YETI Coolers Trademark Claims Just the Latest to Hurt Artists

 TRADEMARK TROLLS: ONE ARTIST'S PERSPECTIVE

I've been making art and selling it on print-on-demand companies since 2012. In that time, I've witnessed the ridiculous overreach of companies claiming exclusive rights to common, generic words. I remember when I first started, I read about a fellow artist who was upset because she had received a cease-and-desist letter from lawyers claiming to represent author Stephenie Meyer. The letter claimed that the artist had no right to sell art associated with Meyer's novels. The artist was heartbroken and scared to receive the letter. Her crime? She took a photograph of the sunset and labeled it "twilight."

A short time later, I received the same letter. I laughed at first. I couldn't believe that this novelist's lawyers actually thought they now owned the common word "twilight" in all its iterations. After all, we're talking about a simple dictionary word that has been in use since the 14th century. Suddenly, artists couldn't label their work with this common word without receiving a threatening letter.

"Okay," you might say. "Just find a synonym and move on. Call it 'dusk,' 'evening,' 'sundown.'"

Other artists rolled their eyes and said, "It's just a scare tactic. Go ahead and use the word 'twilight.' Meyer's people can't really sue you if it's not related to her novel."

That seems logical. It would be pretty hard for these lawyers to prove that a freelance artist's picture of the sunset infringes on their client's melodramatic vampire-werewolf romance. But here is the problem:

A lot of the time, the print-on-demand site owners choose to err on the side of caution. In other words, no matter how much your work differs from the trademark, the POD is not willing to take the risk.

And suddenly, as more and more of these erroneous trademark claims pile up, you wind up with a situation where artists get creatively boxed in. The claims grow increasingly farfetched, such as the despotic guy who tried to claim he owned a math symbol:

 Pi symbol fiasco

More on the Pi symbol fiasco

Another great article about the problem

YETI Coolers is the Latest to Overreach

The latest company to jump on the overzealous-trademark-enforcement bandwagon is a company called YETI Coolers. In a similar situation to the pi debacle, YETI lawyers contacted Zazzle and claimed that no artists are allowed to use the generic term "yeti" in any artwork, no matter what the context. Of course, as they always do, Zazzle complied and swiftly removed all Bigfoot artwork containing the word "yeti," which is a word that is part of Himalayan culture.  

As you can see from my last blog post, I had a line of designs with a Bigfoot drawing on them and a yeti pun. The drawing wasn't so great; this was one of the first designs I made when I started selling my work. But I was proud of it because it sold and it made my family laugh. I enjoyed taking my yeti and putting him in different settings for different holidays. Suddenly, he was showing up at your door with a bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day. Then he was wishing you happy birthday or a merry Christmas. Most recently, he arrived with a big grin on his face to wish your dad a happy Father's Day.

The pun I made was my own creation. The drawing was my own creation. I never imagined that using a simple word like "yeti" in the middle of a sentence would invite the wrath of a team of lawyers.

I don't have a conclusion for this blog post, because there is none. Of course, I reached out to Zazzle and the YETI Cooler company and was met with a brick wall. I just wanted to write this post to show the perspective of an artist and to explain how creativity often gets stomped on by greed.

The whole situation makes me feel like an awkward, lumbering outsider who has no voice and - at the moment - would much rather disappear into the woods. There's a word for the sort of creature I feel like today, but I'm not allowed to use it.

-MK

Funny Father's Day Greeting Cards for Your Dad

FUNNY GREETING CARDS FOR YOUR DAD

Father's Day is right around the corner (June 19th in 2016), and I made some new greeting cards just for your dad's special day. 

Last year, I pointed out some Father's Day Gift ideas. That collection has grown, too, so check it out! 

I also have a collection of personalized products for the Man Cave and some can and bottle koozies for your dad.

