Blogging Bootcamp - Completed!

I really enjoyed the Blogging Bootcamp workshop on Wednesday (that's me, front & center). I gathered a lot of great information and tangible resources from the very knowledgeable Liene Stevens to help develop my blog.

So stay tuned as I start trying to implement some new ideas... This should be fun!

Photo Credit goes to MelissaJill Photography ...Thanks friend!

Blogging Bootcamp

I thought it was blog-worthy to mention that today I am attending a workshop called: Blogging Bootcamp.

It is being given by Liene Stevens of The Smart Planner and Blue Orchid Designs.

Since the launch of the Blue Orchid Blog in 2006, it has grown to include over 3000 unique daily visitors! At this Blogging Bootcamp (which is designed for wedding professionals), Liene will be sharing specific strategies and techniques she has personally used to grow the Blue Orchid Blog to where it is today.

I am really looking forward to hearing what she has to say. Hopefully you will see the effects of what I learn here on my little 'ole blog!

Stay tuned!

OneWed.com: Best of 2008!

I just received an email informing me that I made the Best of 2008 list with OneWed.com. Yay! Just thought I would share...

Color Trends for Spring 2009

I was doing some research with Pantone to find out what color trends are coming up for Spring of 2009 and I thought I would share what I found.

Pantone is a "world-renowned authority on color" and they put out a bi-annual report that projects color trends that are going to be popular in the upcoming season. Of course, this is geared more towards fashion than weddings, but fashion trends do inspire wedding trends as well.

So, on the left are the colors they are projecting and you can also click this link to read the entire Pantone Spring 2009 report.

Which colors do you like the best? Are you planning to use any of these colors for your spring wedding?

#36 - Done!

So, I am almost embarrassed to say that the first thing I have checked off of my 101 in 1001 list is to complete a Medium Level song on Guitar Hero.

Out of all my ambitious and productive goals I set, this is the one that gets done first?? Hmmmm... Let's not even try to analyze this one, k?

But anyway, I did it! And as ridiculous as it sounds, I was really excited about it.

I don't own the Wii, so I don't get to play it often. But my sister Sara has it and when I dropped her off at home after the Bridal Show on Sunday, I thought I would give Guitar Hero another try.

I have only played it once before and I only attempted the Easy level and sure enough I was booed off the stage every time. I know. I was really awful. Hence why this goal even made my list.

So, on Sunday, I worked up my confidence by playing a few songs on the Easy level and after getting through 4 songs in a row without being booed... I thought - Ok. Let's give Medium a try and see if I can do. And to my delight, I did it on the first try.

Here is my proof:

So, there you have it. My first goal has been achieved. Hopefully the next ones checked off the list are a little more productive, but this one sure was fun!

Bridal Fashion Debut

To kickstart to 2009, I decided to participate in the Bridal Fashion Debut which was held on January 10th & 11th at the Phoenix Convention Center.

It turned out to be a really amazing show and I am really glad I was there!

One of the florists that I work with is always so generous to provide me with decorations for my booth and because she does this for me as a favor, I typically just work around whatever she has available at the time and it always comes together really nicely.

But this time I got a bee in my bonnet (who says that anymore?) and decided to go to Fabric Depot to select some fabric and make my own booth decorations. So, I picked out a really pretty floral fabric and some bead trim (see a close-up picture below) and made a valance and table runner out of it. Then I selected some Mossy green satin fabric and made some panels out it. And Voila! It made for a really pretty little display.

Of course, I still borrowed an arrangement and table drape from the florist (Thanks Karen!) and rented some fruitwood Chivari chairs from Tri-Rentals (Thanks Shelly!) to finish it off. I think it looked really pretty and it was very affordable!

Once again, my sister Sara (that's her in the picture) helped me in my booth and here is a picture of how it turned out:

I met some fantastic new vendors and enjoyed getting to see the vendors I already know. I also met some really amazing couples and I am really excited about seeing them again in the initial consultations we scheduled.

So, overall it was a great success!

New Year's Resolution: 101 in 1001

Ok. Fine.

I have finally given in and decided to make a "101 goals in 1001 days" list. I have been resisting for a long time because I didn't want to be a follower and do it because "everyone else is doing it."

But I totally see the value in writing down goals and tangibly checking them off of a list. When you write things down they become a more intentional part of your subconscious and you are more likely to actually reach them. So, I thought, what the heck! Copycat or not, I am going to make my list. And it seems quite perfect to begin at the beginning of a new year.

So, there you have it: My 101 in 1001 list. I will keep you posted on my progress as it is made.

Ready, Set, GO!

