Memento ~ Monograms Make it Personal

Wedding Wednesday ~ Shoes Optional

2012-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Back Porch Shoppe

Love this idea for a beach wedding! Check out The Back Porch Shoppe on Etsy to order a personalized rustic beach sign. Makes a great keepsake after the fact and how fun!

Georgia Bridal Show January 2012

2012-01-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

Look at our FIRST Bridal Show booth!

Yes, it finally happened. Memento debuted our fabulous bridal collection of personalized gifts at The Georgia Bridal Show on January 22, 2012 at Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, GA. We were truly humbled by the praise we received. It felt wonderful to talk personally to each bride and listen to their feedback.
The Memento Girls

This is the Memento crew. Check out our personalized aprons!

Give Aways

Our Bridal Give Aways were the showstopper of the booth. They were placed at the corner of our booth and the aisle with a large boudoir mirror to create the 'boutique' look. They really helped us drive traffic and get ladies talking about their weddings. Want to know the NEWEST, PREPPIEST trend in bridesmaid’s gifts? OVERSIZED MENS OXFORD SHIRTS! We had numerous requests for that specific gift and are now in the process of producing our FIRST order! More to come...

Oversized Mens Monogrammed Shirts Bridesmaids Gifts

2012-01-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

Monogrammed Oversized Mens Shirts for Bride and Bridesmaids

Sneak Peak of new product offering more photos and info to come!

Photography by Angela Wilson Photography

The Georgia Bridal Show Jan 22, 2012

2012-01-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

Memento will be at the Georgia Bridal Show this Sunday January 22 from 12-5 at Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. After 4 years of expanding and growing my business I have taken the plunge and decided to be a wedding vendor at the Georgia Bridal Show. My banners came in a few days ago and they look amazing! My brochures will be ready later today. I will post some pictures from my booth next week. I am a detail girl from the big things to the little things so I hope I have thought of everything. It almost feels like a wedding with getting the decor elements to make the booth classy and elegant.

Here is a coupon you can print out and bring to the show for a 2 for 1 admission. Come see Memento for personalized monogrammed bridesmaids gifts from spa wraps, waffle robes, market totes, aprons and more! We have some great show promotions for Brides that book their bridal party gift orders at the show.

A few weeks ago we did a bridal photo shoot with some beautiful ladies to have some images for the banners. Here are a few of my favorites. If you are a past or future bride ordering personalized robes or spa wraps I love to get photos from your special day.

Bride Robe with Flower Girl Robe & Bride Cosmetic Bag

Something Blue Bridal Gift Set

Monogrammed Lace Handkerchief with Wedding Date

One of our lovely models will be a Bride in February and we surprised Brittany with the lace hankie. She didn't know that I made personalized bridal handkerchief so it was a neat surprise for our mock bridal shower photos when she opened this gift and saw her new married monogram with the wedding date in Bridal Blue!

Hot Pink Robes for the Bridesmaids & White for the Bride

Love this photo of the Bridesmaids looking at the Brides Ring! Personalized Velour Spa Wraps

You can find the items from above at my website Memento or Memento's Etsy shop Shopmemento

Wedding Wednesday ~ Personalized Bridesmaids Gifts Waffle Robes

2011-09-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Looking for Personalized, Pretty and Practical Bridesmaids Gifts? As Brides are finalizing their fall wedding details and starting to plan for spring and summer 2012 weddings. Monogrammed Personalized Bridesmaids gifts are a great way to give each of your closest friends a gift that they will cherish. Waffle Weave Robes are the perfect gift for getting ready the morning of the wedding or for a spa pedicure day with your girlfriends to celebrate your friendships.

Personalized Waffle Weave Robes

Here are some of my favorite bridesmaids gifts I recently embroidered for waffle weave spa robes to give you ideas and color combinations for your wedding and bridal party gifts.

Chocolate Brown and Green with Layered Name

Hot Pink and Black with Names

Dark Aqua and Black Layered Name

Light Pink, Hot Pink and Black Layered Name

Teal and Black Fancy Script Monogram

Grey, Black and White Layered Name

Light Pink and Hot Pink with Names

Grey and Hot Pink with Layered Name

Hot Pink and Black with Circle Monogram

Happy Wedding Planning.

