... HOLY BATS! I adore this clutch! ^o^

P.S. Besitos announced in February that she would be coming out with a Dracula book clutch. In May, I sent her a message because stalking her Etsy site on an almost daily basis was becoming depressing.  She responded that it would be a few months so I waited... at the very end of June, I saw the listing! I have been obsessively tracking my package for days! This morning I received the notice that it had arrived at the post office and I was able to pick it up at 8:30 am. I tossed on some clothes and out the door I went. This clutch is PERFECT!

Sadly, I don’t own the copy of the first Dracula I ever read. It was a library book that I checked out in school. I remember it was red hardback edition with a bat on the front. Today, I teach from a Norton Critical Edition, which I’ve owned for over a decade. Annotations are everywhere. There are some wine stains and even some wax drippings. Heck, some pages are even taped in because the book has been so loved BUT I will always fondly remember the first time I read the text, what the actual edition looked like, and where I was the first time I read Jonathan Harker see Dracula climb down the side of the castle in a lizard-like fashion. The P.S. Besitos edition reminded me of that first book. Something about the not-quite-red/ not-quite-orange color and the smudged bat at the bottom of the clutch that makes it resemble an old book makes me want to cry (and simultaneously toss in my wallet, lip gloss, and cell phone and go out someplace cool with it).

I especially love that this is an original design and isn't a destroyed book. I also really love the heart-pattern lining fabric inside. The moon on the front looks like a finger print. Those bats are shaped in a way that makes me want to scream from joy. I read a few reviews about the zipper being too tight and the ribbon secured at the bottom was too loose. I haven’t experienced any of these things. I can see a slight amount of glue around the edging but come on; it is a hand-made item. That only makes it better. It’s completely worth the price which I understand will be an issue for some and I completely acknowledge that as a single, child-free woman with a great job it is a privilege that I can afford merchandise that I love without having to worry. This wasn’t always the case but even when I was in a position where I had to work four jobs just to pay my bills I have always taken care of my things; and, since I still wear pendants I purchased when I was 15, I’ve often been willing to save up and pay a bit more for something I adore.