Boutique Cafe: "Are you ready for your closeup?"

Sometimes posting on multiple sites can get a bit crazy but on days like today I am super glad I do. It means if I was up super late working on client press releases and a Boutique Cafe post the night before and didn't get a post ready for freshly baked, I can easily type up a quick blurb like this one and link you to my recap of Startup Princess' recent Image & Media Academy. And that's exactly what I'm going to do:

"Are you ready for your closeup?"

Thanks to Seth Jenks (@SethJenks) from APX Alarm I was able to attend part of this fabulous event and joined 20 or so other women at a cabin in Sunday for a night of inspiration, renewal and serious note taking. You can read all about it on BoutiqueCafe.com.

I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe for this super tasty tangy pork roast I cooked the other night. It was a hit and the leftovers? Yummy! --Emily

Happy School Year's Eve!

Celebrating New Year's Eve is, well, a yearly tradition in our home. Though we're not in Times Square with the rest of the world, we enjoy good food, family and some serious game playing to celebrate the new year. But for most families the "new year" really comes around the middle or end of August when the class lists go up and school shopping begins. The first day of school is truly a "new year" for kids and families alike.

So in true party fashion, Cookie magazine and PTA have teamed up along with GAP, KinderCare, Children's Zyrtec and Hot Moms Club, the celebrate the newest school holiday, School Year's Eve! This new holiday was created to help get families ready and excited about the new school year. (We could use some help with the excitement some years more than others depending on the outcome of those class lists!)

Who's invited to the School Year's Eve bash and when is it? Everyone is invited--families, schools, and PTAs all across the country are encouraged to celebrate. Cookie and PTA will ring in the new school year (and the new national holiday) on August 30th. What if your school starts earlier or later? Just celebrate whenever school begins for your children and do whatever works best for you. You can have the party at home, put together a larger block party or even check with your school and ask for help from your local PTA and principal to host it there!

For party planning tips and ideas you can check out the Party Planner section of the School Year's Eve site for ideas, links and downloads. The site also has a Style File for cool back-to-school looks, resources for parents with advice from Cookie, PTA and parenting experts and recipes for yummy School Year's Eve party treats!

And to make your School Year's Eve party truly fabulous, Cookie and PTA are offering partygoers the chance to win $1,500 for their school or PTA unit. Just post pictures from your School Year's Eve bash after August 15th for your chance to win!

Oh, and the site also has some great money-saving coupons from companies like momAgenda, Y WATER, Birthday in a Box and Sharpie.

With only 17 days and counting until August 30th you'll want to start planning your School Year's Eve party now! For more details visit the official School Year's Eve site here. Happy countdown! --Emily

Moms Who Make It on KSL 5!

Though the Moms Who Make It conference took place over a week ago we are still hearing about it on Twitter, most of the tweets now from women excited about MWMI '10. (By the way, mark your calendars for around the middle of June...MWMI '10 will probably take place around June 17th and might even be two days next year!) But just last night we were able to catch KSL 5's coverage of the conference, which featured an interview with Cari Greer, one of our keynote speakers and a source of inspiration for MWMI attendees:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

We were so excited when we heard KSL 5 would be on site to interview Quinn and a few of our speakers and couldn't wait to see if we would be newsworthy enough to feature. Of course WE knew we were newsworthy; it was a matter of convincing the local news station...and I think we managed to do so! Kudos to Quinn, who's idea for a conference all about empowering and inspiring women was such a success that women are already looking forward to next year's event. What can I say? Quinn totally rocks!

If you want to learn more about Quinn and CreatedByMom.com you can visit the site here. You can also view info about the recent Moms Who Make It conference, including our conference schedule, by clicking here. For more info about Cari Greer and Sole Desires shoe parties, visit SoleDesires.com.

Moms Who Make It: One great recap

As many of you know I have loads of excuses for why I'm only posting a couple times a week, one being Moms Who Make It '09, a conference I helped plan and which took place last Thursday. I am still recovering (who knew I could be THIS exhausted) but the time and energy was well worth it. The conference was a success, and when I say success I'm talking about quality not quantity.

