We are happy to get the opportunity to offer you the latest from this amazing baby bag company. Each season offers a great selection of sophisticated and intriguing designs.

There is plenty of pocket space and a detachable changing pad. The exterior of the bags are Chenille, Brocade, felt, glazed and Italian Cut Velvet.

If you are curious about cleaning, Petunia recommends dry cleaning on a short cycle for the chenille and brocade bags like the Amaryllis Roll and the Earl Grey. The glazed and organic bags can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth. The scout bags are to be hand washed and lay flat to dry. The lining is to be spot cleaned with a damp cloth.

The detachable changing pad can also be hand washed and lay out flat to dry.

We started carrying the Sashay Satchels last season and we think the newest designs are lovely like the the Indelible Iris, and chic as in the Positively Plaid.

We have many new and different styles on the floor along with the previous spring season.

Come into Presents of Mind and see what you like, also if you purchase your Petunia Pickle Bottom bag online we will cover the cost of shipping just use the PPB code*.

And remember: Just because the fall bags are here it doesn’t mean the suns not still shining and the air is not still warm. Don’t forget to get out and enjoy the day.

If you would like to read more posts about Petunia Pickle Bottom check out the links here and here.

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From 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hawthorne will be hosting a party for thousands of Portlanders, and out-of-towners.

There will be two stages with music for grown-ups of all ages. There will be puppets and magic shows for the kids, not to mention, the Bagdad theatre is showing Labyrinth for free and so much more!

 Presents of Mind, along with all the many great stores on Hawthorne, will be out enjoying the sunshine and offering fantastic sale items at great prices just for you.

Like:

Tee shirts for men and women

Books and Stationery

cool bags, wallets, and more.

We also will have many of our awesome dresses on sale this Sunday too so you wont want to miss that!

 On 34th ave the showcase stage will be set up, and from 11:00 to 4:00 you can check out live music ranging from Blues, Rock, Latin groove, Zydeco, and more.

If you are you are looking for something different, you can stroll up to 41st Ave to the Acoustic stage to watch singer songwriters, gospel, and folk music performers play their heart and souls out.

35th Ave is the Kids Area where the kids can enjoy the Tears of Joy puppet shows, face painting, music, and bubbles galore.

So, in between your face painted, song filled, food consumption wanderings, stop by our sidewalk right in front of Presents of Mind between 35th and 36th Ave, and peruse our sales table, and clothing rack. We know you will find something special or quirky for yourself or a loved one.

If you arrive between 11:00 and 3:00, you can find items on sale for 40% off, and if you decide to hit us up between 3:00 and 6:00 you can find something for 70% off.

So come by, say, perhaps after watching David Bowie dance around in his grey tights while singing songs with puppet goblins, and get something just for you.

Presents of Mind will be open during our regular hours 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. so be sure to step inside and see what we have going on inside.

For more details on scheduled events check out the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association’s website here: HBBA- Hawthorne Street Fair.

Sounds like a great time you said? It will be and we’ll see you there.

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Season K Design Onesie

Thank goodness babies are not reserved for one season because where’s the fun in that? In celebration of all babies all the time (we know some of you friends of friends with kids would like babies only some of the time, but this post is not for you. Unless of course you are buying a wonderful gift for that part-time baby in your life.) we are putting all baby clothes online and in the store on sale for 25% off.

RuffleButts' pink bathing suit is too cute!

This is a Thrifty Thursday special so the offer is only good for Thursday the 4th of August.

RuffleButts polka dot in red!

We’ve got so many cute baby clothes in right now you’ll probably weep with indecision. Don’t worry we have tissues, and we can help you pick something out. Unless of course you know exactly what you want. That baby jumper you’ve been eyeing for a week is finally on sale for 25% off and you’re gonna go and grab it! Good for you!

Little Lark makes this sweet gnome tee.

All baby clothes on our website are on sale for 25% off so be sure to look through our selection. If you live in Portland and can make it in you’ll find our baby section full of new and adorable clothing.

Organic onesie by Local designer Little lark

Presents of Mind will be closing early this Thursday so be sure to make it in before 6:30. (We are closing for our annual employee summer BBQ. Yeah!)

A Crow tee for your toddler by Nikki McClure

You can purchase your baby clothes online for 25% off into the wee dark of night!

Was your baby made in Portland?

Happy BABY shopping!

