A couple weeks ago I read a review of Bella from a blogger in Germany, Hexe. To summarize, she wasn't happy with the size of Bella (too small), didn't think it closed up well enough and didn't think Bella could easily be carried over one's shoulder. I wrote Hexe to address her concerns and our correspondence turned into a great little experiment. I thought I'd share because this isn't the first time I've heard these concerns.

Bella ships flat, without stuffing inside. We find she ships best this way and keeps the cost of shipping down. The downside to this is when she is unpacked she's flat and not nearly as cute as the photos you see on the website. The straps appear short and don't easily slide to gather the bag. But, don't worry, Bella just needs a little use.

I told Hexe Bella just needed some weight in her to create the shape and make the drawstring handles work right. Hexe was great, she conducted a little experiment. She put eight, yes eight! soup cans inside of Bella and hung her on a hook for a couple days. Click here to see a photo of those 8 soup cans.

The results...Bella's straps slide easily to create a secure closure. The straps are long enough to throw over one's shoulder and at 8 soup cans, Bella is no little bag. You can read Hexe's final comments here. Thanks for the experiment Hexe!