Pinot has loved bags and purses from the time she was a tiny puppy. Typical girl – her obsession with bags started at a young age.  At only a few months old, I caught her trying to make off with my pink purse.

My friend Katherine bought her this cute bag when I first brought Pinot home and every time I put it on the floor, she immediately jumped into it.

I carried her all over NYC in this bag until she got too big to fit comfortably in it.  Recently, while cleaning out a closet, I found this same bag and put it on the floor.  I turned around and there was Pinot in her bag.  She had somehow crammed herself into it and looked at me as if to say, let’s go!

Pinot doesn’t discriminate against any bag.  She loves them all.  She thought the Coach bag someone gave me was more suited to carry her than my “stuff.”

But she doesn’t just like brand names.  Gym bags work just as well.  Jim learned to check his gym bag before closing as he’s found one too many dachshunds hiding among his sweaty clothes.

Her obsession with bags also includes suitcases.  Whenever we are packing for a trip, we can count on finding a hot dog in the suitcase.  It’s really hard to pack your clothes when a dog refuses to leave your suitcase and turns hard as a rock when you try to pick her up.  For an 11 lbs. dog, she sure knows how to make herself feel like a heavy 100 lbs. dog!

She’s owned many bags in her life.  I think she’s had more than I have.  And I call myself a girl?  I mean woman.  I mean girl.  I mean woman that wants to still look like a girl but be considered a woman.

Back to Pinot and her bags.  She’s had exotic Asian print bags.

She’s had pink girly bags.  I think this one is her favorite.

She’s had a bicycle bag.  I can’t ride with her in this bag if Jim is ahead of us on his bike.  When she sees Jim riding away from her, she starts screaming at the top of her lungs and tries to jump out and run after him.  After too many times convincing other riders that we were not killing her, we’ve learned to let me ride ahead.  Silly humans.

And whenever she finds the tote bag I made for myself on the floor, she jumps right in.

Is it any wonder when I started selling my handmade bags and purses, I decided to name the shop after Pinot?  Who better to represent my creations than the dog that is more obsessed with bags than I am.

My dad drew the perfect logo for us.  He’s a wonderful artist.  Too bad his artistic drawing talent didn’t pass on to me.  I can barely draw a stick figure.  They usually end up with 3 legs.

And that’s how Pinot by Lyn was born from Pinot’s obsession with bags.