Life's Just Beachy

So, did you all get a chance to read the intro post to our monthly Pinterest Party? If not, you'll want to go here to read it. It has all of the details on what to do and how to play!

Are you excited to find out what our first monthly theme is? I'm excited to tell you! But first, let me tell you why I picked it.

My Mom in Kauai, June 2007

Because, well, Life's Just Beachy....

This is my mom standing on one of her favorite places, the beach in Kauai. My dad took it 5 years ago, in June 2007 during our last family vacation together. I LOVE this picture of my mom, it's one of my favorites. When I think about her, this is how I picture her. It was her dream to one day retire to the islands of Hawaii with my dad. We lost mom September 10, 2011.

Which leads to this....

Source: irenita.tumblr.com via Irenita on Pinterest

And, I believe it's true.

We gather at the beach for fun...to laugh, chase the waves, to build sand castles.
We gather at the beach for reflection...to gaze into the water, to read, to pray.
We gather at the beach for sport...to run, to surf, to swim, to play.
We gather at the beach for celebration...for weddings, renewals, graduation parties.
We gather at the beach for togetherness...vacations, bonfires, handheld walks with your love.

We've all had our moments of Sweat, Tears and The Sea.

So join me in celebrating life....on the beach

because

"Life's Just Beachy"

A year of Salt Water- Tears....Sweat...Ending in the Sea....  Charleston, SC June 2012

It's a Pinterest Party!

Come and Party with us...Pinterest Style!

If you're anything like me, you've become ADDICTED to Pinterest! It's become my "go to" resource for finding inspiration for parties, crafts, recipes and sometimes just to have some comic relief (see below)!

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Lolla on Pinterest

Since everyone seems to always be planning something, I thought it would be fun to help a friend out & do a little planning ourselves. To make it fun, you can win a little prize just for dreaming and creating! So put on your creativity caps, make sure that pointer finger is primed for 'pinning' and let's create some inspiration boards!

Here's how it works: 

The 1st week of every month I'll be hosting a Pinterest Party with a new theme revealed right here on our blog. You'll have a full week to create the coolest, most unique and incredibly awesome board around the monthly theme. The board with the most Repins, Comments, Likes (total number all added up) at the end of the week will win a $35 Gift Certificate to Juju's Tutus. The Gift Certificates can be combined, so if you win 2 months you'll have $70! The GC will be good for 6 months from the issue date. A little birdy also told me that the cool chic over at Makmay Designs will kick in a gift certificate to her shop too if your winning board happens to have a Makmay item included! 

Intrigued? Good! 

Here are the guidelines (and some helpful tips): 

• First, make sure you follow me on Pinterest! If you need an invite, send me an email.
• Go to your profile & create a new board using our Monthly Theme.
• Visit my Etsy shop Juju's Tutus or my Custom Flower Girl Tutu Dresses Board and find an item that goes along with the theme & PIN it on your board. Make sure to tag me, @Julie Read in your comment so I know you're playing along
• A great board will have 20-25 unique and fun ideas.
• Make sure to make your comments engaging so people will want to repin them!
• Comment below the Monthly Theme Blog Post with the link to your Board so I know to check it out!
• Feel free to share it on our Juju's Tutus Facebook Page as well. The more people who check out your board, the better!
• Questions? Shoot me an email!
• Have FUN!

Here's an example of a board that I quickly put together: 

Pinterest Party Tangled Style

Make sure to check back on the FIRST of EVERY MONTH for our new theme!

Custom Flower Girl Dresses

I am in love with what I do. Truly. In LOVE. There are a handful of people who can genuinely say that and I am so thankful that I can count myself as one. But really, when you get pictures like this, how could you NOT love what you do?

We're going on our 4th year of doing what we do and each year is better and business is bigger than before. Over the past 18 months we have fully launched into the Bridal Industry and are specializing in custom made OOAK Flower Girl Dresses designed by the brides themselves (with a little bit of help from me of course!). My brides are AMAZING to work with! In the almost 3oo dresses I've created I don't think I've ever had 2 weddings exactly the same. It's fabulous!

