From Mannersmith Monthly... Holiday Manners for Minors

Manners are important. They are like your calling card and reflect YOU in so many ways. Teaching your children proper manners is one of the greatest gifts you can give them - and it costs nothing but your time! One of my favorite monthly reads is the Mannersmith Monthly. It's filled with great tips for all types of situations dealing with everyone from infants to CEOs. Take a look. Life is too short to have bad manners.

As the holiday season approaches, Mannersmith's Marianne Cohen shares suggestions to prepare your children for the festivities. Here is her fabulous latest posting.


It is crazy how the calendar says October, and already the end-of-year holiday decorations are out. Children are getting excited about wearing their cool Halloween costumes while parents are fretting about planning the upcoming holiday meals and gatherings. One way to ensure the holidays are smooth sailing for all those involved is to provide your children with the proper tools for polite behavior. Here are some tips and techniques to transition your Halloween monsters into Holiday angels.

• Review the Basics ~ Of course we recommend working with your children all year long, but now is a perfect time to review the five building blocks of proper manners: please, thank you, you're welcome, sorry, excuse me.

• Do Your Homework ~ Ask each child to come up with one new thing about themselves to share with relatives and friends they have not seen in a long time. Those involved may be surprised to learn how much they have in common. For instance, if your daughter scored the winning goal in her soccer tournament, she may find that Great Aunt Sophie was also a star soccer player in her day.
• Act Like a Journalist ~ It is never too early to teach youngsters how to handle an awkward pause in a conversation. Have the child pretend they are a journalist. They can ask a guest questions about their past or their interests, and may find something in common which can lead to an interesting conversation.

• Practice, Practice, Practice ~ It takes approximately 28 repetitions to make a behavior a habit. If you would like your children to learn how to set the table, have them do it every day and soon it will become second nature. Every time they ask for something without saying "please," have them say the whole sentence again. Soon it will be routine.
  

• Be a Model ~ As parents, we are the role models for our children. For example, if you want them to have good table manners, you need to have good table manners; if you want them to set the table correctly, you need to show them how to set the table. Practice a formal dinner at home and make it a game. Using role reversal, pretend to be their age and show them the bad manners they are exhibiting. Ask them what they saw and how it can be corrected.
  

• Mail Call ~ Children should learn to write thank you notes as early as they can hold a crayon. There is never a bad time for a thank you note. Toddlers can draw a picture of the gift and once they can write their name, they can sign the cards. As they get older, you can make or purchase fill-in-the-blank cards and have them write the recipient's name and their name, and then keep expanding as they get older. By third grade, they should be able to write a simple thank you note. At Mannersmith, we like to say that an "emailed thank you means you cared enough to send the very least." Handwritten thank you cards are a cheap and effective way to make someone's day.
  

• Oscar Award ~ Has your child ever opened a gift, and by the look on their face, thought it was the ugliest sweater they had every seen? Before the holiday season gets underway, review with your children that it is the thought that counts. The giver may not have thought enough about the recipient's interests and likes, but they did give the child a gift nonetheless. You can also teach your children the art of philanthropy. If they really do not want the sweater, you can donate the gift to someone who may need and enjoy it. The holiday season can be very stressful for all those involved but by practicing polite behaviors, it may make it a little less hectic. We wish you and your trick-or-treating monsters a very happy holiday season.

A perfect gift for anyone - Geography glassware

We've given these great Geography glasses as little happies to friends and clients with rave reviews. Designed by catstudio.com, they come in a variety of cities, countries and even regions of the US.

So bundle a couple of glasses for a friend who has relocated, a new neighbor, your clients who spend too much time in a city away from home, or just for your hometown friends! In a pretty bag with their favorite beverage and a heartfelt or silly card and you can make their day - every time they use their glasses.

They're fun and a great conversation piece.

Good Taste can be found everywhere.

Bath Junkies unite!

