Gifts for Mother’s Day from Bags of a Feather

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Wendy

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12, 2013. If you are looking for a lovely, hand-crafted gift for Mom this year, check out Bags of a Feather on etsy The shop is well-stocked with over 160 items, including kindle covers, cellphone pouches, and stand-up cosmetic pouches.

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

My anti-tarnish jewelry zipper pouches make a great, re-useable “package” to hold silver jewelry, and will help to keep tarnish from forming on necklaces, earrings, or bracelets. I am almost positive that Mom has better things to do than polish silver!

Pink Batik Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

And don’t forget that May and June are also prime season for graduations and weddings!

Laurel Burch Hummingbird Kindle cover

There is also a sale going on for all my larger wristlets, tote bags, and purses, with prices marked down 30-40 % off.

Purple Poppies Shoulder Bag

Some Bright and Colorful New Bags From Bags of a Feather

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Wendy

Maybe it is the long and drawn-out winter here in western Massachusetts, but I have been not seeing any color when I look out the window (other than brown, gray, and white). There are a few green bulb shoots coming up through the ground, but htere are also big piles of snow that are going to take forever to melt. Last year at this time, we had a very early spring and temperatures in the 80s by the end of March. Not this year- it is still very cold at night and has been in the 30s the last couple of days with a coating of fresh snow on the ground in the morning. I love New England, but I am ready for spring!

Big snow piles

My latest sewing projects have involved some very bright and colorful fabrics from my fabric stash. Nothing subtle or understated here! I guess if Mother Nature wants to take her time showing some spring colors, I will have to create my own color in the sewing studio. Here are a few new things available in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop (click on the picture to see more pictures and a full description):

Pink Batik Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Bold Floral Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Lush Flower Garden Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Some New Things From Bags of a Feather

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Wendy

100% Organic Cotton Forest Animals pouch with anti-tarnish lining

Although I have not been doing a lot of sewing lately, I still have been slowly whittling away at the pile of bags all cut out, interfaced, and ready to put together. I usually get a burst of sewing “inspiration” and cut out the outer sections, linings, and interfacing for approximately 6-9 bags at one time. Sometimes I will fuse the interfacing all in one shot, and then put the pile next to the sewing machine until I am further motivated to begin sewing them together. It is rare that I cut out, interface, and sew a bag from start to finish in one shot. I do like to have something that is ready to assemble when I get the urge to sew something.

With over 150 available items in the Bags of a Feather etsy shop, I usually don’t feel a a great sense of urgency to frantically sew up new things. It is nice to use new fabrics, or to find a treasure among my fabric stash that is just begging to be sewn into something new and different. I like to play it by ear, and sew when I feel like it, and not try to turn sewing into a chore or a big production effort. That is just no fun!

Here are a few new things that I have recently listed in my etsy shop (click on the picture to go to the etsy listing and more pictures and descriptions):

Hand-dyed Pink and Purple Zipper Pouch

Linen and Cotton Bird print Jewelry Pouch with anti-tarnish lining

Retro Fruit Stand Cellphone Pouch or Coin Purse

Thinking Spring!

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Wendy

It is the last week of February, and right around this time of year, the winter seems like it will never end! The cold weather, snow, and ice having been hanging around since November, which is going on 5 months now. The huge piles of snow are dirty and slushy and seem to take forever to melt. Enough, already! I don’t know about you, but I am thinking SPRING!

Singing yellow warbler

Two years ago, a robin built her nest in a large holly bush right outside the bedroom window, and it was thrilling to see the eggs hatch and the babies fledge and take flight.

Robin chicks and eggs

Soon the great spring migration of birds will begin, and the goldfinches will lose their drab winter colors and molt some beautiful golden yellow feathers.

