Captain America

I'm driven to create something different with my bags, so an opportunity to get sublimely creative arose with the results of asking @symatt what he'd like to see in a bag.

He surprised me with a response of Captain America.  Inspritation struck me pretty solidly with that.
At first I imagined appliques cut from the same panne velvet I'd used on the exterrior in shades of red  white and blue.  Sadly, the appliques failed and I resorted to embroidering the Captain's sheild upon the bag with pleasing results.

at max capacity



I initially picked out the rough shape of the shield with a pattern I initially used for the applique in a single strand of floss which was later covered with the outlining done in a stem stitch.  I filled in the remaining rings with chain stitches and repeated the process for the star in the center, but left the center clear of stitching, allowing the background blue to show through.

a medium bag can hold this much dice!!!

Considering I was embroidering without a hoop on a curve, I hope that alone speaks for my skill.

I'm looking forward to sharing more of these customized creations, it's a true chance to push my limits as a dice bag maker.

The winner of FreeDiceBagThursday

Congratulations goes out to @BlkbyrnePublish for winning this week's Free Dice Bag Thursday!

I'm looking forward to August 11th when I bring the contest back in full force.  Until then, keep track of the blog as I'll be posting regular updates as to the business at hand.

To start with, I'm deciding to let my Etsy expire or sell off the items I have there.  I almost feel I'd have better luck and more control of my items if I were to have a website of my own.  This isn't going to be an easy task, but as soon as I officially launch the site, it will be the only thing I talk about for a while.

I'm devising several lines for future reference.  The bare basics are going to be colorful, but ordinary bags in two to three colors depending on the prefferences and if there are requests.  I'll also have Limited Edition line made with specialty fabrics.  Customization will always be available as well.  Then I will offer my much talked about Showcase line; the Cthulu, Steampunk, Rose Garden and the highly anticipated Dragonscale bags.  This last line will be among my highest price due to the amount of detail involved.  I hope to have these created within due time and have a starting stock developed soon.

Prize for July 21, 2011

This week's prize is a small bag in fuchia with holographic butterflies on the exterior with a berry panne velvet liner.  This little charmer can hold up to three or more sets of dice and/or keys, money and IDs or Credit cards.

Sadly this is the last of the current run of bags that I've designated for the giveaways.  Rest assured I'll have more to offer soon.

items in bag are there to show scale, not included

As mentioned before, I will be taking time off from Free Dice Bag Thursday in order to work on more stock and to enter sewing competitions.  I will resume the contest August 11th with much suprises to be had.

dice not included

Many more options will soon be available for the giveaways.

What's kind of new baggage is going on?

Starting to build prototypes for some new products that I hope to tickle your fancies with. 

First a little nod to fantasy with my much rumored Dragonscale bag.  This one proves to be my most challenging bag yet to make as each scale is individually sewn on.  I'm willing to consider making this one by request only with payment in advance as it's a very complex piece.  However, it's sure to be a conversation starter at the game table, and a good source of pride as well.

From fantasy to horror we go as I take the number of points of each bag from four to eight, in tribute to the infamous Elder god of Lovecraftian lore, Cthulu.  This bag I think will do well in shades of blue, green and grey with menacing eyes embroidered on the body of the bag.  Something downright creepy to stick your hand in as you reach for your lucky dice!

From horrific to lovely; if you're fancying a bit of elegance I'll have the rose garden bag soon available in a garden variety of color as handcrafted rosettes and leaves rest around the points of the bag.  Perfect for those with a bit of class.

Classy become crafty as we get geared up into a line of steampunk bags replete with pockets, holders and clips galore!  You'll be able to carry it all in these wonderfully steampunked bags in warm or dark colors. 

Prices will be determined upon the final creation of the prototype bags.  Some will be made available through my Etsy on limited basis, others will be made on order.

Winner of Free Dice Bag Thursday 7-14-2011

A big congratulations to this weeks winner of the Free Dice Bag Thursday drawing, @ubiquitousrat!

Again, I had a wonderful turnout for the weekly drawing and had a hard time only giving one away at a time.  Regretfully, as of this moment I've only one left to give.

As such, I'll be taking a short break from Free Dice Bag Thursdays to replenish the giveaway bags.  Many of these will be of specialized fabrics that I have limited quantities of.  Some may be of larger sizes than I've given away previously.  Perhaps I may even do a few for specific comic book characters from the matierals I have.  After July 21st, I'll start my break and start making more giveaway bags. 

I"ll resume the giveaways on August 4th and continue on through September 29th at which time I will have to take another break due to scheduling conflicts with my full time position.  I will however, continue to make and sell bags during those times, so if you simply must have a bag, they are still available to purchase.  As of November 3rd, I'll start my holiday sales and step up on some very special giveaways.  I'll look forward to all of it and I hope you do too!

Prize for July 14, 2011

This weeks prize for Free Dice Bag Thursday is a small purple bag with multicolored butterflies on the exterior.  This little charmer will hold up to three to four sets of dice or keys, money and ID/Credit Cards.  The exterior is made from faux silk with a metallic butterfly print mesh and a deep purple panne velvet liner.  It closes with a pair of gold cord drawstrings.

does not include items inside

dice is shown for scale only, not included

This can be yours if you join us Thursday for the giveaway drawing!

