Life in color, the value of color trends

What is a trend? 
Webster's define the word trend as

²trend

noun : a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common

: something that is currently popular or fashionable

In a fairly recent chat with a fellow "Mompreneur" about taking Water Bottle Soap to the "next level", she tipped me off to color trends. I've know that Pantone picks a color of the year and I've see color trends in fashion but it never really dawned on me that there are folks who's job it is to come up with the colors for the season's color report. Somehow that sounds like a awesome job! You get paid to play with colors... Where do I sign up? 

Ok, I digress... the point is, after my "coffee talk" I went home and did a little research. It was like the scene from the Wizard of Oz, after Dorothy landed in Oz and everything is in technicolor. It was as if I was living my world in grey scale, these gorgeous colors that the rainbow gurus have chose were everywhere. They were on the Neiman Marcus site, Urban Outfitters, and several other sites I checked out.

I was especially inspired by Neiman Marcus' website, as soon as I logged on I was met by a backdrop of Radiant Orchid (Pantone's Color of the year). It's a beautiful shade of lilac, and if you keep an eye out you will see in everything from fashion to crafts and everything in between. That is the thing about color trends they are everywhere but the changes are so subtle unless you pay attention to them you may not realize why you bought the Radiant Orchid dress versus the blue one next to it.

 
Sample items in Pantone's Color of the year: Radiant Orchid

I'm sure you are reading this and thinking.. "well yes this information is great but, why is it important." If you are a business owner, like me, three words "The Educated Consumer", on some level we are all educated consumers whether we learn about the features and functions of items we are interested in or our cognitive mind kicks in and images, colors, and shapes, of products are stored, then triggered later in the shopping cycle. The key is, these trending colors are stored in our mind because we see them frequently in the color season, so replicating them in some how in products that you are either selling or trying to draw attention to will most likely catch the eye of an "educated consumer". To quote the new show on the ABC network,

 "It's like Jedi mind tricks!" - from the show Mind Games 

Cocomo Take me away!

"... off the Florida Keys

There's a place called Kokomo
That's where you wanna go to get away from it all
 

Bodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in Kokomo..."

 

Photo: www.delta.com

 

  

 Just like the Beach Boys song, Cocomo Soaps whisks you away to a tropical island. Not physically of course.. though science is working on it... ok, no they are not.  However, one smell of my Cocomo Soaps conjure visions of white sandy beaches, sun kissed tans, Cabana boys or girls (depending on your tastes) and delicious drinks with little umbrellas. 

Each soap is made with an all natural base containing coconut oil, safflower oil, soy bean proteins and the main feature, grated coconut. The grated coconut in the Cocomo soaps gently exfoliate the skin with use and the additional oils that are extracted from the grated coconut make the lather of the soaps even more luxurious. There are 4 scents in the line, Coconut Lime, Pina Colada, Mango Coconut and Naked Coconut, each are so yummy. These soap are sure to be your little escape to paradise.

Choo, Choo... We are Two! Thomas the Train Party

For Darin's 2nd Birthday we had a Thomas the Tank and Friends Birthday Party. Darin was just introduced to these characters and he was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the trains. For this party I made the following items, Cupcake toppers, Candy bar wrappers, and Piñata.

For the cupcake toppers I use images from the internet for the Thomas Characters. As for the number two and the Railroad crossing I created those images in Adobe Illustrator. I also used 2 different punches one 2" scalloped and 1 1/2" round for the images. These were simply adhered to lollypop sticks that you can purchase at any local craft store.

There were a ton of treats at this party, Cake, cupcakes, cookies ( they were gone before I could get a picture) and even Chocolate.

Next craft project was custom candy wrappers. These I set up in Adobe Illustrator but you can easily use PowerPoint or Word to create candy wrappers. I set up the document to measure 5.25 x 5 which will cover a regular sized Hershey bar. If you would like the "classic" look of the foil on the sides you can pre-wrap the bars in foil and then the custom wrapper.

Lastly, I made a pull string Piñata. I prefer the Piñatas that pull open especially for the younger children it is much safer than beating something with a stick. I used items I had around the house and also an image of Thomas the Tank from some party back drops that I purchased from Party City. Also, one of the best tool are my Martha Stewart Fringe scissors.

 
Photo from: www.julietiu.com - 640 × 425

To start,  I cut a panel out from the box I leave 1/4 inch boarder. Wrap the panel in a sheet of tissue paper, then using curling ribbon I cut several lengths of ribbon in the coordinating colors and attached them with packing tape. Wrap the box in one layer of tissue. For the fringe I took strips of tissue paper approx. 4x18 folded in half so the fringe will be 2x18 after being cut. Tape the strips starting at the bottom of the box and layering tissue strips in different colors all the way to the top. Be sure to drill two holes at the top of the box and run some ribbon through to create a hanger. Fill the box with treats and replace the panel... Check back for the full tutorial on how to make your own Piñata.

