Given the name of this blog, and my own penchant for accessories, on occasion I may (ok, will) post on a really great product that you might find in a mudroom. As most everyone who knows me will tell you, I am a huge collector of bags — it really doesn’t matter what label or material, great design is what hooks me. So when I was rushing to my car last week, already late to pick up my boys, I had to stop when a bag in the window of Mint Julep (one of my favorite dress shops in Cambridge) caught my eye. I ran in, grabbed it out of the display and after assessing its key qualities — super-lightweight, huge capacity for stuff, great pattern, reasonably priced — bought it on the spot. As I was being rung up, I looked at the label and thought, Jane Marvel? Who is this marvelous Jane Marvel?
The next day, in the next town over, in another store completely, I was running a few errands when I came across Miss Marvel’s line again — clearly the universe was speaking to me and I just had to share.
So if you’re in need of a new bag, or even if you’re not, check ’em out. The Vegan bags — laminated canvas and non-leather trim/handles — are lightweight, virtually waterproof, ridiculously easy-to-clean and come in a huge range of styles and patterns (I picked up the All Day Long in Plaid Flowers).
Jane Marvel All Day Long Tote in White with Red. Check here for store and web locations.
Image credit: eBags.com
I really wish we had a mudroom, but since we don’t, we relegate our shoes, coats, and the seven-or-so bags that arrive home with our little family every evening to a 30-inch “mudspace” right inside the entrance of our home. To help define the space and give our two kiddos a little more room to walk in, stretch out and take off their shoes, we purchased Pottery Barn’s Diamond Outdoor Rug made out of polypropolene (yes, it’s plastic!). This hip, neutral rug is supersoft underfoot and fit perfectly with our décor, our budget, and the total lack of time we have to devote to cleaning – it can be hosed down outside and still look fabulous.
The Mudroom 