We Need KMART in Africa (and I Swell With Pride)
First: you watch.
Then: I explain
I am just BEAMING with pride to know Katie Martin – heading off to Africa for 9 FREAKING months. She is fantastic. If you have a moment (make a moment) you can read about what she’s doing on her blog: KMARTinAfrica.com. Seriously…the courage to get your butt to Africa to work with sex trafficking victims? Huge.
But, the way this video came about is a pretty interesting story – SHARE TIME!
Katie emailed me asking for me to help with the creative bits of her fundraising campaign (i.e. video and blog set up) – but the thing is, it needed to be fast. And, as luck would have it, schedules weren’t going to allow us to be in the same place for more than a smidge for a month or so..
So…a little creativity was in order.
I had this idea, OK fine I’ll admit it…totally inspired by Common Craft’s in Plain English Videos, but it required a white board, a picture and some dry erase markers to make this happen. So…with her head stuck to a stationary spot on a white board and a meticulously marked wall (so the board would go back to the same spot every time after I switched the images)…the video was made using a bunch of still photos lined up in iMovie.
She came over a couple of days later to record the audio, and within 3 hours, I had the video up on YouTube. Voila!
Just goes to show, with a little creativity…you can go a long way with fundraising…you don’t even need the cause present sometimes!
Me and My Birthday Balloon
My BIRTHDAY was last week!
It was absolutely the most amazing birthday a girl could ever have. WHY? Because I love my friends.
They MADE me a blog. I repeat,
they MADE me a blog.
Me: I BLOG. For fun and for a living, so what better way for my friends to show me how well they know me and know what I like than for them to whip out a BLOG? (No. Not a post. An entire BLOG!) Check it out.
First, they setup a blog on Blogspot.
Then, they started comment threads by putting up a blog post and emailing ALL my friends (and family!) to post on the different threads.
And finally, the posted a big slew of pictures from ALL different phases of life! (Including…Easter 2008)
Just one of the MANY pictures!
And…I want to say 2 things.
1. I absoLUTEly did not expect any of this. I realize I orchestrate birthday fun, but doing it brings me so much joy. I actually…gave instructions NOT to do something like this, though, I entirely take them back now.
2. I’ve seen my friends at a loss for words when so many people gather around them on their birthdays, and I can confirm…it is actually impossible to even form one sentence trying to explain the overwhelming feeling of being loved and, as Kaspy put it, known. I just cannot believe the amount of effort that was put in a project just to make me smile. The hours of setting up a blog, the emails and the follow ups, the fact that my San Francisco friends managed to get in touch with my entire community in LA. And…a little birdie told me that Miss Rosalie and Brittany held an all-day workshop at our local coffee shop to train the non-bloggers among us. (Can you BELIEVE IT?)
It is…utterly impossible to describe the wonder of being loved extravagantly.
And to top it off…there was a 7 AM desk decorating party by Banksie and Grey…
Nice little treat first thing in the AM.
The Best Cocktail Napkins in the World
Lucky for me, I never go anywhere without a sharpie, so I saw these napkins at Twitter’s Chirp after party and went around the party collecting “great ideas” from my fellow Tweeters.
And…here are my favorites.
From @chriszf, quite the artist
from @krisaacs (me)…I think I was quite clever.
Perhaps a dance move with a hashtag? Thanks to @okomili.
My New Feel Good Video
Hi. So, what I’ve intended as of late is to keep this blog about my friends and their birthdays, but I just have SO much to say and so much to share. So, fine…then I suppose this blog switches to cultural musings.
First up is a video that made me smile so widely! I first saw it published on Tweetshare (a sister company to my employer Fuze Meeting) and have seen it 6 times since this afternoon I just can’t stop. This is taking the ‘feel good real estate’ in my heart previously reserved by the old couple playing the piano.
It just made me so happy! Be sure to stick around till the end!
PROJECT ROZE: Rows for Rose
March 6th was Rosalie’s birthday, and we (her friends) sent her a short note!
PART 1: Recruitment
First – Rosalie’s rock star rommate, Brittany stole her iPhone and grabbed all her contacts so we had access to her family, etc. Then I emailed them the following note:
Hi Everyone! There’s a good chance you don’t know me. I’m Kristen and I’m friends with Rosalie, too! :)
Well, I some good news and then I have some MORE good news! The good news is that Rosalie’s birthday is around the corner (March 6th). The other good news is that we can do something about it.
4 Reasons You Need QR Codes
Those funny square 2D Bar Codes that you can scan on your iPhone or Android? They’re QP which means Quick Processor codes and I swear, they’re about to take over the world. You can generate your own QR codes here, and you can download a free scanner for your iPhone here. Well, maybe they won’t take over the world. But for now, you probably don’t realize how very much they could help YOU.
