Fabulous Female Friday: Penny People Designs

It dawned on me the other day that I have yet to blog about one of my favourite companies ever... Penny People Designs. A wonderfully talented and sweet girl by the name of Lindsay Stephensen is the owner and mastermind behind this darling company that makes custom stationery products.

My favourite products are her penny people cards with characters that you personalize {hair colour and style, clothes} to make look like you {or the person that the cards are for}. They also make fab photo cards, birth announcements and mommy calling cards, amongst other cool products.

However, when I popped on over to the Penny People site this morning I noticed that a bunch of my favourite items aren't there anymore. So, I did a little investigating, and it appears that my favourite divapreneur is becoming a mompreneur! Yes, Lindsay is expecting, and in preparation for baby's arrival she has scaled back the business. But, she promises that when she returns she will be armed with a bunch of brand new products in addition to old faves.

In the meantime, you can still order a few birth announcements and her sweet alphabet or number art prints!

Best of luck Lindsay!

Thursday is the new Wednesday

Oops! I forgot to do a post again yesterday... so today is the new yesterday!

I have recently become addicted to the newest crop of online shopping sites... the ones that sell designer brands at a discount. I have been invited to try a few of them by friends, and I placed my first order last week. I am always a bit of a skeptic, so I have tried not to order anything else until I receive my first order and can determine if it was in fact a good deal, and if I received good service.

The one I decided to try first was Hautelook. But, there are more out there including Beyond the Rack and Zulily.

It's a bit disappointing when you log on and find that the items you would most covet are already sold out. You definitely have to be quick on the draw {or click as the case may be}. Warning: Your hubby or significant other will not be too pleased that you call him every morning asking if you can place an order!

Event Planning Fun & Stressful Too

Everything for our fundraising event is {slowly} coming together. It seems like every deadline I set for myself seems to come and go without me completing the task. It's a little frustrating, but I guess that's to be expected when it is your first real event and you are volunteering your time. Other things on the TO DO list just seem to take priority sometimes! I will try not to be too hard on myself, and hopefully these last three months or so until event day things start going a little smoother.

The website for the event is up and running. Registration is not available yet, but if you want to check out the event details so far click here. We are also working on a facebook page, and our poster is being designed by the lovely and talented Sarah of Daffodil Design {who is also volunteering her time for this project}. The next top priorities are getting the sponsorship requests sent out!

If you are interesting in participating in or volunteering with the event please send me an email to threemes@gmail.com, and I will be sure to update you when registration is working, or put you on a list to contact later for volunteer opportunities!

Label Lover

A few weeks ago I applied {and got accepted} to be a Mabel's Labels BuzzMama. This means essentially that I am an ambassador for them... they want me to talk to people I know about their products and then provide feedback to them on what was said. Pretty easy peasy for someone like me who loves to talk about children's products. I refer mommy friends to specific companies I find and love all the time anyway, so why not get rewarded for it, right?!

If you have never heard of Mabel's Labels they started out simply making super durable {they say you can put stuff in the dishwasher and the label won't come off, but I haven't put it to the test personally yet} "labels for the stuff kids lose," but now they have branched out into home organization products and personal stationery.

What I love about the concept of the BuzzMama program though is that I am not going to ever have to stand in front of a group of women and try and sell them lotion or something. I think I'd be pretty horrible on the home party scene. Nope - instead of getting paid a wage or commission I will get paid in product. And Mabel's Labels has lots of fun products that I will enjoy playing with for sure!

Another perk is that in my welcome package I received a bunch of coupons to share with my friends. So, if there is a product that you have always wanted to try from Mabel's Labels drop me an email at threemes@gmail.com and I'll see if I can hook you up!

Easy to Get {Joyfully} Lost on Etsy!

I have spent a lot of time perusing the wonderful world of Etsy lately. It is so neat to see what the creative minds out there have come up with.

Some of my favourite things to search for lately have been custom photo cards {I wanted to do some thank you cards from my son's birthday, but I have been procrastinating and now I am almost past what might be considered proper etiquette for thank you cards}, party kits and printables, purses, recipe organizers, and contact cards.