Begin Date: January 1, 2009
End Date: September 28, 2011

1. Visit Grammer in Winslow
2. Take my Gramma to lunch at least once every 3 months
3. Fly a kite [April 5, 2010]
4. Make a snowman
5. Get my teeth whitened
6. Have one of my clients' weddings featured in a local wedding magazine [Completed May 1, 2009]
7. Sponsor a child in a foreign country [March 12, 2010]
8. Go on a cruise
9. Develop a training workshop for aspiring wedding planners
10. Finish the Needlepoint project I started back in 1998
11. Have my personal wedding photos put into a professionally designed album
12. Have my website rank in the top 5 on Google under 3 popular wedding related search terms
13. Write down my thoughts from Ella's birth and her first year in a journal
14. Attend a wedding related conference [Completed 1.9.11]
15. Finish reading the Left Behind series including the Prequels
16. Exercise at least once a week for 6 months
17. Have another baby
18. Purchase better photo editing software
19. Learn to use a video/movie editing software
20. Visit Stacy in Colorado [Completed 8.5.09]
21. Compensate Carol and pick up the painting she did for me [Completed 12.2.09 and 8.31.10, respectively]
22. Fix the foot on our living room couch [Completed 3.15.09]
23. Display the preserved flowers from my wedding
24. Complete the New Testament Bible Study with Brian
25. Do Beth Moore's Esther Bible Study [Completed 6.30.09]
26. Convince Brian to take dance lessons with me (yes, this is a goal all by itself)
27. Take dance lessons with Brian
28. Go wine tasting
29. Make a quilt
30. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
31. Apply for Survivor
32. Take Ella for swim lessons [Completed 7.15.10]
33. Go camping (cabin or tent) [Completed 8.20.09]
34. Roast marshmallows on an open fire and make S'mores [Completed 8.17.09]
35. Donate blood [Completed 9.19.10]
36. Get through a Medium level song on Guitar Hero [Completed 1.11.09]
37. Go on Grand Canyon Railway trip [Completed 6.30.09]
38. Make 20 dishes from new recipes
39. Plant flowers in the front yard [Completed 2.22.09]
40. Clean out the garage [Completed 12.4.09]
41. Have a garage sale [Completed 11.14.09]
42. Organize the garage [Completed 1.3.10]
43. Have the garage floor “finished”
44. Read a book off of Oprah’s Book Club list
45. Have a picnic: Under a tree with a picnic basket
46. Don’t eat any fast food for 1 month
47. Go to a driving range and hit a bucket of balls
48. Spend an entire day watching movies
49. Join a networking group
50. Decorate sugar cookies [Completed 12.20.09]
51. Make curtains for my living room
52. Commit 15 Bible Scriptures to memory
53. Improve the layout and hosting of my blog [Completed 8.15.10]
54. Clean out my junk cabinet [Completed 7.6.09]
55. Make a cake using my Pampered Chef checkerboard insert [Completed 3.7.09]
56. Spend a day by the pool drinking cocktails with a friend [Completed 8.9.10]
57. Have dinner* in a wine cellar [Completed 3.2.10] *had lunch instead
58. Clean out my spare bedroom closet
59. Organize my photos into books
60. Finger paint with Ella
61. Teach Ella how to play 'Hide & Go Seek' [Completed 4.28.09]
62. Watch my wedding video
63. Leave surprise love notes for Brian every day for a week
64. Read 3 books to benefit my business
65. Get new light fixtures for both bathrooms [Completed 6.14.09]
66. Prepare a prime rib for Family Dinner [Completed 1.22.09]
67. Pay for whatever the car behind me ordered in a drivethrough
68. Make a purse with Sara [Completed 6.24.09]
69. Have the grout on my kitchen floor and countertops professionally cleaned
70. Try a "Sprinkles" cupcake (I know... this goal is a stretch!) [Completed 10.28.09]
71. Make homemade ice cream (using the machine of course) [Completed 7.2.10]
72. Complete 20 weddings in a single year (or consecutive 12-months) [Completed 1.31.10]
73. Develop an internship program
74. Add a video element to my marketing
75. Develop a YHD Welcome packet
76. Have a new logo professionally designed [Completed 2.26.10]
77. Visit family in Tucson
78. Go through boxes in the attic
79. Have Jimmy, Cathy & Brooke over for a BBQ and card games
80. Participate in planning a charity event [Completed 2.23.11]
81. Take Ella to the Zoo [Completed 10.12.09]
82. Have a Sister Sleepover with Jenny & Sara
83. Have family dinner and play Shanghi Rummy at Dad's house
84. Spend an evening with Georgie & Amanda to pour over the infamous "ontebook"
85. Volunteer at a food bank
86. Implement a wedding specific software to track my weddings
87. Implement a web-based email archive system
88. Select and implement a new accounting software [Completed 1.1.11]
89. Go on an overnight retreat with a group of wedding planner girlfriends
90. Spend the day at a spa [Completed 7.7.09]
91. Take Ella to Disneyland
92. Add a window treatment to the master bathroom [Completed 7.12.09]
93. Purchase a curio cabinet to display Gramma's china
94. Have my wedding video converted to DVD [Completed 4.3.10]
95. Take Ella to the beach [Completed 8.31.10]
96. Expand my filing system for completed wedding files [Completed 7.9.10]
97. Plant an herb garden [Completed 4.3.11]
98. Lay stepping stones in the backyard from the shed to the back gate [Completed 4.3.11]
99. Install a floodlight in the backyard
100. Finish this list [Completed 7.6.09]
101. Add a handful of wedding related rental items to my website
Taking Kurt's advice below:
102. Donate $1 for every item I don’t complete to the American Cancer Society

P.S. If you are interested in jumping on the bandwagon with me, I would love to have you along for the ride. Be sure to let me know so we can encourage each other!