Though the turnout was smaller than we had initially hoped, it was perfect for our first annual MWMI conference. But those small numbers did not make for a "small" conference. The keynote and closing speakers totally rocked and the mini classes and breakout sessions were chock full of helpful, inspiring, useful information. The meals were delicious, the swag bags full of treats and the after party full of sorbet, music and even a little dancing.

I wish I had more time to write but I am still swimming in those other "why I'm not posting regularly" excuses like the sale of our home, the endless hunt for a new home, a trip to California and training for a half marathon. Thank heavens one of our backstage bloggers, or "sexy six" as we like to call them, wrote a post last week that does a fabulous job recapping the conference. It was truly a wonderful day and everyone there is already looking forward to MWMI '10. Believe it or not, so are we!

For some great photos, a sneak peek at the classes and potentially embarrassing after-party video (go, Evonne!) check out Vanessa's post "Just What I Needed--Moms Who Make It Conference" on her site I Never Grew Up. Don't be surprised if it leaves you a little sad...sad you weren't there this year. Good thing you have next year to look forward to! --Emily

P.S. You can see a list of the Moms Who Are Making It winners on Crazi Beautiful's site here!

Vanessa, Quinn and I at the end of the conference.
Can you tell we're super uplifted and inspired?

Less than 24 hours...

...until the Moms Who Make It conference and I am operating on 4 hours of sleep so this is all you're getting as a post for today:

Come to the conference.

You will leave inspired and empowered.

You will love it and I will love seeing you there.

Moms Who Make It: Empowering Creativity in Life & Business
Thursday, July 16th
@ Noah's in South Jordan, UT

For more info and to buy your afternoon/evening tickets click here.

Top 5 reasons why YOU should attend Moms Who Make It

My good friend Quinn is the woman behind CreatedByMom.com and the Moms Who Make It Conference. She just posted a great YouTube video listing the top five reasons why YOU should attend the conference. By the way, we only have our afternoon/evening session tickets left--the mini-class and full-day conference tickets are totally SOLD OUT!

But the afternoon/evening session ticket still gives you the biggest portion of the conference complete with fabulous keynote speakers, a wonderful panel of entrepreneurial women, breakout sessions on everything from motherhood to social media, a truly tasty gourmet dinner AND our mocktail party after the event where you can socialize, network and connect with other women.

The conference is next Thursday, July 16th. Grab your tickets before they're gone!

Do you know a mom who inspires you?

Though Mother's Day has come and gone, moms are still working hard, creating joy and spreading love wherever they go. We would love to honor these women during the Moms Who Make It conference on July 16th. (For more information on the conference, click here.)

For our Moms Who Are Making It spotlight during the conference we’re looking for moms who have had difficult life circumstances but have used them as a catalyst to change their lives for the better. These are moms who have inspired you to look at your own life and think, “I can make it too!”


We will collect all the nominations and randomly select ten to be honored at the conference. Each time a mom is nominated she receives an entry into the drawing, so the more nominations the better her chance of being spotlighted at our event. These moms will receive a full-day ticket to the conference and an invitation to attend the VIP Mocktail Party that night so they can mingle with our speakers and the CreatedByMom.com moms. We're also throwing some fun swag into the mix!

If you know a mom who is “making it,” please email or comment a quick summary (200 words or less) on why you think she should be honored during the Moms Who Make It conference. You can send an email to momswhomakeit {at} createdbymom {dot} com.

If you wonder if you’ll be honored as one of our Moms Who Are Making It, buy your ticket now before the price goes up on July 7th (midnight) OR before they sell out! If you are chosen we will refund your ticket.

We’re looking forward to sharing their stories and being inspired just as you have been inspired by them!

Moms Who Are Making It is sponsored by The Potted Pansy

Phe.mom.enom snags my fave recipe...

