Alice & Co began, sadly, when I let my barely, 21-year-old sister borrow my blinding neon yellow leather hand bag. What can I say? I'm generous, nice, wanted her to have fun, feel special, and am a complete idiot. She, of course, returned the bag in a marred and ruined state with black marks all over the once vibrant exterior.

I LOVED this bag - the glowing color; the supple, soft leather; the size & shape held everything - the bag was not broken & still held my stuff, it just wasn't pretty anymore. I had a what I call, a beautiful mess, on my hands. An object I could clearly still see the beauty, functionality, and worth in - so, I did what any mom would do, I let my two-year-old daughter paint and scribble on it, making the those black marks disappear into a camouflage of intentional art.

You can see the neon yellow, and it's "new" look here.

Fast-forward a few years, some more revived purses, wallets, bags, and shoes and I have brought forward a new branch of the Alice & Chains Bespoke family! Alice & Co creates templates to be used in a D.I.Y. (design-it-yourself) fashion. You pick the template and create artwork over the top of the un-wanted, less desirable displays of age that come with any great handbag. It covers up the marks with art!

Alice & Co currently hosts B.Y.O.B (bring-your-own-bag) parties, where you and a few friends to dig into your closets retrieving old purses, clutches, man bags, mini-leather backpacks, wallets, etc. to host a private brunch, ladies night, Mother's Day event, baby shower, etc. You show up with your bags and I show up with everything else! Templates are pre-designed, can follow a theme, or be custom designed to a specific event. B.Y.O.B parties typically run 90 minutes and afterwards you can walk-away with a "new" bag.

Give an old bag a new beginning!