Rejection by 1000Markets

I recieved this email today:

Dear Artsi Bitsi,  

Thank you so much for taking the time to submit your shop for approval. Our selection team really enjoyed reviewing your shop. Even though you meet the minimum mandatory qualifications, we have unfortunately decided to decline your application.  

It is never easy for us to turn down an artisan merchant. We know how hard you work at your craft and we appreciate the time you invested in preparing your shop for approval. While we personally review every shop, we cannot offer individualized feedback. In general, we look for a mix of products and an overall aesthetic that complements our brand and reflects the subjective vision for our site.  

We do hope you understand that our decision is in no way a reflection of your abilities, motivation, or capacity as a businessperson or artist. We wish you every personal and professional success in the future.  

Sincerely,  

Lisa

While it certainly is a relief to know that I "met the minimum manditory requirements" and that I was not rejected on the basis of my "abilities, motivation or capacity as a businessperson", I remain perplexed as to the reason that I was, in fact, still rejected.  I also don't understand how they plan to make money if they are rejecting people who want to pay for the privilege of selling products on their site.  

I'm not upset.  I'm just curious.  If anyone has any insights, please let me know.

Bits is Back!

Wow.  December was a crazy month.  First, things got very frantic with my "day job" at Ohio State, trying to wrap up the quarter.  There was a ton of papers and exams to score and final grades to calculate.  I also had custom orders and shows to sew for.  Then, hubby and I went on the Big Safari to Africa, which meant dropping off the grid entirely for two weeks.  Our heads got empty and then got filled up again with all of the interesting sites and experiences that Africa has to offer.  

Finally, there was that little issue of Christmas with the presents, and that craziness of all family gatherings that feature wine, hyped up kids and too many cookies.  

Now it is quiet.  I am just starting to get ahead of the massive amounts of laundry and clutter that accumulated while I was off doing other things.  And I am getting back to my sewing.

Yesterday, I spent the entire day on Artsibitsi business.   I made six new Monster Minis, which was fun.  I had forgotten how much I like sewing those little faces.

And I also started two new online shops at Artfire and 1000Markets. Both sites appear to be trying to compete with Etsy, which is fine with me.  I am all about free markets, but it might be kind of late in the game. Like Etsy, they are offering free stores.  Artfire is also offering no fees on all sales.  I'm not sure what their business model is, or how they expect to make any money.

At this point, both sites seem to be encouraging community building, featuring blogs for the artists, right on their store page.  But both are also in trial mode so I expect bugs and new features to appear regularly.  Artfire seems to be the more aggressive of the two, claiming to be able to respond to market needs (for features like Google Analytics) within hours.  On the other hand, I started my store on 1000Markets last night and it still has not been "approved", whatever that means.  

Anyway, any new distribution channel is worth exploring to see if there is any value in them. Especially since the cost is basically just my time.  Check my stores and let me know what you think.  http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=16106  and artsibitsi.1000markets.com/

What's the magic number?

A couple weeks ago, I wrote that I thought that I had cracked the code
on Etsy listings when I started listing my Monster Bags under Geekery
instead of Purses. That strategy is still working decently. I've had
more online sales in the past month than I had in the previous three
months. That's going well -- knock on wood -- and makes me more
committed to online sales channel.

But I've noticed something else that is perplexing. As a part of my
quest for enlightenment, I've been reading Etsy's Storque articles for
ideas on how to do a better job with my online store. JJM Finance has
written several (probably self-serving) articles about using hearts
and views to project sales
(http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/the-numbers-game-ratios-and-your-shops-popularity-2146/)

So, I've been checking my hearts and views pretty often, using this
Heart-o-matic tool:
http://www.craftcult.com/heartsitems.php?userid=artsibitsi&submit=Submit.
JJM Finance says that I should be looking at the ratio of hearts to
views. There's a golden proportion that will let me know when I'm
about to have a sale. For example, he says that for his shop, "my
heart-to-sale ratio has consistently been around 3".

