Making something ridiculous and delightful, Day 2

Day 2: I Jib Jabbed myself. This never gets old.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Making something ridiculous and delightful, every day

Masking tape bow

I gotta confess, I can get too darn serious at this time of year if I'm not careful. Isn't it funny (not haha funny) that the holidays coincides with end-of-year medical insurance switcheroo?  So in addition to standing in line at the post office, and getting an Evite out to my family, I made a doctor's appointment and signed up for all flavors of lab work to be billed in 2011. Merry Mammogram! That's just not right.

So, in keeping with my standard coping strategies, I've made a plan. I'm going to make something ridiculous and delightful every day. I'm committed to doing this every day...for as long as it is fun.

Day One: I made a bow for a package out of masking tape. My son was headed to a white elephant gift exchange and we shared a good laugh while getting him out the door in record time. Yes, you know you're going to see this reemerge as a product idea. I wonder if I can have it out for next year?

In praise of being unrealistic

I've been accused of being unrealistic but I didn't know it was a compliment until I read 80/20 Individual by Richard Koch who is often quoted in The 4-Hour Workweek .  I’ve being holding a grudge against several characters from my past for saying “You’re not being realistic.” But now I’m picturing myself showing up on their porches saying “I’m sorry I’ve been poking that voodoo doll of you for all these years. I see now it was a compliment.” 

Why is it a compliment? Because "Reality" is simply how have things have been until now; creativity is by definition unrealistic because you’re bringing something new into the world. Every successful business, every work of art, every inspiring social movement was born of someone thinking “I see a different way than what’s been so far.” Koch says an entrepreneur shifts resources from low to a higher yield. If it were realistic, somebody would already be doing it and the margin wouldn’t exist. These pockets exist all over the place and as technology changes, new pockets appear every day. It’s like a modern day Gold Rush. When you spot one, it is your vein of gold. Why doesn’t everyone else see what is plain-as-day to you? Every little thing that made you the unique individual you are – the good things like being in a play, the bad like being bullied – honed your unique perspective so that your vein of gold may be invisible to others. You get to mine it and afterward people might say “She was so lucky!”

So now when someone says “That seems unrealistic.”  I quietly say to myself “Why Thank You” and make a mental note “Here’s a realist. I’ll need this type to keep things going after I’ve created it.”

I’d love to hear your quotes – the things people told you as a kid that pop back into your head now when you try to create something Brilliantly Unrealistic!

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Time change tip

Time change tip...

It can be maddening to schedule an online or phone meeting with someone in another time zone, especially with a time change in between. I found a quick way in Google Calendar. It's so simple I almost overlooked it! Next to the time of the appointment is a link to Time Zone. I clicked it and set the meeting to the correct time for my colleague, for example 6:00 pm in Nederlands. It showed up on my calendar as 10 am. Phew!

While we are switching clocks Nov 6th this year, Europe switched on Oct 30. So if we had set our meeting based on the tried and true "What time is it there?" we'd have missed each other next week because my clock will fall back while his stays the same.  To impress your friends and colleagues read More about time changes.

If I'm going to work at home, I'm going to need nicer pajamas...

It's that time of year again when -- in Colorado, at least -- it is chilly enough in the morning for me to pull out my FUgg* slipper boots and turn on the fire but still blazing hot in the afternoon. This is especially noticeable if I'm still in the morning garb when I notice it's time to drive my son to guitar so I throw a coat over the whole mess of layers and hop into the car...where I develop a keen sympathy for ants tortured to death by magnifying glass.

For me this prompts a couple product ideas.

1. The first is some type of bracelet or sign that states I did actually dress myself in this outfit. I always think if I died suddenly, the police would think "Look what that sick bastard dressed her in...wasn't it enough to poison her?" I start out looking like I'm in a Siberian gulag because I hate to be cold in the morning. Then I get involved in creating a prototype and the layers start coming off like some very unsexy striptease. Later, sitting still in front of the computer, I feel chilly so I add a scarf then some socks then whatever's handy. Voila! Hand me a "Will design for food" sign and I'm ready to go.
2. The second product would be Nicer PJs. They would be very comfortable to sleep in, cozy and free of all zippers, ties and buttons. But, in a flash, they'd look like work clothes. A Moo Moo with strings that pull the whole thing together into an uber-ruched work of fashion? A tailored robe of gabardine? Suede boots that can hide yoga pants? 

Hand me my sketchbook...these could be the next million-dollar ideas!

*Fake Uggs

Appreciation, Step one for getting organized

Making these little books for a local craft fair reminded me of a crucial idea I forget so often...when I stop to appreciate the things that I'm doing right , my organization schemes support and reflect my values, rather than my fears. 


Try it...(It feels soooo good)

1. I appreciate my...a Body Part
2. I appreciate my...a Spiritual Quality
3. I appreciate my...a Skill
4. I appreciate my...a Unique Genius Quality
5. I appreciate how I've grown in...

