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

Artsy Accomplishments - New product, new shop

Accomplishments for today:

1) Talked to Olivera at Wholly Craft and made an appointment to start selling my Monster Bags there.  Yay. 

Another distribution channel.  Plus it will help potential customers get comfortable seeing these bags.  

I remember from my marketing classes that it takes approximately 30 impressions of a new product before a customer feels comfortable enough to buy it.  They have to see it, and remember that they saw it;  like it, and then remember that they liked it -- all before they will buy it.  

2) Figured out how to make covered buttons of my watercolor paintings. Each one is 1 1/8" in diameter. They're like tiny little pieces of art!  And they have so many uses:

Pin them to your jeans
Use a set of them to make a really fun jacket
Wear them like a brooch
Use them as the closure on your purse

Tomorrow I will figure out how to photograph and list them on my Etsy.

I also want to get started on a fresh set of purses to replace the ones that are going to Wholly Craft.

Field Testing Report

I am happy to report that the all-in-one bag did well on its first field test -- hiking in the Smoky Mountains.

Here are some of the features and qualities that got tested:

1) Durability. Both bags did great. And I was not gentle. I slung these things around, took them off and put them on lots. They were tossed onto the floor of the car and in between boulders. The straps stretched a little, but nothing broke, tore or fell off. Yay.

2) Flexibility. The clips actually made going from one bag to the other pretty easy. Most of the time I could do it with one hand. I had an extra strap with me, so I ended up keeping one strap on the Momma and one strap on the Baby the whole trip. I wished that it were easier to adjust the strap. Right now I have a clip on one end and the other end is knotted. I think that I need to have a proper buckle or set of D rings there.

3) Functionality. I tried several combinations. I did the Momma alone, the Baby alone. I tried them 'conjoined'. I took my 'pockets a-go-go' out of the Baby and put everything in the Momma. What seemed to work best for me was having them conjoined whenever my hands would be full otherwise. Packing, unpacking, and moving several items from one location to another. The rest of the time, I used the Baby for town and the Momma for the mountains.

The capacity of the two bags seemed adequate for my use. Momma was almost too big to be used as a daypack. I found myself wishing that the Baby bag could be worn as a backpack. That would not be a big adjustment.

I also wished that there were a better way to carry my water bottle and camera. If I carried them in the bag, they'd be hard to get to when I was hiking. I ended up giving my water and camera to hubby to carry. Problem solved!

4) Comfort. I really appreciated the fleece lining on the bags and straps. It provided a good buffer between me and my stuff, and made carrying the bags much more pleasant.

5) Looks. The neutral colors were a good match for my hiking clothes and my town clothes. But all the tan was almost too bland for me. I need to put something flashier on the bags. The microsuede did dress up and down well. The Momma bag turned out to be a pretty slouchy backpack and it got slouchier when I clipped the Baby to it. I think that a squared off bottom to both bags would help.

Conclusions.

I will definitely continue to use these bags. I might add a some loops or buttons to the Baby. I will probably try to put a cinch on the straps before the next trip as well.

I'm not sure about starting a whole new product line around this concept though. Having coordinated bags that clipped together was nice, but I don't know if the idea 1) is distinctive enough; or 2) could be illustrated in one Etsy page. It really needs a video or personal demonstration where a customer could see the possibilities up close.

...

But I'm not discouraged. I really loved being in the mountains for four days. It was very relaxing and feel inspired to start new projects. Check out these amazing colors and textures!