Happy Blankie Blog

By Emily Holdridge

We hired a publicist in New York City who planned an amazing, whirlwind 2-day media tour, jam-packed with excitement – it was a trip to remember! David was excited to get the chance to talk about Happy Blankie to as many people as possible.

It was tough for Sarah to say goodbye; she has a special bond with David. So sweet!

And we’re off…

heading to NYC from Happy Blankie on Vimeo.

When we landed in New York, one of the most exciting things to see was a taxi with our advertisement on the roof…

OK, I’m kidding - OBVIOUSLY I used a little Photoshop there, but that would have been cool!

This is how the 4 of us rode in the back of the taxi, all piled in on top of each other. I felt really bad for Rick – smooshed in the corner. (Nice angle of my chin face there).

We quickly found out that you’re not allowed to film or take pictures of tunnels or bridges in NYC. Rick pulled out the video camera inside one of the tunnels and as soon as we left the tunnel we got pulled over and had a little talking to from the police. Crazy security measures going on there!

We checked into our hotel and then met Keri and Jess (our publicist and her assistant) for dinner at Rare Bar & Grill…one word…YUM!

Seriously -YUM, especially the sweet potato fries and the gouda topped burger that David ordered!

After dinner we planned out the following day, got some shut-eye, and then hit the ground running…literally!

First stop - EJ’s Luncheonette for Breakfast with a writer from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Do you know how nervous I was? Better Homes and Gardens??  I was floored by how natural and comfortable David was, not even nervous for a second.

Meanwhile, I can’t remember many details of the conversation, and I only ate 2 berries out of my fruit bowl. I really wanted to sneak a bite of David’s Belgian waffle, but I didn’t.

Next stop, Deutsch Inc. to interview Donny Deutsch. This was very exciting for David because two years ago we recorded his first HB pitch and sent it to his show, “The Big Idea.”

We got a call right away from the producers, and they aired our clip <—check it out.

You should have seen how huge this place was - it went on forever!!!

We brought Donny a couple personalized pig blankies for his little girls, Daisy and London.

And then David asked him some questions like: “What was your first job?” and “What advice do you have for a young entrepreneur like me?” It was cute and it went really well.

David got a signed book, and inside Mr. Deutsch wrote “David, all the best – Donny.”

Everyone wanted us to stick around and hang out there, but we had places we needed to go, and people we needed to see… so we were off!

Off to lunch at Grand Central station, and then for dessert it was New York’s best cupcakes (according to Jess and confirmed by me).

Introducing…Magnolia’s Texas red cake with butter cream frosting – holy cow. We love you Magnolia Bakery…and thank you, Jess, for such a yummy treat!

Parent’s magazine was next up on the list. Again, another great interview…I only said 2 words because David had his spiel down pat!

On to the Hearst building to meet with a writer from Oprah Magazine.

This was a fancy building for sure!

As we were leaving the building, Keri saw a model getting ready for an interview. She asked me if I thought she should talk to her, I said “no”! (Oh my goodness…please don’t walk up to a model…)

So, being great at what she does, Keri walks up to this gorgeous model and tells her about Happy Blankie. Turns out her name is “Happiness,” and she is former Miss Tanzania. She happens to work with an orphanage in Tanzania and is going to help connect us with the children there. God is good!

I think standing next to a model was the most nerve-wracking part of the day for David.

Next stop, Instyle Magazine at the Time and Life Building. Another amazing building.

At this point in the day, I’m thinking David is DONE! But he was loving it; I think I was more tired then he was. After the meeting at Instyle Magazine, we grabbed a quick snack before heading to The Ronald McDonald House for our blankie giveaway. You can’t really tell in any of the pictures, but it was POURING in NYC for most of the day. Not just a little drizzly and overcast…it was WET. So all of the car services were taken, and all of the cab drivers were speeding, honking, and very crabby!

We cut it pretty close to the time we were supposed to arrive, but we made it…and everything turned out GREAT.

This little girl would not let me put her down. I wanted to take her home!!

David read the story “Corduroy” to the children and they all loved it. It seems like they loved their happy blankies too! It was an amazing evening, and it was definitely the highlight of the day! It just so happens that a professional photographer that Keri knows was doing some volunteer work at the Ronald McDonald House that night and decided to stay and take pictures of our event. I don’t think that was luck. Thanks to Sarah, we have the whole evening captured on film…and she did it out of the goodness of her own heart! See the images here —–> on our facebook fan page.

Now I have to tell you a little funny story about how we ended our day…

After we left the Ronald McDonald House, we went to get some dinner. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but we ended up at a little Italian place around 9pm. The waiter came around and took our order, and when he came to David, the conversation at the table went a little something like this:

David: Mom, can I have a bowl of seafood chowder?

Me: Sure.

Rick: Seafood chowder?

Me: He likes to try new things…

FOOD ARRIVES, waiter hands David his bowl of “seafood chowder,” and I look down at the bowl full of:

See images of crustaceans

David: What the….

Rick: Looks like they should call that “Friends Of  The Sea!”

Melanie: laughing…

So I took all of the shells off of the friends and cut everything up for David. He seemed to enjoy his bowl of chewy chowder but if I was him, I think I would have requested spaghetti.

Me: This is probably a delicacy in some countries…

The check arrives…

Margarita Pizza: $12.00

Chicken Parmigiana: $8.00

Friends of the Sea: …………..$30.00…….. WHATTTT?