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ Autumn Mist

2011-09-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The crisp air, cooler weather and the rich beautiful colors. I created this treasury with some wonderful autumn finds from some talented Etsy artists. I choose the title for this treasury from JoyStClaire's amazing photo Autumn Mist. I added the rustic worn wood background product shots as they reminded me of an old barn on a farm on a country road. This collection has a rustic feel to it that I hope I captured the essence of a fall country day. Please take the time to check out some of the amazing shops and items made by a group of talented Etsy Shops.

'Autumn Mist' by shopmemento

Beautiful Fall collection with a rustic country mix of oranges and browns. Take a fresh look at some talented Etsy Artists. Created by a Tagt Team Member

Autumn Mist. 8x10 Photo... joystclaire $28.00	Thanksgiving Wreath au... TheMarkoeHouse $75.00	Hand Knit Hat - Cable B... pixiebell $60.00	Autumn Block Set...I lo... SimplyPerfectD... $21.00
Sparkling Fire Agate Ne... bstrung $42.00	Halloween Pumpkin Photo... AmeliaKayPhoto... $9.00	Burnt Orange and Gray S... mktengineer $18.00	Wine Barrels Photo, Chi... LovesParis $75.00
Autumn Owl- orange and ... littlexbekahxb... $25.00	Fall Leaf and Wheat Bou... GardenSideStud... $8.00	Brown Happy Falliday Le... cottonflowerpr... $4.00	Fall Carnelian Watch AdornmentsByAm... $24.00
14" PILLOW COVER -... JillianReneDec... $40.00	Orange Necklace Glass L... RockStoneTreas... $42.00	Set of neck and arm war... Littlewhitebou... $19.00	Ring Bearer Pillow, SIL... StudioWedbyMir... $74.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Remembering Grandma Nixon

2011-07-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share about the women that played a role in the woman that I am today. More than 1 person has helped me become the Terri that I now am but I am going to share about my Paternal Grandmother, Eva Helen Rogers Nixon, fondly known as Grandma Nixon to me. 1 week ago today my dear Grandmother passed away at the age of 89. I just got back in town last night from traveling to Manitoba Canada for her funeral. My grandparents would of celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary next year. They have shared a lifetime of love, memories, joy, laughter, sorrow and heartache. The day of her funeral my Grandfather said Oh I should tell Eva that. I am sure he will say that lots over the next few weeks and months. Losing a Grandmother is hard but losing a partner in life of 69 years I can truly only imagine how lost he must feel at times without her.

In May my husband and two children traveled to Manitoba to see my Grandma while she was in the hospital. I am so glad we had those 7 days of short little visits every day. Some days it was 30 minutes other 45 or 60. With an active chatty 3 year old and a 5 year old the visits needed to be short. She was thrilled to see her great grandchildren and so happy to see Ron and I. She loved her grandson in law. He was a good catch she would always tell me. She was right he is my one in a million treasure. We had hot chocolate and Timbits from Tim Horton's with my Grandpa. I went shopping for some new clothes for her so she could wear more comfortable shirts and pants. I was happy to do anything I could for a women who has done so much for me over the years.

She taught me to bake her famous and delicious homemade buns or rolls as they call them in the south. I called her more than once when I tried to make them on my own. I would call every time I made rhubarb pie to get her recipe. I would always right it on a scrap piece of paper and never enter it in my cookbook. Finally I felt so bad the 4 or 5 time I called to get it as I was cutting up the rhubarb I got my cookbook that has all my favorite recipes and I called her with pen and book in hand. I learned one of my favorite card games from Grandma & Grandpa, "500". It is a trump card game you play in teams with 4 people. One night when we were playing Ron had made a move that messed up Grandma’s next move and she leaned over the table and said “You’re going have ice in your bed tonight!” I learned to crochet and knit from my Grandma. She loved teaching and showing me and seeing the things I was making. I sewed my first pin cushion with Grandma; it was made of flannel yellow fabric with lambs on it. She helped me learn more complicated sewing machine stitches and some hand sewn stitches. She loved to see the items I embroidered and to hear about how my business had grown. I know she was very proud of the women that I became as a person, wife and as a mom now myself.