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Seasons K. Designs started as an effort by Presents of Mind owner Seasons Koll (in other words me) to create what was missing from the local Portland market place. While we have carried locally designed shirts for a long time, it was hard to find shirts that really showed Portland pride. Local companies like Little Lark gave us some of our Portland loves as tees and onesies with images of  bikes, trees, birds etc… Our local product seeking Portland customers and visitors were all hoping to find more Portland in their Tees and Onesies. So, the “Made in Portland” onesie was born. With log letter script it says Portland in text and spirit. It’s still the top seller.

Due to the success of the Made in Portland onesie, a made in Oregon onesie was added & new styles of Portland Tee’s were created for Men, Women & babies, and so it grew…

Having a high volume store with a highly discerning clientele in a super cool city is a great way to find out what the public is craving. So many times it takes companies far longer to catch on to what customers are looking for in the stores.  Art nouveau, Contemporary Gothic, and Nautical are all under represented themes in the marketplace. I knew I would want to buy them anyway, I hoped customers would agree. So, I started designing a few art tees with themes such as Ravens, Octopus and Art nouveau images.

Of course I knew our Presents of Mind customers still loved Deer and Birds as much as I did so I designed some sweet pieces for women and babies.

The latest development is the use of my own photography in my art tees. Photography has been a passion of mine but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to use my images. I have loved taking photos for this blog and the Presents of Mind Facebook page. I really wanted to use them in another art form. I started looking at the photos as possible shirt designs, and it made perfect sense. This has been the most fun to work with. Photoshop is a temperamental mistress, but worth the effort.

My most recent development has been skirts, and I couldn’t be more excited. These jersey Pencil Skirts are super comfortable & look HOT! They are my new favorite piece in my own wardrobe & a perfect alternative to skinny jeans. The skirts come in some of my best selling art nouveau & photography themed graphics & are already a best seller. They have a very “body friendly” 4″ spandex waistban & hit right at the knee. They can even be worn as a tube top!

What started out as fulfilling customers requests in my store has turned into a very extensive T-Shirt line and a previously undiscovered passion for clothing design has been born out of it. I have already started sketching dress and blouse designs that will be cut and sewn with screenprint graphics. I am designing them to be flattering to a wide range of women’s bodies. Originally the Seasons K. Designs line had been exclusive to Presents of Mind. The line is now available at other stores here in Portland, a few stores scattered around the US & even a store in Canada!  You can also order tees on the Presents of Mind website, or on my Etsy page.

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Living in a bike friendly city we know the merits of riding your bike versus driving, but today’s focus is not so much on the environmental and health benefits, those are a given, today’s focus is on the pure joy of riding a bike.

Think back to the days when you were a kid, when the rain wouldn’t stop falling for what seemed like years, and there you were at the window watching the multiple streaks of droplets stain the pane in a flood of water, as Scooby-Doo played on the television (that no longer held your interest), and all you wanted in the world was to go outside and play.

Feeling a bit like that now? Your kids are probably feeling a bit like that now (well, some of them).

Then there was that first burst of sunshine. Raindrops still hung on the pointed tips of green leaves that glowed in the sunlight as you rushed out the door into that warm fresh air and jumped onto your bike of freedom.

That first pump of the pedal and you were flying, you were free, and it was fun.

Before you were old enough to drive your freedom was the bike; your joy and your adventure was your bike ever faithful and waiting for you to come out and play.

Remember the feel of the wind against your face as you soared down that great hill? What were you going, like a hundred thousand miles a minute?

This Thrifty Thursday we are celebrating the joy of riding your bike and the pure happiness that you get when you are out riding in those first days of summer.

Come into Presents of Mind Thursday June 3rd and pick up any item with a bike on it, and you can purchase it for 25% off the retail price.

You can also peruse our website to find a bike friendly gift. This includes any item with a bike like Zipper hoodies

and Gama-go t-shirts which are also great gift ideas for father’s day.

Little Lark Ride for toddlers and adults

And jewelry.

We have a lot (we may have more bikes on things than birds).

Presents of Mind is open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

You can order your Thrifty Thursday gift online on our website up till midnight of June 3rd.

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Seasons Koll & Cinnamon Chaser

Seasons K. Designs Clothing & Art

Artwork by Cinnamon Chaser

We have attended many of the Crafty Wonderland shows looking for new vendors and gifts for our staff, friends and of course ourselves. It was a change of pace for me especially, to be on the other side of the table. It was fun and exciting to show my work in this way and to get the feedback of the attendees. It was also really great to be surrounded by so many artists we carry in the store and that I interact with on a regular basis. As most of you know Presents of Mind is famous for carrying local designers and many of our favorites show their work at Crafty Wonderland. Here are some of the wonderfully talented artists we carry at Presents of Mind showing their creations.

