New Product

Still seeing lots of people at the Saturday Market in Eugene every week, just haven't been taking pictures. Seems to be wet every Saturday - ah, but the weatherman says sun next week. So ready for it. Even with the rain, we had a visitor stop buy to get a set for her Mom in California. Mom liked them so much that she ordered a set for her Mother and Mother-in-law. Nice to see that happen.

Meanwhile, Beth keeps finding fun fabrics and making new sets. Here's a picture of one of the new ones and we should have the website updated with them and others this week.

Hope to see you this coming weekend to check out our new Bag-bag sets (like above with a tote and 6 produce/bulk food bags) and our Six Bag Sets.

Saturday Market - 10/29/10

It's starting to wind down toward the end of the 2010 season at the Eugene Saturday Market, but that just means we're winding up to the Holiday Market. Then a chance to catch our collective breath and get ready for 2011 - hard to believe.

It was pre-Halloween fun and scary times this past Saturday. We almost had to run and hide from this very, very scary witch who wandered by. But, we stood our ground.

We always seem to hear some interesting stories about our bags, like how they're being used or where they've traveled to with their new parents, stuff like that. But here was one we sure didn't see coming. Our friend and neighbor at the market, Heather, had purchased a set of bags for her vegetable (and other grocery) shopping. She decided to leave here tomatoes in a bag when she stored them in the fridge. While her husband, Rick, was looking for something in the refrigerator, he saw the bag and got a bit puzzled. He asked Heather why she had pajamas for the tomatoes. Just another reason to get some Bzz Bags. You wouldn't want your veggies to have to sleep naked - its cold in there.

Thanks for the story Heather. You can find Heather at the Saturday Market or online at a few places - earnestefforts.com or earnesteffortsnaturalwoodworking.blogspot.com and also on etsy at earnestefforts.etsy.com. Great crafted wood stuff. We had to get one for a present recently.

Remember to bring your bags to the market everyone - BYOB.

Saturday Market - 5/15/2010

Saturday Market now dives into its 41st year with the birthday celebration taking place for the 40th last week. And to celebrate, the weather was magnificent. Lots of musicians out and about Saturday also, and here's picture-proof. Didn't catch their group's name, but it was some good bluegrass and we sure appreciated them playing in front of our little space.

Again, a great turnout to enjoy the day, the local made-products, good food and enjoyable people-watching.

We sold a few sets of Bzz Bags which always makes us feel great knowing that more and more people are using reusable, recyclable materials to do their shopping. We see a number of people that have purchased our bags in the past and sure makes us happy to hear that they are taking them to the store each week. Thanks everyone.

We've mentioned before that we make custom bags too. We have made some bags for a local bagel store, a market vendor for hair sticks and have had recent requests for a cell phone bag and one for party gifts, so there are lots of fun, inventive was to find uses. But for us, the most important is to use bags as a replacement for plastic. We've found, in our house that our overall use of plastic has been reduced by about 90%. Just think, if everyone did that . . . So, make your own, find someone online or buy ours, but please remember to BYOB to the store.

See ya next time.

Saturday Market - 5/8/2010

Saturday Market was exceptional this past weekend. Best weather this year and the turnout was a direct reflection. All the vendor spots were filled and people just poured in. Great people, great entertainment - what a fun mix for a weekend. Here's a shot of a dancing fairy (not her, in her left hand) and face painting. Fun stuff for the kids.

We're getting a lot of requests this year for custom bags and we love making them for specific situations. We've done some for hair sticks, for bagels, we have some for coffee beans and of course many sets for your grocery shopping bulk food and produce, either in sets or individual if you prefer.

Come by and say "hi" next Saturday and/or stop by our website and see what we have. BzzBags.com (we pronounce it Bee's Bags, but call it whatever you want, just BYOB to the store). Help save our planet one bag at a time by using reusable cotton bags as an alternative to plastic in your daily adventures.

