No, we don’t mean putting on your lipstick and trotting down to the disco. Life coach Lynne Copp has written a book called Dancing Round the Handbags that aims to help hard-working women.

As I don’t know any women who don’t work hard, that must be all of us.

Lynne’s book compares life to a handbag and uses different aspects to see what’s holding you back and how you might reach your goals.

She said: “By reviewing your dances and de-cluttering your handbag, you will return to the dance floor of life, to dance to the tunes that you want to dance to.”

In the chapters of the book, she looks at all aspects of life, including health, work, the masks you put on in public, how others see you and what you really want to achieve.

Over the years Lynne held several high-powered positions before running her own business called The Worklife Company.

Alongside the book, Lynne runs workshops, retreats and special coaching for women.

She said:  “Women are always juggling. They are the ones that have to buy the birthday card, remember to feed the cat and do a million and one things.

“But nurturing themselves always comes at the bottom of the list. Yet when you ask women who is to blame when one of the plates drops they say they are. Women believe they should be seen to do it all.’’

Dancing Round The Handbags by Lynne Copp is published by Ecademy Press and is available from Amazon.co.uk.

VV Amore was out and about this week...

Who doesn’t love getting pressures for Christmas? It doesn’t matter how grown up you are, ripping wrapping paper from a mysterious package on Christmas morning reverts everyone to a delighted six year old.

So, imagine the scene, the turkey is in the oven and the kids kids are playing with whatever Santa brought them.

Your loving other half brings you your first glass of festive fizz and asks: “Do you want your present now, darling?”

So how does that make you feel? Does your heart sink as you mentally prepare your oh-how-lovely-you-shouldn’t-have face? Or do you know that your chap will have managed to find exactly what you want this year?

Ideally, our soul-mate, the person we share our lives with, knows instinctively what we want to receive – the size, shape and brand as well. But, unless you are one of the fortunately few, in order for this to happen, you’ll need to help him along.

There are now several versions of wishlists as smartphone apps, websites or attached to certain retailers. These are a great idea, but they would require a conversation along these lines.

“Have you seen the wishlist website, darling?”

“Um. No.”

“You know the site where people list what they want to get for Christmas.”

“No. Um. Right. Now where’s the remote?”

You can see the problem with that. It’s bound to be slightly more effective than the fabled “leave a magazine lying where he can see it” method, but probably not much.

I found that leaving magazines propped in front of Match of the Day didn’t really have the desired effect.

According to an unscientific poll of a few of my friends, the outcome is clear – just tell him. Men aren’t great at taking hints and they rarely notice subtle messages. The only thing for it is to tell him outright.

Be clear about what you want, where he can get it, the colour you prefer and anything else where a decision is required.

On the other hand, make it easier for both of you with a gift voucher. He gets points and you still get retail therapy – perfect.

The benefit of this is twofold. Firstly, when you reply to the Christmas Day question with a “yes dear, I’d love to open my presents” you can be confident you won’t need to fake your delight. And, secondly, that nerve-wracking moment when your other half sweatily worries if you’re going to like what he’s picked for you is gone. He knows he’s got the right thing and everyone can have a merry Christmas.

VV Amore has just introduced gift vouchers.

The Importance Of Being Earnest

Gyles Brandreth to star as Lady Bracknell

The moment when posh and prim Lady Bracknell says “A handbag” in the Oscar Wilde play is, argueably, one of the most well known in British and Irish theatre.

In case you’ve forgotten, the plot is a parody of class and manners and hinges, in typical Victorian style, on a case of mixed up identity. In this case baby Jack Worthing was found abandoned in a handbag. Jack keeps the bag and, later when he’s grown up, is able to produce it to prove who he really is.

The fearsome Lady B and the handbag as baby carrier are back in the public eye because the play has been turned into a musical. I suppose it didn’t do George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion any harm when it became My Fair Lady.

And in even better news – or at least I think it’s better, but I can’t quite make up my mind. Gyles Brandreth – former MP and hideous jumper wearer – is to play Lady Bracknell. I’m not quite sure about a man playing a woman anywhere but panto and, besides, there are lots of actresses who could do justice to the role. On the other hand, I think Gyles will make an excellent Lady B. You can just imagine him enunciating: “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.”

