Tree for All :: Space Needle

Have good times this season at the Space Needle all while giving back to the community!

Sounds like a win - win to me!

Your charity will receive $5 back for every Adult ticket and $2.50 back for every Senior or Youth ticket, purchased at the ticket booth or online with a tree for all voucher.

So, pick your favorite charity from this list, print out thier voucher and visit the needle anytime between November 12 - December 24, 2008.

Why not make a day of it! Go ride the carousel or have fun ice skating (in my case falling on my butt) at the Starbucks Ice Rink during Winterfest.

Urban Unveiled Fall 2008

Once again Urban Unveiled was amazing. I attended this event earlier in the year so I was super jazzed when i found out they were having another one. If you are a bride in the NW, a wedding vendor or just a wedding enthusiast this is a must see event. The decorations alone are worth seeing, not to mention the good foods, the Luly Yang fashion show, amazing vendors and the swag isn't bad either.

After the fashion show they have a raffle of about 20 great prizes, this time I won a prize, a SWEET prize at that! It's a brunch cruise for up to 20 people on Waterways Cruises valued at approx $1600, I told you it was sweet! I can't wait to plan that, I'm thinking a girls only birthday cruise with mimosa's lot's of mimosa's!

So I was smart this time and brought a camera! I had a blast capturing all the amazing details!

The program of vendors/ Resource guide

Lot's of lovely flowers

Doesn't it look yummy? It smelt good too!

I was too far up to get any good fashion show pictures but check out the slideshow on Jeff Laplante's blog they are awesome!

As you can see it's a great event. I look forward to attending them for a long time. You'll have to stay tuned to see more info from some of the great vendor's I had a chance to chat with.
And my cruise info and pictures later on in the year, So fun! =)

Walk Now For Autism 08 - Seattle

Last Saturday my friend Cathy, her daughter Calmerin, Chase and I all took part in the Walk Now For Autism walk. Despite the rain and strong winds ton's of people turned out to walk the gorgeous University of Washington campus. Sponsor's and walker's worked hard all year to raise funding and awareness for Autism Speaks, together we raised $250,000 of the $350,000 Seattle goal.

Raising funds and awareness for Autism is super important!!!!


Did you know Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in 1 in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls?


" The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown." .... did you read that right ... "no known cause or cure"


This is incredibly alarming and should be a hot topic on everyone's mind whether you know someone inflicted with autism or not. This disorder inflicts more US children than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Although autism is certainly not a new disorder it is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability. Why is this? Doesn't it make you mad that we don't know? Something has to be to blame for the rise and I want to know what it is!

"67 children are diagnosed per day - A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes"

"Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade. Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases"

Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 8,000 / Funding: $394 million
Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 20,000 / Funding: $175 million

Autism: Affects 1 in 150 / Funding: $42 million

Do you see those numbers!!!! How does that possibly make any sense? Why is that acceptable to America? I do not have a child with autism or even have a child close to me with it, yet I am outraged by this! We as parents, we as a nation owe it to the children to speak up for autism!

This is why funding and awareness are so undeniably crucial.

Walkers

Sticker on my jeans ;)

Me

Cathy

Look at these cute lil' walkers!

After the walk I got a ton of great pictures of these two. Stay tuned for those!

Speak up for Autism!

Join a walk in your city

Make a donation

Or at least keep the buzz going, talk about it, blog about it, bring awareness to it because without it our children will continue to be at risk!

Helpful link's: Jenny McCarthy's - Generation Rescue :: Autism Society of America

One thing down, 523 things left to do!

Okay so maybe it's not really 523 things but man it seems like it! I am tired of being so busy lately, I have so much to do and a lot of cool things to share with you guys but I'm fighting to find time to do it all. Hopefully by this weekend I'll be all caught up. The one thing I did complete though is my Business Launch Party invites, Hooray!

My friend Cathy and I decided to do a joint party/open house since we have both been building our business's for the past year. I can not tell you how great it is to have someone to be on this journey with! It will be so exciting to have this launch together, be there to encourage each other further, bounce idea's back and forth and then eventually see us both with successful ventures.

I've spent the last 4 hours designing these babies and just sent them to the printer's. They are 5 X 7 double sided linen postcards once they get here and we spruce up the envelopes I'll take a picture and show you.

For now here is the...

Front

Back

How do you think they turned out?

It's kind of hard to read the words online but in print they will be nice. I'm pleased with them. I still have a lot of other marketing pieces to do, the list is never ending!