Share your lists with me!

Press Release: Orderly Chic’s Giveback Week Giveaway to Launch This Week

Orderly Chic’s Giveback Week Giveaway to Launch This Week

BOULDER, CO - With the school year rapidly approaching, parents are bracing for rigorous and sometimes stressful fundraising campaigns for their child’s sports teams, bands, and clubs. Boulder mom/designer/ entrepreneur Kay Magnie McLellan has come up with a clever way to fight the fundraising blues in style with her line of whiteboards from her brand Orderly Chic. “As a mom, I feel great about using my advertising budget to support good causes,” McLellan says.” When I designed the program I thought about the things that make us (parents) cringe: collecting money, delivering whatever was purchased, and selling a smaller version for an inflated cost; with Giveback Week, 15% of the purchase cost goes back to the cause automatically, relatives from all over the country can participate, and everyone can see that the product is being sold at retail cost.”

Starting July 25th Orderly Chic will be launching “The Giveback Giveaway” where lucky winners can walk away with $1,000 in merchandise to help raise funds for the cause of their choice. Orderly Chic’s one-of-a-kind message boards help brighten up any locker, refrigerator or office space with their sleek design, making it an easy sell for families craving a little organization. “Moms have told me that they like the fact that they'd be offering something practical and stylish, something they'd buy for a gift themselves”, McLellan says. Another bonus to Giveback Week? McLellan promises the program isn’t filled with lots of legwork or additional effort. “As a busy mom and entrepreneur myself, I want this process to be as easy as possible for both the beneficiaries and their supporters. Just fill out the simple online form with a few questions about the cause, team, or organization you are fundraising for; if your cause wins, you'll receive 100 Note Boards (a $1000 value) to sell and your cause keeps all the proceeds. To increase your chances, have your friends vote for your cause. Giveback Week participants are encouraged to use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter in order to stir up more support for their cause. The contest hopes to breathe new life into the occasionally daunting task of grassroots fundraising while introducing shoppers to a line of must-have organizational products.

Orderly Chic is the brainchild of industrial designer Kay Magnie McLellan, who was inspired to create a line of products that eased the stress and pain of daily life after she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2001. Orderly Chic products are available at Amazon.com. For more information on Orderly Chic and the Giveback Week giveaway, please contact Kay Magnie McLellan at 888.492.8235 or info@orderlychic.com.

http://orderlychic.com/fundraising.html

http://www.facebook.com/orderlychic

Use tax time to create a safe box for your will executor

Tax time is a great time to make a fireproof file box full of everything the executor of your will would need if he/she had to take over your finances. Don't think about scary scenarios that led to that day; instead make it a goal to impress whoever you named -- your brother-in-law, your older sister -- when you show him/her your neatly organized system. The reason tax time is so great is because you already have most of the information pulled together because the IRS is interested in all your accounts, mortgage, etc AND it happens every year so you can easily keep this information up-to-date. The strategy is to have a binder with sheet protectors as pockets; each pocket contains a tax form or statement that conveys the essential information about an account, and -- because you do it each year with your taxes -- it will be up-to-date.

Here are the supplies you'll need for the system I use:

• Two Binders
• Sheet protectors
• A fireproof file box
• Card stock
• Labels

See Shopping Tips below for my suggestions on what to look for...

Here's all you need to do:

With all your supplies in hand and the paperwork from your recent tax filing, set yourself up near your printer/copier in case you want to put a copy in the binder instead of the original...

1. Label the binder Will and Financial Information using either the card stock of labels. I added a short description addressed to my brother-in-law "Here's all the information you'd need including bank account numbers etc. See how organized I am?"
2. Put a copy of your will in a sheet protector and put it in the binder
3. Make a pocket for each account or important asset using your tax information. Slip a piece of card stock into the sheet protector to keep the pocket rigid...then you can make notes on the card stock. "This is my IRA." Don't forget your car registration, which you pulled out to deduct the taxes.
4. If you don't make the second binder, include pockets for Living Will, Medical Directives, any POA's (Power of Attorney), contact information for attorney, life insurance agent, any other insurance agents.
5. Show it to the person you want to impress most...oh, I mean...show it to the executor of your will along with where it will be and combination/key to the box.
6. (Optional last step) Strut around with a superior air thinking "My will paperwork is soooo organized. I used to be like all of you."