We had talks about so many different things over the year. She always loved to hear about a favorite bible verse or what I had learned at church that week. We both went to two very different style of churches but we loved and followed the same Savior. I remember when I was younger after being at church with my grandparents asking my Grandma if she knew that God has sent Jesus his son to earth to die for our sins. And that if we believed in him and had a personal relationship with him we would spend eternity with him in Heaven. She laughed and said yes she knew that and asked me why I had asked. I told her that just because you go to church isn't enough and I wanted to make sure she knew since I hadn't heard her pastor talk about that at church. She laughed and gave me a big hug. She said yes she did know that and told me they do talk about it just maybe not as often as I had heard it at my church. She was touched that I wanted to make sure she would be in Heaven with me one day. I think I was maybe 7 or 8. As I got older I had no doubt of her personal relation with Christ. She had such a strong Faith and she trusted God. It was an honor to be one of her pallbearer at her funeral. There are 6 grandchildren and I can only imagine the sight it was for my Grandpa to see Grandma surrounded by her grandchildren.

I wore red lipstick on the day of her funeral in remembrance of my Grandma. I maybe wear lipstick 20 days a year not a staple for me. But my Grandma almost always had lipstick on and usually red. When I was younger after a day of shopping and frequent bathroom stops I finally said “Why do you keep putting more lipstick on in every bathroom”. She said “it doesn’t stay on” and I told her “someone should make lipstick you don’t have to keep applying” and she said “yes Terri someone should make that kind of lipstick!”

We stopped at the farm my grandparents have lived at for most of their lives and all had a moment of just being in the home and farm where we all have such wonderful memories. I asked my Aunt if she would like to take my Grandma’s orange Tupperware measuring spoons and cups. She said she had her yellow ones once Grandma wasn’t baking as often she didn’t need a second set anymore. My Aunt thought my Grandma would be thrilled with the thought of me baking with her baking cups and spoons. I told my Grandpa I was going to take them so I could bake with Grandma’s set. He said “Well that will be good that way you can measure correctly”. It made me laugh because I think he missed the fact I wanted them because they were hers and I already do have some. But it was still cute his response. I also have her Bible that she was given in 1940 from her Mother. In it she has some of her Mother’s hand writing and then quite a bit of hers. She has the marriage to Howard Nixon in the family record page and the births of her 4 children and the deaths of 2 of her 4 children. She added the marriages of her children and has my name and birth year written. After that she must of switched to another bible since the other 5 grandchildren were not listed and there were no more noted after 1983 I think. I am sure the register is not filled out in my bible but having seen how her bible is a great comfort and treasured item for me to have I now see the importance in having things with our handwriting. So much is done by phone or email or text. I hope my children will always know that’s my Mom’s handwriting.

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ Nautical Navy at the Summer Shore

2011-06-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

I was on a role posting somewhat regularly to my blog but with Mother's Day, Monogrammed Bridesmaids spa wrap orders, then Father's Day two months has gone by fast! I have made some beautiful spa wraps with lots of pretty colors to match wedding colors so far this summer. Since I was in the wedding mode and I love the beach I made this treasury last week. Enjoy some classic navy finds.

'Nautical Navy at the Summer Shore' by shopmemento

Crisp navy & white ocean inspired items for some summer beach fun or for a nautical wedding.

10%OFF Sailor Knot Brac... marcelacamargo $8.10	Modern Nautical Stripe ... themarigoldpre... $412.50	Custom fully lined ruff... Ananya $60.00	Nautical Anchor Save th... AngelEllie $48.75
Anchor Place Cards (ten... TimelessPaper $150.00	Navy Blue Fabric Flower... jenta2b $6.00	design your own sash cl... eclu $58.00	The Carrie Necklace in ... erinkeys $22.00
Adjustable cluster bead... DotStitch $11.50	Ship shape, nautical si... rusticrevivals $24.00	Pirate's Anchor Nec... grigiodesign $18.00	Shell 2 - Limited Editi... CSchmauderWate... $25.00
rudder earrings- meanin... cloveristanbul $43.00	Anchor - Hand Forged St... MintyFreshFusi... $52.00	SALE Indigo stripe tote... breadandroses2 $98.00	Blue Glass Bead Baroque... BlueRoomGems $21.60

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Inside Etsy Interviews Memento!

2011-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have tried to blog every week and so far so good. I did miss Memento's Tuesday Treasury yesterday but I wanted to share with everyone a great blog that showcases Etsy Shops, Inside Etsy. Today I was the shop that was featured. You can see Inside Etsy article here. Melinda is a wonderful lady and I enjoyed answering her questions and reflecting on how far my business has grown in 3 years.

