Who is Opal?

First, I have to say, it has really been an exciting and intriguing journey to develop the new Your Nest™ Organizer.

By now, many of you have (or will soon) receive Your Nest Organizer if you placed an order during the shipping special I ran last week. You may have noticed the bird on the packaging. That's Opal. And she has an interesting journey all her own.

Here's one thing I know for sure. This new gadget wouldn't have happened without the contributions from some really talented people.

This is the very first sample of the packaging for Your Nest Organizer. An ugly white box with a hole in the top. The product started as a concept, then a drawing, then a couple of prototypes (the first prototype was an utter disaster!) Once we had a prototype of the product, it needed a box.

The only thing I knew for sure was that the box needed to have a hole so you could experience the funny-feeling flexible 'spikes' that hold rulers (and other cool stuff).

The package designers came up with this shape. Mission accomplished, right? Well, there were still a few adjustments to make because my original, original prototype was a different size from the final version. So the first box didn't quite fit the second prototype below - see the space indicated by the red arrow? and by the way, no that's not one of the final colors, it's prototype #2

The next step in the process was to actually create the artwork for the box.

For that I worked with Holly Scherzi Designs. I met Holly years ago at a business networking event in the Syracuse area. At that time, I never, ever envisioned that I would need her services. I'm a quilter, after all . . .why would I need a packaging expert? I liked that she is from my area. Local talent.

In our first conversation, I knew she was the right person for the job. She asked me a few questions about what I had in mind and about the product, including colors. All I had was a few of the color chips (and these aren't quite the final Your Nest Organizer colors, but it was a start).

I had no idea what Holly was going to do with that plain white package with a hole in the middle. But she was confident and all she said was that she had some ideas. . . the earliest version showed up in my email. Notice how Opal started with plain black legs, but quickly gained some striped leggings, but no dots on her tail or crest at the earliest stages.

For a very brief moment, she even had painted toe nails. But that's just silly! What respectable bird would paint her toenails? Leggings, certainly, but toe nail polish?

Opal didn't get her name until I made a mistake.


With images, there are two different file variations that you can create -- one that is optimized for print, and one that is optimized to view online. And without getting too technical, using the online version where the print version is called for and vice verse can create weird colors.

I was transferring Opal (a print version of her) to someone for online use, and I noticed that her color had transformed. She looked like an Australian opal!

All of the sudden, Opal had a name.

Opal is organized and fun. And she likes to sew, but she can be a very messy bird.

That's why Your Nest™ Organizer is perfect to keep Opal's stuff handy when she's busy creating!

This is how the online version should have looked (and does now)!

And she started as the hole in the top of a package.

Mind blown.


I dunno, I think it's a fun story.

Here's the part of the story that really hits me in the heart. I had an idea and I couldn't possibly execute all the parts by myself. I never imagined all the truly wonderful and talented people I was going to meet as this idea developed into a thing. Including:

• My amazing US-based manufacturing partner (I knew one thing for sure when I set out on this journey, I didn't want Your Nest™ Organizers to be made overseas!).
• A banker who believed in a really silly idea and helped with all the appropriate financial forms
• A trusted attorney's expertise and guidance in all things legal
• A CAD design team in Jacksonville, Florida who took a break from flood relief efforts last Fall to make a drawing adjustment.
• The pigment supplier who just could not understand the purple I wanted until I explained that it needed to invoke the image of a purple martin - little did I know that he was a bird enthusiast, suddenly that analogy produced the 'right' purple for "Martin," one of the four color options.
• A package designer who created the shape of the box
• The artist who turned the circular hole in that box into Opal.
• A crazy-talented web and logo designer behind the transitioning PudgieParrot.com
• A marketing coach standing on the sidelines encouraging me along an amazing roller coaster ride that isn't over yet - and yes, there have definitely been ups and downs on this path.
• And the list goes on!

I feel like I'm very, very lucky, and I'm part of a very big, highly skilled, and extremely talented team that is bringing a silly, handy little gadget to your sewing room! For $18.95, Your Nest™ Organizer is not ONLY a really fun gadget to keep stuff handy - it's a fist full of amazing talent for an incredible price!

Just wow! Awesome, right?

What a journey!

In case you missed it last week, here's the link if you gotta have Your Nest Organizers

 

Happy Stitching!

Joan