Winner:: Comment #47, Roxy!
Tasha Chawner is a wife and mother of two who has had a lifetime passion for color, design and jewelry. She has combined those passions into For You Jewelry Designs. Because she also has a passion for family, she turned her hobby into a business and is able to spend more time with her children.
Her goal is to create stunning jewelry. She draws most of her inspiration from Mother Nature and also enjoys scrapbooking, card-making and photography. Tasha is a self-taught, self-representing jewelry artist who specializes in one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry.
In addition to her Etsy Shop, she can also be found at her blog, or via e-mail.
Tasha has generously joined the Market Mommy First Birthday Extravaganza and is giving away a $50 gift certificate to For You Designs!! The winner of the gift certificate will be able to use it to choose their own favorite piece! If you just can’t wait to win, mention code Market Mommy and 10% of your order will be refunded via PayPal within 24 hours.
To enter, simply visit Tasha’s shop and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Comments will close on June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Earn extra entries by doing any of the following {please leave a new comment for each!}:
• Follow @MarketMommy on Twitter
• Follow this blog!
• Sign up for our free monthly marketing e-newsletter
• Blog about this giveaway {include a link in your comment, please}
• Tweet about this giveaway!
You can tweet about this giveaway once a day until the 30th to earn extra entries, simply leave a comment each day that you do! All comments will close on June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
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Winner:: Denise, comment #56 The company was started in 2005 by Michelle Tunno Buelow to help others live the life that her late-brother, Matt Tunno, would have wanted. Bella Tunno is committed to donating a portion of EVERY sale to the Matt Tunno MAKE A DIFFERENCE FUND. The main focus of Bella Tunno's charitable efforts is drug and alcohol-related education, prevention and rehabilitation programs.
Bella Tunno has generously donated an Oopsie Ditty to giveaway at Market Mommy's First Birthday Extravaganza! Every mom could use one of these survival sacks for the parenthood jungle! To enter, simply visit Bella Tunno and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Comments will close on June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Earn extra entries by doing any of the following {please leave a new comment for each!}: • Follow @MarketMommy on Twitter • Follow this blog! • Sign up for our free monthly marketing e-newsletter • Blog about this giveaway {include a link in your comment, please} • Tweet about this giveaway! You can tweet about this giveaway once a day until the 30th to earn extra entries, simply leave a comment each day that you do! All comments will close on June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Thanks again for all of your support! Market Mommy wouldn't be where we are today without you! 
************************************************************************** Thanks to everyone for entering! Comments for this post are now closed. The winner is comment # 19 :: Kim, owner of Shop With Me Mama. Congratulations!! *************************************************************  Happy Summer! I am so happy to be part of the Summer Blog Tour! Thanks Abbey {Living my MoMent} and Holly {The Work at Home Woman} for putting this together! I’ve been having a ton of fun from the get go! And, of course, thanks to everyone for stopping by today!My name is Dawn, and I’m the mommy behind Market Mommy! I have a wonderful hubby, two terrific preschoolers and we live in rural Ohio. My background is in marketing /communications and in 2007 I launched Announcements Galore, an online shop that sells photo cards, photo magnets and keepsake photo collages. I started Market Mommy in hopes of utilizing my marketing skills to help other mom entrepreneurs market their businesses. I’m very proud and honored that Holly and Abbey came to me when they were first preparing for the Tour and asked me to design the tour’s button ad. I’m pretty thrilled with how it turned out and super excited to see it plastered all over the blogosphere! Button ad design is just one of the MANY marketing services that Market Mommy offers! If you are having a special event or promotion on your blog, or just need a new, updated button or banner, I’d love to help you out. Our prices are very reasonable!  I’m very excited to tell you that Market Mommy will turn 1 next week! MarketMommy.com was launched June 1, 2009 and this blog shortly followed. I, personally, have had so much fun over the past year. I’ve met some FANTASTIC women, gained some great friendships, learned a lot about myself and even made a little money :)To celebrate, we are having a First Birthday Extravaganza the entire month of June! There will be a full month of guest blog posts here on the blog. The schedule we have lined up is truly awesome! There will be some fun giveaways! And, best of all, there will be a large marketing prize package given away to one lucky mom business owner! It is valued at over $2600! So, mark your calendars and be sure to stop back next week! Ok, now for the giveaway! I’m giving away winner's choice of a $25 gift certificate to Announcements Galore or Market Mommy. It can be used on any goods or services from either site. For your first entry, simply comment here and introduce yourself! Earn extra entries by doing any of the following {please leave a new comment for each!}: • Follow @MarketMommy on Twitter • Follow this blog! • Sign up for our free monthly marketing e-newsletter • Blog about this giveaway {include a link in your comment, please} • Tweet about this giveaway! Visit http://tinyurl.com/27enooa! @MarketMommy has a #giveaway going for a $25 gift certificate to Announcements Galore or Market Mommy! You can tweet about this giveaway once a day until the 31st to earn extra entries, simply leave a comment each day that you do! All comments will close on Monday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Just in time to start the Extravaganza! Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you’ll follow my blog and become a regular visitor! And, please, sign up for our free e-newsletter! Our monthly mailing is filled with marketing tips, features on mom business owners, coupons and much more! 
