Daytime Morning Show: Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas

Happy day friends! Hope all of you had a great Mother’s Day!! We have been busy bees here and recently had the amazing opportunity to appear once again on the Daytime morning show. I love the platform that Daytime provides and as much prep that goes into each segment, I have to say that this part of my life and work is truly one of my favorite things.

Enjoy friends–and note, even though, this is “Mother’s Day,” a lot of these ideas can easily be translated to Valentine’s Day, birthdays and even Father’s Day (that is quickly approaching).

Nutella Heart Shape Pies and White Chocolate Hot Cocoa with Shay Cochrane Photography

Hello friends! First post of 2015, here we go! I don’t believe in having resolutions (I feel like I’m setting myself up for failure with those), but I do believe in keeping goals that will always ground me (my faith, family, health, friends, and business). Never easy sometimes, but I’ve learned to appreciate the times with my family so much more than I did in the past. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, (haha…and wiser) but this past year I’ve really challenged myself to carve out more, intentional time for my family, my husband, which as silly as it does sound, feeds my soul and in turn, I find that my work is better, more focused and everything just flows. Wow, didn’t think I was going to take it there to start out 2015, but I guess it is natural for all of us to take this time, especially January, to reflect.

One of our final shoots to wrap up 2014 was in partnership with Southern Weddings, a publication and blog I hold near and dear to my heart. They were working on a Holiday Dessert Round Up, and they wanted me to share some of my favorite recipes. I thought this would be hard for me–I mean, I love to bake, but to come up with two recipes I thought readers would connect with, was not as hard as I thought.

Thankfully Shay Cochrane from Shay Cochrane Photography, is an amazing commercial photographer, that I’ve had the pleasure working with on more than one occasion and has an uncanny ability to take my vision, props and work her usual magic. Shay, if you are reading this–thank you–you are an artist!

So on that note, recipes below. Feel free to tweek to your liking. Southern Weddings also has this posted on their blog as well, along with a printer-friendly version of our recipes.

Happy 2015 friends! I hope it’s a great one!

Southern Newlywed Series: Dessert Feature

Heart Shape Strawberry-Nutella Filled “Mini-Pies”

These pies are delicious and once you get a good feel for the recipe, there are endless variations to it, which is really fun (hellloooo–Valentine’s ideas!). The prep time may seem a bit long, but this is one recipe that never “feels” long since the steps are fairly easy. This particular recipe has been tweeked a bit between me and my mom. The two of us love to work on this one, together! We don’t get to spend as much time as we like, together so this time is especially sacred between us.

Serves: 12. Prep time: 40 minutes. Cook time: 23-25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pie crust dough (feel free to use store bought or if you have time, from scratch. There are some really, easy pie crust recipes out there!).

2 cups of strawberries, cut very small

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of strawberry jam

1 ½ teaspoons of Nutella

Flour (for the dough)

2 egg whites, lightly beaten, with a splash of water.

Heart cookie cutter, recommend 2 ½ to 3 inch size

Candy coated wafers, for dipping. Optional. *See RECIPE NOTES

Sprinkles, optional. *See RECIPE NOTES

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take a large, baking sheet and cover with parchment paper, with a very light coat of non-stick cooking spray.
2. While oven is pre heating, start rolling out your dough (with flour) until it is nice and smooth (approximately ¼ thick). When your dough is ready, begin to use your cookie cutter—in this case, you should be able to get out at least 18-20 hearts. I always take scraps, and recombine them to squeeze out a few more if I can.
3. Now in a bowl, take your strawberries (diced very small), sugar, strawberry jam and Nutella, and combine all together. The jam is great in this case because it cuts the tartness of the strawberries for a more balanced flavor.
4. Once you have all your ingredients combined, take teaspoon and put a dollop of filling in the center of half of your hearts (the other half will be reserved for the top of the heart!). The first time I went through this part I was very worried about putting too much filling, or too little, or that they wouldn’t look totally perfect. Do not worry! The beauty of this recipe, and pies, is that they don’t have to look perfect—just think if it as (cough, cough), more “rustic looking!”
5. When you’ve put your filling on top of your hearts, lightly beat your egg wash and with your finger or a small brush and slightly brush the heart border which will act like a glue for the heart topper.
6. Then take the reserved, half of hearts and place on top, carefully. Use a fork to pinch the edges together and make them look all pretty.
7. After placing all your hearts on your baking sheet, I will brush all of them lightly with the egg wash—this gives them that golden, crusty “I should work for Better Crocker” look to them.
8. Before placing in oven, I quickly take my fork and puncture them right in the middle, to act as a vent when they start baking.
9. These will then back anywhere from 23 to 25 minutes, until they look nice and golden. I usually will set my timer to check them out at the 20^th mark and then adjust my time from there, depending on how they look.