Last Bzz Bags Saturday Market for 2009

It's been a great first year for us at the Saturday Market in Eugene. We'd like to thank the team that coordinates the event and allowed us to be a part. We were unable to attend this weekend due to being a bit under the weather, so sorry if you came by. But remember to come visit the Bzz Bags website - because I know you'll miss us.

Beth is working on some new combinations of tote bags (we like to call them Bzz Bags' bags for bags - 4Bs) with coordinated bulk food and produce bags. The first tests look very cool and work well for sure. We'll get some pictures of them here and on the website soon, but for now, here's one under construction.

Just wanted to thank everyone who was motivated to either buy our product or make their own in an effort to help save our planet one bag at a time. Remember to BYOB every time you go to the store. After you've done it 6 or 7 times, it starts becoming routine and you'd feel like you were missing something if you didn't pack them up.

Saturday Market - 10/10

Another market day come and gone. Good turnout on a day that required some patients to get the sun up and started. Eventually the coffee kicked in and the sun and people got more active. Thank you to those that came out - no Duck game to compete with in town this time.

Wanted to take a second and introduce our Bzz Bags coffee bean bag - one of our newer family members. As with all of our other bags, it is 100% cotton with an elastic band at the mouth of the bag for easy access. Just need to wrap a tie (supplied by the store) to the top with the product number. We reuse our tie a number of times to create less waste that way too.

So join the recycle, save and BYOB generation. One way is through our website at BzzBags.com. Another is to stop by the Saturday Market in Eugene and see us. Heck, make your own or find another vendor online, just do it (sorry Nike).

Saturday Market - Eugene 10/3

Summer has left us, as you could see Saturday with the change of leaves, cooler weather and a Saturday Market that had most of the Oregon Duck football team cruising through. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the team as we were still setting up to help save the planet one bag at a time. Not a bad turnout with rain predicted that never really materialized. We had a few droplets, but that was about it. The wind made it a little chilly, but it really didn't deter the market fans. So if you came out, thank you.

We wanted to share a picture of our newest set of bags to the Bzz Bag family. These are organic material. We'll be selling them in a set a seen here as well as individually - in two sizes. Take a look later this week on our website. We should have it updated by mid-week to include the new bags. I know a lot of people are really interested in using organic materials, so this is very exciting for us. Please visit us next Saturday or check it out online.

Saturday Market - Eugene 9/26

Wow, what a beautiful day it was in Eugene this past Saturday. Saw some friends today taking in the sun and the atmosphere. As you can see, the flowers were out and about, walking around - with a little help.

We're going to be at the next two markets, then take a little vacation, but back for more later in October. Hope you don't miss us too much.

There was another home Ducks game this weekend and made for some more interesting traffic. But if you come down during game time, no problem, just escape before the end. Eugene doesn't sport much in the way of traffic, except . . .

We should have some organic bags ready to go on the website this coming week, so stop by online and check it out. What a great way to help save the planet. Its one you can do easily, one bag at a time. Reduce your use of plastic bags in the landfill - and its really fun with a ton of different patterns to choose from. See ya'll soon.

Saturday Market - Eugene 9/19

No self-defined "good open market" would (or wood) be complete without a "tree guy" roaming the neighborhood. Just one of the many things you missed if you haven't been to the Saturday Market in Eugene. Lots of vendors sharing their talents, products and eccentricities. Now, this past Saturday was a little wet for the tree guy; he might have just grown roots.

But, we were there none-the-less and missed seeing you if you decided to stay home or go to the Oregon Duck game. Next time, stop by on your way to or from the game really support the area artisans and the green world. If you insist on staying home, then visit us here or on our Bzz Bags website.

Our organic bags are just around the corner and our cotton bulk food and produce bags are ready to start using today. Hey, have you put in your two cents worth yet on how to remember to bring your bags to the store? You can post your thoughts on our contest post.

See you next weekend, right?