I have lot's of pictures to post in the next week including a really great family shoot so check back in ;)

WOW... Jack Davis!

Just got home from a evening seminar with Jack Davis. It was a jammed pack three hours full of some great photoshop tips and tricks! I kind of liked the shorter three hour set as oppose to the five hour bellies and babies and Captivated by light I went to earlier this year. The cheaper price didn't hurt either ;)

I felt like I got enough good information without sitting forever while my butt gets numb. Don't get me wrong I got great info out of the other two but this one just had a faster flow which I kind of dug. It helped having some lovely ladies to attend with, Sara Montgomery, Jenny Joy Heck, Dinea Norrell, Julie Watts and Julie's cool friend Laurie all were there to keep me company!

There were some awesome "mind bending" moments as Jack demo'd all the cool tricks and shortcuts you can take to enhance your images. Some were so easy I couldn't believe I hadn't figured that out before. His tips will really help me speed up my workflow and maybe make some "WOW" images of my own. He also briefly showed off some of the new feature's in Lightroom 2 that will be coming out soon. Looks really awesome I might just have to upgrade!

It's really fun learning photoshop even if there are certain elements I wouldn't use myself it's nice having the knowledge on how it's done. Especially when it comes to being able to recognize the processes others take in creating their final product. Looking at someones work and having an idea for how they #1 took the image but then how the achieved the final result through editing is a great way to learn.

I would definitely suggest attending this seminar with Jack if he comes to your area! I also here his books are pretty darn good, although I haven't had a chance to check them out myself. Can't wait till I can get some time to play around with the stuff I learned tonight!

Off to bed.. it's almost midnight!!!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

On my way to the airport off to sip wine, take pictures and RELAX! I have a massage booked at 2:00 in the "Plaza". Doesn't using the "Plaza"make everything sound so grand? "I'm having lunch at the plaza" hahah when I went to NY I was so jazzed to have lunch at the plaza just so I could say that. Unfortunately it was being remodeled into luxury apartment's so I wasn't able to join the cool club of people that lunch at the plaza. Anyhow I gotta get running plane leaves in an hour and a half... I'll make a toast for you my friend's that won't we sitting in gorgeous weather sampling Cabernet Sauvignon ;) See you on the flip side!

Urban Unveiled

Thursday night I attended the Urban Unveiled event at Benaroya Hall. I received two free tickets from Clare at Clare Marie Photography. Upon arriving I was pleasantly surprised, the cocktail party/trade show was truly sophisticated and stylish as advertised. I always get a little nervous when it comes to bridal events, they are usually a lot of hype but end up disappointing. This one was anything but disappointing, if you are a bride or just enjoy all things wedding this event is thee event to attend. I was impressed by pretty much everything from the elegant paper goods provided by Little Q Designs, the classy set up's by Rented elegance, even the music from NiteLite Entertainment was right on point. My friend Cathy and I had a good time checking out the vendor booths (which were not trying to pressure sell you like other bridal shows), sampling food from some great local catering companies (Tom Douglas and Wolfgang Puck just to name a few!) and sipping champagne.

My favorite vendors were:

Clara French where you can get a custom made cake stand made in custom colors to match any event or taste. Don't wanna buy? You can rent too!

Sugar Rush bakeries mini cupcakes... I had two, one mocha & one lemon YUM!!!

Lumiere videographers who can shoot in super 8 which I Love Love Love! I stopped to talk with Jaro, he was super nice and I got the impression that working with him and his team would be a wonderful experience. Check out their demo's!

The main event was the Luly Yang Couture Fashion Show. Luly showed three collections which ranged from classic styles to cute cocktail style dresses to some real concept style Tiffany blue dresses and even a couple sliver sparkly numbers. Overall I enjoyed the show I did feel that some of the items didn't look very finished especially for someone with Luly's notoriety. A few of the garments were wrinkled and more than a few had crooked or very noticeable seams. And I know fashion, I mean I've watched every single episode of Project Runway! ;) Picture me judging every garment just as if I was Micheal or Nina! Hahaha

The night ended with the give away raffle of some fabulous prizes, which I didn't win but congrats to those who did because there was some great ones! All in all I had a great time even despite being harassed by a hottie policeman and feeling like I had a hangover from the mix of mini cupcakes and champagne it was good times!

Event Programs and Vendor Catalog

Taking with my Cybershot.. not too shabby!