A few reviews...

wow where does the time go?
Since my last missive, there's been a lot of really nice reviews and write-ups about PortaPocket products we'd so love if you take a read!

from Practical Travel Gear, Oct. 27, 2009:
http://practicaltravelgear.com/staying-organized-pockets-and-more-pockets/

from Yak About It, Nov. 3, 2009:
http://www.yakaboutit.com/page/yak-nation/dates/2009-11-03/

from Examiner, Nov. 6, 2009:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2163-Hotels-Examiner~y2009m11d6-Holiday-gift-guide-Pick-pockets-undress-in-Europe-and-squirt-mustard-in-South-America

from MacTribe, Nov 17, 2009:
http://www.mactribe.com/macbeta102.php

from TopTrips, Nov. 9, 2009:
http://www.toptrips.com/travel-interests/international-travel/a-pick-pocket-proof-travel-accessory

from Elfster, Nov. 18, 2009:
http://blog.elfster.com/2009/11/18/elfster-recommends-accessories-to-make-your-life-easier/

from Lucky Canuck, Nov. 26, 2009:
http://luckycanuck.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-gift-guide-portapocket.html

Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving :-)
Now it's time to gear up for Xmas, etc...
Of course in this kind of economy with increasing thefts, you know just the right place to get a really cool, useful and inexpensive holiday gift in the next few weeks, right?
Keep your stuff ON yourself and don't be a victim! ;-)

New packaging is here!

After many months of work, our new flirty girl "flavor" in packaging is launching :)
Wer'e very excited about its great reception from the marketplace and can't wait to see it on the shelves of your favorite boutiques real soon!

twitter rocks x2 as PortaPocket heads to Vegas!

Been twittering all over the place and meeting some terrific people, including my new friend Jessica with a cool scented wipe for your cell phones & other electronics called Celly Smellys (www.cellysmellys.com). We're meeting up in Las Vegas to visit some trade shows, audition for Pitchmen (on the Discovery channel) and talk business while we're at it!! Very exciting... will report all the scoop when we get back from Sin City (no sinning here though...just squeaky clean stuff...natch) ;-)

twitter rocks as PortaPocket invades Australia!

OK..."invades" might be a strong word....but man, have I been LAX (...and I don't mean the airport in CA...)! hmph. been a long time since I wrote in here, so sorry. Bad girl. Too much tweeting. But that's really a GOOD thing! I've met some terrific and fun people from all over the globe ...chatting away. Just sent off my 1st package to Australia to my new friend @ferrous....love her. I feel so multi-continental now! :)
Amazing how many people are tweeting about problem situations they're having...
just do a search for "lost wallet" "lost keys" "no pockets" "put in bra" etc. etc. and see what you get! I daresay there's dozens of disgruntled tweets a day and that's just those who are talking about it...I'm sure there are many others with the same issues that don't bother... So there you have it... It's not just me who's basically saying there's a HUGE need for a way for people to solve these kinds of problems...and I plan to be right there with my PortaPocket cases to help people do just that. :)

it's rainin' candy...

My little daughter loves the 4th of July parade... It's a small one in our little town but no matter. A 4 yr old is in heaven even with a handful of fire engines and a decorated car or two. And she'll say the best part, of course, is all the candy she collects. Kind of like a reverse Halloween, where this time you just sit there and all the candy gets thrown at YOU. It's just one of those oh-so-fun things about being a child without a worry in the world....
perhaps if the rain stops we'll make it over to the fireworks somewhere.
To you & yours -- all the best and have a safe & festive holiday weekend!
:)

PortaPocket around the world...SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS!

thinking of getting a new feature on my site about people using PortaPocket products in all different countries and circumstances --
as of now, they've been in Italy, up Mount Everest, in Spain, Rio in Bazil, all over the roller coasters at amusement parks, and soon to visit Germany, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Send me your great shots & the best one per month'll get a FREE PortaPocket kit! e-mail jpg files to: kendra@portapocket.com

Fox4 Deal or Dud? -- DEAL!

