Authentically U! personal assistants

The Five Love Languages Birthday Party (Centerpieces)

2012-02-15T08:14:00.001-08:00

When thinking about centerpieces for The Five Love Languages Party that I organized, I contemplated many options. I eventually decided on flowers and candles. There are lots of ways to go about making a centerpiece for an event and typically, this is a part of planning that pulls the theme together and is able to incorporate a personal touch. Additionally, this may turn out to be a main focus so you want to be sure to put some thought into what to use as a centerpiece. Centerpieces are usually made with balloons, flowers, candles, or some sort of edible treat! However, there are no hard and fast rules to centerpieces. My favorite when planning my wedding was the "fish in the bowl" idea. Some times, people use their party favors as centerpieces, then there is no clean up or worry about what to do with them after. You can pretty much go in any direction, when choosing a centerpiece.

With our theme being somewhat "romantic," I decided that nothing is more romantic than flowers and candles. The candles I used were heart shaped floating candles. Unfortunately, the only one I could find (Pier 1) were red, and that was not apart of our color story so I was a little disappointed. So I decided to make submerged flowers in multiple shades of purple and put one floating candle on the top of each. I also put violet colored gems at the bottom of each vase. I made three of these! They were a big hit! (I will try to get some pics of them sitting on the table at the actual party from my client so you all can see what they looked like with the rest of the decor.)

This is a very simple and inexpensive way to build up your theme and color story. Not to mention, it cast a beautiful, romantic glow on the room!

What is your favorite centerpiece idea? What is the most beautiful centerpiece you have ever seen?

(For links to all of the other post about this Five Love Languages event, click on the main blog post here.)

NETWORK SHARE: Consignment cousin Vintage

2012-02-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

One of my fellow "Ladies Board" members, Foxy Blanche, of Consignment cousin Vintage, did a fabulous blog post with Gabe, Co-Owner of The SuperGroup for its "For Retro Gentlemen" segment.

Check it out here!

Also, they are having a contest!

"Watch the video and let us know what vintage pieces you like of Gabe's the most.

If Gabe reaches 50 comments by February 15th, he'll select a lucky "commenter" to win a $25 gift card/certificate to the resale store of their choice on February 16th! (leave your name and email address when commenting)

Don't forget to VIEW, COMMENT and SHARE with others by February 15th - before MIDNIGHT!"

The Five Love Languages Birthday Party (Place Cards)

2012-01-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

I think I love place card holders more than I love place cards! So you can only imagine that when I plan weddings, I go pretty insane with this little tidbit that adds elegance and class to any event. But place cards are not just for weddings. They can be used for showers, receptions, kids events, meetings, formal affair, casual affairs, and yes, of course, birthday parties.

Place cards serve several functions. Some of them include:

Helping to keep the event organized
Encouraging guests to meet new people while at the event
Incorporating/Magnifying the theme
Introducing people with like interest
Making guest feel special with a personalized touch (everyone likes to see their own name in lights, LOL)
Eliminate empty seats and gaps in the seating plan

Place cards can be pre-printed at a variety of places including Hallmark, Paper Affair, and various vendors online. However, you can also print them at home very easily on your home printer. You can add photos, colors, or motifs to make them as personal or generic as you wish. You can go very formal and have them engraved or you can hand write them on card stock from your local office supply store.

One of the hang ups with making place cards is that people don't always RSVP, and it can get very costly to have place cards printed for people who don't show to the event. This can be extremely annoying! So if you are having a gathering and don't anticipate that people will RSVP or don't have time to ensure that people do, skip the place cards. This tip has saved me a lot of headache.

However, you choose to create place cards for your event, I am sure guests will feel the love in the time and effort you took to make sure they had a place at the table.

With that being said, I have shared the place cards for the Five Love Languages party I am planning this week. Enjoy!

I purchased a pack of blank card stock from the store, downloaded the template from the manufacturers website, and my printer kept spitting my labels out incorrectly. This was so frustrating.

I adjusted the template as much as possible, even designed my own by pulling out my ruler and putting the specs into Microsoft Word, NO LUCK! I printed out my template a couple of times on regular paper, held it against the labels, and it was correctly placed. However, on the actual labels, it was all wrong.

So I figured since the regular paper worked, I could use some pretty purple paper that I got on sale years ago and had never used. It was a good way to incorporate the color story and it would allow each place card to be one-of-a-kind.

I printed them on the purple paper and cut them up into smaller, more manageable pieces.

I them made each of them into their own scwiggly design and glued them to the place cards. Therefore, I did not waste the ones that printed incorrectly! :-)

I let them dry over night, then the next day, placed cute little violet jewels in the center of each. Ta Da!! They are beautiful!!

