Handbag Repairs

Types of Repairs done at Lovin My Bags

This lamb skin bag had warn corners and the leather had worn off on the back area. It also had darkened handles. Once repaired it looked like new.



Here is a Bottega Veneta that has faded and the wallet does not match: after restoration the handbag and wallet look like new and are a matching pair :-)

This is an example of the sort of damages we restore. There is wear and dye transfer on this unfinished Betsey Johnson bag. This bag weighs over 3lbs. empty.

I will update this page with more before and afters in the next few days!

Barbara

Lovin My Bags

What are you putting on your handbag?

What are the ladies putting on their handbags?

I would like to know...advice will follow ...

Unfinished Leather Handbags

Handbags that are made with unfinished leathers:
BULGA, Coach, Kooba, Gustto and other lamb skin bags:

Usually unfinished leather handbags have a natural color - such as this Coach bag. These bags are notorious for getting water stains just to name the most common!

Get caught in the rain and this bag becomes spotty!!

Not all protection sprays protect the leather and in some cases, the leather reacts to the chemicals and you get some discoloring.

We developed a product for this very delicate type of leather that goes on as a cream and protects from OIL and WATER without darkening -

Now - leather as I have mentioned in unpredictable due to the various tanning processes used - so always test the products first. If there is going to be some darkening - its usually very minimal - but you have to be ok with that doing the whole bag.

The other thing - some people love to "SLATHER" the cream on their bag -that is a no-no. A few thin layers is better than a thick layer any day!

The product is Lovin My Bags Pro-Treatment - no one who owns expensive leather bags should be without it!!


Barbara
Lovin My Bags

Patent Leather Handbags

Hi!

Some concerns regarding Patent leather handbags have come my way via your emails.

Patent leather is a very shiny leather that has been pigmented and then has several coats of thick oily varnish applied to it which gives it its high shine.

The stickiness that may occur with patent leather, is due to the oils migrating through to the surface. It is not advisable to try any products on this type of leather.

How we look after this issue professionally:

We seal the leather with special glossy top coats trapping the oils. This is usually enough to eliminate the stickiness.

The other problem we are hearing about regarding Patent Leather handbags is the dye transfer issue on the light colored bags. This is not something we have been able to remedy as of yet.

• The best way to avoid this, is to keep the bag away from extreme heat, which causes the surface to be more susceptable to absorbing dye from clothes it comes into contact with.


• Always try to keep your bag off of any garments that are black or blue (such as blue jeans) or red, as these are the colors that transfer the most often.

We will continuing to investigate ways to correct and/or prevent patent leather from these problems...I will keep you posted as to our breakthroughs!!

Barbara

Handbag Care

Handbag Care:

There are many leather "faux pas" out there and most of them cannot be ignored. Leather is not a consistent fabric - it is as unique as a persons skin. Tanning changes leather characteristics and creates even more differentiating qualities that must be addresses when taking about care. Car leather is different from furniture leather which is different from handbag leather and then there are many different types of handbag leathers used by the different Handbag Designer.


It was suggested on one site to rub saddle soap on unfinished leather....ok, for a saddle that's fine, but unfinished lamb or kid skin will totally disintegrate with that high a pH and soap content....

It must be understood that the pH of leather is very important in making sure that the leather remains strong. Soaps and detergents are very high on the pH scale, usually in the 9.0 - 10.5 range, compared to leather which is 4.5. When the alkaline products are absorbed by the leather pH damage occurs. This is recognizable by the change is consistency of the leather : it becomes spongy and loose and eventually the fibers loosen so much that the leather rips like paper - leather basically decomposes. Handbag leather is very delicate and this deterioration process can occur faster on handbags than on furniture or car leather.

We encountered a situation many years ago, when a very high end car Manufacturer had put perforated leather in their cars - with the application of certain cleaners with high soap content the seats started to rip. The perforations allowed the cleaner to be absorbed by the leather very quickly so the leather fibers softened and the leather ripped like paper towel. It was a disaster - if this can happen with very thick leather made for a car seat, just imagine the ramification on very thin handbag leather?

Handbag leather is available in a variety of skins and a variety of tanning processes and requires very special care to maintain its beauty. Yet, little knowledge exists regarding the care of leather after purchase. We have found that even the tanneries don't understand the concept of leather care after the tanning process is completed and the leather is in the market as a product.

