#whobaloo

This week we had an amazing opportunity to be interviewed by Ben Kittrell at SpareRoomRadio.com.  It was great fun to talk with Ben, an entrepreneur as well with DoodleKit, about everything we are doing with Whoblaoo and the excitement of having a startup.  

Have a listen at

Moving to a new town is always a difficult change especially with children.    Seven months ago we moved our entire family to Lawrence, KS.  The Lawrence Kids Calendar was an instrumental part of finding some fun activities for my kids.  My kids are huge chess players so finding a farmer's market with a lots of chess games was a great way to get them involved in the community.

Beth McKeon is the founder of Lawrence Kids Calendar.  She is also a driving force behind the startup scene in Lawrence.  I had the opportunity to connect with her and ask her a couple of questions about what inspires her.

Q.  What’s the most creative thing you’ve done in the past week?

A.  Recently, I completed an online class to learn Ruby on Rails. I know learning to code doesn't sound particularly creative! But learning to use my brain in a new way and getting to think about possibilities I can create with that code gives me that same spark and crackle that I expect when I'm at the art studio. 

  Q.  What inspires you to be creative?

A.  I love seeing colors organized - a display of art markers or paints all collected into blues, greens, yellows, reds. I visited a yarn shop once where the whole store was organized by color. I wanted to buy all of the yarn just because it was such a delight to be surrounded by color like that! The big box of Crayola crayons will do it, too.  Q.  Who is your favorite artist and why?

A.  I really love Angie Pickman's work, a local Lawrence artist. She creates these very meticulous cut paper pieces of birds, flowers, and buildings. I like the bold graphic yet whimsical quality of her work. Also, I'm just so impressed with what she can create with just black paper and an exacto knife.

  Beth McKeon is the founder and chief curator of fun at the Kids Calendar, a platform that makes it easy for parents to find local activities for kids. Started in Lawrence KS, the Kids Calendar has now grown to five more cities. She's hoping to make it easier for moms everywhere to find the fun in their communities.

www.lawrencekids.net

We've come across a new company based out of Kansas City with a very adventurous box for your palette .  Ship and Dip is a monthly box of condiments shipped directly to your front door.  If you are a connoisseur of tangy bar be que sauces or spicy hot wing sauce then this is the company for you.  We had some amazing hot pepper jelly from the first box and were completely blown away by sweet jelly the has a spiciness that creeps up on you.  We knew we wanted to sit down with these two ladies and see what gives them creative inspiration.

Q.  What’s the most creative thing you’ve done in the past week? 

A.  Developed a new yoga routine to do at home!

Q.  What inspires you to be creative? 

A.  The outdoors - there's such beauty in nature.  Also, a glass of wine on the patio always gets the creative wheels spinning.

Q.  Who is your favorite artist and why? 

A.  Our great friend and former roommate Gwen Hutchens!  She isn't afraid to be a bit quirky and she puts her personality into everything she creates.

Ship and Dip are two sisters from Lawrence, Kansas who founded this company in October of 2013 who have both been long-time lovers of condiments — always looking to try new products and finding ourselves unsatisfied with what our local grocer could offer.

www.shipanddip.com

https://www.facebook.com/ShipandDip