What's Up, Dog?:Karma Warrior Sticks w/Fun, Eco Yoga Gear

Forget all that self-conscious yoga gear--if you really want to get in touch with spirituality (and save the world while you're at it) you need some down-to-earth apparel from Karma Warrior.

Show folks the real meaning of the High Life--or broadcast your Ayurvedic body-type pride with designs like "Warning. I'm a Pitta." or "Lighten up, I'm a Vata." KarmaWarrior designs show that yogis can achieve the perfect Downward Dog and have a sense of humor. 

Jackie Mori and friends' yoga-inspired clothes were created on the principle that doing good starts with each of us. Karma Warrior starts with earth-friendly, organic cotton and works with local artists and small businesses to create fun, functional apparel with community-driven mindset. 

The company even takes that common-good mindset one step further by donating 12 percent of all sales to charity. 

Karma Warrior stickers were part of the goodie bags the company offered at its recent launch party, and will be given out free at yoga festivals and events to help build visibility for the brand and drive traffic to the website, www.KarmaWarriorClothes.com.

"It's important to us to be as eco-friendly as possible when choosing our products," Jackie told us, "so we searched for the best solution we could find for sticker making. We went with Custom Sticker Makers because they use Eco Solvent inks, plus we could get any quantity we needed at a good price."  

Revive Fly Fishing: The Custom-Sticker-as-Biz-Card

Bryan Crumpler has been a fly fisherman since he was a kid, but it wasn't until around six months ago that he got the idea to start a business selling his various fly fishing products. Since that time, however, the concept has evolved to include an online showcase for his nature photography and writing, highlighting some of the most incredible natural destinations in South, the Southwest and beyond--a.k.a., Revive Fly Fishing.

Although the primary focus of the website is on fly fishing, Bryan also sees it as an opportunity to share the  beauty of nature and to talk about great natural destinations, with the intent of getting some national exposure for his images and words. While the website itself is still evolving, he's starting the business off with with an eye-catching design sure to turn heads, courtesy of his good friend Katie Calhoun.

Bryan likes the idea of using stickers as a business card, allowing the person receiving the "card" to stick it on their car or whatever else, and believes it makes a business more memorable to a potential or current customer.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "I was referred to CSM from a friend who is also in the outdoor business and I decided to see what you guys were all about," Bryan told us. "Throughout the whole process, CSM was extremely helpful, contacting me three separate times with various concerns and questions to ensure that the final product was quality. This, to me, is a sign of a very well run business." He notes that he's planning on ordering more stickers from CSM in the future.

Fast Graphics: Dynicron's Stickers Give Fans Bragging Rights

Dynicron is a family-owned automotive machine shop that started in September of 2004 in a 1600 square foot shop. As of 2011, it operates out of 4000 square foot space--which should give you some picture of its growth. Specializing in cylinder head machining and rebuilding for everything under the sun with wheels--cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, forklifts, race cars, you name it--Dynicron has gone the extra mile to give their customers the best products and service. 

In 2010, Dynicron began a push to increase their focus on racing engines, and now builds all kinds of high performance engines for sprint cars and other vehicles that go really, really fast on those oval asphalt tracks.

Dynicron uses custom stickers to promote their racing engine and high performance lines through sponsorships and events. People sport their stickers, in part, for the bragging rights--letting the world know what they've got under the hood. Every time Dynicron's engines win on the racetrack, those stickers acquire a little more caveat, increasing sticker sales and brand recognition for the shop.

Nick Davis of Dynicron told us that he appreciates working with businesses operating on a model similar to his own, based on a high standard of quality and customer service. He did some research on the internet and liked what he saw on the Custom Sticker Makers website. "After all that," he told us, "our stickers simply looked awesome!!! An eye catcher to say the least!"

Check out Dynicron's website at www.dynicron.com

Jefita Plushies: Cute Characters, Smart Stickers

Amy Monteith studied to be an engineer, but in the end, she just couldn't bring herself to give up her artistic side--and we're so very glad she didn't! About three years ago she combined her skills as an illustrator and her crafty side in an Etsy shop under her online moniker "Jefita" and began selling all manner of adorable handmade stuffed animals, or "plushies."

What started out as a source of income on the side has now grown into a full time job for for Amy. As of today, you can choose from the Jefita line of cuddly creatures--Batholomew the Bad Bunny, perhaps, or Cheshire Cat the Tiny--or dream up your custom stuffed animal, as Monteith takes commissions (such as the laptop plushie bag, pictured).

