Mammograms save lives

I am one of the millions of women who have survived breast cancer - the leading cause of cancer death among women ages 35 to 50. Tomorrow I will go in for my twice-annual mammogram and pray that I am still cancer free.

Today I am sending a reminder to all of the women out there who need to schedule their mammograms. Taking care of yourself to live a long and healthy life is truly one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family and friends.

My cancer was only detected through a mammogram. I had no other symptoms. That mammogram led to a mastectomy which ultimately, I believe, saved my life.

So today's message is please schedule your mammograms. Someone who loves you will be glad that you did!

Breast Cancer Statistics

• 1 out of every 8 American women will develop breast cancer at some point in her life
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women ages 35 to 50
• 250,000 US women living with the disease are under the age of 40
• 8 out of 9 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease
• 70% of women who develop breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors

Happy Birthday, Kelsey & Noah!

Happy Birthday to my precious daughter, Kelsey Miles!
April 16, 1988 - February 14, 1996
She would be turning 21 years old this year...

AND

Happy Birthday to my ultra-awesome, amazingly cool nephew, Noah!
April 16, 1998
(He was born ten years to the day after Kelsey!)
Noah is turning 11 years old today!!

I'm very Blessed.

Balloons as decor? Who knew?

I saw this beautiful and intriguing photograph by TiaMaria and was immediately struck by its simplicity and elegance. I have never been one to use balloons in much event decor (although I have seen a few amazing balloon structures and works), but after seeing this I may have to change my mind.

How lovely could this be for an outside ceremony or reception? The colors are perfect against the background. To me they seem like a fun (and inexpensive) alternative to twinkle lights or lanterns. Even if the wind decides to steal one or two, they can easily be replaced.

We'll share our photos as soon as we have an opportunity to try this new look.

Hippity Hoppity ... Easter's on the way!

Has Easter ever looked sweeter? It's such a special time of year and for my money, there are no more adorable and delicious goodies than these from Williams-Sonoma. Perfect to put in Easter baskets, at each place settings at your Easter table or to put in a pretty bag with a special note to drop off to a friend or neighbor, they are almost too pretty to eat!

Order early as they go quickly.

Enjoy this very Blessed time of the year.

Hey Lady! Gorgeous, fun, and comfortable wedding shoes!

These may be the most fun shoes we've found in years! One of our gorgeous brides will be donning a pair of these fabulous wedding shoes at her amazing celebration this summer. Made by a hip, fun company - Hey Lady - wedding shoes just don't get much more comfortable than this!

"Hey Lady’s mission is to inject fun and function into the wedding industry. They bring you the one and only stylish and comfortable wedding shoe. This collection combines an uncompromised sense of style and humor, and is made especially for rule-breakers and heart-breakers. Hey Lady’s classic-with-a-twist designs possess a whimsical femininity and edgy personality. Finding Mr. Right was easy compared to finding The One, and by this we mean the perfect outfit. Cheeky and flirtatious, sexy and sophisticated? Let’s fall head over heels in love all over again." Made with high impact memory foam and insoles typically found in running and basketball shoes! Talk about sexy comfort!

At last. Killer shoes that aren't killer shoes.

And the packaging alone is worth the price of admission!

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!

Hear ye! Hear ye! Blogging Bootcamp comes to Seattle!

Once again, the folks in Seattle hit the "Wow! We're lucky" jackpot! Liene Stevens - one of my favorite friends and colleague - is bringing her 'Blogging Bootcamp' to Seattle! Her course will be offered in Seattle on April 23rd and space is limited so sign up soon!! This is an amazing opportunity to meet Liene and network with other professionals.

Liene Stevens is the founder of The Smart Planner™ a business coaching resource for professional wedding consultants. Liene's expertise has been sought out by numerous publications, including The New York Times, Conde Nast Portfolio, Washingtonian Magazine, Arizona Society Magazine, and CNN.

Event planners from around the world have credited Liene's strategic mentoring with increasing their profit margins and improving productivity goals.

I was fortunate to attend her first Bootcamp in Phoenix and am excited that she is now bringing it to our own Emerald City! This is one event you won't want to miss.

Register here for this great opportunity!

Please feel free to email me with any questions. jody@goodtasteevents.com

Happy Blogging!

Sweet (smelling) dreams... a lovely hostess gift

These wonderfully scented sheets fit inside your pillows, and come in both aromatherapy-worthy and just plain pretty scents. A great idea for a hostess gift or to have waiting inside the pillows in your guest room for your lucky visitors when they call it a night. With a range of scents - from "Relaxing" (a mix of lavender and woody scents) to the exotic floral "Shanghai Nights" to "My Boyfriend's Shirt", you're certain to find the perfect aroma to bring a smile.

At $20 for a box 8 liners, you can easily create many sweet dreams.

Volunteer DIY project makes big bucks!

Photo by: DIY Good Taste™

At our DIY Good Taste™ studio we have the best work table! It's huge, the perfect height and even has cubbies for our clients' DIY project materials. Guests love coming to the studio - and they get very excited when they see this table - it just begs for cool art to be created upon it.

This wonderful DIY project was for Robin's school auction. Her students (1st and 2nd graders at Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland, OR) began by painting paper and cutting out shapes, which they then meticulously glued together, creating charming animals and objects representing the letters of the alphabet (impressive hand-eye coordination I must say).

Our task was to make these whimsical artworks work together. A quilt-inspired background grid was the base, using five colors of card stock. Lower-case letters were die-cut using our Slice tool. The kids' creations were arranged on top and glued down. A lovely recycled wood frame held the finished artwork.

The winning bid of $400.00 was a gratifying result to our fun day in the studio.