(For links to all of the other post about this Five Love Languages event, click on the main blog post here.)

The Five Love Languages Birthday Party (Thank You Cards)

2012-01-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Saying "thank you" and showing gratitude was a serious part of my upbringing. Since as young as I can remember, I have been writing thank you cards to friends, relatives, and even strangers for various gifts, acts of kindness, and gestures of love. My parents were ever so diligent to make sure not a graduation, birthday, pageant, wedding, or reception went by without sending out thank you cards. As tedious as it was as a kid to complete those notes, now as an adult, I am ever so grateful that my parents instilled this lesson in me at such a tender age. It is a habit that I have carried with me my entire life. As a matter of fact, my first job out of high school (sophomore year of college) was at a stationary store in Lenox Mall, here in Atlanta. I enjoyed working there so much and was surrounded by beautiful papers and thank you notes each shift. Sometimes, the beauty of the handwritten card is even breathtaking and emotional. Not only do I love to write, but I love beautiful paper.

So, with that being said, the first project I completed for my Five Love Language themed birthday party was the thank you cards. (If you missed my post about this b-day party I am planning, you can find it here.) Saying thank you is a great way to show love to those who come to join you on your birthday. The thank you cards will be handed out at the end of the affair with the party favors. They are personalized on the inside with each couples name and includes a place to write their discovered love language as a keep sake from the event.

I made the thank you cards with card stock purchased at Hallmark that were sealed with a band closed with a heart motif. It was also great that I found this love themed stationary in lavendar, which falls in line with our color story.

Above is a picture of all of the components of the thank you card.
To the right, is a close up of the inside of the thank you card. On the top flap is a thank you message. In the middle is the logo I created with the date of the event. On the bottom flap is the name of the couple with a line by each name to document their love language that they discovered at the party.

UPDATE: So after completing the thank you cards for the event, I started to think about how I wanted each couple to receive the cards. They can't be mailed after, because there is a place to add their love language (which they will learn at the party). Therefore, I'd like for them to open them at the end of the party and write their love language inside the card. So I was just going to sit them on the table, but then I realized that I don't want them opening them during dinner either. I concluded to place them in envelopes and near the end of the evening, pass them to the guests. With that being said, I have added some pics below of the final product, including envelopes. I punched holes in the flaps and placed purple bows on both sides. On the front, I made labels incorporating the logo and with each couples name on the label in a curly script. I sealed the envelopes with little purple stickers. I thought about doing wax seals (as I am a lover of wax seals, {see my wedding blog here with our wax seals}), but we are on a time restraint, as well as a budget. But the stickers add a fun touch, seeing as though the party has a casual feel to it anyway.

(For links to all of the other post about this Five Love Languages event, click on the main blog post here.)

AUPA Tip Tuesday - 01/24/12

2012-01-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Power of Dreams

There is so much power in the ability to dream. I'm not referring to the type of dreaming that you do when you are sleep. More so, I am referring to the types of dreams that fall in the category of "Dreams, Goals, and Aspirations." Sometimes, I look at little children and the hope that they have in what the future holds. They constantly dream and use their imagination to visualize things as though they were. As adults, I wish we took the time to slow down an dream more. We would truly understand the power of a dream. Everyone dreams, in some form or another. Honda developed a very successful advertising campaign called, "The Power of Dreams" and Celine Dion had a hit song that shared the same title. There is also a Rock Band that calls them selves the Power of Dreams.

Some groups of people who study the subconscious delve deeper into the power of our dreams but as a lay person, I can be a witness to the fact that dreams do indeed have power. They drive us toward certain successes and maintain our energy when attempting to complete a goals. Dreams help us to see the big picture and stay focused as we take small steps. Dreams help us to imagine the impossible and bring out the best in us.

Here are some tips on how to incorporate dreaming into your life:

Be around people and things that inspire you
Always continue to learn new things. Try to strategically learn at least one new thing a day.
Dreams are best when you are relaxed. Find new ways to relax yourself.
Spend time around children. Their imagination will rub off on you.
Colors usually help to inspire dreams. A world of only black and white can be very dull.
Instead of asking "why," ask "why not"
Tell people about some of your dreams. They may be able to add information that turns them into reality
Make a conscience effort to wonder about things
Incorporate meditation into your daily or weekly routine
Use sounds and smells to help you have time to dream. I love candles that remind me of nature (which I love) and I love my "Whale Sounds" CD's

Happy Dreaming!

