DIY Business Cards Tutorial

Since I got ready for BlogHer in a few days notice, I had to whip up some business cards in no time! Here’s my no design background whatsoever way of designing your own business cards using picnik.com (a free photo editing website).

1.  Upload a background. Sprik Space has an amazing series of free patterns, in 20 colors! The project possibilities with these are endless!

2. Roughly crop your photo to a rectangle shape. Then resize it to 1050x600 (unclick the "keep proportions" box) for a 3.5x2 business card. The proportions of the pattern might get skewed, so keep undoing and play around with the cropping and resizing until your pattern looks right. 

3.  Add text boxes with your pertinent information (name, email, website, twitter handle, Facebook page, phone number and address if you aren’t creeped out by that, etc). Change the colors and sizes and rearrange to your liking. TIP: Always note the numbers of your colors. It's easy to match later on if you mess up or recreate your file.

4. I added clip art from their selection of stickers (I do not have a premium account). Right click to rotate, flip, resize and reposition as you please. Adjust colors and sizes. TIP: Don’t make a border around your card. The cutting process is not precise, so it’s easier to just not have one.

5. Save your file. 

6. Open a word doc. Insert your business card file. Double click or right click to resize to 3.5x2 (uncheck "lock aspect ratio" box). Adjust your page margins to be .5 all around. Copy and paste 9 more, so you have 10 on a page.

If you want a double sided business card, repeat all steps.

After doing a few test prints, I brought a jump drive with the two files (one for front and one for back) to Office Depot for printing (I’d do the cutting myself). It cost me $25 to print 200 business cards (20 sheets) double sided on glossy paper.  Then it was just me, 20 sheets, and my paper cutter in my closet floor for two late nights. Turns out I only dished out 60 cards in my 2.5 days at BlogHer’11. Should I hand the other 100+ out to every parent I see at the park??

What do you think of this tutorial? Will you try making your own business cards? Check back tomorrow to see the business card holder I made for these pretties. Are you glad we're back to some DIY'ing around here?

linked up here, here, and:

Thanks for the feature Jen and Nikki!

Queen Bee Market

I met Lori at breakfast one day who said she had the same earrings as me from etsy shop Pretties by Meg. Lori also ended up in one of my sessions later. Since the afternoon sessions didn't particularly interest me, I asked her if she wanted to hit up the Queen Bee Market (assuming she liked crafty goodness from her earlier comment on our earrings). Talking with Lori and taking in all the eye candy was way better than sitting through a session that I wasn’t interested in (see tip #5).

The Queen Bee Market is one of the blogosphere’s most talked-about handmade boutique fairs. I loved all the beautifully set up “booths” and the creative ways to display their handmade goodies. 

Little Penelope Lane has a touching story of how the shop began. Read about it here.

There were ruffles, rosettes, earrings, headbands, buntings and stationary galore!

Aren't the pillows such a cute and comfortable learning tool to have in a child's room?

I ended up getting earrings from esty shop Crystal B and Flawed Perfection Jewelry and a little backpack for Mia from Marine Parents - the shop. Mia loves carrying her "pak-ah" around J

 And that wraps up my wonderful 2.5 days in San Diego at BlogHer, talking to an array of women bloggers, all because of PaperCulture! Thanks for supporting my creative endeavors honey © and all you readers!  

BlogHer Conference Newbie Tips

If I were a newbie to an enormous blogging conference, here’s what I’d want to know beforehand:

1. Everyone is just as nervous as you are.

As my social media expert of a best friend suggested, I searched #blogher on twitter (even though I don’t have a twitter account) to see what other people were saying about the conference. This led me to plenty of articles where past attendees posted what they learned. The commonality being – everyone feels just as nervous and insecure as you. It will not be like the high school cafeteria, people will talk to you and no one will care what you wear. In retrospect, it was fine and there was nothing to be anxious about.  Everyone is there to meet new people. And honestly, I met more newbies than recurring conference goers, which made me feel better that everyone was in the same boat.