Shopping tips

• Two Binders -- Look for reference binders that allow you to slip card stock into the cover and spine.
• Sheet protectors -- The sheet protectors should be archival quality. If you are one of the women who bought a truckload of scrapbook supplies when her kids were toddlers and now they are graduating from high school with 3 fabulous pages, you can use some of those supplies
• A fireproof file box -- This file box will contain confidential information that you'll want to keep very secure. Of course, you'll also need to get back into it so think about your own habits and the executor to decide whether to have it locked with a key or combination.
• Card stock -- The card stock will keep empty sheet protectors from flopping all over and be used for the front cover so it should be the same size as sheet protectors. It doesn't need to be very thick -- just heavier than paper -- but use heavy weight if you have it on hand. Again, you can use some leftover scrapbook supplies.
• Labels -- If you use the reference binder, you might not need labels. But, labels can pull the whole binder together. Orderly Chic is teaming up with Kidecals to create a custom set just for this project. Email info@orderlychic.com if you want to know more!

Documents Binder:

In the second binder I put essential documents such as passports, birth certificates, marriage license. Since these documents should always be returned after being used, I put a piece of cardstock with the document name as a place holder; then if someone removes the document, the card stock reminds us to return it. (I also photocopy the document and keep it on the refrigerator until it is replaced.)

Here's a list of items you might include:

• Passports
• Social Security cards
• Marriage license
• Will
• Living Will
• Medical Directives
• Any POA's (Power of Attorney)
• Contact information for attorney, life insurance agent, any other insurance agents

Passing on the values my parent taught me, April 1.

Today, of all days, I'm acutely aware of my parents' influence on my values. They taught me all I need to know about being an entrepreneur on April Fools Day: understand your customer's expectations then have the patience and lack of ego to do whatever it takes to delight them.

As the mother of 8 kids, my mom ran a tight ship. Every morning we ate a cooked breakfast together at 6:30 am at the table my dad made out of a door. We all were in out uniforms, the kids in Catholic School uniforms and my dad in his 3-piece suit. Dad and kids alike reached into the drawer under the cupboard to get a mom-hand-sewn apron to keep us from spoiling our clothes. (He always looked so great; it was a shock to me to find out that Sears wasn't haute couture.) One April Fools Day my dad came down to breakfast dressed as he always was, minus his pants. My sister and I, the youngest two, whispered to each other "Do you think he knows?" "Should we tell him?" When he finally took off his apron, replaced it in the drawer, went to the front closet, put on his overcoat and hat...the last thing he did before he 'd say "See you in the funny papers," and walk out the door to the bus...we knew we had to act. "Dad, you forgot your pants," we shouted. I think he intended the joke to end there but seeing how important we felt, he let us believe we'd saved him from a terrible embarrassment. He was so grateful that his two girls kept him from walking out without his trousers. "What would I do without you?"

My mom was more straight-forward but her simple and consistent Tom-Foolery taught me the value of keeping it simple. She'd simply look out the front window and say, "Oh my Gosh." And we'd reply "what, what, what is it?" She'd just fill in the blank...a horse on the lawn, it had snowed two feet, old Mrs. Thompson was out front dancing in the street. These simple tricks were easy for us to learn and then play on our older brothers and sisters. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach a girl to pull a prank and you've made her into an entrepreneur for a lifetime.

Valentine's Craft, Quick and Cute Heart

To make this simple Valentine's decoration, I used a mirror note board and a purple fluorescent marker.

1. Scribble all over the board.
2. Erase out a heart shape.
3. Add dots randomly in the spaces.
4. Write XOXO

Pop it up on the refrigerator for your Sweetheart and after the holiday, it becomes a little message board.

Note: The erasing step takes a little patience. I used an old tee-shirt that was dampened with water. If you don't like how it turns out, it is easy to wipe it away and start again.

Valentine's idea, write your message on a cupcake whiteboard

Use a cupcake whiteboard to leave a message just for your valentine! After the holiday, it remains a practical note board.

I'm a big fan of scribbling and making dots to create a decorative effect. Here, I used some scribbly flowers and swirls, all joined with some dots and dashes. The great thing about using whiteboards and erasable markers is that if you don't like how it turned out, you just start over.

Pandora, a favorite work tool

Like many entrepreneurs, I spend many hours working solo and I need great music to keep me from throwing myself out the window...which would just leave me sprawled ridiculously on the lawn...so I rely on Pandora which allows me to create stations based on the music I like to inspire me.

One of the things I love most about Pandora is that it lets my inner dork have her own music sometimes. I have stations for Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Glee, and even the Ink Spots. Or I put on my Black Eyed Peas station when my kids aren't around and take on my 25-year-old-at-a club persona. They'd be horrified to know I can hit the precise beat for the lyrics "give that big bootie a smack!"

I've heard people say that Pandora stations can be quite repetitive and I agree so here's what I suggest. Make a station based a particular song, not just the artist. This way it will match the tempo as well as the style. Alone these stations can get old pretty fast so use the Custom Mix to join 4-8 stations to get variety.

