American Women of Invention

I was flipping through a Bed Bath and Beyond ad the other day and I came across something that caught my eye. No, not that adorable bed-in-a-bag but a small article that they included in the sidebar of one of their spreads. It was titled "American Women of Invention". It then lists some major inventions that women were responsible for and some we would be lost without in today's society.

• 1809 Mary Kies gets the first patent for the weaving process (try buying a non-woven rug and see how that works out for you!)


• 1812 Tabitha Babbitt invents the Circular Saw (Take that boys!)


• 1882 Maria Beaseley invents the Life Raft (the few survivors of the Titanic can thank Maria for her quick thinking)


• 1887 Anna Connelly invents the Fire Escape (seems like a handy invention in the case of some millions of people who live in city apartments)


• 1903 Mary Anderson invents the Windshield Wiper (and they say WE'RE the bad drivers - try driving in the rain without these!)


• 1951 Bette Nesmith Graham invents Correction Fluid (I personally will begin to thank her at least once a day as I correct my many mistakes)

I bring this to your attention because we, as women, have gone unnoticed for many many more things in history and in the present that I am sure we are unaware of. If you have ever heard of these women I mentioned above then you are way ahead of me and I commend you. If you have not (like me) we need to dig a little deeper and find all the phenomenal things we are capable of and have been capable of throughout history. If you study the inventions these brilliant women have come up with you'll notice that they are extremely logical as we women usually are. Each separate invention ultimeately started out as a problem that needed to be solved and the solution brought each invention to fruition. For example, I'm sure Ms. Tabitha Babbitt was so tired of spending hours and hours trying to saw a 2x4 with a hand saw and thought to herself "there has to be a better way". And she found it.

So, along comes 2009. Here we are. It's a new year and a new beginning. What are you going to do with it? Are you finally going to write that book? Are you going to start that business? Go back to school? Invent a way to be in 18 places at once (I'm in for whoever comes up with this one first!)? The world is ours and ours for the taking. Be confident and do what you love. Nothing is promised to us and I think this past year has proven that in a very real way. We need to help each other as people and as women and stay positive.

I love to help people and I love fashion. I love my family above all else. I finally found a way to combine ALL of those elements and in doing so I found myself again. I also found my love for appreciating beauty in things again as well. I get to work with the most amazing designers who also happen to be some of the most amazing women you will ever meet. We are all doing what we love but in different capacities yet we have found a common ground to come together and help each other succeed in our individual businesses and lives. Not to get too deep but it really is a beautiful thing.

Do what you love everyday. Find your passion. Get excited about life! Then go to Aesthetic Design Style and reward yourself with the most fantastic handbags and jewelry. You'll feel good knowing that you are supporting women, just like you, who are happy to greet the day doing what we love. Chic Gems Etc., Brynn Capella, Mattanda, and Bags of Blessing!

Until next time: "Anything less than a loving thought is TOXIC" - Dean Martens