New products and other things on the horizon

One of the things I'm sure you are all curious about is "what is possible with these bags?"

My answer is this; Anything.

Pick a theme, a school, a team, a favorite color, a business logo, a movie, a comic, a season, a region of the world...
You name it, the possibilities are endless.  It's easy too.

Say your thing is for comics.  The four color world is no stranger to me.  Green Lantern your fave?  Green black and white the colors, with green and black alternating on the exterior shell and a white liner and black drawstrings.

wow...look at that.  All that's left to do is add your initials and the bags done!

How fast can I make a bag?  It takes me about an hour and a half to make a very basic bag as described above.  I can do more though.  Got an emblem you want to use?  What about your initials in super large letters in a crazy font like Wizardspeak?  maybe a four-color tribute with explosive bursts of color with "Pow" "Bam" "Crash" "Smash" on it?  Entirely possible.

I invite any of you to come up with your own unique design for a dice bag.  All you need are the following

• One to twelve colors.
• A choice of color on drawstrings
• Initials for one point
• any symbol, letters or design you want.  If you can describe it, great, a picture is even better.

I can make each panel a different color if nesscessary.  I can add ruffles, ribbon, braid, fringe, beads, sequin, embroidery, rosettes, appliques and any number of things you choose.

If you want to see if I can make something for you, contact me through my Twitter account or email me at crazyredgeekbags@hotmail.com and tell me what you'd like!  Please see the page above to get a price list. Any small businesses interested in carrying my bags are welcome to contact me for quantity pricing.

and the results are in...

A big contratulations to @JediJayne for her win of this week's Free Dice Bag Giveaway drawing!

I must admit to being absolutely blown away by the huge response I got this week, and I can only hope for more!  There will be more bags in the making, but all the bags I'll be giving away will be the smallest size I make.  I won't be making any more small bags available on my Etsy for this reason. 

One thing I will be making available on my Etsy will be the option to customize a bag.  That's right.  Have a thing for the Joker?  Something like this might tickle your fancy as well as your funnybone



If that's not enough for you, another option would be Embellished Customization...it'll take longer to make, but...

...sometimes you need a little razzle dazzle to liven things up a bit.  Embellished Customization would include everything from sequins, beads and appliques to hand and machine embroidery techniques.  Designs would be completely up to the customer's specifications.  So get dreaming about a dice bag that becomes a truly unique statement!

Drawing for 7/7/11

First official drawing of July...and the prize for this Free Dice Bag Thursday is this lovely Bright pink bag with multicolored butterflies.  All of my small bags can hold a little more than three sets of dice, or money, keys and ID's/credit cards.  Small enough to tuck into a pocket but large enough to be useful.

items in bag are not part of prize



dice present only to show scale, not included



To update the rules. the Advertising tweets don't seem to be working, so I'll try to increase the regularity with which I run the competition tweet.  Just to remind, the competition tweet has a link to the rules and a picture of the prize shown above.

I'm making it a personal goal to see #freedicebagThursday trending!

The Possibilities are Endless

Indeed they are.  With my bags, I can embroider, do bead work, appliques, create a unique and individual look.  I plan on placing a customized bag listing on my Etsy store in two sizes, medium and large and with multiple options. 

The Regular Customization would be quite simply your choice of colors (up to twelve, but you'll only need three to four) and fabrics (any lightweight will suffice).

The Embellished Customization takes it into the realm of the embroidery, top-stitching, bead work and appliques that truly make it your bag.  In the Embellished Customization you could also add interior pockets to keep your money and cards hidden while still carrying your dice.  The embroidery is all done by hand and offers a charming homespun look while bead work offers a bit of sparkle and pizazz.  Top-stitching is a simple stitch running along all the finished edges of  the bag and along the seams to give it a clean, well-made appearance.  Appliques are hand cut from contrasting and complementing fabrics and sewn to the exterior and points of the bag to give the right impression you're looking for.

I offer to include embroidering the name of the prospective owner of one of the Embellished bags along with the embellishments they request to really add a personal touch.  The amount of work on the Embellished customization does require a higher price tag and a longer time to make it, but the results would be worth it.

Still will have to make my samples, so keep an eye out!

Another change in the rules...

First, a big congratulations to @deadite101 for winning the bag on June 30!

I've noticed that not all the people who retweet the competition tweet will actually show as having retweeted the competition tweet.  So I amend the rules to allow for those instances.  I will allow for multiple retweets of the competition tweets, but each person is considered one entry.  I do not count how many times a person has entered, that is as fair as I can make it.  But there is incentive.

I will allow for future deals, online coupons at my Etsy for those of you who engage in frequent retweeting of my competition tweet.  The amount of the discount depends on the frequency, going as high as 50% off for the most frequent of retweeters and would last for a limited time, but I'm not stingy.  I can let a single person have a limited time coupon several times..  These coupons I will give individuals following me through DMs.  Don't think I don't notice and won't award accordingly. 

I'm also reconsidering how many bags I give away in a week.  In order to keep my drawing fair, I keep careful records of who wins and who doesn't and who enters.  Winners will not be eligible to win another, however they are eligible for some of my higher end coupons.