RECIPE NOTES:

1. Don’t have strawberries? Don’t worry! Just eliminate the strawberries and substitute with one of your favorite jams that you may have on hand in your pantry.
2. Pie on a stick? At “Step 4,” after you have put the filling on half of hearts, gently place a lollipop stick at the bottom of the heart—be careful when pushing the stick so it doesn’t come through. Anything on a stick always creates that “oohhh…ahhh” factor!
3. There is nothing I love more than chocolate and strawberries. After your mini pies have cooled, I take one (1) bag of white, candy coated wafers, melt as directed and half dip my pies, then add sprinkles. I recommend, Merckens white candy melts. For sprinkles you can use holiday inspired (as shown), Valentine’s Day mix, or your own special mix.

White Chocolate Hot Cocoa

Serves: 12 cups. Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 2 hours

Can you think of anything better than pies and white chocolate hot cocoa? Nope. I couldn’t either. During the holidays, when it’s late at night, my family isn’t much into drinking coffee so we started making this recipe and it’s always a great hit.  This also gives me a great reason to take out my crock pot/slow cooker which receives no love from me, for most of the year.

Ingredients:

1. 16 ounces of white chocolate (if you can, try to go with a premium brand)
2. 4 cups of whole milk
3. 4 cups of heavy cream
4. 2 tablespoon of pure vanilla
5. ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
6. 2-3 cinnamon sticks
7. Garnish ideas: whip cream, crushed peppermints, white chocolate chips, nutmeg, caramel sauce and Pirouettes (Pepperidge Farm is my favorite). *See RECIPE NOTES

Steps:

1. Place your white chocolate in the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients. I keep my slow cooker at the “hot setting” and once the chocolate starts to melt, I drop down the “warm setting.”
2. Cover and simmer for at least two hours, stirring every 20-25 minutes, or so. There will be skin that will form at the top of your hot cocoa, just take a whisk, stir and it will go away.
3. This can stay warm for up to several hours.
4. I’ve been asked this before, but you can substitute the whole milk with a low fat version if you wanted to lighten it up a bit.

RECIPE NOTES:

1. When serving, I will take my garnishes and put them in small bowls and guests can help themselves. I love this part!
2. If you would like to spike your hot chocolate, I recommend going with a nuttier flavor like a good Amaretto, Bailey’s or Brandy. They have very fancy vodka’s now, but with this recipe I find that the nuttier base goes lovely with the hot chocolate.

Hello my friends…it’s been awhile….

Hello my friends! The beginning of MAY. How did that happen??? Although in my mind I’ve intended to blog more, sometimes things just don’t pan out as I would like and that is A-OK with me! One of my more personal goals, is to be really present with my family, with my boys, their unending energy and the biggest lesson of all has been to define was true success means to me.  Not so long ago, I was spent…exhausted…and feeling like if I wasn’t that crazy-busy, I wasn’t really making it.

Now that I’ve gone through my big rebrand not that long ago, made changes to my business structure and to our core, I’ve learned to recite a phrase often my head…

I’m busy enough for me.

I’m busy enough to keep my head afloat and my heart happy. Busy enough to still take that 1-2 days off work, and hang out with Preston or volunteer at my boys’ school. Busy enough that when my husband comes home I can carry a conversation without being distracted about work…the million things I still have on my every growing to-do list. And don’t get me wrong. Not every day is perfect and there may be some periods where I let myself sink into the old habits again, but then I go back to what really matters to me and it’s always the big wake up call I need.

