Rocky Mountain High in Fabulous Colorado

I can’t believe our Colorado trip has been almost two weeks ago already! As you can imagine, I got caught up in work last week so this post is a bit delayed but I wanted to share with you our wonderful trip. In April, our son and his fiancé moved to Longmont, CO which is about 20 minutes north of Boulder. We really liked the charm of Longmont and its proximity to other beautiful places in Colorado. No matter where you go in Colorado you are sure to find two things…mountains and breweries so all of our outings included both of these.


One of our first outings was to Boulder. We walked Pearl Street, a pleasant pedestrian area filled with great shops (highly recommend Peppercorn) and street performers. We also had brunch at the Chautauqua Park Dining Hall and took in the beautiful mountains around us. You can't go to Boulder without walking through  the University of Colorado. The campus is beautiful and we enjoyed the museum in the Old Main Building. Another great find was the Celestial Seasonings tea plant. They offer a great free tours complete with tastings and a gift shop.

Estes Park is another fabulous town that we visited and really enjoyed. The town has lots of great shops and ambiance, not to mention the beautiful surrounding mountains and lake. It is also the home of the very beautiful Stanley Hotel where Stephen King drew his inspiration for the Shining. Many of the mountains still are snow capped and beautiful.

We went to Denver and toured the State Capitol, it is absolutely beautiful! I would highly recommend this tour and the surrounding park. We then hit the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall where we saw painted pianos throughout eagerly waiting for tunes to hit the keys as well as crazy painted steer. Tree lined streets with pretty flowers and lots of great restaurants abound at the mall. The guys went to a Rockies game while the gals went to a museum. All in all, a good time had by all in Denver.

We drove to Colorado Springs for the day and what a day it was! The Garden of the Gods was stupendous beyond words and we also went to the top of Pike’s Peak via the Cog Railway. I would highly recommend both, the Cog Railway is in a small town minutes away called Mantua Springs. The town is really cute with shops and restaurants, it was fun. The trip up to the summit is about an hour and half. It was a beautiful day until we got on the train. The clouds came in and played havoc with our trip to the summit. We went through lots of weather changes to the top but nothing prepared us for the snow and hail storm at the top. We did have winter jackets as we read that it can be 40 degrees colder at the summit but it was windy and freezing! Needless to say we didn’t get to see the five states we heard about but it was an experience nonetheless.

It’s been over fifteen years ago that I have been to Colorado. I used to travel to Denver and Colorado Springs frequently for work. Going back to where the offices were located was interesting as it brought back memories. I was very surprised at the expansive growth in the Castle Rock area, there wasn’t much there back in the day when I visited the outlet mall, the only reason to go there at the time.

We had a fabulous trip, enjoyed spending time with our family and look forward to going back again and exploring other parts of Colorado. For more great pictures of our trip, visit my Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70792&id=1486850256&l=c535cf648e

Meet the Networking Angels

So it was one week ago that five great women entrepreneurs who, in most cases were connected only in cyberspace, got the opportunity to finally meet in person. A trip to Longmont, CO (see July 6 post) to visit my son and the fact that my Networking Angels happen to live in close proximity, made it all possible! Remember, many of us haven’t ever met in person. It was amazing to actually be in one place with them, hug them, look into their faces to see the spark that we all share and spend time with them.


We covered everything from writing books, selling products on QVC and HSN, profit margins, sales channels, best social media and PR strategies along with a smattering of personal chatter. At times there were multiple conversations going on; I was sitting in the middle so I got to check in on both ends, what a treat! Of course we all had paper and pens to jot down the various tips, contacts and resources we shared.

I have to also say that Martini’s in Longmont, CO was fabulous! Thank you to the Networking Angels for choosing it. The food was great and their martini’s were voted the best in Denver and they certainly lived up to that!

Thanks to Dixie for the delicious Tickled Pink pink toffee for dessert and to Liz for the handy Fobbie Holiday Gift Pack (watch for it on QVC in October). So, without further ado, here are the soon to be infamous Networking Angels:

Front row is Liz Mrofka inventor of the Fobbie, an innovative gift tag that replaces a gift bow, Dixie Daly of TickledPinkBoutique.com featuring great pink delights such as pink chocolates, candles, soaps and pet shampoos, and Barbara Kantor, inventor of Vendante's reflective pop bands that keep humans and pets safe at night.
Back row is Kerrie Weitzel, print specialist and author; and of course, me, Kathy McEvoy, inventor of pink ribbon party ware found at CelebrateInPink.com.

Not only did we make lots of networking magic but we are expecting to be included in the August issue of the Northern Colorado Business Report! Now, how’s that for magic! There's lots of way to create your own Networking Magic, let me know about your Angels :)

Five Women Master the Art of Networking

This is truly an amazing testament of virtual networking and how one woman from Virginia and four women from Colorado are about to meet for their very first face to face meeting.


In May 2008 I met Liz and Dixie at a tradeshow in NYC. During this same time, I was feverishly looking for a printer for the Celebrate In Pink paper products. I had hoped to find one at the adjoining Supplier to the Trade show but no such luck. Turns out that Liz also had a unique print requirement for her Fobbie (great bow replacement for gift packages) and shared with me the name of her print consultant who helped find her needle in a haystack printer. I couldn’t wait to get home to contact Kerrie (aka my Print Angel) to see what she could do for me. Kerrie and I became fast friends and she amazingly delivered two printers to me; without her our beautiful collection wouldn’t be available today. Dixie is the ultimate networker and entrepreneur with great pink products at the Tickled Pink Boutique. She and Liz have been a wonderful source of support over the last two years sharing their time and expertise with me. They were further ahead in their businesses and still to this day are very generous with their ideas and time.

Last fall, I wanted to sell our products on Amazon. Liz knew Barbara of Vedante (reflective pop bands for clothing) who is a very successful Amazon seller and introduced us via email. Barbara has been very kind to share information and strategies that she uses in her business; another very giving lady sincerely wanting to help.

So, you get the picture. I met Liz and Dixie who lead me to Kerrie and Barbara which makes five of us. We all do not know each other but this week I am visiting my son in Longmont CO and couldn’t leave the state without meeting my Print Angel Kerrie, Barbara and of course seeing Liz and Dixie again. SO….all five of us are having dinner Thursday night at Martini’s in Longmont and I cannot wait to see them! All five of us are just as excited since some will meet for the first time and others of us will finally meet in person. I am sure there will lots of great energy and conversation with five entrepreneurs getting together for dinner. If you are in the area on Thursday, stop by and say hi to us, we’ll be the table of ladies gabbing away and sharing business tips, hope to see you there :)

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!