Bella and Max

Confused, the word of the week

I am so confused.  I have been working on trying to figure out the best blog to use for the store and how to switch links over.  So I've finally settled on a landing place for our blog.  Sadly, it isn't typepad at the moment.  I couldn't customize it enough and they actually charge for the abilty to have your own design. SO, after a lot of tinkering around we have landed at

 www.bellaandmax.wordpress.com

The only reason this seems to work is it has an integrated feature that lets you sweep through on the iPad and iPhone, which is a cool feature.  So if you get a chance check it out and let me know what you think. Now I just have to figure out how to direct from our website. Baby steps, I have to take baby steps.

we've moved our blog!

I sent out a newsletter a few days ago and said you should check out our new blog.... except I forgot to switch it on our website page and it is directing it here to typepad.  I am trying to figure out how to switch the link but I'm not totally computer literate and it make take a bit (ha!)

Our NEW BLOG is www.bellaandmax.wordpress.com

It is super cool on the iPad, you can just swipe through!  

 

Organizing Workshops!!!

As you all may or may not know, I am not the most organized person out there.  It's not that I never was, but with all that I have going on with my life things get a little hectic and I would say I have lost some of my organizing skills over the years.  So was I ever happy when Maulitta came to the rescue!

Bella and Max, in conjunction with the Village Bean, are going to offer organizing workshops with Maulitta Brown (Personal Organizer and owner of Clear Intentions) or busy women and moms.  There will be a series of three workshops and you will receives a discount if you sign up for all three classes. 

You better believe I'll be there! This is one of my New Year's resolutions!

Workshops by Maulitta Brown, Professional Organizer & Productivity Trainer

 

Clear the Clutter and Create a Space You Love - January 7, 2010

Learn the simple SEE IT, MAP IT, DO IT© and S.T.A.C.K.S© process to get organized today.  In this workshop we will learn about clutter and how to conquer it once and for all!  We will also talk about creating a home that you truly love and enjoy spending time in.  Clutter keeps us stuck in the past, when what we really want is to live in the present and create space for the future.  This class is great for those who are overwhelmed by their stuff and don’t know where to start. 

60 minutes                 © 2001-2006 Clear & SIMPLE, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

Class Fee $25

 

Secrets of Organized Moms - January 14, 2010

Whether you have 1 child or 6, whether you work outside the home or in the home, maintaining order in today’s busy lifestyle is a full time job.  We will discuss ways to stay organized, create routines that work for you, meal planning and how to handle all of those school papers. 

60 Minutes

Class Fee $25

 

Paper Management 101 - January 21, 2010

We have so much paper coming at us from all directions.  Work papers, personal papers, children’s papers; it is hard to stay on top of it all.  Come to this class to learn how to set up some simple filing systems to reduce your paper piles. 

60 Minutes

Class Fee $25   *If you take this class and decide you want to do the hands-on workshop, your class fee will be credited to the $99

 

A separate class that will be offered at a later date will be with a special filing system (a three hour class)..... you will need to have take Paper Management 101, but again, you'll get a discount if you do!

Filing Made Simple! Hands-On Workshop           **Special Offer for Bella and Max/Village Bean Clients**

In this fun, hands-on workshop you will learn to think about your paper in a different way with the Freedom Filer Self-Purging Home Filing System.  Imagine having a system that you don’t have to spend hours sorting through each year at tax time.  You will:

§ Learn what to do with all the paper that comes into your space.

§ Learn how to set up an action system and how to use it.

§ Create a permanent filing solution for all of your files.

§ Finally understand which documents to keep and which to toss. 

§ Leave with a system that is ready to take home and start filing!

§ What to bring: 100 hanging files and a container to carry your kit home in.

Workshop fee $99 (Includes Freedom Filer Kit $50 value)

**This 3 hour workshop fee is normally $150

 

Pre-Register by December 23 and pay only $25 or

pay $30 at the door

Pre-Register and pay only $65 for all 3 classes!

 

Filing Made Simple Hands-On Workshop is offered separately at the special rate of $99 for Bella and Max and Village Bean clients. 

 

Seating will be limited, call the shop (425.488.8200) or email me to soon to make your reservation!  We will host 20 people at the Village Bean with seating beginning around 8:45 am so that you can get your coffees and morning treats prior to the 9:00 start time.  Click here to see the Village Beans menu (no outside food or drink is allowed).

Halloween at Country Village

Every year Country Village offers a Safe Trick or Treat for our community.  Last year we went through almost 2,000 pieces of candy and this year we probably handed out as much!  There were lots of fun and creative costumes to be had and we saw a lot of our favorite friends with their kids all dressed up and cute as usual.  We also heard several.... hey, did you move questions.  Yes, we did, in March.  Hopefully now a lot of people know that we are in the old Toys That Teach location. 

By 6:00 there were only a few people walking around so we were able to close up and head home to do our own trick or treating in our neighborhood and since the kids are getting older, we made it to more houses.  Bella's friend Rylee counted 213 pieces of candy and I had to dump Mia's bag into a basket we were using for our dog (see picture below) because it became far too heavy for her little almost four-year-old self to carry.  Her Daphne wig was falling off, her feet were a little tired but she still managed to keep up with the big kids. Don't worry, no animals were hurt in the process, Snoop only went around the cul-de-sac and then got to go the rest of the way in dad's jacket.

I hope everyone had a safe and candy filled Halloween and here's to getting ready for all the festivities coming up in the next few months! 