Saturday Market - Eugene 9/5

Dispersed in this post are pictures from the Eugene Celebration parade. I'll let you figure out what the heck they all mean . . . It was a wet day at the market this Saturday and not as much activity as we would have liked. The Eugene Celebration was going on at the same time and the parade was in the "back yard" of our booth.This year's theme was "Strange We Can Believe In," and no, I have no idea what that means, but it sure fits Eugene. But we weathered the storms and held the front lines - where were you? In the safety and dryness of your homes? I guess I can't blame you for that one. So come out and see us next weekend and we'll call it even.
Hey, don't forget to go to our contest post and help us figure out the best way to remember to bring your bags to the store. It only does good to have some if you use them. Gotta start changing the mindset and old habits (hope I didn't offend any nuns out there reading this). We just extended the contest to last through the end of October to makes sure we get a stockpile of great ideas. Next subject is organic bags. We're just about done with our first set and will have them up and available on our website - BzzBags.com - in a week or so. These will cost a little more as the fabric is a bit pricier, but for those that find organic material important, it should be no problem. We're excited about being able to offer this new product along with all our other 100% cotton fabrics.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Never a dull moment in Eugene.

Saturday Market - Eugene 8/22

Another Saturday Market in Eugene, another beautiful day to spend outside. About 82 today with morning clouds - perfect.
Met a lot of great people this weekend, so if you weren't there, you missed out. Here's some pics for you to soak in. I'm telling you, it was nice and the fountains help for a great ambiance.

These guys were probably just taking a break from their intensive Bzz Bags shopping experience. There we are in the background. Hope you stop by next weekend. See you there.

Organic Bags Coming Soon

Exciting news for those who are organically driven. Bzz Bags is going organic with new certified organic fabric. We will continue to use the popular elastic banding sewn into the opening of the bag, so you'll get the best of both worlds.

No pictures to share yet, but it will be coming soon. Come on out to the Saturday Market in Eugene or visit the us at BzzBags.com to see what we've come up with for you.

So, until then, keep remembering to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bags. Whether you're buying from Bzz Bags, making your own or buying from someone else, the important thing is to remember to grab them, take them to the store and use them over and over again. We've got one planet and we should all think green - do the right thing - help save our planet one bag at a time. Recycle what you can't reuse and think about leaving this place in better shape than it when you first got to it. That's just got to make you feel good.

Saturday Market - Eugene 7/18

Got a lot of feedback from our give away of bags from last week. We heard and saw people using them at the market today and it really feels like a grass roots push. Can't wait to start hearing from people at the grocery stores in the area.

It was warm today in Eugene - low 90's, with a decent turn-out. Here's a picture of a local pirate. Okay, probably not a pirate, but he did have a bird on his shoulder. They don't allow dogs at the market, so I'm only guessing here, but this must have been his next best choice - man's second-best friend.

Speaking of birds, we've started to Twitter - so feel free to check it out on the site. You can also see the most recent twitters just to the right of this - second from the top.

Have a great one folks and don't forget to Bring Your Own Bags (BYOB) when you go to the store. Lot's of folks are starting to now and its definately the thing to do. Get ours, make your own, buy from someone else, just do it. Its fun to watch things change and head in a more responsible direction and its even more fun to know that you're part of the change.

Saturday Market - Eugene 7/11

Lil, my grandaughter came to the Saturday Market this weekend. I never mentioned that you can get your face painted while you're standing in the long line to buy Bzz Bags. Hard to understand, but Lilian would have more fun getting her face painted instead of helping us sell bags. I would have chosen a bag painted on mine, but she, for some reason, chose a unicorn - kids, what ya gonna do?

BYOB - just Bring Your Own Bags and everything else is gravy.

4th of July Market

Summer's here in Eugene, Oregon. Our Saturday Market was at about 94 degrees today. Hey, this is why we moved away from the desert!!! Oh, well, we also moved here because we love the seasons, so much to my dismay, summer is a season too. Here's a quick shot of people waiting at the start of the Saturday Market on July 4th.