...and reviews our fabulous caterer for the Moms Who Make It conference in her recent post. I've taste-tested Utah Celebrations Catering twice now and each time I find my lips chapped from licking them so dang much! The food is fresh, yummy and the most flavorful I've had from a local caterer. Holly (aka @phemom) does a great job recapping the latest Backstage Blogger tasting event on location at Utah Celebrations Catering in Orem. And being a food blogger, her photos and description of the evening are as tasty as the food!


What made me absolutely adore Holly more than I already do (if that's possible) is she somehow managed to wrangle Chef Steven's recipe for his Chicken Marsala. If this dish isn't famous yet, it will be very, very soon. It melts in your mouth, delights the tastebuds and pretty much changes your life. I can't wait to make this recipe at home!


Chicken Marsala
Source: Utah Celebrations Catering, Chef Steven Swallow

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
2 teaspoons salt
Flour for dredging

2 T unsalted butter
1 T garlic, minced
1 T shallots, minced
1 C sweet marsala wine
1 C heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T fresh basil, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season chicken breast with the salt and dredge in the flour. In a saute pan on high heat, melt the butter and add the chicken. Sear till the outside is golden brown, remove from the pan, place the chicken in a baking dish and place in the oven to finish cooking through, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

In the same pan the chicken was seared in, saute the garlic and shallots until just slightly golden brown over medium heat. Add the wine to the pan with the garlic and shallots and deglaze and reduce till a syrup consistency is reached. Add the heavy cream and reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon and leaves a line when a finger is drawn through the sauce. Add the Parmesan cheese and basil and salt to taste. Pour sauce over the chicken and enjoy.

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~Luciano Pavarotti

All images from Phe.mom.enom

#GNO IRL: A girls' night out in real life!

Many of you know I have been super busy helping Quinn, the woman behind CreatedByMom.com, plan the Moms Who Make It conference. Believe it or not I've been dubbed the Director of Communications for this fabulous event, yet I'm doing the lamest job of it considering I've been failing to post all the cool pre-conference events/hype parties/taste-testings we've had. I've left that to our Backstage Bloggers, now more affectionately known as our Sexy Six. But I should definitely be doing my part to "communicate" when it comes to MWMI.

Though it's a bit late to blog about the Noah's VIP Preview night, Utah Celebrations taste-testing, The Sweet Tooth Fairy and Lorken Food Finery hype parties I can tell you about our last pre-conference event:

#GNO IRL!

For those familiar with Twitter you'll recognize the #gno hashtag started by none other than our very own Jyl from Mom It Forward. Every Tuesday night from 7 to 9 pm Pacific time, Jyl hosts #gno complete with a handful of panelists tweeting their answers to questions about a specific topic from preparedness to family activities to photography. The tweets are fast and furious but the night is a lot of fun, often continuing on into the wee hours of Wednesday morning!

On July 7th from 7 to 9 pm we'll have our first ever #gno in real life (IRL)! The topic is "me time"--basically, taking time for yourself (is it possible? does it make you feel guilty? do you even do it?) BUT Jyl will be hosting the July 7th #gno on location at Rock Creek Pizza Co. in Riverton, Utah. It's an official girls' night out online and off and we want YOU to come!

Whether you're an experienced Twitterer or a newbie, come on by for some great conversation and great food. Bring your laptop, computer, iPhone, whatever your Twitter tool of choice--Rock Creek has free WiFi! Or arrive with no intention whatsoever to tweet; come simply to get away with girlfriends for the night. To sweeten the deal Rock Creek Pizza Co. is offering everyone who at the tweetup 25% off her purchase. This is a great excuse for you to try their gourmet chicken garlic pizza, my personal favorite!


Our #GNO IRL is also the last hype party beforeMoms Who Make It on July 16th and marks the last day you can buy your tickets before the price goes up. If you want some serious "me time" then you'll want to schedule a sitter now for July 16th and plan to attend MWMI '09.

I'm planning to be there laptop and appetite in tow. Hope to see you all there! For more details, click here. To RSVP visit the Facebook event page: #GNO IRL "Me Time". --Emily

P.S. If you can't make it we would love for you to join us online and in your pj's!