So before I take this blog post all over the place, I would love to share part one, of our Spring season which is winding down for us. From weddings to snippets of corporate events, we did it all! Thanks as always to my husband Steve (always the man-behind-the-scenes), and to Karina, my assistant designer, we were non stop! Enjoy my friends! And I hope 2014 has started off great for all of you!

Bridal Showcase: Perfect Wedding Guide. We only do a sprinkle of bridal shows a year, and Perfect Wedding Guide is one of them! I always use the shows as my excuse to do whatever my sweet ole’ heart desires. Ha!

 Gold and Black Vintage Dessert Table: This was our first wedding of the season. Carolyn our bride, is an amazing person and client. I was sort of obsessed with the venue, our first time at the Casa Monica in St. Augustine. And I loved the fact that Carolyn made sure to connect her vintage style and the color palette to the room and it really worked it so well. Also thanks to my cupcake girl, Crystal the owner of Cuppy Cakes for always bringing it with her delicious cupcakes which were a hit.

Photography Credit: Melissa Enid Photography

PS–Um…could Carolyn be more stunning?

And one picture from me…

Ashley Brooke Designs/West Elm Pop Up Shop Event: And one of my favorite partnerships from this Spring, we partnered up with Ashley Brooke Designs and their pop up shop at the West Elm in Orlando. Ashley is a force to be reckon with, with impeccable sense of style that translates through her design work. If you are looking for any unique gifts, stationary…she is your girl.

Neiman Marcus Spring Trends Event: One of my favorite corporate clients, Neiman Marcus. We’ve worked with them for a few years and we love to provide our tables as a way to launch their Spring season. Hmmm…can you guess what color trends are happening this year???

I’m going to wrap up our Spring season round up in two blog posts, so stay tuned next week for a few more updates and pictures.

And….before I forget, Mother’s Day is right around the corner!!! If you are looking for any last minute ideas, we have some great options in our online shop! Shop link on our home page. Have a great week friends!!!

New Products added to our Shop and a Special Valentine’s Day Giveaway!

Hello Everyone!!! Hope all of you are having a great January! This is one of my favorite times of year–time to regroup, set new goals with pretty new planners, prioritize…a nice, clean slate.  It has been on my to-do list to do a much longer post running through all my goals for this year since when I put everything down in writing it holds me so much more accountable. BUT before I get to that post, I’m taking a moment to announce new products that have been added to our shop AND a giveaway! YIPPEE!

Color has always been a huge part of my design work so when it came to adding cake pops to our online shop I really wanted to do something that stood out and felt different. I’ve taken some of my all time favorite color palettes and created selected sets which I LOVE. Corals….blacks…mint…reds….oh my! On top of the select sets, we’ve also added glitter cake pops which are just about the prettiest things you will ever see. Below are a few glimpses into our sets. Of course, as always, Shay Cochrane is our girl for all of our product photography. Every time she works, she really just blows me away.

A few behind the scenes from our photoshoot…hey…we got some great lighting in that garage!

And now for some amazing images from Shay…

All together now…it’s great…to be…a Florida Gator…(chomp, chomp)

Now for the fun part–I’m a sucker for a great giveaway and collaborating with some of my favorite people only makes me more HAPPY!  You have until Thursday, February 6 at 12:00 p.m. (EST) to enter! *US residents only and winner will be determined via drawing on random.org.

I’m giving away a dozen Valentine’s Day cake pops plus a few of these other wonderful goodies!

1:  A set of 10 Ice Cream Valentine Note Cards from Ashley Brooke Designs. LOVE HER and her blog is amazing mix of lifestyle tips and fashion–a must follow.

2: Essie Nailpolish in forever yummy and watermelon. Two of the best colors. Ever.

3 and 4:  “Love Others Well” gold foil print and a set of six Choose Joy pencil Set from B is for Bonnie Design. How gorgeous is this print??

5: Red Velvet Cupcake scented candle from Target. It’s sitting right next to me and I’ve opened it up several times while typing this post. Just to inhale it. Sooooo good.

6: A dozen Valentine’s Day cake pops from yours truly! YAY! Makes the perfect gift!!!!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your most favorite Valentine’s Day memory! OR if you even want to share what you are thinking about for this upcoming Valentine’s Day, that is fine as well!