As a Handbag and leather Designer with a background in Leather Restoration, I have made it my "calling" to help educate all owners of designer handbag regarding its care and restoration so that these handbags do not get neglected or thrown in the closet to collect dust!!

Let's get those beauties looking beautiful again and maintain their youthfulness with special handbag beauty products!!

Here are some products that are a must for beautiful bags. Lovin My Bags Handbag Beauty Care Products:

1. Luxury Leather Cleanser - Intensive cleansing that removes dye transfer and soiling
2. Daily Cleanser & Conditioner for every day gentle cleaning
3. Ultimate Moisturizer for bags with some sheen
4. Feel Soft Moisturizer for non-shiny bags
5. Pro-Treatment for all bags (protects from OIL and Liquids)
6. For Handles Only - Inhibits oil absorption in the handles keeping them from darkening.

For a number of tips regarding finished and unfinished leather handbags check my website -

www.lovinmybags.com/tips.html

Barbara

Handbag Care - Guide to using Lovinmybags Products and Services

The Louis Vuitton Handbag: This canvas leather combo needs first and foremost the For Handles Only product for the handles. It inhibits the handles from absorbing hand oils or hand creams, which creates the darkened handles. The For Handles Only product also offers great protection to the Vachetta leather straps. Vachetta leather stains very easily but does not clean easily at all. To prevent the need for color correction, the application of FHO on all the Vachetta leather handles and straps and bottom of bag is well worth it. The nice patina is not affected, in other words, you will still get the graceful aging to the Cognac color, with less of the "filthy" look.

Restoration of Louis Vuitton handbags is do-able, but not advisable - best solution is to prevent the stains rather than hide them. For Handles Only is really the only product that you should not do without when you invest in a Louis!

The Chloe Handbag: There are a variety of leather types for various Chloe's - I find for a cleanser the Luxury Cleanser Plus is great. It cleanses and leaves behind a nice amount of protection from water and liquid stains. Every time the bag is cleansed with Cleanser Plus the protection is renewed. The other benefit of this product is that the protective resin traps the dirt, so the next cleaning grabs the dirt while renewing the protection.
Chloe's leather does well with the Feel Soft Moisturizer as a conditioning option.
As far as restoration goes, the Chloe restores very nicely with no feel modification once the restoration is complete. This bag can look like new even after years of wear and tear.

The Chanel Bag: The best product for a black Chanel is the Daily Cleanser; the Luxury Cleanser offers a more intensive cleansing if you have a light colored leather Chanel- The Lamb skin used by Chanel is not a leather that really requires too much maintenance, but if you like to condition the leather, the Ultimate is a nice luxurious option for the Chanel. After applying the moisturizer, buff it lightly and voila!
The Chanel Bags are my favorite bags to restore. They restore beautifully and easily - no feel modification once the restoration process is complete.

The Balenciaga Bags: These bags seem to "demand" tender lovin' care! The daily Cleanser is a great product for Balenciaga owners, as these ladies love to pamper their purses! This cleanser is the safest for regular use; for a more intensive cleansing the Luxury Cleanser is the product to chose. The other important product to use on this bag is the "For Handles Only" product; this protects the handles from darkening (which is a result of hand oils being absorbed into the leather) If the handles have already been soiled - Lovin My Bags can extract the oils and restore the handles closer to the original state.

Some bags demand a moisturizer - the Feel Soft is a great moisturizer with a touch of silk for a nice silky feel; the Ultimate moisturizer leaves a grabbier feel, as the conditioning agents used are for the waxier leathers, and the Silk Serum is another form of light moisturizing that effectively conditions the leather with a high concentration of Silk Proteins. As far of which product to use? Well it really depends on your preference of feel. They are all great - but deliver slightly different feels ( if you would!)

To deal with the loss of shine that happens with any shiny bag is to use the NEW Shine Restore.

It's great for restoring the shine and enhancing the color as well. You can apply one or many coats to achieve the shine you desire. It is even useful for protecting the corners that get worn easily - take a paint brush and brush some shine restore to the corners - dry with a hairdryer on high setting.

