Mosaic Maker...Creating an Idea Board Within Minutes

Unfortunately I don't have Adobe Photoshop Suite and all it's creative programs I would one day love to have and master. With that, I am always looking for a great site to create my own idea boards. Today, I came across Mosaic Maker - and for the most part, I love it. It's very easy to use, provides you with a few different options for the design and once finished, even gives you the option to credit the photos (ALWAYS important!).

I needed to create an Idea Board for a client and after finding Mosaic Maker, decided I would go ahead and use that one...we were looking for fall colors, we knew the venue, and we knew that nature needed to be a large part of it....

There were too many details we came up with to include on this blog post, but I definitely wanted to approve the use of Mosaic Maker...try it today!

Anyone use another program for idea boars? I would love to hear your favs.

Continue to Elevate,

K.

1. The bridesmaids. 4365, 2. Duffy London Crystal Chandelier on Gray Wall Light, 3. When the bride comes...., 4. nixon library and birthplace reflecting pool, 5. Joe and Conner's Candle only Wedding Centerpieces, 6. Sunwheel, 7. "Our Love" with brown satin ribbon - for Karen and Bobby 11/10/07, 8. Flowered arch, 9. leaves and flower on grass!

CAAMMMMPPPPP!!!!

Let us tell you about CAMP! Its our favorite thing in the whole wide world. Better than chocolate, better than rainy days in your pjs on the couch, better than yes, dare I say it, USC Football (sorry @petecarroll , I still love ‘em!), better than a warm day on a tropical island…really, we swear…its that good!

How, you ask, could something be this amazing, well, because it’s this perfect place where everyone comes together for the sole purpose of ensuring our amazing campers the most awesome experience of their lives—a true selfless, out of the box, awesome time!

Oh, and let me tell you about our campers…THE COOLEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD! All of our campers have the best attitudes in the world, think that every joke we tell is the funniest thing they have ever heard, smile constantly, dance tirelessly and sing at the top of their lungs.

ReCreation Camp and its affiliate camps serve adults and children with developmental disabilities but believe me our campers give us so much more than we can ever hope to give them. We host 4 camps throughout the year and its run completely by volunteers! (Even the Directors are volunteers). That means that 100% of all donations go directly to our campers. That’s pretty cool stuff if you ask me!

Our theme this year, DISCO: The Music, The People, The Rhythm!! Oh man, we cannot wait. Music, Dancing, bellbottoms and platforms here we come! Camp is just a mere 3 weeks away (starts June 27!) Be sure to check the website Gallery for incredible and one-of-a-kind pictures and videos.

If by chance, you or your company would be able to make a donation to our beloved camp, we would be humbled and STOKED! There are many supplies that are needed to help Camp get groovy this summer and we can’t do it without our awesome COMMUNITY (Yes, the one we spoke of last week!). Please email Camp@ccoc.org to find out about all the perks and karma of donating to ReCreation Camp!

As we say this year at camp, ROCK ON!



DREAM BIG, ROCK BIG!

M.

PS: Thank you for letting me share our dearest passion with you! What’s your favorite charity or cause?!

Don't Need Another Vase? Try a Honeymoon Registry!

Of course I was spending my night reading through my favorite blog, Hostess With The Mostess. She was talking about the Budget Savvy Bride Contest (which you have to check out) and all the great ideas these brides had. The wedding that talked about hosting a California wedding on half the budget caught my eye. From creating her own invites, centerpieces, and using the amazing internet (Ebay), she was able to hold a FANTASTIC wedding on a limited budget.

The best part though was her idea for the honeymoon:

A Honeymoon Registry, How Novel! - Ever since I was 11 years old, I have wanted to go to Japan. Fortunately for me, this was a place to visit at the top of my husband's list. However, with the price of tickets and the poor exchange rate, this is a trip we never would have been able to afford on our own. So, instead of registering for things for the house, we registered for a trip of a lifetime. We created a website with an itinerary and list of things we wanted to do. Guests got excited about the trip and were able to contribute by buying us these activities. The first thing purchased off the honeymoon registry was Sumo Wrestling Tickets. We were so thrilled! Thanks to our honeymoon registry, we were able to go on the amazing trip and have it 100% paid for. (Thanks to "Project Wedding" - It's All About The Priorities)

This is such a great idea! Today, a lot of brides and grooms actually live with one another before they get married (sorry mom!) so the need for silverware, vases, home goods, etc. are not necessary - but who doesn't love the idea of getting their honeymood paid for?!?

Thanks for the brilliant idea Project Wedding - great find!

Continue to Elevate,
K.

From an Entrepreneur - What I Wish I Knew...Before Now

Entrepreneurs are optimistic by nature. A trait that serves you well when pitching your product or closing a sale. It can also cloud your judgment when things are turning for the worst. This business myopathy can be tragic. In my younger years I would have just toughed it out. I could eat mac’n cheese for months if I needed. Now I had a wife, 2 small children and a mortgage to cover. In the last year, most of my waking hours were filled with dread trying to figure out who I could hold off paying and for how long. The forty five minute drive to work was 15 minutes of terror and 30 minutes of talking myself off the ledge. That cognitive psychology self-talk really works. By the end of the car ride I felt like everything would be alright if we just caught a break. And in the morning, that same retched feeling started growing again. A bad version of “Groundhog Day”.

The nights were the worst. Those few moments after your head hits the pillow, you take that big breath in and the thoughts of the day begin to drift away. Then the assault would begin. What have I done? Was leaving my old, hi-paying, secure, boring job a mistake? Would I lose my house? My family? At nearly forty years old, I may have just forfeited my biggest earning years. I told myself I didn’t want to burden my wife with too much bad news. What I really didn’t want to hear was an objective opinion on why was I still going. Maybe it was time I give up, get a real job again.