After spending a good 45 minutes pulling down data and wrestling with
it in a spreadsheet, I have this. 

Over the last five months, my
hearts-to-sale ratio has averaged about 4.65. The low point was in
September where I had 20 hearts and only one sale. But that was
rapidly followed by a few weeks where my ratio was really good, like 2
hearts per sale. And now for the last month or so, it's been closer
to 4 or 5 hearts per sale.

:-)

A year in monsters

The Way of the Monster.

This is HUGE

EtsyTeamColumbus is giving away $100 in gift certificates to member stores.  Check it out: http://etsyteamcolumbus.blogspot.com/2008/11/win-over-100-november-fall-giveaway.html

Buy Handmade and Help Women Entrepreneurs in Africa and Central America

I'm a world traveler.  Seriously.  I've visited more than 160 cities in 17 countries, including Peru, Guatamala, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Greece and Tanzania.  Sometimes I think that the only reason to work is to make money, so that I can go see another part of the world (got a trip to Tanzania and Amsterdam lined up for next month).

Anyway.  One of the most affecting experiences, and the biggest takeaway of my travels has to be seeing the different ways that people live in other parts of the world.  For a lot of people, $4 is a days wages.  For me, it's a good cup of coffee.  It's hard not to feel a huge burden of guilt about that. But what can one person do about it?  
Well, here is what I am doing.  It's small, I admit.  But what the heck, I'm sort of a small person.  
First, whenever I travel, I look for the artists.  There are always hundreds of people selling mass-produced crap.  I try to find people who are making nice things of their own design.  

This photograph was taken in a very small village on the Amazon River in Peru, called Las Palmas.  This is their market where the women (it's almost always women) sell their handcrafts.  I spent about $18 here and got a painting, an etched gourd, a macrame-type water bottle carrier, and a wood carving of a mama monkey with a baby on it's back.  It's so moving.  Here are these people,

 most of them living practically a stone-age existence in primitive huts, doing these incredibly evocative paintings and carvings of their world.  Art is what makes us human.  Gotta support that.

The other thing, that I just started doing, is making small business

 loans to women in the countries that I've visited.  Because women often get stuck trying to keep their families afloat.  And because economic autonomy is a stepping stone to social and political power.  So far, just  using the money that I have in my Paypal account from Etsy sales, I have made SEVEN loans.  

You can see my Kiva lending portfolio here: http://www.kiva.org/lender/artsibitsi

And here is the story of one woman that I made a loan to today:

Mrs. María Rosaria is 54 years old, belongs to the Communal Bank Mujeres del Mañana and the Comedor Popular (an eatery for low-income families) in her area.  She lives on the street Manuel Gonzalez Prada s / n, district of Agallpampa, province of Otuzco, department of La Libertad, Peru.

She studied until the third grade because that was the custom in the towns; it was believed that women should not be educated because they would write letters to the men to fall in love, she says.

She is a single mother and has a son who is already married. She started her business breeding and selling animals, and had capital but unfortunately fell ill for nearly a year and started again from scratch, she says. She accumulated capital and it was the Movimiento Manuela Ramos, through Credimujer, that supported and helped as much with their education as with their loans.

She currently has a wine cellar in her house. With the first loan of 300 soles, which was paid back in 4 months she bought items for her grocery store. With this loan of 1,200 soles (US $400), which will be repaid in 6 months, she plans to invest in groceries. Maria dreams of having a nice house to fix up to accommodate her son with his family.

Creature Featured

A variety of vessels: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=18683

:-)

Five-Ps of Marketing Decoded?

ArtsiBitsi has had a good week.  Well, a good three days.  Now, it might be premature (or bad luck) to celebrate, but I really feel like I learned something important about the craft's business this week. 

So, to recap, there were five Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Position (Placement), Promotion and Package.  A few weeks ago I looked at these different aspects of my business and felt distinctly discouraged.  I didn't understand why my customer would buy handbags or any creative product online.  Since then I've pursued some different strategies and tracked the results.

