Recession-ista Wardrobe Stimulus Swap Party

June 21, 2009 – 9:46 pm

What do good friends, Dolce & Gabbana, Dooney & Bourke, Citizens for Humanity, 7 for all Mankind, Gucci and fabulous accessories have in common? A Recession-ista wardrobe swap party among friends where no one spent a single dollar. Good times! My fab finds of the evening were a great turquoise Gucci bag and bright yellow Dooney & Bourke as well as a huge bag of great tops and my “new” favorite little black dress.

It started with an idea when we did a fund raiser at my church and everyone donated clothing.  Now this was no small swap.  It consisted of thousands of items and we shopped over various rooms and throughout the atrium with hundreds of other women.  For as little as $40 I found items that would have totaled well over $600 retail.  Some with the tags still on them. S o this sparked an idea.  I have great things in my closet so why not get together with some girlfriends and do this on a smaller scale with no exchange of money.  We all had great things we didn’t wear but were in fantastic shape.  So, why not swap with our friends?

It was so simple.  We had areas of original retail value and for pieces you put in that area you received credits on your Recession-ista credit card.  We then had rounds of shopping so everyone had equal time in the boutique.  We had a small group but with groups over 15 I would suggest drawing names for 3-4 people to shop at a time. Their limit was 3 items from any category and with each round the deducted their credits from their card. In the dining room we set up bags with names where they could stash their new items.  We even had a changing area where they could try on before deciding.

So the only lesson learned?  Well, if you bring things, you need to be prepared to part with them.  If your things are popular but you are little iffy about finding new things (and not wanting to spend your credits) you could end up with nothing to show at the end of the event.  The goal is to have fun, find new things, and in the end if there are items left over I suggest they be donated to charity (individually or by the hostess).

Everyone had a great time and we plan to do it again.  I am so happy with my new finds and that some of my favorite items I no longer wear found new homes.

By DeAnna | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

The Green Way to Unclog a Drain

April 1, 2009 – 4:01 pm

I love ways to simplify and “green” your home so this post by Homemaker Barbie was a great way to do just that.  It explains how to unclog your drain the “green” way (and for only 45 cents).  Green and inexpensive!  I have a sink I use in the studio that gets clogged from time to time so it’s good to know there is a better alternative to Drano.  I soon will toss out the toxic Drano under my skin and go with the “green” method. Thanks for the tip Danelle…. read the story here!

By DeAnna | Posted in Green Products & Practices | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

The Amazing #TahoeTrip & Twitter Day 3

April 1, 2009 – 1:25 pm

Wow, where did the time go?  We returned form our amazing trip and before I knew it two weeks had passed and I never made my final post.  The good news is it had to do with being super busy with work and a new retailer’s order.  However, I am not one to let things go undone so as they say “better late than never”.  Needless to say the Tahoe trip was amazing.  We had the opportunity of a lifetime to visit an amazing area, stay in a phenomenal resort and meet great people.  And bottom line, meeting and connecting with other great people is what life is all about.  I am always so energized after meting new people.  It made me miss the travel in my previous career.  First and foremost I just wanted to extend a thank you to all the great people and businesses that made the trip possible.  From Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) for the airline tickets to RKPR @powerk and @ronele for the coordination of our resort accommodations, ski lift tickets, and the charity tweet up.  And if it had not been for the connections we made on Twitter the trip would have never been ours to take.  Thanks to HARO and Peter Shankman (@skydiver) for the chance to win such a fabulous trip.  We will not soon forget the great experience.  Better yet, we hope to return.

With this I leave you with Day 3 of Twitter 101: Really when it all boils down to it eveyrone has their own opinion (and steps) for being successful on Twitter.  Whether you use it to make social connections or build a brand it is like anything else….what you put into it you will get out of it.  The more you make personal connections with others, jump into conversations, find common ground, and be genunine; the more you will walk away with.  Decide what you expect and the emulate that with your followers and those you are following.  Just like anything else worthwile it takes work.  I never truly understood the power Twitter until I jumped in feet first and just started Tweeting.  @KatjaPresnal tried to explain it to me and it wasn’t until I started ‘doing” when I got it.  Today, I am thankful for the connections I have made the the people I have met.  I only wish I’d signed up earlier.

By DeAnna | Posted in Twitter | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

The Amazing #TahoeTrip & Twitter Day 2

March 18, 2009 – 4:57 pm

view from the gondola

Day two of our Tahoe Trip was off to a beautiful start.  We woke up this St. Patty’s day to the most beautiful weather.  We grabbed our skis and were off to the slopes.  It was filled with a day of skiing, meeting new friends, and a relaxing day enjoying what can only be described as “God’s Country”.  This is a perfect description of what was breathtaking views in every direction.  We decided to take the shuttle to the Village as there were more runs to choose from and we went straight to the top of the mountain.