P.P.S. Only a couple days left to enter to win a Flip video camera and full conference ticket to MWMI '09! We'd love to have you as Boutique Cafe's exclusive conference correspondent!

Celebrate Nie Nie's birthday with The Sweet Tooth Fairy!

Just the title of this post should have your tastebuds all atingle with the thought of a celebration complete with decadent cupcakes, cookies and my newest love, The Sweet Tooth Fairy's famous cake bites. (Yes, they really are famous. To find out why, click here. Hint: it has something to do with Rachael Ray and the "snack of the day.")

I love a good celebration, but what makes a celebration great is when it's all about helping, lifting, supporting someone else, and this is one is all about doing just that. It's Nie Nie's birthday and what better reason to celebrate? (Okay, kids sleeping through the night comes close!) In honor of Nie Nie, The Sweet Tooth Fairy is having a celebration tomorrow, June 27th at their store located in Provo, Utah. From 11am to 7pm you can shop, eat and shop some more. (Think gifts for friends or a "sweet" pick-me-up for a family member.) Proceeds from the sale of her special VaNIElla Squared cupcake will benefit the Nielsen family and the Arizona Burn Center.

Don't live within an hour's drive of Provo, the city The Sweet Tooth Fairy calls home? Don't worry; you can still party along with the rest of us and show your support by ordering your VaNIElla Squared dozen (or two) over the phone and have them shipped anywhere in the U.S.! Trust me, their worth 100x their weight in gold! So satisfy your cupcake cravings and support a worthy cause by joining in the Nie Nie birthday celebration with The Sweet Tooth Fairy. (And while you're at it, order about a pound or two of their cake bites.)

For more details on the event, click here. --Emily

P.S. You can follow The Sweet Tooth Fairy on Twitter (@sweettoothfairy) or become a fan of her on Facebook!

Will YOU be Boutique Cafe's exclusive Moms Who Make It correspondent?

I can't believe I failed to mention this totally rockin' conference my friend Quinn is putting on this July. As my kids and girlfriends have often heard me say lately, I'd forget my head if it weren't screwed on!

The Moms Who Make It Conference is THE conference of the year and you won't want to miss it! From inspiring and empowering classes to don't-miss networking and socializing--not to mention some serious gourmet food--Moms Who Make It is THE place to be on July 16th in Utah. The coolest thing is we're giving away the opportunity to be Boutique Cafe's exclusive conference correspondent, which comes complete with full conference ticket (including mini classes), invitation to the VIP mocktail party AND a Flip Video camera to record your behind-the-scenes footage of the event!

For details about the conference, the contest and how to enter visit BoutiqueCafe.com and read our latest post, "We want YOU to be our conference correspondent!" Good luck and hope to see you there! --Emily

Don't miss Utah's 7th annual Chalk Art Festival!

I am the worst mom when it comes to doing fun, culturally enlightening, non-McDonald's-playland things. I could learn a lesson or two from my friend Vanessa over at I Never Grew Up and Utah's Natural Kids! But I am stepping up my mothering a notch this week and plan to take my kids to a wonderful event put on by the Utah Foster Care Foundation.

The 7th annual Chalk Art Festival will be held June 19-20 along Rio Grande Street at The Gateway in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Festival attracts more than 120 artists ages 12 and up and more than 17,000 visitors each year and turns The Gateway into a live entertainment and street painting celebration. More importantly the event helps to raise funds for the Utah Foster Care Foundation.

The festival is completely FREE to the public--a great thing for those of us on a tighter budget! The professional, adult and student artists will transform the streets of The Gateway into a beautiful, temporary art gallery for the entire family to enjoy. How cool is that?!?!

The festival also features a “Kids Korner” where children can create their own chalk art. The Chalk Art Festival is a great way for the family to spend more time together while at the same time helping people become aware of 2,600 Utah children in foster care and their need for loving homes and families.

Festival hours:
June 19 from 4-9pm
June 20 from 10am-9pm

Not sure you want to attend? I bet checking out artwork from some of the past Chalk Art Festivals will change your mind! You can view a slideshow of past artwork here.