Some of the new and exciting things in the works for Memento are PRIVATE LABEL aprons! I am so excited it has been in the works for a while and it is finally happening. It will still be a few more weeks before I have them. Yesterday two sample aprons came with my logo and website label and my slogan Monograms Make it Personal. They also have my new logo which you can see in Memento's Etsy Shop and in the button on my blog. My website and my blog are going to be updated soon. The website I had paid a designer and we had it half finished and half paid.... but then no more answers to my emails. That was frustrating and disappointing. Thankfully we had it built on a different domain so my current website was still working. I cannot wait for the new website to be finished. I have just found and started with a new designer. My husband is actually doing all the back and forth since I am the creator girl. If it was left to me it would never make it off my list. I am glad that I have a consistent flow of orders but that keeps me hopping! I am excited to have my logo, silhouette mom in her snazzy apron with her little girl and boy...did you realize it was made for me and it is me and my 2 children? I just love it and can’t wait for all my online hot spots to match! I am an organized gal and it really bothers me. That is the what is happening update that is long overdue. Thanks for all your interest in Memento and for all the great word of mouth advertising that my customer's bring me.

Tare Care!

Memento's Etsy Feature Friday - Barefoot Lake

2011-04-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

For today's Memento's Etsy Feature Friday I decided to keep with the theme of shop supplies and studio craft space items. I wanted to get something fun and pretty for my ironing board so I went to the best shopping place I know Etsy! I found the wonderful shop Barefoot Lake and I purchased an ironing board cover that was brown and aqua to match my studio. I haven't added any recent photos that is on my in my head need to do list! But here is the apron cover I bought.

This is a planned photo when my studio was all clean! Here is a photo of my studio. It matches perfectly
You can see my wall colors and my old boring plain ironing board. It makes a huge difference when you use an iron and ironing board every day to see a pretty fabric smiling back at me!

If you are looking for a way to infuse some creative flair to your craft studio here are some of Barefoot Lake's beautiful creations.

Ironing Board Cover
Michael Miller Pretty Bird Aqua

Another wonderful addition is fabric covered magnets. I use the one I have that matches my ironing board cover on my white board. You can have them on your file cabinet or fridge too. They are so much prettier than a plane old magnet!

Jumbo 2 1/4 Inch Fabric Covered Magnet
Michael Miller Mod Swirls

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ For Crafters By Crafters

2011-04-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today's Memento Etsy Treasury Tuesday is all about Etsy Shops that sell items that would be perfect for your creative work space or studio and supplies. Lots of people know that Etsy sells handmade items but the other two categories are Vintage and Supplies. For Vintage the items need to be at least 20 years old. For Supplies category they need to be items that an artist, crafter might use or need in making or creating their handmade items. One of the items in this treasury is the sign Keep Calm and Sew On by Keep Calm Shop I added since I thought this would be a perfect item to hang in a sewing studio. I just bought the Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake print to hang in my studio. I need to hang it up and take a photo. I had it made in my Memento color and the cupcake is for all the cupcake aprons that I make! When I made over 500 in one week I needed a sign like this! I have also purchased fabric from lots of great shops on Etsy. If you like to sew and are looking for some new fabrics you can find some wonderful prints just search by color and the word fabric and see what you find! Did you know you can find PDF sewing patterns on Etsy too? So what are you waiting for Get Crafting!

'For Crafters By Crafters' by shopmemento

Creating your art & creations with items from other Etsy Artists & Crafty Folks!

Multi-colour Butter... ScrappingArt $4.00	SALE I Create simplyhue $19.99	A collection of woo... honeytree $30.00	KEEP CALM AND SEW O... KeepCalmShop $15.95
80 yards Party Mix ... InspireLovely $25.00	Sweet Nothings Fabr... fabricshoppe $15.00	orange dots button ... moriadesigns $7.00	Assorted Colors Gro... VenezieDesigns $7.50
Ten 8 Inch Zippers ... bumpky $5.00	Pink Flowers Petal ... mialucci $9.00	Small Ruffs - Set o... WindyHollowHan... $4.00	Herb Garden. . . Se... PaperPumpkin $14.50
Handmade Magenta Pi... ILoveYoYo $6.00	3/8" Summer Sp... GiraffeTailWho... $10.75	Wool Sampler - Colo... lanternlitestu... $9.00	AAA Peridot Gemston... somsstudiosupp... $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ Etsy Men

2011-04-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

Well I missed the Friday post but here is Tuesday's on Tuesday! I have been wanting to show some of the talented Etsy shops that are either created by men or items for men. I was amazed at all the great products and artists that I found. It was hard to narrow it down. Here is a collection that shows some of the masculine side to some great Etsy Shops! Please stop in and check them out.

