Monday, March 29, 2010

Freehand Travel with the ‘In Touch Clutch’

in-touch-clutch

As much as I love the convenience and immediacy of email and blogs, I always mean to send more postcards and write more in my journal when I'm traveling.  We all know how wonderful it is to receive good mail, and creative ideas and observations tend to flow more organically when writing freehand.  That said, I always seem to forget where I stashed my postcards, or to be without stamps, or find that my journal is buried deep in my pack when inspiration hits on the road.  As my husband says, "I don't keep everything organized, but I do keep everything."

It was with this in mind that I stumbled upon the beautifully designed, highly functional, and lightweight (anyone who has crossed a continent with all of their belongings on their back knows how important lightweight is) In Touch Clutch(tm), the brainchild of Etsy artisan Jennifer Wilkins.

Made from durable linen, interfaced for added form, and accented with unique fabrics, the In Touch Clutch features two large pockets that can hold anything from passports to notebooks to pen sets (each Clutch has a pen channel in the center), as well as smaller pockets that are perfect for IDs, stamps, train tickets, and all manner of other travel accoutrement.

Wilkins, whose shop is called downstairs Designs, came up with the idea while trying to devise a way to stay in better touch with her family and friends, most of whom live in other states.  Recognizing that she'd make better use of her (brief pockets of) free time if her address book, cards, stamps, and pen were all in one place and mobile, she designed and produced her very first In Touch Clutch, and she's been a much better correspondent every since.

A practical designer who taught herself how to sew eight years ago, Wilkins quickly realized that the In Touch Clutch had innumerable handy uses.  She uses hers to carry passports, business cards, and sketchbooks while traveling to favorite destinations in Jamaica, the Netherlands, and Germany, not to mention frequent trips to Midwest craft shows.  When she's back at home base, Wilkins uses her clutch to organize seasonal and other day-to-day correspondence.

"Once the holidays are over, I switch out to a stack of birthday cards, thank you notes, and funny postcards, so that whenever I think of a reason to write someone I care about, I can."

Closed, the clutch is about 6 inches wide and 8 inches tall, and Wilkins welcomes custom orders, offering over 600 fabrics to choose from.  Pick up your own clutch before you hit the road, or give one as a gift to a globe-trotting friend.







Sent from James' iPhone

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