Monday PINspiration~ Dooney & Bourke “Souvenirs”

I’m thrilled to finally participate in the Disney Living PINspiration Blog Hop!  As a blogger who has at long last started using her account (I’ve had one for almost a year; without a single pin), I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had!!  If one only has a few minutes to spend on-line, one can check into Pinterest, liking and pinning, and then log out- no muss, no fuss.  While I am not a crafty soul, there are some things I find I CAN share on that site.

Such as my newest love- my Disney indulgence- Dooney & Bourke bags.  I’ve bought a few over the years, mostly on QVC, when I needed a new bag for the season.  But as of late, I’ve bought a few without needing them; I’ve moved into a wanting phase.  That sounds terrible, doesn’t it?  Especially from someone who never shops, only buys for the kids, and thumbs her nose at materialism.  Yes, I’ve become an obsessive Dooney personality.

Image courtesy of The Disney Store

It started harmlessly; I was going on a 3 week trip to Europe, and thought I should start fresh.  I had my 12 year old Disney satchel, true, but this was a trip of a lifetime.  I had waited for 19 years to get to Disneyland Paris, and I thought, in true Parisian-style, I should go in style.  That thought, matched with a SALE on the Disney Store website, sealed it for me.  Check one: a Dooney & Bourke Disney Princess Satchel- large enough to hold my Park guides and many, many, many euros.  Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney World and Disneyland- since then my bag has seen the world! And I was not prepared for the number of compliments I have received from fans and especially Disney Cast Members.  The wonderful conversations that this bag sparked got me hooked.  In Paris, I felt as though I was walking around with my passport on my shoulder.

Fast forward about 6 months, when I took that same bag to California and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo.  Again, oohs and ahhhs, and then- “Are you getting their new bag?”  Yes, there it was, my newest baby.   Check two: the next best thing to my finisher’s medal: the Dooney & Bourke Tinker Bell Letter Carrier Bag.  Unlike my medal, it is light and I can wear it everywhere.  Like my medal, it is another Disney badge of honor- and conversation piece.

Sensing a pattern, during last month’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend I made sure to get to the Fit for a Princess Expo extra early on opening day.  Sure enough, I snapped a photo of these beauties right before they sold out- at about 11:00 am!  I did contain myself that day, thinking that I would save my next Dooney score for my next runDisney landmark achievement- my, fingers crossed, Coast to Coast medal at the 2012 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend.  Unless Dooney & Bourke and Disney conspire to launch another, must-have bag before then.  Check three..
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