'Etsy Men' by shopmemento

A collection with items made by men & for men. Etsy is not just for ladies!

Daddy's Harley ... EveryThingHarl... $12.00	Made to Order - Bla... urbanheirlooms $135.00	Black Crochet Beani... nvblondie $20.00	Road King Custom 20... sdbphoto $62.00
WHATS IN A NAME... ... wickedgems $27.99	Vintage English mot... chicvintagebou... $95.00	Galvanized Blue Ban... OldTimePickers $20.00	Ford Truck 8x8 Fine... AngieGetsPerso... $20.00
8 oz Western Style ... truetexasscent... $7.25	Recycled Braided Le... WaterstoneJewe... $22.00	Mosaic Belt Buckle ... romyandclare $125.00	1664 Beer Soap - Ma... thebeersoapcom... $6.50
Citrus Cedar & Sage... soycomfort $5.50	Dad Tags.....Rustic... cinnamonsticks $60.00	Retired / 5x7 Fine ... SeeWorldThruMy... $15.00	Cool Upcycled Black... WithoutBustles $49.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ Little Bunny Foo Foo

2011-03-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am a day late or maybe I am 6 days early for next Tuesday? That could work. I really miss blogging and want to try to stay regular maybe they have metamucil for bloggers! Or an Activa Challenge for Bloggers. Today's Treasury was inspired by the adorable bunny nose photograph by DovieMoon. I can just see the bunny twitching as he hears footsteps or children laughing. I hope you enjoy this treasury as much as I enjoyed discovery these shops. Some of these have been my favorites for quite a while. Simplyhue and SylviaCPhotography are both very talented photographers that have some beautiful and artistic photos. I could write about each shop but it is dinner time and I decided instead of waiting till I have "more"
time to write which equals blank blog entries I would just do the best I can.

In case anyone is wondering why I promote and share other Etsy shops it is simple. I love having an Etsy shop and being a part of an amazing group of talented women and men....I am in the works of a made my men treasury to feature the talented men of Etsy. Sharing these shops every week or every month (or 4 months!) is a way I can help spread the word about the great items you can buy and support fellow Handmade Artists.

'Little Bunny Foo Foo' by shopmemento

Easter Finds from some talented Etsy Artists

Beautiful Organic White... dressbabybeaut... $47.00	White Velvet - Fine Art... DovieMoon $14.99	Vintage berry basket wi... dearjes $25.00	Little Lady Fascinator ... BellaBeanCoutu... $30.00
8.5 x 11 PRINT signed L... BabyDobbins $15.00	Vintage Wire Egg Basket... littleshopofph... $13.75	HOPPY BIRTHDAY Bunny Bi... andersruff $39.00	Light Blue/Green Flower... MandatheMommy $12.50
Basket of Tulips simplyhue $25.00	Easter Bunny Rabbit Gif... luvs2create2 $5.00	Bridesmaids Gift Set - ... BucktoothedBun... $132.00	pink & olive lampwork g... joannaorlikows... $39.00
Looking Up surreal View... SylviaCPhotogr... $29.00	Easter Pastels - Summer... BootsNGus $100.00	Fresh Picked Delightful... OliveandEve $16.95	SALE endS ToDaY - 15% O... nmelone13 $18.99

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Memento's Etsy Feature Friday - Le Papier Studio

2011-03-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

I love sharing my favorite Etsy Shops and new finds but the hard part is picking just 1. There are 52 Friday's in a year which means I have 52 shops I can showcase. As long as Memento's Etsy Feature Friday continues weekly and not semi-annually as it has been! This week I decided to feature Le Papier Studio. This is the very first shop that introduced me to Etsy! I was trying to find thank you cards after my son was born and I knew I wanted silhouette cards that depicted my daughter and my new baby boy. I loved them when they came in the mail exactly what I was looking for!

Le Papier Studio.
Le Papier Studio specializes in custom one of a kind elegant silhouette creations such as artwork, stationery, special gifts, custom invitations and announcements for all your events. Do you have a special request? We will be happy to create a custom silhouette utilizing your own pictures.

