Archive for 'business'
new sponsor: kustom kissers
Posted on 11. Mar, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
Okay, simple question–look in the purse you are using right now, around your sink counter, in your coat pocket, maybe even right here next to your computer screen. How many tubes, pots, and sticks of lip gloss do you have? If you’re like me, they are probably EVERYWHERE!
One of my former customers, Heather (remember her awesome Cabo wedding with close friends, ocean air, and scrapbooking?), is a fellow addict and has started a very sweet business developing her own line of homemade lip balm called Kustom Kissers.
The really cool thing about this product though is that Heather uses your own photo or design on the tube of the lip balm. This is something I’ve seen produced en masse from overseas crappy party favor companies, but the care Heather puts into each order and the quality of the product is something they can’t match. If you’re looking for an easy, personal, and practical (the guys love that) wedding favor, I think this is a great choice. You could use a picture of you and your spouse, or just include a personalized thank you message.
Kustom Kissers lip balm is made of all-natural ingredients and without animal products. A package of custom tubes would be an easy, affordable favor for birthdays, bridal showers, weddings, baby showers and more. They are also perfect for a business promotional item or simply a treat for you.
So I highly recommend this stuff, and Heather is a sweetheart! Also check out her blog to get to know her and learn more about business from this fellow-small business owner. xo
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list love: creative connection event, model casting, and what’s going on with me.
Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
I know I have a lot of crafty and creative readers, so I wanted to let you know about an upcoming conference and market event called The Creative Connection! This is the inaugural year of the event created by Nancy Soriano and Jo Packham of Where Women Create magazine for women and women entrepreneurs.
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studio work on the princess lasertron dress line
Posted on 06. Mar, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
Cool news, in list form:
- I got accepted for sure to this year’s Omaha Fashion Week. I counted my chickens before they hatched on this one and had been planning and designing this line without a guarantee that I’d be included, but after reviewing my application the committee did select me this week. Hooray!
- Omaha Fashion Week is hosting their first event of the year, an exclusive VIP runway showcase. I will be showing five completely new pieces that are not part of the Spring 2011 line I am designing for fashion week and one of them will be auctioned off to benefit the Women’s Fund of Greater Omaha. I believe ten other designers will also be showcasing some of their designs. It’s on March 31 and if you are so inclined, I would love to meet you there.
- I fell asleep watching HGTV today, and when I woke up Dave had taken care of some redecorating business and painted the living room. I will leave HGTV on more often because apparently it’s very motivating. We are nearing completion of our home redecorating project working with interior designer Jessica McKay. I LOVE being in my house when it feels like “home,” you know? Still looking for the perfect seating for our front room, though.
- On Friday, my mom and I met with designer Joi Mahon, who is my partner working on the Princess Lasertron dress line. I love our meetings–these two women are seriously the most creative, innovative, genuinely fun people I know and I think this line is going to be really big. Here are some pictures from that meeting:
My mom made each of us a sack lunch. She also made individual frosted sugar cookies for me that spelled out “Princess Lasertron” and ones for Joi that spelled “Dress Forms Design.” Ummm is there any wonder that I have the best mom ever? (No wonder I have insecurities about having a baby. My mama is a tough act to follow.)
Joi has been posting a lot of updates about the dress line on her Facebook page. You should add her!
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This time, for realsies…Princess Lasertron in Brides Magazine US!
Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
Talk about instant gratification! And don’t you love that “Be Yourself” on the cover?
Oh hi, April 2010 Brides. What’s new with you?
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Princess Lasertron (kind of) in Brides Magazine
Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
Several months ago, Brides magazine–yes, the #1-selling national bridal magazine that you see on every newsstand in every grocery store and bookstore and kiosk–contacted me and asked me to recreate a popular bouquet I once made. The bouquet would be used in a Brides magazine photoshoot based around a Very Special Cake.
Renowned cake decorator Rebecca Sutterby (she’s been featured on TLC’s Ultimate Cake Off!) designed a beautifully detailed wedding cake inspired by one of my bouquets, and she matched the style absolutely impeccably. From little fondant buttons that looked as real as the ones I use every day to iced “stitches” around the petals of each carefully formed flower, Rebecca created the cake of my dreams for Brides magazine.
