Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Vintage Pillow Case Dress

I thought I would share a dress I made today. One of the outreach programs for our Homemakers' club this year is to make Pillow Case Dresses for the Little Dresses for Africa program.
We needed a "prototype" to show at the county board meeting, and I was asked to make one. I had this beautiful vintage pillow case just hanging in the closet, and I knew it would be great for the demo dress & perfect for my S.R.
 The needlework on the bottom of the dress is all done by hand...it's beautiful!
 Instead of tying a bow on either shoulder, I decided to go with the "less-fuss" approach, and go for the one shoulder bow.
I can't wait for S.R. to wear this dress.
She squealed when she saw it. Hopefully that same enthusiasm will be there when spring arrives;o)

Check out your new image ads from the AdWords Display Ad Builder

(Cross-posted on the Inside AdWords blog.)

Image and video ads on the Google Display Network can have a strong impact on the success of your online marketing campaigns. These ads convey your messages in more engaging and memorable ways, enticing viewers to buy what youíre selling.
The Display Ad Builder tool within AdWords already lets you easily create image and video ads for free and gives you the flexibility to customize these ads to suit your needs. Check out these image ads for examples of what you can create:


But today weíre announcing a new feature that essentially builds your image ads for you.
The Display Ad Builder now automatically creates suggested image ads, using the existing text ads in your campaign.
  • Click on the suggested ad that you like best.
  • If necessary, customize any fonts, text, or colors that need tweaking.
  • Then incorporate the ad into one of your ad groups. Itís that simple.
Check out your suggested ads now>>

You donít even have to be in the Display Ad Builder tool to use this new feature.
  • If youíre in one of your ad groups, you can select an existing text ad and under ìMore Actions,î choose ìGenerate Display Ad.î
  • AdWords will create an image ad based on the text ad you selected.

If you want to create your ad from scratch, you can always choose from hundreds of template designs.
  • Add your text and customize the fonts, colors, and background.
  • Choose images from the AdWords stock gallery, from your computer, or straight off your website.
  • Review the ad in all formats to make sure it looks right, then add it to your campaign.
For more information about Display Ad Builder, visit the Display Network website.

Posted by Lauren Barbato, Inside AdWords crew

Taking a Minute to Breath...

This winter has been one of the strangest I can remember. It has felt like spring most of the winter months. It's been great for the kids because they have been able to spend a lot of time playing outside with our neighbors.
Yesterday, I decided I needed a break from all of the insanity that has been going on here lately...lack of sleep, and trying to catch up on that..homemakers club stuff...and then there is a certain someone's birthday coming up on Saturday as well:o)
Our neighborhood is nestled in beside a river, and there is a nice paved path and picnic tables there as well.
So we grabbed the wagon, some food & the dog and headed down to the river and had a wonderful little picnic.
I sat back, snapped pictures, and enjoyed just watching my children...just watching:o)

 E being silly, and S.R. mad because he "bonked her head."
 Flowers that S.R. picked for me
 Sweet smile

 Throwing rocks into the river

 Scosche waiting patiently as we eat in front of him:o)
 Sticks make great toys..E has a "gun"..go figure;o) And S.R. has a "smiley face."
 There is also a little playground beside the pool house, so they absolutely wanted to play on that.
 Our "Monkey" on the monkey bars...they both can cross them, and I love the look of accomplishment they have on their faces when they do!
We had a great time, and it was nice to take a moment and just breathe.
Now that our school week has officially started, it's time to hit the ground running, and there won't be any "breathing" until after the party Saturday:o)
I have a few sneak peaks that I will share with you guys as teasers throughout the week, so stay tuned!


Monday, February 27, 2012

Google+ page stories: King Arthur Flour

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of posts about small businesses on Google+ and their tips and tricks for managing a great page. Visit our YouTube channel to see all the videos in this series and join the discussion on the Google+ Your Business page.

Meet King Arthur Flour, America’s oldest flour company. Founded in 1790, King Arthur Flour is now an employee-owned company that offers everything from baking products to educational baking programs—all with the mission to “inspire, educate and bake.” PJ Hamel, King Arthur Flour’s resident writer, shows how Google+ helps the company share the joy of baking with people all around the world.



As we mentioned the other week, Google+ Pages helps you share relevant content to your stream with the right people using Google+ Circles. PJ Hamel, King Arthur Flour’s resident writer, uses Google+ circles to share certain recipes with specific groups of interested customers.



