Housewarming Gift

My littlest sister recently struck out on her own, renting a two-bedroom house with a friend. Her friend had lived on her own before, and apparently had many of the basic gadgets covered. Between that and what my mother was giving her, she didn't really need much in the way of basic necessities. So what's a girl to give as a housewarming gift?

I knew she wanted a bag from me, which would make an excellent gift in and of itself. Especially as more cities and states and countries are moving toward limiting, taxing, fining, or banning plastic and/or paper grocery bags, the gift of a Bumble Bea Green market tote or three is an excellent choice for the savvy giver. Green, beautiful, and rather multi-purpose, a market tote is sure to score.

Of course, she is my sister, and I can't just stop at one thing. Oh no. I'm the type of person who likes to give theme gifts. Last Christmas, I made several family members cry--in a good way--with a thoughtful gift. That Christmas will be hard to top, heh. Anyways, I knew that for her gift I wanted to give her things that were ordinary and yet so often overlooked. Things like, the little touches that make a house a home.

So I scoured Etsy for something unique, handmade, and yet ordinary. I found a refreshing "bath tea infusion" from Ollie Baby. My sister works a very physical job, and I knew it would be the perfect tool to help her soak away those sore muscles in her antique claw-foot tub. One thing that is fun to have are pretty magnets. So I consulted one of my favorite Etsy shops, Washi by Maoiliosa, for a perfect set of lovely pink magnets to grace her antique fridge. Finally, I wanted to add one more personal touch to her house. Having added a bit of relaxation and heavenly scent in the bathroom and a glimpse of her pink-obsessed personality in the kitchen, I decided to go with a set of coasters from RuBee Designs that reflected her shopping obsession (especially with shoes and purses!). Perfect! Now all I needed to do was put it together!

Another great use for my totes is using them as gift bags. These items, however, were small and fragile. So I thought I could just wrap it all together, but that wasn't a fun and eco-friendly idea. Then I thought...what if I use the bag to wrap it up?

Here are my carefully chosen and handmade-by me and others--items


A close up of the goodies I bought


I carefully placed all the items inside, putting the coasters more on one side and the other items on the other side


Then folded the bag up around the items


I folded the bag in half, and used the straps to secure it. Voilà!


Green, handmade, beautiful, meaningful, unique gift that wrapped and even padded itself. How awesome is that? :D

Life and Being Your Own Boss

One thing that is very nice about being your own boss is that you don't get in trouble when you need to take an unexpected break due to life circumstances. One bad thing about it is that business comes to an all-stop. I fear my little shop may have suffered due to my inattention; people looking for new bags may be discouraged from shopping with me since it has been so long since I have posted anything new. But alas, it cannot be helped.

So instead, I will focus on the blessing that it is to be free to take a break when I need it. 2008 has been a crazy, up-and-down, difficult year. Some wonderful and exciting things happened this year (like the long-time-coming birth of my business), but I do not think I will remember 2008 with much fondness besides.

Most recently, my dear Grandma and next-door neighbor had a stroke. Fortunately, it was caught early and she is recovering well and expected to continue to recover, but of course that has taken up much of my emotional and mental energy. It is difficult for me to attend to much of her care because of the little ones I have, but I have filled in here and there wherever there are gaps in her care.

Two other people precious to me have had falling accidents in the past week; one very serious, one not as serious. My sister, the less serious accident, was bucked off of a horse and sustained a mild head injury as well as a broken back. So we are rallying to try and help her in HER business, as she works with horses and it is physical labor that she cannot do at this time.

Add to that the craziness of "birthday season", and well, I am one busy lady. We homeschool, and I am attempting to plan for the school year as well as our annual de-clutter and thorough deep clean of our home. After a period of unemployment, my husband is back to work at a new job, which has required paperwork and such. Yup, life is full right now...full of happiness and wonder, minutiae and grunt work, heartaches and worry. And a lot of busyness. I hope to get back to making bags with more regularity soon, and rolling out new products. Fortunately there *are* some bags for sale on my website, or I'd feel like a total slacker. ;) But August is seeming a daunting month for me to get through...we'll just have to see! :)

Pretty Packaging Vs. The Earth

When I buy something from someone on etsy or hyena cart or handmade from a shop or boutique--online or in town--, I really enjoy all the little details. Pretty hang tags, attractive packaging, little extras, etc. All that stuff is fun and really makes you feel special.

I would love to wrap my bags in fancy tissue and tie them with expensive ribbons and have a tag or four on the product, but I keep bumping up against an issue that is important to me: saving the environment by reducing waste and my carbon footprint. I'd also feel like I'd need to charge a bit more, since I've priced my bags at the absolute cheapest I could. Being both a frugal person and a person desiring to save the environment by reducing waste, that doesn't seem appealing either. I mean, I know that my work is worth more than I am charging--a lot more. The care and quality of my products are definitely worth more, my time is worth more. But, being both a frugal person and a person desiring to save the environment by reducing waste (hee), I felt that charging more would inordinately elevate my bags beyond their very humble use. The frugal side of me gasps at market tote prices...I wouldn't personally pay $30 for a grocery bag, so I don't feel like I can expect my customers to. The tree-hugger side of me wants to make attractive and affordable grocery bags so that the average consumer will be inspired to try bringing their own bag rather than perpetuating the waste issue with plastic bags. In other words, I felt that if I charged $25 for my market totes, or $30, or $50, I'd be taking advantage of the green-committed people and snubbing people of more humble means or at least condemning them to the ugly plastic reusable store bags. ;)

But I digress.

