Ideas Are Us in 2011

Going green begins at home, so what are the 10 things you can do today to be greener in your own personal space?

1. Shut down your computer if you are not using it for long durations of time, definitely shut it down at night and you will see the savings in your energy bills.
2. Wash your laundry in cold water. Most clothes don’t need warm water and it’s the warm water that takes more energy to wash a load. Always wash full loads.
3. Opt for online bill payments and paperless transaction history; you will save paper as well as postage, and the trip to/wait at the post office.
4. You can also remove your name from unsolicited mails so it reduces the amount of unnecessary information you get by post. Saves on the paper printed, saves you trips for recycling it.
5. Printing at home? Think twice. If you really must print then print on the front and back of each sheet. If you get snail-mail that is printed on one side then cross that side out and use the blank side for your personal printing needs. You can also reuse envelopes enclosed for your payments to separate important documents or other organizational efforts.
6. Try to carpool as much as possible. With our individual lives and schedules it might be difficult but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Also use public transport if your destination is easily accessible or bike/walk to nearby shops and restaurants.
7. Be smart about water. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or shampooing during your shower. Take shorter showers. Create efficient toilets by using a dam to restrict the amount of water you use each time you flush.
8. Reuse as much as possible. Use old clothes for dusting around the house or as fillers for your cushions. Use it to wrap fragile items in when packing or for storage. Better still; donate them to someone that needs them.
9. Use energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Install motion detectors in areas where you don’t always have the lights on like your porch or backyard. That way you will be using light only as needed and won’t waste energy forgetting to switch it off.
10. Use green cleaning supplies, or if that is not an affordable option, turn to some home remedies like using vinegar, salt, warm water, soap suds to clean up kitchen counters, stains, window, etc.

I met with the fabulous Ms Chi Chi Okezie this morning over a nice warm cuppa something warm with a nice healthy serving of whipped cream! Chi Chi has been a friend of mine for over 2 years now, yet this was the first time we met in person. Funny how you can be connected over media and it feels like you can just catch up from what you last knew of each other. I met Chi Chi at a business networking event where she freely shared of her networking experience and mingled with everyone in the room. She is one of the most approachable, friendly, warm people I know, which is good, considering she would need all that and more to network and communicate how to network the best way possible for your personal and professional needs. I am happy to share her blog link with you. She writes at http://www.chichiokezie.com/ and I will take a moment to congratulate her on her 300th blog post and wish her many more milestones ahead. She shares great tips on networking, small business, other information that catches her eye and will sure have you reading on. She also speaks at events and seminars and will be more than happy to work with you on your next networking sessions so feel free to get in touch with her through her website. I hope sharing her information is useful to you. Happy Networking!

The time has come for our last show of the holiday season, the year, and possibly the foreseeable future! This Saturday the 3rd of December 2011 will be our last show at the Chattahoochee Nature Center Holiday Market. No, we are not going out of business. Luckily that has not been the case for us. We have had enough customers supporting us the past three years that we are actually moving on to wholesale operations and moving out of the retail space, moving from B2C to B2B. We are grateful as ever for all the support and much as we will miss the one-to-one experience of being at a show and meeting our customers individually, the time has come for us to move forward and focus on spreading our wings. Spreading our products far and wide across the United States and finding more work and recognition for the lovely artisans and craftspeople that make with their hands the beautiful pieces of artistry and workmanship that each of you have come to love and appreciate. It will be our pleasure, if you are in the Atlanta area, to see you at this, our last festival show. Of course you can find us at our retail outlets in the city and hopefully many more locations in the New Year!

I am unable to participate in this show but if you are interested then pls contact them directly:

Dear Whom It May Concern,

I wanted to speak to you about a Parenting, Kid, and Baby Expo in Atlanta area that I am organizing. We will primarily target young families in Atlanta area.  The Parenting, Kid, and Baby Expo is a good opportunity for you to gain some new clients and for busy families to check out different businesses under one roof.

The expo will benefit Medical Patient Modesty (http://www.patientmodesty.org), a non-profit organization that promotes stronger medical patient modesty.

We will do the expo at North Dekalb Mall in Decatur at 11 AM – 5 PM on Saturday, November 12th. A limited number of spots are available for businesses to exhibit at the Parenting & Baby Expo.

