This will make you happy!

As many of you now know from our Modish interview, Jeremy has joined me full time at Moop. This was a huge and exciting change for us - one we have been working towards for the last year and a half. It has been so rewarding to accomplish and has made my days so much more fulfilling. I LOVE working with Jeremy. Everyday is like an extended conversation that blends from one day to the next. Prior to Jeremy joining me we both worked long long days and were so exhausted by the end of the day we were lucky if we had an hours conversation before one of us fell asleep (ahem, me). I feel like we have entered a whole new stage in our personal and business relationship. And a HUGE added bonus - Jeremy can SEW! He's really good - better than I am, actually so, all your new Moop bags just got that much better - woo!

Through all of this, we have been working on filling out a few of the designs. Our newest addition to the shop is The Messenger in Provinical Blue corded canvas. We made this at the request of a customer and once we had finished it, I could hardly pack it up and mail it off - I wanted it for myself! It's so nice! So, we decided to add it to the line. You can find it HERE!!!

On top of all that, we are now offering The Messenger Bags with two strap options: Standard and Extended, simply choose from the drop down menu in our shop (this option is only available directly from our website - moopshop.com - not our Supermarket or Etsy shops).

Denver Broncos UK

I am so excited to have been recently introduced to Denver Broncos UK because they are impressive. They're playing a show at The Mattress Factory this Friday and Saturday. I will be there humming along because I have been listening to the CD a lot since Jeremy brought it home.

Thank you Modish!

The always lovely Jena from Modish interviewed Jeremy and I last week. It was just posted to her newly added Modish Biz Tips blog. If you're interested in reading about how we started, where we are now and our most recent BIG changes, read on!

The importance of place

The day we bought this house we gutted it. We took out all of the old carpet, removed the drop ceilings, took out a few walls...we stripped everything down to the basics. In doing this we have been able to open things up and really think about how we want to renovate. We know it will take some time to finish, but we want to do it right. It means, though, that we are living in a shell of a house for the next long while. And that's okay because one of the greatest things about this house is the screened in porch. In the beginning we thought, oh, we'll tear it down...it's covered in astro turf, painted wood paneling, constructed poorly and has a screen door that hits you in the ass on your way out. Having been here for a few weeks, we can't even imagine removing this room. It is where we begin and end every day. It has been our space to relax, to think, to bond. It has been the stress relief we needed. A space to just be. There is nothing filling it except a few folding lawn chairs, a crooked card table and us.

A weekend...at last!

One of the things we are hoping to accomplish with this move is the return of the weekend! For the last 3 years we have been working non-stop, 7 days a week, long hours every day. Now that I have Jeremy working with me full time, we get so much more accomplished in a day...I love working with him! While I don't think we are down to a 5 day Moop-work week, we might be down to a 6 day Moop-work week...and that, friends, makes me really happy :)


I am just finishing for today and going to help Jeremy install work for a show at The Mattress Factory. If you're in Pittsburgh next Friday, July 24th, come to the opening - we'll be there! They always promise (and deliver) fun.

Have a great weekend - however long it is!

Nothing says summer like Black and Tan

We just added The Letter Bag in black and tan to our shop/s. We love this combination more than you will ever know. We hope you love it, too!

Shop for them at moopshop.com
or any of our other online shops found on the side bar -------->

How I'll get in shape this summer

When we bought this house we knew that for a period of time there were a lot of things we were going to do without. For example, the house did not come with a stove or a refrigerator. So we took the mini fridge from the studio and put it in the house. It does not hold a lot but it keeps our milk, beer and butter cold. We bought a grill because it was summer...and who really needs a kitchen when you can grill out every night? It's fine. It really has not been too much of an inconvenience. We plan to completely overhaul the current kitchen so we've been putting off buying the needed appliances. We gutted the whole house...all but one bedroom (where all three of us sleep on two mattresses lying on the floor) and the bathroom. While it is rather dated with a bright blue toilet, sink, tub and tile (very 50's) it is clean. We were not going to rip it out and redo it right away. When you're living in the house you are renovating you have to do things in steps. Yesterday, however, near the front porch, we smelled gas...a lot of it. We called the gas company, they came, told us we had a leak in the gas line and shut off the gas. Now we have no hot water. :(

It turns out the gas line leading from the street into the house is the original gas line. The house is old...built in 1910. I'm not sure how old the gas lines are, but they are as old as they can be for a house built in 1910..and they're leaking. To make the repairs you have to dig a trench 2 feet deep from the street up to the house where the gas meter will sit. You can pay someone to do this. It's called excavating. Or, you can decide you want to have the arms of Paul Bunyon and do it yourself....so, this week we're going to start digging because I can do without a kitchen but, call me high maintenance, I have no patience for cold showers.

The new Moop storefront

Here it is - the new Moop storefront! The walls are light blue, though it is hard to tell from this photo. There are two rooms behind this one...they house cutting, fabric, shipping and the office space. Photos of all that coming soon.

As you can see from the paper and tape on the windows, we are still working on getting things set up.

Jeremy has worked so hard to make it what it is. A year ago, a pipe burst and water ran for 3 days. The floors were warped, the walls had holes and everything was painted tan with hanging pendant lamps. So, Jeremy took out the ruined floors, refinished the underlayment, replaced the plumbing, patched the holes and painted the walls. Next is to figure out lighting...along with signage, window displays, furniture, wall art, yada yada yada

There's a lot of work yet to be done, but I love being here!

Pittsburgh, 1 week later

I started sewing in the studio on Monday morning and it is definitely the best studio space I have worked in thus far. It's a pretty permanent space for us and I love that we can take our time making it the perfect home for Moop. It is significantly smaller than the warehouse we just moved from so we have to be much more efficient with space but it has meant the studio is a warm, inviting space perfect to spend my days in. It is a store front, so the whole front wall is windows giving tons of natural light. When the front and back doors are open the breeze drifts through and I feel like I'm working outside...the last space was windowless and had zero air flow so already I am leading a healthier lifestyle. I'll have photos soon. The last few days I have forgotten to bring my camera to work with me - I want to use a better camera than my iphone's camera so you can get a better sense of the place. I have it with me today and once we get the last of the boxes, carts and packing debris out of there, I'll photograph.

There are so many wonderful things about Pittsburgh. We have been so busy that we have had little opportunity to get into the city...but, there's plenty of time...we've only been here one week! I'm looking forward to letting things unfold slowly...really getting to know everything.

Parker has met the nicest group of girls, all the same age, all going to her school, all living in our neighborhood, all super sharp, smart, nice girls. It is so wonderful to see her happy...it's the happiest she has ever been. That alone makes this move the best decision we have made.

I really love this place!

Have a productive day!

xo
Wendy