The only thing I have actually ordered so far is the contact cards. I figured I could use them dual purpose, as mommy contact cards when we meet some new potential playdate friends, and also as a business card when I am dealing with suppliers and vendors while planning the dance-a-thon event.

I used Etsy seller IcingsPrints, and owner, Ais, was a joy to work with. Super pleasant, and quick to respond. I am looking forward to receiving my finished product. I chose a flexible package that IcingsPrints offers that includes 30 printed copies of the contact card, plus the digital file to print more later myself if I run out. Perfect for me. Plus, I was able to get two different designs {one standard business card rectangle, and the other a funky square shape}. Thanks IcingsPrints!

Working Wednesdays

I think "Wife Wednesdays" might have to be re-categorized as "Working Wednesdays." My sister and I have been busily working on our event that we are planning in support of the Mustard Seed. We officially have a date and location now, so it so much more real!

So You Think You Can Dance For A Really Long Time, a dance-a-thon aimed at Calgary and area teens, will take place on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at Eau Claire Market. I am excited by the group of people that we have working to make everything happen so far. Generous, kind, wonderful people that are a joy to be around. And I look forward to even more people joining the team as things progress!

I will also be working in the true sense of the word soon since I have been offered a contract position with a local event management company! Lots of exciting things seem to be happening all at once.

Design In A Box

If you have been following my blog for a while, you already know that I have a passion for a few things. Baby/Children's Products, Event Planning, and Entrepreneurship are probably the highest ranking in my passion pages. Many of the posts I write tie into at least one of these themes in some way.

Today it's entrepreneurship, or since it is Mother Monday, more specifically "Mompreneurship." On Friday afternoon I was directed {via a Facebook fan page} to an article in the Globe and Mail entitled Technology Sets Mompreneurs Free. In the article they mention a Calgary-based business that I had never heard of before, but that I instantly fell in love with. The company is called Design In A Box.

Design In A Box is owned by professional interior designer Nyla Free. Clients send Nyla photos and specifications of a room in their home that needs some design TLC, and she creates a custom interior design kit complete with a floor plan, source guide of where to buy the items she is suggesting, and even fabric samples for you. The kit is put in a box {hence the company name} and mailed to you, and you can take it from there. How neat is that?

The best part is that Nyla has discovered a way to continue doing something that she loves, because her business plan makes it so she can work on her own schedule and still play mom to her two girls. Loving it!

Happy Birthday True Cuddles

I have been a fan of True Cuddles for a really long time now... I guess almost a year since they are celebrating their first birthday this week! In case you aren't familiar with them, True Cuddles is an online store {www.truecuddles.ca} that offers up one baby or toddler product for sale per week, usually at a very deep discount. I love their business model {one of those, "now, why didn't I think of that" moments}, and I am always excited to get my weekly email on Monday mornings to see what they have found next!

I had a little chat with one of the owners and creators of the company, Sarah Milne, over email a few months ago. Super nice lady, very driven and exceptionally talented. And, of course, a mom! Which is what makes the products that True Cuddles sells interesting and unique... they are often mom-made or designed, and always mom-approved. Some of my favourites have been the bugalug hair clips {of course since I have a boy I couldn't get some, at least not without my hubby freaking out}, changing mats by The Modern Baby Co. {I missed out on these}, and mittens by mimiTENS.

True Cuddles also features lots of mom-run companies and mompreneurs on their site, which I love. I am all about supporting other moms in business!

Be sure to check them out on Facebook as well as they are giving away great prizes this week in honor of their birthday! Happy shopping!

More Inspiring Blogs

I am going to be taking next week off from blogging, so while I am on hiatus, here are some blogs I am totally inspired by these days for you to peek at if you are interested:

The Creative Party Place

The Creative Crate

Love. Obsess. Inspire.

How About Orange

Hostess with the Mostess

I'll be back again next Monday (October 26th)!