Casart Coverings, llc launched in January 2009, right at the height of the economic downturn and are proud to say that they have survived and are growing!
Ashley Spencer, senior partner along with her sister, Lindsey Wood and her mother, Lorre Lei Jackson launched the female-run, family-owned eCommerce business in an attempt to revolutionize the idea of traditional wallpaper. “We offer Casart® = art for your home, which are originally hand-painted decorative finishes and murals that have been printed onto wall coverings that are repositionable, removable and even reusable – slipcovers for your walls!” said Spencer. All designs can be customized  to personal color choices and a variety of sizes; you can even upload your own photo or image. “This is perfect for a child’s room that is ever changing or a birthday party theme,” added Spencer. In addition, there is no messy paste or fear of commitment. Coverings can be easily cleaned and removed, stored and reused. They are made of a high-grade vinyl that will withstand the test of time.Spencer has two older children, in college and graduating from high school. Wood serves as the company’s marketing coordinator and is also the mother of two small children. Spencer said the family is still learning how to balance the company with their family. “A lot of work goes into the creative and administrative side of operating, managing, and marketing a fairly new business, particularly in tough economic times,” she said. The company has hired some interns to lighten the work load and conduct a lot of business via e-mail and Skype. “We try to not let work intrude on our weekends, reserving this primarily for important family time,” Spencer said.  Spencer is not new to the entrepreneurial world. She has owned her own illustration business since 1988 and has been doing decorative painting since 1995. She suggests going into business with partners, if you can. “I never could have managed Casart coverings alone,” she said.Because of her experience as a business owner, she has a lot of good advice for new and aspiring entrepreneurs. “Operating a business will take more time than you think. It will take a lot of work and persistence. Do your research from start up costs to logistics and production, etc. Formulate a business, marketing and organizational plan in the process and learn as much as you can about your industry,” Spencer said. “Learn to maintain equanimity and a positive attitude. Be tenacious, persevere, and follow your dream,” she concluded. Casart coverings can be found online, on their blog, on facebook, on twitter and on LinkedIn. Check them out today! 
Holly @ The Work at Home Woman is one of my favorite people. She has a great site and offers fabulous resources to women who work at home. And, her advertising works, I've used it! Well guess what?!? She just happens to be running a contest where you can win free advertising on her site! For details, visit The Work at Home Woman. The package is worth over $275 and includes space on her main site as well as tweets, facebook posts and other announcements to her network. Sounds like a package I'd like to win! There are multiple ways to enter, so check it out today! The contest ends June 1. 
Because I am SO excited about our upcoming First Birthday Extravaganza, I'm reposting the promo button for today's Wordless Wednesday. Our Birthday Extravaganza will run June 1 - 30 and will feature a HUGE prize package worth over $1700! Stay tuned for details, you won't want to miss this party! 
 Rebecca Goller had her first baby at the end of December and started as a lia sophia advisor at the beginning of March, a short two months later. She’s not the typical stay at home, work at home mom. She has a full-time job outside of the home as a school teacher.So, why would someone start a direct selling business on the side at such a busy time in her life? “I became a lia sophia advisor because I truly loved so many pieces of their collection and decided that if I wanted the whole line, I might as well be making some money while getting it,” she said. Goller said she has many goals for herself and her business. “First and foremost I want women, just like me, to get excited about the cute and trendy jewelry lia sophia has to offer,” she said. But, she also has financial goals. “I make a goal each month for how many shows I want to have and subsequently how much money I want to make and put in a college savings account for my son Lucas.” She is not immune to the many challenges working moms face and has already found herself struggling a bit with being able to balance quality time for family and her business. Her strategy has been to work a little bit almost every day so that she doesn’t get behind. “I just don’t have the luxury of spending a three or four hour block of time working one evening if I don’t keep ahead of the game,” she said. But, even with the challenges, Goller sees her business as a stress reliever as well. “This business is a stress reliever for me because I truly enjoy introducing the line to women who want trendy jewelry to complete their wardrobes!” So far, she is very happy with her choice to join the lia sophia team. “I chose lia sophia because I love their jewelry and they are very fair to their advisors,” she said. According to Goller, the start-up kit is only $149 and they give advisors 30 percent of the profit sales from each show. Goller is located in the Columbus, Ohio area. If you are interested in hosting a lia sophia jewelry party, or would like more information about the company, you can contact her via her website or at 614.578.1180. **A fun note:: Goller will be presenting a jewelry party for Market Mommy in July. We’ll be posting more pictures and details then. And, we will be shipping some orders, so if you’d like to try some lia sophia jewelry for yourself keep an eye on Market Mommy for details!** 