Event Planning: Cake Toppers

2012-01-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

I spent the morning drawing up plans for an adult birthday party. (If you missed my blog post about the Five Love Languages Birthday Party, you can find it here.) I just love when adults decide to celebrate their birthdays and party as much as children. I love tapping into the kid in me! Another year on Earth, fulfilling your purpose, and walking in your destiny is indeed a reason to throw caution to the wind and celebrate your born day.

One of my favorite things about birthdays is cake! And one of my favorite things about cake is the cake topper! Traditionally, people limit their "creative cake flow" to candles. However, a more modern approach is to use an elaborate cake topper. Cake toppers typically have been reserved for occasions such as weddings and maybe, baby showers but not birthdays. Adding a cake topper at a birthday party has multiple purposes:

To add decoration to the cake
To solidify a theme
To make guests aware of what you are celebrating
To add "glam" to the event
To limit the amount of individual candles that need to be blown out (for those of you with more candles than you can handle, LOL)

I have listed below some of my favorite sites that have great, unique, and inexpensive cake toppers! Additionally, it is something that can be used again and again, passed down or passed on, shared with friends for separate occasions, or put on display in your home afterwards.

And my favorites!

Personalized custom cake toppers made to look like you!
Head Bobble
Fun Deliver

Lastly, for those of you who know me personally, know how much I like to add a little bling to a celebrations! Below are a few sites that feature cake jewelry! I LOOOOOOOVE CAKE JEWELRY!

The Five Love Languages Birthday Party (Summary)

2012-01-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am super excited!! Today I found out that I will be planning an adult birthday party with a Five Love Languages theme! For those of you who have read the book, you know how helpful it is in our adult lives to understand the love language of others. Although the book is most helpful in the relationship we have with our spouses or significant others, it is also helpful in friendships and family relationships as well. It's an awesome book so I am elated to use my creative talents to incorporate it into a birthday party theme.

The birthday recipient is female and turning 39! In the initial consultation, I asked my client (Her husband) a series of questions to try and determine an appropriate theme for the affair. Things such as favorite colors, favorite animals, favorite items, favorite time period, favorite music, etc. He mentioned that The Five Love Languages is one of her favorite books and he thought it would be a good idea to have the title as the theme. I agreed and begin to run with it!! It also helps that Valentines Day is right around the corner so there are tons of decor and items for us to choose from that will help with our theme of Five Love Languages. He also mentioned that her favorite color was purple so we will be incorporating purple into the plans as well to create a color story around our event.

A few logistics that might be important as you follow this thread:

Number of people: 12. Six couples including the birthday girl and her hubby
Venue: Restaurant
Entertainment: Live Band for second part of event
Theme: The Five Love Languages
Color Story: Hues of Purple
Activity: Love Language Quiz
Invitations: Electronic

Since this will be a small gathering and there is a budget involved, I decided that a good way to incorporate the theme without spending a lot of money is to create a logo and add a few printed items (that can be done on a home computer) that will tie the theme together. Here is what I decided on. (I will come back as I complete the projects and turn the items on the list into hyperlinks of the blog post that features the item.)

Reserved Sign for Table
Menu Cards at each Place Setting
Place Cards at each Place Setting
Personalized Thank You Cards (with a space to add your love language after taking the mini quiz)
"39 things to love about the Birthday Girl" Welcome Sign at entrance (on poster board)
Cupcake Flags with logo or photo
Make (or purchase) a guestbook
Love Language mini-quiz
Floating hearts centerpieces

In addition to printed items, I have also added a few other low cost ideas to add to the theme:

CD Sleeves with Ribbon
Photo Slide Show scrolling on laptop as we enjoy dinner
Themed cake topper
Birthday wish "love tree"

AUPA Tip Tuesday - 01/03/12

2012-01-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! It's that time of year to begin making new year resolutions and setting goals for the upcoming year. If there is one thing I have noticed about the advancements in technology, it is that technology is moving so quickly that we have a hard time keeping up. Social media, blogging, websites, video conferencing, email, and the list goes on and on with things that make our minds race a thousand miles a minute.

Well, I don't have the cure for all of that but the first thing I want to share with you in 2012 is that when all of these things make your head spin, the best thing to do is slow down and regroup. As you have been able to see with this blog, 2011 got us so caught up in other things that we let it fall off. No Tip Tuesdays or Facebook Fridays, no pictures or updates, hellos and mentioned accomplishments........ We almost let our blog die....

But the good news is, we have survived another year in business and therefore, have another opportunity to slow down and regroup. We call it the SDR method!