All of those realities meant I had failed. I failed myself, my partner, my customers and employees. I always believed that if you were honest, worked hard and were a good person, success would find you. In my mind, failure was a function of determination and will. Those that failed cracked under the stress, quit too early, or were just not bright enough to figure it out. Just like a minor league athlete who only dreams of the bigs, the day comes when you need to face reality. There are many things I would do differently now but I would still take the risk. I am not sure if how the final chapter will play out but… I am still optimistic about it.

The wisdom of failure:

1) Bootstrap until you absolutely need to buy new equipment, a new office, or hire new employees. You should be turning business away before you increase your overhead.

2) Build relationships. This is the single most important point here. Your friends and colleagues know you and want you to succeed.

3) Execution – Proper execution will beat out better products every day. There are thousands of mediocre products in the market place because someone is successfully marketing, selling and delivering on those orders. You don’t have to invent the magic product, just execute better than your competition.

4) Involve your landlord and creditors early. It is expensive to find new tenants and most landlords are willing to work out a payment plan if you are upfront about your cash flow problems. Banks won’t forgo any payments but they may let you pay the interest only on your balance for a period of time.

5) Be a realist. Measure your progress against a forecast and use outside reviewers like your accountant, spouse or colleagues to advise you. Don’t trust yourself in times of financial despair.

"The Realist Runner"

Guest Blogger

Want to hear more from the Realist Runner or ask questions - let us know!!

Rock of Love...Bridal Party Style

We had the opportunity to plan our first bridal/bachelorette party for a dear friend this weekend. With a small invite list, a venue loaned from a friend (a.k.a her house), and a limited budget we were looking to create an intimate gathering to celebrate her getting married August 1st, but also provide the crazyness of a bachelorette party.

Well, of course that gave us the brilliant idea to theme it after Rock of Love...those girls are crazy and always have a good time! With that theme, the decorations for the event came to life - hot pink and black made up the color palette with all sorts of prints - from zebra to polk a dots. There are lots of different textures involved in the decor from shiny things to feathers to velvet...we used it all!

We were on a tight budget and it was agreed that each guest would bring their favorite "tour bus snack" to the party...the guest showed up with veggies, dips, crackers, "weenie wraps" (perfect for a pleasure party), fruit and delicious cupcakes!

For the drinks, we wanted them to fit the theme (pink) without breaking the bank. We did "Rock-Mosas" which consisted of raspberries at the bottom of the class, 1 tablespoon of grenadine, champagne, coated with a hot pink sugar rim...they were to die for! Staged on the drink bar, guests could pick up a ready made glass while also seeing how to do it for themselves on their next trip to the beverage bar!

And of course, every party has to have some sort of entertainment! We invited Linda from Linda's Pleasures to put on a one of a kind pleasure party - talk about making an awkward topic classy! She was professional, arrived on time, broke the ice with some very fun games...every girl had an amazing time with her and is looking forward to the next one!

This was a great event to plan, not only because it was for a close friend, but because we were able to get creative and use elements of the house for our decor. We covered candles that didn't match the theme with scrapbook paper and ribbons, took a lime green drink bucket and covered it with pink wrapping paper and a boa, and used candies to fill vases...it was a lot of fun and didn't break the bank for the host!

Continue to Elevate!

K.

Culture SHOCK

Cultivate a culture not just a brand. Think about…

• Nike…Live Strong…Lance Armstrong


• USC…FIGHT ON… Pete Carroll (Disclosure: I AM DEFINITELY A TROJAN!)


• APPLE…IPOD, IPHONE, I-ANYTHING!


• MTV, JACKASS, NITRO CIRCUS, FANTASY FACTOR


• CARLS JR.
  

This is just a small sampling of companies that are smart enough to go far beyond just creating a company, a logo or slogan. They have developed a lifestyle, a persona, a culture for people to embody. They have transformed mere consumers into eternal endorsers of a way of life. Ultimate fans, supporters, believers.

We can all take valuable lessons from the giants. What are we doing in our day-to-day lives that is offering the opportunity for our clients, communities, heck even friends and family to really get involved? Are we just talking at them or working hard to cultivate a genuine, unique, and (as shown above) lasting culture?

Dream Big.
M.

Your Community

K. and I have a community. We LOVE our community. We talk with them, rely on them, engage them, empower them but at the end of the day we will be the first to tell you we cannot do anything we do without OUR COMMUNITY, because they do all of that for us as well.

What is this COMMUNITY I speak of? Great question! It can come in many forms, shapes and sizes, but it is a group, a network, that you have formed around a common bond, motivator or interest. But that’s not where it ends. There is much bigger understood common goal with a community. There is a support system with the Community that takes it far beyond just your twitter followers or your Facebook Fan Page or your industry.

To define a group as a true COMMUNITY the group needs to have all agreed that they are in it not for themselves, but for what the greater goals of what the group can accomplish together, by coming together and pooling resources, time, expertise, etc.

Big things happen when we come together and we can achieve far more together, as a unified group, than I could ever hope to imagine to do as just one person. This is a humbling realization but a very powerful one if you have a Community that understands the same and is willing to fight the fight with you.

Ever heard the saying, “It takes a village?” Let me assure you, it takes a COMMUNITY!

Do you have one? Are you a part of one, or are you a member of many networks and industries just to find out what’s in it for you?

To our COMMUNITY…THANK YOU!

Dream Big.
M.