Padded Jewelry Bag with Anti Tarnish Inner Pocket in Goldfinch Bird Print

: Tree Full of Finches

I have a lot of bird fabric creations in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop. Here are a few favorites (click on the pictures below for more details):

Bird and Dogwood Blossoms Zipper pouch

Red Feathered Friends zipper pouch

Vibrant Meadow and Bird zipper pouch

Tiny Sparrow Anti-tarnish Jewelery Pouch

Bird Nest Stripe Anti-tarnish Jewelry pouch

Antique bird print anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

It is also a great time to be thinking about gardening, even though the garden is still buried under about 2 feet of snow. The best antidote for cabin fever this time of year is to get out the glossy seed catalogs and dream of new things to try in the garden this year.

Orange mums

Only a few more weeks to go- can’t wait for spring!

Clearance Sale on all Totes, Wristlets, and Shoulder Bags in the Bags of a Feather Etsy Shop

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Wendy

I have decided to clear out all of the larger tote bags, purses, and wristlets in my Bags of a Feather etsy shop, and have marked them wayyyyyyy down (30 to 50% off) from the original prices. Most of the larger tote bags were originally priced at $39.00 to $42.00 and are now priced at $19.00 to $22.00. The wristlets were $19.00, and are now marked down to $12.00.

Click here to go directly to the SALE-Totes/Wristlets section of my etsy shop, where the items are already marked down.

Tote Bag Display

The larger bags have never been very good sellers for me, and they involve a lot of time and fabric to make. I will make them as special orders if someone requests one, but I do not plan to offer them as a regular item in my shop in the future. Plus, I am tired of looking at them hanging on their special wooden craft show display rack, unloved and unwanted.

Birds of Norway Fabric Storage Bin

So this is a golden opportunity to buy something for yourself or as a gift for a friend. I am keeping several for myself- they are handy to haul stuff around in, like lunches, ipads, water bottles, etc. Plus they can be washed if they get dirty.

Penguin Batik Wristlet

These bags were fun to make, but it’s time to move on to other things and move them out of my sewing room!

Happy shopping!

More New Anti-tarnish Jewelry Bags From Bags of a Feather

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Wendy

Some more new anti-tarnish jewelry bags from Bags of a Feather!

Red and White Gingko Blossom Anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

I have been making all different sizes, including some small ones that would make lovely, reusable gift card holders or special bridesmaid gifts with a piece of silver jewelry tucked inside. These jewelry bags are also great for silver coins or cosmetics or cellphones.

Pink Floral Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

This unique design from Bags of a Feather features an inner lining made completely of a dark gray flannel anti-tarnish silver cloth fabric. This jewelry pouch or zipper pouch makes the perfect travel or storage bag for silver earrings, bracelets, rings, or necklaces.

Millefiori Mediterranean Print Anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

Check out the complete selection of my anti-tarnish jewelry bags here. I am always working on new things, and if you see another fabric in my shop that you would like to have made as an anti-tarnish jewelery bag, just send me a message and let me know what you are looking for.

Purple and Black Bird Anti-tarnish jewelry pouch

Meet the Bags of a Feather Staff

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Wendy

It is hard work to run a small business- you have to be head of marketing, chief financial officer, CEO, designer, shipper, and accountant all rolled into one! Bags of a Feather is no exception-it is truly a one-woman show. Well, it is a one-woman and four-bird show.

Although I have no human assistants, I have 4 parrots ranging in size from very small to very large. They have their own space downstairs, and I can hear them from all over the house. If I am working at home all day, I usually do some work on the computer for a while and then go uncover them and wake them up anywhere from 9 Am to 10:30 AM. They are definitely NOT early risers. I will often do a workout shortly after getting them up and fed and watered,.

Moe Green the moustached parakeet is the Workout Trainer and Assistant. His contribution is to imitate my huffing and puffing when lifting weights, which makes me laugh. He imitates my laugh perfectly, so it kind of turns into a laugh session instead of a workout.