I had four days in October to recreate the bouquet and get it into the hands of stylists at Brides magazine and it ended up working out after a few all-nighters and rush orders of special supplies. Today the magazine was finally on newsstands and I opened the magazine to see Rebecca’s beautiful creation inspired by my work.
Unfortunately the bouquet I worked so hard to get to them was not pictured, and I was also not given credit for the inspiration. I am disappointed because I was very excited for this feature and I had had such a close working relationship with Brides for those weeks. I was even asked not to share pictures of the bouquet until after the magazine was on newsstands, even though they chose not to use it. But I am so happy for Rebecca and for the exposure for the design. It’s because of her immense talent that I was brought this opportunity in the first place. I still communicate with Brides editors and I look forward to working with them for several new projects in the future, including the Princess Lasertron Dress-ups dress line.
Now! I would like to show you what would have been in Brides magazine if they had used the bouquet I sent! I am so happy with this bouquet. It is the best, most careful work I have ever done. Most of the buttons are from Italy, the thread is dyed the perfect shade of blue, and it was also the first time I used those little crinkled posies and I love how they fill the bouquet out.
Around Christmas I took this bouquet apart and created headbands and fun corsage brooches using the flowers. Can’t you see yourself wearing a headband with a few of those pretty blooms with a yellow cardigan and navy blue shorts, or a striped shirt and cigarette pants? Or pinning these to a canvas tote bag swinging from your bike handlebars? I think there are such summery possibilities. Look for those in the Princess Lasertron store soon.
And if you are here because you were frantically googling for details about the mysterious “felt and button bouquet” featured in Brides magazine this month, I am your girl. This is the design I created and this is what I do. Thanks for taking the time to check me out and if you are interested in placing an order for a similar bouquet, any bridal accessory that will better suit you on your special day, or just a gift for someone who deserves something beautiful, submit your request using the Bridal Inquiry Form on the header bar up on top!
xo
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A day in LNK for the American Marketing Association social media panel
Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
On Thursday in the early AM I was picked up by my getaway driver (really–check his business card!) Steve Gordon, owner of Rdqlus, to speak at an 8am breakfast panel hosted by the American Marketing Association in our fair capital city of Lincoln. We were joined by several other expert panelists including Danny Schreiber of SiliconPrairieNews.com, Deb Averett of Fresh Nest Design and TooLuLu, Christy Nelson of TooLuLu, Khara Plicanic who owns Kabloom Studios, and Lori Havens, Social Media Guru at Ervin & Smith Advertising and Public Relations.
So that’s a lot of people.
I was really hoping that more people would be attending than were on the panel. I was thinking…8am on a Thursday? With an admission fee? With metered street parking? Sure thing, good luck with that.
And I was SO HAPPILY SURPRISED to see person after smiling person walking through the door of the Lincoln Community Foundation building filling up rows and rows of tables–they even had to bring another one in!
I was also impressed by the participation and enthusiasm of all the attendees. After the scheduled one-hour panel session, we stayed about an hour longer to mingle and chat with other local small business owners, marketers, and people who were just interested in getting started and finding motivation.
Hopefully we were able to offer some helpful insights!
On our way home, Steve and I stopped at my Favorite Restaurant in the Whole World, Bread & Cup. I had a sandwich on homemade bread with their homemade peanut butter and apple butter. Served on a stark white plate with a side of apple slices. I love simple food. The owner, Kevin, who I often talk to on Twitter, even came over and introduced himself. Kevin, I love your restaurant.
Today is our district competition for forensics. I’ll be getting up to leave for the bus at 4:30 AM. Wish my kids luck! Whoever makes it to the top four gets to be driven to the state competition by me when I’m 8 months pregnant. Go Blair Bears!
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omaha area readers–check out the cover of omaha magazine!
Posted on 17. Feb, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
A few weeks ago I was asked by the editors of Omaha Magazine to participate in a feature they are doing on young local business owners (I wrote about it earlier here). Today I finally saw the cover. I am shocked!
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weekend work.
Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
Thinking about buying…
…another desktop computer.
…a crib done!
…a changing table. They are all so ugly to me. I really have my heart set on this one that fits over my crib, but isn’t it just paying $210 for a tray??
…those cute wrap boots from Toms Shoes. My mom thinks they are horrifying but I will refer you to her shoe preferences.