Heidi Cain creator of Passion Flower

Passion Flower is one of our favorite jewelry lines! We have been carrying Heidi Cain’s line of shrinky dink jewelry creations for quite some time now and are always surprised by how innovative and creative she is with her line. Every time we see her she has a whole new set of designs each even more awesome than the last, she even started doing wire wrapping and using stones in her work. She had a stunning display set up at Crafty this year using drift wood and her very clever handmade jewelry racks.

Lauren Hay of Badge Bomb & One Inch Round

Portland landmarks made with Cardboard

We love fellow Crafty Wonderland sponsors One Inch Round & their sister company Badge Bomb! If you came to Crafty Wonderland and got a free button from us, they are the ones who made them. They do great custom buttons at unbeatable prices and they help design, produce, and distribute buttons for many talented artists from near and far. They have my favorite booth by far, it’s a cardboard Portland!! Portland landmarks made out of cardboard with trees & clouds = LOVE !

Jen Woffinden of JDUCT

Jen of JDUCT was showing her clever, contemporary and ever popular duct tape wallets & flasks at Crafty Wonderland. We have been carrying her wallets for a long time now but have been extra excited about the addition of flasks to her line! Jen has created some truly cool images using only duct tape and I for one am really impressed, seems customers are too, as JDUCT is hard to keep in stock.

Barbara Soule of B. Hive Designs

B. Hive Designs is a lovely clothing line for women & children made by the lovely and talented Barbaba Soule. Clean & contemporary designs with subtle tonal color pallets on beautiful clothing are the trademark of B. Hive designs. We have had the joy of carrying her line for some time now and are hard pressed to find more precious baby clothes or pretty women’s blouses made locally. She had a charming booth set up where all the clothing popped against a clean bright backdrop.

Betsy of Betsy & Iya

We LOVE Betsy!! Beth (Buyer for Presents of Mind) & I met Betsy some time ago when she was repping jewelry that other talented folks made, little did we know we would soon be buying her stunning creations. Betsy & Iya is a newer line for us and already a best seller! The scale, style and pricepoints have quickly won our customers and us over!

Diana of Moss

Moss is a newer line for us but we have already reordered these treasures a few times. Handmade by Diana Schreiber these miniature works of art take you back to a time when all jewelry was an heirloom carefully and painstakingly handcrafted with love. They all have the look and feel of some incredible vintage find, her grandmother thinks it’s funny that she does the kind of art she did when she was younger. We are so happy she learned and shares these incredible talents.

Nicole Cipriano of Cipriano Designs

Cipriano Designs wallets are a staff favorite , 1/2 the staff own one, including me (My favorite wallet ever!). Soft, durable, beautiful and incredibly well constructed they are the sort of wallets that just get better with some wear & age and yet look sophisticated at the same time. Her designs are unique, her leather is recycled and her work is impeccable, what more could you ask for? Her men’s wallets would make wonderful Father’s day gifts for that stylish dad in your life!

Katie Raetz of Burdy Fly Away

You may remember Katie from one of our earlier blog posts Ten Questions for Burdy Fly Away. Here with her oh so sweet hubby at their lovely Crafty Wonderland Booth. Her baby and women’s clothes are like no other. She creates contemporary bright clean designs using applique and hand dyed materials with amazing skill! We have seen a lot of applique but her work surpasses any we have ever seen.

Lindsay Jo Holms of Maple XO

We just recently stated carrying this awesome line using recycled skateboards and wrote a post about it just recently titled MapleXO in the House. Maple XO is one of the coolest lines ever and Lindsay is the cherry on top! Darling, spunky, talented and a little bit bad ass Lindsay is making super cool jewelry while saving the planet , what could be wrong with that?!? Her booth was great with old skateboard decks and other clever displays, very impressive all around.