Today after church, my husband and I took a walk around beautiful Bainbridge Island, Washington. If you make it to Seattle, you owe it to yourself to take the ferry across the Sound to this amazingly quaint and chic community. Full of trendy shops, lovely art galleries and gorgeous gardens, “our side of the water” is the place to be these days.

I couldn’t help but notice a store that I hadn’t seen before – ‘Bath Junkie’. What a great name for a fun store. Here’s what I found out about this little gem from their website:

“A mix between an upscale Manhattan loft and the production line of a factory, bath junkie stores are a "drop-in spa". Small indulgences, self-pampering and the seemingly lost art of customer service abound at each bath junkie location.

Think of it like a soda fountain for bath products: scented and tinted to your specifications, and mixed up in-store before your very eyes. bath junkie products are safe for even the most sensitive skin. Most are paraben and SLS-free. We don't test on animals, either— only ourselves. And we only use the best.”

I think I’m going to try their “clean freak all purpose cleanser” and pick up some “mutt mist dog cologne” for my friends with those lovable canines that could use a little visit to Bath Junkie themselves. Arf! Arf!

Our TGIF idea for the week: Get a load of this site!

Rumor has it that Seattle is not the friendliest town to get to know people in. Lots of folks relocate here for it's beauty, to meet Good Taste Events (there I go again), for high tech jobs, or for a variety of interesting reasons. Many of those new to Seattle have have told me that not-so-flattering tid bit about our Emerald city again and again.

Well, lo and behold, I just came across what I feel is an absolute GENIUS idea - "Friendly Favor". Developed by president Scott Larson, "Seattle-based FriendlyFavor has launched the company and a new site recently. It is focused on helping people manage favors and requests from friends. According to the company, its new site is designed to complement social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, and allows users to get referrals, recommendations, advice, favors, and advice from their friends.

Among features of the site are the ability to track favors; send gift cards to people as thank you's; enable bartering of services; and make charitable donations for friends. FriendlyFavor said it is funded by individual investors from Amazon.com, Microsoft, Google and others."

I always say that Kindness can change the world.

Bravo, Friendly Favors! I may have a new BFF to add to my list.

TGIF! Our GOOD TASTE tip for the weekend

On Fridays the team at Good Taste has decided to share with you the latest fun thing on our weekend agendas.... It may be the amazing famous salad recipe that one of our clients just shared with us (thanks, Coleen!), hot tickets to a VIP event, sharing secret celeb sightings that we hear may be in the works, or just good old movie & popcorn selections that fit well on a cozy Friday night. Let us know what you love to plan on Friday nights, too!

In the event business, our Friday's are often quite busy planning, rehearsing, etc. So sometimes, our "Fridays" actually occur on Mondays or Tuesdays. No mind. When you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.... Lucky us!

Tonight's thought is a wonderful reminder of something my husband is famous for. As my friends can testify, he is probably the most romantic, amazing man on the earth, but just for those who haven't had the pleasure of meeting him:

* A Romantic Visit: Simple flowers (store brought tulips are great!), a nice bottle of wine, a weekend newspaper, a great new CD (or one you've compiled of favorites from iTunes), and the best Chinese food in town - including chop sticks and fortune cookies - put a fun spin on the beginning of the weekend...

With the average professional person working 60-80 hours per week, free time is precious. Time in general is precious. Family is precious. Life is precious. Enjoy those minutes and hours with loved ones and appreciate the joy that the little things can bring.

Trust me. I promise you that you'll never regret it.

Our Monday Six-Letter Memoir series. This weeks topic: Work colleagues

photo by veer

We've become addicted to the six-word memoir craze and decided to make it our Monday blog theme. Each week we'll choose a new topic to use when writing our six-word stories. So we challenge you to join us! Share with us your six-word memoir of the topic of the week, but be warned: this gets contagious!

This weeks topic: Work Colleagues.

In our case that means The Good Taste Team.

• Jody Taylor-Smith: "Big laugh. Big heart. Big dreams*."