These can also be custom ordered for a bachelorette party, tailgating, birthday party, or whatever your next big celebration may be. The wine bottle covers are just a fun way to add a little personality to a bottle of wine when you are entertaining or just enjoying the wine at home by yourself. These also make great hostess gifts. The wine bottle covers are a fun way to decorate a bland, everyday bottle of wine. She also makes hair accessories. “I started making girls hair accessories because I was having a really hard time finding cute barrettes that would stay in my girls' hair,” Boog said. Boog shares many mom entrepreneurs’ sentiment when she said she faces challenges. “I think that it is very challenging trying to balance family life as well as trying to get my business up and running,” she said. “It is very hard to find time during the day to devote my energy and time to my passion. I will steal a few minutes here and there throughout the day and quickly try to get a barrette done or something like that. I enjoy making crafts and being creative so it is definitely something that I love and am very passionate about.” She said that she has a small table for her girls set up beside her work table so that they can color and play, while still being close to mom. Her girls are ages 4 and 2, so they of course require a lot of mommy’s attention during the day. “I’m not able to spend as much time and energy on my business as I would like to, but that’s ok,” she said. “Some days I just get more done than others and I am fine with that!” Although she knows it is hard sometimes, she encourages other aspiring entrepreneurs not to give up. “If you can dream it, you can do it,” she concluded. 
I thought today I would walk you through the construction of my daughter's birthday cake. She turned 3 about 6 weeks ago and we threw her a princess party. Complete with this 'beautiful' castle cake, which she loved! That made it all worth it!
 MyEmbroideredGifts.com features personalized gifts and custom embroidery. They specialize in quality baby gifts that make wonderful keepsakes. Like most mom entrepreneurs, Killen admits that balancing family and business is usually a tightrope walk. She teaches school during the day, which makes it even more difficult. “I try to come straight home and work for a few hours before dinner,” she said. She then takes a break, has dinner and spends time with her family until her son’s bedtime. “If I need to work more, I go back to my sewing room and work after he goes to bed.” She also said that she does work on Saturdays when she needs to catch up. Killen said she really loves what she does and encourages other aspiring mom entrepreneurs to find something they truly love as well. As she was growing up, her mom and grandmothers were teaching her to sew. “My mom bought an embroidery machine and introduced me to machine imbroidery,” Killen said. “I also have a minor in computer science so I love combining embroidery with running a website,” she said. Killen also recommends reading things written by other mom entprereneurs and doing all you can to learn from them. “I am always looking for things written by other moms to see what they are doing that works.” Lastly, she said, “be confident!” Confidence is definiltely a recurring theme for successful mom business owners. My Embroidered Gifts can be found on Twitter too! 
In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m spending this week writing posts dedicated to the mothers in my life. I’ll have a different post Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Sometimes I struggle to wrap my mind around the mother-daughter relationship and all it means. Especially now, being a mother myself, I spend every single day in awe of the awesome relationships we as women share with each other and our children! Kudos to all the mothers out there for all you do!  Today, I’m writing about my mom. Since there is literally so much I could write, I’ve decided to do a top ten list. So, here are the top ten memories that I share with my mom. Trust me, it was hard to choose just ten, there are many, many more. And, these aren’t really in any particular order. I apologize in advance for the length of today’s post!#10:: Long locks. I love looking at pictures of my mom when she was young. She had long, dark brown hair. I’ve always thought it was beautiful. I remember it mostly from pictures, but when I think about times when I was very young that’s how I envision her. Then, I look at pictures of when I was three-years-old and had long, beautiful blonde pig-tails. Everyone always says that I look like my dad. But, when I think of ‘our’ long hair, that’s when I think I look like my mom. #9:: Splash! Every summer when we were kids, mom bought us a family swimming pass to the local campground. It was just one country mile over and we went nearly every day. As soon as mom got home from work we’d load up and head over. We’d often get a quarter to buy a pretzel or some penny candy in the store. She usually didn’t get in, but she sat there evening after evening watching us swim for hours. #8:: Smile :o) From kindergarten to my senior year, and every year in between, mom took my picture on the first day of school. These days are burned into my memory. I can see my five-year-old self in a dress, clutching a pink book bag and a Rainbow Bright lunchbox with all my might. I can see my teenage self in cut-off shorts and holding a large cup of Mt. Dew, heading off on my last first day of school. I had my best friend take my picture before the first day of class when we moved away to college. Something about it just wasn’t the same, but yet I still needed and wanted that picture taken. #7:: Supper’s ready! My mom isn’t Betty Crocker {as she so often likes to remind me} but she has always fed us well. We weren’t raised on fast food. I remember my mom cooking almost every evening. Sometimes on Fridays, after our weekly trip to the grocery store, we’d order a pizza. But, for the most part we got a home cooked meal every night. I especially remember Saturday suppers. It was our big meal for the week, mom would put a roast in the oven or bake a chicken. Now, some of my favorite days are spent having supper at mom and dad’s house. #6:: Amen. Each and