Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Last year, a friend suggested via email that I should get on Pinterest and that I would love it. At the time, I had little to no interest in yet another social media site. I could barely keep up with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. A few months ago, I ran into the same friend and she once again insisted that I should get on Pinterest. Her enthusiasm for Pinterest was contagious. This time, during our face to face meeting, I did agree to at least check it out.
I was warned that Pinterest is addictive and it clearly is. I don’t care! The endless stream of beautiful images on travel destinations, fashion, nail polish, cute pets, quotes, flower arrangements and the best wedding ideas can keep me captivated for hours. After a few months of creating boards and pinning, Pinterest is fully integrated into my life. And I love it. What does this all have to do with living life beautifully organized. Actually a lot.
Approached strategically, Pinterest can be a wonderful organizational tool. Party recipes, gift ideas, travel outfits and vacation destinations can all be organized into boards for future reference. Here are just a few ways that Pinterest has helped over the past week:
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is next Tuesday, just 5 short days from today. There are several theories on why February is the month of love. One legend has St. Valentine in prison and falling in love with his jailer’s daughter. Before being put to death, he wrote her a letter and signed it “Your Valentine.” This all goes way back to the Middle Ages and so this isn’t a new “holiday” solely created for the purpose of selling roses, candy and greeting cards. Personally, I believe we should have more days celebrating love, gratitude and appreciation. Valentine’s Day is a good reminder to say I love you to the special people in our lives. So I fully embrace it.
If you haven’t given much thought to Valentine’s Day, here is a plan for getting organized and ready:
Thursday: Purchase and mail your love notes and Valentine’s Day cards. If you wait much longer the cards and letters will not arrive in time. Handwritten notes are an extra special touch and don’t cost much.
Friday: Decide where you will be having dinner and who will be invited. Make dinner reservations if you decide to eat out. An option is to celebrate early and have your celebration on Monday night. Restaurants will be less crowded and this leaves Tuesday night to enjoy with the entire family.
Saturday: No Valentine’s Day celebration would be complete without Lava Cake for dessert. Making these in advance is a real time saver. The cakes can be placed in the oven to be warmed right before serving.
Sunday: If ordering flowers is on your to-do list, order them on Sunday. Tip: Buy from a local florist in the city where the flowers will be delivered. You will get a much nicer arrangement and you will know who to call if the flowers don’t meet your expectations.
Monday: Get crafty and create new family traditions. Buy red and pink construction paper and cut out heart shapes. On each heart write a Valentine’s Day message. “Why my child is the best,” for example. This can also work for husband, boyfriend, mom, sister and girlfriends. Use lots of glitter! Place the paper hearts in lunchboxes, briefcases or purses on Tuesday.
Tuesday: Happy Valentine’s Day
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Just 17 days before Christmas! It can be overwhelming: shopping, baking, parties, decorating, and Christmas cards. If you are feeling a bit out of control right around now, don’t fret. It all can get done and it starts with paper and pen. There is something oddly soothing and comforting about creating a to-do list written on paper. Maybe it is because once you commit it to paper it becomes real and focused. Now promise yourself to tackle three items per day. Your goal should be realistic so as not to get discouraged.
One of the biggest time drains is shopping for gifts. As a busy entrepreneur, I rarely have the luxury of shopping for hours. I shop online for the majority of my gifts. It is fast, convenient and I can sit around in my cozy sweats. The process is made easier by listing all the people that I want to buy gifts for. Do not forget the mailman, housekeeper or hairdresser (all the people that make life easier and beautiful!). One of my best time saving tools is to create a theme around my gift giving. For example, it might be beauty, travel, organizing or books. Then I target gifts in the selected theme for everyone on my list. Do a little research on promotional codes to ensure you get the best deals and prices. Buying multiple items from the same company often saves on shipping. December 16 is national free shipping day and over 2,000 merchants are participating.