2. Reach out to people beforehand.

Find out who’s going. Search twitter. Search your Google reader. See who has a BlogHer logo on the blogs you normally read. Then reach out to them. I emailed a dozen people whose blogs I normally read to say that I’d love to meet them. Some replied, some didn’t.  Some were going, some weren’t. I even reached out to DIY super stars Jen from Tatertots and Jello and Shelley from The House of Smiths. And then when I spotted them, I wasn’t just any stalker reader. They already knew my name and blog and that I wanted to meet them J

3. Walk up to people and introduce yourself.

Yes, obviously we’re all there to network. But it always takes me a few mental tries before mustering up enough courage to walk up to someone and start talking. Sure, it’s always awkward to not know anyone in a room full of people who are already talking to one another. But just do it. Ask what they blog about, where they’re from, what sessions they went to, etc. It's also helpful to know your own elevator pitch. 

4. Similarly, if you recognize someone, go say something!

Opportunity 1:  I caught a glimpse of who I thought was Penny de los Santos (I already told you how excited I was to hear her). But I kept walking, thinking “Was that her? That has to be her. Should I say something?” I proceeded to walk and said to myself, “ Dah! I should’ve told her how I was so inspired by watching her live streaming seminar and that I was so excited to hear her speak today.” But I didn't, wah wah.

Opportunity 2: I recognized Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen on the speakers list and love her food photography tips, which I also already told you about. Like I mentioned in tip #2, before I left, I reached out to her. And she replied saying I’ll have a blast and to attend the newbie breakfast. On the first day, I saw her in passing, but wasn’t sure if it was her and moved right along. Later on, I saw her again, and I swear that was her, but kept on walking. Ok this happened like three more times and I never said anything! Ugh, stop being such a scardy cat! I did attend her session though and asked a question and followed up with her afterwards (via email). And although she’s a busy woman with two kids, columns to write for and TV shows to appear on, she replied saying that I better introduce myself next time!

Opportunity 3: In the bathroom, (like a creeper) I thought I recognized Rebekah from A Blissful Nest, but didn’t say anything. Then while getting lunch, I saw her again and was pretty sure that was her. Thinking about opportunities 1 and 2 that I already let pass me by, I just said “Go do it!” and introduced myself. Good thing I did beacuse we ended up talking all through lunch and now she has a face to put to all the comments I leave on her blog. She even featured me!

Opportunity 4: I noticed that someone had been eyeing me for awhile. She finally came up to me and asked if I was the woman behind Don't Speak Whinese. Yes, I know Asians may look alike J But I didn’t care that I wasn’t who she thought I was. I’m glad she finally came up to me and I hope she found the blogger she was stalking looking for!

5. If you don’t like a session, leave.

One session was just not for me. Rather than waste time pretending that I was interested, I just left and went to a different session. This worked out perfectly because that’s where I found Jen and Shelley, who I reached out to beforehand to hopefully meet them! I also didn’t see any pertinent sessions the second afternoon and headed over to the Queen Bee Market instead. Check back tomorrow for lots of pictures!

6. Leave A LOT of extra space in your suitcase and hit up the Expo early.

You will get free stuff. Lots of it. I didn’t stop to talk to too many vendors at the expo, yet I still went home with a suitcase full of swag. No joke, my belongings aren’t even in here...just a ton of free shit, yippee!

I also found that company reps were most interested and enthusiastic to talk to me earlier in the day, as opposed to the end of the day, where they are exhausted from being on their feet all day giving the same spiel for the thousandth time. So if you actually want an engaging conversation about their products, don't go late in the day.

7. Wear comfortable shoes.

This is a conference. At a convention center. There is a lot of ground to cover between the breakfast/lunch area, keynote rooms, breakout sessions, sponsor lounges, Expo, your hotel, cocktail hours, and late night parties. Not to mention you’re toting around your purse, camera, and bags of free stuff (see #6 above) while you trek around all day.

8. You don’t need your laptop.

Unless you like to take notes on your computer or feel the need to be digitally connected at every breathing moment, you’re probably fine without your laptop. iPads and fancy phones are enough to keep you connected to Facebook, twitter, your blog, and the blogs of people you just met.  A computer will just be an extra thing to lug around on your already aching shoulder and feet.