- Your business card. How may times have you gotten a business card and with the best of intentions meant to take that 2 by 3 inch piece of 160# letterpressed data and enter it into your outlook…but just never made it there? Well, I can guarantee there are a handful of people who have done the same with your information. If you manage to remove the data entry step with your info, you have a much better chance of getting entered, keeping in touch and closing the deal.
- Emergency contact info for you. A few years ago there was this girl who I never met but will always remember me, Ashlyn Dyer, who was hit by a car on her run. It took them something like a whole day to identify her through her iPod serial number, and since then, I’ve been running with my info taped to the back of my iPod. But you know what? One time, a guy snaked my info off the iPod (yes, I fell for the “oh, what are you listening to”)…and a scannable 2D bar code is very official, won’t smudge, and won’t give your info away to creepers.
- Emergency contact info for your kid. I’m not a mom, but I used to work at a preschool, so I know how totally insane you can get once you have a kid. But crazy or not, I was really thankful for the “overprotective” mom who had provided abundant information the one time I had to call an ambulance. The more info the better, and handing your preschool teacher a card with allergies, medical info, and what to do with an epipen could be really helpful in an emergency.
- Scavenger Hunt. If you stick around for long…you’ll learn I love costume parties and games. But seriously, think about it. A scavenger hunt where the next step was to find one of these funny looking grid thingies, which would give you the next clue? Priceless.
For your sake, spread the word! Your life will be easier once companies start using these. I mean…ever gone shopping for furniture and needed to write down dimensions? Ever needed to write down the style number of jeans for later? Ever been to IKEA and then had to find the light grey slip cover in aisle 36B, second row, shelf 52? You get the idea. It would be great to leave the pencils at home if companies would please stick this on everything.
Any other ideas? I’d love to know.
PROJECT FALCON: Lisa in Three Words
Lisa’s birthday: Also October 6th.
This is Lisa, Here for your saftey.
Here’s the final product:
And Here’s How We Got There:
Have y’all seen Good Morning America’s “Your Three Words” segment?
No? Click here. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Your3Words/ (you may have to click on a vid below) Read more…
PROJECT KASPY: 29 Surprises
Prior to 10/6/09:
Laura Kaspick loves: Surprises, candy and things that sparkle.
Her birthday is October 6th. She’s making it easy on us.
So on the AM of her day of her birth some of us will deliver (delivery details TBD) a big ol’bag of wrapped boxes, envelopes, etc., wrapped in white paper with numbers and opening times on it. There will be 29 because she is 29 duh. And she will have surprises all day. And she will be glad and merry.
Your job: Get a little surprise (preferably in a little box) to myself (Keller/Banks/Angley are great vehicles to get things to me) by Sunday, October 4th. And we will arrange the rest. Also…stick your name IN (not on) that box somewhere – maybe with a note or whatnot.
Good ideas for surprises: Glitter, candy, candy, candy, sparkles, sequins. The idea is not for these to be presents but rather to be things that would make her smile.
Bad ideas for surprises: Poo, things that cost +$3.29, angry words, splashing & jostling.
Midnight 10/5/09 - The 29 Gifts
The Drop Off:
PROJECT KASPY: 29 Surprises
For those of you who are just tuning in, the Project Kaspy objective was to fill LK’s B-day with surprises, sparkles and candy…with 29 gifts b/c obvi she is 29. The last surprise (#4) was dropped off just after 10 PM, and they were passed off to the Drop Off Sub-Committee.
The Surprise Drop Off Sub-Committee (Dana/Strand/Nic) brought Project Kaspy to a whole new level. Honestly… This is why I love our friends…because nothing is too silly, ridiculous, or extravagant….
The drop of plan was that they were going to have an aggressive homeless man deliver the gifts. (Diagram Attached, as masterminded by foxypantz).
Dana's Big Plan
But…I’ll let LK say it in her own words (she’s copied) – and sent this to me…and yes, now I realize it would have just made more sense to have her send it herself – I just wanted a 4 sentence recap to forward and she sent this whole cute thank you deal!
To my wonderful friends:
Isn’t it lame that there are still no words to express how unbelievably thankful one can be? You would think that someone would have come up with them by now…
Well THANK YOU will have to do, but I can also offer up a recap of this morning’s bum encounter:
After my fabulous chauffeurs picked me up to take me to work, they offered to swing by Starbucks for coffee. While I was waiting in the car, a bum with a long beard, hat, hood, and puffy jacket started tapping on the window and holding a sign reading “Anything helps, God bless : )”
At first I tried to avoid eye contact and didn’t want to roll down my window for this scary man. But he was pointing to his mouth and apparently just wanted something to eat. So even though the last time I tried to give a bum a bar he threw it back at me, I started to reach into my backpack to get one. But as I was doing this 1) I started thinking that the beard was fake (small clue) and 2) the bum turned the sign around so that it now read “Happy Birthday Laura!” (really good clue).