If you would like additional entries…

• Tweet about the  giveaway mentioning @ChicSweets and #CHICSWEETSSHOP
• Facebook about the giveaway linking to our Facebook Page. (you must like the page first, so you can tag properly!)
• Repost the Giveaway picture (above) on Instagram and follow @chicsweets21 and these amazing two shops @ashleybrookedesigns AND @bonniejoymarie. Tag #CHICSWEETSSHOP

Very, very important!!!! Don’t forget to please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Okay, Ready…Set…and GO!!!!!!!!!!!

XO-Natalie Clamp

Wrapping my Head Around 2013…

Hello everyone!!! How is your 2014 starting off? This is my first week back to work, after spending some much needed time with Steve and my boys. This past fall wedding season was unbelievable and the best so far for Chic Sweets which always leaves my heart in awe of how much we’ve grown these past few years. One of my biggest words for this year is: PRESENT. Chic Sweets can definitely soak up a lot of time from me, which is why when I’m home with the boys, work urgent matters handled, I’m trying to be PRESENT. Don’t get me wrong…it’s very hard at times. I’m tired…maybe cranky…I find myself glancing at my Facebook or Instagram feed more times than I’m willing to admit, but I’m trying and it’s something I’m constantly working on. And so these past few months I’ve found myself blogging less than ever before. I used to beat myself up about it because I really do enjoy writing and putting my thoughts on “virtual paper”, but taking the pressure off has helped me breathe a bit, focus, and finally, excited to blog..when I’m able to.

So I do have a mega-post I plan on sharing of things that worked/didn’t work for me in 2013, basically my way of looking back at the year and what I need to do personally, and professionally to continue making what matters happen. BUT before I do that, I’ve been dying to share so many glimpses into the past few months–a few of our dessert tables, candy projects and some behind the scenes outtakes. I typically hold off on posting these pictures to my site’s gallery because they are from my I-phone and sometimes taken when I’ve lacked quite a few hours of sleep. HAHA! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and take a peek at what we’ve been up to!

Happy New Year everyone!

Chevron inspired dessert table with Julie Perez from Chic Designs and Fabulous Events. It was a “surprise gift” for the bride and groom, courtesy of Julie. Love this!

LOVED the branded candy boxes we did for our Chic Sweets (online shop). One of my favorite parts of this year.

And speaking the our Chic Sweets’ shop, we have big plans to add cake pops this month, something that I’ve held off for sometime. Thanks to Shay Cochrane for the fab photos!

Halloween time and at Tech Data over in Clearwater they kept us busy! From over 300 candy filled pumpkins to cauldrons…our hands were cramping! 🙂

Road trip to Chapel Hill…why not? One of my favorite tables we’ve EVER sponsored for the ladies of Southern Weddings. I’m hoping to share a bit more about this soon!

Moroccan inspired dessert table with Brooke Palmer of RSBP Events. Camel included. Seriously. I can’t make this stuff up.

Gold glitter dusted cake pops for NACE Tampa Holiday Party at the Floridan in downtown Tampa. Great times with my cohorts. And one of our last big orders before we took off for the holidays.

And finally, words can’t describe how much I love this picture. More the thought that all my Dad wanted to do was help and I can’t help but wonder what Steve is thinking here….hmmmmmm….

YAY! Our New Shop…And a Giveaway!!!

IMAGE CREDIT: SHAY COCHRANE PHOTOGRAPHY

Hey everyone! It feels surreal to even be typing this but our online shop is finally opened! The response from industry colleagues, friends and family has been amazing and I would be lying if I didn’t say I feel butterflies to finally share the entire collection! The concept behind this shop has been in my heart for sometime–a collection of gifts that tells a story and is very much personalized for YOU. Each one of our boxes speaks to the core of our business–clean, simple and has a unique color story that I really love!

When you visit our shop, you’ll see we have our gift boxes separated into two collections, our Everyday Collection and our Wedding Collection. Aside from both collections we also have our client partnership program for those professionals that are looking to gift a special client or business prospect with their very own branded gift box. You will LOVE this program!

