As The Ox-Zy’s Turn…A World Of Gag Gifts

So we have a few drawings, but now what? We decided to turn to the Nevada Small Business Development Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. The director is Rod Jorgensen, whom we’ve worked with on several projects and who loves gag gifts to give or receive. Unbeknown to us until a few years ago, the Small Business Administration funds these offices located in many cities. It’s a...

The Artist…She Knows Novelty Gag Gifts

So we have the basic concept of Ox-Zy’s in our minds, but now it’s time to put it on paper. To find a person who is an artist is easier said than done. But finally we were blessed to find Celestia Ward, who is a caricaturist in Las Vegas. She’s perfect for us. She has a great style and brings a different point of view to our ideas. It works out great. Give her an oxymoron and...

Even Ox-Zy’s Have To Eat…

Time to eat. More about our artist, Celestia Ward, next time. As the holidays come to an end and a new year begins, it’s time to reflect on all the food that we consumed during the last month. Since our former life was in the restaurant business and since Pat is obsessed, yup…it’s ALL ABOUT THE FOOD.  So Christmas week brought us and a few friends together for German pancakes...

The Saga Continues…What Makes A Novelty Gag Gift Figurine…Novel?

After Pat uttered that infamous word, “oxymoron”, we were off and running…or so we thought. After a lot of discussion as to what we could do, we first had to clarify two things. What IS an oxymoron? And can you build a viable business around this odd sounding word? Off we headed to Mr. Webster’s dictionary for the proper definition…”a figure of speech in...

The Ox-Zy’s Story…How A Novelty Gag Gift Figurine Company Is Born

Pat says that I’m long-winded and that I talk too much… so this should put you to sleep. In the beginning, the heavens and earth were created…blah, blah, blah. You know the story, so let’s just hit the high points. Adam & Eve. Noah built a big boat. Columbus had the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Marie. Nixon. The Red Sox finally won the World Series. The...

The Beginning

 As my Mum always said…”You came for lunch (born at 1pm) and have been eating ever since!” Don’t worry, I won’t go back that far. But it’s a fair statement to my many years in the food industry…working for a wholesale grocer, bartending, and owning my own restaurant. So I’m used to long hours and a bad back. Time (the economy) finally presented...

Word Play for Sure

Well, here we go…1 o’clock, March 31, 2009…my blog begins.  According to my “IT guy” Ben, it would be easy. Then I logged in. Isn’t a “widget” what my mother called a what-cha-ma-call-it when she forgot THAT word? I played “tag” at recess, thought a “slug” was someone lazy or something gross that came out of a pond, and...