Kori Guiduci of Flipside Hats & her adorable new little baby

We have been carrying Flipside hats for a couple years now and they just get cooler & cooler! Kori is a wonderfully talented ambitious woman taking reuse reduce recycle to another level. Her hats are made using recycled curtains, clothing etc… They are all reversible making them even that much cooler. The cut is flattering to anyone and she offers a wide range of sizes so even people with giant heads (like mine) can find a cute hat that fits. She tops it all off with applique, stitch or ribbon details for some truly stylish hats. Due to the limit of each fabric many if not most are one of a kinds. Not to mention her and her little family are about as cute & sweet as they come!

Kiersten Crowley

Kiersten Crowley jewelry

Kiersten Crowley blows my mind a little. She makes the most intricate sterling jewelry I have ever seen. Her pieces look small and simple but the closer you look the more stunning intricate little details you see. She mixes metals, stones and stunning metal smithing abilities to make jewelry that is everyday wearable while being exceptional.  Her booth at Crafty had the same feel as her creations clean, simple, classic & effortlessly cool.

Jackie Imdahl of Scrumptious Suds

Jackie Imdahl is the creator of Scrumptious Suds, the soaps that smells so tasty you want to eat them & make your skin feel just as yummy. With scents like Mojito, Cosmopolitan, Sweet Margarita, la Fée Verte~Absinthe, Memphis Sweet Tea,  Bebida de Primavera, & Almond Biscotti you are sure to smell tasty. I feel blissful well moisturized yummy smelling skin from luxurious bath products is essential, at least it should be. Jackie is a doll and a powerhouse herself running Handmade NW shows as well as her successful soap line!

Julz Nally of Handmade Julz

Julz Nally is an incredibly talented lady, designer & jewelry maker extraordinaire. We have carried her line Handmade Julz for some time now but when we found her line she wasn’t even living in Portland, yet. Her designs are bright, contemporary and fun. Placed under glass then wire wrapped with various wire colors making each piece a standout. She also uses her designs on art prints & magnets. She even started making coasters, that we can’t seem to keep on the shelves!

Elizabeth Soule

Elizabeth Soule is an incredibly talented photographer with dreamy wonderful images that mesmerize. We have carried her line of art prints and cards for a couple years now and they continue to captivate. Whatever animal we are drawn to she gives life and soft subtle beauty to. She was showing her stunning art on prints, cards and mounted on wood blocks at Crafty Wonderland and the whole booth was stunning.

Barb Burwell of Ciao Birdie

Barb Burwell of Ciao Birdie is an inspired designer with earthy graphic designs that have a style all their own. Well thought out collages with block print details. She continually finds new mediums for her designs including some of our favorite mini journals, buttons etc… We have been selling her cards for a couple years now and they continue to inspire.

JoAnn of Dolcetti Jewelry

Dolcetti Jewelry is a favorite craft show find of mine. JoAnn makes some truly lovely simple charming pieces of jewelry using sterling & stones. Really easy simple daily wear pieces and truly unique geodes, pearls, mixed stones & metals. Loved her Crafty Booth with her fantastic sign, and even over 8 months pregnant as sweet and darling as ever!

Teri Sprouse of 2Monkees

Teri Sprouse of 2Monkees is a creative powerhouse! Every time she brings her latest creations to Presents of Mind I am bowled over by how many new creations & designs she has. Wonderful hair accessories, belts, necklaces, rings etc…  with great graphics, vintage components and lovely craftsmanship.

Rachel Austin Artist Extraordinaire

Rachel Austin makes art that is easy to find a home for. Stunning color pallets, simple interesting designs and clean graphic images make her paintings delightful! I would love to have the wall space in Presents of Mind to give her the show she so richly deservers, but am also so pleased to carry her cards & jewelry. Her booth at Crafty Wonderland was a perfect showcase for her art and it was wonderful to get to see her larger pieces in person.

Scott McCarty of Locket 2 You

Scott & Miranda McCarty  are business Rockstars! Locket 2 You is the brilliant result of their creative and business firepower. They put everything into this wonderful idea, and I’m so happy they did. Vintage Locket meets graphic contemporary jewelry. While some designs are purely reminiscent of your grandmother’s locket with a vintage graphic others have contemporary graphics and imagery to fit every taste. The sentimental possibilities of a locket need no explanation and their lovely chains, beads, colors & graphics make it possible to make that gift far more personal. Brilliant.

Marie of Ripe Glass

Ripe Glass is a charming line of fused glass jewelry with lovely and unique imagery fused in. The color combinations & images are what really sets this line apart. We have carried Marie’s fused glass jewels for quite some time now, I found her work at another local craft show. The addition of earrings & new graphics made this line even more fantastic. Her booth like her work was charming, beautiful, clever & unique.

