Je Ne Sais Quoi: She Has the Golden Touch

You know, Cinderella had something that would seriously help us in our pursuit of je ne sais quoi. No, it’s not her glass slippers. Nor her ball gown. Nor her handsome prince.

It is her fairy godmother. You know--the one who could turn pumpkins into carriages and rags into silk with one wave of her sparkly wand. Oh how I wish I had a fairy godmother this morning who could magically turn my bagel into a delicious omelet, my ponytail into a french twist, and my silver ring into a diamond.
Well, what if I told you that I knew of a way to work some of that same fairy-godmother magic into your life? No--this isn’t a late-night infomercial promising that you’ll lose twenty pounds. by next week just by drinking a tasty berry-flavored beverage. Nor am I promising diamonds, omelets, carriages or prince charmings. But I do know a thing or two about having a golden touch.

Incidentally, this is a special month for this subject. It is, in fact, the one-year anniversary of when I first started dabbling in this little golden trick. I introduced it to you all as the New Midas Touch, and I’ve been tinkering with the idea ever since.
The concept--one that will definitely attract the attention of others in your life--is simple: take something that you have and multiply it. Got...say...a pumpkin in your garden that could be used for something else transportation related? (Well, maybe that isn’t the best example...) How about some old corks that could be transformed into a special housewarming gift for a friend? Or some boring shirts that could be spruced up for the new season? Or a handful of overlooked pantry items that could make a clever and inventive new entree?

But--you might be thinking--all you’re talking about is just recycling stuff. Where does the multiplication come in? Well, I’ll tell you! First, a penny saved is easier than a penny earned, so you’ve already increased your income by reusing something you have. But that’s only the first step. Because the next step is to apply a little ingenuity and take your new creations to the marketplace. This second part requires some practice, but the potential is magical!
Let me give you a real-life example from my own “golden touch” experiments:
First, the something that I had: a stretch camisole I bought several years ago for about seven dollars.

Step One: I recycled it by adding layers of pleated ruffles in a pink-champagne satin fabric (the satin for this project cost me less than a dollar!)

Now for some accounting: I spent less than ten dollars on this project and got a fashionable new garment--a garment that would have cost me anywhere from $30-$50 at a store. So, computing the math, I “made” at least $20, if not more.

But now here comes the multiplication part:
Step Two: I drafted a pattern out of my garment creation and started listing that for a few dollar online. And since then I’ve sold seven of them.

Back to the math: for under ten dollars, I a) saved money by avoiding a new purchase, and b) made money by selling my pattern. I multiplied the value of that boring camisole by a factor of five! If that isn’t fairy-godmother worthy, I don’t know what is!
Of course this specific example of the golden touch wouldn’t work for everyone. You have to like to sew for one thing. But the possibilities of this principle are endless! Every woman has a special skill or talent that she could invest for a profit. You don’t even have to “make” something (services are highly valuable!). It just takes some practice and thinking outside of the box.

So, yes, Cinderella may have had her fairy, but you have your own special set of stored-up magic. And finding it is soooo je ne sais quoi.