Here are the newest greeting cards:

1. This one was featured on Zazzle's front page on May 24th. It's for beer-loving fathers who are proud about their dad bods. Personalize it with your dad's photo and a message inside:

Funny Fathers Day Dad Bod Beer Personalized Photo Card by HaHaHolidays

2. This one was my favorite to design. It was inspired by an episode of Battlestar Galactica, where Starbuck gave Adama a card with fake mustaches. I gave it an old-west look and made it so you can upload your photo alongside your dad's. Then, you can "customize" the card and move the mustaches where you need them.

Funny Fathers Day Mustache Custom Family Photos Card by HaHaHolidays

3. PLEASE NOTE: If you're interested in artists' rights, see this blog post. It explains why "yeti" is spelled with two "t"s (yetti) inside the card below: See my post here for an explanation of why 'yeti' is not allowed.

This one is based on a Valentine's Day card I made several years ago. It suddenly hit me that Bigfoot also works well for Father's Day. The inside says, "yetti showed up to wish you a Happy Father's Day!" and you can personalize it.

Funny Fathers Day Bigfoot Yeti Humorous Dad Pun Card by HaHaHolidays

4. And this one is for the Baby Boomer / hippie dad - check out the inside of the card and you'll see why!

Funny Father's Day Dad Trip Old Hippie Humor Card by HaHaHolidays

I hope you find a great card and gift for your dad!

Thank you to Pixabay for the wonderful template photos I used on the top two cards.

MK

All designs © MK Hess Creative

2016 Graduation Party Custom Invitations and More

Custom Graduation Invites and Announcements

Graduation season is right around the corner! I've made some personalized graduation designs in years past, but this is the first year I've put together matching sets. These collections include invites you can easily customize with your grad's name, class year, school and photos - as well as matching items such as address labels, stickers, Thank You cards, and cap toppers. These sets also include fun items to help you throw a great graduation party, including napkins, plates, paper cups, paper coasters and more.

All these products are incredibly easy to edit. I've set up template fields on each one. And if you still want to make more detailed changes (think: changing background colors and adjusting fonts), you can click the "Customize It" button on Zazzle and edit as you like.

Here are the matching sets!

1. CLASSIC AND CLASSY GOLD LAUREL WREATH

this graduation set is perfect for any graduate and has a formal yet elegant look - on some products, the black background can be changed to match your school colors, too (round photo frame products can't be altered - but contact me and I'd be happy to make a custom color version for you)

2016 Graduation Laurel Wreath Gold Matching Set
by FancyCelebration

2. BOHO CHIC SUNNY ORANGE GRADUATE TEXT

your graduate's photo is the star on this sunrise-inspired grad party set - the word "Graduate" is written in pretty, glittery-looking shades of orange and yellow - the purple background can be easily "Customized" on Zazzle

2016 Graduation Boho Chic Matching Set
by FancyCelebration

3. CAMOUFLAGE GRADUATION PARTY THEME
this cool camo grad set features the word "Graduate" in grungy green and brown, along with your grad's photo and plenty of fun, matching camouflage party products

2016 Graduation Camouflage Matching Set
by FancyCelebration

4. TWO MODERN GOLD TYPOGRAPHY SETS
both these elegant sets feature the word "graduate" in hand-written typography - one is in gold and the other a pink rose gold - with your grad's photo collage

2016 Graduation Gold Typography Matching Set
by FancyCelebration

2016 Graduation Rose Gold Typography Matching Set
by FancyCelebration

5. FUNNY GRADUATION MONKEYS AND MORE
this set includes the popular graduation monkey cards from my HaHaHolidays shop - i'm also continuing to add other graduation humor to this collection - these are perfect for a grad with a sense of humor!

2016 Graduation Funny Monkeys and More
by HaHaHolidays

6. MORE GRAD ANNOUNCEMENTS | INVITES
some invites don't come with an entire matching set (yet) - i've collected them here, along with the invites from the sets above - there are some more cute ones here, along with one that looks like a diploma certificate

2016 Graduation Invitations
by FancyCelebration

I hope you find the perfect invites for your grad party.