Before I get to carried away, I really want to thank someone that helped to take the million thoughts and brilliant ideas in my head and produce images that I’m so proud to have in my shop. Shay Cochrane–you are beyond amazing and I’m so GRATEFUL to have you as a friend.

And second to my husband…the words “thank you” seem so inadequate for everything in my heart….but thank you, thank you, thank you for all your love.

Now to celebrate our NEW SHOP, we are doing a giveaway!!! I’m giving away one of my favorite boxes from the Everyday Collection (our Sunshine Box) and some wonderful gifts from some really amazing, small businesses!

1. Our Sunshine Box

2. Oh Happy Day Art Print from the Lara Casey Shop. Lara Casey has been such a great cheerleader for myself and for so many others. Her prints, paintings and everyday products are a must as a business owner! Love you Lara!

3. Handmade Bibs from Oatmeal Lace. From baby bibs, bow ties and clutches, McKay’s Oatmeal Lace Design shop is drool worthy.

4. The Paris Collection, pencil set from Amanda Catherine Designs. Amanda’s pencil collections, seriously will really have you reconsidering ever using pens again.

5. Essie Nailpolish (set of 2)

6. Lovely gold and white striped Target Notebook. I have an obsession with notebooks and so I figured, why not?

Help us spread the word about the Chic Sweets’ shop on social media and link back to my site or this blog post! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with what your favorite Chic Sweets’ gift box from our shop! Yup, easy peasy!

You have until Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. EST to enter in this fabulous giveaway! *US residents only and winner will be determined via drawing on random.org

UPDATE: WE ARE EXTENDING OUR GIVEAWAY UNTIL 12:00 a.m EST (TODAY, WEDNESDAY) SO YOU HAVE A FEW MORE HOURS TO GET YOUR ENTRIES IN!!!

If you would like additional entries…

• Tweet about the giveaway mentioning the @ChicSweets and #CHICSWEETSSHOP
• Facebook about the giveaway linking to our Facebook page (you must like the page first, so you can tag it properly!)
• Share the photo (above) on Instagram and tag @Chicsweets21 and #CHICSWEETSSHOP

Don’t forget to please leave a separate comment for each entry! Okay, Ready…Set…and GO!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for all of you!!!! AHHHHH! I’m so excited about this!

Also enjoy 10% off all of our gift boxes from now until next Wednesday–just use CHICSWEETS10 discount code upon checkout.

XXOX-Natalie

* UPDATE: Our winner of this contest, chosen at random, is KATY HAMILTON!! YAY! Katy, send me an email at nclamp@chicsweets.com and we’ll get your goodies off to you!

Thank you to everyone for entering!

The Chic Sweets’ Shop and a Little Story about the Shark Tank

Hello friends! Hope all of you are having a great summer. I’m a little sad it seems to go quicker than I’d like. Today I decided to be super ambitious and a did a video blog for today’s post (yes, I know…wow). Please note, I did this in one take, messy hair and five minute make-up so please cut me a little slack on this one. If you would like to see all our Daytime segments and our Shark Tank audition video, please click here.

And here are a few shots I could not help but share (I’m notoriously impatient, as the boss man likes to remind me). More details will be coming in the next few weeks as we announce a shop date and a giveaway, all wrapped up in one.

I’m….so….EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE thanks to Shay Cochrane for the images–I love you Shay!

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: SHAY COCHRANE PHOTOGRAPHY

Our Sunshine and Welcome Baby Girl Box which is part of our “Everyday Collection”

And a glimpse in our “Wedding Collection.” I LOVE this collection!

Dear Mom and Dad, I finally get it….

Happy Monday everyone! Hope all of you had a lovely weekend. Mondays are my day to hang with Baby P, but today he secretly told me that he was planning on taking a longer than usual nap so I could squeeze in a little blog post. Thanks Baby P, because today, more than ever, I wanted to share a few things that have been in my heart.

Family.