I believe there is still time to help sponsor the event and sign up as a volunteer. Unfortunately for your budding artists, artist registration is closed for the year. But now that you know about the annual festival you can start planning your entry for next year! For more information visit www.chalkartfestival.org.

O Easter tree, O Easter tree!

Service is always important and especially so in an economic time like ours. There is no better way to forget yourself, your worries and your pity party than by serving others. And in today's world of "entitled" children, there's no better time for teaching our families the importance of service. It is an easy and wonderful way to remind them what's really important is not what you have but what you can give.

I recently had the opportunity to attend one of Mom It Forward's service projects. On March 28, 2009 Mom It Forward joined with Make and Takes to host a family-friendly service project benefiting The Christmas Box House in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Christmas Box House provides "greatly enhanced services to abused and neglected children and reflects a statewide model for delivery of best practice assessment and treatment services to victims of child abuse."

Inside the home is a large Christmas tree, which groups and individuals newly decorate each month. We had the month of April so a group of moms and children arrived on Saturday morning ready to craft! Marie from Make and Takes came with an arsenal of craft supplies provided by Provo Craft. We created tissue-paper chicks, paper Easter eggs, wooden Easter ornaments, tissue-paper flowers, styrofoam bunnies and various springtime pipe-cleaner designs.

Once our crafters were done crafting we carried the decorations to the tree and all the children helped strategically place them on the branches. (Okay, not so strategically but the effect was no less stunning!) The tree went from forlorn to fantastic in record time and the effect was very refreshing. Our kids gave that tree the Easter-y pick-me-up it needed!

After all our hard work glueing, taping, twisting and coloring we enjoyed the most decadent, scrumptious mini cupcakes from Cupcake Chic. I think I sampled all four flavors; my favorite were the ones that tasted like orange rolls--to die for! (A big thank-you to Cupcake Chick for donating the goodies...they were a huge hit!)

We had a really enjoyable time getting together with old friends, making new ones and thinking about someone other than ourselves for once. We are already looking forward to the next Mom It Forward service project. Until then we'll enjoy watching the slideshow from this one! --Emily

Eat at Costa Vida and support a worthy cause

My friend Jyl from Mom It Forward needs your help spreading the word about tomorrow's fundraiser. We're planning to be there and have already told friends and family about it. We'd love it if you'd now do the same. Here are the details:

Meet with Friends & Family & the Social Media Scene in Provo for a Great Cause Saturday, April 18

Mom It Forward, in partnership with 12 for 12K, is kicking off 6-weeks of fundraising for moms and by moms (March 31 through May 12) and we need your help!

On Saturday, April 18, events will be taking place all over the US, Canada and Australia with one event taking place right here in Utah.

The goal is to raise funds and awareness for a Utah-based charity—Yehu Microfinance, BasaBody, and Coast Coconut Farms to empower poor, rural entrepreneurs in Kenya to help lift themselves out of poverty through enhanced accessibility to sustainable financial services, business opportunities, and skills training. Mom It Forward's goal is to raise $50,000 and we'd like to raise $2,500 at our Provo event to contribute toward that goal!

* Date: Saturday, April 18

* Time: 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

* Place: Costa Vida/Fat Cats Provo

* Activities: Dinner, Bowling, Games, Raffle

What is the Charity?

Yehu Microfinance, BasaBody, and Coast Coconut Farms work together to achieve this mission. How? First, women secure micro loans from Yehu Microfinance. Next, they purchase a franchise from Coast Coconut Farms, which gives them the materials, skills/business training, and opportunity to run a coconut oil extraction business right from their village. Then, Coast Coconut Farms makes regular village runs to purchase the coconut oil and processes it in its plant. Finally, Coast Coconut Farms exports the oil to the U.S. where volunteers there use the oil to create and sell bath, body, and cooking products—part of the Basa Body and Coast Coconut Farms product lines—returning the proceeds right back to Africa to help more and more women.