Some of my favorites are station built on the following songs:

• Que Onda Quero by Beck
• Lucky by Jason Mraz
• Save me by Jem
• More and more of your Amour by Nat King Cole (Remix)
• In These Shoes by Kristie MacColl

Icicle Personality Test

I'm a big fan of personality tests but whether that qualifies me to create one is another question. But I've done it anyway...

Look at this picture of icicles hanging from a roof and rate your reaction.

A. Oooh Pretty.

B. That gutter needs fixing!

C. Both

Results:

A. You're an optimist.

B. You're a realist. (or my father-in-law)

C. You're a homeowner

Personally, I'm trying to make friends with both my inner realist and optimist -- or maybe get them to play nice together. Lisa Lauffer, a wonderful coach, introduced me to this as the "Both-And" concept as a substitute for Either/Or." These icicles are both beautiful and a home repair project.

Keeping my To Do list To-doable

To make a to do list, I used to get out a legal pad and list everything floating around in my head. It set off this cycle...

1. Worry about what has to be done.
2. Take action. Make a list. Feel a little better.
3. Keep adding to the list until my head is ready to pop.
4. Look at list in despair.
5. Stress response "She's out of control. We're taking the system down."
6. Camera zooms in on the closed eyes of our heroine collapsed on the couch.

Now I use an index card. Even if I write really tiny and all over the back, I still can't fit the 25 or more tasks I used to on the legal pad. The beauty is that what matters most floats to the top. Instant priorities!

Two Minutes of Creativity - Rose Petal Heart

It's easy to forget to be creative for no reason when you're trying to get a entire product line -- like my whiteboards -- on the market. But, inspiration struck when I couldn't stand to toss out the petals of a bouquet of roses I'd been given. I stole this idea from a coffee shop where they set out beans for the waiting customers to form into impromptu sculptures. My rose petal sculpture stayed on the counter for a couple of days, changing in density and tone as the petals dried. It delighted me so much that I'm sharing it in the hope that you'll be moved to join in and enjoy your own 2 minutes of creativity.

If my daughter only had 3 white dresses, I wouldn't need a custom closet!

People often ask what inspired me to design organizational products...if they are close friends they might be politely refraining from mentioning that I'm not the most organized person. It's true. The elementary school secretary had us on speed dial for late permission slips. But one day when I was drolling over a custom closet ad, I realized "If my daughter only wore 3 identical white dresses, I wouldn't need that beautiful closet." Whose child does? And would I want that?

I get positively misty-eyed when I picture all of you out there with your wonderfully messy lives -- mud-caked shoes, piano music, ticket stubs, stray socks, knitting needles, sketchbooks, snow boards, crossword puzzles -- all of these objects that hint at the inner world of your interests and passions. If my products -- whiteboards or future offerings -- help you spend a little more time on those favorite activities, I'd feel very satisfied indeed.

p.s. I still want that custom closet.

What a great independent sales rep looks like!

I hit the jackpot on one of my first attempts to hire a sales rep. Because I'm a new product with no track record, he offered to show it to a few of his stores. Today he spent a half hour on the phone with me, relating the objections and questions from the retailers he showed it to. This information is gold to me! If I don't know the reasons behind the "no" (or even maybe) I'm in the dark. But now I can make changes based on the information he passed on me.

Before I started looking for sales reps*, I thought all I'd want is someone who'd say "Yes. I'll represent your product!" My fantasy is that they'd go away and the orders would start pouring in without any further contact. It sounds kind of like my 8-year-old vision of dating based Barbie and Ken dolls. Now, I see that a rep who is willing to engage in the conversation about the obstacles to selling my product is the jackpot!

* An independent sales rep is the person who shows products to stores and gets orders, usually for a commission on the total cost of the order.

Mandatory Dance songs

If there's one thing I've learned as a designer/entrepreneur working alone is that when a good dance song comes on...you've got to drop what you're doing and dance to it. Here are some of my favorites (along with a link to play a sample in Pandora):

Secrets by One Republic http://www.pandora.com/music/song/onerepublic/secrets

Speak Up Mambo by The Tokens http://www.pandora.com/music/song/tokens/speak+up+mambo+cuentame

Tango by Jaci Velasquez http://www.pandora.com/music/song/jaci+velasquez/tango

New Year, new blog, new focus

I'm starting 2011 by stepping over the threshold from designing to selling my redesign of the common whiteboard. (Works like a whiteboard. Looks like art!) It has been more than 4 years since I made the first prototype of an acrylic whiteboard and as of Jan 1, 2011 I have over 17,000 units sitting in a warehouse, ready to be sold. So the new year brings a whole new set of skills, which I, um, don't have! So this blog, in addition to random quirky insights, aspires to share that journey. Selling my creations is a great chance for personal growth, so I think on my good days. On a bad day, I feel like that bumper sticker "Oh no, not another learning experience!" So I hope you'll laugh (and cry) along with me and, for those of you doing the same, let's keep each other company on this path.