Behind [red] Door #1

Photo by smith

Feel free to join us.

Ploofy leather couches. Cool breezes floating through open windows. Tall glasses of perfect lemonade.

And I get the opportunity to interview Julie, the designer of Vibrant Designs bags (who happens to have a pretty cool red front door on the front of her house!)

So tell us about yourself: I graduated with a B.S. in education. . .and I sew! I taught briefly before having children, and then my husband and I decided staying home worked best for us. So, 3 little ones later and I started sewing and selling bags!

What inspired you to start creating bags?: I started sewing when I was in junior highschool, but I didn't stick with it long enough to really learn much. Fast-forward to 3 years ago. . .I was pregnant with child number 2, and I was placed on bed rest due to pre-term labor. I got the itch to have a diaper bag that didn't look like everyone else's! So I drafted a VERY basic pattern and made my first bag! (I still use it!) I enjoy crafting, but most importantly, I enjoy crafting something that is useful to me.

Tell us about something you've learned about home management: I've found in my nearly 7 years of marriage that most of the time, the things that we accumulate are just variations of "stuff." Most often, there's no use for it and it just gathers dust for me to clean! So thus began my quest for crafting things that are only useful.

Share a favorite home management tip: One of our biggest problems over the years has been MAIL!! We would have piles of mail sitting everywhere. . .bill paying time would come and I’d have no idea where to find them. So, a couple years ago, I went and purchased one of those accordion file containers. I use that to contain my bills. At that time, we had absolutely NO office space in the house. So, the home management tip that has helped me the most, (and is subsequently my favorite), when the mail comes, immediately go through it, pitching the trash/ads/mailers, file your bills, and if you happen to be one of those lucky enough to get GOOD mail, decide what to do with that card or letter. FYI, when we get a card or letter, I keep it long enough to show to my husband when he arrives home, then to the trash it goes.

What is your favorite/least favorite room in your house?: My favorite room in the house would be the living room. It's our adult space--the place where we try to keep things picked up at all times. This is where my husband and I spend our evenings. The other room I love is our basement--which houses our family/sewing/play room. I love it because it houses all of the toys! They do NOT escape!

Any strategies for keeping your home in order?: If I don’t have a place for it, out it goes! To the trash, Good Will, or a friend. . .but out it goes!

[With or without the couches, breezes, and lemonade] It was a great interview! Check out yesterday's blog entry to find out how to score one of Julie's fabulous bags!