Honeybear Lane

DIY Decorating

Catablog· Etsy· giveaway

Better Life Bags Giveaway!

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***** GIVEAWAY CLOSED *****

Today’s sponsor is my oldest Etsy friend. I actually found Rebecca on Etsy and noticed that she and I had a lot in common in business. So I contacted her and we started chatting about various business things and soon turned into friends. She runs the Etsy shop: Better Life Bags.

I have to tell you guys, her bags are SO great. She just made this beauty for me:

(Mine’s the one in the middle.  I love, love, love it!)

HBL:  How did you get started with your craft?

BLB:  When I was pregnant with my son, I couldn’t find a diaper bag that I loved. They were either too expensive or too boring. So, I decided to learn how to make a diaper bag using a fabric combination I wanted. I loved the thought of having a one-of-a-kind bag that I had designed myself! Luckily, I had just gotten a great sewing machine for my birthday and had sewn a little in my “younger years”. I had a dear friend help me get through the first one and teach me the essentials of bag making. Now I can’t break away from my sewing machine. It’s my better half.

Freitas Ruffle Clutch…I absolutely HEART Amy Butler’s fabric, don’t you?

HBL:  What do you love about your craft?

BLB:  I love taking pieces of gorgeous material, cutting it up, and sewing it back together into a fun bag creation! There’s something satisfactory about creating something from nothing. I also love that each bag I make is different and unique. My customers get to design their own by picking out fabric for each part of the bags I create. This makes for many different combinations and versions of the same style. It’s never boring!

Lovin’ these checkbook covers:  I bet she would even add some slots for credit cards if you asked her!

HBL:  Why did you decide to go into business with it?

BLB:  Well, I never planned to open a business with my craft. It sort of happened by accident. Like I mentioned before, I made myself a diaper bag and then posted pictures of it on Facebook. Within a week, I had a request to make one for a pregnant friend and she paid me for it! After posting the picture of that bag, I had another request for a large tote bag. And the Nicole was born. People kept ordering, so I kept sewing!

The Carla:  Design Your Own!

HBL:  Why did you decide to have it be charitable?

BLB:  I’ve always loved ordering from companies that help others with the profits, and I wanted to do that from the very beginning – which is why we named it Better Life Bags (“making lives better one purse at a time”). My brother had just introduced me to www.kiva.org and I thought it would be an awesome idea to donate 10% of the bag transaction to a low-income entrepreneur in developing countries. Each of my customers receive a print out of who their bag went to help and what they are going to do with the money. The cool thing about Kiva is that the money is only loaned out and gets repaid back to me over a few months. I can then reloan the money out to someone else. So it’s like your bag never stops giving back!

How awesome is this diaper bag?!  You can convert it to have backpack straps too!

HBL:  Tell me about your family.

BLB:  I have a wonderful husband who I fell in love with 5 years ago and married 2 1/2 years later. We have an adorable son who turned one at the beginning of this month. And much to our surprise, we have a little girl due in January to make us a family of FOUR!

The Maggie Ruffle Purse

HBL:  Describe a typical day for you.

BLB:  My son wakes me up at 8am and we snuggle in bed while he drinks his bottle of milk. Sometimes we stay there for an hour – sometimes 10 minutes. Either way, it’s my favorite part of the day. Mornings are usually busy for us and it’s good to wear my son out before his nap, so we run errands, go to Bible Study, play outside, go to library story time, etc… Naps are golden for me as I get some time to myself. Since my husband works part time and goes to school part time, he often has a few hours every day or so to spend with our son while I get caught up on bag orders. I’m very thankful for him and for his support for our small business!

The Nicole:  Design Your Own!

HBL:  Where do you hope to see your business go in the next 5 years?

BLB:  This one makes me excited! We just recently moved to a poor area of Detroit, MI where there are a lot of 1st generation immigrants from Yemen. These Yemeni women rarely leave their homes and can’t get jobs out in public because their families are very conservative Muslims. I hope to be able to hire some of them within the next five years to not only give them something to do at home but to also help them out financially. I’m so inspired by stories I hear of businesses hiring women overseas to make quality products and then providing a market for them to sell to in order to earn income for their families. I’m going to start highlighting some of these companies on my blog in the next few weeks… Christmas gift ideas! I REALLY want to use this business to help others profit like they do.

