Go Green, Save Money?

An article on MSN that talks about ways going "green" can save you money

It's true...there is another reason to switch to fabric or reusable grocery bags--it may save you money. Many stores all over the world will give you a "bag refund"--a small amount of money back per bag you use that isn't theirs. And more and more states, cities, and countries are moving toward fining, banning, phasing out, or penalizing plastic or paper bags.

I did find it ironic, though, that the bags they featured--while very cool--were rather expensive. I mean, it would take you a long time to make that money back. I understand...I mean, I sell my bags basically at wholesale price. I could--and probably should--charge more than I do. But that would kind of make them out-of-reach for some people, and perhaps take advantage of the more economically advantaged green folk. But we won't get into all that since I've talked about it before. It was still rather ironic. :) However, the good news for those that can't afford a reusable grocery bag priced at $50 or more is that you have many more affordable options. Including yours truly, of course. :)

Introducing Market Essentials product line by Bumble Bea Green

The Market Essentials
Paper? Plastic? Neither! Sturdier, more attractive, affordable, reusable items for your grocery needs are here! Be the belle of the market, the hero of the manatees every time you use a Bumble Bea Green Market product.

To ferry your fresh produce (or for whatever else you use those plastic produce bags for), check out Produce Totes by Bumble Bea Green. Your fruits and veggies never had it so good! Gauzy cotton voile keeps your lemons looking fab and in one place!


To ferry a lot of fresh produce in your produce totes--and for the rest of your groceries--check out Market Totes by Bumble Bea Green. Whether you like your tote to be plain or funky, whimsical or lush, show off your own flavor and know you will look great--and so will your groceries--carrying this tote around!



To ferry many of your food carriers around, check out the Bea Keeper! This product is coming soon, and will feature a convenient way to store and manage all your grocery totes.

Not Just For Groceries
Of course, these bags are as beautiful as they are versatile. Use the produce totes to store your ribbon collection, or to store your jacks-and-marbles set. Use the market totes for anything you'd use a tote bag for--carrying your books; as a handy travel bag; for your sunscreen and beach towels on a hot summer day--the possibilities abound!



Every Product Has A Story...
When I began to realize just how wasteful and what a detrimental environmental impact the making, distributing, and discarding of plastic grocery bags is, I knew that I needed to make a switch. So I started looking around at fabric grocery bags. I bought some of those cheap recycled ones from various stores, I bought an extremely expensive unlined tote while on vacation, and ogled the expensive totes at REI and other places...but I didn't really find anything I fell in love with. I didn't like how floppy the totes were, and how ugly and cheap the store bags were. So I made some for myself.

And then I made some as gifts. And then people started asking me to make some for them. And then more people did and offered to pay me for my time and effort, and eventually I decided to offer these totes to any and all who had the same desires I did--for a sturdy and shapely grocery tote that wasn't too big or too small and didn't look like it fell out of the bargain bin's dumpster. Bonus points for being fabulous looking as well.

Although I'd been kicking around the idea of turning my hobby--creatively sewing--into a more widespread adventure, that was the impetus I needed, the proverbial kick-in-the-pants. I am passionate about what I do--whether sewing or hugging trees--and I wanted to offer something to the world that would make it a better place--and I truly mean that. Grocery bags seemed like a reachable ideal. I'm just one person, and I can't do everything--but I can do something.

Did you know that according to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually, and that an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags? That's a lot of oil, and a LOT of bags. There are so very many reasons to reduce or eliminate the use of paper and plastic grocery bags, and I hope to make affordable, cute bags an option for people who desire that as well. That's why I say I'm "going green" one bag at a time, and why my subtitle talks about caring for the future. Because every time you use a reusable grocery bag--even if it's one you made out of a pillowcase--you have saved a tiny spot in a landfill somewhere, and created less demand for the plastic and oil behind the disposable ones. That's something to be proud of.