But thinking about saving for…
…Omaha Fashion Week costs.
…the family vacation of my dreams–three weeks in Berlin with side trips to Copenhagen, Moscow, and Amsterdam.
…private school.
Proud of…
…my speech kids who had awesome success this weekend at their tournament. Most of the kids went on to finals and although we didn’t have any first place finishers, I think they are starting to notice their hard work paying off.
…myself for shoveling our LONG-ASS sidewalk and driveway. It was an awesome workout and I got so sweaty I laid in the snow.
…my friend Steve who is an amazing freelance design hustler speaking at conferences and writing books. I wish he got more credit for his work here in Omaha–what an awesome resource and asset he is to our community.
Looking forward to…
…getting a pair of Toms Shoes today to decorate for a fundraiser at the YP Summit. Not sure what I’m going to do yet…can’t do felt flowers because felt on your shoes is gross. Maybe some faux bois embroidery.
…seeing my (totally pregnant) photoshoot and interview in the next issue of Omaha magazine. I think it comes out this week!
…being interviewed by Leo Biga for another local publication on Wednesday.
Reading…
…Nine easy Valentine’s Day projects on Brides.com.
…The thickness of napkins–a blog post from Contrast.ie about the importance of maintaining quality in all the little details.
…Jean Paul Gaultier comes to Target–I love how Target has changed the mainstream retail marketing and merchandising game.
What’s the best thing that happened to you this weekend?
xo
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the shorty awards
Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
A few months ago I was honored to find out I was receiving nominations for the Shorty Award in Design, which honors artists and designers who use Twitter to communicate about their passions and reach others. If I win the contest, I get to go to New York City in March to accept the award at a big fun event.
Anyway, the “real-time academy” who chooses the finalists has made their decisions, and I am a 4th place finalist! I only need 116 more votes to come out of 4th place and win the award for design.
If you have the time and feel so inclined and have a Twitter account, I would LOVE your vote. Just go to http://shortyawards.com/lasertron and finish the sentence in the voting box about why you think I should win. When you click “Tweet your vote,” your vote will be cast–it only takes about 15 seconds.
xo
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this and that…mishmashmosh
Posted on 26. Jan, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
I love this way of storing tights–it is the easiest way I have found to keep them all organized and untangled in my drawer. I stuff the waist of each pair inside a toilet paper tube (or you can use a cut-up wrapping paper tube left over from Christmas!) and then wrap the legs around the outside.
A few sweet questions from you…
How do you and Dave keep your relationship strong when you work opposite schedules?
I have gotten this question a few times. I actually feel like we spend more time together than most couples who both work 8-5. I often sleep while he’s at work (which is three minutes away) anyway, so it’s not like we’re missing out on time together then. When he gets home I’m awake and we relax and spend the rest of the evening together, and then I go back to bed early in the morning. Sometimes we meet for lunch. We talk online all day. Usually we are also together all weekend too. We have always just been best friends.
How long will you stop working (if at all) when Alice is born?
Well, I haven’t really cleared any time for this year, but for May and June I am only taking five brides per month instead of fifteen. Hopefully I can finish those orders long before my due date and have several weeks to relax–right now I still have energy so I am just hustling to do about twice as much as usual.Then that will pay off after Alice is born and I will be all caught up. Right now I’m still ahead of schedule! It is SO nice that I work at home.
Between now and my due date, I am also planning with three of my friends to bring something really big and awesome to the Omaha creative community that will take up a lot of time and energy for us–but luckily, there are four of us to divide the labor (and the spoils!). I can’t wait until I can talk more about that…probably by the end of February?
Post more pictures of Dave’s outfits!
Okay. This is him at lunch yesterday–pretty much all he ever wears is a button-up shirt, a sweater vest, and Diesel jeans. Add or subtract a tie, add or subtract a jacket. This shirt and vest are both Ben Sherman. I should have HIM make outfit posts!
Working on my application for Omaha Fashion Week today…I have to make a Powerpoint Presentation. Welcome to the 90s!
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chaos, discord, consistency and support: living my best life with bipolar disorder
Posted on 21. Jan, 2010 by Princess Lasertron.
A few months ago I got a question from a reader about living with bipolar disorder:
“You’ve mentioned bipolar disorder. I know you don’t want the blog to be down or sad, but if you were willing I would really like to hear more about how that affects you and how you handle it.”