Rick: I guess it’s a delicacy here too.

Looks like I’ll be checking over David’s menu choices from now on!

Happy Blankie give away 5.20.10 from Happy Blankie on Vimeo.

We’ll be contacting you very soon!

By David Holdridge

What a coincidence! I was just with Ms. Melanie packing up blankies for the blankie giveaway on my birthday and she was telling me how her son, Ty had to do a report on tarantulas. She asked me if I knew anything about them. I said “yes, the biggest tarantula can get to be the size of a dinner plate”. Yesterday at the book fair I got the book “The Book Of World Records 2010″ (my favorite series of books) and I opened it up to “The World’s Largest Spider: Goliath Birdeater”. And sure enough…they get to be that big. Isn’t that amazing?

This book is full of lots of great animals and I’m getting new ideas for Happy Blankie. Don’t worry – no spider blankies!

We are celebrating all of the wonderful children we’ve met over the past few months on our giveaway trips -  and we’re going to be GIVING YOU a FREE personalized, small blankie of your choice.

Tell us your blankie story by May 19th (everyone knows SOMEONE who has/had a special blanket).

All you have to do is comment here, on our facebook fan page or email us at: customercare@happyblankie.com

We’ll announce the winner on May 20th.

P.S See our facebook fan page for some examples of great stories!

By Emily Holdridge

Last week we went to the Ronald McDonald House in Akron for a blankie giveaway. We met several children there that have been living at the house for quite awhile. One little boy named Markel (from Spain) made a big impact on us.  He had been having seizures and when his parents took him to the doctor they found a large brain tumor.

(Markel and his father)

They traveled all the way from Spain to the Cleveland Clinic for surgery and are now staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Akron for his treatments. Imagine how hard this has to be for his family? He has siblings still living with relatives in Spain.

Markel was so precious…and completely lit up when we gave him his Stomp blankie. This truly is the highlight of what we do – the heartbeat of  Happy Blankie.  It is such a great feeling to know that we are giving these children a little bit of happiness.

We are celebrating all of the wonderful children we’ve met over the past few months and we’re going to be GIVING AWAY a FREE personalized, small blankie of your choice on May 20th.

Tell us your blankie story by May 19th (come on…everyone knows SOMEONE who has/had a special blanket).

All you have to do is comment here, on our facebook fan page or email us your comments at: customercare@happyblankie.com

We’ll announce the winner on May 20th.

P.S See our facebook fan page for some examples of great stories! 

By Melanie Stolarski

Precious is the best way I can describe the children my daughter and I encountered on a recent trip to Jamaica.  We had the privilege of visiting a local hospital in Montego Bay to give some of the children there Happy Blankies.

It was heartbreaking, yet so touching to be able to interact with the kids.  Meeting these adorable children, some who were orphans, was an experience we will never forget.  Your heart aches with compassion for them.  You want to hold them in your arms and play with them all day long.  Hoping to bring them some comfort and show them that they are indeed loved.  It was so hard to say goodbye, we wanted to bring all of them home with us, especially the ones who did not have a mommy and daddy.

We were so happy that we were able to leave something behind with them, a new Happy Blankie friend for them to cuddle with when we were no longer there and as a reminder of our time together.  For them to remember that they are loved and people do care about them.

I want to personally say a great big thank you to everyone who has fallen in love with Happy Blankie and wants to be a part of our “one to love, one to give” campaign.  To see the smiles on the children’s faces that receive a blanket because of your purchases is priceless.  You are giving more than a blankie to these children, you ARE giving them an invisible hug!!

XOXO

By Emily Holdridge

The last 22 months, 2 weeks and 5 days (lol) have been an AWESOME adventure!

When David first told me about his idea to make a blankie that was “different” than an ordinary blankie, he said he wanted to make something that would make babies and people across the world smile. From the sound of his voice and the look on his face, I knew he was serious.

When your child has passion about something, so do you, right? I’m sure most parents can relate. I thought his idea was adorable and I’ve been on a mission ever since. I heard a great saying once, “Where God guides – He provides. Where He gives vision – He brings provision”. From the little details like finding fabric sources to the big things like manufacturing and finances, there’s no question that God has led the way.

My husband, Zach, has been my number one encourager and we’ve had quite a few people help us, so to sum up a rather long story…

We’ve partnered with my good friend, Melanie Stolarski, and her husband, John. Melanie has worked on Happy Blankie with me from the very beginning cutting fabric, driving all over Ohio to find people to sew, giving moral support and encouragement, on and on…you name it. Thanks Mel!

Then my friend, Kelly Clement, and her husband, Greg, came on board. Kelly has been an amazing support, too, and is a super go-getter. And, it just so happens, that Greg is an internet marketing guru and a very successful business guy. One day I was asking him a few business questions and telling him about Happy Blankie. He seemed excited!

Soon after talking to Greg, a HUGE prayer was answered. Not only did he and Kelly like Happy Blankie, but they wanted to partner with us. They were the investors we needed to take the company to the next level.

We like to call Greg the “bus driver” of Happy Blankie. We also have Christina Fowler on the bus . Christina is the wife of one of Greg’s employees (Don). She was a retail buyer and knows a lot about manufacturing and the retail side of business. She’s also very sweet, which I think is a big bonus.

Together, we make a great team – and we have fun, too! I’m so thankful for everyone and I’m very excited to see where this journey takes us.

Enjoying the ride,
Emily