All in all it was a wonderful day and best of all Darin had fun! Hope you are inspired to throw your own Thomas the Tank theme Party!
 

Wonder Woman: A way of Life

As a child, I thought my Mother was Wonder Woman... like the real Wonder Woman fighting crime, lasso of truth, Amazon goddess the whole nine yards. The thing is, my Mother was 5'3" on a good day, worked a 9-5 job, yet always had time to make dinner and help me. I've always looked to her as a role model. She was driven to provide a better life for the 3 of us, (Herself, my Father and me). She managed to take care of herself, getting her hair done, applying makeup daily.. those types of things. She had dreams... to open a little bakery, a neighborhood coffee house, a gourmet candy shop. Always something along the lines of more than just making a profit but providing comfort to others. And we all know how awesome a good cup of coffee can be for the soul.

As I grew older, joined the workforce, set out my life's goals, I would think about all that my Mother had done to provide for us. All the sacrifices, such as quitting her job on Wall Street to stay home with me. 30 some-odd years later, the fact that women's roles in life change once they have children remains tried and true.

It's more than "I am Woman, hear me roar" it seems lately, it's "I am Wonder Woman". I can work, take care of the kids, take care of my husband, take care of my house, take care of the dog, take care of...

And then reality sets in and you have "taken care of" so many things, people, places, that you not only forgot yourself but you realize your life is not your own. When did that happen? Somewhere between diaper change 1 million and doing the dishes, it hits you. When did my life shift from being a woman to becoming Wonder Woman? When did I decide that I wanted, nay, needed to have it all?

I don't remember when that happened to me... When did I say to myself, "Self, I want it all". It seems that it was just a natural response to what was happening in my life. It happened in stages, gradually. I met a man, we fell in love, we lived together, we got married. So, right there I wanted to be a good homemaker and wife. We had a baby, I quit my job, and now I'm running a business and taking care of baby. Again, suddenly, I'm a homemaker, wife, mother, and business owner. It happens in stages, we start this journey thinking and being one way. Then we morph into this other person who must do it all, know it all, be it all. 

The culmination for me, happened when I had Darin. My role changed the minute he was born. No longer was it about me, my needs, wants, desires, it's about Darin. How to nurture this amazing little human being they let me take home.Yet, in the back of my mind are my dreams, my dreams of my own success. Thus the juggle to be Wonder Woman and "have it all" continues.

I started off talking about how much of a role model my Mother was to me. She was an amazing person, and looking back on her life, she really was Wonder Woman. Child, husband, home, job, dreams and more. The lesson is we can strive to have it all... just not all at the same time.

The Birth of The Water Bottle Soap Co.

Picture it Christmas 2007, while trying to figure out what my annual homemade gift to all my friends would be, I came across an article in a Martha Stewart magazine dedicated to homemade holiday gifts. In it she spoke about how easy it is to make handmade soap using vintage tins and flutes pie tins as molds, even yogurt cups make great molds. A light bulb when off in my head, I would make soaps for Christmas... but, I don't have vintage tins or yogurt cups. I felt like Winnie the Pooh, when he is thinking....as I took a sip of water from the bottle it hit me. Literally, I put the cap on and went to place it back on the table, missed and it landed on my foot. As I picked it up I noticed the bottom looked like a flower. That would be a cute shape for soap. Right away I searched on Google for "how to make soap". I found a company who was selling starter kits, that included soap, colors and fragrances, even a handy how to.

When the package arrived I could not wait. I'd been saving bottles for 2 weeks now so I knew I had enough molds. I cut the bottles carefully, gave them a good rinse in hot soapy water and dried them meticulously, I followed the directions to the "T" to melt the soap, add fragrance and began to pour them. What a rush of making something from scratch. After the soap hardened I tried to unmold them....It was not as easy as I had hoped. They just didn't "pop" out, I have since learned that the "molds" are a one time use. No matter, I wrapped my soaps in cling wrap, and stacked 4 in an organza bag. Some I shipped others I hand delivered. It was during one of those "deliveries" to my best friends house that inspiration hit.

Everyone was so appreciative of the gifts, however they thought I just put soap in a bag and that was the gift.
Um... no the soap is the gift. Everyone in awe and unison asking me how did you make the soap, what is your inspiration, you should start a business. Stop the presses, me, start a soap business... I pondered that for a couple of days. I let it marinate and seep into my brain. That's it, I had to do this. I had to try to make these little soaps into a business. Thus, the Water Bottle Soap co. was established.

Over the years I have made many strides in providing a natural, Eco-Friendly product. Since water bottles can be recycled, using them as molds is a great way to give them on more use before recycling. Making my soaps "green". I wrap them in Eco- friendly wraps, print on Eco-friendly label paper, when shipping orders I reuse boxes and clean packing materials whenever I can. The soap bases are all natural made from coconut oil and safflower oil, they are vegan, Kosher and contain no animal byproducts nor at anytime during the process are they animal tested. The positive response to my soaps are gratifying and humbling. I look forward to proving the best soaps that are environmentally friendly.