9. Tweet.

“Do you tweet?” was a common question people asked. And I don’t L Which means missed opportunities to connect with people. But I’m ok with not having another social media outlet to suck time out of my day.

10. Don’t stress about not having an increase in traffic/followers.

Just like Lori said in her recap, don’t worry if after the conference, you don’t have an increase in traffic and followers. Let’s be honest, of the 60+ business cards I collected, I didn’t check half of them out. And of the ones I did check out, although great to meet, maybe their site isn’t aligned with my current (blogging) interests. So people are probably doing the same to me. Which is fine. Because you’re a loyal reader, right? J

For any newbies heading to NYC for BlogHer’12, I hope these tips help! Or Haven, or *SNAP!, or the Creative Connection. Ha, there’re a lot of conferences out there to meet face to face with the people you know so well from behind your favorite blogs!  Don't worry, tomorrow's the last you'll hear about BlogHer'11...you still with me?

BlogHer'11 - Who I Talked To

In my recap, I mentioned how bloggers spread the love. So let me tell you a little bit about some lovely ladies I met at BlogHer'11. Among the 3500+ attendees, there were all sorts of bloggers. And PR/company reps. And surprisingly, I met just as many newbies as repeat offenders. Here’s who I remember after dishing out 60 business cards:

Molly from Milwaukee Mamas (a hyper local blog for Milwaukee parents) - We were wondering what was behind a mysterious curtain at the first cocktail party…and ending up getting hugs from the Bloggess (who is much sweeter than her blog voice is!).

Me and Ananda

Ananda from The Digital Sisterhood – Ananda was also a panelist, and I was delighted when she interviewed me! 

Maria and company from Schoolbags for Kids who were featured on DailyCandy, HuffPo and more. For each school bag you buy, they donate a school bag and supplies to a child in need around the world.

Sarah from Nerdy Apple Bottom was super fun and I didn’t even realize until the next day that she was a panelist (for the “Unexpected Viral Explosion”). See what post generated 46,000 comments and landed this Kansas City mama on Good Morning America and The Today Show.

Rebekah from a Blissful Nest – I creepily noticed her in the bathroom. And at lunch.  I finally decided to introduce myself. We ended up talking all through lunch and she even featured Mia’s Shabby Chic 1^st Birthday Tea Party.

Lilian from the Chinese Grandma – her business cards featuring photos of her cooking got us talking about the Pioneer Woman and a blogging class that she took at Stanford. I’m bummed that I didn’t get to attend PW’s all day session Thursday. Lilian recapped BlogHer so well, read about it here.

Jessi from Quirky Cookery and I partied it up at Sparklecorn. Yes it was sparkly. And there were unicorns. And glow necklaces. And a lot of women on the dance floor shaking it like they didn’t have a care in the world. To get a better feel for the official BlogHer party, check this video out. You can even (barely) spot me (if you pause it) with Jessi and her ears at 1:45 haha. 

And most randomly, I ran into my cousin, whom I haven’t seen or talked to in 10 years! Odd thing is that we both live in Chicago, yet we never crossed paths until San Diego. It’s so bizarre how you run into people from being at the right place at the right time. We caught up over a pitcher of sangria and tapas at Café Sevilla. MmmmMM I © tapas.

BlogHer’11 Recap

Annnnnd I’m back! I’ve been lazy procrastinating sleeping on Mia’s floor at 9pm every night instead of blogging, editing pictures and crafting. Bad habit, I know. But I enjoyed sleeping at a decent hour for a month once. The other day Doug said that my blogging career is over. And to that I say, HMPH! So where was I? Oh yes, BlogHer…month old news by now, but here goes so I can move on with my blogging life!

Thanks to PaperCulture, my United Miles and Doug’s Hilton Points, I was all set to go to a women’s blogging conference. In four days. By myself. Among 3,500+ other attendees! I was both nervous and anxious…Who am I going to talk to? What am I going to do for dinner? Will I just be a loner standing in the corner of a room full of confident women who already knew each other? However, reading other people’s posts about past BlogHer conferences reassured me that everyone had these same pre-conference jitters. 