Restoration of Balenciaga bags is unpredictable. For handles and corners the restoration process is for the most part great. Some of the colors are challenging, since they require a base color and a print color and sometimes those colors do not match from area to area on the bag - this means we are constantly adjusting the colors to create a perfect match.
Balenciaga's fade and discolor; usually a yellowing of the color occurs. This makes restoration very difficult, especially if the whole bag has to be restored, because we have to make color allowances for the yellow!
To cover the dsicoloration a base coat is applied to the complete bag, this can potentially cause the feel to be compromised, we can't help that; the Bbag has a very unique feel - so far we have not been able to fully duplicate the feel with some of the colors, such as white and some of the lighter colors. The darker Balenciaga bags have a better success rate in the restoration phase - due in part to the fact that there is less color required to correct.
This is a very challenging bag for both products and for services.

The BULGA Bag: This bag is particularly susceptible to "dye transfer" from jeans, jackets etc. It cleans well the Luxury Cleanser or Luxury Cleanser Plus. The difference between the two cleansers is that the "Plus" adds a water repellent component along with the effective cleaning. If you were to use Pro-Treatment to protect this bag from water and oil, then the Luxury Cleanser alone is recommended - otherwise you are applying too much resin to the leather which is not necessary. With this aniline leather, less is more.

The BULGA bag also restores beautifully. The feel is very slightly modified, but still remains extremely soft to the touch.

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GENERAL Lovin my Bags Product Information:

For all Designer handbags:

Luxury Cleanser is a great intensive, non-darkening cleanser that is pH matched to leather and will remove inground dirt and enhance the color of many aniline leathers.

The Daily Cleanser is a fabulous cleanser for regular use - it also has moisturizing emollients that leave a great feel after cleansing.

Pro-Treatment is a must for every delicate leather. It is non-darkening and does not affect the shine on most bags. It provides protection from oil and water.

For Handles Only another must for preventing the darkening of handles

For a safe and effective moisturizing products there is a choice of:

1. Feel Soft Moisturizer (Silky feel when dry)
2. Ultimate Moisturizer (Grabby - moist feel when dry)
3. Silk serum (Silky feel when dry - a more concentrated conditioning with real silk protein)

For more information contact me at barbara@lovinmybags.com

Lovinmybags has been busy!

After a year of helping many "Bag Ladies" with their "bag issues" I have come back to report on my blog...
Hello BLOG it's been a long time - eek almost a year has passed since I last signed off! It's kind of fun to read my blogs over again. I wasn't really a part of the handbag repairs, but had to start when things took off...so since October 2006, I officially became part of LOVIN MY LEATHER LLC, DBA LOVIN MY BAGS...Yahoo! :-)

Handbag Handles

You know what I am talking about!! Those black handles on beautiful designer bags...eek!
Check it out: "For Handles Only", a product to keep handles from getting black!!
We all know that hand oil, sweat and dirt do not mix well with unfinished leathers like LV's Vachetta or Balenciaga bag handles to name a couple! Here is an oil blocking product that inhibits the absorption of all that stuff into the leather keeping the handles free from getting black. Ongoing application of FHO guarantees beautiful handles for your beautiful bags....FINALLY!
Take a look and see at www.lovinmybags.com
NOTE: if handles are BLACK already, Lovin my Bags will get them back to looking like new again!
Yahoo!!

Handbag Repairs

There are many Bag Ladies who complain of dye transfers from jeans or jackets to their handbags! Lovin my Bags is the place to go to restore these and all kinds of "handbag problems".
Ship your bag to LMB , and get it back like new....

The Luxury Cleanser is a great start to removing dye transfer! It is really an AMAZING cleanser - and you don't have to worry about it darkening your leather!

Don't suffer with your bags in the closet, get them out, get them fixed and get them back on your shoulder!! woohoo!

If you have tried the products or services from Lovin my Bags, please share your experience here....feedback and sharing goes a long way to helping other :-)

See ya...

Handbag fit for Red Carpet - 22K gold leaf

A BOLD GOLD Collection!

Gold is in...and gold bags are great, and REAL 22K gilded leather bags are even better! I have this beautiful clutch from BOLD . It is not too small so everything fits inside...beautifully!

Fit for the Red Carpet!!
















Here is an everyday deco classic with 22K leather trim....classy!!! I love the color combination on this one...very sophisticated!









Metallic Gold leather with hand printed leather trim. Not the 22K, but a great daytime shopper! It is in the sunlight the the real beauty shines forth on this one...Like the nights in Paris..

Fixin Handbags!

Wow, my leather cleaner is fantastic and word is getting out about how well it works.
www.lovinmybags.com is not your ordinary cleaner and I am not your ordinary leather buff! Designer, leather repairer and product creator....hahaha...as long as it has to do with leather, I am involved!!