My Market Essentials line strives to meet that ideal in a beautiful and affordable way. Going green doesn't have to mean going ugly, or going without. It can truly mean going beautiful--especially with a Bumble Bea Green market tote on your arm.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Coming Soon...

Things are on track for a grand opening on July 1st! I've already begun listing items on my etsy (and selling them too!), but prepare for a deluge! There will be a give-away, a carnival/contest for another give-away, and many quality products of various types (but mostly market totes of course) for your viewing and buying pleasure!

So if you've been hoping for a bigger selection, check back then. Of course, if you see something you absolutely must have, then by all means have it ;). But if you are planning on buying a batch, you might want to bide your time and visit me on July 1st!

I hope to debut a product or two at that time, and watch for other product debuts in the next few weeks.

Factory Perfection Versus Handmade With Love

I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. ~Madam Benoit

I love handmade items. I myself have made gifts for others and things for myself since I was old enough to glue two pieces of paper together. One of the great charms of something made by hand is that each stitch is a story, each brushstroke a thought. As I knitted my baby's blanket, I prayed for her, dreamed about her, and shared a moment with her. As I conceived of and then created a special apron for my sister, I reflected on her and imagined her joy at receiving the gift.

One thing I have noticed about artisan or hand-made items is that they are imperfect. The soap I bought from a local soapmaker isn't a perfect rectangle--but I know it was hand-cut and hand-crafted with care. It certainly doesn't affect the function of the soap, and really, the slightly-off angle adds to the uniqueness of the item. I know that it was still the advertised ounces, as it was individually weighed. I bought some homemade-jam from a local lavender farm, and the label was not really something you'd find in a store ;). Of course, the lavender-raspberry jam was one of the most delicious jams I'd ever had, but it certainly screamed "homemade". I honestly think it is part of its beauty, but I know there are those that don't--even some artisans, who fret over every teeny misplacement or mistake.

It seems that in our world, we are just used to the sterile perfection of a factory item. Take a cloth napkin turned out by the thousands in a factory, for example. They are punched out to measure the same, the seams are perfectly straight and even, and they are uniform and neat. Ones with small deviations--perhaps a crooked seam--are tossed away as "seconds". Others are simply wasted materials altogether because they are so sub-standard. I find that to be a shame; a few stitches off here and there is no reason to deny that cloth napkin a chance to shine at its brightest, and the materials wasted could have been spared had a more careful eye been on them instead of the mass production that butchered it. Factories are part machine and part human, certainly, but any human error is whisked away before its uncomely blight graces a store's shelf.

Handmade items, even from the most professional of artists, have slight deviations and variations. Factories reflect automation and a glittering idealism of perfection "attained"--at no small cost--and marketed as true beauty and standard. Handmade or artisan-made items reflect the maker, and perhaps an organic view of humanity--beautiful, and slightly flawed.

Of course, there is a difference between a shoddy seam that is so crooked it not only looks awful but does a disservice to its function and a seam that is well sewn but perhaps not entirely straight. There is a difference between quality and laziness, human error and sub-par ability. To an untrained eye, in fact, the differences may be negligible or unnoticed. Of course, to the perfectionist in the craftsman--driven perhaps by a strong work ethic and commitment to quality--every misstep is magnified.

While I am by no means a master artisan of my various crafts, I do take pride in my work and yet embrace the small deviations that occur organically. When I make something for you, it will not be factory perfect. Some of the seams may take a tiny detour, dimensions may not be exact, and the item may not look as perfect and uniform as one borne from a factory. That's ok...because I pour myself into everything I create, and I am not a perfect person. So you won't get factory perfection from me.

What you WILL get is attention to detail, quality workmanship, an eye for aesthetics, and a product that was lovingly handled, created, and crafted from raw materials to final stitch by someone who cares about what she does. What you WILL get is a little piece of me--a bit of my time, a bit of my passion, a bit of my life. You can count on a beautiful, quality product--even if it is not factory perfect.