Here's where I am now:

Promotion and Package -  I haven't done very much in these areas yet.  On the promotions front, I have been blog posting and such, but I don't think that it's having much effect.  I looked at buying a spot on an Etsy showcase, but other sellers report that it's not an effective use of advertising dollars.

Product - It's all about the Monster.  Buyers have so many choices; these bags are the one thing that I can make that is really distinctive and original.  

Price - The formula says that I should charge $40 for a MONSTER BACKPACK, considering the time and materials that go into making one.  Unfortunately, forty dollars is a lot to spend on something that is not going to be an everyday item.    The new MONSTER MINIS are substantially cheaper at $13.

Position - Here's where I have made the most interesting discoveries.  First, in the real world I have spent a lot of time with the folks at the Open Door Art Studio.  Not only do I find it very easy to talk to Courtney, Ashley and Jon about business and art concerns, they give me a physical presence  in a real space.  This is, I think, very important.  As I've said before, people who buy art need to see it, feel it, smell it before they can buy it.  The ODAS people are also taking my bags to shows, which will give them even more exposure in the real world.  

Second, I have been experimenting with my listing categories on Etsy.  I listed two MONSTER MINIS.  For one, I put it in the Purses category;  the other one I listed under Geekery.  And something amazing happened.  The mini-bags started to SELL.  I've sold one a day for three straight days.   My theory is that geeks are more comfortable buying online.  We'll see if the trend continues and whether a similar re-positioning helps the other items in my store.

Watch this space.

A Product for a Different Price Point

So, the last time I was at the Open Door Art Studio, Ashley told me that they seem to sell more items that are small and lower priced.  Seems like the price of my Monster Bags continues to be an obstacle.  Courtney reassures me that $40 is a reasonable price, but she also says that most of their customers don't want to pay it.
Okay, okay.  I get it.  I need another product that hits a lower price point.  

Introducing MONSTER MINIS. Basically this is a scaled down, Mini Monster bag for just the few items that you absolutely, positively need. 

These little pouches are 3.5" x 5.5" -- just a little bit bigger than your standard phone or coin purse. You can even put a digital camera or PDA in them. Or if you prefer, you could hide a couple (ahem) "sanitary" or other personal items.

There's a skinny pocket on the back for your business cards or ID. But keep it minimal. These mini-purses are strictly for folks who like to travel light and move fast.  

I designed and constructed four of these over the weekend. The assembly line worked a little better and I averaged one hour each. Since the labor and materials are a fraction of the regular bags, I can price them lower. I listed these at $13 each. I have a few corrections to make on the design, but I will probably keep them under $15.  That seems to be the price that others are asking for similar wristlets/pouches.

The good news is that Courtney and Jon both seemed very excited about this design and the price, and want me to make lots for the store and the upcoming shows.

I'm not a normal person

So my husband and I went out for dinner last night. And when we
walked into the lobby of the restaurant, I saw a woman sitting on a
bench with the most AMAZING DIAPER BAG that I have ever seen. It was
a beautiful Asian-influenced red brocade. I could not help myself. I
trotted over for a closer look.

"Thats the most beautiful diaper bag that I have ever seen", I said to
the woman.

"Isn't it great?" she agreed. "And look, it converts into a backpack, too!"

"Awesome." I said. We admired the bag for a few moments. "Well,
thanks so much for letting me see it."

"Sure!" she said.

And I happily rejoined my husband. As we were walking to our table,
he remarked, "You know, a normal person might have noticed that she
had a baby before gushing and drooling over her bag."

She had a baby? Oh, that explains so much.

:-)

Monster Factory

Well, I learned a lot about art and manufacturing this week.  First and foremost, there are NO economies of scale in the art business.  Making eight Monster Bags all at once takes exactly the same amount of time as making them one at a time in series.

