Happy Valentine’s Day Y’all!

February 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Aaaah February 14th, Valentine’s Day, and also my anniversary ;)

We’re celebrating the day of love with cupcakes from my favvvvvvorite bakery, The Frosted Cakery! So good – frosting a mile high and sweet as heck, just the way I like it! And more delicious frosting – with cookies that Monique made!

cupcake

And we’ve had a few fun deliveries as well!…

Flowers for Monique from her kids – is that not so sweet! And there’s little Emma to make it an even sweeter pic!

emma

And just after I texted Darren to “elbow” him that Monique got flowers – these came for me!

darrensflowers

Dad had better step it up! Maybe he’ll come back from the Norcal Show with something for mom haha :)

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, Random

Hey You Guuuuys!

January 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I just wanted to shout out and say “Hello!” and let you all know that I’m back! …Back and with a new baby at home :)

Let me catch you up a little…

Baby Emma came into the world on October 9th! Here’s Grandma Takao welcoming our little Miss. I actually had the easiest labor ever, no pain…I didn’t believe such a thing even existed…Easy labor? Yes Virginia it does exist.

hospital

Gwen surprisingly adapted well to life with a new baby sister, which was really nice.

girls

…But then there was a lot waking up every hour to two hours for days and days and days…oh and a lot of this:

crying

Throw into the mix my birthday…which was 3 days after I gave birth…which means my birthday wish was to not have to do anything for my birthday.

Then Gwen’s 3rd birthday party – a reptile party! Which she had fun at, but probably not as much fun as all the dads!

Print

Followed by my brother’s birthday. Is my mom the crochet queen or what!?!

aaron

Then life became even more of a blur with all the holidays! Halloween, Thanksgiving…

and Merry Christmas! (Christmases actually…Takao Christmas, McCall Christmas and extended family McCall Christmas! Christmas is officially the longest holiday.)

christmas

And now Emma is sleeping through the night for the most part (oh thank GOD!), and I’m back at work!

Oh and “Go Niners!” :)
number 1

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes

Another Catalog Sneak Peek!

June 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Take a lookie here and see what I’ve been up to lately…


…and yes, I am a little further behind schedule than I’d like to be. I blame it on this little girl…

…in combination with this little girl…

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes

2012-2013 Catalog Sneak Peek!

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Look what just came in for the upcoming Takao catalog theme…sooo excited! Stay tuned :)

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes

Mrs. Lilien Does it Right!

March 7, 2012 By 1 Comment

Just thought I’d share a great little blog post from Mrs. Lilien with y’all! I love how it showcases plants in a simple, but visually appealing way! The layout is different, the plants stand out, there’s a dash of humor sprinkled in, and I’m intrigued enough to want to read on…

“Recently, I’ve been filling my house with plants! It’s beginning to look like a jungle sans the monster ants! I’m loving all the life a little green can bring – why, a potted plant can really make a room sing! I’m particularly fascinated with flamboyant varieties – some of these species are known to increase oxygen and reduce anxieties!! I’ve highlighted a few of my faves – these particula indoor + outdoor plants are known to behave. I hope you look into adding some green – thus turning your casa into a living dream!”

Mrs. Lilien completes the lovely imagery with a catchy short summary and soon the reader is turned into a plant fan too!

It’s a great example of how to showcase plants in a different yet interesting way! Kudos to the Mrs! :)

Filed Under: Check it Out!, the Next Gen

Pinterest Etiquette

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With Pinterest blowing up, I thought I’d share with you an awesome article on Pinterest Etiquette! Go over and check it out – good things to know before you start getting crazy pinning away!

Filed Under: Check it Out!, Social Media

The New Social Media

January 30, 2012 By 2 Comments

The Cultivate Project :: Social Media :: Currently Obsessed

When you think of the term “Social Media” often the first thing that comes to mind is Facebook, am I right? But actually social media is so much more than that! It refers to a ever widening range of all sorts of internet goodness that allow users to easily exchange information and interact with each other.

I know I’ve mentioned Pinterest to you before, which is gaining lots of organic momentum. I can’t tell you how many times in the last several months that my friends have asked me “Have you heard of Pinterest?!” and my response is “Psssh, old news! haha”.