But back to the bag, it’s key to plot, first it carried a manuscript for the novel the nursemaid was writing and then it held a baby. And English scholars have written essays explaining what the handbag stands for in the play. Personally, I think it represents the fact that everyone needs a good handbag, just in case a baby accidently gets left in it.

In a handbag-related twist, a first edition of the play was found inside a handbag in an Oxfam shop in 2007. It sold for £650.

The play says the handbag is black leather, “somewhat large” and with handles. It certainly set a trend that has run and run. Black bags are still the most popular choice.

But if the play can get a makeover that sees a man play a woman, what if the bag could be orange or animal skin. Maybe patent leather or patterned…

Check out the pictures here:

Kilmacolm is approximately 20 mins from the centre of Glasgow, heading towards the airport and Bridge of Weir. The village has a variety of other shops and coffee shops where you can pass the time away from the hussle and bustle of the city. Come and visit!

Her beloved handbag

Say what you like about the Iron Lady, she was as memorable for her handbag as she was for just about anything else about her. With Churchill there was his cigar, John Major his specs and Tony Blair his distinctive grin – so Mrs T had her handbag.

Mrs Thatcher’s famous black Asprey bag raised £25,000 at a charity auction recently.

Edwina Currie, a former minister in her government, said: “It wasn’t a shield, it was a weapon. It said, ‘I am Margaret Thatcher, I’m the boss, I’m in charge. I have all this power and I have control’.

“That was why the handbag was always so neat and tidy and black and shiny and dominant. It would go on the Cabinet table.

“She used it as her filing cabinet and made herself notes during the day or at events and flourished them.

“She would open her handbag and she would have notes and thoughts about an event or questions about an issue, and you were not allowed to rummage in your own handbag, you had to have the answers in your head. She was allowed to use hers as an additional hard drive if you like.”

The term ‘handbagging’ was said to describe her style of dealing with people who displeased her.

George Shultz, secretary of state to then President of the United States Ronald gave her a handbag in 1988.

He said it was “to mark your ability to produce from within the right form of words to end a tedious discussion. You are the first and only recipient of the Grand Order of the Handbag”.

Did Baroness Thatcher and her iconic black bag set the standard for handbags as tools in a power game? Could we learn from her now?

Our bags just seem to get bigger and bigger and everything inside is absolutely vital to daily existence.

Please don’t think I’ve gone totally mad then when I introduce the mini bag to you. I can see what you’re thinking. A neat, ladylike bag like this can only hold a phone, some money and, perhaps, a lipstick.

It’s true, that’s what they hold – but, and here’s the clever bit, they also fit inside your main, big bag. So if you’re just nipping out to the Post Office, the cafe or wherever, you don’t need to take the whole kit and caboodle with you. Just grab your mini bag and you have the most essential of your essentials to hand.

I had this in mind when I designed the Cutesy Convertible. It slots neatly into any of the Townie Cow or Townie Brights collections and, of course, our totes. It also has some versatility in its own right serving as a clutch or worn by clipping on a cross-body strap. 

I find this bag comes into its own while shopping when you want to be hands-free but still carry the all-important phone, keys and card. Yet it’s smart enough to pass muster on a night out.

Now I wouldn’t be without a bag within a bag. OK, I know I’m biased, but I urge you to try it. I suspect you’ll never look back. For more information about the Cutesy Convertible and our other small bags, please visit the VV Amore site.

Bringing a little colour...

Black or navy depending on your outfit, brown for the country and cream for the holidays, tiny and shiny for evening… These are the rules I remember reading once for how to make sure you have the right handbag whatever the occasion.

Certainly over the years I’ve had my fair share of smart and suitable bags. They were very grown-up and appropriate.

However, eventually I realised something was missing from certain aspects of my life – and that thing was colour. I love strong vibrant colours and the energy they bring.

While a handbag is rarely going to solve any problems, a bright and beautiful bit of arm candy can give a day just the right kind of lift. And even if the occasion calls for sensible neutrals, a bit of va-va voom about the lining peps up the mobile phone hunt a notch.