There were a few other vendors that we carry showing at Crafty Wonderland but with manning my own booth I regretfully didn’t get a chance to feature or snap photos of them all.

It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to sponsoring and participating in more local craft events.

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There are two days left to get your mom a gift and a card. Don’t forget.

Katie Raetz

Burdy Fly Away is a Portland, Oregon, based clothing line for babies and women. It is the brain child, and creative outlet, for at home mom and designer, Katie Raetz: born out of her, “need for a creative outlet while staying home and raising two amazing boys.”

This declaration of love for trees is hand cut from eco-spun felt and then "drawn" with the sewing machine, using contrasting colors of thread.

Silk screen writing

Katie uses as much organic material as she can get her hands on then hand dyes each piece in small batches. She uses eco-spun felt for her applique designs which are “drawn” on with her sewing machine, using contrasting embroidery for detail, and lastly (yes there is more) she does her screen printing designs by hand.

Adorable from front...

To back.

Hand, hand, hand… Katie is a busy lady, but she found a precious sliver of time to give to us over at Presents of Mind for some of our questions. We call it ten questions, but truth be told there are some extra questions thrown into the mix.

Ten Questions For Burdy Fly Away

1. Where did you come up with the name Burdy Fly Away? I had read on one of your blog posts that you thought part of being a mom is setting your own burdy free. Is that part of the inspiration of the name?

Yes it is. What happened actually is my husband came up with the name because I moved a lot. I would never spend more than nine months in a place. I went to school, I moved around for work, I was always moving, and we would always joke that I was a vagabond. Now I can’t move so much any more because I have kids. So I guess my husbands came up with the  name. I guess, it is kind of about me, I never thought about the name that much, I thought it was kind of cute, and fun and fit. It was a name we kind of had thrown around and it fit. When we first made clothing, at the Alberta street fair, I didn’t have a name, and we decided to use it.

2. You wrote that you created Burdy fly Away out of a creative need, so are you saying that being  a mom isn’t enough for a woman? Are you saying you need more? Joking aside, how did the idea come about, and what did you start with first baby or women’s clothing?

I have a very chaotic personality. I think it comes from growing up with seven kids in my family, and it was chaotic, so, I think I need more because I have a high sense of stress level, not that I think that is always healthy, but I needed a little bit more. I needed another outlet, and I am an artistic type, and I need to create because when I wasn’t creating I felt like I didn’t have a motivation. Not that parenting isn’t important to me, but if I am not motivated, I won’t get out of my pajamas. Not that being a mom isn’t fulfilling to me, it is fulfilling, but for me, I needed more. I spend most of my day parenting, and I spend a lot of late nights doing more, but for the most part I can cutout  flowers of felt right alongside my boys as they are cutting out paper and we are doing something together – some women need other outlets. I have like a friend who likes running, that is her personal time her outlet, I wish I did that, but I need this.

I started with the baby clothes- than I did the first craft thing, and people began asking me if I did them in adult sizes.When I was pregnant with my son, I started wearing the American Apparel tunic dresses, these shirts that kind of show off your baby bump, but that don’t make you look, you know; it shows you off in a nice way. And I started putting my designs on them and they looked good. And people liked them.

3. Did you go to school for any design or did your sewing, and design skills come out of growing up crafty?

I have always been very crafty , my mom had seven kids, and she was always sewing. My mom was always sewing and cooking, and we always had crayons out doing stuff. We grew up crafty and creative. I did go to art school. I went to the Art Institute of Seattle, and I graduated with a graphic design degree. I had a graphic design job for a while, but I hated sitting behind a computer eight hours a day. I had a love of painting and sculpture, and what you might call high art. It [the Art Institute] wasn’t exactly where I found my niche. I’m grateful for it, but I sometimes wish I had gone to more of a fine arts school. I’ve been out of school for twelve years now so it’s been a long time, but I do find the experience helps me now, but there are other things I would have liked to have learned, like I want to start doing patterning making, and making my own clothes. Not having to rely on other suppliers, and making clothes that fit many different body types.

4. What is your favorite part about creating your clothing: Conceptualizing a design, the construction or hitting the streets to sell your work?

