Are Men and Umbrellas Like Oil and Water?

I read this editorial in the Calgary Sun recently by Stephen Lautens about his dislike for umbrellas, and it re-surfaced my debate over whether Cheeky Umbrella should do men's umbrellas in the future or not. Lautens is of the opinion that manly men don't carry umbrellas...they just get wet. And this point of view doesn't come as a surprise to me actually. In fact, I've always been under the impression that men weren't big fans of umbrellas - that they only were interested in the most convenient, cheap umbrellas they could find (whatever will keep their head dry) and that they preferred plain, dark colours (like black or navy) over a brolly with some design to it. Yet, for some reason, I've had many requests for men's Cheeky umbrellas. Are my assumptions false? Would men be interested in a good quality umbrella with a little design to it, as long as it was still masculine looking? Or does Lautens' apathetic interest in umbrellas reflect the majority of men? The debate continues...

Please weigh in and let me know what you think!

Umbrella Decor for Baby Showers

I'm organizing a baby shower right now and while looking for game and decoration ideas online, I came across this great idea to use umbrellas as decor! Umbrellas are a perfect fit...after all, it is a "shower," right? Plus, everyone has a few umbrellas around the house, so it is a cost-effective way to decorate (which is oh-so important in these economic times).

Here are the instructions from the article:

Collect several different umbrellas from your home. Open them up, fix streamers in various colors (not just pink and blue, though those are fine too) to the umbrellas. Next, fix the umbrellas so that they hang upside down from the ceiling, and the colored streamers flutter above your heads. This makes a great sight!

You can also fill up umbrellas with balloons or even yarn in pastel colors. Hang them upside down at strategic points.

Umbrellas or Weapons?

I can definitely see why kids seem to use their umbrellas like weapons. They're long and thin...perfect for wacking and poking. Heck, they even sort of resemble a sword. Can you blame them? I read this cute article today about a Dad who took his young son to a baseball game and they were giving out umbrellas to the fans. Uh oh...a kid with an umbrella in a large crowd...dangerous!

Maybe the kids are onto something though....it turns out you CAN actually use your umbrella as a weapon if you wanted...for self defense! Check out this video (around the 1:00 mark) and these tips. They even make an umbrella for adults with a samurai sword handle.

Forget perfume, Britney! She should start a line of self-defense umbrellas instead. If you recall, Brit used her umbrella back in 2007 to attack an SUV with paparazzi in it (photo above).