Did you see our review on Fox4 News in Dallas/Fort Worth last night? Was terrific!! Couldn't have asked for anything better. They'd tried out PortaPocket strap-on cases while riding the snazzy roller coasters at the amusement park and gave PPs the big Thumbs Up! Yea yea!
Don't lose your phone, etc...!

blog me, baby!

thanks so much to the following folks who've recently written kind reviews about PortaPocket in their musings:

Debi Lilly, event planner extraordinaire at A Perfect Event --
http://blog.aperfectevent.com/aperfectevent/index.html

Kerri Winick of the new fashion & gossip resource Celebutante Sisters --
http://celebutantesisters.com/articles/361

and Candice Hakimfar, Host and Co-Producer of Live in LA --
http://ladoesny.blogspot.com/2009/05/leave-purse-behind-whip-out-porta.html

We appreciate your votes of confidence and share the love!

Happy Memorial Day to one and ALL
we are humbled & grateful to all those who gave so much to preserve our FREEDOM!!

Perfect for prom

For all the young gals heading to the dance this spring -- keep your phone, ID, lipstick, or whatever you need ON yourself under that gown and be self-sufficient! We've had moms buy PortaPocket kits for their daughters for these specific reasons, etc. Handy for bridesmaids and women at weddings too. Makes a useful, helpful gift.

Twitter tweets

spending some time on getting into Twitter chat rooms, etc. Just getting past greenhorn stage...quite the spectrum of humanity represented there!

Don't lose your lunch (or anything else!) on amusement park rides

Sending out press releases about how PortaPocket strap-on carrying cases can help people help themselves while at amusement parks. Sometimes the lockers are too far away or you worry about them getting broken into while you're going about your day. Convenient to have all the things you need ON yourself for peace of mind! Just make sure to wear your PP pocket under your clothing while you're out and about, and don't use 'em on those water slides, ok? ;)

HSN on the radar...

A company called us about getting a shot on HSN. Already applied, but perhaps this will help gain a little more attention. Definitely a good thing to have demonstration possibilities!

still smokin'

No not that smoking -- (never have. never will!)
Great aftermath from the TODAY exposure, but there's always new mountains to climb...
Right now we're aiming for HSN or QVC to get a little more recognition on the "world stage" as it were :)
Look for our new video hitting webwaves sometime late May (ish)!

TODAY Rocks!!!

AWESOME response from the Today Show!! Jill did a fantastic job & we're totally swamped with orders (a GREAT thing!!) and been crazy on the phone, e-mails, etc. all over the place. People are really LOVIN' IT (& us too, ;)) !!! THANK YOU TODAY SHOW, JILL, KATHIE LEE & HODA!

TODAY calling!

Just got word we'll be featured on a "Fashion Emergency" segment on the Today Show scheduled to air on Monday (April 6). The piece focuses on ten top "must have" solutions to solve sticky situations that people find themselves in...CAN'T WAIT!!!
:)

on dancing with the stars?

it wasn't on this episode, but watching DWTS tonight reminded of the day there was a hot dance being performed by a blonde in a red costume, and when she spun around and showed a garter on the top of her thigh, my little Angelina exclaimed, "Mommy! She's got a PortaPocket on!" how cute is that?!
now if it can only BE one next time, we'll be getting somewhere...! ;)
btw, LOVED that Steve the Woz got to stay today -- doesn't that just give us all someone to cheer for?

closer to snuggie...

well, not sure how the Chicago gig's shaking out, but I've been happy with the communication from SnuggieBook and SnuggieSightings webguy...looks like I'll be able to get a link up there to help people on the pub crawl route in various cities around the country. That's even better traffic, so it's all good : )
Hopefully the efforts aren't mutually exclusive and we'll be able to blaze a trail on all paths!

Snuggie Pub Crawl, anyone?

So I spoke with Jeff last week, the emcee at the upcoming April 18th shindig. SO far it looks promising for the organizers to have me (et al) to set up a little area in one of the host bars to offer our little goodies to the collective. After all, where do people put their important items when the Snuggies have no pockets? Some guy in NY was complaining to the media of that little vignette, hence my call on the folks to begin with...
We'll see...!
Regardless, I think I might go out and make a banner anyway --"What's under your clothes?" and T-shirts to match so we can rustle up a little intrigue.
And intrigue is always good, isn't it? ;)
Even if things don't work for this event somehow, we can try for another Saturday night at a good dance bar...after all, it's the same environment with the same needs of the audience. And of course bars tend to make people drunk & happy...or at least drunk if not happy. Or maybe neither. Oh, what the hell do I know...I don't go to bars. I get drunk on a sip of wine. Cheap date.

on with Jay Leno!

