West Elm Photo Booth Pics

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Louise

I originally wanted to hire a local photobooth company to take pics of all the guests, but that was well over budget. So I decided to do it myself!

West Elm put together a lil’ vignette and I snapped pics of all the guests showing some love to their papas during the Father’s Day Event this past weekend…

Apparently the West Elm peeps + I had way too much fun taking pics =P

If you were at the event and would like to download a copy to give to your Pops, just click on the corresponding number to your picture below…right click…copy…save & upload to your favorite online photo center.

Easy!

* All pics are 4 x 6 in. and of high resolution. If you need a higher resolution or have questions bout your pic, jes email me!

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West Elm Father’s Day Crafting Event

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Louise

The Father’s Day Crafting Event at West Elm San Diego, this past Saturday, was a hit!

There were about 16 kids along w/ their parents, the West Elm crew and some of my family who came to help.

We had crafts, treats, free goodies, a photobooth and a raffle giveaway that was worth approximately $250!

Everyone had a great time and I was able to bring a lil’ bit of the San Diego community together in one space….

Thank you to everyone who attended the event, to my family who came and helped out, my sweet daughter Annalise for being my right hand girl, my friend Chanelle for printing the placemats for me, all my great Sponsors and a big THANK YOU to the peeps at West Elm (Jeremy + Alana) for helping put this event together! I had a great time and I can’t wait to do something FUN again in the future!

[ Photobooth Pics will be available later in the day for FREE download ]

Project Brown Bag – Breathe

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Louise

Every month I host Project Brown Bag I’m amazed and in awe.

For the month of May, the prompt I gave to Eden, Paige and Lisa was “breathe.”

And this is how these 3 lovely ladies interpreted the word in their own ways…

The sewing detail, the use of that metallic woven material, the die cuts and the ink/paint…this piece truly has my heart!

Do you want IN on the next Project Brown Bag round?! Hop on over to Art Social w/ Erin! She’s hosting June + you WANT to be a part of it!!

Be The Student

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Louise

As much as I love to learn new things, I tend to be a bit stubborn….borderline pretentious sometimes. Case in point…my sewing machine.

As most of you know, it broke last week.

[ insert heavy sobbing here ]

I took it to the repair shop and the cost to fix it was almost the same as its value. More sobbing. So after a lil’ coercion on my part…or crying…I talked the hubbs into helping me get a new sewing machine…an even better one.

I got a Bernina 330…and I can’t tell you enough how great this thing is! It sews so smoothly…like butter! Not too loud, and the things it can do are endless! Fast forward to the services I got with my purchase…free service for 2 years + FREE sewing lessons!

Oh yea!!

I taught a few sewing classes during my stint as a design teacher + I went to design school…never needed/wanted additional sewing lessons. I had it covered!

WRONG!

As I sat during my sewing lesson yesterday, I realized how much I didn’t know. And it made me think how foolish I was, to think I knew everything. I also felt a lil sorrow at the thought that I wasn’t able to give my previous students even more knowledge than they deserved.

Never believe that you’ve learned everything. Open yourself up to education…in every aspect of your life.

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Got something happy or inspirational to say today?! Join the Be Happy Linkup w/ Erin form Art Social today!

Watercolor Summer Series

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Louise

My weekends are never spent slept in….you guys know that!

I find so much joy in the quiet + the serenity of a calm house during the early hours of the morning….when the girls and the hubbs are asleep and I’m able to have some me time.

This is when I’m most inspired + compelled to paint and sketch.

And now that summer is upon us and the girls will officially be done w/ school tomorrow, I can finally have more blissful mornings of creativity.

Yay!

So every Wednesday this summer, I’m dedicating a series to Watercolor. I’ve fallen in love w/ watercolor and I want to explore myself through this medium. Discover new subjects, focal points, and technique. And most importantly, I want to hone in on me, my style and what kind of a watercolor artist Louise really is.

Starting with this one…

Father’s Day Event Goodies

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Louise

Preparation for Saturday’s Father’s Day event at West Elm is going real great!

I was able to reach out to some friends + local businesses for sponsorships and scored some really great stuff for y’all!