Christmas and the holidays are all about enjoying time with friends and family. With a little planning now, it can be a relaxing and joyful season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
![rDSC_5299[3]](http://girlpowerhour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/rDSC_52993-150x150.jpg "rDSC_5299[3]")
We are so glad that you came out to the sold-out “Perfect Pair”. It was truly a wonderful event!
We want to thank Willows Lodge for hosting, Chef Bobby for providing the delicious eats and comical , Tory Burch for sponsoring, New York Cupcakes for the charming display of alcohol-infused sweets (yum!), Pearl Vodka, Kathy Johanson of O Wines for providing wine and being our featured speaker, DiamondWave for giving away beautiful diamond earrings, Carita for providing relaxing eye treatments, Amber Chenoweth Photography for capturing it all on film and all who donated swag and door prizes.
The Swag Bags and Door Prizes were particular decedent this time around with the bags being worth over $250 each. Each bag included a full-size RevitaLash ($125 value) along with goodies from Sweet Talk, Salon Dewi, DiamondWave.com, Pop Chips, Willows Lodge, HARNN, Decleor Skincare, Go Smile, RevitaLash, Garnier Fructis, Saltworks, Blinc Mascara, Gene Juarez, DNA2050 jeans, Bling Bling, Wild Ginger, Luna bars, Tory Burch, Dr. Steven Thain, Renew Acupuncture, Wild Ginger and more.
Door Prizes were also something to write home about. With the theme being “pairs,” we aimed to procure items that came in pairs and included a pair of DNA 2050 Jeans, a pair of tickets to Luna Fest, a pair of tickets to “Kooza” Cirque de Soliel, a Tory Burch tote, a Do Not Disturb Couples Package at Willows, Chriporatic Gift Basket, Wine & Wine Stopper & 2 Wine Glasses from American Cancer Society, Willows Chef Bobby cooking class for 8, Acupuncture Facial, Private Pilates Session for 2, Necklace from Freedom Stones, $30 Gift Card to NY Cupcake, AND…. a pair of Diamond Earrings from DiamondWave ($400 value)!
Events are held on the third Thursdays of the month in Seattle and on the first Thursday of the month on the Eastside, unless otherwise noted. Event themes and details are subject to change but please save the date for several exciting events in 2010!
February 18, 2010 – Boost Your Wardrobe, Boost Your Biz at Banana Republic
Banana Republic will be shutting down the entire store for this special event hosted by Q13′s morning news anchor, Lily Jang. Nominate yourself between January 25th and February 11th to win a makeover worth over $1000 courtesy of Gene Juarez, Urban Yoga Spa, Decleor, Divine Airbrush Tan and more. 10 deserving business women will reveal their new look at the event as part of our style trend fashion show. Enjoy appetizers from Il Fornaio, cupcakes, O Wines and Pearl Cocktails. Swag bags for the first 50 through the door and Door Prizes from Cirque de Soleil. Sponsored by Market Optical.
March 11, 2010 – A Perfect Pair at Willows Lodge
Celebrate Women in Wine Month with wine pairings from O Wines and special appetizers from Willows Lodge. Door Prizes will include things that come in “pairs” including a pair of diamond earrings from Diamond Wave and a pair of jeans from DNA 2050. Bring a pair of new or gently worn shoes to support our 3rd Annual Soles 4 Souls shoe drive.
April 15, 2010 – Event TBD
May 20, 2010 – emPOWER Your Inner Rockstar at The Hard Rock Cafe
Walk the red carpet into Seattle’s newest hotspot. More details to come!
June 17, 2010 – Girl Power Hour at PNK Ultra Lounge in Pacific Place
Seattle goes posh with an ultra lounge like no other and Girl Power Hour takes you there. Prepare to sip designer cocktails and nosh on savory bites at the most stylish locale around. Word on the street has it that this place spares no expense when catering to the “female demographic.” Sounds like our kind of place!
July 21, 2010 – Savor Summer in Seattle!