For questions, to learn more about the charity or to donate to the event please contact momitforward@gmail.com.

Can't Make the Party? You Can Still Participate in the Fun!

Take the attached coupon with you to any Utah Costa Vida location on Saturday, April 18 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and 20% of your proceeds will go to charity. (Click here to see locations.)

5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Blog Party--party on, moms!

freshly baked is excited to be a part of 5 Minutes for Mom's third annual Ultimate Blog Party. We did this last year and had a blast, so of course we're back for more. Plus in today's economy, a virtual party means no need to purchase a new party outfit (with matching heels, of course) and pay for a babysitter. We love saving money!

Though this post doesn't have an awesome video or slideshow, it's not because we wouldn't love to do something so nifty. It's more that we couldn't find the time between wiping snotty noses, driving carpool, doing umpteen loads of laundry and oh yeah, taking a shower. But to spice this post up a little bit I did include a photo from when this mom took five minutes (it was more like 120 minutes) for a really fun photo shoot for her stylist's portfolio. See? I'm not always blogging in my pj's! And of course I couldn't leave out my amazingly beautiful BFF and business partner LeShan. And yes, she looks this good even in her pj's!

We're 2 moms with 8 children between us ranging in ages from 1 1/2 to 11. That 8 is made up of 5 girls, 3 boys and a 1 set of twins. That number does not include our husbands, though we often think it should. LeShan and I started our company, georgie tees, in June of 2005 and have had a great time growing the business. LeShan is a fabulous ballet teacher and I'm sure I'm good at something...as a result we have quite a few other projects in the works and just announced we are looing for a new owner for our baby (aka georgie tees). (For more information you can read our post on the sale here.)

Our blog has a mix of everything: mompreneur tips, health and fitness guides, fashion trends, recipes and sites we love. Feel free to browse all you like; we'd love it even more if you comment. If you leave us a comment on this post, please include a link to your blog or site if you have one so we can come on over to party with you! Party on, moms! It's 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party! --Emily

Win a ticket to BlogHer from Z Recommends!

What's hot? Blogging. What's hotter than that? Blogging conferences, especially those like BlissDom and BlogHer, which are all about the female blogger. I missed BlissDom and am still kicking myself for not looking into it earlier in the year. I'm already planning to attend next year (my husband doesn't know yet, so don't tell him).

Though I missed BlissDom there is still BlogHer. The four previous BlogHer conferences were sold out and this one is sure to do the same. "BlogHer '09 will bring bloggers from every corner of the blogosphere together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with the brands that support them and plentiful networking opportunities." The theme for this year is "In Real Life." The conference will be held at the The Chicago Sheraton & Towers July 24-25.

Here's the exciting (i.e. giveaway) part! Z Recommends, a blog all about parenting, product reviews, and consumer advocacy and research, is giving away a ticket to BlogHer--a $300 value!

Z Recommends and PRIZEY have teamed up to offer a ticket to BlogHer to one lucky blogger! This ticket covers admission to both days of the conference, on-site child care if you need it, breakfasts, lunches, and a cocktail reception. You'll still need to cover your hotel (the Sheraton the conference is being held at has a $199 per night special for attendees) and flight (unless you're lucky enough to live in the area).

By the way if you love giveaways and aren't familiar with PRIZEY, then let me open up a whole new giveaway-world to you. It is THE site for up-to-the-minute parents' giveaway and sweepstakes info. If a blog or site is giving away a Svan high chair or Kids Konserve lunch set, PRIZEY will know about it and point you in the right direction to enter.

But I digress...if you'd like to attend the annual sold-out blogging conference, visit Z Recommends to learn how to enter to win a ticket to BlogHer '09. It takes a little more work than just commenting on the post, but it is well worth it!

Though I'm not an A-list blogger...yet...I have had a lot of fun writing for freshly baked, our georgie tees blog. A few of my favorite posts from the past are "Even a 17-month-old can make a point" (short but very sweet), "Better than an SNL skit" and "The secret life of a soccer mom." I'm all about making it real!