Here are the steps --

1) Select and cut the fabric.  Fleece for the skin and cotton or satin for the lining.  I need one piece for the body (inside and out), a block for the legs and arms, and two very long pieces for the straps.  I really love these bright colors for the skins.  And I get to use some crazy zebra and batik prints that I've been saving up, for the linings.

2) Sew together the straps.  Try not to fall asleep whilst zigzaging 72" long seams.  Reload the bobbin a lot.

3) Feet and arms.  This is slightly more entertaining than the straps since the final product actually resembles something like what its going to be.  This time, I stuff the little legs and arms with some cotton to make them squishier.  Fun.

4) Design and applique the faces.  Because the fleece is so bright, I've decided to put an extra layer of black around the eyes.  I've also experimented with the stitch and people seem to like the zigzag better than the satin.  Lots more bobbins to fill.  This step takes me all weekend to finish.  But just look at those cute faces!

5) Sew up the bodies of the bags.  Gotta make sure that all the arms and legs get completely sewn in place, all the curves lay flat, and all the corners are square. Pin, press, stitch, turn, press. Pin, press, stitch, turn, press. Pin, press, stitch, press again.   Good thing that the sewing machine and the ironing table are so close together.

6) Labels and hardware.  Each bag gets an ArtsiBitsi label.  Monster bags get a set of grommets for the backpack straps.

7) Thread the straps and tie.  I made myself a flexible threading tool for this step and it still takes time and patience.

8) Naming.  Each Monster whispers her name to me and I write it down, along with her story.  It's a very moving ceremony.

9) Graduation.  Yesterday all my little Monsters left home and went to live with Courtney, Ashley and Jonathan at the Open Door Art Studio.  It was a little sad for me, but they looked excited and full of the spirit of adventure.

Birth of a Monster

Would it be interesting to see the process of the creation of a Monster? It might surprise you to learn that it does not involve a dark tower, or stolen body parts nor even a serendipitous thunderstorm.

Here are some photographs of my studio after yesterday's cut-a-thon.   

This is my work table where all the pinning and cutting happens.   It features a most excellent, stainless steel table with an adustable height shelf underneath for my supplies.  It fits a nook between two closets, with set of big windows that look out across the woods. My kitties like to lay on the fleece (back left corner of the shelf) and watch the birds come to the feeder.  The feeder is only a few inches from the window, so both the kitties and I get a good look at the woodpeckers and nuthatches and tufted titmouses.

The other important station in my studio is the sewing and pressing table.   This is not ideal space, as it's a little crowded and underlit.  And there is nothing really to look at but the material that I'm working on.   Maybe I need to put a mural on the wall. Or some mirrors.   ... Or maybe I just need to concentrate on making straight seams.  :-)

BTW, that's just an ordinary Brother i6000 sewing machine.  It has about 60 different stitches, but I probably only use three of them.

So I am basically designing eight monsters at once -- an heroic feat which has not been attempted before.  By me.  

Aren't these fun colors?

Every monster needs a colorful fleece skin, and a coordinating lining.  Most of these will have some sort of funkadelic cotton lining. At this point, I am already starting to think of names and personalities to give to each bag.

In addition to the skin and the lining, I also need to cut the feet and arms and straps.   There is about ten feet of strap for each bag.  Here are all the straps, cut to length, but not finished.  When I set down to sew them, it will be a few hours of ironing and sewing.  And a lot of thread.  I'll probably have to replace the bobbin on my sewing machine three or four times.

Don't the straps look like guts?  Mwah ha ha ha.

We now return you to your program...

Sorry about that.  I don't know how that other political post snuck in here.  Seems like those guys have infected the entire country with their feuding.  Hopefully it will be over soon and we can get back to the important stuff... like sewing!

So, in the last two weeks, I have gotten completely sidetracked by other projects and have not even touched my sewing machine.  It is a deplorable state of affairs.  But I have some good news.

