Yak About It > Yak Nation > September 7, 2009

September 7, 2009

We originally invented our product, the Azula, to be a fashionably-designed mat that women sit on at the edge of the swimming pool to keep their bathing suits from snagging! Our patent-pending product has now become an all around useful mat, and customers are using them year round for sporting event seat cushions, picnics, hot leather car seats, working out, outdoor festivals, indoor water parks and more. Some moms have told us they use it to change baby's diapers. Nursing homes tell us they place them in the wheelchairs so their patients don’t slip out of their chairs. They work anytime you don't want your bottom wet, cold, dirty or hot.

The Azula is water, mildew, mold and chlorine resistant, has a cushion for comfort and can be rolled up and tied with a built-in cord and placed into a beach bag. And with today's economy, it's nice to know our product protects your bathing suit investment, keeping it looking better... longer.

We’ve all had those moments when we think ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ In the summer of 2005, it happened to my sister Julie as she played with her four young children at her community pool and immediately snagged the bottom of her brand new $80 bathing suit. It is so frustrating to ruin your bathing suit right away! She thought there must be something simple and clever in the marketplace to solve this problem, and there was not. After much digging and testing of materials, the Azula was born!

My sister and I started our company, prettySMART!, LLC, as a way to create products that help solve problems for women in a fun, simple and creative way. Julie is a full-time mother of four children, and I am a full-time working mom with two children.

Inventor and Creative Director: Julie M. McWherter

With more than 11 years of creative design and interior design applicability, Julie serves as creative director of prettySMART! LLC. She holds a B.A. in interior design from Ohio University. Julie is married and is a stay at home mother for four children.

President and CEO: Laura G. Varn

With more than 14 years of national business, communications and marketing experience, Laura serves as president and CEO of prettySMART! LLC. She is currently vice president of corporate communications and media relations for Santee Cooper, South Carolina’s state-owned electric utility. She holds a B.A. in broadcast journalism from Ohio University and is married with two children.

As sisters growing up, one of us was tagged the ‘smart' one; the other, the ‘pretty' one. So when it came time to name our company, we thought we’d have fun with that, and turned these adjectives on their heads, tongue in cheek, by making them our company name. We wanted our customers to see the Azula and think, “that’s pretty smart!” That has happened many times, when they first learn about the product and you can almost see the light bulb go off inside their head as they tell us that’s a pretty smart idea. We always get a thrill from that.

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Azula

ty says:
Sep 10, 2009 at 4:39 pm

Whether this is new or not, it is a great idea. I can't even begin to explain how pissed I am getting in and out of a swimming pool and the concrete tears and frays my bathing suit. I hate how the ground pulls on the fabric. Great idea.

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Tilly says:
Sep 7, 2009 at 4:15 pm

I love the different types and I think it is great to have something to sit on - towels need to be kept dry and sand free. I think they are great poolside, beach and love the 'timeout' mat.

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Jeff says:
Sep 7, 2009 at 3:55 pm

The simplest and best inventions are often taken from pre-existing products. I see this product making complete sense and I can see it someday poolside at every Vegas pool.

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Jason says:
Sep 7, 2009 at 12:09 pm

I really have to question this. This is not a new item... it is a pad. Pads have been around forever. A new use for an old item... this is not an invention. lol

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The Wean Machine

No Fuss. No Mess. No Noise!

The Wean Machine helps prepare fresh baby food with no mess and no fuss. Simply fill the bowl with anything from a banana to suitable cooked foods, squeeze the handles together to puree to the desired consistency, and spoon feed your baby straight from the bowl.

One of the benefits of The Wean Machine is that you know exactly what is going into your baby's food. The interchangeable large and small grills puree different consistencies for every stage of weaning - ideal for use with soft fruits, cooked vegetables, pasta dishes and many more.

The Wean Machine is dishwasher safe; it pulls apart to clean and fits in most styles of sterilisers.

It comes with its very own weaning spoon which is contained within the Wean Machine, simply pop out when ready to use and pop back in again when finished with.

FEATURES:

• Helps through each stage of weaning

• Easy to use - fill, squeeze and feed

• Saves time and money, no need to cook separate meals

• Portable, compact and self contained

• Fits in all leading sterilisers

• Dishwasher safe - comes apart easily

• Contains no BPA's, Phthalates or PVC

As a frustrated mom, I wanted a product that ticked all the boxes - a product that would help me prepare small amounts of fresh healthy baby food without having to wrestle with piles of washing up and without the fuss of setting up a noisy blender and a product that would be self contained and remain clean when I was out and about with my baby.

There was nothing on the market which was available and you know the old saying – if want something done properly then do it yourself!!

Inventor: Tilly Beazeley

Tilly Beazeley a busy mom from the UK, with a career history of working in Pharmaceutical Drug Research Development for 15 years prior to launching Jackson Beazeley. Is driven and passionate about educating parents and children on healthy living and promoting the easy of making fresh healthy baby food.

Having starting at the bottom of the career ladder and by working hard, listening and learning along the way Tilly climbed the career ladder and has taken all lessons learnt from all aspects of her life to launch The Wean Machine globally.

The support from her partner Phil Jackson and her mother Patricia and son Edward. The Wean Machine has become reality. Now beyond just the UK, the Wean Machine has spread globally, including its recent introduction to to America.

Tilly really dislikes bananas - yet spent her life surrounded by them! The Wean Machine is dedicated to all mothers that have chased bananas!

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The Wean Machine

ty says:
Sep 10, 2009 at 4:41 pm

I wish I had found this months ago. My sonwould have really enjoyed a product like this.

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Bernie says:
Sep 8, 2009 at 4:12 pm

I agree with Sharon! we really wanted our first to have fresh healthy food and it was a nightmare to shop for, the wean machine totally eliminates this problem! we totally love it!

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Sharon says:
Sep 8, 2009 at 5:47 am

The Wean Machine didn't exist when I had my first baby and I spent hours preparing/blending fresh food. This time round weaning is so easy!!

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Di says:
Sep 7, 2009 at 6:34 pm

Brilliant idea and a fantastic product. The wean machine is so simple and yet has now become so essential for all mums and babes. Well done !!

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Carmen says:
Sep 7, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Amazing! It has made my life as a busy mum so much easier.

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