stinkerpants design

A few months ago, my friend N (same N who told me about the chicken article!  She has my back!  Thanks N!) told me of an animal rescue in need of some help.  Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue is an awesome animal rescue here in the bay area; but they don’t just rescue animals.  Their mission is to eliminate the euthanasia of adoptable animals in NorCal, and they offer spay/neuter services, after-school programs, and community education about the necessity of spaying/neutering and the need for animal adoption.

As you guys know, I’m a BIG animal fan.  Our furry children are all adopted from various humane societies, and I feel very strongly that people should support shelters instead of breeders.  So when given the opportunity to donate my illustration and invitation services to a VERY worthwhile organization, I jumped at the chance!

Every year, Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue hosts a fundraiser called the “Fur Ball” (which seriously couldn’t be a cuter name!).  This year’s 5th Annual Fur Ball featured invitations, RSVPs and ads by Stinkerpants!

Because the organization is moving, we decided to do a “moving” theme for the drawings.

I love this little kitty, throwing balls out the back of the moving truck for the dogs.

You might remember my sharing a little snippet of these drawings a few months ago…I’m glad I could finally share the whole thing!

My husband and friends all seem to think I’m a total freak of nature, just because of my slightly abnormal water receptacle.  Yes, it’s true: it’s not your average water bottle, but it is superior in so many ways, people.  Seriously.

So here’s the deal: I have a tendency to be a bit of a klutz.   I am constantly knocking things over, which is why it’s good for me to drink out of a water bottle–otherwise, I end up with water all over my desk, the couch, or myself.

I used to use a Nalgene or simply refill old bottles.  Bad idea–we’ve all heard about the risks of BPA (although Nalgene now makes BPA-free bottles).  Because Y is pretty aware of environmental and health risks associated with chemicals (we’re both hippies, but he also happens to frequent digg.com), he knew a long time ago that we shouldn’t be using plastic bottles.

So he ran out and bought us some BPA-free metal bottles from Klean Kanteen.  I hated them, though.  I know I’m going to sound like a lazy SOB, but I hate how long it takes to unscrew the cap!  Plus, I am convinced that the water tastes kind of like tin (Y insists that I made that up, but what does he know?!  He adds three drops of mint extract to his water, which would mask the tin taste anyway!).

My solution was to find a glass water bottle.  Glass is safe to drink out of, and I’m absolutely convinced that water tastes better out of glass than any other type of container.  So I did some research.

I fell in love with these beautiful glass water bottles, made by an Italian company.  They look plastic, but they’re actually glass!

Unfortunately, I’ve seen these in person, and the glass is pretty thin.  I was paranoid that I’d break it–after all, these ain’t cheap.

Then I discovered the Love Bottle, made here in San Francisco.  At first I wasn’t too wild about these because they aren’t exactly my style, but they’ve been coming out with more styles recently.  They also have plain bottles.

I found the bottle of my dreams, though, in a surprising place: Ikea!  These glass water bottles are big (meaning I don’t have to refill it five times a day) and they’re thick (meaning I’m more likely to break the tile in the kitchen than the bottle itself–not that I’ve tried it).  And on top of that, they are cheap.  At $2.99 each, I bought four, just in case one of my family members wanted one.

Unfortunately they all think I’m crazy.  They claim my bottle is “too heavy” and “breakable.”  I say they’re jealous.  My water tastes way better than theirs.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend N over at Two Chicks Nest sent me an article she found in the NY Times about backyard chickens. You don’t have to read it.  Instead, the article can pretty much be summarized with the following:

The Bay Area is unmatched in its embrace of the urban backyard chicken trend. But raising chickens, which promises delicious, untainted eggs and instant membership in the local food movement, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Chickens, it turns out, have issues.

They get diseases with odd names, like pasty butt and the fowl plague. Rats and raccoons appear out of nowhere. Hens suddenly stop laying eggs or never produce them at all. Crowing roosters disturb neighbors.

The problems get worse. Unwanted urban chickens are showing up at local animal shelters. Even in the best of circumstances, chickens die at alarming rates.