While Amy's business is primarily through the internet, she needed a way to direct people to her website when she was out and about in the real world. Traditional business cards were fine, but fun plushie animals deserved fun promo materials--i.e., custom stickers. She'd become interested in Quick Response (QR) codes and loves stickers, so she decided to try combining the two. 

Will Amy's innovative new sticker design inspire people to pull out their smartphones and scan the code--and discover her work? Monteith hasn't passed out enough of them to know that yet, but in good marketing form, she has set up her website, Jefita.com, to be able to track traffic originating from her stickers.

"I wanted somewhere that had a quality product and would allow me to affordably 'try out' a batch of stickers," she told us. "Custom Sticker Makers offered exactly what I wanted. I was thrilled with the results and look forward to trying out some die cut designs eventually."

Infamous Network/CSM 2011 Success Award Acceptance Speech

On March 22, 2011 we were honored with the Arizona Small Business Development Center's Success Award. The ceremony was held on the lawn of the State Capital in Phoenix.

Even though mine is the name most often mentioned, it has been a team effort the whole way! Success never happens in a vacuum and I would like to again offer sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped, supported, and believed in us over the past 15 years.

I chose to highlight our 'Education Is National Security' sticker at the end of the speech because the children of Arizona clearly don't have much of a voice at the Arizona State Capital. Less than a week before the award ceremony on March 17th, Arizona Senate Republicans passed a budget with the 'steepest cuts' delegated to public education:

"The steepest cuts are to education. Universities are targeted to lose 26 percent of their state funding; K-12 education faces reductions of about 7 percent, even as money from a temporary sales tax is being collected in the name of preventing deep cuts to K-12 education."

"Jennifer Loredo, lobbyist for the Arizona Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said the $242 million in cuts to K-12 will force layoffs at schools that already are dealing with crowded classrooms and skimpy equipment budgets."
-Arizona Republic March 17, 2011


Seriously? I know it's bad, but is this really the best we can do?

Trying to solve the problems of today by short changing our childrens' chance of a better tomorrow is folly! The generations coming up must be fully educated, engaged, critical thinking individuals if they are to be prepared for the challenges that await them! Fully funding education is the least we can do... and the true definition of 'National Security'.

jeff

ps. thanks dad for taking the video and capturing this moment!


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'Medible' Packaging: A Piece of Bliss Has a Posse

In the state of California, medicinal marijuana is legal when prescribed by a doctor--and so are medical marijuana dispensaries, where patients who wish to avoid the negative health effects of smoking have their pick of food and drinks infused with cannabis. This gave twenty year-old college student Kathryn Masuoka an idea--why not put her baking skills to work in creating a line of homemade medicinal marijuana edibles?

Thus did Kathryn and her best friend create A Piece of Bliss, full of goodies like chocolate-covered strawberry brownies, candy, and banana bread--all infused with cannabis oil and/or cannabis tinctures. While A Piece of Bliss is still in its infancy, as far as the business goes, Kathryn had taken note that most 'medibles' in state-approved marijuana dispensaries came in boring packaging that did little to distinguish them. As a person who takes pride in what she bakes, she knew she wanted her goodies to stand out.

Towards that end, Kathryn figured custom stickers were worth a shot--and after some time spent on Google, she was impressed by how inexpensive they were to produce. Her packaging design draws inspiration from well-known street artist Shepard Fairey's "Andre the Giant" stickers, while speaking to the good vibes and relaxation products her baked goods are known to produce.

"I'm not an experienced sticker-maker by any means, so I wasn't really sure what to expect," she told us. "But the day I received those stickers, I was a very happy girl, let me tell you."

You can find A Piece of Bliss on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Blogspot. (Just search A Peace of Bliss)

Creative Use of Stickers Round Up: Bat Signal, Try-On Tats, a Hair-Rasing Elevator, and Really Local Spuds

Yes, kids, it's that time again when we round up some of the most hilarious, clever and creative uses of stickers in advertising. This dispatch comes courtesy of Web Designer Depot.

How to promo the launch of Batman Begins on TV2? Stickers placed on footpath lights, of course, creating the bat signal after dark.

This tattoo shop had a clever idea--tribal stickers in public bathrooms allowing users to "try on" their next tat.

Scared of losing your hair? Chances are, you'll be way more scared after seeing this sticker-covered elevator, advertising Folliderm.

Lays wanted people in diverse regions across the country to know that their Lays chips were locally-sourced--hence the sticker spuds at the top of this tunnel.