Where to find
Le Papier Studio Etsy Shop
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ From First Date to Marriage

2011-03-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

7 Months! I knew it had been a while but Oh my. That is the good part to having a busy Fall & Christmas season but not so good for my poor neglected blog. I will just say Happy New Year since this is the first post for 2011, even though it is March!

Here is a treasury that I created with the theme of from first date to marriage. Its starts with the little black dress and ends with happily ever after. Please check out some of the amazing Etsy Artists that are showcased here.

Until next time and hopefully sooner than 7 months!

Great Gifts for Tailgating, St. Louis Fox2News w/the Gift Insider/Lindsa...

2010-08-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Memento's Tailgate Set was featured on The Gift Insider Segment on St Louis Fox2 News

Memento Week of PR, Giveaways and More

2010-08-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

I just sent this new “to be named gift set”, combining 2 of my post popular items, to a certain lady who you all may know and recognize...

Market Tote Basket with Spa Wrap Gift Set

How did Oprah get the tote? Did she order it? Did Oprah herself call me? Did her BFF Gayle order it? How in the world did I get my creation to Lady O. I don’t know if anyone else calls her that or if I have even heard that before but it sounds like a fit. I had the opportunity to send one of my products to the Oprah show and O magazine. As many of you may now Oprah has her famous favorite things shows and O magazine has holiday gift ideas and gift features in the magazine.

So what do I send, and why do I think my product is worthy of such gift industry high praise? Who is the hardest person to buy for? We all have them the person who has everything and doesn’t need anything. This is why I put the spa wrap and market tote together. It’s a gift set for every women and that ever women needs.

It Starts with the “Market Tote”…

Market Tote Basket with Fancy Script

I used one of my favorite and most popular designs for the personalization, Fancy Script Initial and Name design. Why does every woman needs a market tote and a spa wrap? Did I have one…not at first. I embroidered lots for customers but thought why do I need a market tote? When I go to the grocery store I need a cart. We buy too many items and I have a 2 and 4 year old so I need the buggy, or whatever you call the shopping cart in your part of the country! So I finally made myself a market tote and I love them. I have 5 or 6 at the moment with my monogram, name and initial and last name. One is my pool market tote that I keep the pool key, dive sticks, fish, swim diaper, and sun screen. When we go to the pool it is so quick and easy all I need to grab are the towels. I have a Joanne’s, Hobby Lobby, & Michael’s one. When I go to these stores I am usually trying to match a thread, fabric or ribbon so I bring my market tote with whatever it is I am currently working on. I have my take to the post office tote that stays empty and in my studio until I need to fill it up. I have a fall pumpkin tote that I use for putting Halloween candy in. The market tote basket has so many uses. Scrapbookers use them for taking to a crop till you drop night. Moms with kids in sports can use them to keep extra shoes or a change of clothes in the back of their SUV or minivan. There are great for picnics, taking a meal to a friend. See I told you they had tons of uses. No matter who you are you need a market tote and can never have too many.

Next, I added a plush, cozy “Spa Wrap”…

Spa Wrap with Fancy Script Initial and Name

Did I need one of these…nope. I was not a bridesmaid or bride, and I don’t travel lots. Why do I need one? Let me tell you how I discovered I needed a spa wrap. When I get out of the shower I put a bath towel around me and tuck it into the towel under my armpit. I start to blow dry my hair or do my makeup up. Then the fun starts. The towel slips and I am now staring at a pair of boobs that have breast feed two children. I pick the towel up and try again. After the third time it happens I just leave it on the floor of the bathroom and resolve to the fact that I am getting ready naked again. Then in walks my son and daughter and I am just sure they are thinking there is naked mommy doing her hair again! After a few times of this song and dance I always would say to myself Terri make a spa wrap for yourself. Then once all clothed and busy doing other things I forget the spa wrap need. I told my husband about the towel bathroom shower naked mommy dance I do. He said “It would be wrong to go get a non monogrammed one from your studio to use right now though, right?” OF COURSE! That is the long story of why every women needs a spa wrap.

Market Tote Basket with Spa Wrap Gift Set

I sent a spa wrap and market tote gift set for Oprah and for Gayle. Oprah’s favorite color is green and I love the combo of these two greens they are earthy and so pretty together. Gayle has a very warm and sunny personality so it is only fitting that her favorite color is yellow. I hope they enjoy them and find a bit of humor in why every women needs a spa wrap. I am not sure what will come of this and if Oprah and Gayle will actually see or use the items but it was fun creating them and had I not thought of what would be different and ideal for a holiday gift item I may have not thought of pairing these two items together. So thank you the Oprah Show and O magazine for helping me come up with a great gift for Memento.