Moe Green- Workout Trainer

Bambu the Senegal Parrot is the Chief Carrot Shredder (and Trouble- Maker). He will fly around wildly, attempt to land on top of the macaw, and scream with wild abandon. He absolutely loves carrots, and spends the first part of his morning shredding a piece of raw carrot into tiny little pieces. I find carrot shreds on the bottoms of my shoes, in the bathtub, and other strange places in the house. If i ask him for a “smacky kiss” he knows exactly what I mean and responds with a big kissy noise. He can also turn up the cuteness factor and likes to demonstrate the exact spot that needs a head scritch- NOW:

Bambu- Chief Carrot Shredder

BeeGee the Blue & Gold Macaw is the Head Nutshell Flinger and Toothpick Maker of the household. She has the “Nut-bucket” on top of her large stainless steel cage, and heads up there first thing for a few walnuts, almonds or Brazil nuts. The preferred nut for flinging purposes is the walnut, which can roll great distances and hide under furniture. I do NOT walk around barefoot in the bird area! She will chew some wooden toys and make some toothpicks when she feels like it, but surprisingly, a big toy lasts her a very long time:

BeeGee and toy that Dad made

The final staff member is Boomer the blue and white lacewing budgie, who is the official Outdoor Bird Sentry. She will squawk when the wild birds feed outside in the winter, just in case nobody else is paying attention. She is very shy when it comes to the camera, and declined to sit still to have her picture taken. She is quite vocal about the flocks of wild turkeys that come to feed on the ground under the bird feeder outside. Bambu has a special alarm call he uses only for the turkeys and he thinks of them as “turkey monsters”:

Wild Turkeys

The parrot flock keeps me entertained and are wonderful to have around. The “payroll” consists of a few apple slices or some nuts, they never complain about the hours or working condition, they nap every afternoon, and are the perfect “employees” for Bags of a Feather!

Recently Sold in Bags of a Feather’s Etsy Shop

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Wendy

Some images of recently sold items in Bags of a Feather’s etsy shop:

Padded Jewelry Bag with Anti Tarnish Inner Pocket in Goldfinch Bird Print

Organic Cotton Bluebird Fabric Storage Bin

Chickadees and Cardinals Anti-tarnish Jewelry Pouch

Anti tarnish Jewelery Bag in Tie Dye Print

Anti tarnish Jewelry Pouch in Gypsy Songbird Print

Anti Tarnish Jewelry Bag in Sage Owls Print

Anti tarnish jewelry bag in aviary wallpaper stripe

SOLD- Hummingbird Kindle or E-reader Sleeve

Wednesday Wings From Bags of a Feather- Bluebirds!

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Wendy

Announcing a regular Wednesday feature from Bags of a Feather featuring winged things such as birds, butterflies, and dragonflies. I enjoy celebrating the beauty of wings in nature and fabric.

Eastern Bluebird

The Wednesday Wings from Bags of a Feather was a mostly-weekly post on my old site, and I had a lot of fun trying to put together a creative post and find fabric or bags to accompany the post.

The first post is about bluebirds, and I also happen to have some beautiful 100% organic bluebird fabric in my etsy shop!

Organic Cotton Jewelry Pouch with Anti-tarnish Inner Pocket

This fabric is soft and is wonderful to work with. The colors are rich and vibrant, and much more beautiful in person. I have made this into several different items, such as a jewelry pouch with an anti-tarnish inner pocket to keep silver jewelry sparking and tarnish-free. The same fabric was made into a fabric storage bin.

I currently have a padded zipper pouch in this fabric available in my shop.

Organic Cotton Bluebird Coin Purse or Zipper Pouch

Another “bluebird” fabric is a stylized, antique-looking fabric that I made up into a stand-up cosmetic pouch:

Vintage Stylized Parrot Cosmetic Pouch

A bold and beautiful folkloric print fabric cosmetic zipper pouch that includes bluebirds:

Folkloric Bird Print Zipper Pouch

I’m sure there are more bluebirds in my etsy shop, and also in my fabric stash of over 100 bird fabrics!