This, without a doubt, has been our EXACT experience raising chickens.  See the two lovely ladies in the photo above?  That’s Buttercup and Dahlia.  Dahlia, the chicken on the right, died last month.  She was one of my very favorite chickens, and she died out of the middle of nowhere.  And she’s not the only one.

You may recall that I’ve shared the deaths of a couple of chickens with you guys; after that, it might seem like everything’s been peachy.  But the sad truth is this: since we started this endeavor, we’ve had ten chickens.  And we only have five left.  Yes, that’s right.  We’ve lost half of our flock.  Rest in peace, Lily, Petunia, Marigold, Daisy, and Dahlia.

The truth is, there’s really no way to tell if a chicken is sick before it’s too late.  We’ve rushed 3 of 5 chickens to the vet, only to be told that nothing can be done.  Right now, out of our five chickens, only one is laying us eggs.  Two chickens are molting (and we’re unclear when they’ll start laying us eggs again), one of them randomly stopped laying, and the other one has never laid an egg in her entire chicken life.

So yes, we are having problems, and there have been times when I think to myself, “this is too hard. I don’t want to do this again.”  But those are usually times right after a chicken has died, or when one chicken (::cough cough:: Rosarita ::cough cough::) is squawking louder than I’ve ever heard anything squawk before.

This is not to say that we regret raising chickens–not by any means.

Raising chickens has been incredibly rewarding.  I have a whole new respect for birds now, and an even more heightened awareness of the suffering chickens experience while being raised for meat and eggs.  Each one of these chickens has a personality–they’re cute, they’re funny and they’re totally sweet.  And as Y said, I’d rather live 6 months in our backyard than a lifetime in a factory farm, that’s for sure.

A few things we have decided on:

• We think raising chicks is a really educational experience that would be great for kids.  However, if we need more chickens before we have kids, we will not be raising them from chicks.  When you raise them from little bitty babies and then they die, it’s that much harder.
• Five chickens are enough for us.  There’s really no need to have more than that.
• The eggs are absolutely, 100% worth it.  First off, we know that we aren’t contributing to the horrors of animal torture (and seriously, that’s what it is), and secondly, fresh eggs are delicious.  I shared some with my friend Cara, and she said she couldn’t believe what a difference they made.  Y made us Crème brûlée over the weekend, and it was amazing.

I’m definitely not saying that backyard chickenry sucks, and I’m not warning against it.  However, we were under the impression that raising chickens was “easy” and “impossible to screw up.”  And to some extent, that’s true:  after all, none of our chickens have died as a result of our screwing up.  But really, when you have to bury half of your backyard chickens, you’re probably not going to be using the word “easy,” whether it was your fault or not.

This past week has been mighty eventful press-wise for Stinkerpants Designs!

I was really excited to get an email from the awesome Moya Stone, who wrote about an event for an animal rescue that I created invitations for (more on that this week!).

Right after that, I discovered that I’d actually been featured on the Examiner.com website late last month for my “Will You be my Bridesmaid?” cards!  Sweet!!

Also last month, Dana from Brokeass Bride did a write-up on me, which was really sweet.

But to make it even sweeter, she also put the awesome post up on Elizabeth Anne Designs!  And then in the “posts you may like” area, I noticed that the lovely Kasia made a little mention of my Bridesmaid cards back in October.

I am obviously beyond flattered and excited!  Thanks you guys!!

Over the past few months, I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching and business plan writing, and I’ve decided that it’s time to make some changes in my business.

Specifically, it’s time to expand. I need to create products that are not custom so that my husband and I don’t have to live in a cardboard box down by the river. I’m only partially kidding (haha).

I’ve been blogging here for about two years, and I’ve really come to value your opinions and feedback. I’m hoping you guys can help me out: what would you like to see Stinkerpants do next? It doesn’t have to be wedding-related: anything you can think of. I’m looking for specific items to pursue, not just generally “kid’s products,” you know? If I use your idea, you’ll be the first to get whatever it is, I promise.