Well, my latest finding is along the same lines and it has me equally infatuated! It’s a new website called Currently Obsessed! It’s a place where you can choose to ”stalk” your favorite fashion bloggers and see what they’re loving and buying! The Cultivate Project :: Social Media :: Currently ObsessedIn your account you make a list of those you want to follow and in a layout display similar to Pinterest, you will see a line up of cascading images of all the products that those on your list desire. When (not if) something catches your eye, just click on it and a small pop-up box will appear with a quick summary of what you’re looking at. If you’re still feeling it (translation: the price is right), click on the Buy button to be redirected to the original site to make your purchase! Or if you love it and want to save it for later just add it to your list of favorites by clicking on the heart in the bottom corner.

And you can bet that this site is tracking all sorts of data on what’s being looked at and what is being clicked on. Information that can provide insight on trends and consumer wants. Information that can help the individual brands and the industry in general. Information that can even be used to direct and influence future sales.

I know a lot of you out there are thinking “Okay, great! I don’t care about shoes and purses, how does this apply to plants?” Look at the big picture. Yes, this is a website about fashion. But, what I’m trying to show you is that the way we think and share information is rapidly changing. Loads of information is created and shared daily on the web. Exchanging ideas and information is instant and often spreads at an exponential rate. Overnight, these sort of sites can take an obscure, unknown artist or product and make it the next hot thing, and the information that they gather and can provide alone would be very insightful.

Now, let’s put our minds together and figure out how we can apply this sort of organized frenzy to our industry!

Filed Under: Check it Out!, Social Media, the Next Gen

Kick Off Your New Year’s Resolutions!

January 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s a new year and a great time to set all your lofty aspirations and resolutions for a better you in 2012! And to help you kick your butt into gear, why not a little motivation?!

Over the holiday break I stumbled upon some marketing insight from Jay Abraham and I’ve been absorbing it and making notes as to how I can apply this into our marketing plan – and I use the word “plan” very loosely here! :) (Hey, I’m a creative – we create, not plan well!)

Take a peek at it for yourself! I know there’s got to be a few things you can take from it too! Let me know how it goes!

Filed Under: Pep Talk, Random

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Image

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!

We’ll be closing next week for the holidays. It’s the first time every (as far as I can remember). Every year I beg my dad to close for the week since practically everyone else is anyways and finally we’ll get to have the extra week off – a very Merry Christmas indeed! Late mornings here I come! ;)

Filed Under: Random

Lisa’s Christmas Gift Guide

December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I’m in the holiday mood with my iPhone busting out my Christmas playlist and I thought I’d put together a little gift guide for you all:

  1. Dremel Tool – I know this seems totally random, but seriously, you can use a Dremel tool for soooo many things and this one is cordless, even better! I’ve used ours to help me in turning some jars into lamps, creating a shadow box for my mom’s trinkets, cutting out a sign…if you’re the crafty sort it’s a handy tool!
  2. Swiss Army USB Flash Drive - I don’t know how many times I’ve lost our dang USB only to go out and buy another one to replace it and then lose that one too. I could attach this to my keys and I’d be all set!
  3. the Mug Boss – This is so my dad! He likes to use coffee mugs to hold his pens and whatnot.
  4. Small Measuring Tape – Okay, maybe I’m strange but I have like 3 small measuring tapes and one full sized version. I always like to have one nearby because it always seems like I need to measure something – room dimensions, promotional print sizes, furniture, tradeshow booth layouts…although I don’t have a rhinestone one yet…
  5. Brewzkey Bottle Opener – It seems like such a good idea to always have a bottle opener on hand, because how many times have you heard “Does anyone have a bottle opener?” – at a BBQ or get together or picnic or party. And then someone will show you how to use some random object to open it, only it takes about 5 minutes to finally get the dang thing open.
  6. the One Trip Grocery Bag Holder – Are you one of those people that absolutely insists on carrying everything from your car to the house in one trip – no matter how many bags there may be…6,8,10? Well, I am one of those people too! I don’t know why, but it always just seems to make more sense that I max my arm muscles out to the brink of exhaustion and almost lose a finger tip or two from blood loss than make two trips.
  7. Aircurve speakers for iPhone – Now, these aren’t any old speakers…these speakers require no electricity, batteries or cables, and at under $20 they’re a great gift to give to anyone with an iPhone! I need one to amp up my Christmas playlist right now!
  8. Pens from Iomoi – Everyone uses pens. You use them, you lose them, you hand them out, let people borrow them. You can never have enough pens. And with all the action that they see, why not make it pretty to look at too! You’re desk will look so fancy :)

Check out my pinterest board for more neato gift ideas :)

 

*A little update! I received gifts 2, 4 and 7 for Christmas hahaha – you can imagine the hilariousness that ensued Christmas morning! Next year I’m listing that luscious Coach purse I’ve been eyeing on here!

Filed Under: Random
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