I’d like to take a moment and share with you why I think bright happy colors do matter especially for people who live with diabetes.  Now before you roll your eyes this is absolutely not a post on how if you stare at the color yellow or orange for 25 minutes every day you’ll be cured of diabetes. Because we know that crazy talk is exactly that…crazy and quite silly really.  But here is what I’m sharing. When I was dealing with sticking myself 4 times a day and dreading the next experience shortly after I just completed it.

I can remember it vivdly. I was working part time at Microsoft Adcenter and I’d start to see all the words on the monitor run together and I’d feel foggy and out of it. I’d glance down to my purse and see the black eyesore staring back at me. Realizing that I’d need to grab it to check my levels and then plan accordingly…sigh…I was never really out loud about my diabetes because I was new to it, and was afraid what people would think. So I’d grab my bag in spy-like fashion and head to the bathroom.

But my story changed if only slightly when I made my first bright happy diabetes carrying case. Not only did I perk up before grabbing my bag, but I wanted to show it off. My spirits were raised and I felt better about taking care of myself…it really was a spirit lifter. Mind you I’m sensitive to colors (and shiny if you ask the Hubbs) but my little bit of happy did that for me. It made me even a little happy, and at the time it is and was exactly what I needed.

If you’re not affected by bright happy colors then it probably doesn’t matter to you, but if a splash of color gives you a little boost, then Stick Me Designs accessories are a fabulous fit for you.

The first round of Stick Me Designs giveaways is underway.

Starting with the 10 FOR 10!

HERE IS HOW IT’S GONNA GO DOWN!

10 new Deluxe Hoot Diabetes Clutch bags will be Gifted, Donated, or Contested Out according to You! You can choose to give a new Hoot to a deserving friend, an anonymous fan, follower, or commenter.  You can choose to give it away to a blog reader, or you can choose to keep it as a backup. I would hope you would choose to share the wealth but that’s your choice

1. For every purchased Hoot Deluxe clutch purchased…you ‘earn’ a FREE one.  So if you purchase 2 you get to giveaway 2…and so on. Up to 10 purchases, and 10 FREE!

2. To grow the momentum please tweet, facebook, and tell others about this chance to get a FREE Hoot diabetes clutch from Stick Me Designs.

Here’s you chance to really do something amazing for someone else in the community!

And please share what your plans are so that I can share your efforts with the community at large.

I’ll be posting on Twitter and Facebook every time a new Hoot is purchased…and therefore a new FREE one is up for grabs! Feel free to entice the new Giver with your comments, bribes, and favors It’s all in good fun.

Ready…Set…Give!

They’re baaack, and even more functional than the previous launch. You spoke up and we responded, you said you wanted a messenger bag that could not only hold your d supplies, but other daily stuff too…done. You said you wanted to have a bag that could change looks in a snap, but not buy another bag…done and done.  You also said you wanted a bag that had an insulated pocket to keep you insulin cool….phew…done!

The flaps available now are from the previous launch, while new flaps will be available in 2 weeks.  Not to mention new fabrics to be voted and ‘liked’ on facebook for the newly updated Deluxe clutch bags. Bigger, with more pockets and more space for stuff. New fabric choices will be uploaded on the Stick Me Designs facebook fan page to see what you all think of the new fabrics. Love ‘em, or hate ‘em I need to know so that the favorites make it into the finally choices.

If you wanna ensure you get the flap you want, pre-orders are available Now! With pre-orders shipping out on Friday the 8th.  And I gotta tell ya there is only ONE of the very popular Groovy Blue flap left. So you want it…better go pre-order today!

It’s been a a year or so now that the Switch Me Messenger was sold out (all within a couple of months), and because you all expressed a need for them again. They’re making a return, and that’s what I love so much about running Stick Me Designs. It’s you all that I rely on to make all the hard choices that I’m not the greatest at, but rightly so because in the end it’s the diabetes family and community that will be enjoying my accessories, traveling with them, and whipping them out during a night out to make sure

Trippy Nite 'Switch Me' Messenger

those bg’s are on track.

For those of you new to the Switch Me Messenger the idea is simple. One messenger bag body, that comes with a supply clutch, and a choice of different flaps to switch out when you feel like changing the look of your diabetes bag.  When you feel like blue, grab a blue flap..feeling like a retro green, grab that one.  It’s the ultimate accessory for all you ‘changeyourminders’ out there..me included

Another new development I’m working on is the ‘Design of Diabetes’ website and t-shirt design contest.  I wanted to give the community a platform to express what you want to say about diabetes. Maybe a favorite motivational quip, or a creative sketch that helps you get by.  The idea not new to the t-shirt industry a la Threadless.com is to allow the creative types to upload a design. Share the design with community visitors via the Design of Diabetes website, and let them vote on their faves. The popular ones get made into tees. The idea is to melt design, style and awareness into the lifestyles of the community at large. Oh and I have to include that a portion of the winning designs will be given to the artists’ favorite diabetes charity.  And that’s what makes is awesomebulous!

While some of you may know that in addition to being a busy business mom, I’m also a Navy Chief spouse, and my husband goes away often on ‘Navy water excursions’…but now as we wind down his 20 year career, it’s time to pick up new orders. Ideally we’d like to stay here in the Virginia Beach, VA area, but the Navy isn’t that kind at the moment. With budget woes, and job spots becoming a rare commodity we may have to get creative to make this happen.  *Sigh* so what does this all mean? Well put simply, we may be moving within a year…but only after my husband leaves me and the boys for 6+ Long summer months! Uugh..not my favorite part of the Navy but a job that needs to be done none the less.

