Summer Updates!

Summer is officially here - even in Washington! We are finally out of the 40’s (yes, I do mean temperature - Fahrenheit!) and into the upper 60’s. Sunshine is a good, good thing!

We are getting caught up on the backlog of orders that came in, and many of you will be receiving a package of goodies this week - thank you again for your patience!

In other news, our office will be closed from tomorrow, June 26 though Monday, July 7th. The website is always open (of course!) but there won’t be anyone here in the office to make your bags until July. Any orders that come in during that time will be completed when we re-open.

Oh, and a Happy 4th of July to everyone here in the states! Get out there and watch some fireworks, eat a hot dog & spend some quality time with your family & friends! That’s our plan…

The newsletters are still on hiatus, as the software that I need to load on to the computer is still hiding from me (here little box in storage!) so these will have to do in the interim. Please take a moment to sign up for an rss feed to get these direct to your inbox - it works just like our newsletter, and gets you here easily.

As always, if we can help you with anything, just drop us an email. If you don’t hear back from us right away, we may still be sewing frantically, or we may still be closed… if it’s before July 7th!

That’s all of the updates for now, have a fabulous week
Jennifer - the head bag gal!

June Update

Well, I am once again apologizing to you all for my lack of posting or updating.  It seems that my brain knew that National Headache Awareness Week was coming up (it’s this week, by the way) and wanted to make sure that I was aware of a headache.  It has been a doozy, I must say.  This particular migraine started the day after Mother’s Day, and it hasn’t gone away yet (yes, that’s 26 days for those counting) however it has begun to get better today.

For those waiting on an order to be shipped out, I am getting to them as I am able, however there have been many days that I couldn’t sew at all due to the migraine affecting my vision.  I do humbly ask for your patience.  If you ordered something for a gift, please let me know and we will work to get those out asap.

This is a short update, but I wanted to let everyone know what was going on.  Hopefully this will pass soon and life will get back to normal.

Oh, and a Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there!  We wouldn’t be who we are without you!

May Update

I know, I haven’t posted in a while… the last couple of weeks have been eventful! First, my computer crashed and I lost EVERYTHING - access to your orders included… albeit temporarily. I am slowly re-loading software and catching up on the website, so updates are still yet to be done.

We have also been hit with another bug around here that brought everything to a screeching halt (as if technology didn’t attempt that already!) My daughter has strep - the majority of the past 2 weeks have been spent taking care of a sick child (and with the high contagiousness, I refuse to send those germs on to you!) so bags were put on hold.

She is back to school, the computer is running again, and we are getting back to work!

Thank you for your patience!

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In other news, I want to wish Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there! I hope you all had a fabulous day! We took my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law to tea (the girls idea) and then came home and had a quiet afternoon spent reading and relaxing.

There were plans to do a Mother’s Day bag combo, but with the computer not cooperating it hasn’t been posted yet! BUT just for you we are posting a link directly to the shopping cart for our May Feature…

Mother-Daughter Purses!

No, there isn’t a combined picture yet, but it is for a Rachel Purse and a Michaela Handbag - in matching or coordinating fabrics, or completely different fabrics, your choice! To order your set, just click here!

To get free shipping, use the coupon “Mothers-Love” before May 31, 2008.

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We are being featured in the Wickedly Chic blog this week too - if you are not a regular reader, head over to WickedlyChic.com to learn more about their giveaways and sign up for their weekly giveaway newsletter

Have a fabulous week everyone!
Jennifer

Happy Earth Day!

Today, April 22, is Earth Day, a day set aside to think about our planet and what we can do the make it a better place.

Those of us here at Mimsi Bags are thinking about it as well. We already make and use reusable grocery bags, we have planted a couple of trees this Spring, and we are anxiously awaiting the start of our weekly produce boxes from Garden Treasures - a local CSA farm.

This morning I posted a blog over at my recipe site on growing your own produce, which is something that we also do around here.  If you want to take a look, you can head over to cottage-recipes.com

There are so many little things that we all can do to help. It doesn’t have to be a big major life changing thing to make a difference. Just remembering to turn off a light or unplugging things when you don’t need them is a start that we can teach even the littlest to do. Carpooling to work or walking or riding a bike for short trips can help too. If you have the space for it, plant a tree - they help clean out the air, and they look pretty too. Some indoor plants have good health benefits too - english ivy and gerbera daisies are 2 great ones that look gorgeous - well, if they get enough water they do!

