Our #1 Summertime Bag Choice: Petunia Pickle Bottom's Wistful Weekender

*Mommys Craft Obsession received a complimentary Wistful Weekender to facilitate this review*

Springtime is around the corner and I know thousands of Americans are anxiously awaiting the snow to disappear and the sun to show it's beautiful rays. For some of us the sunshine means more outings to the park and pool and when you have a little one (or multiple little ones!) in tow it's important to have a bag spacious enough to tote around the essentials and a few "must have's" for the location where you're headed. 

Mommys Craft Obsession is thrilled to feature our #1 Springtime Bag Choice, the Petunia Pickle Bottom Wistful Weekender.

Although I don't discriminate against Petunia Pickle Bottom bags, the Wistful Weekender has proven itself to be one of the most versatile bags that I have ever owned, and is one of my favorites. 

Measuring at 17" (H) X 12"(W) X 13" (D), this beauty has more than enough space to pack yours or your child's essentials for a weekend trip, but the usage doesn't stop there! This bag has been used by moms across the country for several different reasons! To get more insight, I asked the moms of the Petunia Blossoms Community Facebook Group to weigh in on what they use their weekender for! 

"I use my weekender for heavy duty trips, weekends away...long day trips that will require multiple clothing changes (beach/pool) and I used it as a nursing pump bag for work as well" - Jamie P

"A Weekender is another must have PPB bag. On or off the weekend." -Maybelle G

"I purchased my Weekender to use as my hospital bag (treat to myself). I now use it for day long outings with my children and as a travel bag for overnight trips" -Jenn H

"I use my weekender as my luggage. It was my carry on for a cross country flight & for a weekend trip to San Francisco. Worked perfectly." -Bianca O.

"I love that the weekender doesn't look like a "diaper bag". It looks like a gorgeous overnight bag when I want to use it for just me and when I have my little ones its a functional and stylish bag for a long day trip!" -Pamela P

Now that you've heard from a few other PPB lovin' moms what they use their Weekender for, how about I tell you how I use mine!!

My Wistful Weekender gets used frequently in the springtime and summer months as an every day bag, but I should also mention that my 'every day' is mostly spent at the park and pool with my little guy. I love that with the weekender I can load up the bag with everything we need for a day out whether I be packing the bag full of pool towels and floaties, or a picnic lunch, big blanket, and some books. When we head over to friends houses for summer barbecues I pack Little Misters PJs and blankies, myself some comfortable pants to relax with my friends in, and anything we've been asked to bring over. With the Wistful Weekender you always seem to have space in the bag, regardless of what your packing. And I love that.

The Wistful Weekender I am featuring today is the gorgeous Lights of Lisbon print which made it's debut just a short couple of weeks ago in their Spring 2014 collection. I always find myself stalking the releases of the new prints but knowing that there wasn't anything I "needed" I had already talked myself out of buying before I saw the prints.

When I caught sight of Lights of Lisbon, my stomach did a flip flop and I knew I had to have something, anything, in that print. I'm a sucker for prints that remind me of 70's style "grandma-esq" kitchens or living rooms. Don't ask me why, I just go crazy for them! The lightbulb when on when I realized that it would be a perfect time to feature the bag I've been dying to tell you lovely readers about - the Wistful Weekender!

In true Petunia fashion the Lights of Lisbon Glazed Wistful Weekender features a portion of the print that is embroidered giving this bag a little "something extra" to enhance the print.

One of the many wonderful features about the Wistful Weekender is that this bag zips up! I know that for many moms out there, having a bag that zips is a must so that your belongings don't fall to the ground the second you bend down to assist your little one with something, and the fact that the Wistful Weekender does zip to me was something work jumping up and down for!

The Weekender (in the Facebook groups we commonly refer to the Wistful Weekender as just the Weekender so moving forward that is how I will mention it in this review) has side snaps that allow the bag to expand to accommodate extra items in your bag! Personally I am a huge fan of the side snaps because on the trips where my bag isn't stuffed full I like to have the sides "cinched" to give the bag more shape and to hold everything in a little tighter. 

