Nikolette Bags Review and Giveaway

I'm thrilled to finally be able to share my review of Nikolette Bags' Lucy Clutch with you! Three weeks ago, I received my Lucy Clutch from Courtney of Nikolette Bags and haven't swapped bags since! Let me introduce you to Courtney and her wonderful shop and then I'll share about my Lucy and how you can win one!

$109

Nikolette Bags was born in 2007 and named after Courtney's girl cat, Niko Jeanette Polka-Dot, who is 11 now and is 100% toothless. She started making Nikolette bags while working as an interior designer at a furniture store in New Orleans, LA. Courtney says she inherited many garbage bags full of upholstery swatches and bags were the best thing she could think of to make! Courtney was selling mostly at fairs and on Etsy until 2011 when Nikolette uprooted and moved to Portland, OR. Nikolette is now a company of two - Courtney as bag maker and designer and most recently bag model. Dan handles most photography, marketing and does all the tech work with the website. He shoots with a Pentax DSLR and both Courtney and Dan are both beginner photographers. Nikolette is now on nikolettebags.com, Etsy and hopes to add some Portland area consignment to that list. Courtney and Dan live in a house in North Portland (NoPo) with their two cats (Niko & Bananas), their dog (Margot Mango) and their turtle (Pete).

You can find Nikolette Bags in these places: Blog | Website | Etsy | Twitter | Facebook
*Courtney guarantees delivery by Christmas for any bags ordered by 12/1/11.*

The Kimball

Yes, I am reviewing the Lucy Clutch but I feel the need to show you ALL Courtney's unique bags! Here's a little peak into Nikolette Bags' Etsy shop:

Hey you! Wipe that drool off your chin! It's okay, I did it too. Shop here.

The Margot

Now that you know a little more about Nikolette Bags (and it's awesome owner Courtney,) let's talk about my lovely Lucy Clutch, shall we? You'll want to know all about it because at the end of the review, Courtney is giving one away!

First, the basics: (taken from the Etsy shop)

"The Lucy is a little bag that does big work. Made of waxed canvas and water tight Cordura, Lucy is water resistant inside and out, just wipe clean! Removable wrist strap included. A shoulder strap (for shoulder or cross body) can be added as well."

Size:
11" across the top
7.5" from top to bottom
2.5" deep at base

Features:
-Waxed cotton exterior/Water tight Cordura interior
-Zipper and Flap closure with heavy duty trigger clasp
-Exterior has rear zipper pocket and two 4” slip pockets under flap
-Interior has two 4” slip pockets and one open pocket
-Every seam is double or triple stitched
-Two recessed D rings at zipper for strap attachment
-Satin nickel hardware and hand hammered rivets

Price:
$109

Christy's Review of Nikolette Bags' Lucy Clutch

Arrival

• My Lucy got here quick! Courtney shipped my bag right away and it literally left her hands in Oregon and arrived in my hands in North Carolina in 2 days! (This is great for all you wonderfully impatient people, like me.)
• I'm super bummed because I know I snapped a picture of it all wrapped up pretty before tearing that pretty packaging apart ;) But I cannot find that picture anywhere. Trust me, it was nice! I love getting something nice, wrapped in something nice. Just adds that extra special touch and shows Courtney wants her customers to have the full experience, like Christmas morning ;)

The Look and Feel

• Indigo Blue, one of my favorite colors! Just by looking at this bag, I could tell it was great quality. This bag is an eye-catcher. It's so unique. I love bag shopping and I have never seen one like this, especially at a department store. Courtney has a great eye for design.
• The exterior (waxed cotton) feels great! Courtney let me know that waxed cotton ages like leather, becoming softer over time. This is good to know because I know I'll have this bag forever!
• The interior is something called Cordura. Mine is a burgundy color, beautiful! I can't really explain the texture but I know the day will come when my lip gloss will melt in here and it will be an easy clean up! 
• Pockets are placed conveniently inside, also made of Cordura.
• The back pocket is amazing! It's a bright bold teal and waterproof material that I love! I find myself opening it just to stick my hand in there and feel it. I'm weird, I know this.
• The zippers are both white, which contrast great with the rest of the bag. 

Functionality

• The inside of the Lucy is the perfect size for a day out. I keep my sunglasses in one interior pocket, my wallet in another, and my lip gloss and other small items in the last one. 
• It's also very roomy. I've found myself loading it up with Redbox movies, cell phone, checkbook (yes I still write checks,) some of Tyler's car toys, and lots of other things I tend to need every time I go out. It's a very practical size.
• There are 2 small pockets on the outside front of the Lucy. My cell fits perfectly into one and I toss receipts into the other. 
• I love that I can latch my Lucy shut, even after it's zipped. Double the protection and it keeps my cell in place. 
• The zipper on the back pocket is genius! It's where my keys go and I can't be losing those! But like I said, the interior to that pocket is so pretty, I unzip it alot just to look ;) You'll know what I mean if you're our winner!
• I was sent both the wrist strap and the shoulder strap for review purposes and while I prefer the wrist strap, they are both very handy! Easy to adjust and quick to remove!

Price

• $109 is a lot of money, but this is a lot of clutch! Not so much in size, but in quality. A great bag like this, made with such awesome materials and quality handiwork, will last a lifetime. I would say this is a great deal! 

Overall

• I love my Lucy Clutch! I've been using it for 3 weeks without swapping it out for another. Eventually I'll swap around again but I know this will be a go-to bag for most occasions. I'm sure all of Courtney's bags are just as wonderful as my Lucy and I highly recommend Nikolette Bags to you!

The Giveaway

Courtney is so generous! She is giving one Lucy Clutch (winner's choice of color and strap) to one of my wonderful readers! This giveaway is a little different than ones in the past so please read carefully! 

Please be sure to leave a comment for each entry! This will maximize your chances of winner! Check back on Friday, November 11 to see if you're our winning!

To Enter:

While not madatory (and it won't even get you an entry into the giveaway, lol) we would love for you to subscribe to my blog (under Connect With Skinned Knees - RSS,) Like our Facebook pages (Skinned Knees and Nikolette Bags,) and follow us on Twitter (Skinned Knees and Nikolette Bags.) Thanks friends!

Mandatory - Visit Nikolette Bags and then come back here to let us know your favorite bag. (1 entry)

Optional - Tweet the giveaway: "Skinned Knees and @NikoletteBags are teaming up for a review and giveaway of the Lucy Clutch! Come check it out! @christypeffly (---)" (1 entry - can be done daily.)

Optional - Share the giveaway on Facebook, making sure to tag 'Skinned Knees' in your post so I can verify. (1 entry - can be done daily)

Optional - Blog about the giveaway, linking directly to this post. (one time only - 1 entry)

Remember:

You can find Nikolette Bags in these places: Blog | Website | Etsy | Twitter | Facebook

*Courtney guarantees delivery by Christmas for any bags ordered by 12/1/11.*

One winner will be chosen at random by random.org on Friday, November 11 at 8am eastern time. 

Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond.

Prize: 1 Lucy Clutch by Nikolette Bags in winner's choice of color and strap style.

Winner must be +18.

All entries made dishonestly will be deleted.

Prize is valued at $109 + shipping costs.