Any ideas? A billion thanks for helping me to build my business, both in the past and in the future. I really appreciate all of you, lurkers and commenters alike. :) Thank you.

Last year was the first year I did custom holiday cards for clients, and I had a great time drawing Christmas trees and santa hats!

I’ve never been one for holiday cards myself–I’m admittedly much too lazy to put together a newsletter like my hilarious friend Kathy (maybe I could pay her to do one for me?)–and I figured that people would be bored to get a photo and nothing else.

After doing holiday cards like these last year, though, I’ve changed my mind:

S & H bought their first house a couple of years ago, so I drew them in front of it.  And of course, their adorable kitty Lola!  S said that her family loved the cards, which are more unique than your average Christmas card.

I’ll be doing Chrismukkah cards to send out to our friends and family this year, featuring our whole family: dog, cats, chickens, etc.  I’m excited!

Hey, how about a few more cards?!  I thought so.  :)

I’m not sure how you guys feel about this, but I think traditional wedding gifts are really weird.  Who the heck wants paper?!  That’s totally not romantic at all.  Here’s a card to help you cheat a little on your first anniversary–after all, technically this card is made of paper.

I am a firm believer that a sweet greeting card given at a random time helps a relationship stay strong.  When we first met, Y noticed that I always save the best part of what I’m eating for last.

Cinnamon toast is the perfect example.  You know how the best part of cinnamon toast is the part where there was a little too much butter, so it’s extra gooey?  Well, I eat the crust first, then work my way in a circle until the only thing left is that delicious gooey bite. Y told me he loved me enough to give me the best part of the cinnamon toast.  I told him I’d rather share it.

Thus, this any-occasion card:

And because I think deer are pretty much the cutest things ever (especially fawns), here’s a sweet deer-themed anniversary card.  Simple and to the point.  :)

Wanna know something funny?  About four years ago, Y and I decided to start a business.  I totally slaved over the business plan, I was pretty proud of the end result.  Sadly, writing the business plan made us both realize that the business wasn’t exactly feasible (at least not at this point in time–we don’t have $75k to throw around), but writing the business plan was a great learning experience.

Ironically, Stinkerpants Designs has (clearly) gone a lot farther than the other business, but my business plan wasn’t written out until I’d been in business for well over a year (and if I’m being honest, it’s not exactly finished..per se).  As my friend Lisa says, it was “all up here” (and I’m pointing to my head right now, in case you couldn’t picture it). I don’t work very well that way, though.  I am a very organized person, and if I don’t have things written down, I feel very…discombobulated.

I have a traditional business plan written out (minus the financial section, I have to admit–I am STILL avoiding that section!), which I’ll talk about in a second.  But the most helpful part of my business plan (and the part I access most frequently) is the “Notes” section I have at the top, which functions as sort of an informal biz plan.  And because that’s a lot less daunting than a formal business plan, I thought I’d share it with you guys. Maybe you could use it as a jumping off point to starting your own business plans!

My Informal Business Plan

At the top of the same business plan document, I keep a “notes” section.  This is a quick-access summary that I constantly look at and update.  No one is ever going to look at this, so it’s informal.  Here’s what’s in that section:

