(Re)Open for Business

After a long absence the Plumm shop is re-opening for business...I have taken essentially a year off to really be home with my boys. Running Plumm was just requiring SO much more of my time than I had anticipated at it's launch...and that was on top of actually making all the bags and hats to stock the shop with!

But! Now! The boys are in school FIVE days a week and I really, truly have the time to give to my business WITHOUT taking it away from anyone else. It feels very good to be at this place in my life that I have been telling myself I would get to...but never really beleived I would reach. In the past six years my life has gone from being all about me, to all about the boys...and now we seem to have achieved a nice balance, somewhere in between...let's see how long I can maintain it!

Above are a few photos of the Fall/Winter 2009 line...The Hanna and the Harper bags are in the shop now.

The Lucia....

In Red.
Over in the Shop right now.

A New Everyday Bag...

So, my good friend Rachel asked for an everyday bag for those outings when she has her little guy and needs more than her purse...
but doesn't need her entire diaper bag.

The Everyday Bag is the answer.

It has six internal side pockets large enough to hold diapers, loveys, burp cloths, bottles, and such...
plus a cell phone pocket snuggled up inside the strap where she can actually find it (and reach it).

She chose the fabrics herself from my Hancock's of Paducah catalog.

Do you have one of these?

It is one of my most used tools for creating custom bags. I get an updated one every few months in the mail with a bunch of new fabrics. Then, when a customer needs fabric choice help or inspiration, I pull it out.

H. of P. also sells their fabric is 1/2 yard increments which I LOVE. A few other sites do this, but most don't, and it's really practical for me.

I made one of these for myself a while ago, but ended up literally selling it off my back while was out and about one day.

What we've been up to...

We've been easing gently into Fall around here. I picked up my knitting again, found some cozy reading spots for rainy days, gotten all the board games out, gathered some seasonal treasures for our nature bowl, and created a new studio for myself. Every thing's just rolling along.

One of our great reading spots...get's alot of use by the boys.

My new friend...A 1950's Necchi, made it Italy. She's amazing. I named her Bella.

My new Studio space.

A couple bags I have in the studio.

My old (sorta) reliable machine on her desk. That's Sylvia the half lady.

The boys playing Candy Land on a rainy day.

Our Nature Bowl...we fill it with seasonal treasures. Leaves and pumpkins in the Fall, flowers and seed pods in the Spring.....etc.

Yesterday's Art project.

My most recent Thrift store score...and most favorite chair of all time...
sitting nicely with our magazine rack full of two of my other favorite things...
Dwell and Atomic Ranch Magazines.


Hope Fall is finding it's way into your space as well.

A new Keely...

Here is a Keely made from some more of my scores at that amazing fabric store. This is a fantastic Mircosuede with this circle detail stitched in a gold thread. Gorgeous. It is lined in a stone colored Linen. Fab. I also set the magnetic snap in a delicious rust colored leather. I am loving this bag and am off to make a duplicate to keep for myself! Meanwhile this one is for sale in my shop.

The Lucia...

Here is my newest baby!

Lucia is among the smallest of my purses....similar in size to Cleo but with this new strap design I am loving! Here are some progress photo's and a few of the finished product. This particular Lucia is done in a couple Amy Butler fabrics, from the 'Belle' line I believe.

I'm still here!

Well, that was a nice break! I was on a self imposed blogging hiatus for the holidays but I am glad to be back! We had a wonderful holiday season full of friends, family, food, gifts, gatherings, and runny noses. All was as it should have been.

I have been working away, trying to build up a bit of inventory for my Etsy shop and I am pretty excited about some of my recent purse designs! I have collaborated a bit with The Hubs on some swell wood handles for a new purse pattern I came up with. He did a great job making the exact shape I wanted and even went a bit further. He recessed rare earth magnets into the wood which gently pull together and act as the "clasp" for the bag by holding it closed. I am absolutely smitten with the end result....the Cleo purse.

She is just so sweet. I have a few more in "production" in some other great fabrics .

I have also been working on quite a few orders for the "Keely Purse" in all sorts of fun fabrics. Some were from fabrics I found and some are custom orders in fabrics that my great customers found. I must say my customers have great taste!

Here a re a few pics:

All for now.....more soon on a NEW purse that I am Just finishing up! She will be called 'The Lucia'.

A few Christmas Gifts...

that I brought into the world this week.

What I am working on....

First, A new Staci bag...



The newest Staci purse has a Swanky dark denim on one side) and a fantastic bold print fabric on the reverse. It is reverseable so you can choose your look every day! I am really loving it. I have been fine tuning this pattern for a while and I think I am pretty satisfied. Yay. I also used a magnetic snap closure for the first time. Very easy and looks very sharp.

Also....A hat idea. (and some insanely cute pics of Kai)

More on the way...

my new favorite...

This is my new favorite bag. Of course, wichever thing I made most recently is usually my favorite. I sketched out the pattern for this and cut the pieces in under an hour because I was so inspired. I have been forming this one in my head for a while now and am releived to have it out.
It is soft and the perfect size, has a fun toile lining and 7 pockets. Love it!

It is already up in the shop...

Thanks

thank you for all the emails offering kind words and lots of support! these things are so nice to hear.

here is another bag i am still working on. it is sewn, but i am not completely in love with the look...i feel like it needs somthing more. my friend lucia pointed out that i would probably like it more if it just wasn't white. I am pretty sure she is right. I may experiment with fabric dying or some stenciling. hmmmm.