June Bradbury

Individual . hand-painted . biodegradable, Jute Bags

A bag that says something about you rather than the supermarket!

I sell individually designed and hand-painted, environmentally friendly jute shopping bags. When jute bags started appearing in the supermarkets, I was pleased to buy them so that I could avoid using plastic bags for my shopping. But I started using my jute bag wherever I went: to the library, to the cinema, to the beach, to exhibitions, you name it I took my jute bag with me. I realised that I was an unpaid walking advertisement for companies that didn’t need any further promotion so I started looking around for jute bags without company logos, brands or corporate statements on them, and I failed. So I decided to print my own bags with images that I liked. 

My first design was a chicken and the second, for my sister, was a cockatiel. I then started painting bags for more friends and family, and everyone said how much they preferred them to the bags on offer in the supermarket. I design and cut the stencil myself and have extended my catalogue to more than sixty images ranging from badgers to budgerigars, sheep to schnauzers and pigs to poodles. Because I paint each one individually, they are never identical and may differ slightly from the one pictured. Think of them as individual works of art!

Hand-crafted Items
When you buy hand crafted products from an independent crafts person, you are putting food on the table or paying for their children to have music lessons or learn to swim. You are not contributing to a second home or a new flash car as you would be if you buy mass produced items from the big chains. As a crafter my customers are my shareholders and I do my best to make them happy.

About Jute 
Jute is a natural based vegetable fibre composed of cellulose and a typical jute bag has a lifespan in excess of 1,000 plastic bags. Jute is a very sustainable crop and is totally biodegradable. 

The best bags I could find
There are a number of companies who supply cheaper jute bags but I chose to buy mine from a company who have awards for their ethical and environmental standards. The bags have ‘climate neutral’ status, are shipped rather air freighted and are fairly traded. 

The bag measures 30 height x 30 width x 20 gusset (cms) approximately. 
This is a perfect sized bag if you are popping into town, travelling on public transport, for picnics, or going out for the day. It is light and though it might look small it has a deceivingly large capacity due to the wide gusset which also allows the bag to stand unaided. It has a padded handle which sits comfortably in your hand or on your forearm. 

Thank you for looking.

Best wishes
June

 


 June has many more great designs, so if you are looking for a fabulous gift but not Parrot orinatated then be sure check out her site. Just click on June.