Here are some more tips for sharing to your stream:
  • Share visual content. Add photos, videos, or links to your posts. Simply drag the photos, videos, or links directly to the share box. To add a link, just find the icon that's next to the URL in your browser window and drag it to the share box.
  • Grab someone’s attention by mentioning them in posts. Say you’re creating a post based on a user’s question, or you want to respond directly to a customer in the comments. To really grab their attention, try “plussing” (or “mentioning”) them in your post or comment. This will alert the customer to your comment, and bring them back to the post. To mention someone:
    1. Type +[person's name] or @[person's name]. (You can also type their email address instead of their name.)
    2. As you type, an autocomplete list of people will appear.
    3. Select the person you want to mention.
  • Add style to your post.
    1. Use underscores to italicize. _ italics_ → italics
    2. Use asterisks to bold. * bold* → bold
    3. Use hyphens to strikethrough. - strikethrough - → strikethrough
Want to learn more? Visit the Google+ Your Business site, and stay tuned for more Google+ stories and tips from small businesses. You can also watch all our Google+ page stories on YouTube.

As you share to your Stream, what kinds of content have you found are most engaging with your followers? Join the discussion on the Google+ Your Business page and tag your posts #mybusinessstory.

Posted by Evelyn Lee, Google+ Pages Associate Product Marketing Manager

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Wizard of Oz Mini Coloring Books




I am hard at work putting the finishing touches on The Wizard of Oz birthday party. The house has started to transform into Munchkin-land...it's actually really neat looking:o)
Since I am on a strict budget right now, I am trying to come up with inexpensive and free favors.
I am not usually one for handing out coloring books, but most of the girls attending love to color.
I found a site, Kids-n-Fun.com, that has a great selection of W.o.O. color sheets. I copied and pasted them in Publisher to turn them into a mini color book.
Here's how I did it.

Supplies you need:
Blue & white gingham paper cut into 9.25"x6" sheets(folded in half)
Scissors
Print outs of Pages 1, 2 & Cover
Double sided tape
Sewing Machine
 Start out by printing your color sheets. To make them double sided, I printed page 1 first. I then laid the printed side UP into the printer with the Tin Man going in first...see pic below...& then printed page 2.
 
Once you have printed your pictures, fold into quarters with Dorothy being the first.

 Now trim very carefully across the top of the folds.
 Make sure to leave just a snippet in the very center..this will make it easier to keep everything in line when sewing the seam.
 Now fold it back in place. Line the middle seam of the gingham paper and the middle seam of the color sheets together, and run a basting stitch down the center. 
 It should look a little something like this.
 Adhere the Cover to the front, and you're done!
 A quick, easy & super inexpensive party favor.
I'll share their goody baskets very soon..they are adorable!!

To download each page, click on the links below.







Thursday, February 23, 2012

Playing Around...

I have been M.I.A. for a bit.

 I had to go to the doctor on Tuesday because I was uber sick. I found out I have an upper respiratory infection. I am on meds right now, one being a steroid...I am tweaking my blog right now because I can't sleep because of said steroid...grr!

 I have been up since 12:00 a.m....it's now 4:10 a.m. 

Some good news...I have been decorating for S.R.'s birthday party this week. It's gone a lot slower just because I have felt miserable, but it's coming together. 
I hope to share some pics very soon:o)
I think I am going to try to lay back down:o)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Why word of mouth and how to get word of mouth


word of mouth is critical to business success. It doesn't matter what size of business you are running, word of mouth program has to be in place for your business. Word of mouth is the most primitive form of marketing known to mankind, YES! Think about it, how did we find things that we needed before any form of advertising medium existed? It is simple, we asked our family and friends about it. No other form of advertising can convince your potential buyers more than the experiences shared by your customers. Is your business getting word of mouth?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Google+ page stories: North Bowl

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of posts about small businesses on Google+ and their tips and tricks for managing a great page. Visit our YouTube channel to see all the videos in this series and join the discussion on the Google+ Your Business page.

Recently we introduced you to Best Made Company, a group of outdoor enthusiasts that specializes in designing and handcrafting wilderness supplies. Next up we have North Bowl, a 21,000-square-foot bowling center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Oron Daskal and his staff are passionate about creating a fun, social space at the lounge and alley for their local community. In fact, he says, he probably “sees the most high fives in the city.”