1) This is small and personal in nature, but the bag that I made for my conference worked out very well.  I'm still using it, in fact.  I love the brown/black/red color combination and the more professional feeling of the sueded microfiber and the top stitching.  It's so easy to drop stuff into and the tab with the pin never gets in my way, like the bigger flaps do.  It's a little large for everyday, but at the conference it was a little small.  I could just fit my program and my swag in there.  

2)  On a more professional note, the Open Door Art Studio selected me as one of their featured artists.  (http://www.opendoorartstudio.org/artwork.htm) I am ridiculously pleased about this.  It's so validating, especially when my sales are still not exactly overwhelming.

3) I had a wonderful "mutual admiration society" type conversation with Courtney at the Open Door Art Studio.  It turns out that her application for the Tiny Canary show was accepted. (http://www.tinycanary.com/)

Since I'm new to the crafting business, I didn't appreciate how exclusive this show is.  But several of my fellow etsians over at the Columbus Street Team were pretty bummed about not getting in.  So, I'm thrilled for Courtney, and for the ODAS, who do such great work.  And Courtney let me know that, as a featured artist, my Monster Bags were a critical part of her application.  

It is so helpful to talk to Courtney and get advice and feedback about the Monster Bags.  Etsy can feel pretty isolated.  People buy things (or don't) and often I never hear what they liked (or didn't).  I'm collecting "hearts" and "views" but I don't know why, or how to convert them to sales.

On the other hand, Courtney sees people face to face and watches how they interact with the art.  She says that the Monster Bags are very compelling from a distance -- people come directly to them.  And people like them up close too.  But that the price tag is offputting.  This is a pervasive problem: people want to spend Walmart $$ on handmade goods.  Courtney thinks that the price point is good though and we should stick it out.

Anyway.  Courtney wanted me to know that she needs a lot more Monster Bags for the Tiny Canary show.  And the North Market show.  And the Grandview Gallery Hop.  (whee!)  This is such a great partnership for me.  I get a lot of exposure and it costs me very little.  I like to think that it helps the good people at the Open Door Art Studio too.  So there will definitely be a lot more sewing happening in the ArtsiBitsi Studio over the next few weeks. 

Watch this space.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled crafting news...

for this unsolicited open letter.

DEAR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE;

Tonight you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get my vote.
Yeah, it's completely up for grabs -- all you have to do is:

1) Answer a question directly. How can I believe that you can
negotiate with other major world powers if you can't even answer a
simple question of your priorities? BTW, telling me that everything is
a top priority is ridiculous.

2) Don't try to make me feel fearful about that other guy. That's
small. It makes you sound like a life insurance salesman.

3) Don't fill up the space with empty rhetoric and cheerleading. I
don't need you to tell me what I'm capable of. Tell me what YOU'RE
capable of.

4) No tricks, innuendo or subtle double-talk. First, talking over your
time and interrupting are not sophisticated tactics. It just shows a
lack of self-control on your part. Second, I'm not half as dumb as I
look. I can tell when you are being calculating and frankly, it does
not inspire trust.

5) Be straight. You don't have to inflate numbers, exaggerate or tell
half-truths. I've had enough of that from the current administration;
and we've all seen what happens when we don't have good quality
information to make the hard choices with.

6) Be realistic. All your grand promises about tax cuts and
incentives, the war, abortion, gay marriage and health care don't mean
squat. Seriously. You can't do anything without congressional support,
and I don't need big flashy gestures anyway.

Be a steady, thoughtful and trustworthy leader on a daily basis. Plan
for growth and prosperity. Also, have a plan B. Listen to your
constituency and be caring, respectful and responsive.

So that's it. That's all you have to do.

Thank you for your attention.

Respectfully yours,
B

A Bag for Me

I was out of town for a few days last week, and then classes started back up, so I've been doing less work on my Etsy store lately. Sales are still trickling in though, so I'm okay with that. As soon as I get a chance I'll list some more bags and try to amp up for a "seasonal rush". (fingers crossed) But not just yet. I'm going out of town again this week. 