The point is, I'm trying to come up with a solution. I would like to find some sort of sustainable/recycled/recyclable way to make my customers feel special, and to give my products a bit of their boutique dignity. I feel like I'd be selling out to print out tags on the ol' printer and wrap the bags in tissue paper. Certainly, it can all be recycled. But I'd like to come up with a better way to do it.

One thing I keep coming back to (for tags at least) is using a stamp. I already make my bag labels by hand with scrap fabric and a stamp. So if I could find a recycled/recyclable solution for the actual tag part, that would be easy, frugal, and environmentally friendly. Frugal eventually, that is, as the upfront cost of a custom rubber stamp is somewhat expensive. I've been pondering using a stamp for care/website address on the inner bottom of the bag. I've also been looking for a way to recycle my thread snips and fabric bits, and have thought of making my own paper, but that's definitely a future project, not a now one.

And then there is the "free sample" or little extra gift. I know that I super duper love those, personally. Even if it's just a magnet advertising the shop. Again, the question for me is...how do I find an easy, inexpensive, environmentally-friendly solution? Hrm.

I've also run across sellers who state upfront that in their effort to reduce waste or be environmentally friendly, they don't print receipts or use excessive packaging, and that is very attractive to me as well. I like people who like what I like and care what I care about, so it makes me inclined to give them my business as well. Perhaps at least for now, *I* should just mention that, myself.

Just ramblings, really...but if you have any suggestions, I'm certainly open!

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.

Why Etsy?

When I decided to open up my ideas and handiwork to a world-wide audience, I thought long and hard about how I would present my adventure--how I would protect it and put its best foot bravely forward. Buy my own .com? eBay? a pre-made storefront? Craigslist?

After sorting through these ideas, the one venue that stayed consistently at the top of the list was Etsy. I decided to open my shop through Etsy for many reasons, some of which I will share with you:

1. Ease of Use
Etsy is easy to use for both me, as a seller, and you, as a buyer. It offers many protections and options for me, there is no monthly maintenance fee--only a small listing fee and a small percentage of profit. It offers many protections and options for buyers as well. In some ways, it's basically eBay for handmade items, and in other ways, it's not. Just like eBay, I list items for sale and you choose items to buy. Again, small listing fee for me, no fees for you. Just like eBay, you need an account to use its services whether a buyer or a seller. Unlike eBay, my listings don't expire after a short amount of time (incurring more costs to relist) and while they are not up for auction, I haven't marked up a "buy it now" price in hope that someone will really want or need it and just click that "buy it now" button rather than waiting for an auction. And unlike eBay, Etsy is a community...more about that later. Bottom line-the buying and selling process on Etsy is easy, affordable, and safe.

2. Etsy is comprised of men and women passionately pursuing their talents
If you've got it, USE it! I am someone who believes in the beauty of art and the power of creation. I believe in music programs and museums. And I love that there is a place for someone to pursue their art or their handiwork at their own pace, in their own style, as much or as little as they want. Whether taking a fun hobby and occasionally offering the fruits of that labor for a little extra cash or a more serious bread-winning endeavor, I like that I am supporting an entity that enables those people without being greedy.

3. Etsy is more than a website; it is a community
When I list an item in my shop or buy an item from someone else, I feel good that I am putting my money and effort where my mouth is. I firmly believe in local economies and supporting them as well as supporting cottage industries. For stay-at-home moms like me, I may not be in it to get rich and famous, but it's nice to have that extra bit to ease the pressure on the breadwinner--even if it's just enough for some gas and an ice cream treat. I am becoming very picky about what I buy and where I buy it from, so buying something from a fellow seller is a real boon. I'd rather buy a hand-made coaster from someone who makes coasters because she loves it and is talented at it than buy a coaster made in a sweatshop in a third-world country. I believe in fair trade; you couldn't trade fairer than putting the money directly in the hands of the artisan as Etsy has done.

So there you have it. Locally, you may find me in a farmers market. Always, you will find me at bumblebeagreen@gmail.com and online, you will find my home at http://bumblebeagreen.etsy.com :)

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.

What's In A Name?

Bea + Bee?
I love bumble bees. They are cute and fuzzy, they bring great beauty to our world and participate highly in the ecosystem. In fact, my name means "honey bee", so when I thought about what I would call my little adventure, I knew I wanted it to reflect me and bees sprang to mind--the word "Bumble" in particular. "That's all very well and good," you may be thinking, "but erm...there's a typo in your logo...B-E-E, not B-E-A!" I'm so glad you noticed, but it wasn't a typo. :)

The inspiration for my desire to create, to re-create, to make do, to make something beautiful out of something ordinary, is rooted firmly in my family. When I was pondering titles and credos and concepts, I wanted to honor my family legacy. I wanted my adventure to reflect me and reflect the why-behind-the-me. So I lovingly dedicate this adventure to my family, and most particularly to my Great-Grandmothers: Irene, Dini, Esther, and..."Bea". All four women have inspired me in different ways, and Grandma Bea in particular inspired me in handicrafts. It seemed only fitting to include Grandma's name as my identity stamp, so to speak, in this adventure.

The "Green" in the title hopefully speaks for itself. I am dedicated to living as naturally and responsibly as possible. Materials are becoming more affordable and easier found that are all of the principles I embrace about the green movement, and I strive to use those when I can. Even more, I hope to provide safe, affordable, inspiring products that enhance and encourage a "green" way of living beautifully.