Definitely conceptualizing. I am a project starter. I love coming up with new designs and color coordinations. Production is hard for me. Like right now, I’m working on next year’s winter line (because that is how retail works you always work seasons ahead) and it is really hard for me to work a season ahead because by the time I get to the production part I am tired of the designs. I start to think it, oh, it looks like poop, hah, so, the production part is really hard for me. And, with all the increase in work, it is difficult to do it on my own, because everything is hand cut, and it is hard for me to get help because I don’t have patterns, and so I end up staying up late to cut out felt. Sometimes, I feel like I have my own little sweatshop at home, you know, and then I always think I’m done, but there is always more… so definitely concept is my favorite part.

5. How long have you been doing Burdy Fly Away?

I have only been doing it for two in and a half years. [Jan 2010: Burdy Fly Away is a little over three and a half years old since this original interview] I started it when my son Max was six months. When I first started, I was really embarrassed. I was buying onesies and dying them on my stove top. And I thought, I will be so embarrassed if no one buys my stuff. My husband and I would talk about this, but then people started buying it. I started thinking wouldn’t it be cool if we were in a store, but I didn’t know or think if that would happen. Then suddenly people wanted to start carrying it in their stores, and to me it was crazy. I was nursing my baby, and chasing my two year old around, and I couldn’t believe it. I thought, could I possibly not have to go back to work. I had been working out of the home before, and I didn’t really want to go back to that. Day care for two kids is crazy expensive, and when I was working we made a little more money, but after all the money for day care I wasn’t bring much home. The idea that this was my work, and I wouldn’t have to go back out to work was amazing. I think a lot of moms have to work, and I am really lucky that my husband’s job makes enough to support us. We bring in enough of an income that I can stay home, but still my husband is the one that brings in the money. So, hah, were poor.

6. How long do you see yourself creating Burdy Fly Away? Do you create designs for men or is that in the future?

I don’t even know. I hope that it builds into a real business, but I don’t know. I would like to be to a point when my husband doesn’t have to work. My husband is also an illustrator, and we’re hoping that years down the line that it can be a family business. We hope to expand into men’s clothing. I love doing applique work, I love how it fits on women. But I would like to do some more silk screen work. We would like it to be more art conceptual into that direction.

7. I might be wrong, but I think I read that eco-spun felt is created from recycled consumer plastic bottles, is that right? Do you always use eco-spun felt for your appliqué? How did you find out about it and can you tell us a little about how it is to work with as a material?

It is actually pretty much the felt that they sell at all crafting stores. I stumbled upon it by luck. It was one of the products I was using, and than this was the bonus. Than I just started  using that brand. The great thing about using it for applique, is that you don’t have to use stabilizers because other materials will bunch, but the felt has a great constitute, it’s  flat and it works as a great canvas for the drawings, [drawing with the sewing machine] and it doesn’t shrink or fade, when dried.

8. Why do you think using organic is so important?

I think it is important to use organic, and I want to make it accessible to all consumers, and this can be difficult with cost. When you buy into things that are organic or recyclable hopefully the whole world will change,and buy into organics more, and eventually make it more cost accessible to everyone. It is hard to be a company, and be environmentally sound and safe, but also to offer the product cheaper. Still, I feel like I am trying to support more of a sustainable company. I want to be environmentally responsible, but at the same time the cost aspect can be difficult. I try to use organics and recycled whenever I can, and do my best to be responsible.

9. You wrote on your blog that Burdy Fly away is a family business, can you tell us a little about how everyone pitches in and helps out with the work and creativity?

My sons, are  my inspirations. I definitely think if I didn’t have kids I wouldn’t have my take on what I put my kids in. I guess, I kinda wanna dress them how my husband and I dress,and in things I think are cool. Sometimes, I see things in the stores that are made that I don’t necessarily want to put my kids in, like things that may not seem appropriate, or all in blue because they are boys. I think that’s were my kids come in with the ideas. They are a lot of inspiration for the designs. Like the bubble design I came up with because of my kids because they are obsessed with bubbles. Other than that they contribute with sleep deprivation and pulling out my hair.

My husband will come home and sacrifice his own sleep to stay up and dye shirts with me. I’m not detail orientated, and my husband is an illustrator who will sit at home, and be really detailed, which is the opposite of me, I’m really big. We bounce ideas off each other, and he is great at clipping threads, clipping tags, he is great at craft shows. He sets everything up, and the craft shows are really hard work. I do a lot of the creating and production part. I keep telling him I’m going to teach him how to sew. I rope my mom into sewing tags into the backs for me. I’ll rope anybody in my family that will help me; my sister, she’s great with clipping threads. My husband is my screen-painter guy too. And he works full time away from home, and still he does a lot. And he doesn’t complain too much. We have definitely worked on our working relationship!