And now, my favorite part! Gathering all the fun stuff + putting the goodie bags together…

My sponsors are really the best…

[ Prodigy Dance Co., Raechel Denise Photography, Skratch Catering Company, Starbucks, Yogurtland, We Love Citrus, The Box Dance Studio, FrouFrou & Company, Stacy Alberto Fine Art Portrait Photography ]

We’ve got lots of great SCHWAGG inside the goodie bags + the Raffle Giveaway Basket alone, is valued at $150!

Are you coming?!!

[ all logos are property of their respective companies ]

FREE Father’s Day Card Printable

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Louise

Have you RSVP’d to the Father’s Day Event yet?!

There’s still space left! Email me or call the store (619) 543-0117

Not in San Diego, or can’t make it to the event…and still haven’t gotten anything for that dad in your life?? Don’t worry, I got you covered!

Two FREE printable Father’s Day cards….

Bowtie Card.

Adjective Card.

Just click on the link to the card that you like, print (cardstock preferred), cut, fold in half + add your own greeting/salutation.

Both cards fit an A6 (4.75 in x 6.5 in) envelope, but you don’t need an envelope.

Keep it simple + full of sentiment….dad’s love that!!

Just Ask…

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Louise

This whole West Elm event has really been testing my “go-get em” abilities.

And I’m realizing….I have far more gumption than I thought.

Yesterday…on a whim…I dragged the girls to Starbucks with me and walked right up to the manager and asked him if he could donate anything to the Laid Off Mom Father’s Day Event.

I’ve been wanting to ask Starbucks for a week now, but I’ve always kinda shied away…cuz there’s Starbucks (this huge corporate company) + here’s lil’ ol’ Louise (Miss Laid Off Mom Blogger)…they’re not gonna go for it right?!!

WRONG!

The manager was very gracious + he offered up some goodies on a silver platter.

[ insert victory dance here ]

He couldn’t offer 20 lil’ somethings for the goodie bags (which was what I was asking for), but he’s donating a mug, some coffee + a few Starbucks tchotchke’s for a raffle giveaway!

Isn’t that awesome?!

That experience alone gave me the confidence to hit up a few other companies. And I realized in that moment, that everything is within my reach.

All I have to do is ask….

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Got something happy or inspirational to say? Join me + the Be Happy Linkup crew!

Laid Off Mom + West Elm Event

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Louise

If you’re in the San Diego area + have kids, or are babysitting, come to Laid Off Mom’s FIRST Offline Event! It’s totally FREE!

The kids will be making some fun gifts for the papas & there’ll be yummy goodies for everyone!

RSVP Today!!

This is a community focused event, so if you are a local San Diego business owner or blogger, shoot me an EMAIL if you’d like to be a part of the goodie bag + PROMOTE your fabulous biz!

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Also, please visit my friend Joy’s new Photography site! { Frock Photography }

Today’s her official LAUNCH + she’s offering new clients 25% off during this first week of business!

Give Joy some LOVE!

Bing SEO Class Recap

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Louise

I was able to score a seat to yesterday’s FREE Alt Summit Class, “The ABC’s of SEO.” And boy was it mind boggling, to say the least!

There was a lot of information…a TON. Enough to make you second guess your blogging and marketing intentions. And I was just not going to allow myself to go down that road.

So instead, I decided to take away bits + pieces of knowledge here and there, and not go CRAY over everything….

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is not an overnight thing and you gotta keep at it. Don’t be lazy.

2. SEO first, then content – NOPE…not here, at Laid Off Mom. Yea, this may probably get me more followers & recognition faster, but it’s not how I do biz here! Every post on Laid Off Mom is original. My heart and soul goes into everything I do and talk about here…you won’t get anything less than that!

3. Find your niche + your voice – MOST DEFINITELY! Find out what you do best, where you fit in, and “speak” in an authentic voice. Hone in on you.

4. Socialize. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc… get out there and meet new people! Say hello, and you’ll get a HELLO back!

5. Be informed. Know where your readers are hailing from, how long they stay on your blog/website, what their demographics and behavior patterns are, how many hits you get a day, etc.. Do your homework so you know where you stand among the crowd.

A few free resources to help you stay informed:

Bing – Webmaster Tools

Google Analytics

Alexa

Bottom line, YES, by all means! Learn SEO and apply it to your site to make it more user and search friendly. But DON’T prioritize it above your content….in my opinion. People like to see originality, humanity, and hear a genuine voice. You can’t give them you, if you center your posts around keywords and SEO.

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