After an exciting trip in Argentina and brief stops in New York and DC, I am spending the summer with family and friends in Minnesota.  Although it is a far cry from the Hamptons, Minnesota is my favorite place to be during summer months.

Fresh herbs on the terrace

There are great antique and vintage stores as well as estate sales (and you can’t even believe the prices!), the locavore food scene is even more impressive than in New York (the best farmer’s markets and one of my favorite all time restaurants, Heartland), there is an amazing music scene (Bob Dylan and Prince hail from Minnesota as well as new favorites The Hold Steady and Free Energy) and last but not least, there are beautiful, clean lakes everywhere!  Although after my scarring experience last Memorial Day, I may hold off on tubing this summer…

I bought this retro chair at an estate sale for $1!

Needless to say, I am going to have no trouble filling my time while not working and Skyping with Emily.  But one of my main goals for this summer is to sew all of the dust bags for our products this fall.  Not only will these cloth bags protect each item and eliminate the need to use plastic bags for shipping, but they’re also reusable.  I always use dust bags for separating my undergarments when packing for a trip – it makes them much easier to find!

Material cut and ready to be sewn into dust bags

Luckily, since I left my sewing machine in New York, my mom’s friend, Polly, was nice enough to loan me one of hers. It is a beautiful old Singer that she’s had since 8th grade.  Not only does it work great, it also looks great sitting on top of my new retro chair and formica table that I found at an estate sale.

My Minnesota sewing station

The only problem is that the weather has been so nice, I am finding it hard to stay indoors and do work.  Maybe I will have to move my work station out to the terrace…