I arrived Thursday night and headed straight for the first BlogHer cocktail party at the Marriott. Then first thing Friday morning was the newbie breakfast. It was reassuring to know that there was such a large number of first time conference goers. Throughout the next two days, I attended seminars on:

Writing/editing - Along with pracitcal writing/editing tips, I was advised to "Never trust a person that doesn’t say sh*t."

Penny de los Santos on food photography – I watched one of her live streaming workshops, told you about her here, and was so excited to hear her in person. It was more than how to photograph food (which disinterested some attendees), growing as a photographer, finding mentors, and showing your work to anyone who can give constructive feedback.  It was about a way of life. Capturing human moments. Connecting. Transporting people to a place to feel something. Finding places in your life that inspires you. Telling a story. Reacting to your instincts. Surrounding yourself with people that challenge you. Penny is such a humble and inspiring speaker. I need to refresh myself of these objectives as I strive to make beautiful photographs.

Great blog design – This was such a fast moving, visual, straight to the point seminar. So many helpful tips and keep your attention personality from Cynthia. Get the full resource list here. 

Local heroes – I mentioned before how I loved seeing how Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen got her “money” shot of her food. So I was glad to her as a panelist.  I heard how she and others made it “big” from being a nobody. Jaden doesn’t have a culinary background, but by doing her research, becoming an expert in her field, and finding her unique point of view, she has two cookbooks, is a columnist for Discovery Health and TLC and has been featured on a ton of TV shows and websites.  All from contacting a small newspaper and TV show to write/appear for free. To practice. And bigger and bigger papers and TV shows called. It’s amazing to hear how determined women are to get to where they want to be.

Just like most attendees, I went to BlogHer to be inspired. That is after all, what I love most about the blogging community. Everyone is supportive of each other’s ideas/businesses and wants to spread the love to see others grow and succeed.

My most inspiring takeaway came from Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, also known as the #1 most powerful woman in business by Fortune Magazine from 2006-2010.  Aside from hearing her views on how companies and governments should work together, Pepsi’s balanced portfolio, society and obesity, and the five necessities to being a leader (1 competency - being a lifelong student, 2 courage and confidence - to speak out, 3 communication skills, 4 consistency, and 5 integrity), this is what I’ll remember most:

Being raised in India, she studied all the time due to a strict upbringing where she had to be the top of the class. Her mother wanted her to dream, yet be married off at a young age as custom would have it. But her mother decided that if she got good grades, she could delay marriage. So Indra went on to Yale’s Businesss school, then the Boston Consulting Group, Motorola and others before arriving at Pepsi. Indra shared a story on how she kept missing a parent coffee hour with her daughter’s classmates. After her daughter brought this up, Indra replied,

“Do you want me to quit and stay home?” (In a positive, I’ll do what you need me to do, kind of way.)

Her daughter replied, “No, Mom. You worked so hard to get where you are today. Follow your dreams.”

What resonated so deep with me is how Indra’s mother instilled the value of following your dreams, and the message ran deep through to her own daughters. There’s a high probability that Doug and I will disagree with where Mia wants to go to college and with what major she will choose. (Yes, we are aware that is faaaaar from now.)  But I hope we can agree to raise our children to do whatever it is that makes them happy, no matter how far reaching and irregardless of the financial compensation. Catch Indra's full keynote here. Thanks for making it through this post and my month long hiatus!



As Seen On {A Blissful Nest}

Rebekah from A Blissful Nest featured the Shabby Chic 1^st Birthday Tea Party today! Hop on over to check out Rebekah's fabulous parties and styled shoots (featured on Amy Atlas, Hostess with the Mostess, Kara's Party Ideas and more!), her etsy shop for party printables, and her passion for interior design.   

