Have you heard?! The girls of Outstanding Occasions, Heather Crabtree & Jennifer Thinnes, recently launched a workshop, the Outstanding Wedding Business Workshop. If you are a seasoned wedding pro or just starting out, this is THE workshop to attend. Find more information about the workshop experience here or read on for more details.

Jennifer & Heather are two brilliant, business-minded women, with a tell-it-like-it-is approach, who have been coaching wedding businesses since 2010. I, personally, have had the pleasure of knowing both Heather & Jennifer from the beginning and I truly look up to both of these ladies. Their background, expertise, and true passion to help others succeed is evident in everything they do. I’m lucky enough to call Heather my sister and I’ve seen first-hand her passion to help others grow their business as she has helped me grow mine tremendously (and calls almost daily with new ideas for ME to implement).

If you are looking for TWO full days jammed pack with information, inspiration and ideas that you can implement immediately, sign up here! It will be an EXPERIENCE you won’t want to miss.

Last, but not least, I’m absolutely honored and thrilled that they asked me to join them on day one to talk about Branding. EEK!

Keep reading, scholarship opportunity below!

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

To demonstrate their passion for education, Heather and Jennifer are offering one (1) Outstanding Scholarship to the workshop. This scholarship will ONLY include your registration fee. They will not be responsible for travel fees, meals and incidentals.

Here’s how to apply for the scholarship:  Leave a comment here and tell them in no more than 50 words which topic (Branding, Services and Products, Pricing, Teambuilding, Developing a Process, Marketing) you wish you had more time to dedicate in order to propel your business to its next stage.  You MUST post your comments by Friday, March 22, 2013 at Midnight (PDT). (Ahem. THAT’S TODAY!) They will announce the winner on Friday April 5, 2013.

Now, get going! Now is the time.

This past weekend was full of birthday celebrations. On Saturday I enjoyed yummy food, drinks and dancing with local girlfriends to celebrate my friend Sarah’s birthday. On Sunday it was Trey’s (my pup) turn to celebrate his friend Dixie’s birthday. (Yes, my dog had a birthday party to attend.) This was our second year of being invited to Dixie’s birthday bash and we were both rather excited. See last years photos here.

Melissa Jill, a local photographer, throws a party each year to celebrate her furbaby becoming one year older. When you arrive you feel as though you are at your own private dog park (cookies, fresh berries, guacamole and FRESHLY squeezed lemonade included). Score. I’M. SO. THERE. The pups even had a cake to share and a cookie to take home for later. Adorbs, no? I think so.

After the little ones manage to exhaust some of their energy, Melissa takes family photos for everyone to enjoy. All the guests completely eat this up as MJ’s work is nothing short of fabulous. And, how often do you really get photos with your pets? It’s like a photo booth for dogs. Brilliant.

WARNING: Cuteness overload. Here’s the birthday girl, herself. (And yes, those are eyelashes AND they are real.)

Happy birthday, Dixie! Thank you for inviting us! Until next year…

Sidenote: What I would do to be able to carry MJ around in my pocket to have her simply document my everyday life.

While I was in the office last week, “that” feeling was weighing on me. You know, that overwhelming sensation when your brain is running a mile a minute and you can’t seem to focus? I found myself going from one project to the next without actually completing any task in full. I quickly decided I needed to get my thoughts out of my head and down on paper. And, what does a graphic designer do when they need a tool to capture their thoughts? They create it!

Call me crazy, but I assume, and quite honestly hope, I’m not alone in this overwhelming feeling that feels as though your brain might explode any minute (KA-BOOM). Therefore, I wanted to share this lovely tool with all of you to enjoy and use (and avoid any brain explosions). Simply click on the link below and it will take you to the downloadable form. The best part? It’s also a fillable form that you can fill out directly in Adobe Acrobat.  Fill it out. Print. Done. You have your brain dump list, all clean and organized. Just like that you are on your way to organizing your thoughts and checking items off the list. Who doesn’t love “that’ feeling?!

PRINTABLE BRAIN DUMP

Let me know how the Brain Dump Printable works for you! If you have any other requests for printables, please email me at heidi@idiehdesign.com

Can I first get a round of applause for that stellar screen shot below?! Ha. Oh man, if only I had time for a re-do…but I don’t. (Remember, Heidi…#DO.)

Today I’m asking for your help. I am in the running to win a B-School Scholarship from the ever so rad, Marie Forleo. She asked anyone who would like to enter to create a 90-second or less video telling the world who you are, what your business is all about, and how you plan to make a bigger impact via your business. I’ve never made a video for my blog, so I thought, “Now’s the perfect opportunity!” I ask all of you to check it out, leave a comment on YouTube, like (heck, LOVE) the crap out of it, and spread the word. (The more you like the video, the better my chances!) I’m super stoked to have the opportunity to win this scholarship and I whole-heartedly believe it will make a HUGE impact on my business. Thank you all in advance for your love & support!

B-School w/ Marie Forleo vid by Heidi Bartlett

So, how did I do for my first-time video?

It’s almost here! No, I’m not talking about President’s Day…but that’s right around the corner, too. I’m talking about VALENTINE’S DAY! I honestly don’t think I love Valentine’s Day for it’s true purpose,but rather for all the heart candy that is produced, the fun, festive red & pink color combos you see, and quite simply just the fact that the simple graphic shape of a heart is used…a LOT.

Let’s cut right to the chase. This year I have me a man. (Please try to keep your gasp to a minimum.) While on the hunt for the perfect gift, (I LOVE to give gifts!), I found that nothing was really catching my eye. My sister quickly reminded me that while my love language is “Gifts” (aka I like to recieve gifts –  don’t act like you aren’t with me on this), “the boy” appreciates thoughtful gestures, spending quality time together, blah blah blah. (Just kidding, he’s the sweetest.) So, instead of continuing on the hunt for the perfect gift, I decided to make my own. Introducing The Book of Love Coupons. I customized this little book with multiple coupons that said boy can redeem anytime he pleases. AND, they are all activities that require me to stop working (yeah, it’s a slight addiction) and the two of us to have some fun! YAY!

So, I decided I would share the love. For all you out there that are scrambling for a last minute gift idea for the hubs, your loverboy, or whatever name you might call them, I’m coming to the rescue. I’ve created a FREE printable of your very own LOVE Coupon Book. You simply download, print & cut it out, fill in coupon ideas unique to you and your significant other and voila! You have yourself an instant Valentine’s Day gift, that quite honestly, keeps on giving. Win, win. You can thank me later.

(If you made it this far in the post, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Watch out for a Valentine’s Day special in The Love & Laughter Shop tomorrow. One day ONLY!)

Side note: Take the quiz here to let me know what YOUR love language is.

CONDITIONS OF USE: All idieh design & THE LOVE & LAUGHTER SHOP downloads are for personal, non-commercial use ONLY. Please do not redistribute and/or modify any of the downloads. If you’d like to link to the PDF, please link to this post directly. Thank you!