• Maude May: "Generous beyond words. Creative beyond belief."

• Heather Tansill: "Amazing combination of brilliance and beauty."
  

*Maude May came up with this one and didn't tell me the last word. Fearful that it may be something about my ahem...anatomy...., I've made the executive decision to complete the final word myself. Please note that this is not how the official rules work.

So tell us how you'd describe your team? We'd love to hear from you!

We've come a long way, baby!

"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more". - Jonas Salk

With the Grand Opening of our new business venture "DIY Good Taste™", we were thrilled to come across this picture of what (if memory serves me), was our very first wedding. Gertrude was a lovely bride...and that handsome husband was something else, too. Can't you just see the passion, love, and joviality in their faces?

We're thrilled to see that in our recent couples, they've lost the layers of scratchy lace gowns and have seemed to loosen up a bit for the group photos.

There's nothing like experience to build a business. Here's to a thrilling and prosperous future!

Favors with good taste! (now you know we love those!)

I love the idea of edible favors with a sweet note of thanks for a wedding; and a lovely wrapped bottle of wine or box of chocolates for a hostess gift. These little sweeties from L.A. Burdick Chocolates fit the bill for both occasions.

The little penguins look like they are standing at attention with their little tuxedos on, and the mice have beautiful long tails - sure to make any guest smile. At around $3.50 each, they make a very reasonable and unique gift that is sure to bring some delicious joy.

Any item ordered under their wedding category on their website can be customized with different colored boxes, ribbon, and of course - the little satin tails.

Simple but lovely Holiday tabletop

At Good Taste Events, we're all about simple elegance and amazing attention to detail. This festive tabletop caught our eye because it encompasses those things that we love.

No outrageous linens, no ultra expensive florals, and for the most part, you may have many of these items in your home to decorate your table. We love the mis-matched colored plates (notice that some of the chargers are green while others are white?), the simple greenery with a few white flowers tucked in; various vases that hold some simple white candles of different sizes; and the little green dish that could serve as a salt cellar.

This would be beautiful in any colors - and for any occasion. Chris Madden for JCPenney Home collection offers some lovely dinnerware that would be ideal for this look - and for everyday use as well.

With a warm and lovely tabletop, your guests will feel so appreciated - and you'll be the hostest with the mostest!

Cheers!

Awaiting the coconut bra pics...in the meantime, April rocks.

Every once in awhile you find someone that just 'clicks' - with your ideals, your humor, your quality, and even your quirks. We have been so fortunate to find that person in April Greer - photographer extraordinaire. She is the real deal. Amazingly (capital 'A') talented, fun, honest, hard-working (capital 'H'), and we have been honored to work with her on our most recent wedding. Our couple - Sean & Avanie have been more than a delight to work with. Residing in Denmark, much of our correspondence over the past 14 months has been via email and conference calls - and the results of all the communication was an absolutely amazing wedding that took place last weekend in Seattle.

The happy couple is now honeymooning in Maui (and have promised to send photos of them wearing coconut bras and grass skirts).... It is this type of wedding that makes our job such a joy. We'll post the wedding photos when they are available, but in the meantime, please take a look at the following entry which is straight out of April Greer's awesome blog:

8.31.2008

avanie + sean

meet avanie + sean, they flew in from denmark for this session. and the bridal shoot. and the wedding. For those of you who heard about the couple that 'vaccuums together' this is the couple! They are just as adventurous and spontaneous as they look. I'm not shitting you. Their energy levels are phenomenal. This couple kept me on my toes. The e-session was 95% photojournalistic. In Avanie's words: Denmark is the shittiest small country in Europe. She doesn't say much, but when she does, its to be remembered well. Joe Buissink reminded us in a seminar once: 'followers like to be lead, leaders like to be followed.' I had so much fun following Sean + Avanie. Following people is unusual. I like it. As you can see by the sky....it was a typical Seattle day. To the non-Seattlite readers: if you have the chance to shoot here, the clouds will be your friend. The effects offer some of the most eccentric lighting. Reflections bouncing off buildings, diffused everywhere.