Here are pointers on how to make the SDR method successful:

Literally, slow down physically. When the body is in a state of rest, the mind has a better chance of following suit. You can pretend to be able to focus and multi-task but studies show that while multi-tasking may work for some things, the majority of ones work is compromised when you are doing a million things at once. And if your body is doing multiple things at one time, you can bet that your mind is also not able to stop and focus. Consider a moment of silence in your day or some time for meditation during your week. Slowing the body down and helping it to relax on occasion can surely boost your productivity and effectiveness.
Set small goals. It is important to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Remember that everything does not have to be done all at once and taking steps is a much better way to get things accomplished than trying to jump all the way to the top in one leap. Not only is it exhausting but most times it's not as effective. It's great to always be able to see the end result and have an overall goal but remembering to make small advancements gives you room for 'trial and error' and also gives you encouragement while making small triumphs in your plan.

Reevaluate your goal and plan of execution. Sometimes things change. That is just a fact of life. Additionally, it is a fact of business that is more constant that we realize. When things change, we have to change with it. That does not mean that you will overhaul every aspect of your life or business every chance you get but it does mean to think critically about your environment and how you plan to move forward it in. If new ideas arise from that critical thinking process then figure out how to implement those. If things are going well the way they are, continue them and don't change them until you have to. Practice balance in your efforts to reevaluate and weigh the pros and cons of each aspect of your life/business.

So as you move forward in 2012, remember the SDR method; Slow Down and Regroup!

National Black Pages Listing

2011-02-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Check out our listing in the National Black Pages!!

Feel free to leave a comment!!

As always, thanks for your support!

Youth Motivation Day!!

2011-02-17T03:01:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited and honored to speak to the students of Therrell High School (Atlanta, GA) today for their Youth Motivation Day celebration!!

A follow-up will be posted later................

UPDATE!!

Here are some of the pictures from Youth Motivation Day at Therrell High School!

Photo taken with the SGA and other speakers

Speaking to a class of Juniors and Seniors at THS

With THS Principal and another speaker

Good Article on the right timing of starting a business

2011-02-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

In these economic times, many people are suplementing income with a "side hustle" of sorts. I ran across a very good article about knowing when it is time to turn that into a full-time gig! Enjoy!

Click here or the link below the image!

http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/39008/How-To-Know-Your-Side-Project-Is-Ready-To-Be-A-Startup.aspx

AUPA Tuesday Tip - 01/18/11

2011-01-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

These were the mascots of my childhood breakfast experience. Although my mom would always make our family a homemade breakfast, there was something about these snap, crackle, and pop guys that stayed with me as my image of breakfast.

However, the older I get, the more rushed life becomes, and the less breakfast I am able to enjoy, my mornings tend to look more like this --->. LOL.

This mornings Tuesday Tip is a simple one. To enjoy a more productive day, don't skip breakfast. There are several studies that have been done that educate us on the importance of eating a balanced breakfast before we begin our day so that our focus and concentration is better and we are more effective in our daily goals. Sometimes, we tend to forget the practical things that help us to excel. In this day and time, when we get so many nuggets of insight via social networking links and other quick interaction with our peers, we tend to forget the practical. There is nothing magical about today's tip and it doesn't seem new to most of us. However, making this one adjustment in our day can help with health benefits and productivity over all.

Below are some helpful links that have information about eating breakfast:

WebMD: The Many Benefits of Breakfast

MyOptumHealth: The Benefits of Eating Breakfast

Women Fitness: Top 10 Reasons not to skip your breakfast

LiveStrong: Side Effects of Not Eating Breakfast

AUPA Tuesday Tip: Create time to have breakfast in the mornings before you begin your day. This is not a new, revolutionary concept, but one that I think we should be reminded of often as adults. There are amazing benefits to starting your day with some nourishment.

AUPA Tuesday Tip - 01/11/11

2011-01-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

As I looked at today's date, I thought about how funny it looked to have so many ones in a date. I thought about how this sequence might have special meanings in certain cultures and how people will remember this date in the future. Later on, I saw several post on facebook where my friends commemorated today's date with a special status or even documented what they were doing at exactly 11:11AM/PM on 01/11/11. Most status were funny or contains jokes and other silly commentary but as I sat and read the silly thoughts on my friends minds as they celebrated this one moment in time and space, I realized the importance of celebration.

Every since I was a little girl, I have been all about celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and other significant milestones were always so exciting to me and I could hardly wait for them to come around. Sometimes, I would even make up a reason to celebrate. Whether I'd gotten a 100% on a spelling test or beat my brother in UNO, a huge celebration was going down if I could find an inkling of a reason to celebrate.