I saved it for later because it is kind of a heavy topic–not really something for me to answer with just a paragraph. Since that time, I’ve been asked about it on several other occasions by readers (through facebook and formspring). So I have been thinking about my answer and it has been good for me.
Being diagnosed in my teens (about 10 years ago now!) was really a blessing just because it helped answer a lot of questions about why I was struggling so much emotionally. However, in hindsight I also realize how challenging it was being faced in such vulnerable, formative years with a lifetime illness. Being in junior high with bipolar–in the lunch room, in the locker room, sitting behind the cutest boy in school–added so much fogginess, confusion, and frustration to everyday adolescent situations. Sometimes I really don’t know how I came out of it with any semblance of what “normalcy” really is.
I think there is a lot of confusion about the meaning of bipolar disorder, partially because of how we see it represented in popular culture. It is not multiple personality disorder, it is not narcissistic personality disorder, it’s not borderline personality disorder, and it’s not depression. I don’t want to paint with too broad of a brush because there are so many different ways that patients experience the illness. I will point you toward the National Institute of Mental Health for more detailed information.
In any case, the question was “how does bipolar disorder affect you, and how do you handle it?”
I mentioned fogginess, and that is how it is. Thanks to a high degree of stability I have maintained in my environment and “outside” life, it used to be much worse than it is now. There used to often be stretches of days that are to this day totally wiped from my memory. Simple tasks like adding numbers or using the phone had me stumped. I refused to eat. Depression meant suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and I could stay in bed for days. Mania meant wild delusions, hours in the middle of the night spent doing my hair, new packages arriving every day from all the online shopping I did. Now my life is nothing like that.
I have found that the best way for me to overcome my symptoms is to advocate for myself. I couldn’t begin to heal or figure out what worked for me until I stopped denying what was happening to me. I needed to accept that I will always have these problems, and I had to find out what exacerbated them so I could finally help myself. I think that is very key to any possibility of living a normal life with this illness–being willing to rationalize what is “good” behavior, and what actions are bad choices, and having the agency to really work every day to keep your thoughts, your body, your environment, and your behavior totally balanced. To take responsibility.
The absolute reason I am alive today and living as a high-functioning adult with an otherwise normal life is because of my support system. My parents (who advocated for me since I started having trouble in middle school) and my husband (who I met at age 18). Where I am chaotic and distracted, they are predictable and organized. Where I am frustrated and restless, they are calm and rational. Where I represent discord, they represent stability. I am lucky to have them in my life to mitigate drama and show me what normal, happy, rational people are like! I know it can be difficult for them. (BTW, before you ask, that is Fabri-Tac glue that Dave fell asleep playing with.)
I also think that the path I have taken living with bipolar disorder has led me to starting this business. I often say in interviews that I never planned to hold down an 8-5 job, but I never explain that’s because I had so much trouble keeping a “normal” job in the first place. With the instability and unpredictability of my mania and depression, and the horribly numbing effects of medication, it was just impossible to hold down a job. Essentially, my business grew out of the necessity to make a functioning life for myself using skills I knew I had. To make life work for me. I am proud that I thought of a creative solution to that problem, and that I didn’t just become a dependent and give up. I am proud that I am nurturing a career that works within my limitations yet allows me to fully express my talents and strengths.
My life is still chaotic, but now I think it is in a normal way. The hormones I am feeling with this pregnancy have been VERY good–I have been more balanced than ever and I’m mentally aware of that. Sometimes I worry about how giving birth will affect me, whether or not I will have some postpartum struggles as the chemical balance in my brain changes again. That is why I am working so hard now to be able to take time off after she arrives–because deep down, I don’t know what will happen. I can’t imagine a more transforming life change to throw a wrench into my safe, predictable, controlled life.
So that is my long answer. Tomorrow, outfit pictures! The next day, flowers! You still have another day to enter a giveaway for a Valentine’s Day project kit and some fun supplies. And you can still vote for me to win the Shorty Award for design so I can take a fun trip to New York.
Thank you for reading. Although I do most of my work all night in a home studio, or sitting behind a computer, I feel like I have a relationship with you. I think of you as supportive friends. Thank you.
