And the winner is follower named "momx2"! Contact me to claim your spot! Do so ASAP or by 10am Wednesday! If I don't hear from you I'll draw another! Congratulations!

Winner of Marketing 101 Drawing to be announced today!

Become a FOLLOWER in the sidebar for your chance to win a spot in Marketing 101 workshop!  Don't miss this chance.  51 of you are now eligible...I want more!

Tuesday is a Big Day!

As you know I am having another Marketing 101 Workshop this week!  I'm so excited!  Tuesday, I will have a drawing for someone to win a spot in the workshop.  That is a $195 value. Well, really more since you will get far more than that from the workshop itself in the way of knowledge and inspiration. :)

If you're not a "follower" listed over on the sidebar become one!  Only Followers are eligible!
 (update: I' so stupid sometimes and had "not" eligible...hhhhh, Carole, Carole Carole)

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, cards, etc. It was a wonderful 42nd birthday, and I'll look forward to having my twin sister arrive this week to celebrate one last time.  Have a great week!

Friday, June 26 a National Holiday!

Why?  It's my birthday!! Claire's too. The photo above was taken at our 40th birthday party--street party when we blocked off Market Street on our downtown square.  Fun!  We had a band, danced and had a great time.  I look forward to Claire coming in another week even though we'll miss being together ON our birthday.  Rest assured we'll celebrate when she arrives!

I am excited about 2 things that I have bought myself for my birthday already.
 I can't wait till they arrive!

This awesome trench from my favorite store J. Crew .  Found it on ebay while ago for less. ;)

Some R&F Pigment Sticks  to use for my encaustic painting.  I've waited to get some since they are pricey, and I've never worked with them before, but they look like the ultimate sensual painting experience!  Splurge.

On my wish list:

Black Chucks.  That would complete my materialistic wish list. ;)

Come by my studio and see me on Friday.  I plan to do what I wish all day!

CALLING MORE LOVECATS!

 

Did you miss the first Marketing 101?  Those who came were fired up and ready to attack their marketing with new knowledge!  We had great discussion, a powerful Keynote address from Carole (Chamber of Commerce's Business Person of the Year 2009) on the 103" screen in the theater, and the most awesome hors d'oeuvres that Carole's husband, Todd made!  Below are the newest Lovecats in our area!  You should become one too!

Raise your hand if you need a better online presence.  Are you selling anything online without a website or a blog? Or wanting to?  If you are waiting on someone to update your site right now or wishing that you could send out an email update to your clients that looks amazing, then my Marketing 101 Workshop is where you need to be on July 2nd.  I will be sharing with you all the secrets I have about my marketing online.  For only $195 you will learn all about:

• Capturing images
  
• Uploading images to the web
  
• Creating a blog
  
• Creating an email newsletter
  
• My book list
  
• Adding Paypal to your blog
  
• and more!
  

The man in the photo above is Tim Sanders--one of my favorite speakers on marketing.  He wrote the book, Love Is the Killer App, which I will be talking about that night.  Don't miss that!  It will turn your ideas about being in business upside down!  Reserve with your credit card by calling the studio (256-232-2521) or by submitting payment securely with Paypal over on the sidebar of this blog OR come into the gallery and bring a check.

It is my dream that you be on top of promoting your business, your art, your stuff, YOU!  Join me!

Comments from attendees:

Enjoyed NYC!

We're home!  We had such a wonderful time in New York City!  The trip was inspired by my 12 year old Sarah for her 12th birthday that was last September.  Each of my daughters here brought a guest, and our time was blessed as we made lots of fun memories.

After a long, unexpected flight situation where we were stuck in Harrisburg, PA Airport, Scott and Allison decided to entertain the bunch for a song.  We bonded with our flight group!

Finally arriving in the Big Apple!

Our large group! 

First stop on the first day: Chinatown!

They wheeled and dealed and got lots of fake stuff!

After we "did" Chinatown, we headed to SOHO to look around.   Steph made the connection of this store and "...beau brummel baby" from Billy Joel's song.  That was cool!

I wanted to revisit some of the spots that Todd and I had been while there in 2002.  Like, The Cupping Room--a nice, intimate place where we ate to get away from the cold.  We had been there that time in February. Brrr!

And these 2 buldings had been our view that time in 02 from our window at the SOHO Grand.  I did a large painting of this scene.  I forgot who now owns the painting.  Is it you, Brad?  It was cool seeing it again and for my girls to see too. :)

Caroline feeling fashionable in her new hat!

Then a highlight of mine--dining at Il Cantinori--serving fine Tuscan cuisine.

  My girls and me after dinner at Il Cantinori.  Very good!

These are the beautiful gals I took standing in Times Square.  We filled our time with subway deciphering, shopping, subway deciphering, sight-seeing, subway deciphering, people-watching :), subway deciphering and FUN! (Just as we mastered the subway, it was time to come home. Ha!)

We walked down 5th Avenue for the high-falutin' shopping.  We came upon St. Patrick's Cathedral under renovation/maintenance.  Still beautiful!

Hi-class lady walking into Saks.  The door was so heavy and hard to open that I ended up helping her in.  She was nice on the inside too, appreciating my help.  I noticed a little Southern-ness is so out of the ordinary with some New Yorkers. ;)

The Prada bags.

The artful perfume bottles.

