Give me an I-D-E-A

You'd think with the way my 'to do' lists are looking these days, I could just shut down the 'idea factory' for awhile. Nope! I'm overwhelmed by both! Here's what's on my list:

Work = I just submitted a review manuscript yesterday and am now planning for fieldwork in California (we leave in just over 2 weeks); status: on track
Cascade Lemonade = need to make 6 Mylarkey Lunch Bags (possibly 9), possibly 3 Kathy Jewelry Cases, 1 Trio Set, 1 custom wallet, and a Teensy and Mini Moo Set...in the next 2 weeks; status: on track...barely
Home Decorating = need to make 1 duvet cover and a couple pillows for the guest room and kitchen curtains, preferably before Thursday when we have visitors arriving; status: here's where it starts to get shaky!
Plus...packing for 5 weeks in California (+1 week in Alaska), gifts for Caden's teachers, getting back on my 4x/week work-out plan...

(an example of one of my recent projects: this custom jewelry case)

Despite this busy-ness, as I often find when I'm multi-tasking, I have more energy than usual! And ideas just seem to keep multiplying. Here's my latest:

Vicarious Travel

I dreamed this up while commuting and working out a few weeks ago. I've always thought it would be cool to take an online quiz that would spit out my perfect trip - the same way you can take quizzes to figure out your political party, religion, and life expectancy...but even better! I've decided it requires an actual person, otherwise the results are inevitably cruises or tours that have paid advertising costs to come up as my 'perfect getaway'. The name 'vicarious' comes from my always living vicariously through others' travels; in the past, I've written up full itineraries for friends and acquaintances travelling to New Zealand and Europe, two of my favorite travel destinations. Since I don't travel as much now as I did in my 20's, I thought it would be fun to combine this travel consulting with my crafty pursuits, especially book-making (which I haven't done much of lately, I've been on a sewing kick). I've put the idea up for grabs in my Vicarious Travel Sets.
Here's how the customized travel guide works:

Step 1: Matt and I came up with a travel questionnaire that I'll email to customers after purchasing the set. It includes questions about destination, lodging, transportation, activity, and budget preferences and requirements. The traveler's job is to fill out the questionnaire and give any info they think will be helpful.

Step 2: I sift through online and print information, and rely on personal recommendations, to make trip suggestions, collated in a .pdf file

Step 3: I print out the .pdf and make a mini travel guide...so for less than the cost of a travel guide, the traveler has a fully customized guide!

Step 4: Hard and electronic copies of the travel guide are sent to the traveler, and it's up to them to critically evaluate the suggestions, including checking out websites (all given in the guide) and making their own bookings.

Step 5: If travelers send me a postcard from their trip, they get a coupon for use on future Cascade Lemonade purchases!

I can see lots of ways the travel guide can be customized...

Ariel has a budget and weekend in mind, but not a destination...I would come up with multiple options...

Becky is going to a conference in Lalaland and needs ideas for a nearby side trip and activities...

Corinna buys the set for her friend Dalia who just got engaged and is trying to decide where to go on her honeymoon...

Edith has her plane tickets for a week in Hawaii but no itinerary or lodging reservations...

Fiona has no time to travel *now* but is dreaming about where she'd like to go when she retires...

...etc!

Just my latest wild idea...following my 5th grade idea of selling poems to neighbors for 10c each to fund a visit to a friend who had moved cross-country (I don't think I could comprehend the cost of a plane ticket then)...and my 5th grade idea of posting signs advertising a dozen daffodils for $1.50 (wasn't my mom surprised when she got the first order by phone; lucky for me, she still helped me pick, package, and deliver them, before we took the signs down!)...I don't remember ever having a lemonade stand, but I do have a philosophy about them: always, always stop and buy a cup!

More ideas in the pipeline: a cookbook of healthy desserts, travel guide with the best bakeries (might have to be a little more narrow than just 'in the USA'!), and lots more ideas for the Cascade Lemonade shop, including more iron-ons, like this custom patch I just finished.

Stay tuned!