Another huge feature that Petunia Pickle Bottom recently added to their Weekender is the hardware to allow your bag to be carried with a messenger strap. Until (I believe, don't quote me) Fall 2013 the Weekenders did not allow you to carry them with a messenger strap but I adore that Petunia Pickle Bottom added this great feature, it makes things a lot easier with a little one in tow and it also now allows your Weekender to be attached to the stroller either by using stroller clips or by draping the messenger strap across the handbag - if you do that, please make sure that the stroller isn't top heavy as it could be dangerous for your little passenger! 

Yes, the messenger strap IS adjustable!

As with all Petunia Pickle Bottom bags, the Wistful Weekender comes with a matching changing pad and a signature black embossed wipes case!

Now lets chat about what makes this bag truly incredible, the organization! There is one extremely spacious main compartment, 8 inside pockets, two of which feature additional pockets for organization including cell phone pockets (2) and a zippered bonus pocket! Included in the 8 pockets are 4 bottle pockets and 4 spacious main pockets. The bottle pockets are exceptionally large - with Little Mister we use to use Playtex VentAir bottles and I was able to 2 bottles per bottle pocket! If you or someone you know uses those specific bottles they could pack 8 bottles in this bag! There is also an extra feature of the sewn in key fob to clip your keys to while they're not in use! We all know that large bags tend to "eat" your keys, so I love this added feature that helps keep me just a little bit more organized!

On the front of the bag there are also two hidden pockets! These pockets aren't very deep but their perfect for storing things that may need to be reached quickly such as teething tablets or chap stick!

I have a confession: This is not my first Wistful Weekender. When Little Mister was about 5 months old Mr. Hunky was nice enough to treat me to my Passport to Prague Weekender which I immediately fell in love with because, once again, it reminded me of a 70's style grandma-esq kitchen/living room and I adored it. I am now the proud owner of two beautiful weekenders and cannot wait to start hitting the pool and park more often! 

Being in Arizona allows Little Mister and I to head out to the park even in the winter/fall months and for the Lights of Lisbon Wistful Weekender's first outing I decided to pack up and head to the park for a few hours of playtime and picnicking. Little Mister and I walked so I was able to test out the messenger strap hanging from the stroller and I absolutely loved it. I packed relatively lightly but had no problems with it being top heavy and it made my life so much easier than if I were to have carried it. 

For a 3.5 hour park venture I packed Little Misters wipes case, a cloth diaper (bumGenius 4.0), wet bag, the changing pad that the bag came with, crackers (stowed away in a bottle pocket), water for each of us (which had been removed prior to the photo being taken), my wallet, the coin purse from my Gooseberry Carryall (also by PPB), Little Misters immunization records, and my Marine Parents pouch full of mommy essentials (chap stick, hand sanitizer, etc). In the main compartment I used our PackIt lunch bag to pack two sandwiches for us and I also had space for the blanket that I laid out for us to sit on! 

Whether you're looking for an overnight/weekend getaway bag, a stylish carry-on, a pool bag, a park bag, or an everyday bag for multiples, the Wistful Weekender is a bag that will not let you down! I have used mine as a carry-on while flying with Little Mister, a pool bag, park/picnic bag, overnight bag to Nana's, headed to a barbecue bag, and even a bag just for ME! 

To Purchase: Visit Petunia Pickle Bottom and browse their selection of fabric and prints, then grab your Wistful Weekender for $139-185

To Win: Mommys Craft Obsession, Viva Veltoro, and Petunia Pickle Bottom want to give one lucky winner a Wistful Weekender in their choice of print! $185 in value! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Entry-Form

Congrats to Terra J Sweeps!

The Giveaway will close late on the evening of March 7th. The winner will be chosen at random through  Giveaway Tools. The winner will be announced both on Giveaway Tools form as well as notified by email and announced on MCO’s Facebook. The winner will have their prize sent to them by Petunia Pickle Bottom; Mommys Craft Obsession, Viva Veltoro and participating bloggers are not responsible for prize shipment. Must be 18 years and older. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google are in no way affiliated with this giveaway. No Purchase Necessary. Void Where Prohibited by Law. US Only.  This article is 100% original and in my own words. Everything written is from my own personal view point and opinions and I have not been influenced by any outside sources. What works for me, may not work for you. All photos have been taken by me unless stated otherwise. I have NOT been provided with product or compensation by Petunia Pickle Bottom. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.