The One Woman Show!

Most successful businesses have a whole staff of people to do the many things that it takes to operate that business.  But for us small home businesses trying to make a go of it in this world it usually is just a one woman or man show!

Today for Boot Camp our assignment was to set up a Tumblr Account.  I thought this would be pretty simple, but this was quite the challenge for me today.  Where is the IT Department when you need them??????  I was finally able to get it going but I know I will still be tweeking it as I move forward.

Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Tumblr, Pinterest, sometimes it is enough to make your head spin.  However I know  all of these things are a must in order to get your business out there.

I draw from what inspires me and that is my Faith.  Faith that the Good Lord above is with me and will help me overcome any obstacles I may face.  So watch out Tumblr my Faith is much bigger than any amount of links, buttons, or pages you can throw at me! This one woman show is on the road to bigger and better things, watch for us we may be performing in your town soon!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

www.twitter.com/BagsbyHags

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

The Grand Tour.....

I see you are out for a Sunday drive, wow how neat you have chosen to drive down the road I live on!

You have found my house! Pull on in the drive and I will be glad to give you the Grand Tour!

Come on in !

First you will see where I do all my hard work for HMC Boot Camp John Keeps me company while I work!

Next we will head around the corner through the kitchen, Miss Kitty! You are not supposed to be on the counter!

Here at the back of the kitchen you will see my little work area, this is where all the magic of Bags By Hags  happens, sorry its a little messy I wasn't expecting company today.

Next lets head down the hall, I want you to meet the best Mom in the world! I am so blessed to be able to care for her, Hi Mom and Tootsie (Tootsie is mom's ultra spoiled dog!)

Next we will head out to the back yard, I love sitting on my patio it is very peaceful out here!

Look over here, my two little monsters! Doc and Ringo, they really are very sweet but trouble finds them sometimes!

Oh you see the goats? Yes my sister and my good friend live next door those are their goats, I just love them! It is awesome living next door to my sister! We would go visit but they had to go to Ft. Worth today. Maybe next time!

Well that about concludes the tour, sorry you have to go, I do have a ton of things I need to be working on! Drive safe and please come back anytime! 

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

www.twitter.com/BagsbyHags 

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Dance With Me......

I love to dance, I have loved it since I was little.  I love to go dancing with my husband he is the best Texas Three Stepper around! But here recently I have discovered the fun of dancing with two new partners.  My grand-daughters.  I have 3 of them but the baby is only a month old so she hasn't learned the art of dancing with Nona just yet.

Natalie Jo is almost 4 and loves to dance with me, her favorite thing to do is to run to my work area when I am working on things for my shop and dance to the oldies I have playing on my radio.  Her favorite song is Sugar, Sugar  by The Archie's. We dance around and the sillier I dance the more she giggles!  Here she is helping me make brownies, we also dance while we are doing that!

Next we have Anna, she is 16 months old and is just learning the art and fun of dancing with Nona, now that she is toddling all around she takes off after her sister to come to the work area and join us to dance.  She just stomps those little legs and bobs her head.  Again the more silly we dance the louder the giggles.  She also loves to sit on my work table and be silly with some of my trim as you can see by this picture.

I will never be selected to compete on Dancing With The Stars, but I have the most fun dancing with my little stars!  I never have to go searching for something fun to do, all I have to do is go get my grandchildren and it is always a fun filled day! 

I hope you have a great day and do something fun-something that you love to do! I may have to go get my two little partners, as I know we will always have a good time and I know they will Dance With Me.

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

www.twitter.com/BagsbyHags 
BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Pinterest is Addicting!

Hello my name is Marsha and I am addicted to Pinterest!

We all know by now that Pinterest is the hottest ticket in town these days.  I can get lost for hours on that sight, my goodness there is so much neat stuff! Hairstyles, Recipes, DIY items, it is like Disneyland for adults you just can't see it all in one day so you have to make a return trip!

I found some great stuff this week and thought I would share a couple of those items with you.

As a sewer this was a great find for me, I really want one of these!



