Hi Malvika di......m Aishwarya.... i want to make career in fashion designing n i've been shortlisted for nift situation test 2010.... n i need your guidance for that....
I checked out your blog.....its really helpful n interesting....
i've made a pen-stand.....please guide me what are my mistakes and how i can i make it more presentable and attractive..

MICKEY MOUSE PEN-STAND

FUNCTIONS:
·         a pen-holder
·         The larger cylindrical part can be used for storing things like mobile batteries, markers,
·         gum-tubes, tapes, etc.
·         Can be used as a dater optionally.

This is a dater cum pen-stand. It is a multipurpose stand as it serves other purposes too like storing mobile batteries, markers, or even keys as required. Further’ one of the small columns can also be optionally used to display the date

I’ve given it a name mickey mouse pen-stand as it possess the shape of mickey’s face as viewed from top . It has a square base and is decorated with bangles all round giving it a more funky look .

It also contains a circular bangle wrapped with glowy cellophane which makes it easy to locate(can be used optionally). Moreover, the base is slightly decorated with oval shapes made out of unused paper bits.

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From me to Aishwarya:

Good points:
You have tried
·         Multifunction
·         Theme
·         Decoration

Ok, now aishwarya, let me point out a few things right away:

First thing everyone thinks of when they say pen-stand is a cylindrical receptacle for pens, rulers, pencils, gum tubes. THAT is what you must break out of RIGHT AWAY.
Your pen-stand should look different from afar itself, when the judges approach.

Use properties of pencils and pens. Like they poke. They can be stuck into things. You could make a pin-cushion kind of pen stand. A hedgehog pen-stand with holes on its back. So that every pen/pencil inserted is like the hedgehog’s quill. A line on the pen-stand could say – Oh ye Scholar, pick thy quill.

THEME: Your current Mickey Mouse theme doesn’t show strongly in the pen-stand to be justified as a theme.
COLOURS: Why no colours?

MULTIFUNCTION: Can you think of a quirkier multifunction? Why a separate calendar? That’s just like sticking a pen-stand and calendar together. It would be better if you integrated the design. You could make bands around the pen-stand. One band with week – M T W T F S S M T .. (and so on). Second band could gives dates like 1, 2, 3..31. Now, by adjusting the bands, one could set the calendar for that month.

Glowy cellophane. Never heard of it. And anyway, a pen-stand is not difficult to find. It’s always right in front on the table-top right? Solve real problems.

PROBLEM-SOLVING: One problem with pen-stands is that they have an open top and therefore can’t be carried easily. If a pen-stand topples, all the contents fall on the floor/table. Maybe you could make a pen stand that automatically becomes a pencil box. But this is not enough… there should be more to the pencilbox-penstand.