(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.

Vintage Hangers

 Imagine these displaying treasures in a nursery....or corralling vintage paper in your studio. What a unique way to display art in a hallway or entry. The possibilities are endless.

I use mine to display fabric swatches in my studio.

The Lucia....

In Red.
Over in the Shop right now.

Sewing Room Friday

For Sewing Room Friday this week...

It's photo's of a baby quilt me and my girlfriends are working on for the newest baby amongst us. We each embroidered a square with an image of our choosing...
Everyone really did a great job, you'd never know that some of these are first attempts at embroidery.


Yes, the light is terrible here today...normally I would have scrapped these photo's, but as it called Sewing Room FRIDAY I was left with few options.

Posy Pouch...

So, once I got myself to stay in the studio for more than a few minutes...

This little gem practically created itself.

I'm thinking there's value to stepping out of the creative process from time to time and letting your ideas fully form in you head.

I generally start in on a new idea very early in the 'figuring out' process. This means a lot of redoing and undoing. But, with this pouch today, I had spent so long living with it that it was like my hands knew just what to do. Easy peasy.

I'm finding that 'living with' my ideas for all sorts of things, from cooking to parenting, helps everything crystallize...Often resulting in a much more satisfying result. This is a creative process I had never really tried prior to having these kidletts, but am now forced into occasionally.

Of course, we don't always have the luxury of mulling every thought over indefinitely...
but, next time my creative production is ebbing I will try to see it as a positive rather than a negative. Kind of like stocking up the creativity bank account instead of the Etsy bank account.

I haven't really been crafting lately. What little bit I have done hasn't been very well documented. I'm not sure what that's all about. I have a ton of ideas, most of the supplies, even little bits of free time here and there. Maybe it's the somewhat daunting list of crafting ahead of me for the holiday season? Maybe it's just the natural ebb and flow of the creative process? I do find that my drive to create tends to come in waves. Maybe I'm one of those 'better under pressure' types? Maybe I've had a brain transplant I'm unaware of?


Nevertheless, I'm vowing today to create something every day, or at least part of something. I will get in that studio for at least a few minutes a day...Photo's to follow, of course.

The Converted...

(Cute photos of my boys which are completely unrelated to this post. Kai is a frog and Luke is a dog for Halloween this year)

I have completely sucked two of my dearest friends in to the world of sewing. It all began very innocently with a simple sewing lesson here and there, then some simple gifts.

Now, they are full fledged sew-a-holics, fabric-o-philes, project-a-thoner's.

I didn't realize how badly I wanted a little sewing company until I got a taste of it...It has become my primary goal to keep them on the side of the converted. It shouldn't be too hard though...once you've been bitten by the sewing bug how can you go back?! You will never look at another cute bag, blanket, curtain, top or potholder without thinking... 'I could SO make that...and I could make it delectable!'

Cable Knit Pillows

My newest quick project obsession...Beautiful knit sweaters repurposed as cushy throw pillows.
I have a feeling you'll be seeing a bevy of these around here!

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.

The Metro...

So, I am calling my new Diaper Bag design 'The Metro' because it has that hip urban parent vibe. That is precisely the feeling what I was going for...utilitarian, yet stylish, with yummy fabrics to make it a bit of a statement piece.

My friend Lucia said ...'It's like a messenger bag, but without the flap...I like it.'

There are couple of these beauties over in the shop right now...

My 'Studio'...

I thought I would show you some photos of the space where I create my purses, my 'studio' if you will. It is in the rear of our large great room space. It has fantastic light with huge south facing windows.I also set up an easel for the kids to do their 'art' on while I am essentially neglecting them.
This is the view I have of our Great room from my Chair. I am right behind the couch tucked in the corner. I love it because I am always a part of what's going on. Also, when Chris is at work I can sneak a bit of sewing in while the kids play or watch Sesame Street. We had talked of moving the boys into one room so I could use Luke's room as my studio. We decided against it because I would actually end up with much less creating time if I had to be apart from the family.
My fabric stash...which is a bit depleted currently....I'll have to get on that soon.
This is where I keep/display my in progress and finished work. The top two shelves have things which are sold or for sale and the bottom two have custom orders, future shop inventory in progress, and 'ideas' in various stages of completion.

More of the same...
A cool view from my sewing desk.

So, there you go...a peek at where Plumm happens.