Motherhood: No Manual Required

I was about to start this post off with.."As a new Mother" but my kid is 3 now and the baby powder smell has worn off. So, I will start it this way...

Darin's 1st Birthday	Darin's 2nd Birthday	Darin's 3rd Birthday

As a first time Mother (better right) I'm still amazed at all the milestones big and small my son has made in 3 short years. As with all children somethings came easily to him. Sitting up, rolling, walking... he loves to move. Some things we had to wait for like getting rid of his pacifier. But true to form when he was tired of it he just stopped. Some things we are working on like potty training. Needless to say after you have a baby it's not like they give you a manual on how to raise your child.

Please don't think this post is a "how-to" so much as it is a "if it works for you..." There are a number of "guides" that tell you how to raise your child but once you get past Dr. Spock and the Bible what is there?
There is in a word "you"! Being good parents draws from your experience with your own parents (whether biological, adopted, or relative). These folks were, in most cases, role models for the parents you would either want to or not want to become.

Example: I want to be the best Mother to my son like my Mom was to me... She always made time for me. Even if she was working or in the later years not feeling well. She was always there.... and so I know for Darin I will strive to always be there. The down side would be my Father, who is naturally loud, but once you get him riled would sometimes shake the walls with his voice. I remember most of my adolescence avoiding him because of it. So, though I do have to raise my voice to Darin sometimes, I try to go back and explain why I yelled. I do that in hopes that he will not fear me and that he understands the reason for my loud tone because I want  him to feel comfortable coming to me later on in life with any issues that arise.

We draw from our experiences to be, hopefully, better parents. Just think, our parents didn't have a manual, their parents neither, so on and so forth. So, you do the best you can with what you have, and if you do not have then you do what you know in your heart is best. You have been blessed with a tiny miracle who is counting on you to nurture them. Teach them, raise them, help them become awesome human beings. Thinking about it can make you feel overwhelmed. Worry not, you have it covered, draw from what you know.

Party Like a Monster

Boy, was I excited when I found out I was going to be a Mom. Not only will I fulfill my life's purpose but I will get to plan birthday parties. Yes, these thoughts are on opposite sides of the philosophical spectrum, however this is how my mind works. So, how excited was I to plan my son's 1st Monster Birthday Bash! In a word: EXTREMELY!

I have always been creative, but a party is the best way to showcase that creativity. Plus, I want Darin to look back and say, "All my parties were the best". The inspiration for the monster theme came from a Christmas gift from my in-laws. They gave me a Mini Monsters Cricut cartridge. For those who are not yet familiar, let me say, I am a huge Cricut fan. It was one of the best things my Hubby ever bought for me, so needless to say, though diamonds maybe a girls best friend. A Cricut product is very well appreciated, but I digress.

Mini Monsters was my inspiration for my own mini monster's birthday celebration. My color scheme was orange, blue, light blue and lime green. I choose the Goblin as my main character and used that "image" to create the invitations, banner, and piñata. Which by the way I made my own piñata. Part of the features on the cartridge is a folded card that can be used as an invitation, however I wanted a single piece. The front of the invitation featured wiggly eyes. Using Word I created a template so that when I cut that layer, it would read "Darin's 1st Monster Birthday!"
The back of the invitation featured all the details simply printed on orange card stock.

Back of Invitation	Banner: Darin's B-Day
Piñata

Though it is hard to tell, the photo of the banner panels are 4 layers of paper. Orange base layer cut like a gift tag, Yellow background piece to the Lime green Goblin cut out with black letters spelling out "Darin's B-Day". My most favorite piece is the piñata, this was made from a simple box from the post office, tissue paper ( that I had already) and 2 signs that I created using my Cricut cartridge. The best tool for this was my Martha Stewart fringe scissors. (Check back for a piñata making tutorial)

For the center pieces I looked to my friends at Oriental Trading. Those were made using little monster bags, orange buckets with ribbons and swirl lolly pops in Lime green and Turquoise. Each side of the box had a different monster on it.

As for the best part of any party, the cake, I turned to Sugar Rush Creations to make a custom cake for the event. I had met Stephanie a while before at a local Craft show in Margate, Florida. She created my custom baby shower cake so for me she was the obvious choice to create Darin's 1st Birthday Cake. Not only are her cakes amazing to look at, but they are delicious. She also created Darin's smash cake.. which was just a yummy!


As you can see from the photos, I like to carry out the theme and color scheme with my parties. The most important thing to me is to make sure my guests are having a good time. But the details take a party from ordinary to extraordinary. I know everyone including Darin had a blast at his 1st birthday celebration and looking back on these and the rest of the photos from the day remind me how blessed we are to have him.