News — Montclair NJ

This week I made the final delivery of repurposed banner bags to Jazz House Kids. This order included Wine Bottle Totes, Trapezoid Totes, and Square Totes, pictured here being delivery on the handlebars of my blue beach cruiser.  I actually rode it the 4 blocks from my apartment to the office! JHK sells them at events like today's Montclair Jazz Festival!    

In case you missed it, the Montclair Sidewalk Sale last Saturday was a blast! As I've done in the past, I set up in front of Mundo Vegan, the owners love supporting local merchants. I've know them since my Copabananas days, great folks and great food! It was a beautiful day and Church St. was the place to be! I debuted my new Tshirt Backpacks! Each one features a "patch", a design or word cut from another shirt and stitched somewhere on the backpack, as well as a Montclair Made label, love them!

The recent bike swap at Hillside School was a success for Bike&Walk Montclair and I was happy to have contributed by donating a bike this year. My daughter and I were included in the promotional video made by Jerry Fried during the event. Their next event, the Magical History Bike tour, is happening on June 18!

Since 2013 I have been making a line of tote bags using repurposed vinyl banners. My first client was the Montclair Film Festival and over the years I've also worked with Jazz House Kids, Eat.Play.Live...Better, and the Montclair Historical Society. The images on the banners are deconstructed when I cut the pieces, and I love how they look when they are sewn into my signature designs. Here is a visual history of my repurposed banner bags over the last 3 years.  

Growing up in Montclair was never boring. As a kid I was into swimming and gymnastics, and the YMCA was the place to do those things. I was never great at the sports I did but I always showed up for practice and stayed active despite my mediocrity. Swim meets were social events, where friends took bus rides to other towns, singing "We Are the Champions" on the way back to Montclair if we placed well. And I was in Leaders Club, the Y group for teens that taught leaderships skills, social responsibility, and community service. Being in Leaders Club...