@DeAnnaCochran @ThirdHyphen on way to Charity TweetUp stop off for photo in front of Lake Tahoe

 

After a day of skiing we headed back to the hotel to relax before the charity TweetUp.  I shared a lot about our hotel in the last post but left out one very important note (especially for my female readers).  This resort has some of the best bath items supplied in the room. From the Mountain Lavender soaps to the Lemongrass Sage bath gel you feel that your room it your own mini-spa.  Even this evening I came back to a special treat on the side of the bath of Mountain Lavender bath salts.  Now how did they know that is just what I needed.  So at the close of today I will leave you with some breathtaking photos and Twitter Day 2.  

@powerk (Kristen with RKPR) @DeAnnaCochran

 

Today’s Twitter 101 will cover TweetUps.  A TweetUp is when those who have met on Twitter meet in person.  Because most of the icebreakers have occured on Twitter these are not your normal networking get-togethers.  People usually arrive in friendly moods and ready to meet those they have already been introduced to on Twitter.  Tonight we hosted a charity TweetUp with the help of RKPR (a special thanks to Ronele and Kristen for all their work to put this together).  There were some great items donated for the raffle (which benefited the Northern Nevada Juvenile Diabetes Association) including a $50 certificate to Baxter’s (the host restaurant), a suite at a local resort, ski lift tickets, and yes jewelry from my collection.  It was great meeting other Tweeps from the Tahoe and Reno area while doing something to give back to a local children’s charity.  And to top off a great evening THinc (my husband’s company) matched the donations for the evening.  Thank you to RKPR for their work on the event.  Everyone seemed to have a fantastic time.
 
To close the evening we walked through the Northstar Village and had a late dinner at the Chocolate Bar.  It was a perfect close to a wonderful day.
By DeAnna | Posted in Twitter | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

The Amazing #TahoeTrip & Twitter Day 1

March 17, 2009 – 10:03 am

Today is day 1 of our Tahoe Trip. This area is beautiful (even with the rain today). The service from Southwest Airlines was quick and efficient even with the extremely long Spring Break lines at the airport.  We were at the airport about 5:00 am and the line had already formed down the side of the terminal outside.  Even with a two-stop flight in San Antonio and Las Vegas we were taken care of every step of the way. We rent a car in Reno to make the 1 hour trek to Squaw Valley after finding out the shuttle was $180 each way (ouch!).  From the moment we entered the incredible resort lobby through glass doors with an overlay of custom ironwork of pine and limbs cones we knew we were going to love this place.  We were greeted by the Marketing Director of The Resort at Squaw Creek, Marc Sapoznic, and the more than friendly, Jackie, at the front desk.  We could not get to our room quickly enough to unpack and scout out the resort and Village.

A few things about this to fantastic resort.  It is the only resort in the area with a ski lift at the back door.  They have a beautiful outdoor heated pool (so bring your suits), an outdoor ice skating rink, and outdoor heated spas.  During the summer months the water slide is great entertainment for the kids and adults.  Kids are more than welcome with great programs like “mountain buddies” that includes full and half day programs in the summer and winter months starting age 4.  They have a full service spa (which I plan to try out Wednesday) along with 4 restaurants ranging from fine dining to casual.  The resort has some of the best shopping I have seen so far so there is little reason to leave.   Our suite is beautifully furnished with a living room, full service kitchen, dining area, fireplace and fantastic view of the mountain.  Tonight we have a view of the lights on the mountain used for night skiing.  This afternoon we ventured into the village to inquire on snowboarding lessons and happened on a place called PlumpJack.  A restaurant with metal sculpture as the fire pit in a wine bar that served us a cheese tray with the best tasting goat brie cheese I’ve had (for those that know I have allergies to dairy this was a great find).  We’d been up since 2:00 am local time and were beat so we plan to decide if we will ski or snowboard tomorrow morning (stay tuned).  So as a close to Day 1 I will leave you with Day 1 of Twitter as well.  Tomorrow is an evening at Northstar and the Charity Tweet Up where we will meet some locals on Twitter and raise funds for a local charity, the Northern Nevada Juvenile Diabetes Association.