Thanks for stopping by and congratulations on your graduation!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess Creative

Funny Valentine's Day Cards for Kids' School Classrooms

VALENTINES FOR KIDS' CLASSROOMS

Hello! Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so I thought it was time to share this collection of cute and funny cartoon Valentine cards, made specially for kids to hand out in class. At the beginning of the month, I shared my collection of Valentine greeting cards for all ages - and I've added to that list a little, so check out all the new funnies if you need a laugh. 

The cards in this new collection are made for kids. Except for a couple of the postcards, all of these have To / From spaces on the back for your child to easily add names. The two postcards that don't include it can easily be "Customized" to include text on the back, too. Every aspect of these cards can be personalized. Feel free to add text and rearrange graphics to fit your needs!

SEE THE COLLECTION

Here is the collection on Zazzle, where they are for sale. When you buy them in bulk, you save more. Plus, check out Zazzle's coupon page HERE for more special offers.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WHOLE COLLECTION

Each original design in this collection is available on postcards, invite cards and packs of double-sided business cards. Choose from dinosaurs, squirrels, Bigfoot and a cute bread pun.

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy Valentine's Day!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess Creative

Funny Valentine's Day Cards Collection

New, Funny Valentine's Day Cards for Your Sweetheart

Over the years I've worked on Zazzle, I've grown to love coming up with the silly phrases on Valentine's Day cards this time of year. After the stressful Christmas / New Year season, it's nice to start January with lots of hearts, flowers, love and - of course - ridiculous humor. 

I've added lots of new ones this year. Inspired by the Emily Dickinson card I made in 2014, I decided it would be fun to make more cards with historical figures saying funny things. I was inspired by scientists particularly. I also did a zombie Mona Lisa and one with Henry David Thoreau.

Here is a collection I've put together of my favorite Valentine's Day cards through the years. In other years, I did a lot of cartoons - including Bigfoot. I'll keep adding to the collection as I make more cards, so stop back in if you're looking for a laugh!

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WHOLE COLLECTION

Happy Valentine's Day!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess Creative

The Best 2016 Custom Photo Calendar Promo You'll Find

Create Your Own 2016 Photo Calendar - for only $7.30

Hi! Usually, around this time of the year, Zazzle has a 65% off promo day for calendars. This year, they have taken it a step further and added free shipping. So, you only have to spend $7.30 total for your own beautiful, personalized photo calendar. I haven't seen a deal this good before. And technically, only select email subscribers are supposed to know about it. Zazzle is only advertising free shipping on their website, not the 65% off code.

I tried out the codes to make sure they work, and they both do. All you have to do is use one of these easy templates to make your calendar, and then type in these two codes at checkout:

FREESTANDARD - to get free shipping through 11:59 PM PT December 6th (the end of Sunday).

ITSBACKSALEZ - to get 65% off your calendar, good through 11:59 PM PT December 7th (the end of Monday)

All four of these calendars are priced incredibly low, and each has an easy template to help you add your photos. Three of the calendars also have templates for cover text:

1. Here is the most basic- simply add your photos. Click "Customize It" if you need to adjust them to better fit the page. This is the lowest price you'll find for a calendar on Zazzle:

2. This one has a cover that will display a smaller view of all your photos inside, plus cover text. It's the same price point, and just as easy to customize:

3. These two are priced slightly higher, but not much at all. They have seasonal backgrounds behind your photos, a different one for each month. The second one is a single-page version:

Don't forget to use these codes at check out:

FREESTANDARD - to get free shipping through 11:59 PM PT December 6th (the end of Sunday).

ITSBACKSALEZ - to get 65% off your calendar, good through 11:59 PM PT December 7th (the end of Monday)

Enjoy your personalized calendars!

Thanks for stopping by,

-MK

All designs © MK Hess

Cyber Monday 2015 Morning Pillow Sale

PILLOWS ON SALE FOR CYBER MONDAY MORNING

There is a really good deal on Zazzle, happening this morning only until 1PM PT. When you use the promo code ZMONDAYSALES, you get 65% off pillows.

