What's Pinky Doing for National Pink Day?

I’m not sure how National Pink Day got me, I have to admit that I just found out about it from a Google Alert. According to my research, there isn’t any official recording of the day but is one that is quickly catching on. So, what is one suppose to do on National Pink Day? Do everything PINK! Wear pink clothes, make and eat pink food such as pink lemonade and cupcakes, use anything pink and of course, put on your pink attitude today. It doesn’t get any better than this…an entire day of pink, how lucky are we???


National Pink Day even caught Pinky off guard. I would’ve thought we could’ve relied on her to give us a heads up on the day. So, I asked her what she will be doing today and here is what she said: “Doing what I do every day…promoting the color pink and what it means too many of us and those we love, reminding us how we can live a more ‘pink’ life by taking time for ourselves so we don’t get lost in the hustle and bustle of the day and of course spending time with our girl friends, the gifts we give ourselves”.

Wow, thanks for that insight Pinky, giving us yet another way to spend PINK Day. While there may not be any official past time for National Pink Day, Pinky and I will be wearing our pink today, eating pink foods (of course on Celebrate In Pink plates), looking for all that is pink and remembering to make time for ourselves and those we love.

How will you PINK today? Please share your ‘PINK’ with us, yet another way to celebrate the day...

Kathy & Pinky

How One Breast Cancer Survivor Found Strength in Journaling

While Kathy and I have not met in person, I suspect that we are kindred spirits. We are both breast cancer survivors who love parties! I thrive on having a house filled with friends and family, and I usually don’t let party preparations stress me out. Honestly, entertaining is just something that gets easier with practice. If you keep the basics on hand at all times, then you will be able to get ready for company in a snap.


When I was going through treatment in 2006, I launched a major backyard renovation. During chemo and while recovering from a bilateral mastectomy I managed a big, messy construction project. At the time, I liked the idea that I was investing in something that would be wonderful for years to come—it was like making a statement that “Yes, I really do believe that I will be around for many more years.”

One of the best things that came out of my breast cancer experience was that I strengthened my journaling habit. I had been keeping a journal on and off for many years, but I brought everything to my journal after my diagnosis. I went deep. The journal became a safe place for me to process fear, but it was also a way for me to contain that fear. It kept my days from being all-about-cancer-all-day-long. Now, I facilitate journaling workshops for cancer patients and caregivers. I have a group that meets monthly. We write together, we read our writing aloud, and we learn from each other. It often feels like there is a bit of magic in the room.

A great way to combine entertaining and journaling is to keep a notebook about the events you have hosted. What was on the menu? Who were the guests? What worked well and what didn’t work so well? Just imagine a notebook filled with the details of your gatherings and celebrations—it would become a treasure.

Thank you Jayne for your great journaling insights and tips; they will surely give my journal a whole new life. Jayne England Byrne and I met on Twitter and connected immediately. Jayne has used her breast cancer journey to help others through journaling and has a great blog to get you started with your journaling. Get your pens ready and head over to http://journalingwithjayne.com/ for great journaling tips. Visit http://jaynesbreastcancerblog.com/ to read about Jayne’s breast cancer journey and beyond.

Best wishes to Jayne and thank you for celebrating with us!

Kathy

Resurgence of the Tea Party

Not the political Tea Party (let’s not ruin our ambiance with politics here;) but the Afternoon Tea ritual that began during the Victoria Era in England and is quietly sweeping America. Emily, of EmilysTeas.com sheds a bit of history on how the Tea Party came about…It seems that Anna, the seventh duchess of Bedford and a Lady in Waiting to Queen Victoria, experienced a “sinking feeling” in the late afternoon and took to the habit of ordering small cakes, biscuits, cookies and of course tea to tide her over until the evening meal. Once the Queen adopted the habit, it wasn’t long before all of England was taking Afternoon Tea. (Thank goodness for Lady Anna, I would be lost without my tea ritual).


