Where there is a will there is a way

Monday, August 11, 2014

How to make truffula trees (using dyed carded wool)


...just like in 'The Lorax", by Dr. Seuss.

I made these with my daughter's class at school (she is 9).  It was a blast.  The next day, her friend came over to play, and I made Fimo creations with them.  We made a barbaloot bear, and a Lorax, and they had so much fun making all these foods out of Fimo for them.  Then, since I had a few trees home with me for finishing - they played with them in a truffula forest.  They even made a humming fish, and I cut out a circle out of blue cloth for a pond in the forest.  So much fun!

My tutorial is below:









Review: the poor design of BP's reusable cup


I just passed some feedback onto BP's Facebook page (as I find the marketing people who maintain the Facebook page of a company actually listen) about their horrible design of their reusable cup.  It looks cute and pretty, but fails functionally.

As in my letter to BP below:

"Hi there.  I bought one of your new reusable coffee cups - photo attached.  I just wanted to pass you some feedback about its functionality, since preserving the environment is really important to me - so having a good reusable cup is important for people to actually use it.

"First of all the lid is really really hard to get on.  The first time I used it the lid wasn't on all the way, and it spilled all over me when I drank from it on the way to work.  Once I learned that pushing it down all the way really really hard worked - I gave the cup another chance.  But it actually leaks, from the top, even when the lid is pushed firmly down.


"Sorry, but I think you guys can do better - KeepCup in Australia has a brilliant cup that people actually use.  And did you know there is a local producer in NZ that is making a barista style cup (it looks like the disposable cup but is reusable).  It is called IdealCup and sorry but it's far better than the one you're selling!  http://www.idealcup.co.nz/silverstripe/


"Also, softer reusable plastic can smell like petroleum, so it has to be made well out of the right material or it's really gross to drink from compared to a disposable cup - the design of both IdealCup and KeepCup succeed in that respect.  The lids on your reusable cup have not succeeded in that area either."

"
SAYS...ME.  Maybe they can support a local, but at least get a design of coffee cup
that works?