Now, as an adult, I realize how important it is to stop and smell the roses and just celebrate life. Celebrations don't always have to be personal or about you; they can be celebrations for others as well. They say laughter is good for the soul and keeps you young, so in the name of good health and spiritual well-being, I encourage you to celebrate something today. Even if it is just a celebration because it's 1/11/11!

AUPA Tuesday Tip: Take time out to celebrate life. No matter how big or small, take time to find things to celebrate and use those celebrations to serve as a reminder of life's blessings. Make your heart smile today and celebrate something. Add a friend or two to double or triple the fun!

AUPA Tuesday Tip - 01/04/11

2011-01-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

It's a new year!!! I am so excited to have made it to 2011! And Authentically U thanks you all for your continued support.

So with a new year, comes change. AUPA is trying our hand at a blog this year so tell your friends, jump on board, and join the dialogue. You never know who you might help.

This years first "Tip Tuesday" is about Vision. There's lots of talk about people who do vision boards at the beginning of the year but I am interested to know the feedback of how effective these have been for most people.

Have you done a vision board?
Did you continue to look at it through out the year?
Where was it placed?
Do you think it affected your decisions?
How was it helpful?

Last year, was my first year doing a vision board. Some of the things actually happened (I had a ring on my board and I got married) but other didn't (I had water bottles on my board but I DID NOT end up drinking more water as I had planned). However, my board was strategically placed on my closet wall so I saw it every morning when I woke up and went into the closet to get dressed. Seeing my visions was helpful but I must admit that by the time summer came, I was a bit tired of seeing the same images. So, perhaps for me, I should do them every six months. Perhaps, I plan more short term goals, than long term goals? However, with that in mind I have decided to do my vision boards every six months. But finding out what works best for you is key. So try it our for a year and if you end up like me, board with the images (or maybe even your progress), then try every six month or maybe even seasonally/quarterly. There are really no rules to it, but consistency is important.

Today's Tuesday Tip: Make your goals visual! Seeing is believing so if you have goals that you want to achieve, create a visual image of the way you see the outcome and place it where you can be reminded of the "big" picture as you make daily steps to achieve the goal. Also, be sure to have a clear understanding of whether your goals are long-term or short-term. Some goals just are NOT meant to happen over night.

2011-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Get ready for Efficiency Tip Tues. @ 9am and 2pm EST on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Authentically_U!!!!

Every Tuesday, get a quick tip on living a more productive life!!!

www.TamekaCooksey.com

AUPA Tip Tuesday:

Never underestimate the power of a connection!

Connecting w/ others can create opportunities that 1 cannot create alone.

Getting Organized

2010-09-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

(This is a follow-up from the "Getting Organized" feature article in the August 2010 edition of AUPA Connections.)

One of the most often asked questions I get from clients and supporters is, "what is the best way to get organized?" The short answer is that there is not a simple, cookie cutter, magic way that can guarantee you will develop and maintain organization. There are many factors that affect a person's ability to be organized. How much responsibility do you have on your plate? How much time are you willing to invest on the front end to set up a system or routine? How much of a priority is being organized?

When it comes to organization, there are a few key tools that can get you started and on your way to being more organized. In addition to what you saw in our newsletter, I have added 5 more things here that could help.

Buy a planner
Have an accountability partner
Put yourself on a more rigid schedule
Eat foods that help with focus
Take time to rest

(If you did not see the full article in our newsletter, sign up in the box to the right.)

2009: AUPA Tip Tuesday Archives!

2010-01-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

Get ready for Efficiency Tip Tuesday!

Every Tuesday @ 10 am and 2 pm EST on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Authentically_U!!!!

Every Tuesday, get a quick tip on living a more productive life!!!
http://www.tamekacooksey.com/

June 16, 2009 AUPA Tip Tuesday: Never underestimate the power of a connection. Connecting w/ others can create opportunities that one cannot create alone.

June 23, 2009 AUPA Tip Tuesday: Write down the vision. Not only is it biblical but studies have shown that documentation helps 1 stay focused on the goal.

July 7, 2009 AUPA Tip Tuesday: Perfect your listening/interpretation skills! No matter how good you are at what you do, if you don't know what the client needs, you will have know idea on how to provide the best services.

July 28, 2009 AUPA Tip Tuesday: Use your resources! Many times we overlook the people or tools that are available to us that lie right under our noses. Multiple programs, people, and situations are available for you if only you seek and keep an open mind. If someone or something may be helpful to your "agenda", don't pass up the opportunity to include them (or it).

To set up a consultation on how to live your best, most productive life or conduct business more efficiently, http://www.tamekacooksey.com/