I first came across A Blissful Nest from Rebekah's tissue paper wreath tutorial when gathering ideas for Mia’s Winter Onederland party.  Then last week at BlogHer, I had the pleasure of talking to Rebekah face to face about party planning, interior design, blogger versus wordpress, taking on way too much in addition to your day job, and quitting that job to do what you really love. *ahh* someday....There was also a flash mob that took place while we were talking during lunch! Check back on Thursday to hear how Rebekah and I got to talking in the first place (aka I’m a creeper/stalker).

Sommer, you really created a party more beautiful than I could've imagined, congrats!

Thank you so much for the feature Rebekah!

BlogHer’11 - How I Got There

Now that I’ve slept at 9pm instead of doing anything else most of last week, I am ready to give you my BlogHer’11 recap. And I’m going to drag it out and make it a week long affair because there is just too much for one post!

I already expressed my love for Paper Culture here and here. And now I have an even bigger reason to love them! One week before the conference, Paper Culture posted on their FB page saying that they were:

“...giving away a FREE Full Conference badge to BlogHer ($300 value) for next week in San Diego. Just give us a link to your blog and tell us why you think we should choose you for the ticket.”

Of course I entered! I enter giveaways practically every day and never win. But I always tell myself, “I’m bound to win some time!” However, I must have overlooked minor details such as SAN DIEGO and NEXT WEEK.

A few days later I received an email titled “YOU WON.”  I thought, “hmm must be spam.” (not remembering what give aways I recently entered). I continued to read the preview, and it was from Paper Culture’s CEO. WHAT?! I WON something?!?! I never win  giveaways! My heart raced with excitement!! Then I thought, “Wait a minute, where is the conference? ...When is it? I'll have to take off work. I'll miss Ryu and Kira's 1/2 birthday party. And Aiden's Baptism…How much are flights?!?...Hotels?!... Sh*t, what do I do?!”

After assessing miles and points and deciding that this would be an amazing opportunity I could not pass up (The CEO of Pepsi was speaking! The Pioneer Woman was speaking! I could network with over 3,500 other bloggers and get my name out there! I’m never going to do this again!), I made arrangements to be in San Diego four days later. I loved Paper Culture months ago, and now I ♥ them even more!!

Many of you asked what I said when I entered...“Because the best way for the blogging community to grow and learn is to come together, support and teach one another! I love all the creativity out there and hope that my blog inspires other as well.” Technically I was the second winner. The first winner already had tickets, so Paper Culture picked me instead! J

As Seen On {swanky::chic::fete}

free printable via mom and wife

…momentum…With 1-2-3-4 features on other sites, 1-2-3 babies to photograph, 100 followers, and free passes to BlogHer'11, all just this month…it feels like things are moving along in this first year of blogging for lil mama stuart!

As Agatha put it after hearing a CEO and one of the top “10 Big Thinkers for Big Businesses”:

“Sometimes when you’re passionate about a number of things and trying to keep up with your career, plus your passions & side projects, plus your friends & family, it can seem overwhelming. But then again it almost seems like the more you do, the more momentum you gain and the more things fall into place.” 

And that’s exactly how I feel this week (maybe that’s why we’re BFF’s J). Sometimes I feel like I take on too much. And my body and mind are exhausted at the end of the night at 1am. But my mind still races with ideas as I lay in bed. And I still want to do a million things for myself and for others. And I feel like if I don’t take on more and put all that pressure on myself, I won’t get better. I won’t move forward. I won’t be me.

And now PaperCulture has given me the opportunity to step it up. Which led to my last minute making, printing and cutting 200 business cards on my closet floor late at night. And making a pretty business card holder out of duct tape. Tutorial on that another day, I digress...The opportunity to network with 3500+ other bloggers. To hear the CEO of Pepsi talk about exploring inspiration and leadership.  More details on BlogHer next week...If you're going, let me know! I don't want to be all by my lonesome! L In the mean time I’ll just keep swimming, just keep swimming…

Aaaanyway, back to the title of this post…Thank you Lili for being my 100^th follower and featuring Seema’s Top Chef Potluck Party over at swanky::chic::fete today! And Seema threw yet another fun dinner party last weekend, details to come!

Excuse me for my Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey type post today (SNL anyone??). As always, thanks for reading J