Twitter Day 1:

A few basics on Twitter and how I am using it on this trip. Twitter was designed as a micro-blogging tool of sorts. Updates answer the question “what are you doing now”? You follow other Tweeps, some follow you, and you create posts in 140 characters or less to give “what you hope” is interesting insight into your life and/or work.  Although this is what it was orignally meant to be I have found Twitter to be much more as I have exchanged tweets and conected with followers over the past 10 months.  Users are indentified with the @ symbol (re: @DeAnnaCochran or whatever user name they choose).  I started using Twitter as a way to connect with others but also found it was a great way to build brand awareness in the process.  However, let me say that simply using Twitter as a one way communication to blast out “all about me” comments and updates will only get you only so far.  This and following a large number of people only to try and build your list of followers.  This is about connecting with people.  One of the main reasons I don’t like services such as Tweet Later which auto-follows or auto tweets thank yous to followers.  I would much rather personalize it by tweeting thanks myself as I feel appropriate.  To manage my Twitterstream I use Tweetdeck. I am a business owner, work out of a private studio, and find it as a perfect way to connect with other like minded creative types and other business owners. These are people you may not otherwise have the chance to meet in real life.  Twitter breaks down both social and regional walls and creates an online community where people are communicating, networking, sharing ideas, and giving a glimsp into their day to day lives with humor (and in some cases) raw honesty.  I was first introduced to Twitter by @KatjaPresnal and was hooked with my first few followers.  I look back at those first 5 followers that included such Tweeple as @ACowboysWife @JanePorricelli @Zappos.com CEO -Tony @SavvyAuntie and @ShannonNelson. Just read a few of these profiles and you too will be impressed by their accomplishments.  Many of which I hope to share in future posts. So for this particular series I am utilizing Twitter to share our #TahoeTrip which we won on a Twitter contest by @skydiver.  I will be posting photos (using Twitpic) and updates along with using the # hashtag symbol to track the tweets for the trip so they can be tracked.  The # hashtag is a great tool Tweeps use to track subjects and events in Twitter.

Now, off to bed…excited about tomorrow’s full day of activities. Be sure to follow along on Twitter (@DeAnnaCochran or @ThirdHyphen if you want up to the minute updates). We will also be feeding those over to Facebook as well (DeAnna Cochran and Stacey Cochran).

By DeAnna | Posted in Twitter | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Twitter, Tahoe & a TweetUp

March 13, 2009 – 9:07 pm

I am crazy for Twitter. I have been using it since the summer of 08.  Ask me what Twitter is and I perk up. I am like a little kid with a cool new toy and the newness has not worn off.  So, it only makes sense that I share the Twitter love and have a little fun providing some insight into the amazing Twitter-verse.

The next few weeks I will doing just that and explaining the basics of Twitter and how it is different from other social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn. @ThirdHyphen (that’s the hubs, the @ symbol is how Twitter users are identified) will also be posting on his blog at THinc as we both kick off the Twitter series with our fabulous Twitter Vacation.  What? A vacation on Twitter. Why yes, it all started there so why not use it to bring you along.  Beginning Monday, March 19th we will be using Twitter and our Blogs to bring you along on our vacation courtesy of some great businesses including HARO, RTPR,  Resort at Squaw Creek, Southwest Airlines, & Baxter’s.  We are especially excited about the hosting a charity TweetUp while in Tahoe benefiting the Northern Nevada Juvenile Diabetes Association.  So don’t miss out, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@DeAnnaCochran and @ThirdHyphen) or send us a friend request on Facebook (DeAnna Cochran or Stacey Cochran) where we will be feeding our updates as well.  Who knows, we may be a bit entertaining and enlighten you on this great networking tool. Hey we are two “not-so-great skiers” headed to a fantastic ski resort, will be trying new things, and meeting new people.  If nothing else you may have a laugh or two at our expense.

With each new post highlighting the day’s activities, and introducing you to the people we meet, we will we will also share some Twitter insight based on our personal experiences.  To kick if off, a little history on how this vacation came together (because, after all it is a Twitter story).  The Tahoe vacation was the result of a contest held by @skydiver on Twitter back in late December. Peter Shankman (@skydiver) has a PR service like no other called HARO. I will be sharing more about HARO at a later date as Peter is doing some great things with his company that truly inspire. Peter wanted to “clear the clutter” of his gift closet and it quickly turned into businesses contacting Peter to donate goods and services to participate in the HARO Twitter contest. This is where RTPR and Fly Reno Tahoe came in. The grand prize? A Trip to Tahoe for 4 days/3 nights. The winner? My Hubs @ThirdHyphen who tweeted the first correct answer.  Can’t wait, just over 48 hours and counting! Now, off to pack…
By DeAnna | Posted in Twitter | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Inspired Retailer Mag, Inspired Jewelry

March 13, 2009 – 1:01 pm

DeAnna Cochran Jewelry was honored to appear in Inspired Retailer Magazine for Spring 2009 (March publication). A magazine connecting artists and galleries of “like mind” when it comes to giving back to the community and the environment. The Jackson’s Leaf Butterfly (Fine Silver, 24K Gold, & Rough Cut Diamonds) was the piece they featured. The magazine editors like my philanthropic focus on children’s causes and my status as a “green” Artist by the Rosen Group’s Buyer’s Market of American Craft last August based on my focus of environmentally friendly designs and business practices. Read the article in Inspired Retailer