Now wish me luck! Hope to see you at BlogHer '09! (And my husband doesn't know about these plans either, so let's just keep it between you and me...) --Emily

P.S. I know it's actually Wednesday and this is a that's hot! thursday post but I couldn't wait to tell you about this awesome giveaway!

Missed BlissDom 09? Here's a great recap!

When I first heard about BlissDom 09 I felt like I didn't really need to go since blogging wasn't my main focus. Though I write for Boutique Cafe and Polliwogged, I am just one of a few contributing writers. And freshly baked is simply an extension of georgie tees. But the closer it got to BlissDom '09 and the more I saw my Twitter friends tweeting about it, the more I wished I had heard about it sooner, made the effort to find a few babysitters, booked a flight and attended one of the best women's blogging/networking/socializing conferences ever. I have already put BlissDom '10 on my list of must-do things for next year!

For those of us who didn't attend, today's mompreneur monday features a fantastic post from BlogCoach highlighting Ten Take-Away Tips from BlissDom 09. (The post makes me feel like I kind of had my own personal note-taker at the conference.) It's a wonderful wrap-up of what I'm sure was an information-packed (and party-packed) event. Though you really must read all ten tips, here are my three favorites:

• Community isn't just a bonus aspect of blogging; it is CENTRAL to blogging.
• Carrying an "idea book" allows you to jot down post ideas before you forget them.
• It's completely okay not to post every day.

I especially love that last one. Bloggers, including myself, often feel a great amount of pressure to post every day, but sometimes life happens and blog posts don't happen. I know I've been there and felt guilty all day for not posting. I will no longer do so!

If you want to read more about BlissDom '09 and all the fabulous information gained by attendees, just do a search and you'll find a plethora of posts about the conference. BlissDom '09 has come and gone but it's not too early to look ahead to next year. Hope to see you there! --Emily

tired of the CPSIA? we sure are.

If you follow me on Twitter or simply follow any #cpsia tweets, or if you're lucky enough to know someone in the business of creating products for children then you've probably had an earful by now about the CPSIA or Consumer Product Safety Improvment Act. But even an earful isn't enough as the possible effects of the law are felt by more and more businesses (think Etsy), organizations (think the ALA--American Library Association) and you, the end customer (think less choices and higher prices).

Today has been designated as a CPSIA Blog-in, a virtual sit-in of sorts. Perhaps if we inundate the Web with what we know about this badly written law, we will finally be heard. I'm not sure Henry Waxman, Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, will ever listen to the message I left on his voicemail. (As someone said on Twitter, he probably has an assistant sitting nearby with one of those bus-driver clickers keeping count.) But as seen from the recent Motrin fiasco, we do know the power of bloggers--it's a force to be reckoned with!

I have already posted about the CPSIA with some of my favorite links but here are a few more just in case you thought you, the end customer, wouldn't be affected by its reach.

• The CPSIA: Soon to bar kids from libraries? (Yes, your toddler may not be able to thumb through those board books after February 10th.)
• Ten predictions for the CPSIA's effects on children's products for 2009
• "Say No to the CPSIA" Blog-In (I love this one as it breaks down those affected by groups, from the entrepreneur to the second-hand shopper.)
• CPSIA Series: Business is Personal (You too should take it personally!)
  
• CPSIA Links (Probably the most comprehensive list of resources out there: articles, videos, contact information and posts from experts)
• The Ballad of the CPSIA (This is quite possibly the pièce de résistance of the posts for today. I much prefer to laugh than cry...)
  

LeShan and I are doing our own protest of sorts and have yet to take an XRF gun to our line of infant apparel. Though the law does not allow us to use certificates of compliance from our suppliers (American Apparel for our tees and a local screen printer for designs), we will have their certificates stating both tees and inks are lead free. For us, that is enough. As our local American Apparel distributor said, and I quote, "Don't they know there's no lead in apparel?" And by "they" I'm pretty sure he meant the idiots behind the CPSIA.

