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