What?
On the 1st and 16th I will be hosting this "green meme"-the Bea Green Blogorama! I'd love to get our heads together and learn about living a more green and natural way from each other. Most of my friends already post about "green" topics frequently, so I figured, why not put them all together once in awhile so we can all enjoy them?
How?
To participate, all you need to do is dig up a past post or write a new one about bea-ing green...how you are, what you are doing that is 'green', ways to be green, what it means to you--the sky's the limit, as long as it's family-friendly and environmentally conscious. Hang your laundry instead of using the dryer? Tell us about it! Saving money and the air on gas somehow? Please share! Planting a garden--and growing it organically? The topic is broad and yet the focus is narrow.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Huzzah!
I scored another treasury! What is a treasury, you may ask? On Etsy, when you visit their homepage and see the lovely featured items, that is a treasury. Treasuries are collections of favorite things picked by fellow Etsy artists. To score a treasury, one must be in the right place at the right time, and that is actually harder than it sounds. Getting your treasury on the Etsy homepage is even harder. Etsy Admins choose from usually 300-500+ treasuries for truly exceptional ones to grace the front page.
It may sound like perhaps it's not something to be terribly excited about, because it's not for self-promotion. But I like to think of it as self-promotion in a backwards sort of way. First of all, I love to promote Etsy, and I definitely love to promote handmade products, and I DEFINITELY love to promote quality handmade products from sellers I trust or know personally. When I pick you for a treasury, I let you know. In a way, that's promotion, and good for both of us. My name is on the treasury, so my name is at least out there, if not my products. So it is good for me, and good for my friends and fellow respected artists and artisans. I figure that eventually, people will do the same and pick me.
And in fact it already happened once, and that particular treasury featuring one of my bags made it to the front page, which was quite an honor. :) This is the second treasury I have made. :) I'm pretty excited about it! I either know or have purchased from about half of the people I featured this time, and found some new neat stuff from people I haven't.
So if you haven't yet, take a peek!
It may sound like perhaps it's not something to be terribly excited about, because it's not for self-promotion. But I like to think of it as self-promotion in a backwards sort of way. First of all, I love to promote Etsy, and I definitely love to promote handmade products, and I DEFINITELY love to promote quality handmade products from sellers I trust or know personally. When I pick you for a treasury, I let you know. In a way, that's promotion, and good for both of us. My name is on the treasury, so my name is at least out there, if not my products. So it is good for me, and good for my friends and fellow respected artists and artisans. I figure that eventually, people will do the same and pick me.
And in fact it already happened once, and that particular treasury featuring one of my bags made it to the front page, which was quite an honor. :) This is the second treasury I have made. :) I'm pretty excited about it! I either know or have purchased from about half of the people I featured this time, and found some new neat stuff from people I haven't.
So if you haven't yet, take a peek!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Treasury!
I love Etsy and that it is such a community. We support each other and buy from each other and promote each other. One of the ways to promote each other that is uniquely built in to Etsy is the Treasury. It's not a place to promote *your* work, but others. And it is darn hard to score a spot. But I managed to score one! Check it out:
Summer's Last Stand...of Lemonade
I love all those items, and have had personal, favorable interactions with jenngee, Tumus, 29 Cherry Blossoms, Naiad Soap Arts, and Washi by Maoiliosa. I have personally been featured once that I know of, and that treasury actually made it to the front page of Etsy which is quite the honor :D.
Summer's Last Stand...of Lemonade
I love all those items, and have had personal, favorable interactions with jenngee, Tumus, 29 Cherry Blossoms, Naiad Soap Arts, and Washi by Maoiliosa. I have personally been featured once that I know of, and that treasury actually made it to the front page of Etsy which is quite the honor :D.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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! :)
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! :)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Bea Green Blogorama!
I was hoping to roll out a new product today and thusly a giveaway, but I've had *two* family issues this week (the more serious one this morning) so this post will just be about bea-ing green. :) Incidentally, just to be clear, not every Bea Green Blogorama will involve a giveaway. This meme is about green topics, not stuff :D But I like giveaways, so chances are you'll see them more often than not :D You may even see them randomly...hee hee :D
My tip and challenge for being green today is to consider how much waste you make, and take a baby step toward reducing your waste.
One thing my family has done for a long time now is to use cloth napkins. The mildly-to-barely "dirty" ones can be reused, and the really soiled ones go in with our towels, but I find they don't add a lot of bulk to our regular wash. We don't use paper napkins at all, and only very rarely do we use paper towels. I generally don't keep them in the house, so I've had to be creative with things like draining meat and bacon grease :)
For those kinds of jobs, I use the thin dishcloth towels that are often referred to as "Flour Sacks" or cheesecloth. Then, I wait til the grease is cooled and scrape what I can into the garbage. What I can't scrape off, I wash the towel in very hot water with a generous amount of soap. The soap ensures that the grease is encapsulated and not going to clog your drains (plus it should be a small amount). Also, if you use cheesecloth, you can also save it in the fridge or freezer and use it to grease pans for things like stir fry. Ok, not the healthiest oil for sure, but I'm just sayin'. ;)
So tell me, how do you reduce waste? What's a baby step you can take? How are you bea-ing green? :D
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Delayed!
I had some family things to attend to today and through tomorrow morning, so there will be a short delay on the customs I am finishing up as well as the carnival. Check back Friday for the carnival! :D
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