Mom hopes her invention makes mark

OREM — Rebecca Davidson didn't set out to be an inventor or an entrepreneur. She just wanted to stop throwing away dried-out markers every two weeks.

So she designed the Cap Trapper — her answer for missing marker lids, children putting caps in their mouths and dried-out pens that are good for nothing else but the garbage. The flexible, soft device holds markers of any size by their caps, so children or adults only have access to the marker and the lid never gets lost.

"This idea has been building for a while, out of a frustration," the Orem mother of three said, holding her silicon solution that looks like a row of mini pink fingers. "I taught ninth grade, and even ninth-graders like markers more than crayons."

The caps wedged in the trapper seem securely fastened. "I've never seen a kid get them out," she said.

The idea was born one night after Davidson's father-in-law came over and was bemoaning the fact that the dry-erase markers he had purchased days ago were already missing their caps.

"This bugs everyone," Davidson said, remembering her reaction. "I gotta do something."

Eight months later, Davidson now has her own company, Savvy May Creations, and a product she hopes will take the marker world by storm — hopefully by back-to-school season 2009.

When the Cap Trapper first hit the market, she was invited to film a segment on CNBC's "The Big Idea," and get paired with a major retailer. But weeks before filming, the show's producers changed their minds.

"Even though we didn't get to go on the show, we still got the best part of it," she said, referring to a phone call from a retailer interested in her product.

She can't disclose what company she's talking with, but she says it's a big one. She hopes her product will soon be on the shelves next to the markers.

"It's exciting for me to see it come to fruition," Davidson said of her idea. "I want to see it in the hands of people."

While she waits for the slow-moving corporate world, Davidson stays busy as a wife, mother and businesswoman.

Web site sales from www.savvymaycreations.com haven't yet skyrocketed, but everyone who has used the Cap Trapper loves it, she said.

Amy Roskelley of Lehi and her 7-year-old daughter Erica are happy customers.

"We were losing a lot of dry-erase markers, and they're kind of pricey, especially for a 7-year-old," Roskelley said.

But since getting a Cap Trapper, they haven't had to buy any more markers for Erica's dry-erase board.

"I thought it was a great idea," Roskelley said. "We have so many dry markers with so many kids coming in and out of the house. I thought it was a great way to keep them together, I like things to look organized."

It's easy clean-up for mom, and the squishy food-grade silicon is safe and fun for kids.

"I think everybody does have an idea in them," Davidson said. "They just need to look at what is familiar to them. Am I the only one who gets bugged about this thing? It doesn't appear to be the case."

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E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com