Well I will be back...lots to do and little time...as usual!!

Handbag Designs

OK...today I am trying to figure out, how much time I have before I have to get another job to support myself...this starving artist thing is really getting me down...but the love of what I am doing has been going on for over 12 years and doesn't die...so I move on.

I would like to know what interesting ideas for handbags is out there among consumers...Basically a bag is a bag except for the shape, the choice of material , the workmanship and hardware that create the original...But the original always seems to get copied and very quickly what was original is now common...

That's why I keep going with this project, because I actually control the leather print and color, that no one can duplicate...so when I create a bag it is and always will be "an original" ...yeah!!! That's why I keep going...I can offer what no one else can offer....that makes me feel real GOOD!

Here are some interesting shapes I want to print leather for:







Elegant and sleek...perfect for a contemporary print accented by pebbly leather in a constrating color. I can add 22K gold leather as a sophisticated feature...uhm where would I put it?? Maybe a gold inlay with pierced leather matching the print...would that be too busy? I would have to see it....








With this Deco Tote I want to work with interesting hardware and create interest with the detailing. Very sleek design that can have a very interesting look with tone on tone patterning...maybe even gloss and matt design with contrasting plain colored leather...I am thinking pattent leather...oh yeah...I'm lovin this one!!




For the not so square, this is a great bag style...very elegant and rich looking. A paisley pattern over 22K gold for a luminous sexy look...the hardware would have to be gems...absolutely smashing...as they say!!!






Well, I have to say I really like this blogging thing...I can get my ideas up and out of my head...and maybe if I am lucky someone will make some comments that can be helpful...hopefully !!

Until tomorrow, I continue my design journey...tata!

Gilded 22K Leather bags

I have just finished perfecting hand gilded 22K gold leather for handbags. With the cost of GOLD you know these will be "pricy" and "priceless". I have deigned a "clutch" Collection all hand made in Italy with this brilliant 22K leather...just amazing.

I found a great manufacturer in Italy who works very closely with me on all my projects. It has produced bags for Ferragamo, Gucci and Furla...to name a few.
What a great opportunity for some original exclusive and elegant bags.





Here is my first prototype...retailing for $5000...if you want one before they hit the market ..I will sell them for $1500...real 22K gold hand gilded made in Italy...woohoo!! They are boxed in satin lined boxes with a certificate of authenticity, numbered and signed by me...Designer Barbara Hamel :-)




When I create a 22K Handbag Collection for daytime, the 22K gilded leather will be accents...
WOW, I can see them now....get me to a drawing board...
I will update you on my drawings...moving right along....

Lovin Leather and Handbags

I admit I am a leather lover. I love everything leather! Tasteful leather..

1. Leather handbags
2. Leather coats
3. Leather jackets
4. Leather pants
5. Leather car interior
6. Leather chairs
7. Leather sofas
8. Leather table tops
9. Gilded leather
10. Printed leather

Yes...Leather. I love leather so much, I started a leather repair and restoration business...(I have developed the best leather care product for handbags... only 25 years in the making!!) Even unfinished leathers can be cleaned with this product... Check it out at www.lovinmybags.com ... ( this stuff can also be used on leather jackets and furniture, of course!)

With my passion for leather always growing I decided to create beautiful "designer" leather with hand printing ( what better canvas than leather??) Beautiful printed leather like nothing I have ever seen...incredible depth of colors and textures ..Just stunning ( if I do say so myself!!) Comments however where not so positive..."Who wants to have print on leather?" "Leather is made to be plain!"...Well, well, well look around ...now there is all kinds of printed leather (lousy prints...but prints none the less)

I have now designed leather furniture with my printed leather (I have a $12,000 chair in printed leather on hand painted, hand carved wood frame from Italy...stunning and original!!! I really need to sell it...hahaha) and currently I am designing handbags...once again original in leather and in design... www.boldhandbags.com .

Eventually, I plan to add beautiful leather jackets to coordinate with the handbags...
Oh yeah Baby!!! Leather designs...Barbara's Original Leather Designs....BOLD... Yahoo!!!

Yes, I am a Designer and with a post graduate in Marketing Management. I am an Entrepreneur and a Mother of four. Yummy mummy!!....(some may say!)

I am having fun ....but the journey has been long and I have a long way to go....!!!

I hope blogging my journey will keep me going through the hardest time...no more money, no more time and too much invested to slow down....eek!!