More information about bluebirds (from Wikipedia):

“Bluebirds are territorial, prefer open grassland with scattered trees.(similar to many species of woodpecker). Bluebirds can typically produce between two and four broods during the spring and summer (March through August in the Northeastern United States). Males identify potential nest sites and try to attract prospective female mates to those nesting sites with special behaviors that include singing and flapping wings, and then placing some material in a nesting box or cavity. If the female accepts the male and the nesting site, she alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs.

Predators of young bluebirds in the nests can include snakes, cats and raccoons. Non-native and native bird species competing with bluebirds for nesting locations include the Common Starling, American Crow, and House Sparrow, which take over the nesting sites of bluebirds, killing young and smashing eggs and probably killing adult bluebirds.

Bluebirds are attracted to platform bird feeders, filled with grubs of the darkling beetle, sold by many online bird product wholesalers as mealworms. Bluebirds will also eat raisins soaked in water. In addition, in winter bluebirds use backyard heated birdbaths.

Of all the birds a gardener could choose to attract, the bluebird is the quintessential helpful garden bird. Gardeners go to extreme lengths to attract and keep them in the garden for their beneficial properties. Bluebirds are voracious insect consumers, quickly ridding a garden of insect pests.”

2012- The Year in Review for Bags of a Feather

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Wendy

Red Parrot Macaw Zipper Pouch

As the last few days of 2012 wind down, it is a good time to take stock of what I accomplished this past year, both professionally and personally.

2012 Business Wrap-up for Bags of a Feather

Sales were all over the place- May and November were some of my best months ever. I also went a very long 54 days in June and July with ZERO sales. There were several periods during the year where I seriously considered shutting down the business for good, but decided to persevere instead.
After 3 years, a lot of time and effort, and Twitter and Facebook promotion, I decided to close my ArtFire shop and concentrate on etsy. The traffic and sales on ArtFire were steadily dropping off, and I had a very long stretch of more than 5 months with no sales at all. I spent hours and hours re-writing my titles, descriptions, and putting captions on my product images, without any returns on my investment of time. I had 2 buyers who first bought from me on ArtFire in November, and then signed up for etsy and bought a couple of very large orders from my etsy shop.
Two of my local retail outlets did not work out. One very good location decided to close her storefront, but I later met with her at her new role as a gift shop manager at a local hospital gift shop, and she purchased some of my products to sell there. I did pick up another local consignment outlet which looks very promising.
I only did one craft show all year, and it was not worth it. It was a show at the assisted-living place where my mother-in-law moved to in July. I made up some walker or wheelchair bags and did not sell a single one. This is the same place that wanted to pay me $3.00 to come in and hem a pair of pants for the residents if I offered sewing or seamstress services. The going rate at a dry cleaners or tailor shop is $12-14, so that did not work out.
I came up with an original design for a jewelry pouch with an anti-tarnish inner pocket to store silver jewelry and keep it from tarnishing. I started offering this design in November and did quite well with it. I plan to tweak the design and offer more options in the coming weeks.
I joined a great team on etsy, and the support and advice from the team members has been invaluable. Some really good advice on tags, and writing search-friendly descriptions, and how to promote effectively. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes makes a huge difference.

Other Events in 2012

I signed up to be the Springfield Sewing Examiner for examiner.com, and wrote 56 articles from February to December of 2012. Most of the articles are either product reviews, local artisan profiles, fabric slideshows, and local quilt shop events and classes. This is a great opportunity to promote local fabric artisans and quilters.
We moved my 94-year-old mother-in-law to an assisted living facility 20 minutes away from us. This involved a lot of travel, setting up new doctors, dentists, etc, and other arrangements. Since I am not working, I have become her primary assistant for laundry, shopping, appointments, etc.
I am still searching for a part-time job to fill in the financial gaps. My goal is to make enough from my business to pay for more than just the essentials, but that is still a long ways away (if ever).

Overall, it was a year of ups and downs, and adapting to the economic climate as well as family priorities. I think that it went pretty well, all things considered.

BagsOfAFeather

Avuan and nature-inspired fabric creations

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