Emily also found that it was fashionable to have “Pink Teas” in Victorian England. The tea table was decorated with all things pink: baskets, flowers, dishes, cups, candles even pink fairy lamps. Even today this tradition lives on. When we discovered this, we both thought about how great it would be to have a “Celebrate In Pink” tea party as a fundraiser for women battling breast cancer. It combines the two things that matter most to women…getting together to gab and at the same time, raising money to help a great cause that affects all of us in some way.

EmilysTeas.com is the perfect place to order your fine teas and gift sets. You will find gourmet blends that she has designed, such as Island Vanilla (one of my favorites), Tropical Green, Emily’s Specialty Blend (another of my favs), Chocolate Lover’s and many more great blends. And of course, don’t forget your plates and napkins at CeleberateInPink.com to make your tea party that much more memorable.

Emily is based in the Washington DC area. She is not only certified by the Specialty Tea Institute but is also certified by the International School of Protocol (aka etiquette) combining tea with manners, how perfect is that? Want to host a tea party, she can help with that. Don’t know how to and want advice, she can help with that too. Need a speaker for your group on proper etiquette? She can help with that too! If you are looking for that something ‘different’ for your daughter’s birthday party, ladies night out, Book Club, Networking Group, you just found it! Emily’s tea parties are a unique and memorable experience they will never forget. You can contact Emily Murphy at Emily’s Teas www.emilysteas.com or 703 424 3795.

A great BIG thank you to Emily for educating us on Afternoon Tea and why we like it so much! Please share your “Celebrate In Pink” tea party pictures with us, we would love to share it with our ‘girl friends’.

Here's to great tea, great friends and the power of pink..Kathy

5 Tips for 'posh in a pinch' Summer Entertaining

Have you ever been to a party where the food was delicious, the décor was fabulous and the hostess was having as much fun as her guests? Believe it or not, you too can enjoy throwing a party like this.


These parties are called posh parties. Ashleigh Dorfman, special event professional and owner of posh parties, LLC, produces posh parties … and you can too! Today, she is sharing 5 ‘posh in a pinch’ tips for Summer Entertaining.

• Got gift wrap, tissue paper and scrapbook paper? Then, you have a 'tablecloth', 'table runner' and 'placemat' for your tablescape or food buffet. The design possibilities are endless - and affordable!

• Lounge in comfort with beach towel "pillows". Roll towel and wrap with a lei.

• Repurpose an old photo frame as a menu display. Incorporate scrapbook paper and chipboard letters for stylish fun.

• Garnish your margarita with a lime "marker"! Carve your initial into the lime wedge.

• My Favorite! Create a stylish centerpiece with white daisies submerged in Jell-O! It’s inexpensive to make and Jell-O comes in a wide variety of cheerful colors!

Thank you Ashleigh for sharing your great posh party tips with us, can't wait for the next party! For more party tips, sign up for posh parties Party Possibilities newsletter at www.poshpartiesllc.com/newsletter.htm. To celebrate it forward, don’t forget to include Celebrate In Pink’s socially responsible party ware for all of your entertaining needs. Let's Party!

Fourty Five Thousand Walking Angels Hit the Streets of DC

TEAM FIVE & WON

On Saturday, we completed our fourth Komen Race for the Cure in Washington DC, it was awesome! We had a few new members on our team who were first timers , they couldn’t believe the enormous sea of dedicated and passionate walkers. The energy of the crowd is contagious and inescapable; the color of the day is definitely pink and the creativity in expressing feelings for the cause and loved ones is endless. The most moving part of the walk is seeing how loved ones honor those who lost their battle with breast cancer. There are hundreds of posters and signs bearing photos and names, placards pinned to shirts with names of those to remember, t-shirts honoring great heroes as well as the many conversations heard about these great women. We carry a team sign that honors those loved ones of ours who have either survived or lost their battle with breast cancer.


The mood is celebratory and filled with hope that one day there will be a cure. Even though there are 45+ thousand walkers you become part of a community for 3.2 miles. You meet new friends and know that you have many things in common; it is the quickest bond you will ever experience.