How fun it was to get a bunch of e-mails and calls after PortaPocket made it's "debut" (so to speak) on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last Monday! Now let's see if Jay & Mavis start driving around LA with their PortaPockets strapped onto his hog..
Perhaps that's just another way to get some more "exposure" :))

works on a wheelchair

Just dropped off Angelina at school the other day and lo and behold what was sitting right there...

a wheelchair!
I was excited since I was planning to go find one to take a few photos of a PortaPocket on the arm/frame of it, and this one basically just found me instead. Saved me a trip :)

p.s. Large pocket here has a phone inside; small pocket with credit cards, ID, $$, etc

At the eye doctor

A little while back, I was at a retina specialist and one of the other patrons in the waiting room asked me, "wasn't that you I saw in the newspaper?" (of course we both had our eyes max dilated & we could hardly see, but it was nice to be recognized)! We got to talking and I showed him my PortaPocket Essentials, so he showed me his "corresponding" product -- a leg holder version for a Minimed insulin pump. I explained how my PortaPocket offers similar opportunity to wear a pump on the leg, but furthermore gives one much more options:
he would be able to wear his pump exactly as he is used to on his calf, but also have the choice of using it on his thigh, ankle, or at his waist, too. The detachability of the pocket and the adjustable nature of the strap allows him the flexibility to use his pump in various locations without additional investment. Also, if he was going to wear his pump at his waist by sliding the pocket onto his own belt, another family member could use the strap portion, along with another accessory pocket, and wear the apparatus as a cell phone or iPod holder, etc. He really liked my concept and said he'd be getting his next pump holder from me ... and he eventualy did! :)

Deputy incident @Panera...

There was that recent situation with that 61 yr old grandma/sheriff's deputy at Panera Bread...she'd put her purse down under her coat and then found herself in the throes of a theft situation when 3 individuals tried to steal her wallet. She commeted "I knew if I let go, my identity was gone..."
Just another of the myriad reasons not to rely on a purse that has all your valuables in it!

Some creative uses...

A couple purchasers had offered some unique usages of PortaPocket cases...
but both very valid and interesting for those using this type of equipment:
One told me her 5th grader likes to strap the case right onto her bike frame to keep her phone handy.
Another mentioned that she really enjoys to wrap the strap onto her wheelchair frame to give her opporunity to get at her belongings, as the basket BEHIND her doesn't really have value for the person sitting there!

Whoops!

when you accidentally drop your phone in the toilet, it really helps to have a PortaPocket case around it...
I think it saved my Blackberry the other day...!
Happy Valentines everyone...
xoxo

More thefts at the gym...

So here we go again...
Today's paper had a piece about lockers at Bally's in Deerfield that were broken into on Jan 21 where car keys were taken, and subsequently, cell phones, wallets & GPS systems were stolen from the vehicles. Jan 22 yielded another theft at the gym parking lot with two GPS systems taken, and on Jan 23, a wallet, credit card & $$ were taken from another locker theft. A bad streak for sure. I hate to think that this will even be more common, but in this desperate economy, some people are resorting to desperate measures.
If I can help even one person from having this happen to him or her, it's a good thing...

so you think your locker is LOCKED?

Lately I've been going to my gym and wearing my L pocket on my arm for my phone, and my Essentials kit for my id/$$/business cards/credit card just above my calf under my gym pants. Have had a lot of great conversations with other gym-goers about how they can use these for peace of mind and convenience.
Frequently I tell them my story about how after I joined Bally's in 1987, I walked into the locker room one day after my workout and a woman was standing in front of my locker, "supervising" one of Bally's maintenance people wielding these huge industrial clippers -- cutting my lock off! This woman claimed that she got “help” because she had forgotten her combination and was sure that her stuff's was in there. Um, noooooo...
Well of course they finished breaking in... and there were my things, just I had been telling them. Hmmm.... just when you thought your locker was secure…
Good thing I went in there when I did!

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Always great to get some positive press...been really happy with the PR I've gotten from the TRIB in the last few weeks! The Dec 28 Travel section featuring PortaPocket carrying cases in "Gearbox" pg.2, was a huge positive, and the Blogs by Julie Deardorff on Dec 8 and Eric Benderoff on Dec 19 (Health & Fitness Reporter; Tech Buzz & Gadgets Writer, respectively) were added plusses. Have been getting calls, orders, and e-mails from all over the country from places like Utah, Texas, California, etc. So much fun! Now if only I could get placements like that in 100 different media...