Here are three lists of my favorite pillows to pick from. These collections include fun and pretty patterns, personalized designs, nature-inspired pillows and designs with a nautical beach house theme. Just click an image to see the collection.

COLLECTION 1. PATTERNED PILLOWS OF ALL KINDS:

-Click to See the Whole Collection-

COLLECTION 2. ANIMAL AND NATURE-INSPIRED PILLOWS:

-Click to See the Whole Collection-

COLLECTION 3. BEACH HOUSE / NAUTICAL PILLOWS:

-Click to See the Whole Collection-

This is the best deal I've seen on pillows on Zazzle, and it only lasts this morning, until 1 PM Pacific Time (4 PM Eastern Time).

Thanks for stopping by!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess

Christmas Ornament Black Friday 65% Off Deal, 2015

Use code ZAZBLKFRIDAY today to get 65% off Christmas ornaments on Zazzle. To help you in your ornament shopping, I have created this list of 40 ornaments that range from funny to cute to custom. These ornaments are full of silly puns, easy text and photo fields so you can make them your own, and vintage prettiness. They are mostly funny cartoon designs, but some are also elegant or made to celebrate your family and home.

Click the image to see the whole collection:

Best Christmas Ornaments: Funny, Cute and Custom
by MK Hess Creative

If you still can't find the perfect ornament for you, scroll to the bottom of the list. There, you will find a series of easy templates that will help you create your own ornament.

Thanks for stopping by!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess

Custom Christmas Stockings 65% Off Today

This is a really good deal leading in to Black Friday. Christmas stockings are 65% off today on Zazzle, when you use the code BLACKFRIWEEK. Here is my collection of 20 stockings, ranging from cute to funny to pretty to personalized.

Click the image to see the whole collection:

Please note: You can add a name to all these stockings, even the ones that don't show a sample name. Just click the "Customize It" button on the product page and add a name you want in any color and font.

Thanks for stopping by!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess

Christmas Gift Ideas Under $10 for 2015

80 CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS, ALL UNDER $10

Sometimes, you want to give a gift that's unique but doesn't cost too much. Maybe you're looking for extra stocking stuffers or a present for an office White Elephant or Secret Santa party with a price limit. Or maybe you're on a tight budget. Whatever the reason, I've collected a list of 80 fun gift items from Zazzle that are $10 and under.

Click the image to see the whole collection on Zazzle:

 

The products on this list range from custom fridge magnets to buttons, drink coasters, bottle openers, hair ties, personalized magnetic photo calendars, keychains and notepads to more unique items, like a bottle of hot sauce or a bumper sticker in favor of the recipient's favorite political candidate. 

Here are a few highlights:

1. Give a small, personalized tin of mints or jelly beans that can be used later to store pills or other small items. I like this simple, personalized black-and-white design with an Art Deco shell pattern:

2. The drink coasters are one of my favorites on this list. They're made of pulp board and can be bought in a set of six for $9.30. You might even find them lower if you check out the coupon page. Here are a couple favorites off the list. There are 10 total designs to choose from.

3. I bought a few of these small, round magnetic bottle openers as stocking stuffers last year, and they look nice on a kitchen refrigerator or a beer fridge. Here's one I bought and loved. Scroll to the end of the list above to see three more choices.

4. There are six foam can coolers on the list, and I absolutely love these as a gift idea. They have a great price for a custom-printed item. These two are my favorites because I love the personalization:

5. The magnetic photo calendars are very useful and also personal at the same time. For only $3.20, the recipient will have a fridge magnet with three family photos, a custom line of text and the year's calendar dates right at their fingertips. 

The knob pulls are a cute way to pretty up your furniture, and you can't go wrong with a "Home Sweet Home" magnet, a keychain or a funny button.

I hope you have fun browsing the entire list of all 80 gifts under $10.

Thanks for stopping by!

-MK

All designs © MK Hess