I’ve been thinking a lot about family. And I’m not quite sure why that is, but these past few weeks family has been on my mind (and heart) a lot. You see, I grew up in a very tight-knit family…for the majority of my teen and college years, I thought sometimes too tight. My parents always made sure to keep me and my brother close…dinner at the table every evening, big breakfasts and church on Sundays, frequent phone calls whenever we were apart. When I went away for college, I frequently thought it was a nuisance. I can close my eyes now and remember (with annoyance) having to pick up my cell phone on a Saturday morning when I could barely open my eyes from (cough, cough) a little too much studying the night before.

Do they have to call so early? UGH!!!

Maybe I’ll let it ring out….no…they’ll think I’m avoiding their call….

Okay, no, just get it over with…you can do it…

But I did it. I picked up the phone and called my mom and dad, and spoke, even if for a few minutes. And the same went for me and my brother. Even though we lived in separate cities, we still made it a point to speak once or twice a week, to catch up.

By the time I graduated from college, staying in touch with my family was second nature to us, and when I met my soon to be husband, he was fairly shocked at how frequently we met up for our “family dinners.”

Your brother got a new TV so we are having another family dinner?

Um…yes.

We just saw them last weekend!

Um…yeah….

Flash forward to today, I have a house full of boys, my brother has two children of his own, it suddenly hit me a few weeks ago over a family dinner.

Messy kitchen, full wine glasses, endless amounts of food, family jokes, laughter, crazy kids running around….in that imperfect setting my Dad made eye contact with me from across the room.

You get it now, don’t you?

What Dad?

Family connection. Nothing else matters. Nothing. This is what it’s about. Us, right here, right now. Our family, together.

Right then and there, I finally got it. I understood why my parents had always fought so hard to keep us close, to keep us grounded. It suddenly made perfect sense. Through all of our emails, phone calls, and frequent family dinners, it isn’t only our love that grows, but our connections as well. We have become other’s best friends.

And please, don’t get me wrong, we are by no means perfect and I wholeheartedly believe that our fights are as big as our love, but we always come back to together, back to our family dinners, back to each other.

So Mom and Dad (as I know you sometimes check my blog), if you read this, thank you. Thank you for teaching me how important family is, for truly understanding it’s meaning, the love behind it. It overwhelms me to think I as a mom–how could I possibly come close to what both of you have done for me? How will I do it? But then I realize that you are both still here, my biggest cheerleaders, my favorite morning phone calls, guiding us, every step of the way.

Love you.

Natalie

And Now….For What Did Not Work in 2013

Hello everyone! Still working on my Goal Setting series from my last post and now taking a look at what didn’t work in 2012. Again, if you haven’t visited my friend Lara Casey and her amazing exercises, you are missing out. Truly, it’s so very helpful.

Sticking to a schedule: This was a bit of a challenge for me, but I had trouble sticking to a consistent schedule all year long, and when something came up (child sickness, last minute event) I felt like it would derail me and then I would have trouble getting back on track.

Friendships: This is a huge BIGGIE for me. Friendships. I’m not one of those that has a million friends. Nope. I have a small circle of friends that I cherish but this year, I could not connect. Missed phone calls, voicemails, lunches and happy hours that never happened, the list goes on. The worse part? I needed my friends. I needed to hear their voices, their problems, their updates and get out of my world.

Networking Events: I’ll admit it. I’m lazy about attending Networking events for Chic Sweets. Sometimes it’s a mixture of the “oh, I’m tired” thing, but deep inside I think there is a part of me that is still deathly shy….like, it’s my first day of school type of shyness and the thought of walking in a room, with business cards on hand makes me want to run in a different direction and come up with every excuse I can. But I seriously need to get over it. Seriously.

My Phone: Raise your hand if you go on Facebook and Twitter too much. Crap. Like when did that happen? How am I holding Preston with one arm and glancing at my Facebook feed in the other??? What the heck is wrong me? I have to admit when I’m in “mommy world” I feel like it’s an outlet for me, but I still could cut down how attached I am to the thing. Sheesh.

Client Experience: Thank You notes, timely follow ups with potential clients via email, personal connections. I’m always looking to see how I can improve my client connections. Every day this year I told myself that I would set a “power day” aside to put postage on thank you envelopes, work on personalizing my paperwork a bit more, but it never happened.