10. What is the most difficult part of being an at home mom, and being a designer? I mean, really you are a working mom, but you work from home, and thankfully you work for yourself, but can you divulge any difficulties you encounter? Also what advice do you have, for other mom’s, that may want to start their own crafty or clothing design business?

The worst part is feeling like you are letting everyone down. Feeling like you are not enough. Like if I have a big order, and I have to sit the kids in front of a movie, and work then I feel like a bad mom. It is where I think I am failing; as a mom, because I don’t spend enough time with the kids, because I can’t get my order done; I can’t get the line done. I have to find a balance and understand that I am not a bad mom. I have to be more understanding that I am not a bad mom if I can’t give them 100% at all times. Even though most of the time I do give them 100%. I have to give my husband so many props because he picks up a lot of slack. I think the hardest part is juggling, and not freaking out. I think it’s really hard, and it is important to have a support system of other moms. It is weird being a mom. It is hard being a stay at home mom, and really busy because I’m working, so I don’t see my friends a lot.

[Advice to other moms wanting to start a business...]

Finding other craft moms that are like minded is good, but it can be difficult. Do the local craft fairs the street fairs, see what people are thinking and what they are saying. A spouse is a good thing, but even if you are a single mom, and I know some single mom’s have a hard time with this, but I think you should just do it. I think a lot of it is doing it, and just finding that niche, and doing what you want to do. A lot of people have great ideas, but don’t follow through, but you only have just one life.

Thank you so much to Katie Raetz.

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The spring collection is out and we have a few new designs that would be perfect as a mother’s day gift for a new mother. The colors are daring and sophisticated with bold and unique designs that are pleasing to the eye and completely functional.

The Boxy Backpack is a great idea for a baby bag. There is a detachable strap so you can carry it as a messenger bag or as a hands free backpack.

Afternoon in Auckland

There are two large pockets for diaper wipes and organization, four pockets for carrying bottles, a pacifier pocket, and a key clip so you don’t have to dig around in your bag for your keys.

Relaxing in Rio

The lining is water resistant, which is great for little spills (it happens), and the glazed cotton coated canvas can be cleaned by wiping it with a damp cloth making it easy for mom. Plus, it has the lovely embroidered detail on the front that adds that special something to each and every bag.

Lively La Paz

The Boxy Backpack comes with a detachable built in changing pad which is perfect when your changing local is not so perfect.

We have also just started carrying the Sashay Satchel.

Deco Dandelion

This handy bag is made from certified organic cotton and can easily switch from a handbag into a backpack. There are four pockets for bottles, and an internal cell phone pocket along with organizational pockets, front magazine style pockets, and a zipper pouch.

Rambling Rose

Inside you will find a removable changing pad, a monogramed wipes case, and a key clip. The sashay bag is classy and so versitile that is can easily transform from a diaper bag into a day bag. In fact, you don’t have to have a baby to make use out of these bags, they have been created to last forever so mom can continue to use her bag even after her baby has headed off to college.

Tranquil Tulip

Another new addition to the Petunia Pickle Bottom collection is the Wistful Weekender.

Moonlit Moments

This traveling bag has side snaps that open and expand for more space. There are four interior pockets to hold baby bottles, your wallet, i-pod, cell phone and whatever else you need to carry. There is a key clip, the monogramed wipes case, and the removable changing pad. Like the Sashay Satchel the Wistful Weekender is made from certified organic cotton and can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth.

This a a great bag for baby, but like all of PPB’s bags you can fill it with all of your belongings for that weekend trip sans baby (it could happen).

Daisy Dewdrops

We are continue to carry many of Petunia’s earlier designs along with the Cake line and the Scout line.

Cake

Scout

Come into Presents of Mind or check out our selection on line to see which bag would be the perfect mother’s day gift.

Clutch

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We have several styles from which to choose for your baby’s sweet little legs.

Babylegs are not only great for keeping baby’s legs warm, but they are also wonderful for keeping their knees safe from scrapes and scratches as they practice crawling.

They are also very, very cute. We just know how babies (mommies) love to accessorize.

This special is one for one day only. Come into our store this Thursday March 31st and pick up a pair or check out our website’s selection.

Presents of Mind is open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

You can order on-line from our website till midnight PST.