Costs For Exhibitors at Parenting & Baby Expo:

Regular Exhibitor- $250 - If you pay before October 3^rd, you will only pay $225.

This includes a table for your business to exhibit at the expo, the ability to have some of your products on display and even sell them if you wish, the ability to pass out business cards, magazines, and flyers about your business, and the ability to take orders for products from your business/organization.

Featured Exhibitor – $700 (Only 10 Spots are available) If you pay by September 30th, you will only pay $650.

Includes all of the features of the regular exhibitor. Your table will be in front and more accessible to people than the regular exhibitors. There will also be a logo for your business on the ad in the newspaper and/or on the home page of this web site. Your business will be listed as one of the sponsors of the expo.

You can fill out the form at http://parentingbabykidexpo.com/atlanta/registration.asp to sign up to be an exhibitor. Some parts of the web site are still under construction at this time.

I was wondering if you would be interested in being an exhibitor at the Parenting, Baby, and Kid Expo. Would it also be possible for you to donate some items for the silent auction at the expo?

Do you know of other businesses or organizations in the area that might be interested in exhibiting at the Parenting & Baby Expo? You would get $5 credit for every business you get to sign up to be an exhibitor at the fair. If you got 10 to sign up, you would save $50 and only pay $200 to be a regular exhibitor.

Please let me know if it would be possible for your business to be a part of the Parenting, Kid, and Baby Expo or not.  I hope we can work together and I look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,
Misty Roberts
misty@patientmodesty.org

Read all about our new website, new certification, new products, new events, new giveaway and more!!Right here!

And remember to subscribe on the newsletter or here to remain informed of our new developments.

Enjoy!

So its the end of the year, went by just like that dint it?! December is looking great, we have holiday parties, giveaways and so much more…check out our newsletter at this link for all the info:

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410623242

We are also hiring for intern and sales rep positions so check out the info on that on our careers page:

http://ideas-are-us.com/Careers.html

We hope you will make it to one of our holiday parties or send in your entry by email to win our holiday themed gift hamper!!

We will be closed for the holidays from December 20th 2010 thru January 10th 2011. See you in the new year with some great news

Continuing with our festivities this month, we have a holiday shopping event on the 13 and 14 at Lithia Springs and then the 20th at St Pius School. You can get the deets on the website events page here – http://ideas-are-us.com/EventsandNews.html

We have a bunch of other tentative events planned so keep checking back on the website, we will update those as and when we get confirmations. We also have fun events planned for the ext two months at the new store where our products are featured. The store is called 5Continents Gallery and we had a fabulous press meet and opening night in October. for their event calendr you can visit their website at http://www.5continents.us/

Ciao!!

Well we have the grand opening at the new store to look forward on the 8th.

We also have a fundraiser At The Collective in Inman Park and a Frist Friday celebration as well. Its located at 28o Elizabeth Street.

Other events we will be at include Pace Academy on the 2nd and North Springs UMC market on the 23rd.

The Freelance Forum’s open house is the 7th and the weekend after there’s the Brookhaven Fest and the L5P Halloween festival that I’d like to catch.

Should be a fun October!

Yup, if you have not heard from us its only cos we been so busy we got no time to spare to be posting out here! We had our first out of city show, in August, for the Arts in the Heart. It was a fabulous 3 day event, it was one of the hottest weekends in Augusta history but it made for a great experience and a road trip in the name of business. We have also been setting shop in a new store. Yes, Ideas Are Us now has a new home too. Our products are now available at 5Continents Gallery in Buckhead located at 326 Pharr Road. The grand opening is October 8th at 7pm so come one, come all for a great time. This is also where we are launching our new clothing line for women featuring ethnic Indian embellished and embroidered tops in block print patterns and designs. It should be a blast!

This august marks two years of Ideas Are Us. A big thank you to everyone who supported my efforts and encouraged me on this journey. Of course, a new year means new things. For one…I will be adding anew product line to my business – I will be selling fashionable women’s tops in cotton featuring Indian block prints and patterns. I will also be participating in the Decatur Book Festival sharing my booth for the first time with my good friend An American in PAris. We will be at booth 256 near the food stalls if you’re looking for us. I will also be at the Arts in the Heart in Augusta – a weekend event that has turned into a road trip as I live 3 hours away!! And even better – my friend Jennifer is opening her new store in buckhead where Ideas Are Us products will be available. A lot of fun and excitement in the air!!