BOULDER - After decades working in the sports and fitness apparel industries, Michelle Kranz decided to create her own line of accessories that would inspire women to embrace a free-spirited life.



Her company, Flying Daisies, does its part in punctuating that directive by blending textures, colors, fabrics and designs into handbags, jewelry, scarves, soap and T-shirts.



"Flying stands for freedom," Kranz says, adding, "Daisies are wild and free and bloom best in big fields."



She launched the company in spring 2009 and the Web site, www.flyingdaisies.com, in November, where products are primarily sold at this point. About 150 handbags were sold last year online with a lot of sales coming from Colorado, New York, California and Texas.



Flying Daisies bags include shoulder bags, cross-body bags, daily bags and pocket purses. Fabrics run the range of bold to muted in satin, silk and polyester.



"I spend as much on the linings in my bags as I do on the bags themselves," Kranz says, pointing out how the inner and outer fabrics ride the edge between harmony and contrast. The handbags range from $60 to $110.



"Pocket purses are the unique nugget in my brand," she adds. "They're the first thing retailers want." The purses come in three sizes, each with an antique look and enough space for the bare necessities and run $26 to $39.



Kranz began testing her bags by seeding the marketplace - giving about 30 bags away to see how the public responded. "People got stopped in grocery stores," she says. "We even had one person who carried her bag in to an interview say that the interviewers were more interested in where she got her purse than in the interview."



Kranz, sole owner of Flying Daisies, runs the business from the basement of her Boulder home where she keeps about 250 handbags and 600 pocket purses in inventory. The handbags are made in Commerce City, and the pocket purses are sewn by a family in Thailand.



Kranz designs all the bags and sews the prototypes herself.



"We can run about 100 bags in four weeks and about 600 pocket purses in six weeks so we don't have to stock up too much and can continue to be flexible in fabric choices."



The rest of her work space stores fabrics and a few pieces of jewelry as well as natural and organic soaps - some bought from an organic farm in Wyoming and some made by Kranz.



Soaps cost $8 to $12.



She's also squeezed in a photo studio to be up-to-date in shots of her ever-changing designs.



Kranz stands behind her vision of inspiring and supporting a free-spirited life in a number of ways. Flying Daisies jewelry is designed by a Boulder artist as well as an artist in Canada.



The pieces range from "gemstone, feminine designs" to "bold with semiprecious stones," according to Kranz.



"They're both independent entrepreneurs and mirror the Flying Daisies story," she adds, explaining that although she currently has no employees, she plans to bring on interns in the spring.



Flying Daisies also shows support for a group of women artisans in Rwanda - Azizi Life - by selling their products through her website. The African-influenced pieces include woven plates, carvings and baskets.



Kranz self-funded Flying Daisies and prepared for the venture for a long time. She plans to take no salary for the first three years.



Her first focus was to create a logo and a Web site. Both were created by local independent designers.



She brought the Web site expense down by doing a lot of the work herself, including the artwork, graphics, product photography and content.



Total startup costs were $23,000 with $8,000 of that going to the Web site development and $1,200 covering the logo and primary logo graphics.



Kranz is focused on increasing market share by getting products into handbag and clothing specialty boutiques. Her goal is to make the company profitable in five years. "If this could be a $100,000 company in five years that would be great.



"My business plan hasn't been aggressive growth - just steady growth - and once the economy picks up, it'll grow faster.



"Accessories are a great product to launch in a tight economy. Maybe you can't spend $300 on an outfit, but you can still treat yourself to a $60 bag."