Now I can’t imagine going back to a daily diet of subdued black and browns. I choose handbags in lush shades that cheer me up and make me smile. My current favourite is a warm juicy orange in soft, soft leather although I do have to be careful that I don’t find myself absent mindedly stroking it gently.

A word of warning though, from someone who learned the hard way, if a splash of colour brings a ray of sunshine… a bigger, brighter splash of colour doesn’t necessarily mean a bigger ray of sunshine. In the coloured handbag stakes, less is definitely more.  Too much colour all at once can leave you looking like an off-duty CBeebies presenter which is not a good look in a grown woman.

I can’t promise a pink, green or leopard print bag will change your life, but it might just put an extra spring in your step.

What would you put in this handbag?

OK, I probably spend more time than the average woman thinking about handbags, about what works and what doesn’t and about which features will create an extra special bag. However, I’m just the same as everyone else when it comes to the importance of my bag.

I’ll bet most of you won’t leave the house without your bag and consider that most of the things inside it are vital for survival.

A recent survey revealed that while most women carried the predictable things such as keys, tissues, phones and makeup, there were some far more unusual items in those bags.

Researchers for Special K Mini Breaks found women were carrying tarot cards, porn dvds, dog biscuits and even baby teeth around with them everywhere they went. Some people had good reason for the things, but others couldn’t really explain why they transferred the seemingly random objects every time they swapped bags.

Talking about the survey, celebrity psychologist, Jo Hemmings said: “Our handbags contain the essence of our psyche – our phones, make up, house keys, photos, diaries, iPods – all very personal and intimate stuff. Our bags speak volumes about us.”

But is it really possible to tell what kind of a woman you are by having a look inside your bag?

Perhaps we fear it is and that going into someone’s bag is breaking an unwritten taboo. I’ll bet your children and other half don’t dare go into your bag. Mine certainly won’t.

Life coach and neuro linguistic programming expert Debbie Percy runs a business called Handbag Therapy. She reckons she can tell what kind of a person you are just by having a rummage in your bag.

In an interview with Idolmag she explained: “It is a fun way of looking inside your handbag and what it tells you about yourself and your personality.

“So if you want to make changes in your life then this is an opportunity to begin that discussion about what you can do about it.”

I wonder, is she right. Does a chaotic handbag full of unexpected things mean you need to change your life, or just muck out your bag?

It’s fascinating. I’d love to know what’s in your bag – is there a good reason for everything you carry about with you?

I am sure this survey kind of confirms what all men say – that women carry almost everything but the kitchen sink in their handbags. Check out the top 10 of things that we carry:

1. Keys

2. Pens

3. Tissues

4. Paracetamol/medication

5. Receipts

6. Make-up

7. Tampons/bandaid/other first aid items

8. Sunglasses

9. Snack/chewing gum

10. Compact mirror

Ten of the most unusual things found in handbags were:

1. Screwdriver kit

2. Porn DVD

3  Son’s baby tooth

4. Daughter’s first pair of shoes

5. Intimate toys

6. Tarot cards

7. Vampire voodoo doll

8. Confetti from their wedding day

9. Spare knickers

10. Piano tuning fork

What we always knew at VVA was the importance of having a handbag that allows you to store all your every day things – plenty of pockets has always been our motto – our Townie Babe is an ideal example of a handmade handbag able to cope with the list above with its 6 pockets!

“A woman’s handbag is an extension of who she is and helps her facilitate the numerous roles she plays in the 21st century,” said Australian style commentator Kathryn Eisman.

The average woman owns seven handbags, according to the poll results.

Almost a fifth of women surveyed, 19 per cent, said they used their handbag as an object to hide behind when not feeling confident on a “fat day”, while 16 per cent said their handbag was like a “security blanket”.

And 21 per cent said receiving a compliment about their handbag was the ultimate flattery while a third confessed to feeling envious of another woman with a nice bag.

More than 2000 women were surveyed for the poll by Kellogg’s Special K Mini Breaks.