She is seriously such a great person and dedicates her life to helping others.  What a great person to support in business!  And you can be so happy to know that part of your money is going to help someone who is starting up their own business.  
Today she is going to offer you all $75 to her shop!
To enter this giveaway, just go to her shop, look around and comment back on what you love!
For more ways to enter (comment back each time):
  • Go visit her BLOG and follow her!
  • Like her on Facebook!
  • Follow Honeybear Lane’s Blog (this one)
This giveaway will close on Friday, October 22nd at 11:59 PM

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Comments

  1. mommy e says

    The Carla slouch bag is the perfect thing! What fun to pick out your own colors, but it still fits on your shoulder to carry all those sippy cups and miscellaneous purse items we all have. Love it!

    Reply

  14. t.erickson says

    Wow!
    Though decision. I really like the Nicole and the Carla bag. And such an awesome cause! Keep up the great work.

    Reply

  30. Ross & Amanda Goodman- but mostly Amanda :) says

    I love her small totes. What a great way to supplement an income and help others. She sounds like a remarkable woman.

    Reply

  32. stefeni says

    I love the Carla slouch bag, and it's so awesome you can pick out what fabrics you want! I am now a follower of her blog.

    spunkycrayon at yahoo dot com

    Reply

  34. leardonsbelle says

    Wow what gorgeous bags. And such a great cause. I loved the Brynnda, Carla and Maggie. I don't know how I would choose! What a great baby shower gift!

    Reply

  37. The Sweeter Sweater Company says

    I love, love her bags; so cute! I would love a matching slouch bag, ruffle clutch, and check book cover.

    paskettc (at) gmail (dot com)

    Reply

  41. Andrea Campbell says

    I love the diaper bags!

    Heidi,
    I didn't know you were the brains behind this blog! I wanted to win one of your quilts for my new little guy!!!

    Andrea (Keller) Campbell

    Reply

  60. Michelle says

    I love the Nicole bag or the Emily bag. I wish my diaper bag was more fashionable! And it's starting to wear out after heavy duty use for 2 kids…so it's time for a new one!

    Reply

  61. Mimi says

    I absolutely love the Large Tote – Nicole with the bright green fabric and zebra print!! Oh my gosh! It reminds me so much of the Wee Tea Cozy I made for myself!!

    Reply

  73. We The Peterson Three says

    I love carrying big bags and am looking forward to having another baby. For my first child, I always shopped for big purses instead of diaper bags because they are much trendier and I can use them for longer, the Nicole bag is perfect!!

    Reply

  91. Beth Walls says

    I follow both blogs and I "like" Better Life bags on Facebook, too.
    I love all the bags, but I think I like the ruffled ones the best right now!

    Reply

  101. Christene {WhipperBerry} says

    Wow. I am so inspired by this woman's drive and vision to not only do something she loves, but improve the lives of others. I love the loan idea and how these bags can give again and again. A beautiful, life lifting thing! Bravo! I love the design your own slouch bags and clutches. These are lovely!

    Reply

  102. Corrine says

    I love all the bags! I think the maggie ruffle purse is probably my fav! I think the most wonderful thing is that she is helping others with the profits!

    Reply

  123. Silcox Stories says

    My birthday is coming up and I have been browsing etsy regularly lately for the perfect thing to spend my b-day money on and Better Life Bags has been at the top of my list, I think I would go with the Nicole although quite possibly the Carla. I would love to win one and then be able to continue on her path or paying it forward by purchasing one for someone else for a gift!

    Reply

  131. Heidi says

    I love the maggie bag, plus my purse fell apart this weekend and my hubby does not want me to buy another one, so this would be great to win

    Reply

  145. Nikki says

    I follow BLB on her blog. I love how she does amazing things with donating to Kiva.org. She's inspired me to donate myself as part of her group.

    Reply

  146. Nikki says

    I love the NICOLE bag…mainly because it was named after me! I use mine every day and love how she lets you create your own masterpiece. I'm also in love with my Beverly bags and my Judi. I could go on and on forever!

    Reply

  169. VickiT says

    What gorgeous work. I really had a hard time choosing just one because I love them all, but, I think I would choose the Cyndi if I were to win.

    Reply

  170. VickiT says

    I am now a follower of Better Life Bags via email notification. (fyi the email I use to follow blogs is different than the one tied to my comments)

    Reply

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