Monday Interview- Meet Vicki Davidson with Urban Harmonie

Hi Ladies, Sorry this got up late today. We were traveling back from visiting my family for a few days and just got the kids to bed so I could blog :-) Check out Vicki and her awesome products!

A little about myself and what I do..

I'm an artist by heredity. I enjoy working in different mediums but I really like (and am inspired by) imagining , designing and sewing bags. I get excited when looking at and feeling fabrics. Vintage and modern fabrics, leather, cotton, silk. I love textures and prints.

I live in one of the most beautiful places, the west coast of Canada where the mountains and ocean live as one. Each time I travel and come home, I am amazed by its beauty. I live in a town about an hour drive east of Vancouver, B.C. It's nestled in the Fraser Valley along with a number of other surrounding communities.

I have a part-time job outside of the home but spend more time at home with my children than I do at my 'day-job'. It's important for me to spend this time with my children when they are young...it lasts for such a short time.

I have two lovely girls aged, 4 and 2. A wonderfully loving, supportive husband and two dogs and a cat!

My shop is www.urbanharmonie.etsy.com. I sell handmade bags from clutches and wristlets to diaper bags and totes to reusable lunch bags. I love vintage fabrics and brooches, you can see a little of these things in my shop. I am inspired by eras of fashion. Each bag I make is a reflection of myself, if I didn't sell these bags my closet would be overwhelmed by them!

With such a full life, it's a luxury to find time to create and make these bags. I really plan my days. Certainly during nap times is ideal for working, but also in the mornings after breakfast when the kids are playing. I do a lot of stop/start during this time but any little bit helps. In the evenings, I spend time with my husband but also manage to do work for a couple of hours after the girls have gone to bed. It's not every night I work (I do enjoy watching a movie now and then), but during crunch times I work from morning til night. When it's something you enjoy and feel great satisfaction from then a little sacrifice is worth it!

Some of my favorite things.... Movies play a large role in evening entertainment, but I have to compromise with my husband and also watch movies he enjoys. I really enjoy live theatre (which is a treat) and dance. My favorite colour has always been green and any varying shade of green. I am really adventurous when it comes to food and will try anything (except pickled pigs feet). Some of my co-workers are South Asian and make the most woderful Indian food...oh my goodness.

Reading is one of my favorite past times and I usually get a chance during the day to get in a chapter. I read every night to my children and love the rhyming books. Dr Suess is great writer with wacky illustrations.

I like to sneak in a break for myself in the afternoon, around 3. I sit and have a cup of coffee, reflecting on my day and what I need to do or accomplish or sneak in a little reading (be it newspaper or novel).

My most favorite cartoon character has always been Bugs Bunny. I remember as a child I made a yarn portrait of Bugs Bunny and have kept it ever since! He's such a smarty pants!

At times selling your handmade crafts and such can be a bit discouraging, but you have to keep moving forward inorder to improve and become a better crafter. It takes time to get the hang of selling on-line and Etsy, but can be rewarding when someone takes notice of your creations. You have to take the highs with the lows no matter how far the distance because somewhere in the middle they meet!