A little break in the clouds...

Love Sean's wild 'man-hair.'

suggestive+ fresh.

held close to the ground

whoa baby.

Sean is talkative and physically expressive. Avanie is a good listener.

Such a beautiful exotic face.

she cannot stop smiling when he's around. a happy wife = a happy life.

Sean + Avanie :Thank you so much for allowing me into your
life as a photographer. It means so much to me to get up close & personal.
Wishing you many happy, happy years together!




Mahalo, S&A. Safe Travels home.

If we couldn't laugh...

Today I had a moment when I almost took my beautiful and precious and quite expensive PC and tossed it off the ferry into the Puget Sound. I am not kidding. I learned that threatening or swearing at a piece of equipment does nothing for its speed or accuracy. I also decided that the US Coast Guard would be suspicious of my angry technological gesture.

So, after a very frustrating day, it was great to calm down with my husband on the ferry (it's the greatest people watching on earth), put the top on the car down for our commute home, pop in my favorite Eva Cassidy CD, and count my Blessings. I have a fabulous husband and home, a job I love, a great team, amazing friends and family and thankfully we all manage to laugh every day. I always have to re-learn to keep things in perspective....

I've spent the past several hours 'cleaning up' my PC and came across some of these pictures that depict some of the fun we have at our office on a daily basis. As I spoke lovingly to my PC this evening, I couldn't help but chuckling about the day and recalling one of my very favorite quotes "If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."

Amen, Jimmy B.

simple, yet elegant

One of the most common requests we hear from clients when they describe their vision of their perfect day is "simple, yet elegant." We couldn't agree more with their wishes. It's amazing how lovely one type or color of flower can bring such beauty and life to a setting.

Sometimes less is truly more.

Bling! Bling!

The latest issue of Seattle Bride Magazine features some amazing photographs from some of the best Seattle photographers in the business. The one you see here however, feels more like a piece of art than a mere picture. Imagine my surprise when I saw it in the magazine and realized that it is my ring - from my own wedding photos!

My amazing husband has impeccable taste, don't you agree? Lucky me.

My sincere thanks to Janet Klinger for her amazing photographic work.

A perfect wedding

I recently received my wedding pictures from my September 2007 wedding and had such fun reliving the week long affair. (thank you, Janet Klinger Photography). As a Professional Wedding & Event Planner, it was especially fun to plan my own wedding and the week long events that led up to our special day. Our guests came from across the globe to celebrate with us and we were so honored.

I've decided to blog a bit about that special day and share some of the fun ideas that came to life.

Rehearsal Dinner:

One thing that we decided to do was to have a good old fashioned BBQ in lieu of the traditional rehearsal dinner. Because the majority of our guests were staying at the resort where the rehearsal and reception took place, mixing a casual 'getting to know you' evening with a semi-formal afternoon wedding seemed to be a fun combination.

It was a fantastic night. We had delicious food from Todd "Spaddy" Spadafore's company - Spady's Smokehouse in Poulsbo, Washington. Todd and his team are so delightful to work with and their BBQ is second to none.

My dear friend, Julie Borrud, the genius behind the floral design firm Bella Rugosa provided the most gorgeous arrangements - using a variety of sunflowers, twinkle lights, votives, etc. When Julie puts her hand on any project, the results are always spectacular.

We provided sparklers for the kids (both young and old), sang along with a local guitarist and of course had all the makings for s'mores. There is nothing more rewarding for an event planner than to look around a wedding or special event that you've planned and witness the couples vision come to life and to see their guests enjoying themselves. When it is your own wedding, that reward seems even greater.

Oh, and that's me and my incredibly handsome husband in the upper right corner. (We love any excuse to wear glo-bands.)

Stay tuned for more about the big day.