TODAY IS SUSAN'S BIRTHDAY!

And, she asks herself some questions . . . . . .

Why did I cut my own bangs?
Whats up with the Priscilla Presley eyebrows?
How much Aqua Net did it take to mold that hair dome and flips?

THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT . . . . . EVERYWHERE!

Here's what Susan made on Sunday!
2 Mother Load Bags - lively black plaid accented by cute pigs - plus
matching coffee cuff, business card holder, kleenex holder, and notepad holder. All but the kleenex holder have been listed on Etsy.
Search under Piggies and Plaid in our shop, bagitdesings.etsy.com. My camera battery was low, so will recharge it and get the tissue holder listed tomorrow.

We'll have about 6 of each accessory item in our inventory. I've used all of this fabric, so once these sell, that's it!

TAKING OUR SHOW ON THE ROAD

This photo is from last September at the Little Falls, Minnesota Arts and Crafts Show.

The usual set up is for a 10 x 10 foot space. We use a pop up canopy tent. We connect sections of grid wall to form the sides and back of the booth with a system of velcro straps and cable ties to secure the sections. We have zip on panels for the sides, back and front which we can drop down for protection from the elements, but nothing about the tent is waterproof. We have some tarps that can go over the top and drop down to cover the sides and we have some awnings. And we pray for no rain.

We love our Little Falls location (right in front of Curves which we find hilarious) because we have not had anyone occupy the space right next to us. That allows us to hang bags on the outside wall giving us lots more display room.

We have lots of hanging racks and baskets and each time we set up it turns out a little different from the time before.

The set up and tear down are hard physical work. We have to unload from the back of the truck and carry everything to the designated booth space. Sometimes we are able to park very near to our booth, but other times we use a hand truck to haul things in.

Last year we did the Cranberry Festival in Wisconsin. We got into town after dark and decided to drive in just to see where we'd be and what the parking was like. The set up was to be the following day. We were quite surprised to see many, many tents already set up. We got a parking spot on the street and walked, carrying our flashlight, across the school yard and found our booth space. We knew we'd have to use the hand truck the next day, and decided to come earlier than we'd planned. As we were getting into the truck to head for our motel, another vendor expressed surprise that we were leaving and suggested that we should take advantage of the parking place we had and warned that by the next day we might have to wait in line for a parking space or walk even further to cart things in. So, we did our set up in the dark with the light of one flashlight. There were a few others doing the same thing when we started, but pretty soon, we were the only folks left. The streets were blocked off and only vendors could get in and the police and volunteers provided security.

After we'd been working for awhile I noticed a church about a block away with a huge neon cross at the top of the traditional tall pointed steeple. I said to Georgia, "This could be a country western song (then singing) I set up my booth 'neath the light of the neon cross."

It was a funny night - me holding the flashlight under my arm, and then forgetting I actually had it when Georgia would ask me a question and I would turn and flash her in the face interrogation style. We won't be back at the Cranberry Festival this year. It's a fun show, but it opens at 6:00 a.m. every morning, and that is just WRONG! We were exhausted.

The weather is a huge factor for vendors at outdoor shows. Georgia and Nancy did two shows this summer in California where it was over 100 degrees. That gets dangerous. We've agreed to forfeit our entry fee if the forecast predicts temperatures over 90 degrees.

So, for those of you who wonder what it's like to do Arts and Crafts Shows - it's hard physical work with lots of unpredictable variables. We have a lot of laughs, however, and we enjoy meeting and talking with our customers.

The Small Bagette - Our Best Selling Bag

This little bag, 4 1/2" square, is our best selling product. We make it in hundreds of different fabrics and it makes a great little gift with a huge impact when it's the perfect thing for a gal that's "into" something. It's a great size for a coin purse or cosmetics. Some customers use it for their cell phones or cameras (please measure). Others use it for their stack of credit cards. We've had customers buy them as the holder for a gift card - two gifts in one.

You can see some of the fabric choices at our Etsy shop: www.bagitdesigns.etsy.com and use the search word "small bagette" in the search box. We have many more available in our booth at craft shows. Please convo us through Etsy if you are looking for a special theme or color and we can tell you if we have it.

The medium bagette is a larger version and you can search for that as well.

We're very busy now finishing up our sewing for the upcoming craft shows. We will be sewing
between shows as well to meet the demand.

