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www.hotmamanetwork.com/blog

Loving Pinterest DIY!

I am new to Pinterest however I am loving it! I could spend hours on my phone looking over all the DIY projects, fashion ideas, decor even recipes (which is very unlike me). I have put together a few of my favorite DIY projects for kids that you might like to try.

For those that can sew I found this gorgeous Petal Dress tutorial at icandy homemade. They provide you with details and pictures of how to create it.

Another love of mine :)

Just the other day I read about a mom on twitter who couldn't find the tooth under her kids pillow. Why risk them waking up and make it easy for yourself with this super cute tutorial from Martha Stewart.

Glowing Jars!! These are a great craft that your kids can participate in plus they are safe. I know I have a lot of mason jars around my house that I plan on putting in some sort of craft some day... Here is the perfect chance for you to those jars to good use.

My last DIY project is this Book Sling which looks like it's more work than what it actually is. This is a great project to help organize your little ones room. If you have an abundance of books maybe put up two one above the other.

Success & Family

Sometimes I feel like I can do it all, I can be the perfect wife, the perfect mother and the best in business. Don't get me wrong it is great to have such ambition however when it comes to direction sometimes I feel a little lost. There are so many things that I enjoy to do such as Hot Mama, I love seeing all your companies and what you have come up with. The drive and wisdom you mama's have is amazing and so inspiring. I love planning events, I love my crochet, I love spending time with my family and somewhere in all this I manage to work full time.

My question is where is the work life balance? It seems that my head is always spinning... it is spinning to keep up my with the house work, meals, spending quality time with the honey (even though all he watches is sports sometimes) and making time to enjoy my little girl. In addition to this I feel this strong desire for success... I know I have it in me but which direction do I want to focus on?

I am sure many mama's who want to stay close to their families have gone through this decision at some point and I would love your thoughts. How did you create your success? What were your road blocks? Was it worth it?

Yours Truly Hot Mama

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DIY Ideas to try!

So if you don't know me that well then you probably don't know that I am a pretty crafty person. I am constantly making new things and keeping myself busy with crochet, design, painting, jewelry, hot mama network and my actual full time job as a mortgage specialist (maybe that's not crafty but if I was crafty all the time I don't think I'd be too inspired to do all that I do).

Recently a local Edmonton business motivated me to share some fun crafty projects you can try at home so enjoy!

DIY PLUSH OWL

These super cute owls are the perfect addition to a little girls room or as a gift.

DIY URBAN CORSAGE

These are gorgeous accessories you can easily make yourself with scraps from previous craft projects. Wouldn't these be a cute give away for a little girls birthday.

DIY HOODED TOWN

I love these and they are also what inspired this post. DIY Mommy shares how to make these hooded towns by using regular towels. It's easy and the kids will love it!

DIY FASCINATORS

I am a little obsessed with fascinators lately... especially the kind that are on headbands. Here are so really cute ideas and instructions to make your own fascinators

Happy crafting!

Love & Cherish Your Family

This week has been terribly hard for myself and my family.
We have lost a beloved uncle on my husbands side of the family. A man that made every child feel amazing... like they were the most important person in the world to him.  The funeral was held Thursday and it was so lovely. So many people had such fond memories & stories. To say goodbye was difficult but it was so wonderful to see the love that this one person had created.

That same day I was given the worst news I could imagine... my 15 year old cousin who has been fighting cancer since February 2011 was told he had two weeks to live. Can you imagine the shock I was in, first from just leaving a funeral and now I was going to lose my 15 year old cousin to cancer.

My family & I decided the very next day that we were going to drive down to Calgary and visit him in the Calgary's Children's Hospital.  On the way down we were told to "HURRY"...

I cannot begin to tell you how I feel about cancer other than it is the most horrible evil thing I have ever witnessed. I am not going to go into details, but that day (not 2 weeks later but that very next day Friday, September 16th at 2:20pm) my poor young cousin who fought so hard lost his battle with cancer. Such an amazing boy with so much more life to live, so much will to go on is my inspiration for everything I do going forward.

This week has been terribly hard for myself and my family.
We have learned that there are no second chances. That you must live life to it's fullest and love and cherish all the big and little moments we have because you never know what is planned for us. Every day is a joy, remember to smile, laugh at your little ones newest funny faces, take time to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with family and friends. Do whatever makes you happy because all those little moments make a big difference in your life when you add them all up into a whole. Life is so precious and family is the best gift we have been given we must remember to appreciate everything we have always.

Love you with all my heart my little cousin.
xoxo
Day by day...

Crafty & Fun Booth Displays

We are coming up very quickly on trade show season and I know there are a lot of shows coming up in the next few months... Some the weekend after the other.

I thought a great way to help you prepare for them would be to do a little searching and find a few of my favorite craft displays. Some a little more work than others :)

The one above I just loved! This obviously is for a way bigger trade show but there are some really great ideas you can pull from it.  Everything in the booth coordinates and directs the eye exactly where the designer wants you to look. For example the seat, made in the patterns available for the handbags and there just so happens to be swatches right there for you to gravitate to. 
Another thing I like is it is about making the customer feel welcome rather than a hard sell on just product. She has used frames to display the fabric as well as help the eye travel across what could potentially look like your room.

Onto a little more crafty displays...

Using Found Items
I like this vintage trunk display which works perfectly for showing cards and paper. So easy and creates an interesting display that is sure to bring in some interested shoppers.

Using Tones
I am a big fan of using color! It is easy and helps keep your table looking clean and organized. This display is so easy but yet your eye goes right to the jewelry. And it looks easy to try them on and inviting. You can pick colors from your logo, your favorite colors or colors that go with your collection. Fun and simple.

Creating a great display booth is easy and fun but you need to do your homework. Google booth display ideas and see what you can find. It doesn't have to be for your product just look for inspiration. If it grabs your eye chances are it will grab your customers eye too!

Have a lovely day thanks for reading!

GIVEAWAY #3

Well it has been a while since I have posted so I think to apologize and also share with you one of our Hot Mama members I think we need to do a giveaway!

Giveaway #3 is sponsored by Play & Learn Toys! You have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to use on her website for the toy of your choice. Thank you Narissa for so generously donating to our give giveaway AND our 2 gift baskets that are going to 2 little boys who are fighting against cancer. Narissa recently moved to Sherwood Park so please welcome her by liking her page and checking out the great toys she has to offer.

Here are the rules:
1. You must be a follower of our blog to participate ~ Which is great for you since we will be doing plenty more giveaways.
2. You must LIKE Play and Learn Toys & Dimples Baby Accessories on facebook and come back here and post that you did so... this will get you 1 entry into our draw
3. If you tag Play and Learn Toys & Dimples Baby Accessories on your facebook business page (with a link- this is important we need to see the link) you will get an additional entry!

 

Play & learn Toys is slowly expanding to bring unique, quality brands with a focus on European toys. Toys made in Europe are known for it's quality & design and they also have an extremely high safety standard. They are adding brands like Vilac, Sevi, Erzi and others this Spring.