We are super excited about our latest web site site launch Partytipz.com is a web site that Arina Lanis has been working on for several months. If you love to throw parties and entertain, this web site is FOR YOU!!! Stop by, sign up for our monthly e-blasts filled with tons of great ideas on planning your next special event!
They say that working for yourself is like being your own boss. I don’t always agree with that. I like to think that I work for 72 bosses who all happen to be my clients. The thought of this may scare some people, but when the Holidays come around, it’s not so bad having 72 bosses!! This is a gift from one of them. I happen to do all the web marketing for Colleen’s Cookies and this year, she sent me this delicious box of beautiful cookies. The Russian nesting dolls are reflective of my Russian heritage. Colleen made my day!
No doubt, there is a very strong connection between the holidays and baking. For some, baking is a form of gift giving, for others, such as myself, it is a way to make my house smell delicious, festive, and welcoming.
Last week I made this delicious Chocolate Deviled Bundt Cake. I had to photograph it because, knowing my love for trying new recipes, I hardly ever make anything more than once. The chocolate cake was filled with melted marshmallows, candied cherries, and walnuts. It was topped with a chocolate glaze and fresh strawberries. In the middle I put a container filled with whipped cream so when someone would slice into the cake, they could put a dollop of whipped cream on top. The word DELICIOUS would not describe it…Okay, so chances are, I will probably have to make this cake again… and again!!!
The holiday season is upon us and many of our clients are revving up their e-marketing campaigns. This is a recent QuickTipz e-invite we sent out for Mary Tuttle’s very special annual event… their Holiday Open House which is organized by the entire shopping center. They have many wonderful scheduled events, including “Pictures With Santa” which (without much suprise) draws a very big crowd!
No matter how popular or exciting an event, proper marketing is important in spreading the word. Mary Tuttle’s e-blast not only generates excitement for a particular event, it also allows them to customize the frequency of their e-marketing campaigns without breaking the bank!
Clients call us for different reasons. Sometimes they need a printed piece, sometimes an e-newsletter or e-blast campaign, and other times to get a web site designed. Many times, we’ll get a client who’s ready to start from scratch and have us design everything… web site, e-blasts, corporate identity, etc. But sometimes, we’ll get a client who already has a design in place but may not be thrilled with its results.
When we step into a project with elements already designed, we do an assessment of what is in place and what needs to be added… seamlessly and most effectively. When Colleens Cookies hired us to do all her e-marketing, she already had a web site. However, they needed it to be updated without having to start the project from scratch.
We noticed that the front page of their web site needed a little more pizazz and some necessary components, such as a “sign-up” form for their monthly Quicktipz. We updated her front page with more images, links, and visual “eye candy”… or should we say “eye cookies”!! The result is a front page to a web site that is more exciting and allows visitors to go directly to what they are looking for vs. clicking and digging away to try to find their favorite item!
Colleen, from Colleens Cookies was thrilled with the result… and when our customer is happy, we’re happy!
I finally got a chance to finish my candy corn wreath for Halloween. It took seven days of drying and seven days of me staring at the candy corn and saying to myself “must not eat!!” I do have to admit that keeping myself from eating the candy was the hardest part of the project. The rest was super easy. All I needed was a wreath form, a glue gun, black duct tape, candy corn, and black ribbon. The assembly was super easy. Even my four and seven year old sons pitched in. I also sprayed the wreath with a shellack which should preserve it for many years to come!
After a very busy week in St. Louis, visiting with my clients, I came back home to Kansas City ready for a little infusion of “country”. Today was definitely a day that seemed to be custom-made for the Louisburg Ciderfest! Louisburg Cider Mill is a renovated, classic, old hay barn sitting on 80 acres of pure apple bliss! The barn is where they make the apple cider and you can watch the entire process step-by-step. But apple cider is not all they make. The farm also has a general store, filled with delicious items that complement their fresh apple cider. They also make apple cider donuts which you can purchase fresh from the bakery.
This place is as down-home country farm as you can get… in addition to few modern-day innovations. Today, we were lucky to experience their “cider fest” which was incredibly well attended. The cider mill was filled with hundreds of people drinking cider, eating cider donuts, and listening to good ol’ blue grass live music. The adjoining pumpkin patch and corn maze almost stole the spotlight from the cider mill… almost! If you are ever in Kansas… this place is a MUST SEE!
For the past year, it has been a pleasure to work with Amanda Cook and the Four Seasons St. Louis. From e-blasts to e-newsletters, we’ve had a great time creating beautiful promotional e-marketing for one of the top brands in St. Louis and the world!
Living in Kansas has been a great experience. We never knew how much this part of the mid-west had to offer. In the past year, we have been traveling and exploring this beautiful area, meeting many great new people and enjoying our new life! Each weekend seems to be an opportunity to travel. Two weeks ago, we spent the weekend in Nebraska. Last week, we visited family in St. Louis. This weekend, we decided to venture out to Weston, Missouri (about an hour from our home) to check out a pumpkin patch. Since Kansas and Missouri have got “farm attractions” down to a science, we decided to sample as many pumpkin patches this year as the kids can tolerate. A Kansas City Attractions web site boasts 9 pumpkin patches in the surrounding area… they include Kansas and Missouri.
Weston Red Barn was our first pumpkin patch of the year. If you are out in this area, I highly recommend you stop by. Here is the web site link if you would like to learn more www.westonredbarnfarm.com
This farm is absolutely ADORABLE. The nicest part… it’s free to get in. However, be ready to pay for many of the attractions separately. We enjoyed a hay ride and pony rides. They were fun and affordable. The farm is smaller than most of its competitors, which lends to its charm! There were many visitors today but the farm never felt overwhelming or crowded. There was also plenty of free parking.
Their retail facilities are beautifully set-up and carry a wide selection of delicious foods and home decor items. If you are hungry, there is also a food truck that serves BBQ. The farm sells its award-winning kettle corn, apple cider, and apple slushies. I highly recommend the apple slushies… we loved them!
The reason I enjoy what I do is because I get to work with clients like Jimmy Hussey from A Rockin’ DJ! Recently, we launched his web site which we developed and designed! This is a recommendation that he left for us on LinkedIn! It made my day!
“In upgrading my website, I chose Arina & Steve because of their proven marketing genius. Having been a fan of Arina’s work for many years, I have witnessed the amazing results of her creativity applied to many facets of web and graphic design for a variety of businesses. Arina’s marketing talent is a compliment to her solid execution & performance. She really helps her clients reach their goals. Arina is a good listener, will keep you on task, and produces a final product that is second to none. If you are seeking a creative expert who can deliver superior results – then look no further. Regarding my personal experience with Arina for my own website…I truly feel that the value of the website that I received, far surpassed the price that I paid for the services rendered. I highly recommend Arina for any web or graphic design project. “– Jimmy Hussey, A Rockin’ DJ