By DeAnna | Posted in Green Design | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Art Lessons for Toddlers

March 6, 2009 – 7:40 am
This past week our 3 year old took his first art lesson.  Thanks to the wonderful people at Art-A-Rama (Plano, Texas) our little guy is off to a great start learning about shape, form, color, and various mediums.  The instructor Erin was wonderful.  You can tell she loves teaching these little people all about how to have fun and be creative.   This first week was a focus on dimensional shapes and creating them using forms and paper mache.  They could choose what they wanted to make and it was no surprise that my little Picasso wanted to make an ice-cream cone.  Using a simple mixture of flour and water he worked to apply old newspapers to his form he created (here’s to eco-friendly & green design at it’s best). Next week he will get to paint it.  I can’t wait to share the final results of his creation.  Such the proud mama….

By DeAnna | Posted in Green Products & Practices, Just Because | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Clean Silver the “Green” Way

February 13, 2009 – 10:52 am
I always suggest to anyone who has sterling silver to store it in plastic bags.  Not only does this eliminate silver tarnish caused by direct exposure to the air but it also makes it easier to travel with your jewelry.  Really, who wants to spend time cleaning with a jewelry cloth or untangling chains?  Plus, a cloth just can’t get into all the small areas to completely clean the piece.  I use fine silver (.999 silver compared to .925 sterling silver) in my designs which does not tarnish but I do use sterling silver chains and some findings so I deal with tarnish on some level.  If you own sterling silver jewelry or other items such as bowls or silverware, I have a ”green” solution for cleaning your jewelry in a matter of seconds.  Just follow these simple step by step instructions and you will keep your sterling silver bright and tarnish free. 

1. Line a glass bowl or your sink (if you are cleaning larger items) with aluminum foil.
2. Pour a little baking soda into the bowl (I am a roughly right measurer so to get quick results I use about a teaspoon for the bowl size shown).
3. Boil water either on the stove or in the microwave (my microwave takes about 1:30 minutes to boil water).
4. Put your silver in the bowl on top of the baking soda and quickly pour the boiling water in (I think it goes without saying that you should be careful and use gloves so as to not burn yourself).
5. Use a fork or pair of tongs to agitate little.
6. Wah-lah! No nasty fumes and clean silver (the piece in the photo went from black to bright silver in less than 5 seconds).       

 

 

By DeAnna | Posted in Green Products & Practices | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

A Super Heroes Birthday Party

January 28, 2009 – 9:57 am
This year we decided to do something different for our 3 year old’s Birthday.   As with most parents you can soon become overwhelmed with the toys in the house and we try to keep them to a minimum.  It seems today that children have more than they know what to do with.  We also want to instill the idea of “giving back” at an early age and that holidays and celebrations are not just about presents and toys.  With a birthday so soon after Christmas and the current economic situation, we wanted to support a local business and/or assist someone in need.  We were able to accomplish both.  In regards to the entertainment for the 3-somethings we brought in Cathy’s Critters again this year (a local company who brings their petting zoo on site).  I can’t say enough about the service from Cathy’s Critters.  They are courteous, gracious, and assist the children handling the animals.  Plus for a larger group of children you just can’t beat the cost compared to going to other places such as play centers where the cost of a toddler’s birthday can be expensive.  Needless to say the kids (and I think even more so the parents) had a fantastic time.  Due to the cold weather we had the animals in the garage and when Cathy’s Critters left there was not even a single piece of straw.  The stars of the party included the parrot, lama, & 2 week old piglets that could be fed by bottle.
 
However, the most touching part of the party was helping a local non-profit organization.  In lieu of gifts guests were invited to donate to a local organization called Heroes for Children. Heroes for Children (Richardson, Texas) assist families whose children have cancer.  When I was trying to decide which organization to assist I thought of my friends Cindy and Scott who lost their son to cancer when he was 8.  This led me to choose Heroes for Children and as God would have it this family had a close tie to the organization.  Our 3 year old raised more than $200 at his birthday to give to the orgnaization founded in memory of two precious children Taylor and Allie who were only almost 9 months and 4 1/2 years old when they lost their battle with cancer.  Heroes for Children assist families with basic necessities so that they can take the needed time off from work to spend with their children during their battle with cancer.  Since 2005 they have provided over 1 million dollars to assist families and have never denied a request for assistance.  To read more about Heroes for children, make a donation, or schedule your own child’s Super Heroes Birthday Party visit their website and read out this great organization making a difference in the life of a precious child and their family.
By DeAnna | Posted in Inspiration & Great Charities | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)