Oh... and THANK YOU Alison for staying and handing out candy with me.  I couldn't have done it without you.

 

 
 

the plan

Holy Guacamole, am I a bad blogger or what?  Don't answer that.  I just looked at my stats (which I should be doing everyday but don't) and I am sad/happy to see that there are still a bunch of people who stop by each day only to see the same old outdated post sitting at the top of my blog. 

I feel a little overwhelmed..... blog, facebook, twitter, store, salon, kids, husband, website.... things, life.  There is a lot to keep up with.  I haven't even changed the photos on our blog or website to reflect the new store and we moved in March!  Yikes!

So here's the plan.  I am re-doing the darn thing.  Today.  The blog.  I am going to organize it, categorize it, re-photo-ize it.  The thing is I want it to look like this (Heather Bailey) or like this (Beerleaguer) or like this (OhJoy!).... which, by the way are all featured on the typepad homepage and should be able to be accomplished somehow.  But do I need to be a programmer?  And how do I get a good twitter background page?  I need a good twitter background page too.  And my website, my poor little ol' website.  If it wereFarmville it would have wilted and closed down a long time ago.  Poor website.

I start each day with the best intentions.  To get a lot done (I usually do) but I can't get enough done.  I need help.  I need to release some of this and let someone help me. 

But today, I will get the blog fixed up... and the website fixed a little and photos changed.  I will.

We are nominated For Best in Western Washington! Twice!

It's that time of year again.  Not only are a bunch of kids going back to school (mine starts tomorrow!).  It has been a busy summer, thus the non-blogging taking place lately.  We've moved, hired a third stylist (yes, you can get in easier!) and just plain lots of stuff to do.

But I'm blogging at 6:30 this morning because it is the annual King 5 evening magazine Best in Western Washington voting time.  Someone kindly nominated us last year three weeks into it and we came in second place.  This year we are out of the gates running.  We would love a first place one of these days... seems we always get second place.  BUT, that's ok, it is great to just be nominated and great to still be doing ok a year later!

Hopefully if you voted last year you won't have to re-register.  You can just go in and vote.  Thanks last year to everyone who went through that whole process with us!  My fingers are crossed that since you did it will make it easier for you this year,

Here's the links, Best Children's Cut and Best Children's Clothing I think these links will work.  I hope they do.  If not, will someone please let me know :)

Amy Adele Personalized Cards

I've always tried to raise my children with good manners.  A "Please" and "Thank You" can go a very long way with me.  In the shop nothing is cuter when a little two-year old says thank you for a lollipop or their train ticket after a haircut.

As Bella gets older and goes to more and more birthday parties I've noticed we almost always receive a Thank You card from the children for their gift and for attending the party.  It's funny because Bella always wants to send another one back thanking the person for inviting her. 

Look at these cute personalized cards from Amy Adele... what a great (and affordable) way to personalize your kids' stationery. Click on the link to see all the fun goodies.

The Demise of My Favorite Magazine

Every chance I get when I am by a magazine section in a store I stop by and look for Mary Engelbright's Home Companion.  I flippin' have loved this magazine for years... and years and years.  There are a few that I always especially love to pick up and although Martha Stewart has a great one, I prefer something a little more vintage and offbeat.

Anyway, on Saturday I remembered that they sell it at Keepsake Cottage Fabrics in Country Village so I walked on over to pick up a copy,  only to be informed it is no longer in print.  Julie, the owner, told me she read about it on the the M.E. site so I went to mine and took a peek.  Here is an excerpt from the letter Mary Engelbright wrote to explain:

A Note From Mary
Well, friends, by now most of you have heard that Home Companion magazine is not being published. It was a business decision by our licensed publishing partner based purely on the lack of advertising income, certainly not on circulation or subscriber numbers, both of which remained very strong thanks to all of you!

You may have heard of other home magazines closing - Cottage Living, Domino, O at Home, Home, and Country Home, among others. The sad fact is that home magazines are being hit harder than others because of the dismal housing industry - people aren't able to sell or buy homes, so fewer people are buying flooring, wallpaper, furniture, etc., so those companies don't feel they can afford to advertise. It's a vicious circle.

That is just a little bit from her letter, but I read like three or four of those magazines!  Cottage Living was another favorite. 

This is so disappointing.

Tag it up

I was thumbing through sites looking for new magazine subscriptions for the salon when I came across a magazine I had never seen before called Ready Made.  Since I wasn't familiar with this magazine I went to their website and it looks interesting.  I love all those "do-it-yourself", make this and that... re-do a room for $50.00 stuff (although I never have time to do it).

 

Anyway, they have this cool little project for those with artistic little ones that draw on walls.... I happen to have one.  I like this idea, but the only thing that would worry me is that Mia would think all houses have these special little walls.  Maybe if we just do one wall in the playroom.  If you click on the "Tag it up" link below you can get the instructions there, as well as browse around their site for other projects.

Tag it up Shared via AddThis

Fairy Garden Photos

We just had the sweetest photos taken by Chapters Photography, here in Country Village.

They are doing Fairy Week July 11-15 and we had the opportunity to have Rob take the girls out into the lush greenery of the village to try out some outdoor shots.  It was a lot of fun and girls had a blast!

They will supply the wings and fairy dresses (we just used our everyday clothes) but you can mix and match different dresses and there is a really big selection of beautiful wings  to choose from.

Click here to see more.....