Pam Young found herself giving cash for gifts more frequently as it became more difficult to anticipate loved ones’ wants and needs.
She saw the practicality in giving money, which saves the hassle of wrapping paper and the worry of whether you scored the right gift. But it just wasn’t any fun.
So Young, ever creative, invented a set of stickers to dress up George, Abe, Alexander and even Benjamin, if you’re feeling that generous.
Young was once better known as half of Vancouver’s Slob Sisters, the persona she and her sister, Peggy Jones, adopted 30 years ago when they wrote the book “Sidetracked Home Executives.” But she has pursued a number of other ventures since then, Stick it Right on the Money being the latest.
Young, a 66-year-old Woodland resident, said she first came up with the money sticker idea when the U.S. Treasury came out with new designs for bills.
“They struck me funny,” Young said. “When I really look at Lincoln, he looks about a cork away from Betty Ford. I was embarrassed for our money.”
She connected with illustrator Diana Bonin, who drew hats, lips, eyes, ears and other humorous embellishments for the presidents.
“She illustrated the stickers to fit exactly,” Young said.
When Bonin died in 2008, Young nearly lost heart for the project. But she found Rose City Label in Portland to turn the drawings into stickers that don’t damage the bills. A portion of the proceeds from the sticker sets, priced at $14, go to Diana’s husband, Pat.
A set includes 88 stickers and 12 frames. They are available at http://www.innerkiddies.com/site/?page_id=240.
“It’s just a great way to give money,” Young said, “and you get to be creative.”