Have a great weekend. For our Minnesota customers - get to the State Fair and eat something on a stick!

Susan
Bag-It Designs

OUR BEST SELLING BAG IN OUR BEST SELLING FABRIC!

We love our Bitch fabric, and judging by the amount we sell, so do our customers. Whether a noun or a verb, all gals seem to relate! You either are one or you know how to do it! We tell our customers that BITCH stands for Babe In Total Control of Herself, and what's wrong with that?

We have lots of this fabric and we've used it in all of our products. We love it when gal groups on a shopping get away come into our booth, spot a bitch item, and we hear the cry, "Hey, look at this, isn't it just perfect for . . . . .?" (fill in a name here, doesn't matter, it's always the gal who didn't get to come along on the trip). We've sold quite a few items for moms to give to their teenage daughters!

Please visit our Etsy shop at www.bagitdesigns.etsy.com and once in the shop type in the keyword "Bitch" in the search box and you'll see what's available. Keep in mind, not everything we have is on Etsy, so if you want to order something just send us a convo and we'll be happy to arrange a special order. We know we'll get the question, so just to save time, NO, we do not sell the Bitch fabric (or any other of our stash) by the yard. We sell only finished products.

Check out our family photo - Blast From The Past

It's been a while since we've had a family photo! But, there we are, Georgia, Nancy and Susan and our brother , Dave. We don't discuss who's oldest or when this picture was taken - guarded family secret - but let's say, "it wasn't yesterday." We are vintage.



Dave is quite creative and you can see his beautiful creations at:
www.bigwoodycampers.com
If you love all things vintage, you'll be amazed at Dave's recreation of the teardrop campers from the forties.

Responding to "We need to start a blog . . . ."

We finally reached the "start a blog" item on our list of things "to do" in a long list of things we're doing to promote our business, Bag-It Designs. In addition to showcasing some of our new creations, we'll be sharing information about fabric, fabric shops, and other things we love. We'll share highlights and photos from our craft show travels.

The "we" in Bag-It Designs are three sisters, Georgia, Nancy and Susan. We have three studios, two in northern California and one in southern Minnesota, where we create over 20 different products from hundreds of different fabrics. Our products are handbags, purses, totes and accessories from novelty prints and designer fabrics. We use our original designs and carefully choose coordinating linings to create bags that are fun, functional, and unique.

Georgia made her first bag as a direct response to finding exactly what she wanted in a purse. She knew the features that were important to her: pockets, key holder, just right size, pretty fabric - and experimented with designs until she got it right. Friends saw her bag and it wasn't long until she was "in the business."

Nancy, who lives in close proximity, joined Georgia making totes, accessories and hitting the road for many craft shows in California and Nevada.

Susan, who lives in Minnesota, came on board as a result of a visit with Georgia where she noticed the large pile of scrap fabric that Georgia was intending to donate to a local quilting group. (Once a tote bag is cut, there are good-sized pieces left over, but not large enough for another bag.) Susan asked to have some of the scraps and asked for a delay on the donation while she figured out what do do with the scraps. She had lots of ideas! (Georgia would say, "That's when all hell broke loose!") We now have over 20 products.

In March, 2009, we joined Etsy. Etsy is an online marketing site where only handcrafted items are sold. We've found it to be a great way to have an on-line presence. It's reasonably priced, easy to set up, easy to maintain, and we're having a lot of fun as part of the Etsy community. You can view our shop at www.bagitdesigns.etsy.com and we encourage you to check back often as we are always adding new items.

We start our midwest craft show tour on September 2 at the Calico Barn in Osseo, Minnesota. This is a large boutique with many vendors and is a great place to shop for seasonal gifts and decorating items. Susan is flying out to California on September 4 to join Georgia for the 3-plus days road trip back to Minnesota (in a fully loaded pick up truck) for our show in Little Falls, Minnesota on Septermber 12 and 13. We will blog from the road and keep you updated on our travels. We hit a lot of quilt shops and fabric stores along the way and we'll share our great finds. We sometimes listen to audio books and if we find some good ones, we'll report on them. We sometimes find great restaurants (most times not . . . .) and we'll let you know about those as well.

Check our Etsy shop for our complete show schedule.
www.bagitdesigns.etsy.com