Blogging: Writing is something I used to love but from two blog post a month, cut down to one, cut down to none is not working. Also before I used to just type whatever came to mind and not worry too much about making my voice sound “perfect.” Now I find myself rereading my posts, changing sentences that I don’t think readers would understand. I’m not perfect so why does it matter so much?

Finances: On the business end, SO need to work on this. I want to spend my day playing with pretty paper and making gorgeous layouts for my clients, but the reality is that as a business owner I need to have a handle on every aspect of my business. Steve has always handled the finance end of Chic Sweets, but I’m pretty he wants me more involved and more in tune with this area. And Steve–if you happen to read this, please stop laughing.

Finances (family): Honesty coming. Four boys, financially, is not easy. Lunch money, tuition, clothes, but I’m convinced instead of worrying about it (which is what I do 24-7) we need to think of better ways to manage finances on a monthly basis. And I feel like this sounds like such a cliché….New Year Resolutions—work on finances thing, but I’m convinced if we made some real lifestyle changes, that it wouldn’t be so hard.

Taking care of ME: Last time I went to the doctor for plain ole’ physical? Exercise? Diet? Dentist? Goodness, it was bad this year. And I know I should cut myself some slack…you have a houseful of boys…maybe it’s just not in the cards for you. But, whatever. I’ve got to make some changes. Same with Steve—I’m oh, so sure he wouldn’t mind some time for himself, to do whatever he wants. Yup, got to figure all of that out.

So that is where I’m at, my real list is a bit longer but this is just a snippet.

Next up-the hard work. Goals, action steps, all the good stuff. Yippee! Next week, I’ll likely interrupt these series of blog posts for a really wonderful (and colorful) shoot I did with my friend Shay Cochrane not too long ago BUT again, go to Lara Casey’s blog for all the goal setting, what fires-you-up goodness!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy New Year Y’all! What Worked in 2012…

Hello everyone! Happy 2013!!! As a family, we have been stuck in the never-ending cycle of colds but we are finally coming out of the woods and I’m starting to feel like I can breathe again here. One of my dearest friends, Lara Casey has posted her AMAZING goal setting exercises for 2013, so I, my friends have been working, working, working on this, getting myself ready for 2013. If you have time, PLEASE check it out. I have done this for a few years already, and it really does put you in a different mindset.

On that note, the first part of my exercise: What DID work in 2012. There is a whole lot more but I thought I would share a snippet of what worked for me (professionally and personally) this year.

Transitioning to my family, full time: At first I had written “Transitioning to Chic Sweets”, but in reality, looking back, I think the decision always came down to my family. For years, I had worked 50+ hours a week, and in 2008 accepted a position that had a hour (sometimes more) commute. The work was rewarding, pay, benefits all of that really wonderful stuff, but everything around me was suffering. My family, my marriage, me. It’s like you give a small piece of yourself to everything but nothing really ever gets the full 100 percent. So in the beginning of 2012, I took a big jump and resigned from my position, staying home full time with Baby Preston.

IMAGE CREDIT: SHAY COCHRANE PHOTOGRAPHY 

Chic Sweets rebrand: 2011 was all about working on a rebrand, and in 2012, was when I finally got to see my “virtual baby” born. It felt like such a breath of fresh air, and most of all, it felt like me. Simple, and chic. For years, I had collected so many gorgeous images of my work and now I had a platform to showcase all of it. We also updated all our collateral which was a biggie for me—I LOVE our business cards and collateral materials and they make me smile. Yes, I’m weird like that. We also increased our pricing in 2012, something I was somewhat nervous about but I knew it was time to really add my value to the work we provide. And you know what I found once we did the rebrand? That we were attracting the clients that valued our work, and what we could do for them. We were in synch with our clients and they, with us. There is still so much I could go on about this, but all I can say is that there is lot of work and areas that I still need work!

  IMAGE CREDIT: CARRIE WILDES PHOTOGRAPHY

Confidence in my work: This year, I really felt my confidence in my work grow. Gone were the days I would sneak a peek at what my competitors were doing or looking at any newcomers with any apprehension and fear. Designing is what sets my heart on fire and once I accepted that the only thing I can control is my work and what I present to my clients, I let the rest go. And you know what? My work got better and I felt more at ease when working my clients.