I love seeing the pictures that my brides send after their Big Day. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

 

If you are planning your Big Day and would like to have an original Juju's Tutus Empire Tutu Dress custom made to compliment your wedding, I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at julie@jujustutus.com. Don't forget to check us out on FB too- www.facebook.com/jujustutus

Welcome 2010!

Yes, I realize that I am a HORRIBLE blogger! I just checked and my last post was in August right before the "Chick-a-dee Fever of 2009" kicked off!

I was definitely underprepared for the craziness that Halloween costumes can bring to the tutu making world. It was absolutely fantastic and kept me very happily working away! Becky from Makmay Designs and I teamed up to create a Chick-a-dee Costume that was very cute and simple and it landed us in an Etsy Finds Email blast that was international! It was HUGE honor and something that Becky and I never dreamt that we would be included in (but secretly hoped and prayed nightly!!).

Even though our little costume was oh so cute, I know that our outfit never would have been picked if it wasn't for the beautiful little model that we used and the wonderful picture that was shot by Tracey Emmett from En Love Photography! So, THANK YOU for making our picture so beautiful!!

Just in case you didn't get to see it, here's our infamous Chick-a-dee!

I will admit that it was crazy to start planning a Christmas line in the beginning of October and holding our shoot well before I even purchased my Halloween Candy, but it seems that in this business you always have to be 8 weeks ahead or you simply miss out.

Here's one of my favorite shots from our Holiday Shoot....

So Chick-a-dee Fever came and went and then we jumped head first into creating beautiful Christmas and Winter tutus for our wonderful clients and their little princesses! I cannot even begin to tell you how many adorable fan photos I received. Each one put a huge smile on my face! I LOVE seeing the joy that spreads across a little face when she puts on her tutu for the first time and twirls. It is PRICELESS! You can always check out my Facebook Fan Page and see the great Fan Photos there. While you are there, become a Fan and upload some of your photos too!

My husband forced me (OK, well he didn't literally force me but it felt like it!) to take 2 weeks off during the holidays to recoup and get the creative juices flowing again. We took our family to Disneyland to celebrate Taylor's 16th birthday, Amaya's 2nd birthday and also create some lasting family memories. It was so much fun and definitely a much needed break. I guess it did what it was supposed to because even on my vacation I was sketching and planning new designs for Valentine's Day. The creativity was back!!

So here we are at the start of 2010! Our Valentine's Day shoot was FANTASTIC and probably my most favorite yet! I'll make sure to post some of these pictures on the blog soon, but in the mean time you can check them out on Facebook or at Juju's Tutus.

Looking back on 2009, we had an AMAZING first year online! We expanded into several new boutiques (more on that soon, I promise!), I learned a lot, improved a lot and had so much fun working with my clients, many of whom have now become friends. I simply cannot wait to see what 2010 has in store for Juju's but I KNOW it will be FABULOUS!

Introducing our Sweet & Simple Tutus and Tea Party Tutus!

In 2010, we have decided to launch 2 new lines of tutus that are fun, simple and elegant and best of all, very AFFORDABLE!

As a mom, I know how important it is to provide your kids with wonderful, beautiful gifts yet still live inside of a budget. With so many issues still up in the air with our US Economy we are all looking for amazing deals and thinking twice before making purchases. It was with this in mind that I decided to launch these two lines that I had originally introduced at Miracle Haven in Downtown Glendale. There was a huge response with these lines and I know that the online response will be just as great!

Sweet & Simple Tutus

A simply sweet and elegant tutu that features 1 layer of tulle wrapped around an elastic waistband. The waistband is then wrapped in satin ribbon and tied into a beautiful bow. Sweet & Simple Tutus are perfect "1st Tutus" and make great Baby Shower Gifts and Birthday Presents. The price of this tutu ranges from only $10-$25!