Every Summer we like to slow down a little bit, head outside and enjoy the weather. Last year we hosted an event on the back deck of Salty’s on Alki. Expect more of the same this year at a “hot spot” yet to be announced.
September 23, 2010 – Glambition 3 Year Anniversary Party. Prepare for Social Glam!
The Girl Power Hour Anniversary party is not to be missed. It’s the one time we allow men to attend our events and every year it gets bigger and more Glam than the year before. Last year we removed all the furniture out of FOX Sports Grill, brought in intelligent lighting, lounge furniture, a 25 foot pink carpet and an entire lounge filled with over $140,000 worth of jewelry, accessories and hand bags from Avelle – The New Bag, Borrow or Steal. Stay tuned for more info on what’s sure to be one of the most stylish events of the year.
October 21, 2010 – Pink Power Hour Masquerade for Breast Cancer Awareness
This will be our 3rd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness event. As women, we feel that it’s important to highlight the fight against something that could affect any one of us. We’ve worked with The American Cancer Society and Get Hitched Give Hope over the past two years to support this cause.
October 28, 2010 – Eastside Event, TBD
December 2, 2010 – Eastside Event, TBD
December 9, 2010 – Christmas Cocktail Party and Gift Drive for Jubilee Women’s Center
In 2009 we held our first ever Christmas Party and Gift Drive for Jubilee Women’s Center. It was such a success all-around that we’ve decided to do it again this year. Save the date!
Our first Eastside event of 2010 blew us away – more than double the attendees that we expected showed up to toast to “Transform You” with fitness tips from David Barton Gym and wine from our partners, O Wine. We packed nearly 250 women into the swank David Barton Gym in The Bravern in Bellevue – holy cow, wow! We’re so excited to see our spirit of connecting women take-off in Seattle’ sister city across the bridge.
If you think networking in a gym can’t be chic – well then you haven’t stepped foot in the David Barton Gym. Everything from the lighting, to music, gym members and employees (especially the employees) are hot, HOT and hotter. Us girls couldn’t stop drooling over the trainers walking by (see pic to right). And we were all treated to one of the best motivation speeches I’ve ever heard from the Vice President of Training for David Barton Gym at The Bravern, Mark Cohen. Mark brushed aside the need for a microphone to speak to our room of more than 200 women and proceeded to shout his words of encouragement to us. Darcy, our Style Director was overhead saying, “The Power Team is a little afraid & a little turned on.” True story. That man has power – imagine what he could do to your fitness routine! Pssst – by the way – if you go into David Barton Gym to sign up for a membership as a Girl Power Hour member, they’ll give you a special deal for being part of the chicest women’s networking event in all of Seattle! (We don’t lie). 
![DBGym_GirlPowerHour[2]](http://girlpowerhour.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DBGym_GirlPowerHour2.jpg "DBGym_GirlPowerHour[2]")
We’re kicking off the new year in seam-busting style at David Barton Gym in the Bravern in Bellevue on Thursday, January 7th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.
Learn how to transform your body with signature techniques and tips from David Barton himself.Additional trainers will also be on-site to answer questions on how to acheive your fitness resolutions over a glass of wine from O Wines and networking with your galpals and other fabulous women.
Get a swag bag full of goodies, indulge in all of the scene-setting style that GPH and David Barton Gym have to offer and enter to win door prizes from Neiman Marcus, Trophy Cupcakes, Avelle and David Barton Gym, including a 6 month membership with training to DBG!
The Red Door Spa at the Bravern hosted 50 girls for a very intimate and exclusive Eastside Girl Power Hour event on Wednesday, December 2nd.
Guests entered the spa through an appropriately colored red door that led into the lobby and retail area for check-in and swag bags before being guided down a long and elegant hallway for wine, cake and various spa treatments. The two hour event focused on pampered networking that led the girls to different stations around the spa. Guests sipped O Wines, nibbled Red Velvet and Carrot cake from Kias Best Cakes and received complimentary hair consultations, polish changes, makeup applications…