• A mission statement of sorts.
  • Basically, I wrote: “Stinkerpants is:  ” and completed the sentence.  What is your business to you?  If hold your business as close to your heart as I do, your answer may sound like the answer to the question “Who are you?”
• What I want the business to look like.
  • One of my main reasons for wanting to own my own business is flexibility.  With chronic migraine headaches and a serious desire to focus on the fun in life rather than work, I need a job that will allow me to work at odd hours (and, in the future, work fewer hours).  As a result, the future of my business is very closely entwined with my life goals.  So I asked myself:  In an ideal world, what do I want my life to look like?  How does my business fit in?
  • Then I made an itemized list and worked backwards.  How do I get there?  For example, let’s pretend that your life goal is to sit by a pool and blog all day.
    1. I want to sit by a pool and blog all day.
    2. I will need someone to pay me to do this.  Advertisers maybe.
    3. I will need to have a big enough following to get advertisers to pay loads of money for space on my blog.
    4. In order to have a giant following, I should probably be famous.  I can get famous by hanging out with famous people, writing a book…
    5. You get the idea, right?  Go all the way back to where you are RIGHT NOW, so when you’re done, it will look like a step-by-step manual to get you to your ideal life.
• I then write out my main goals for the business right now.  If you’re on number 15 on your list above, what do you need to do to get to number 14?
  • Underneath my main goals, I write out any and all ideas I have on how to accomplish these goals.  This is anything from “figure out what I should be focusing my energy on” to “send out press kits.”  I answer questions like, “What do I need to do in order to accomplish ABC?” with an entire list of ideas and thoughts.  Everything is organized in ordered and unordered lists (can you tell I like bullet points?!).
• I also randomly include little notes to myself or talk out my fears: “I am scared that XYZ will happen and my business will fail as a result”or “I feel like people want to see less expensive items, but I don’t know if I have time to do them right now.  What’s a priority?”  To be honest, in some places this “Notes” section reads like a diary!  I also find notes that my past self has written to my current self: “Don’t worry about XYZ.  That is stupid, and this is why.  Don’t be stupid.”

In summary, I put any and all ideas in this section.  Goals for right now.  Goals for the future.  Goals that might be good to have in the future.  No matter what it is–ideas, goals, fears–get it out of your head and into a Word or Google document.  It feels fabulous.

My Formal Business Plan

My formal business plan is a constant work in progress, as any good business plan should be!  There are a lot of great resources for writing business plans, and I don’t want to spend a bunch of time writing yet another guide.  Instead, I’ll share links to the guides that I’ve found especially helpful:

• Design Sponge’s intro to a strategic business plan: This is a great introduction to business plans and will help you wrap your mind around what a business plan is.
• Sage Wedding Pros 13 Step business plan: this is a fabulous resource for creative businesses– not just for people running wedding-related businesses!
• The Modish Biz Tips Business Plan Challenge.  These are great posts–six of them.
• Nolo’s Business Plan Basics: this is a good resource for the most straightforward and traditional business plans.  This is also a good place to read about why you should have a business plan.

Prior to our wedding, Y and I had two vacuums: one was a 20 year old hand-me-down canister from his parents, and the other was a cheap upright vacuum from Target that I bought and loved.  I am the vacuumer (is that a word?  If not, it totally should be!) in our family, and I refused to use the canister because it was such a pain in the neck and it spit dust out the back.  I’d heard wonderful things about the Dyson, but I wasn’t about to give up my vacuum.  It was two years old and perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch.

Until it broke.

Well, technically, it caught on fire and I was terrified to plug it in again, so I’m not entirely sure it was broken.

In any event, I wanted a new vacuum.  We did some research and added Dyson’s “the Animal” to our wedding registry, hoping someone would get it for us in the next week (with four cats and a dog, I have to vacuum a lot).  Obviously, no one wanted to buy us a $400 vacuum 6 months before our wedding (or ever, as it turned out).  So we bought it ourselves, hoping some super rich member of our extended family would take pity on us and eventually get it for us.

This vacuum is so much better than I ever thought it would be.

It. is. amazing.

It seriously sucks up a TON of dust and cat hair.  The dust is actually what amazes me most, because most vacuums can clean up cat hair.  After I vacuum each week, there’s about an inch of dust at the bottom of the canister thing.  It’s both fabulous and disgusting.  Here I am with my vacuum on our first day together:

The vacuum is also really easy to empty: I just take it right outside, hold it over the garbage can, and push one button.

I love it.  It’s definitely one of my favorite things!

Well, I had some great posts planned for this week, but switching to a new web host has taken a lot longer than I thought–sorry! Things are sorta-kinda back to working right now, with the exception of the shop (which, if you need/want to order something in the next 24-48 hours, can be found at stinkerpants.bigcartel.com) and I’ve got some weird characters in all of my posts…speaking of which, if anyone knows how to fix that, PLEASE tell me!