I found outduring my last trip that the Momma/Baby all-in-one bag is not good fortravel with the laptop. The weight of the computer puts stress on all the wrong points, and it turns out that carrying a laptop backpack style is not as easy as I hoped it would be. So for this trip, I'm going back to my usual laptop bag.

But I can not prepare for travel and/or meeting new people without creating a SOME new purse for the occasion. This trip is for a professional conference, so I wanted a bag that is a little less distracting than my usual. I also wanted something bigger than my usual, so that I can carry a bunch of extra papers and maybe even a water bottle.

So here's what I came up with.  The shape is nothing special (ah well). It's just a basic 12x11 rectangular sleeve. But then it gets more interesting. First, it's reversible. 

One side is black denim, very plain. I'm planning to use this side for 1" buttons and ribbons and other embellishments on-the-fly.

The other side is a patchwork of different colored microsuede --which turned out pretty nice. I love the microsuede to start with, and then topstitching all the seams makes it look even cooler.

The top is open so I can drop things in and take things out easily. The strap is adjustable so that I can wear it over my shoulder or across my chest, as the case may be. I needed some way to keep it from gapping open, so I made a minimal flap (also reversible) and put a pin on it for weight.

I took it to school with me to day for a trial run and it seemed to be fine for ordinary day use. I'll report back on how it survived a field test to the Grace Hopper Conference in Keystone, CO.
(www.gracehopper.org)

:-)

Kiva.org

I've been meaning to do this for months. I finally did it today.  I made my first micro-loan through Kiva.org.  

I'm really excited about this because I've been looking for some way to make my Etsy shop less about me and my ego.  So I've decided to use all my paypal funds to make loans to women-owned businesses in developing countries.  The loans can be really small -- as little as $25 -- which is good because I don't have very much in my paypal account yet.

I made my first loan today, to a vegetable seller in Nepal that wants to expand her business. I feel really good about it, because Kiva partners with local microlending organizations that screen the entrepreneurs and help them repay their loans.  And studies have shown that loans help the poor much more than handouts.  

Anyway, I hope that you will take a look at Kiva.org today.  And if you want to expand your lending power, let me know.  I'd like to form a lending team.

Tell me what's a-happening

A couple weeks ago I posted about some advice I had gotton to make my Etsy shop more cohesive. Since then I've sold a few items -- but interestingly, my sold items have very little in common.


Here's the tally: Three hobo-style bags (one conservative, one funkadelic and one vintage), two monster bags, one set of covered buttons and one safety pin bracelet. What the heck? I don't know what to do with this information.

Does this mean that I should make more hobo-style bags? Here are four that I've listed in the past week.
I've also been watching my hearts very closely. (Supposedly there is a relationship between views, hearts and sales.) But there's relatively little interest in these bags.

It's perplexing.. in a good way. I mean, its nice that I'm listing stuff that people like. I just wish I was smart enough to stop making the bits that folks don't want.

:-)

Is a Trade the Same as a Sale?

Last week was a (relatively) busy week for me, -- as I "sold" three purses. 

Well, let me qualify that.  I traded three purses for five pairs of earrings and a wire sculpture jewelry hanger.  All of which are very cool, and I'm really pleased with my "purchases".  

  

It was a fairly painless process.  Generally I'm a bad haggler, but I have to admit, trading with Etsians seems very civilized and respectful.  Each of the trades did require a lot of negotiation and time.  There were several messages with the other person, to agree on a price for the items being transacted.  In one case, I sewed a custom bag in exchange for a custom set of earrings.  This customization step meant even more messages as we compared fabric swatches and pieces of glass.  But it was all very pleasant and inoffensive.

I still have anxiety about customer satisfaction.  I try to take accurate, yet flattering photographs of my bags.  I worry though, that a customer will have a misconception about the style, or the size or the color.  Something that I didn't document well enough.  It's like Christmas morning -- with a roomful of strangers.  I am hoping for an expression of pleasure, and fearing the expression of disappointment.  

