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Are you curious about what products are being made right here in Seattle? How the Seattle scene compares to other cities as far as manufacturing goes? Learn more, see more, meet new people and local companies starting Oct. 7-16, 2016. Swoop Bags is thrilled to be participating in Seattle Made Week this Saturday, October 8th at KEXP. We will be amongst 30 other local companies that will be offering their goods for sale AND 100 lucky customers will get swag bags upon opening so get their early and get a surprise bag of goodness!

When: Saturday 10/8, 11 – 4
Where: KEXP, 472 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Cost: Free

This is a week long celebration that starts Oct. 7-16th celebrating all things Seattle Made! You can check the schedule of events out here. Sneak peek of participating: BLZ, Caphiera, Chuckanut Botanicals, Fancy, Filigree, Five Ply Design, Hapertas & Company, Jane Domestic, IMPWEAR, Home Irene Aiko, JMccormick Designs, Luna Sandals, Matthew Porter Art, Metamorphic Gear, MOO-YOUNG, Neptune Creations, Off the Cuff Optics, Open the Cellar Door, Seattle Pickle Co., Swift Industries, Swoop Bags, The Dank Crystal, The Kitchen Imp, Victory Garden Yarn

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While perusing Pinterest the other day, we came across some really clever and fun DIY no-carve pumpkin ideas. Check out these less-mess, fun ideas here. We also sent this link out in our last newsletter and I had a few customers send us back some images (which are shown here ) of their own DIY pumpkins using a black sharpie, some natural packaging string and black acrylic paint. Voila ~ Instant cool! 

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We are so excited to announce that Swoop Bags is now one of the TOP THREE finalist in Red Tricycle’s Totally Awesome Awards in the category of “Home Essential Storage & Organizers.” Woo Hoo! We would love your vote! Voting runs until September 30th and the Finalist with the most votes will be the winner. If you love Swoop Bags, we need your votes! 

Please click HERE to cast your vote. THANK YOU!!

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The Art of The Brick exhibition at the Seattle Center this past summer was a show not to have been missed. Featuring world-renowned Lego artist Nathan Sawaya. He is a master award-winning artist who transforms Lego bricks into incredible Lego sculptures. It is simply amazing. 

Nathan says, ““These works are very personal to me, since they reflect my growth as an artist as I strove to discover my creative identity,” said Sawaya. “The museum exhibition is accessible because it engages the child in all of us while simultaneously illuminating sophisticated and complex concepts. Everyone can relate to the medium since it is a toy that many children have at home. But my goal with this exhibition when it first debuted in 2007 was to elevate this simple plaything to a place it has never been before.”

His next show is on October 20th, 2016 in Milan, Italy. I am glad we got to take the whole family to this one right here in Seattle. You can check out his Instagram feed here.

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It’s officially June! Bike rides, BBQs, farmers’ markets and the beach are calling and we’re teaming up with a few friends to make sure you’re ready to play hard this summer. To kickstart the summer we are doing a super cool GIVEAWAY with these other two PNW companies: Nutcase Helmets from Portland and Nuu-Muu Bellingham/Boise.

One winner will win this trio of prizes from each of the following: a Nutcase Helmet, a Swoop Go Bag, and a Nuu-Muu dress!

Click HERE to enter this summer Giveaway.

*** Contest ends June 10th 11:59PST.
Open to residents of the United States.

Terms and conditions: by entering the sweepstakes, you have agreed to receive Nutcase, Nuu-Muu, and Swoop Bags email marketing. Winner will be notified by email within one week of contest ending. Prize value approximately $250.

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Free Shipping in Washington state. Always! Since we do sales directly via our website, we want to offer our local Seattle and Washington customers free shipping. Also, if you are ever in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle, you can stop by our studio and we can arrange a time for you stop and shop. Just shoot us an email before you come. www.swoopbags.com 

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Now, three generations later, I give you SWOOP–a re-imagined, modern version of the original bag. Not only is it designed to contain all the stray Lego® pieces in your life, it now doubles as a circular playmat when opened up and spread out on the floor.

As a graphic designer and a mother of two busy boys, I wanted to design a new bag for all those Lego® pieces that was simple and well-made, and would make clean up time much easier. With an eye for modern and clean design, I’ve created SWOOP bags using the highest quality 100% cotton canvas and nylon cording. Swoop Bags are durable, simple, colorful, fun—and stylish enough to stash in any room of the house. “Just Swoop it up!”

The original bag worked great for my family, but I found myself redesigning it in my mind—imagining ways to make it stronger, more modern looking, and even more functional. I wanted bold, solid colors and to be able to hide the cord. Here are some of the design challenges posed by the original bag, and how I worked to solve them with Swoop.

1. Cord conundrum: The cord on the original bag was visible, held in place only by thin grosgrain tabs. Because the cord was exposed, it would get in the way when kids were sifting through Lego pieces, and would sometimes get tripped over.
Swoop solution: Now, with the cord enclosed, it’s no longer a tripping hazard. As an added benefit, the bag user intuitively knows where to grab the cords on either side to Swoop up the bag when done.

2. No playmat: The original bag wasn’t designed to double as a playmat. It didn’t have edging, so when the bag was spread out, toys could easily spill over the sides.
Swoop solution: Now, the raised canvas edge serves as a border, keeping toys contained in the bag. It serves as the perfect playmat for children to play on or around while building their Lego creations.

3. Function over form: The original bag was made to be practical, so little thought was put into details like color, style, and material type.
Swoop solution: In addition to practicality, Swoop bags have style points. They come in dozens of fun colors to suit any room and personality. The canvas material was carefully chosen to be sturdy enough to haul toys, yet pliable enough to spread out as a playmat. Design was considered in every detail to ensure Swoop bags look great wherever they land!

4. Same size: Swoop bags are the same size as the original bag (44″ in diameter), as I found it was the perfect size for kids to play around comfortably. It also proved a manageable weight when it came time to Swoop up toys. When it was loaded up with the maximum amount of Lego pieces (roughly holds 15 lbs!), I couldn’t lift much more!

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