Step Right Up Folks…To The Greatest Show on Earth!  Come watch as the mom of 2 very rambunctious boys under the age of 6, juggle life as a single parent, an entrepreneur, selling a house, buying a house, fixing said house, looking for a new job (hopefully won’t need that part), looking for a new school, saying good bye, and readjusting all over again!! Yes folks the next year will read straight from fingers of a mom juggling waay more than she ever thought she could.

Stay Tuned, oh and thanks for reading!

Did you see it yet? I’m pretty excited about it, Diabetic Living has featured Stick Me Designs in their Winter 2010 edition this year, and I’m flattered beyond words.  This is the second time Diabetic Living has featured my company within it’s delictable pages, and I’m a proud mama. My little ‘baby’ is growing up and the all the solo effort and hard work is paying off. But humbly I do have to include none of this would ever be possible without any of my friends, customers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans. So BIG THANK YOU to you! 

The holiday season is upon us and I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is already next week. Talk about unprepared…that’s un understatement. But I’m taking this time to realize that time is ticking by, and that I will jump on my Holiday shopping, and charity efforts this year, because there is still lots of people out there doing without this year. It’s a duty we all share, to take care of those we can and help them how we can.

My efforts this year include giving some more supplies to my local diabetes clinic in Chesapeake, VA.  The holidays may get extra tough when gifts are pushing there way past the supplies bill…certainly something to think about.

So thanks again for stopping by, if you ever have a question or comment for me please contact me!

If you’ve followed any of my Stick Me Designs collections in the past few years you know that I:

1) Love color and cater towards colors that are upbeat, and prints that aren’t scared to be seen.
2) I enjoy letting my customers decide on what colors and prints will be available next.
3) Like to change collections up often to get as many of my customers a chance to ‘fall in love’… and give in to a new Stick Me design…I’ve heard it’s my super power but that’s to be debated

So the newest collection called ‘JuicyD’ is certainly no exception. With super bright delicious colors to choose from this Limited Edition collection is sure to please those who long for brightly colored textures, and love attention.

The lineup: –>> Juicy Magenta; Juicy Banana; & Honey.  Another thing I like to do for my customers is offer pre-ordering of my diabetes accessories and bags.  Because the demand for my designs is increasing every season and colleciton, some collections sell out much faster than expected. And while the early birds tend to get the design they want, those who wait sometimes miss their bag.

But with pre-ordering you can ensure your bag will find its’ way to you.  I’ve opened up pre-ordering again for this Limited Edition of bags, as an added incentive to grab yours now, and just in case you’re a true early Holiday shopper. And according to my contractor the new collection is set to arrive next week! Half of the Juicy Mangenta bags have found a home, so if you’re considering grabbing a JuicyD bag…stop on by and swipe yours today.

Another cool happening is the Stick Me Reseller Project.  This is my effort to meet the growing demand locally here in the states and abroad for my designs. Still in its infancy I have a UK reseller who just received her order a couple of weeks back and is already getting inquiries about her ‘exclusive’ designs.  Yup exclusive designs. If you decide you’d like to give being a Reseller a shot, you can have the choice to carry exclusive designs that can only be purchased through you!  It’s just another added bonus of becoming a reseller and carrying Stick Me Designs accessories.

You can even opt for a package that includes your first wholesale order of bags, a custom built 3-5 page website, business cards and/or marketing materials to pass around! Or if you’d just like the bags you can go that route too. It’s super easy to get started… CLICK HERE if you’d like more details, and I’ll contact you with more information.

So ending this post up, I’d like to thank all of you following me on Twitter and who are fans over on Facebook! The community there is remarkable and I continue to learn what you all want and what you expect from me. Thank you Again!

~Rickina

It’s that time again…Giveaway Time. For this giveaway I’ll be giving the motivated winner a free Deluxe bag, and 2 bio flips!  A $45 value!!

Here’s whatcha gotta do for a shot at the prizes:

1) Post 2 things you do to motivate yourself when you get down from diabetes and/or what you share with those you love living with diabetes.

Choose your Sharing Method: Here, Facebook, and or Twitter.  If you’re really looking for brownie points do all 3

—>> Post your 2 things below – share so others can be motivated too

–>>Post on my Stick Me Designs Facebook page – **encourage your friends and followers to ‘Like’ your comment, the more likes the more chances you have of being chosen!!**

–>>Post on Twitter be sure to include hashtags: #diabetes, #stickmedesigns — **Encourage RT’s…the more RT’s the more entries you get!**

And one last request for the winner chosen, once you receive your new Stick Me goodies, upload an action shot to share on my Facebook fan page.

That’s it..let’s try and encourage one another to stay motivated, stay positive and thrive with diabetes!!

The winner will be selected on September 3, 2010. The person with the most Like & RT’s by 9/3/10 will win the Deluxe bag of their choice, and 2 bio flips. This includes the newest styles set to arrive in September: Honey & Key Lime

I know that many of my customers are currently using insulin as their daily regimen to control their diabetes. And over the last few years, I have heard your suggestions, comments and wishes for having a diabetes bag that is stylish AND  insulated.

Well look no more my friends, our Grown & Classy diabetes bags have an insulated pocket and we even provide you with a cool pack to use to keep your insulin cool during the day. It’s the perfect size for the insulated pocket, and is a cool innovation to the traditional cool ice pack.  You just run water over it, wipe it dry and toss it in the freezer.

Silky Cocoa – Insulated Pocket

Stick Me Cool Packs

Ok, here’s your chance to spill it out (pun intended) as to what you have in your diabetes bag.  If you have a Stick Me bag…Fabulous, if you don’t yet…eh hem…What Are You Waiting For? But I wanna see what you keep in your bag, send me your pictures of what you keep in yours, is it messy, or tidy…are you the paranoid type and keep the kitchen sink with you? or do you just keep the MSL (meter, strip,lancet). Share them with the rest of us…it’s just for fun, but let’s see the various things you keep with you in any given day.