What are some ideas you have to help make the earth a better place for our grandchildren to live?

Wordless Wednesday

What I do

Why I do it!

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Why do we make grocery bags?

Grocery bags are a huge thing!  In a single day of shopping - not just at the grocery store - I can come home with up to 10 bags, each holding only 1 or 2 items.  When I bring my own bags, I can fit everything into 1 or  2 bags if I purchase a lot of items.

Going to the grocery store many families will come home with around 10 plastic bags from each trip!  Most people do not take the time to recycle these and if we are lucky they end up in a landfill.  Just walk or drive around the outer edges of a store parking lot and you will see plastic bags blowing in the wind, caught on a fence, tree or bush.  It is very sad.

Seattle is proposing a $0.20 bag tax on all disposable shopping bags within the city right now - which is the highest I have heard of to date.  San Francisco already has a bag tax, and many people are getting used to the idea of bringing their own bags.

Plastic bags are not good for our environment, as most people don’t think beyond the initial use.  You can reuse them for so many things!  If those things you reused them for are clean, you can then recycle them at many grocery stores.  My girls school PTA collects them and uses them as a fundraiser - they get $5 for every big bag of bags that they bring in - that can add up to a LOT of extra money for the school!

Paper bags aren’t much better - they can’t be made from recycled materials, as the fibers aren’t strong enough anymore to take the weight of groceries.  The toxins that are added into our waterways from the paper-making process aren’t good for our planet at all!

With a reusable fabric grocery bag, you can use the bag over and over and over, and if it gets dirty you can just throw it into the washing machine to get it clean again!  Many of the store bags cannot be washed - so what happens if you bring home a steak and it leaks?

We have made all of our larger bags with a coordinating storage bag so that it is more convenient for you to carry your grocery bags - just toss them into your car or the tote you carry all day so you will always have them handy when you stop by the store on your way home.

At Mimsi Bags, we have tried to make it as convenient as possible for you to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag!  And we help you do it with a little flair of your own!

Wordless Wednesday

A Fabulous Friday!

Well, Spring seems to be gone around here - it has been snowing for two days! I just hope my budding plants survive the freezing temperatures.

However, it is still a fabulous Friday, because I have some new bags to show you!

The first bag is a beautiful cream denim and silk shantung bag - in the Marguerite style.

What do you think? The under-side of the flap is the reverse of the denim fabric - still very beautiful! The pocket inside is made from gold satin, making this a very luxurious handbag all around!

I also want to remind you that our Elizabeth Tote Bag has been slightly updated, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each of them goes to help support women business owners! We are a member of WomenBizOwners.org, and we want to help other women business owners be able to get their businesses off the ground with a solid footing. Your Elizabeth Tote purchase will help them do just that!

Another bag that I want to share (but you can’t order this one!) is a Rachel Purse that I created just for a MS Awareness Auction going on in Indiana next month. As some of you may know, part of the proceeds from all Chieko Kids Book Totes and Rachel Wallets & Purses is going towards Ellen Osborn’s fundraising efforts for the Indiana MS Walk in April.

Take a look at our latest Rachel…

 We made it in a orange fabric, because orange is the color for MS Awareness!  If you like it, you can order your own, just let us know if you want fixed handles or a removable strap!

I think that just about does it for today - I have to go help get some more grocery bags made for the local CSA farm.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
Jennifer

Wordless Wednesday

as promised…

Promises, Promises…

I know I promised a picture of the wallet with a flap - and it looks beautiful! - but I can’t do it!  My camera has chosen to play hide-and-seek with me since last Thursday, and try as I might, I just can’t seem to locate it!  I will try to get a passable picture with my phone, but I can’t guarantee anything on that front!

I also have a brand new Marguerite bag to show you - it’s made from the cream embroidered denim fabric outside and gold shantung inside - it is stunning!  Bear with us as we tear the sewing room apart (again) in search of the elusive camera!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Jennifer