every night as a kid I remember mom and us kids saying our prayers and asking God to bless our family. Before she’d tuck us in and give us our last drink of water we’d always say an Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and our special intentions. Sometimes we’d try to drag it out and ask God to bless every single person we knew, but mom tried to keep it relatively short. We went to mass weekly, even on the days when I would try to pretend to oversleep, we somehow still made it on time. I’m grateful and am now doing these same things with my own children. #5:: Sweep, dust, fold …. Every Friday was clean house day. Mom always would say, “this way it’s out of the way and we can enjoy the rest of the weekend!” I wish this is something I was still doing. My main responsibilities were folding laundry and dusting, both of which I loathed. Even though mom had worked hard all week, she still came home and worked even more. This taught me a lesson. Sometimes I really don’t know how she did it. #4:: Discipline. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t a perfect child. I got in trouble my fair share, that’s for sure. I’m sure at times my mom wanted to pull her hair out, but she never did {that I know of any way}. She’d get mad, I’d get punished, I’d try to weasel {beg} my way out of punishment, and the cycle would continue. These definitely are some of my fondest memories, but they are evidence of mom’s unconditional love. #3:: Co-workers. One summer in college I got a temporary job at the factory where my mom had worked for 20+ years. We were even put on the same shift, third. We ride-shared to work and talked on breaks. I got a first-hand view of the job my mom had been doing for so many years. Sometimes thankless, she always worked hard to provide for us. #2:: I do! My wedding day holds so many special memories, not only of my husband, but of all the important people in our lives. I put my mom through a lot planning that special day and she was always very accommodating, never saying a bad word. She gave of her time, her money, her energy and patience to ensure that I had the perfect day. And, we did! #1:: Pink! The two days in my life that I have given birth are by far the best days of my life. My mom was by my side throughout pregnancy, throughout labor, through surgery recovery and very helpful and supportive the following weeks with a newborn. She is a terrific grandmother. I will never forget, as long as I live, my mom’s reaction when I {finally} gave birth to my daughter. We were attempting a hospital vbac 16 months after my son’s c-section birth. I had labored for 29 hours never knowing if it was a boy or girl, but always suspected a boy. When I finally delivered her successfully and we realized it was a girl, I thought my mom was going to hit the ceiling jumping up and down! What a moment. My mom is definitely one of my best friends and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. Happy Mother’s Day, I love you Mom! 
In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m spending this week writing posts dedicated to the mothers in my life. I’ll have a different post Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Sometimes I struggle to wrap my mind around the mother-daughter relationship and all it means. Especially now, being a mother myself, I spend every single day in awe of the awesome relationships we as women share with each other and our children! Kudos to all the mothers out there for all you do! And, I also admire her as a wife. Her relationship with my father-in-law is also an example of her selflessness and extraordinary love for her family. I hope I can still be so giving and caring toward my husband after nearly 40 years of marriage. I really do consider myself lucky to have a mother-in-law in my life that gives me extra motherly love and support. She is a wonderful person, mother and grandmother who we all adore. Happy Mother’s Day Alice, I love you! 
In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m spending this week writing posts dedicated to the mothers in my life. I’ll have a different post Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Sometimes I struggle to wrap my mind around the mother-daughter relationship and all it means. Especially now, being a mother myself, I spend every single day in awe of the awesome relationships we as women share with each other and our children! Kudos to all the mothers out there for all you do!
In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m spending this week writing posts dedicated to the mothers in my life. I’ll have a different post Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Sometimes I struggle to wrap my mind around the mother-daughter relationship and all it means. Especially now, being a mother myself, I spend every single day in awe of the awesome relationships we as women share with each other and our children! Kudos to all the mothers out there for all you do!
Currently, Lady Umbrella offers designer t-shirts for ladies. “But, we are hoping to expand into different types of clothing and have a few more ideas up our sleeves for future products,” said Casado. Balance between family and business is always difficult, especially in the beginning stages. According to Casado, it’s hard because the days can be extremely long and there are no defined work hours when you are running your own business. “It can result in an imbalance,” she said. “That is actually one of the things we are trying to address now as it has recently become apparent that we work too much.”  Casado believes it’s important to be passionate and believe in your product or service. “This belief will drive you on and motivate you when times are tough and will help you focus on the end goal,” she said. She added that starting a business is a lot of hard work, and if you aren’t passionate it’s possible to lose interest.
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Preparing the towers...
Time to pick up and move across the kitchen :(
Applying hundreds of fondant flowers and icing trim.
Details.
