By Joy Kraft
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The first one to catch our eye was a holiday ornament at Norwalk, the Furniture Idea at Rookwood Commons - tiny crystal beads, antiqued mesh and bronze satin, perfect for a ladylike tree. Then we noticed a clock, a photo frame, a stained glass creation that gently played with the day's light. Handbags - with their satins, leathers, fancy strappings, twisting clasps and delicate beading - make an argument for the purse as pedestal-worthy art, far beyond their workaday role as cosmetics' couriers.

A stained glass daisy handbag (about 6 inches wide) with metal scrollwork handle by artist Allison Sanders isn't meant to be carried, even by the most genteel. It's a coffee-table or bookshelf beauty. Morgan Kooshesh specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces from Tristate artists at her design shop in Olde Montgomery. About $200. 9361-G Montgomery Road. 793-2500.

Karen Weber transforms Grandma's rhinestone leftovers, a handful of buttons, clockworks and a brown leather retro bag into a timepiece that can be toted, ever so carefully, or hung by its double handles. Her other "timebags" include patent leather and vintage finds with buttons, lace and gemstone trims. $60-$80. Originalities, Hyde Park Square. 321-7278.

Frame a favorite snapshot in an "antique" hand-painted ceramic purse that can swing by the linked chain handle. By Frameology. $17 at Tapestry Gifts & Collectibles, 6810 Wooster Pike, Mariemont. 561-1550.