Checking out all of the great t-shirts is a sport in and of itself, something I look forward to every year. We saw some great ones including a truly unique one that said “Stop the War in MyRaq”, another fun one "Check Your Bumps for Lumps" while yet another sported “These are Fake, My Real Ones Tried to Kill Me”.

This was Pinky’s first walk and she had a ball. She was in awe at all of the people, the many great friends she made during the walk and loved all of the pictures that were taken of her. She can’t wait to do it again, she’s all about having fun for a cause and celebrating.

All in all, in spite of the very hot and humid weather, we are so very grateful and thankful that we got to participate in another extraordinary walk. Yes, we did as always, headed home and had a great party with great food, family and friends…of course on Celebrate In Pink party ware ;)

To look at all of the great walk day pictures, go to www.Facebook.com/CelebrateInPink, fan us while you are there :)

The Celebrate In Pink Story - The Beginnings

We are coming up on the 3rd anniversary of the Celebrate In Pink ah ha moment. This weekend, with family and friends, we will participate in our fourth National Komen Race for the Cure in Washington DC. It was this very walk in 2007 that led to the beautiful Celebrate In Pink collection of unique party ware that now exist. Since this was my first walk post treatment, I wanted to make it special. I planned a post walk luncheon celebration and wanted the party ware to resonate the spirit of the day. I thought I could find pink ribbon theme paper plates and napkins at my local party or gift shops and couldn’t. I then searched the internet and couldn’t find it there either. It was this very moment that I had my ah ha moment! I felt that women deserved a beautiful and meaning way to celebrate any occasion and at the same time help our BFFs.


Flash back to my treatment days. I saw firsthand that every one didn't have the same level of insurance that I did. Even with 'good insurance', cancer treatment takes a toll on a budget. Many women are either under or uninsured and this creates added stress to their lives at a time they couldn’t and shouldn’t have any, they have enough already to deal with. I knew I wanted to somehow help them but wasn’t sure how. Fast forward to my ah ha moment and I immediately knew that this was how I was suppose to help these heroes.

I took that as a calling and immediately started to pursue bringing the only pink ribbon party ware to women everywhere. That was June 2007; the Celebrate in Pink collection debuted in June 2009. It was a journey of love and challenge to bring them to you but one I would do again without hesitation. I strongly believe in the power of women helping women, especially through celebrating. We donate a portion of our sales to organizations who directly support women needing financial help while undergoing breast cancer treatment and we depend on angels such as yourselves to help us spread the Celebrate in Pink mission.

This weekend as we gather for our walk once again, not only is it an opportunity to Celebrate in Pink but happens to be the fifth anniversary of my diagnosis and I am feeling fabulous! Life is good and it always gets better when we can celebrate with family and friends so start celebrating today!

Feeling Fab!
Kathy

Walk Day Tips From Pinky

Hello from Pinky! I’m getting ready to walk in the Komen Global Race for the Cure on June 5 in Washington DC and hope to see many of you there. This will be my fourth year doing this particular walk and I have tried and true walk day tips that I want to share with you. These tips can be used for any organized walk so be sure to share them with your friends. Here ya go, Pinky’s tried and trues:

• It’s a good idea to stretch before getting started. It does make a difference in how you feel the rest of the day and the day after. Like mom used to say, “if you don’t do it, you’ll be sorry”, so do this one for mom.
• Wear the right clothes and shoes. That said, do keep in mind the single most important thing - a girl has to look good at all times and a girl has to do what a girl has to do to make this happen. Not sure I would recommend heels higher than 2” but your outfit will dictate the height of the heel. Use your fashion sense or ask a friend for hers.
• Drink plenty of fluids. I drink lots of water before and during the walk, that way I can drink plenty of my favorite ‘pink drink’ at our celebration lunch after the walk.
• Be sure to walk with friends, its way more fun this way. Make it a whole day of celebrating you will be amazed at how you feel (the pink drinks may have something to do with that too ;)

Yours Truely,
Pinky