Baby Preston: Just that. Everything with Baby P worked. I can’t lie. It’s can be beyond tough with the other boys, but I take deep breaths, and always remind myself how incredibly blessed we are. And we so are.

IMAGE CREDIT: SHAY COCHRANE PHOTOGRAPHY

One Day a Month Commitment: In 2012, I decided that I would give Spencer and Carson (Kindergarten and Preschool) some time each month at their school where I volunteer. Sometimes it’s reading books or helping out the teacher. This has been a blessing in disguise for me. It can be something that may not always be the most convenient, but when I’m there, I’m happy and convinced that my boys appreciate seeing their mama helping out.

Steve: Yesterday I looked at my wedding photos and sometimes that is hard to believe that is “us.” We are so different than that carefree couple smiling back at me. No worries, no stresses, just a simple love. I was pregnant with Spencer soon after. Our relationship has changed so much since those days and I’m going to make an attempt to put that into words. My relationship with Steve is one that I completely cherish. He is and will always be the first person I listen to (and trust me, I can be insanely stubborn). He challenges me when I could do better and lifts me up when I need it. Even better, sometimes he gives me a hug and doesn’t say anything. Are there fights? Arguments? Times when “he’s not my favorite person?” Yes, yes, and yes. But we always come back to each other, deeper in love and deeper connected. Steve, if you ever read my blog (and I know sometimes you do)—I love you.

IMAGE CREDIT: SHAY COCHRANE PHOTOGRAPHY

Relationship with God: I don’t read the Bible. There I said it. I don’t even remember the last time I opened one. Well…maybe at church…but I quickly closed it. But I can honestly say that not a day has gone by that I don’t think about God, talk to Him, pray to him. Even when I was little, I always remembered having conversations with God, usually in my head but that always made me feel good. It always felt right. Years later, I had children and that relationship has changed even more. Now, I look to God in smaller moments (like in my car on my way to get the kids or when I’m about to pass out on my bed), but He is always there, always in heart and it may not be the right way…I may not have Bible verses memorized or go to church as much as I would like, but I’m a firm believer that you have to do what works for you, inside, in your heart. In 2012, we talked about God a lot, to my husband, to my children. My parents never forced it on us, but it just always felt like a habit, like putting on a jacket, so I never gave it a second thought. God was part of my life and I’m constantly thinking about ways to inject that same feeling to my children, even if they are still really young.

Pediatric Cancer: Four years ago I stumbled upon a blog by Holly McKrae about her daughter Kate, undergoing chemotherapy for a very rare (but aggressive) brain tumor. She is in remission now, but her story and faith in God, always stuck with me and I told myself that I would help and not remain on the sidelines. In 2012, I told Steve that we were not going to donate to several charities with different causes, although all very important I wanted to center my focus helping families fighting these horrible (and the word “horrible” doesn’t seem strong enough) cancers. So besides donating financially (when we could), we had our children make cards during the Holidays, and we also participated in two great events—Fashion Funds for a Cure and Calendar for a Cause—both events left us profoundly affected and just wanting to do more.

Carmen: I don’t believe I’ve ever talked about Carmen on my blog, but she has been in my children’s life since they were all 8 weeks old. She is my caregiver, mommy number two and one of the best people I know. She is part of “Team Clamp” and without her, none of this works.

My Mom, Dad, Brother, (sister in law) Natasha: This may seem odd to many, but I talk to my mom every morning, my dad in the evenings, my brother every other day, and his wife, my sister-in-law at least once a week. Crazy, right? But they are my support system, my venting system and don’t get me wrong, we have moments of frustration with each other, but we never lose sight of what’s important.

Work Boundaries: In 2012, I decided to streamline my schedule and only work around a three day schedule, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These are the days, I work, work, work. On Mondays and Fridays, I focus on Preston, but if I can, I will prep for clients or do small projects.Sometimes this fluctuates, but really, it’s been helpful most of all for me, and I get a lot more done when I know my time is limited for work productivity.

Dance Parties: In 2012, we started having random dance parties. Just turned off the lights, blare the music and we all start dancing. This should be mandatory in every household. Period.