It's easier, I think, to sell something in a bricks and mortar store.  At least then the customer gets to touch the fabric, test the seams and feel some security about an item's construction.  Perhaps this is my hang-up anyway.

But at the end of the week, I feel ambivalent.  I don't feel like the trades were real sales, even though I feel like the stuff I got was really purchased.

I think that this is because money is the only objective measure that we have for value anymore.  Hundreds of years ago, a person could feel comfortable trading 24 chickens for one hog, or paying eight cows for a dowry.  Nowadays, though, we only have currency.  How valuable is a doctor's time?  Oh, its worth about $60-$100 an hour.  How valuable is a waitress' time?  Usually between $10 and $15 an hour.  Thus we conclude, a doctors time is ten times more valuable than a waitress'.

But in a barter society, these valuations are not so straightforward.  How much is a purse worth?  Two or three pairs of earrings?  What kind of earrings are those?  When is a bag worth two pair of earrings and when is it worth three?  Does it depend on the bag, or the earrings?  Ugh, I just can't do this math.

In many ways, a trade is the same as a sale.  There is an exchange of good and services.  And I get pleasure from knowing that someone in NJ, or CA, or FL is using and enjoying an ArtsiBitsi bag.  But in some important ways, a sale is better (if only a little) than a trade. 

Got a Brand New Bag?

Just finished a couple new psychedelic new bags with fabric that I got for my birthday (Thanks, Sweetie!)  I love these.  They make me happy just looking at them.

The ironic part is that as I was creating these, I was receiving custom bag requests from two people who wanted something 

"more reserved".

More reserved?!  I don't know how to do 'reserved'.  I am all about the funkadelic and quirky accessories for the eclectic soul.  

SIGH.  Somehow I will persevere.

Purses banned from Indiana High School

An Indiana high school is making a bold move to create a safer environment for students -- they've banned students from carrying bags including purses, during the school day. Female students are upset about the changes. 

http://cbs2chicago.com/northwestindianabureau/bag.ban.school.2.813711.html

Well, I predict that the next big thing at that school will be ankle holsters for tampons.

Hmm. Maybe I should develop that design.  

In a related story, the NowPublic media site included a couple ArtsiBitsi bags in a slideshow to accompany the story.

http://www.nowpublic.com/strange/indiana-high-schools-purse-ban-rankles-students 

Something Old is New Again

Of all my different purses,  the one design that people seem to remember best is this one (left). Even years later, folks will ask me, 'Hey, are you still making those?' So, yes, by popular demand, I am bringing back my remarkable and memorable Secret Postcard Pocket Purse -- now updated for a new market.

So here's the new model.  On one level, this shoulder bag is very sweet. It's a modest 7x9x2" in size, but big enough for your phone, sunglasses, keys, credit cards, pens, small notebook, etc. 

The clear poly panel adds a faux patent leather look which goes easily from a day to evening look. You can definitely wear this with jeans, a suit or dress. 

It has a long (~50") adjustable length strap that you can use to change up the style.

But the coolness of this design often requires closer inspection. Because the 5x7" transparent panel is actually a pocket that allows you to completely change the look and function of the purse, according to your moods. 

Here are just a few of the things I have tucked into the pocket: 

• Photographs of friends, family, pets, etc.
  
• Seasonal Prints (pumpkins, witches, snowflakes, valentines)
  
• Postcards
  
• Artwork (like an ArtsiBitsi watercolor?)
  
• Maps - especially cool when traveling
  
• Ticket stubs and memorabiliia
  
• Passport, airline ticket and photo ID when traveling
  

...
Personally, I like to rock my Girl Geek look with this bag. I downloaded a bunch of circuit boards and cropped and printed them out transparency sheets. Then I get to have fun conversations like this:

Random Person: Excuse me, miss, but what is that quaint illustration on your handbag?

Me:  OMG, u n00b. j00 r t3h sux. Pwnd! LOL. j/k