The unasked-for makeover.  That was so funny!  I was walking around waiting for 2 of my girls to finish up in Saks and one lady at one make-up counter said something like, "...our concealer...your face really nice for make-up."  She was foreign, of course, eliminating the verb.  I politely declined.  I headed closer to the door, wishing we could leave, near another make-up counter, and "Louisa" convinced me that I needed to try that concealer, and I thought, "What the hell.  These ladies must be dying to make me over, and it will mean sitting for a while.  I'll do it!"  Oh it felt so good.  Smelled so good.  I was thinking how I probably needed to pluck my eyebrows, and even other places, but finally didn't care.  I let her have her way, and she went all out and did my entire face.  I was ready for evening!  This shot was taken from a cab hitting pot holes, so it's a little unsharp, but gives an idea of what my make-up looked like.  Louisa was so sweet!  and from the Dominican.

Sarah and Caroline M. on the subway...We had 2 Carolines with us.

That evening we went down to NOHO to see my friend and designer Robert Pendleton who designs with Loris Diran who owns his own boutique.  Beautiful clothes!  We could have loved and cherished lots of pieces in there, but they were a tiny bit out of our price range. Oh, and right next door to their boutique is a cool apartment building where Anne Hathaway lives.  Cool...

I'm so proud of Robert who has been in NYC for almost 20 years.  That's about right because one of the last times I bumped into Robert was right before my wedding at Victoria's Secret where I was buying honeymoon items and he, some silk pajamas before going to NYC. ;)  I will be married 20 years next April.  And I wonder if he still has his pajamas....

The Tagliolini at Bianci's--the little Italian restaurant in Nolita. Mmmm!

One of our favorite things we did on our trip was see the Model as Muse Exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  If you are interested at all in fashion, you have got to go see this!  We totally ate it up. ;)

Audrey's coat in the movie Funny Face.  They had clips from the movie playing on a huge screen there behind the mannequins.  Each era was portrayed through writings, magazines, mannequins and amazing photographs as well as music.  Fantastic!

And I loved seeing the Van Goghs, the Monets, the Seurats, the Gaugains, the Pissaros, the Degas' in the Impressionism area!

This a shot of Van Gogh's sunflowers.  By the way--all of these shots are shot with my iPhone. 

And it finally happened.  Fashion-loving Catherine was spotted and asked to pose for this shoe advertisement.  It will possibly be published as a "taken from the streets-type" thing in Pastry Shoes' upcoming flyer.  She was acting like she was hailing a cab.  We were laughing so hard, saying, "Work it, Catherine!"

Then it was Rockefeller Center.  We had lunch in the cafe that is actually where people skate in the wintertime.  Thank you, Carl for paying for our lunch!

On down in NOHO...Fashion shot in front of a graffiti wall.

Caroline resting, and her personal photographer in the mirror. :)

We found this cool area and this lady selling vintage jewelry.  Oh, the girls went crazy!

We walked and walked and walked.  I told the girls to STOP, that it's time for a cappuccno!  Thankfully, Dean & Deluca's came to the rescue.  We were walking all over the place to find the Top Shop that Catherine wanted to find.  We had looked the day before in Manhattan, and it was not there.  But we finally finally finally found it in SOHO.

The clothes were okay, but Catherine was in heaven.  I had a hard time with them since they were SO 80s, but kind of updated to today.  I couldn't see it, so I just sat around and waited for the girls.  I did try on some round sunglasses that we all decided looked awful on me.  

Later, I was about to make a call to round up the girls, and I reached into my back pocket and didn't feel my phone.  I started to look in my purse.  No phone.  Oh no!  Looked again in my purse.  Oh my God!  I couldn't find my iPhone.  The dreaded thing--it was like losing a child!  This store is 3 floors...  

(an actual screenshot of my iPhone)

I thought I was going to have to run the upmteen blocks down to Dean & Deluca's.  But I decdided to retrace each little step.  Panic.  Panic, but don't look stupid.  I was trying to tell Sarah to stay put, I was going to hunt it down.  I remembered I had sat in the shoe section.  I run up the escalator to the second floor dodging racks of clothes, and then decide to head to the counter.  The ladies there looked ready for some crazy person to come running calling their iPhone, and there I was.  During the panic, I calmed myself when I remembered I had a Passcode on it, making it useless to anyone if they found it or stole it.  Whew!  As I approached the counter, I asked, "Has anyone seen an iPhone?"  And they slowly nodded and grinned, and said "Did it have ___" And I said, "Jesus on it!"  And they laughed and said they had it, and that it had already been taken to security.  Big sighhhhhhhhh!  Aw.  Thank you, God!  Big lesson to have a passcode.  I almost took it off during the trip because it can be such a pain in the neck to deal with, but in that dreaded moment, it is a life saver.  And I can recommend a screensaver too. ;)  Sorry, but I had to share my biggest panicky moment on the entire trip!  Oh, and my bruise isn't too bad where the subway door closed on me...

And being our last night, we headed to Little Italy for our dinner.

Guess which building...

We went to the top!  I had never done the Empire State Building, and the views were awesome!  There is my favorite building--the Chrysler building lit up in all its glory!  

I was relishing my last morning with my Starbucks.  And this is a shot of the Wellington Hotel where we stayed.  Not fancy, but clean (mostly), quiet, spacious and amazing location!

Eric from Haiti who drove all 5 of us in his very nice and clean suburban.  I highly recommend him and plan to look him up when I go back!

About to land in Nashville.  Storm clouds that produced the wild ride before landing. 

I am happy to be home safely and that we had such a great trip!  Praise God for watching over us and providing a fantastic time!