You can see the full tutorial here

I also found this and I believe we all need to remember this one from time to time:



And finally a great recipe for you!  I actually pinned this one a couple of weeks ago, but I did want to share it as I tried these and let me tell you they are REALLY GOOD!

For the full recipe click here

Keep watching for more of my great finds from my Pinterest addiction!
If you would like to follow me on Pinterest you can find me here:

www.pinterest.com/bagsbyhags

Until next time:  HAPPY PINNING!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

A Niche In Time......

If you are attempting to build a successful business then you know the importance of finding your "Niche" Market.  If your business was a Mechanic Shop then of course you would market to those who needed work done on their vehicles. But what if you are an eclectic creator?  The definition of eclectic is:  Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.  That definition pretty much sums up Bags By Hags!

While my overall target audience is to women who are interested in unique, handmade items.  I do have other items in my shop that would cater to different types of people. 

Aprons, Pot Holder Handles, Potato Bags - would be a great find for those who enjoy being in the kitchen.

Denim Purses - are all made from up-cycled jeans and would be of great interest to those who want eco friendly products.

Bible Covers - are a great item for the Christian Community.

As my Shop title reads From Fashion Accessories to Home Necessities I have just a little bit of everything. 

While it is a challenge to find your "Niche" in the market, I enjoy being able to offer items that cater to everyone. Come One Come All!   

I did join a new group yesterday:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/397727530261555/  This group is for all Handmade/Homemade artist to share their items all over.  It is set up where you can place your items into albums and people can just click on your album instead of your post getting lost in the thread.  I hope to learn some new things from other Handmade artist and yesterday I got a request for a special made apron so I am really excited about that. 

Whatever your "Niche" may be, I wish you luck, blessings, and much success!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags  

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Tips From Texas - Make what you Love.....

Today I thought I would share with you something I learned this past weekend.

I had my first Craft Show at Antique Alley, this is a community wide event that runs for miles from one town to the next with Vendors of all kinds setting up to sell their items.  This is a high traffic event as you can see from the photos.

Cars are backed up farther than you can see! 

My thought was how to know what to make to get all these people to stop by my booth and buy from me? 

Let me just tell you if you fixate on that you will drive yourself crazy!  One day everyone wanted the Purses, while the next day everyone wanted the Pot Holder Handles.  

On my way home on the second day I decided the best thing I can do is make things that I love and that I would use, because if I love them that is going to shine through as I tell people about my items as they stop by my booth. 

My tip from Texas is MAKE WHAT YOU LOVE! Be sure to make it with Love also.  To see all the things I Love feel free to visit my Shop 

Keep watching our blog for more Tips From Texas!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags  

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Stop and Smell The Roses

In this hustle and bustle world we live in, we often forget to stop and enjoy the little things that we are blessed with every day.  A glorious sunrise, the birds singing, and of course the roses blooming.

I took some time this morning to walk out in the beautiful sunshine in my front yard and noticed my roses.  I took a few minutes even though I have a million things to do it seems, and just admired this beautiful flower.

Sometimes the smallest things can be the biggest blessing of the day!

I hope you take a few minutes today to stop and smell the roses.  You will be so glad you did!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Lets Talk Potato Bags.......

To me there is nothing better than baked potatoes, they are great with just about everything! But baking them in the oven takes forever, plus in the hot summer time who wants to have the oven heating up your whole kitchen and house? You might say well just toss them in the microwave, you can do that but they come out all shriveled. That is why I love my Potato Bag!

What is a Potato Bag? It is the Bees Knees!  It is a bag that is designed to put your potatoes in and cook them in the microwave without them coming out so shriveled and tough.   Really simple to use:  wash your potatoes, do not poke holes in them, place them in the bag, then toss in the microwave.

But these great bags are not just for potatoes! They are also wonderful for heating tortillas, and they remain soft! You can also use the bag to warm rolls and biscuits.

Potato Bags can be made in a variety of colors to compliment your kitchen decor.  If you have a pattern/color style you would like to see please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to make you one!

These are a great item, make a great gift, and are a great price! To see all the styles currently available please visit our Shop and watch for more styles coming soon!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag of Bags By Hags
www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45
www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags
www.twitter.com/BagsbyHags
BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Bags By Hags Bargain Days

Starting today Bags By Hags will begin offering Bargain Days each Sunday for 48 hours only.  Each week one item from our shop will be offered at a great bargain price!