Roundup of Mommy E-newsletters

A couple of Mondays ago I rounded up a bunch of places in Calgary that offer Mom & Tot classes... today I have rounded up what I think are the best of the e-newlsletters that parents can sign up for {since there really are hundreds to choose from}. Some of these newsletters offer parenting advice or forums, and others offer products. I have tried out many "subscriptions" and these are my favourites {in no particular order}:

Babyvibe.ca

SavvyMom.ca

Today's Parent

BabyCenter Canada

Simple Mom

True Cuddles

Baby Steals

If you are loving roundups as much as I do, visit Morgan's blog post on Mon Petit Amour where she rounded up baby/maternity stores in Calgary.

Blissfully too Busy to Blog Today

Hi everyone! My apologies for the lack of Mother Monday post this morning... I was at an all day women's conference called the Business of Bliss... attempting to discover my passion and live a life I love. While I did enjoy the day (especially speakers Martha Beck, Danielle LaPorte, and the wonderful Peter Walsh), I did find the ticket price to be a bit steep for what was included. {Although, I really have no idea how much something like that would cost to put on, so I guess I can't truly comment.}

I also enjoyed chatting with a few of the women involved with Entrepreneurial Moms {http://www.entrepreneurialmoms.org/}, one of the event sponsors. Check them out if you are interested... I am definitely going to look into joining since it always helps to have mentorship and guidance from others when you are looking to start something new in your life.

One day... when I get my act together and answer the questions that Danielle LaPorte {www.whitehottruth.com} says we should ask ourselves... such as "what is your relationship to life?" and "what is your core desired feeling?" Then maybe I will know what it is that I want to do and will be able to go after it, all with the support of other mom entrepreneurs!

Fab Female in the Limelight

I discovered Paula and her company Limelight Photography through a good old fashioned Google search for "baby photographers in Calgary." I fell in love with her work, and after looking at her portfolio even decided to do some prenatal pictures. Since then we have worked with Paula three more times: when Baby B was 3-months-old, again when he was 9-months-old, and most recently we did a family shoot in August.

I have the pictures Paula has taken for us everywhere in my house. It's so important to me to document the growth of my family, and capture whatever moments we can forever in photographs. Paula is not only super-talented, but she has this amazing ability to click that button at just the right moment finding the smile between the cries of a newborn, or playful innocence in a tired, moody toddler. She also offers packages that include your touched-up digital negatives ~ a total must for anyone who is indecisive like me {I could never go through a bunch of pictures, and just pick a few poses}!

Paula is an inspiration to me for a variety of reasons, one being that I always wanted to be a good photographer, but never really had the skill {a photography class in college helped me discover this}. Second, Paula has turned a skill and obvious passion into her own business. And, third, she is also a mom and wife and somehow makes it all work!

I highly recommend Paula if you are looking for a photographer to help you hold onto your memories {she also does amazing weddings}. Here are pictures from each of the photo sessions my family has had with Limelight Photography. Please note that I have chosen to only share pictures that do not show our faces because I want to maintain a certain amount of privacy for my husband and son {they didn't decide to start writing this blog afterall}. This is not meant to devalue Paula's work... trust me she does also take fabulous pictures from the front! Check out Paula's blog to see more!

A Blissful Life

I am super excited because this week I ordered my ticket for the upcoming Business of Bliss conference here in Calgary on Monday, October 5th. I have always wanted to attend a women's conference, and this one is of particular interest because it is focussed on living your passion (in your personal and business life), and because I dream of starting my own business one day. Tickets are a little pricey at $249 a piece, but I am hoping it will be worth it.

One of the speakers at the event is Peter Walsh from TLC's Clean Sweep {who I adore for his ruthless organization skills}, and another is Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell. This conference also does double duty for me in that I get to spend the day with a whole bunch of adult women, something that every new mommy knows doesn't always fit into the schedule. Big thanks to my fabulous mom and awesome hubby for sharing childcare duties for the day so I can attend! Here's to living a life you love!