Lo and behold it wasn’t a scary bum but Nic Hughes. And instead of wanting anything from me he wanted to give me TWENTY NINE presents and a note promising candy and sparkles! I have only gotten through two so far, but they have definitely delivered on those categories : )
So yes, I totally fell for it. Everything was a complete surprise (I love surprises!!) and Project Kaspy was a huge success.
Can’t wait to see you all tonight so I can again try to let you know how thankful I am and how special you have made this day.
Team "Drop Off"
PROJECT KELLAH: Midnight Ninjettes
This is Kellz. He makes sure we all have fun.
I should start by saying, I absolutely have no business taking credit for this one. Masterminded by Kaz P. (from Project Kaspy), I consider myself quite lucky to have been a part of this. However, Kaz P. does not have a blog…and I do. So, there you have it.
Real Ninjettes Ride On Top
As ninjettes normally do (ninjettes = lady ninjas), we flew under the radar with this one. It was of the greatest importance that we were not tracked by the government, so I don’t have a nice long email train to post here for you. Most of our communication regarding the event was done through carrier pigeons or interpretive dance.
We were *going* to wake him up in the early AM and surprise our favorite ninja, but he gets up so darn EARLY…and to be honest, no one really knew when. Sooooo, we (Kaz) had the great idea to make it a midnight adventure… We were off! All on our way over to Kaz’s post our respective Community Groups with ninjette masks in tow.
Ninjettes need no permission to enter restricted property
With roles (and nicknames) assigned, we were ready for action.
Kaz P.: Project Manager
Strangley: Very big card that sings when you open it bringer
Falcon: Cheesecake (All ninjas like cheesecake) baker
EyJill Banks: Event Photographer
DJ Freshy K: Stealthy Playlist Manager
11:54 PM – We broke the code to enter the gate (we already knew it) and illegally (legally) entered the complex.
11:55 PM – We stood in a circle and talked about the best and worst things that happened to us today. One minute each. (Another Kaz P. addition)
12:01 AM – With the Mission Impossible Theme Song playing on the speakers, we pounded on the frosted glass front door until he opened it. And sneakily crept in.
We scared him! I guess I can understand. His first thought was probably not, “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY.” It was probably “AH! NINJAS!!!!!” Understandable, really.
And…he loved it. And it was so much fun.
The Happiest Ninjas Wear No Shirt
PROJECT BANKSIE: Kind of a Big Deal
Meet Erin: She’s the birthday girl who started it all. (And by ‘all’ I mean those 3 times I did something for my friends on their bdays). I realize I’m posting these a little out-of-order. DWI. (Deal with it)
Meet Erin. She's Fancy.
Anyway, it all started one day…I was home sick and having a “DAY” and I just decided that I REFUSED to waste a free day even if I WAS too sick to stand up. But…I wasn’t too sick to type!!!! (Excuse the Twilight and Myers Briggs references…)
______
Here’s the Email That Went Out:
Hi Everyone,
Erin Banks: Kind of a big deal.
That’s right everyone, your favorite Banksy and mine is turning another year older on MONDAY AUGUST 3rd. And…I just thought it would be really fun if…we rallied ’round to do something ah-mazing to let her know how much we all love her!!! AND what better way celebrate Erin than by using 2 of the things we love best about her: creativity and silliness (and emailing during the work day)!!!!
So…me and some others are throwing an email party! And we need help. And it’s SO easy. And really – this is the type of thing where the more people who do it, the cooler it will be.
All you have to do:
- Print out 1 page from the attached PDF (If you want to make your OWN sign…have at it. The font is Arial Black…size 120)
- Take a picture of yourself holding it (example attached…cell phone pictures are JUST FINE!)
- Email it to Erin on her birthday
These were the pre-written options for what you could photograph
And…if you know peeps who I don’t know:
- Forward it to the people you know heart EB but aren’t on this list – but be SURE to copy me so I can include them on the reminder email.
(I think I have GBS covered, and Jared is emailing family, Cies can email her CG, but I want to make sure the Young Life crew and anyone else knows, too!)
I think she will love to know that people are excited to come together for this…and…wouldn’t it be fun to get these fun and silly and commonly themed emails all day!?!?!?!?
Happy Almost Erin’s Birthday,
Kristen
______________
So…THEN there were some very enthusiastic friends! Hennie took a picture holding a computer from the airport in SOUTH AFRICA and sent it to me
Hennie In South Africa
because he was going to be ‘in air’ on the big day. Slowly but surely, this was going to happen…and I’d been bitten by the birthday bug.
Next up: Her PARENTS who (I’ve learned) have no idea what it means to be “KIND OF A BIG DEAL” but enthusiastically held up signs anyway. (Sadly, digital files have been forever lost)
And then…the floodgates were open.
By the end of the day, Erin had gotten 26(ish) silly emails from friends!
All The Silly Signs for Banksie
Most creative prize (awarded by me) goes to: Lisa (from Project Falcon) and Keller (From Midnight Ninjettes)
