Friday, August 26, 2011

My feature as "Doer of the Week" on MarthaStewart.com - Dreamers Into Doers!

So, many of my blog readers are also my wonderful Facebook fans, so many of you know this news already, but I had to share on my blog too! This week has been so very exciting, as I was chosen as the MarthaStewart.com's "Doer of the Week" from their Dreamers Into Doers community! When I received an email from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia a while back asking me to answer their interview questions for a feature on their site, I was THRILLED to say the least, but also did not want to get too excited too soon, just in case schedules changed or anything like that. SO... to my surprise and excitement this week, I received the link and post on Martha's site and facebook page that I was featured and I have been overwhelmed, ecstatic and just extremely thankful ever since! I think the word that best describes the experience so far since the article went live on the site is...whirlwind?! Past Doers of the Week can relate I am sure - site traffic goes crazy, emails, inquiries and questions increase and there are tons of sweet people offering congratulations and well wishes! It has been such a great experience!

If you are not familiar with the Dreamers Into Doers community on marthastewart.com, it's a community portion of Martha Stewart's website created for everyone out there "dedicated to making their business dreams come true". It's not just for present business owners, but also for anyone dreaming of starting their own business and looking for inspiration, tips, networking, support and advice. Members create profiles where they can share blog posts, photos, links and talk with other members. There are also groups that members join that suit their interests such as "Mompreneurs" for the moms balancing kids, jobs and new businesses, "Shop Girls" for anyone with their own retail sites and stores, and "Party People" for party planners and designers. I am a member of all three of these groups and just the support, inspiration and positive spirit seen throughout the site and within these groups in particular is really great!  If you have your own business or are thinking of starting one, it is a must see & join!

So each week, the team at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia & marthastewart.com chooses one member of the DID community to feature as their Doer of the Week. They share their story of how they started their business, their obstacles, their achievements, and what they have learned along the way. I was so honored to be chosen and asked to share my story - I am a huge fan of Martha's and love her businesses, her website and the awesome DID community. To be chosen and featured is such an honor for me. One of the best parts of it all has been how many people have reached out to me to say that my interview has inspired them since they too are juggling being a mom, and still working at their full time job while trying to grow their dream business that they hope to also one day make their full time career. It means so much to me that they liked my story and that it has helped them to continue to stay positive and focused during this difficult part of growing their business.

Here's the link to the complete interview and article if you'd like to read more! :)

Have a great (and SAFE!) weekend!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Sweet & Girly Barnyard Birthday Party Inspiration

Here's a little barnyard bash party inspiration for anyone looking to throw a traditional farm party with a sweet, girly twist. I had a lot of fun searching for a perfect mix of colorful, youthful and fun, but still dainty, mostly pastels & pink and totally girly farm party accents! I have quite a while before my daughter's birthday rolls around again, but after creating this board I'm secretly hoping she tells me she wants a farm party so I can create a party like this! Pink is a primary color for this style of party, but I love how you can mix it with so many accent colors like aqua, light blue, greens and oranges.  You can also go crazy with patterns for this - bandanna prints, polka dots, stripes, and of course - cow prints and lots of gingham check!

OK, so here's what I found in my search that I loved the most:

Our Barnyard Bash invitation is a perfectly adorable way to set the tone for your pretty in pink farm party. With lots of accent colors and cute farm animal illustrations, it really leaves for a lot of room in your color and decorating theme for your party. A photo of your little one outside, with green grass or a blue sky in the background makes for the perfect photo for the invite! 

I always look for a cute, coordinating outfit although it's not a must have for a great party, it can be fun to have the birthday girl dressed for the occasion! The perfect party dress I found for this is by My Sweet Emma who has an Etsy shop with tons of cute dresses for little ones. You can find the dress I featured here

The chocolate chip cookie mix favors inspired by Bakerella's would be such a cute favor to the kids or adults. I love any type of baking mix favors since they are cute and fun to make, and these are at the top of my list for some of the cutest I have seen! I also love all of the old fashioned milk bottle party themes and displays lately, and thought that these strawberry milk bottles in wood crates are so cute for this theme! As for the sweets, I adore the pink pig cookies I found at TSCookies on Etsy, plus the AMAZING farm cupcakes from Whipped Bakeshop! They were the cutest farm cupcakes I found using sweet pastel colors! So very cute! For something a little more involved but super adorable, the mini apple pies are a must have for the dessert or favor table! 

For decor, I have always loved Martha Stewart's Bandanna Party and I thought it would be perfect for a girly farm party. The party blower wreath I came across on Silly Pearl's blog was so unique and the mix of patterns also fits well for this. At the end of the party, the little ones can take a blower with them - how easy is that? 

Last but not least, the crafts and activities... I always love a cute party hat, and the adorable farm hats on Better Homes & Gardens' website were perfect! Pinwheels are always adorable and are very popular party accents right now, so they would be perfect as a craft for older children, or to make yourself to give out as favors. I loved the ones I found in Scrapafrass' Etsy shop. And I cannot explain how much I love the post on Oh Happy Day's blog for the Confetti Filled Eggs! This is such a cute idea and tons of fun for everyone! You must view the post on Oh Happy Day to see the amazing photos of how to make the confetti filled eggs, and the action shots of the game! Absolutely stunning photos and an adorable craft & game for everyone! 

Hope you enjoy this post and inspiration board as much as I enjoyed creating it!  Happy party planning!

Photo/Designer/Site Credits (Top Left to Right)
Invitation: Inkberry Cards - Barnyard Bash Photo Invitation
Cowgirl Cookie Mix in Jar: Bakerella  
Strawberry Milk Bottles: Spotted on Beau's Barnyard Party Animals
Pig Cookies: Truly Scrumptious Cookies (TS Cookies) on Etsy
Dress: My Sweet Emma on Etsy
Pinwheels: Scrapafrass on Etsy
Bandanna Decor: Martha Stewart
Mini Apple Pies: Style Me Pretty via One Stylish Bride
Party Blower Wreath: The Silly Pearl

Farm Cupcakes: Whipped Bakeshop
Farm Animal Hats: Better Homes & Gardens
Confetti Egg Craft & Game: Oh Happy Day
Inspiration Board Design: Jenn from Inkberry Creative, Inc. & www.inkberrycards.com