Tea Party Tutus

The Tea Party Line of tutus adds 1 more fluffy layer of tulle to the tutu. The tulle is wrapped around an elastic waistband and the waistband is wrapped with satin ribbon and tied into a beautiful bow. The Tea Party Tutus add just a little bit more elegance to any event and are perfect as party favors that your guests can keep and are wonderful for dressing up!

I am also offering these tutus in "Tea Party Size"lots at a discounted rates for special events and birthday parties. Please contact me at julie@jujustutus.com for more information on this great deal!

Monkey Love!

Did you know that not only can you purchase an original "Juju's Tutu" off of my Etsy site, but you can also purchase them online at www.2littlemonkeys.com I've had the pleasure of working with 2 Little Monkeys for almost a year now and they are top notch!

The owners, Cindy and Jodi search out for the CUTEST nursery, gift items and carseat covers for baby and children. Not to mention that they have a kickin' sale section on their website too! And if you live in the Phoenix area (and you mention you are a friend of Juju's Tutus) you can have FREE SHIPPING by picking up your items from one of their warehouse locations! Just make sure to call your order into them so shipping isn't automatically added.

Every time I am on there I always find SEVERAL items that I need! I'm sure that you can relate to how that goes! Click here to see what my favorite item in the shop is right now. There's also a matching bottle! Pair this with the turquoise and brown Juju's Tutu that's in the work for them and you've got a rockin' baby shower present!

Be on the lookout for EXCLUSIVE Juju's Tutus designs that are only available at 2 Little Monkeys coming this fall! Super Exciting!

Check them out!

Have you HUGGED your photographer lately?

Photographers, you know the REALLY good photographers go all out, really willing to RISK IT ALL to get a great shot. They are the ones who are lying on the ground, albeit dirty or uncomfortable, leaning over the edge of the balcony, climbing to the top of the ladder. The good ones don't cower at a hysterical 2 year old screaming in defiance. They don't even bat an eye when the diaperless newborn baby "explodes" all over the drapings right before the perfect shot. In fact, they probably welcome the challenge because it just makes them that much better. Good photographers kick off their shoes and get comfortable and they have serious coffee addictions from spending countless hours editing and photo shopping and cropping...

I seriously consider myself to be so blessed with AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHER friends! These ladies have such a genuine and God given talent at capturing the small, precious moments that make life happen. They are the magic behind the lens. The eyes that see and appreciate the delicate details that the rest of the world would overlook if not for them. Each has a special talent that makes their photography unique, solely theirs.

So my dear friends, here's to you! You completely rock my world! My business would definitely not be in the place it is today without your beautiful eyes capturing the beauty of each little tutu wearing girl. You are the best of the best and I am that much better of a person for getting to work with you and seeing how you appreciate the wonder around you! I love you gals!

Seriously, I'm not making their talent up! How could I?

Don't believe me? Check them out for yourselves!

The fantabulous Erin McFarland of Erin McFarland Photography specializes in Maternity, Newborn, Family and Wedding Pictures. She comes up with the neatest ideas. By the way, I am IN LOVE with the wedding pictures that she did at Boojum. See her work at www.emlifephoto.com

The sassy Janelle Zeller of Janelle Zeller Photography specializes in Newborn, Family, Engagement, Wedding and Senior Pictures. Did I also mention that she does all of the fun ads for DollyRockers Salon in Anthem? I LOVE the newest Lemon Highlights Ad. It seriously ROCKS! See all of Janelle's awesome work at www.janellezellerphotography.com

The spunky Tracey Emmett of En Love Photography specializes in Newborn, Family, Engagement and Event Pictures. She has such an eye for capturing photos without making them look to phony or staged, which is mucho importante! Check out Tracey's eye by logging onto Facebook and searching for En Love Photography.

So, when was the last time you hugged your talented photographer lately? If you don't have one, contact one of these gals!