For today's Bargain Day Deal I will be offering this great Crafting Half Apron!  This Apron is regularly priced $7.00 but for the next 48 hours hours this apron is on sale for $4.50!

This is a great price on a very useful item! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with which item from our shop will be the next great Bargain!


Have a great Sunday!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags  

BagsbyHags@gmail.com 

Salute the Upcoming Summer!

Summer will be here before we know it!

What makes you think of Summer?  For me it is cookouts, lightening bugs, longer hours of daylight, eating homemade ice cream on the porch, baseball, and of course July 4th!

In honor of a good ole American Summer I am going to share my American Flag Tie Purse with everyone.

First I started with a pattern from Diana Rupp from the Sew Everything Workshop book and modified it myself to create a larger purse.

I placed my pattern I had made on the fold of my chosen fabric and cut it out. 

For the Interior I chose navy blue and for the exterior I chose a print with the American Flag on it. 

I sewed my lining piece first, then my exterior piece, and then inserted the exterior into the lining piece right sides together and sewed it up. 

Turned it inside out and sewed the bottom.

Here is a  photo of the inside of my purse.

And here is a photo of the outside(exterior) of my purse.

Once my purse was sewn all together I added a metal snap at the center.  I then tie the top handles together and I am done! 

You are now ready to head off to that July 4th Celebration and show off your American Pride! 

To see more specifics about this purse you can visit my shop on Etsy, and find the listing here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98111825/american-flag-tie-purse-ooak

Just think we will all be enjoying all those Summer activities soon! 

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags  

Setting My Goals

Setting Goals is important not only for your business but for yourself as well. By setting goals you should not worry about setting yourself up for failure but instead focus on what you need to do to achieve those goals.

I have several personal goals but for today my focus will be on the goals for my business- Bags By Hags.

Short Term Goals: (Within the next 1-3 months)


1.  Have a structured schedule for the daily tasks that need my attention for my business.
2.  Have a complete list of items I want to focus on sewing (instead of heading to the workshop and asking myself what do I feel like sewing today?)
3.  Write on my blog daily.
4.  Have 100 items listed in my Etsy Shop.

Long Term Goals: (Within the next 6-12 months)
5.  Have my own website up and running and to see traffic and sales from that website.

Now that I have written these goals down I am actually excited to see how far I can go and how much I can achieve.  The sky is the limit!

What are your goals?
Whatever they may be, I wish you much success in achieving them, I truly want good things for everyone!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags

BagsbyHags@gmail.com

Faith is my Inspiration.....

Many times people will ask you what inspires you?  Many things can inspire us at different times from a beautiful color we see, to the setting sun, watching children play happily and so carefree.  Inspiration comes from all forms and is different for each person, but for me it is my Faith.

My faith is very important to me, without faith I would be an empty shell laying on a beach somewhere.  My faith has gotten me through many a rough spot, when I feel overwhelmed or frustrated I can draw deep down and my faith pulls me through.

When I sat down and started sewing my very bag it was my faith that I could do it that helped me finish that first item.  It was not very straight, the dimensions were off, and pretty much it was terrible.  But my faith is what told me "you can do this you have to keep trying" I am so glad I listened to that inner voice.  I would never have gotten where I am today without faith.

I also have faith that more good things are to come, I draw on it daily, because if I ever lose it I will lose the ability to create and move forward.

With the faith of a mustard seed we can move mountains! I will move my mountain after all I have Faith!

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags

www.etsy.com/shop/bagsbyhags45

www.facebook.com/BagsbyHags

twitter.com/BagsbyHags  

Today I began a new chapter for my business and hoping to help me realize my dream of having a successful business with Bags by Hags.  I started Boot Camp.  It has been a challenge but I am hoping that at the end of my 30 days, myself and my business will be fit and healthy!
If you would like to know more about this great opportunity please feel free to read more about it here:
http://handmadecircle.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/today-starts-boot-camp/

A fit business is a successful business!