, OR — DROOL — THESE LAMINATED APPLIQUE ONES
IN MY TEENS AND 20S, I USED ONE OF THESE VERA BRADLEY TRAIN CASE SETS WHILE TRAVELING AND WISH I’D HUNG ONTO IT — THEY ARE SO WELL-DESIGNED AND CARRY AN ABSOLUTE TON
SEERSUCKER STRIPED POUCHES AND BAGGU SETS — GREAT FOR TOYS/SNACKS/FIRST AID FOR LITTLES WHILE IN TRANSIT; I HAVE A SET I KEEP IN AN LL BEAN TOTE OUR CAREGIVER USES WHILE OUT WITH THE CHILDREN
FOR LONGER TRIPS AND JUST ORGANIZATION AT HOME, THESE TOY CARRIERS ARE GREAT (THEY CURRENTLY HOUSE MINI’S CALICO CRITTERS)
ALWAYS HAVE A FEW OF THESE INEXPENSIVE BUMKINS ZIPPERED BAGS, WHICH CAN HOLD SNACKS, CRAYONS, TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE, ETC. FOR LITTLES WHEN OUT
ALSO LOVE THESE SUPER CHEAP ONES, WHICH COME IN TONS OF SIZES — I USE THEM TO ORGANIZE MY CHILDREN’S TOYS AT HOME/KEEP SMALL TOYS TOGETHER
THIS ETSY SHOP PERSONALIZES THE POUCHES ABOVE!
GREAT FOR KEEPING DIRTY LAUNDRY SEPARATE WHILE TRAVELING — I ALSO LIKE THESE BAGS FOR KEEPING SHOES TOGETHER IN A SUITCASE
SPEAKING OF TRAVEL, I LOVE THESE CLEAR SETS FOR LUGGAGE — MAKES FINDING ITEMS SO EASY
I USE THESE FOR PACKING FOR MY CHILDREN, IN TWO SEPARATE COLORS!
WITH THE RECENT HOUSE HUNT, I WAS ALWAYS CARRYING TONS OF PAPERS AROUND IN MY BAG — I BOUGHT THESE ENVELOPES TO KEEP DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS ORGANIZED BY CATEGORY
LOVE ALL THE FUN STYLES AND OPTIONS STONEY CLOVER HAS TO OFFER IN THE POUCH CATEGORY
*Advil, bandaids, Bobbi Brown lip tint, Le Pens, sanitizer, Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, Aesop hand cream, and bendadryl (for Landon, who is highly allergic to cats but never carries this around himself).
**Unrelated to anything above, Hanky Panky underwear sets on sale for almost 50% off, and the BEST undereye concealer 15% off here. It is SO hard to find this concealer on sale! I’ll take any price break I can get…
P.S. We closed on our new home on Friday. Whew, what a whirlwind! Cannot wait to move in. This is what I anticipate missing most about New York, but the space (!) and amenities of our new home (!!) will make it all worthwhile.
P.P.S. We had family portraits taken last week. (Busy time for us.) I had never had this done before but OMG. Why was it so stressful?! Mini took a huge spill on the sidewalk in front of our apartment within minutes of starting the shoot, Hill developed three intense blisters and insisted on being carried, it was hot as Hades outside (humidity at 10000%), and at one point, I remember locking eyes with Mr. Magpie and wondering if we should just call it off. But we did ease into it and I think our photographer got some amazing snaps of us in Central Park and our favorite corner of the UWS. Some beautiful frames for these photos will be on order shortly.
P.P.P.S. Are you a mirror or candle?
Love all these pouches! I am a mom of 4 almost grown boys and would have loved these. Random question- what size appliqué bag do you use for EPI?
