News — 1 Minute Read

The holiday shopping season has arrived and the push is on to find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list! Luckily, in Montclair there are great shops and annual events that support local businesses while making holiday gift-giving easy and memorable. These are the upcoming local holiday events where I'm participating this year! Small Business Saturday is this Saturday, 11/26, and I will be set up at the {verdigreen} home Makers Market from 10am-1pm. This hub for all things chalk paint glows with holiday charm at this time of the year and it's always a treat to merchandise my...

  Recycling and composting are great ways to divert waste from landfills and turn those materials into valuable resources. Reducing the amount of waste you produce, including reuse, is an even better way to keep solid waste out of methane-producing landfills. Conscientious choices when shopping like choosing products without a lot of packaging, buying locally, and even bringing your own bags, are a few other ways to reduce waste. Shopping at reuse centers is another excellent way to keep useful materials in the consumer stream and out of landfills.   Creative reuse centers around the globe are enabling communities to...

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...