In addition to crafts and other hand-made items (like Bzz Bags), they have some great food and a large locally grown fresh produce area. This picture shows where we sign up in the AM, and behind that is the produce section. We set up off to the left around a grassy area this time.

Hope to see you next week. Come on by, we've request slightly cooler weather for that weekend.

Promoting BYOB

Here's a fun way to promote Bring Your Own Bag. Lots of us like to wear stuff that says how we feel. Well, dang it, I feel that we should bring our own bags to the grocery store and do what we can to save the planet. This is Bzz Bags way of saying how we feel - and we think it looks kinda cool too.

So jump on board and pick a shirt or a hat or whatever you find on our Cafe Press site we call BYOBzzBag. Have some fun with it, I know we have already. See you at the grocery store.

Saturday Market - Eugene 6/20

We had great weather this past Saturday for the Eugene Saturday Market. No rain, in the mid-60's with some sunshine peaking through every once in awhile. A little light on attendance this week, but lots of food, fun, music and good company. This is a great open air market venue with hand made items from around the state. Come on by and visit us or just listen to the music.



Here's a picture of one little corner of the market this past week. We had a small 4' booth and talked to a lot of people about using resuable bags and being good friends of the environment. Cool stuff. And another shot of some of the local musicians. We look forward to seeing you here next week.

Eugene Saturday Market 2009

I'm happy to say that I've joined the Eugene Saturday Market (Eugene, Oregon). They are celebrating their 40 year anniversary this year http://eugenesaturdaymarket.org/. This is a fun venue for artisans and is adjacent to the farmers market. Both support local businesses. Please come on by and check out the event any Saturday from now through November from 10 AM to 5 PM.



Hey, don't forget that June is National Pollinators' Month. So, help the bees and plant some flowers.
Visit our website at bzzbags.com and see what we've go new to offer. Or better yet, come visit us at the Saturday Market - fun in the sun.

Pollinators Partnership, Bzz Bags & Cottage Grove Growers Market

Bzz Bags is proud to be a supporter of The Pollinators Partnership. Pollinators are birds, bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, beetles and bats that help transfer pollen between seed plants. Recently, I became aware of what has been dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which refers to honey bee colonies around the world that have been mysteriously disappearing. Remember that many (nearly 80%) of the world's crops require pollination. So, its a big deal if it doesn't get done and we certainly rely on nature to do its part.

When Bzz Bags begins to market our produce and bulk food bags, planned for the beginning of summer in our "home town" of Cottage Grove, a portion of our profits will be donated to this group and a cause that certainly gives us pause and concern.

So, feel free to join us in Cottage Grove in Oregon on Wednesdays in the park downtown (Coiner Park) starting June 25th. The first week happens to coincide with National Pollinators' Week, which is recognized in many states - Oregon currently is an exception. I have written to Governor Kulongoske to request that Oregon jump on the bandwagon, but either way, I will be giving my support and would love to have yours. In addition to Bzz Bags, there will be many local growers and artisans along with live music. I will be there each Wednesday throughout the summer, so come on by and have some fun and maybe even help save the planet . . . one bag at a time.

The weekly events are a combination of "Concerts in the Park" and "Cottage Grove Growers' Market." Remember Wednesdays throughout the summer - late afternoon through early evening - 4PM to 8 PM. Have some fun, get some good deals and great locally grown produce, oh and save the world.

I have a blog

Well this is my stuff an here's my first blog. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Bags from the bag lady.

Cafe Press has some fun products with Bzz Bags logo imprinted if you're interested. The bags will be available soon through this blog and on my upcoming website. For now, you can give me a call at 541-521-3097 or write me at Beth@BzzBags.com. Here are some of my current fabric samples, but there are lots more. Talk to you soon.