Q: To kick things off, lovely Laura, can you give us the rundown on who you are and what you do?

I’d like to start off by quickly saying “Thank you, Emily!” for featuring me in the very first installment of “Getting to Know You.” Your blog is so inspiring and filled with such pure, golden spiritual guidance. I’m so honored to be here!

Me in one sentence: I am a Mid-western girl living in New England dreaming of the Pacific Northwest.

I design and construct durable, sustainable, vegan bags of many different styles—everything from clutches to large weekenders—in my home studio in Medford, MA. My little enterprise, Pansy Maiden, is named after my paternal grandmother.

Q: As a handbag fiend, your Pansy Maiden bags make my heart skip a beat. Can you tell us about your fabulous handbags and how they came to be?

Thank you, Emily!

I’ve always been very picky about bags. I need something rugged but stylish, like me I am not someone who treats my bags with kid gloves, gingerly placing them on counter tops and worrying about them getting dirty. I throw bags around, I stuff them, I fold them, I dirty them up, I abuse them… up until a few years ago I used to search for bags to carry around and was never really satisfied. It got to the point where I threw my hands up, said “screw it”, and decided to teach myself to sew my own bags. I started out by buying embroidered denim shirts from various Goodwill stores in my area and fashioning bags out of them. I enjoyed the feeling of creating something practical and functional as well as the satisfaction that comes from giving new life to something that had been thrown out. Friendly strangers would randomly stop me to comment on my bag. This was encouraging so I began making bags for friends who then offered encouraging feedback. It was around this time that I discovered Etsy. I was inspired by the creative community Etsy was building, and I wanted to be apart of that great spirit. My bags seemed to fulfill a need so I opened a shop and haven’t looked back.

Q: On the Hello!Self blog, we love to shine light on the people, places, and products that make us giddy and grin from ear to ear – what we call the Good Life Goods. What are some of your Good Life Goods today?

Ooh, how fun! Just recently I read that Alicia Silverstone has written a book about being a Vegan called, “The Kind Diet.” I have been a vegetarian for nine years this coming February but have recently been playing with the idea of becoming a Vegan. I’m excited to read Alicia’s book in order to learn a little more about the Vegan lifestyle. Maybe I can be convinced to take the plunge. I don’t think it would be that far off from how I am already living. It would just mean giving up cheese, ice cream and eggs…gulp…

I’d love to help spread the good word about Kiva, an organization whose mission is to “to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. ” So, the short story of how this works is you go on Kiva’s website (www.kiva.org) where there are pictures and profiles of entrepreneurs in developing countries who are seeking a loan to start a business that will ultimately help their community. You pick which business you’d like to support with a microloan (loans can be as small as $25 and you can even pay via Paypal). You’ll get reports on how your money is being spent and how the business is progressing. Once your money is paid back, you can put it right back into the system and support another business. I am currently lending to a woman in the Philippines who manages a one-hectare rice field and a sari-sari store and is saving money for her child’s education. Kiva is so easy and gratifying, I highly recommend it!

Oh, I’d also like to mention some auditory goodness while I’m writing about “things that make me giddy.” I’ll just rattle off a list. Podcasts: This American Life, Things Your Mom Never Told You, All Songs Considered, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Tapestry of the Times, Rachel Maddow, Mysterious Universe. Music: Monsters of Folk, Laura Gibson, Lykke Li, M. Ward, My Morning Jacket, Jenny Lewis, The Gossip, Santogold,  MIA, Wanda Jackson, Those Darlins…I could go on and on so I better stop here. These aforementioned auditory pleasures are what get me through all night sewing sessions in my studio, sometimes to my upstairs neighbors chagrin.

Q: You are one creative lady. Can you share a bit about your creative process? And do you do anything in particular that helps or allows your creativity to flow?

My creative process involves a lot of waiting. I sort of store up ideas and put them on hold until they jump out onto paper. I can’t put a lot of pressure on myself to come up with a new design because it won’t happen if I do. I’d just stare blankly at a piece of paper and become stressed out and anxious (believe me, I’ve tried this method and it’s no good). I just keep an open mind. Maybe one day I’m walking behind a woman eyeing her purse and thinking, “Hmm…I really like this about her bag…” I’ll store that away. And then perhaps another time, I’ll see the latest Anthropologie catalogue and see some small detail of a dress I really like and store that away. Somehow, maybe these two things I stored away will become a new design. The best designs are ones that just write themselves using the things I’ve stored away in my head. The six designs I work with now are examples of this. And even those designs are continually changing. I’m always thinking of ways to make my current designs even better.

Q: What inspires you?

People who have decided to take life by the reins and guide themselves rather than let themselves be guided.

Q: Why have you made the choice and commitment to creating vegan, sustainable, and organic products?

I wrap myself into every single aspect of Pansy Maiden so I want my bags to be a reflection of my personal values. Social responsibility is huge with me. I believe that all things connect—the way we treat animals, the way we treat our Earth, the way we treat each other—it all connects. And if we are considerate and make efforts to treat animals, the Earth, and each other with the upmost respect, our world will be healthier and an all-around better place to live. I really believe that. Which is why I do not use leather, wool, silk, or materials that are tested on animals. The mill where my fabric is made is Fair Trade certified and the dyes used are plant-based, non-sulfur dyes (no harmful chemical run-off). The fabric detergent and softener I use is plant-based and ecofriendly. My organic fabric, made at the same mill as my conventional fabric, is GOTS and SLA certified.

In business and in life, attempting to live a sustainable, socially responsible existence has not been the easiest, most familiar path for me but it’s the path I’ve decided to follow. I still have many discoveries to make while walking this path and I’ve love to continue to share these discoveries with my customers through Pansy Maiden. I have found that sometimes someone buys one of my bags and it’s the first step for them on this path of supporting sustainable businesses and other times, a customer will teach me something about being socially responsible—both are equally as satisfying.

Q: Now it’s time for the lightning round.  Quick- What’s your favorite:

Food? Indian. Vegetarian Korma and Mutter Paneer specifically. Indian food is so decadent and amazing. I adore the mix of Sweet and Spicy.

Name for a pet? Clementine. She’s our beautiful, three year-old golden retriever. My husband and I love her so much it’s ridiculous. We are so obviously nesting.

Fabric pattern? I still really liked the green faux bois pattern Joel Dewberry released last year. I have a few yards of it but I cannot, at this time, attest to its sustainability so I won’t use it. Once I have the time to contact the proper authorities, you just might see Pansy Maiden using more patterned fabric. For now, I’ll stick with my solid, sustainability-tested twills and denims.

Item in your handbag at this moment? Burt Bees Radiance Lip Shimmer lip balm. I’m ready for another New England winter! I like that it’s all-natural and makes my lips shimmer. It makes me feel just a little bit glamorous, even on my most “blah” day.

Pansy Maiden bag style? You ask me to choose my favorite child!? Haha. Rather then choose my favorite (impossible!), I’ll point out my newest design which is the “Hands in my Pockets” Clutch. I really like this clutch because it’s so versatile—it can be carried four different ways!

Quote? Can I list two?

“The end is nothing. The road is all.”–Willa Cather

Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread within it.  Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.  All things are bound together.  All things connect.  ~Chief Seattle

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 8:47 am and is filed under Lovelies Living the Inspired Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.