We feel confident our infant wear is lead free and will continue to sell it on our site. We are also confident that change is in the air. We will be offering a really great sale in the next few days in "honor" of the CPSIA, so keep your eyes out for that announcement. (We are still working out the details.) Because we did not do our own testing, though it would've cost us only a few hundred dollars, you will not see our infant line on some of our online boutiques. Hopefully the law will be resolved soon and we can all get back to work. I know for many of us this CPSIA has caused more than a few gray hairs and more than a few added pounds due to stress-related eating.

We would love your help in spreading the word about the CPSIA and the possible National Bankruptcy Day on February 10th. If you don't feel up to contacting your local congressman perhaps you'd be willing to link to this post from Twitter, Facebook or even your own blog. If you've never participated in a sit-in, or blog-in in this case, now's your chance! --Emily

do you believe in Santa Claus?

It really is a wonderful web wednesday because without the web I may never have heard about Macy's "Yes, Virginia Letter" campaign to raise $1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I found out about Macy's wonderful holiday fundraising from one of my favorite blogs, A Mom in Red High Heels. She posted about the Santa letters on Tuesday and when it showed up in my blog reader I just had to click!

On the Yes, Virginia Letter page you can read Virginia's original letter to the editor and the editor's reply--one of my all-time favorite responses to one of the most important questions ever asked! You can also hear what the stars have to say about the spirit of Christmas and the belief in Santa Claus. But the real reason for the season can be found in Macy's efforts--and yours--to raise $1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

How cam you help? All you need to do is write your own letter addressed to Santa Claus, place a stamp on it and take it to the special Santa letterbox located inside all Macy's stores. For every letter dropped in the letterbox, Macy's will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Believe Meter (pictured above) will measure just how much we truly believe in the spirit of the holiday season. It will move based on the amount of letters received and any events where the holiday spirit has shined brightly.

Don't worry about your family's letters making it to the North Pole--Macy’s will mail them for you. If you're looking for something fun and meaningful to do with your children this holiday season, get together, write a few letters and help grant a wish. It's just one way to help remember the true reason for the season. --Emily

Touchpoint--the Startup Princess conference for women entrepreneurs

Yes, I'm back from the sunny shores of Kauai. I'm still trying to adjust to life without gallons of sunscreen and sand between my toes (and down my swimsuit--dang, those surfing lessons!) and I'll be honest, it's not an easy adjustment. But I'm glad I'm back if only to tell you about an annual event you won't want to miss, especially if you're a women entrepreneur or would love nothing else than to start your own business.


Touchpoint, Startup Princess' annual event, is a one-day conference bursting with information and networking for women business owners. For nine hours (8am to 5pm) women come together for one-on-one mentoring, workshops, small-group networking, interactive panels and even an elevator pitch competition. The keynote speaker of the event is Heather Madder, author and broadcaster (I originally posted about here here).

The one-on-one mentoring (space is limited so register NOW) lets attendees ask Startup Princess Fairy Godmothers their most challenging business questions and brainstorm about their business plans, marketing strategies, and more. You will be able to choose two of the following workshops:

• "Communication that Conveys Confidence"
• "Creating a Realistic and Successful Business Plan"
• "Bootstrapping and Leveraging ALL your Assets"
• "The Power of Developing Business Partners to Expand Your Visibility and Reach"

Workshop speakers include Shauna Kelly-Ward, Nicole Toomey Davis, Carol Rice (Founder of CherishBound), and Rachael Herrscher (Founder of Today’s Mama).

Panel discussions (did I mention I'm one of the panel speakers?) and the elevator pitch competition (cash and prizes) follow. The day wraps up with a boutique where you can discover great services and products while supporting fellow Startup Princesses.

Lunch and conference materials are included in the registration fee. The first 50 attendees will receive 1 hour of one-on-one business mentoring at the event. Early registration for Touchpoint is $99 but ends September 9th at midnight. After that the price will be $119 through the 22nd and $139 after that. If you want to attend then early registration is a wise choice for your business' budget! The event is being held in Sandy, Utah at the Miller Innovation Center (SLCC campus).