One of the great things about Google+ Pages is the ability to share relevant content with the right people using Google+ Circles. Take a tip from North Bowl and learn how you can use circles with your page:



Want to get started with circles? Here are some quick tips:
  • Create circles to target messages to particular groups. Say you have multiple locations, you may want to organize your followers by geographic areas, and thus, send deal updates to the most relevant people. Or say you want to share information with your employees. Just put them in a circle and make sure that only they get the message.
  • Share your circles. Have you built a circle featuring all the experts in your field? Share it with the Google+ community! Click the Circles icon at the top of Google+, select the circle you’d like to share, and hit “Share this circle” at the top right of the page.
  • Edit the order of your Circles. In your Circles dashboard, just click and hold on a circle in order to drag it to a new position on the page.
Want to learn more? Visit the Google+ Your Business site, and stay tuned for more Google+ stories and tips from small businesses. You can also watch all our Google+ page stories on YouTube.

How does your business use circles? Join the discussion on the Google+ Your Business page and tag your posts #mybusinessstory.

Posted by Evelyn Lee, Google+ Pages Associate Product Marketing Manager

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

New Follower Button

Hey Guys!
Just wanted to let you all know that Google Friend Connect is shutting down March 1st...for those of you who have no clue what I am talking about...you remember that little button you clicked on my sidebar to become a follower? Well that little thing is going away.
However, I put a new little "follower" box up, so you can just click on it to become a "follower" again..
Easy Peasy:o)
And if you didn't know that you could sign up for emails, there is a little box for that too!

Drive-In Movie Night

Last night for Valentines Day, we celebrated at home with a Drive-In movie night. I made these Cars for the kids to sit in using some cardboard boxes, acrylic paint and foam sheets.
The kids LOVED them, and the hubs called me the best mom ever;o)
They were geared up and ready to go with their bean bags and travel pillows tucked inside for comfort.
 I attached little storage bins to the sides with clips to hold their food and drinks.
 Can you tell that S.R. wants to show off her Valentine card from her brother...when she opened it, she squealed and jumped up and down...unicorns are her favorite right now:o)
 ...and purple:o) Can you tell what the licence plate is supposed to say?
 E called his a hot wheels car:o)
And this was the concession area:o) These were some leftovers from E's 3rd birthday party...the decorations that is:o)

Our spread...
This is what was hanging under the refreshments sign. I just used publisher and one of the templates.

 And I had this hanging on the front door so that the hubs would know where to go when he arrived home...I found it online somewhere, copied and pasted in Publisher and added what I needed.
We had a fantastic evening, and the movie was really funny. I'd say that this was a great way to spend Valentines!! I hope our was as great as ours:o)



Participating in these Parties:



Design Dazzle


This was featured here:
Design Dazzle

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

TalkBin Stories: Patama Roj of Fraiche

Editor’s Note: TalkBin enables customers to send mobile messages to business owners in real-time, like a digital comment card. To learn more, visit talkbin.com.

The pace of life for a small business owner is unrelenting. Just ask Patama Roj, co-founder and owner of Fraiche, a company based in Palo Alto, California that serves homemade organic fresh and frozen yogurt, coffee and breakfast goods. Patama is dedicated to serving food that "speaks for itself," and customers are loving it.

With three locations though (two in Palo Alto and one in San Francisco), it’s hard to understand what’s going on across the business. That’s why Patama started using TalkBin to stay connected with customers even when she’s not in a particular store. Customers ask questions and provide feedback, which helps her understand exactly what's going on in each location. "It was important for me to find a way to get this feedback real-time," she says. And with TalkBin, business owners like Patama can receive this instant feedback without sharing personal mobile phone information, since TalkBin provides a special, customer-facing phone number and forwards feedback to your phone or email.


The ability to receive TalkBin messages on her cell phone makes responding quick and convenient for Patama as well. "Customers are always surprised to hear they're getting a text back from the owner!” she says.

Interested in using TalkBin in your store too? Get three months free when you sign up with promo code BLOGSMB-2 at www.talkbin.com/signup/user.

Posted by Qasar Younis, Product Manager

Happy Valentines Day




I hope you all are having a fantastic day. I wanted to share the Smilebox Card that we sent out to our family.

                                 Click to play this Smilebox greeting
Create your own greeting - Powered by Smilebox
This free digital ecard created with Smilebox

Also, since S.R. is still recovering from strep throat, we decided to have a special girls day in...including manicures...
 along with heart-shaped mini pizzas.
Can I just say that I love have a girly tom-boy:o)
We have lots of fun things planned for this evening. I can't wait to share it with you all later on this week!! Gotta go get Mr. E so we can get ready for the festivities!!
Have a great Valentines guys!!