Hi Mickie! Thank you! I have the medium. It’s perfect for just the essentials, or doubling as a clutch in a pinch:
https://bit.ly/3dnHPRh
xx
Pouch life for life! I am a BAGGU devotee, and also love how MZ Wallace Metro totes come with a matching pouch — so handy. Actually, come to think of it, same goes for my larger Mansur Gavriel bucket bag, although something spilled on it so now the back side is stained. Arrgh! I need some leather conditioner 🙂
I have been looking for a wet/dry pouch for an upcoming trip where the pool & beach will feature heavily, and I might be flying home with damp items … have been eyeing a cheerful rainbow striped option from Las Bayadas but I love the one from Madre that you linked!! May have to order a monogrammed one …
xx
Ooh I forgot to mention those MZ Wallace zip pouches — they really are amazing for stowing bulky things like sunscreen, hair products, etc while traveling. I always use them!
xx
By the way, I also have had those clear Truffle pouches, but the clear plastic part has turned really cloudy no matter how I clean them! I’ve stopped reaching for them because of it. Mine are very old though (maybe 5 or more years old?). Have you run into this issue with yours?
Hi! Actually, that did happen to the one I used for cosmetics when traveling (TSA-approved clear pouch) come to think of it. I think maybe because of the residue from the bottles and just opening and closing a lot (?) but it has not happened with any of my others! Maybe they are best for stowing things like papers, purse must-haves, etc?
Curious!!
xx
YES to pouch life! I’m a fan of Baggu pouches, they weigh next to nothing!
Also, have you tried Bag-all? They’re a NY based brand, I think. I love their black and white drawstring travel bags, and how specific the illustrations are on the bag (ballet flats, swimwear, etc…) so you don’t have to open each one to find what you’re looking for. For instance:
https://www.bag-all.com/collections/shoe-bags/products/ballet-flats-shoe-bag
They have a few designs for kids too.
We also had family portraits done a few months ago! I always think it’s worth it. I’m so glad you were able to get yours to commemorate your stay in NYC! As they say, “you only regret the pictures you didn’t take”.
I love that – so true. I know we would regret not having some pictures here in NYC. I remember before we left our home in Chicago, a friend of mine messaged me to say: “Make sure you take a pic of the whole family in front of your house!” And I’m so, so glad we did. Already feels like another life, a distant lifetime, and mini was so tiny and Tilly was a puppy and we didn’t really have any other pictures of that home we bought…so special 🙂
xx
New home congrats!
Even with four boys, all a little bit older, family photos are hard! They whine about wearing this or that, one is jumping in a puddle getting dirty, while the other is rolling his eyes thinking he’s “too cool” for it all. My husband begrudgingly goes along… but they are always worth it in the end! I have yearly gorgeous photos of my ever-changing boys.
I love this note — thanks for the solidarity and for making me excited to see proofs!
xx
Yes to pouches!!! Makes it so easy to transfer things out of a bag or switch it quickly to the pool bag etc! And I love the wet bag for my babies things!!
Yes!! Exactly! Also so much easier with more than one child to find the right thing, i.e., spare diaper/underwear, appropriate toy, etc.
xx
I recently adapted a pouch system for travel and it was such a game changer having clear ones dedicated to toys, snacks/eating, diapers, sun care and tech accessories. Used a huge clear one from Augbunny via Amazon but I think I will add some of these chic ones to my lineup!
YES, 100%. Totally makes life so much easier when traveling, as we did this past weekend — about nine hours of car travel in a four day span and the pouches saved me. That and a big trash bag. We accumulate so much trash, wipes, etc!
xx
For some reason professional photos were about the only “extra” thing I did during the pandemic — we had family photos taken twice in the first year of my older son’s life (once just us 3 and my husband’s parents, once was a Christmas gift for my family, including my parents, two of my sisters and their families) and …. yeah. Will spare you the details, but yes, super, super stressful!!
We have a newborn shoot in about a week at our home and I’m actively lowering my expectations 😉 my 19 month old got a bruise on his forehead yesterday, etc….
However! Despite it all, photographers are magicians and I swear if your children looked remotely happy for 30 seconds of the whole ordeal (lol) they captured it and it will be so worth it!! Seriously! I’m excited for you to get the photos back 🙂 and congrats on the house! YAY!
Hi Joyce! I’m sure you will love having those pictures but WOW that sounds like a lot to corral. On the bruise on the forehead — mini got a black eye (!!!!!) two weeks before the shoot and you can still kind of see it. Our photographer said you would NOT believe how many families show up with children with black eyes or enormous bruises/cuts just prior to a shoot. Murphy’s Law.
xx