Hopefully by now, everyone has had a chance to see the new Fall 2008 Vera Bradley Patterns, if not in person, then online.  When I first posted on this subject back in May (my, how the time flies!), it was difficult to determine what pattern was the clear cut favorite among our readers.  Was it the Puccini? Night Owl? Caffe Latte? How about Frankly Scarlet?

Now, it’s time to find out once and for all everyone’s favorite!  How?  Well, voting is the democratic way, of course.  So, in that regard, it’s time for another poll…

If you read my previous post, you probably know that I am having problems getting the polls to run in the navigation bar over on the right ever since upgrading.  I am still working on the problem, but until I find the fix, the poll will be buried in the post here. 

To wrap things up, have fun voting for your favorite fall 2008 Vera Bradley pattern!  It’s just one way to pass the time until the “real” voting starts in November.  Personally, I think I prefer this over the real elections - at least this is fun!

I have a lot of fun putting together the polls on this site and seeing the responses.  For my next poll, I am looking for some help from you.  This assignment requires you to put your creative thinking cap on.  Why?  Well, it’s time to think like a Vera Bradley product designer!

As I’m sure you already know, the Vera Bradley company makes more than just purses and luggage.  They dabble in a variety of things - home decor, stationary, pet products, even eyeglasses - you name it.  With that in mind, if you were a designer for the company, what would you like to see added to its product line? 

For the next week or so, I will be accepting submissions.  Then, voting time!  I’ll set up a poll, and we’ll see which product idea is the most popular.  And yes, I admit it - I have watched one too many episodes of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”, so I will also participate and submit the first idea to get the ball rolling.

One more thing, this is just for fun.  However, you can actually submit product ideas to them. So, after you finish brainstorming, if you think you’ve got a winner, I encourage you to jot down your ideas, and put them in the mail to:

Vera Bradley
Attn: Product Development
2208 Production Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46808

As promised, I’m including my own submission.  Here it is…

I think a Vera Bradley baby carrier would be a great! Unfortunately, my youngest son is three now.  As you can imagine, it would be difficult to squeeze his forty pounds of toddler fat into a baby carrier.  However, if they added a baby carrier to their product line - well, that just might be the incentive I need to try for that little girl I always wanted!
 
Tag, you’re it!  Got any ideas?

UPDATE ON 6/18/08:

Ok, I’m going to be wrapping this up in the next day or two.  If you have an idea, don’t be shy - let’s hear it!  There’s been some really great ideas submitted so far - here’s a quick recap (for more information about each, check out the comments section). 

Amy suggested a fanny pack…
Melanie suggested scrapbooking paper…
Vicki suggested a toddler bag…
…and I suggested a baby carrier

All great ideas, don’t you think!  Starting next week, make sure you return to vote for your favorite in the next poll.

UPDATE ON 6/22/08:

We received one more entry.  Jillian suggested potholders and oven mitts…

All great ideas!  Voting has now started (see the poll on the right side of the page).  So, what are you waiting for - go vote!

UPDATE ON 7/26/08:

Well, I was running the poll over on the right side, but after doing some updates to the site, it’s no longer working in the sidebar.  I have added it here, so you can still vote.

By the way, if you do want to vote, make sure you do it soon!  This poll is set to expire in just a couple more days, on July 31…