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According to the book, Saint Patrick was born in Beligic, Gaul, well, at least that was one name listed. There seems to be some confusion, but it was either, Britain, Wales, Scotland, or France. Where ever it was it was roughly 387 A.D., when he was born, and around 403 he was kidnapped, shipped to Ireland, and sold into slavery. He said, it was through this suffering he came to know and love God. Years later, thanks to a vision, he escaped and made it back home where he became a priest. It was in his 30′s that he received a vision from a man named Victoricius. Victoricius gave Saint Patrick a parcel of letters, and on one of those letters was written, “The Voice of Ireland.” As he read those words he heard voices of the people in Mayo, Ireland call out to him (he was no where near Ireland when he heard the voices) “We entreat thee to come holy youth, and walk among us.” A few years later after further study he traveled to Ireland.

He spent the next 30 years traveling all through Ireland converting the Irish to Christianity (aka driving the snakes from the land). He died in the County of Down in the year 493 A.D., on March 17th. Don’t know if you looked over those dates of birth to death, but they are pretty far apart, there is debate and confusion here too. One researcher marked Saint Patrick’s age of death at 78 another at 120 years old!

The Irish have been observing the 17th of March as a religious holiday since; but what about the Saint Patrick’s day that many of us know, the green, the pinching, the leprechaun, and the Shamrock? Oh, and of course, the beer, the green beer.

Funny thing, you can pretty much say Saint Patrick’s day, as it is celebrated in the U.S., is well, a U.S. tradition. The very first parade is debated to be in Boston, and the date is also debated, it is set sometime around the late 1600′s, but since we are now out of the literary research, and back to the web, we’ve decided to put down the date of the first time the parade took place in New York city. It was 1762, a celebration march by Irish soldiers under British rule. This parade over the years has turned into the largest in the U.S. with over 160,000 participants. It wasn’t till the 1990′s that they started celebrating with parades in Ireland. Today, Dublin boasts a multi-day festival that hosts a million people to celebrate the Saint’s day. But what about the green?

In America it is all about everything Irish, even if it isn’t Irish. The wearing of the color green is to represent the Emerald Isle, but the Irish don’t wear green. In fact, green is an unlucky color representing the green flag flown over the country when it was not free. What color do the Irish wear? Blue. And the Shamrocks?

Those three leafed greens do date back to the time of Saint Patrick, and are thought to have been a symbol he used to explain the Trinity, but the use of the shamrock as a badge to be worn on the 17th, was started around the 1570′s. Three is a magic number and represents rebirth.

And the friendly rotund leprechaun dressed like a cobbler? He is known to be the Irish Fairy, and not friendly, grumpy in fact, with nothing better to do that garners more interest to himself than to build shoes and watch over that pot of gold. He has no connection to Saint Patrick’s day, but he is Irish, which means he has everything to do with Saint Patrick’s day here in the U.S.. If you catch that little guy don’t take your eyes off of him or you will loose him and that gold forever.

Lastly, but certainly not least-ly, what about the beer? The green beer. Funny you should ask, yet another U.S. tradition. In Ireland Saint Patrick’s had been a religious holiday, up until the 1970′s, the pubs in Ireland were mandated to be closed on the holy holiday. The dyeing of beer has no date, but probably fell in around the same time as Chicago started dyeing the Chicago river green, in 1962.

We have some fun books on the places to meet, greet, gather, and drink, and since this is Portland, we carry several books on the nuances and the art of beer.

Also, since this is Portland, and Portland is just as much a cocktail town as it is a beer town, we carry many books on making the best cocktails, green or any color. We have fun shooter glasses, and a Port -a-Pint that is just waiting for some green beer. Just put that guy in your pocket and hit the Saint Patrick parties in style. We also have funky ice trays that you can freeze green water into shapes like fossilized dinosaur bones, skull and cross bones, or space invaders.

We almost forgot the pinching! There is no recorded date of the first pinch for not wearing green. The entire tradition seems to have been designed by children with the need and the excuse to pinch their fellow classmates. Ouch. And Lame. Still you can’t fight tradition, and we want to protect you by showing you all our green (and blue if you want to be really Irish but you’ll probably get pinched even as you explain).

Hope you enjoyed our, thoroughly researched from the antique book’s, history lesson. It was fun to bring it to you along with all of our cool green wear, and jewelry.

Have a happy one from Presents of Mind.

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