Spa Wrap with Fancy Script Initial and Name

Stay tuned this week for something fun and rewarding. Remember how I introduced this was my new “to be named gift set”? I am going to be soliciting your help to give this gift set a name, give you plenty of incentive to help out, and ask you to join me in celebrating a special milestone with me. All of that, and so much more will be revealed later this week…

On Monday August 16 2010 Memento will be the featured company and will be offering a discount AND giveaway on My Giveaway Today. Please check them out here on Monday and make sure to enter. There are some fabulous companies that are featured on My Giveaway Today be sure to follow them, bookmark their site or follow on Facebook to stay up to date with the amazing giveaways. Plus there will be a giveaway on Memento's Blog later in the week and a LARGE US CITY will be showcasing one of Memento's products on their local news broadcast! Things are buzz'n around here.

Memento's Etsy Treasury Tuesday ~ Shop Local Atlanta

2010-08-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Shop Local Atlanta

Last week on Etsy's Facebook page they suggested making Shop Local Treasury themes. So I created an Atlanta theme. I didn't have anything more than the location to start. as I looked I found a few very cute things that started the color combo of pink & black. I find my favorite treasury collections are those that have some uniform look to them. The first item I found was the adorable hat that started the color trend. I know it is brown but most everything else is pink and black. I love the damask covered note book very classy. I did my spa wrap photo to this one since I just love that photo! Plus the damask in the photo I think fits well with the romantic theme to all these wonderful Atlanta Etsy artists. Enjoy the collection and please check out these shops here for some Shop Local Atlanta Treasures

I was the SITS Commenter of the Week

2010-08-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was the SITS commenter of the week! How very exciting and oh so cool. To all the wonderful SITS bloggers I have met I have enjoyed reading your blogs and *meeting* and getting know y’all. For those of you saying what is SITS. It’s a group of more than 6,000 women bloggers dedicated to supporting one another by leaving comments. I have found and discovered some great blogs since. If you new to blogging or a veteran blogger interested in expanding your readership, the SITS community is for you! Here is a link for those you new to SITS.

I try to go to SITS Monday through Friday and comment in the blog role. There are great giveaway links and other things posted on Saturday and Sunday so check back then too if you can. 5 days a week is my desired goal. When you go to the main SITS page add a comment to the blog role. And visit the featured blogger of the day. I also read in the blog role the links and I click on the posts that sound interesting and I go comment. If the blog is about things I am interested or the blog write makes me laugh than I follow them. When someone comments on my blog I check out their blog and give them a friendly comment back. It’s like a cyber hello!

So now that we have the down and dirty on being in the SITStahood and what it's all about on to the comments part. This is how I came to be the commenter of the week. The featured blogger of the day was Busted Plumbing When Mother Nature kicks you right in the ovaries. Please check out Kate’s blog. I love the logo with the sexy plumbing lady sans plumber crack! From the adventure of trying to get pregnant to know being pregnant it’s a great chance to take a journey on another women’s adventure. This is one of the things I love about having a blog and reading blog. You feel like you are going through life with some fantastic women you've never met. Kind of neat and strange.

“Your blog made me laugh out loud a few times which is a great reason to follow you. Plus I need to keep up with the rest of your amazing journey on becoming a mom! And I would love to see a photo of you shopping out in your scuba gear! Congrats on your baby boy how exciting and so very special.”

Posted from SITS on Saturday August 7 2010.

I made the above comment on Busted Plumbing’s SITS Day post. Your SITS day is when you are the featured blogger of the day. Don’t you want to be one?

When I get my SITS shirt I think I should post a vlog…don’t know what a vlog is? I am the educator of the day today. Now I just need my apple. A little secret I didn’t know what a vlog was until last week when SITS educated me about it. A vlog is video blogging. You can learn more about it here:

Have a super great week!

Memento's Etsy Feature Friday

2010-08-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

I’m very excited to share with you one of my favorite Etsy Shops in Memento’s Etsy Feature Friday. I had trouble deciding which shop to write about first. I have had a list running in my head that I wanted to share I just haven’t had the time or chance to do it. To start I had to make an excel spreadsheet with all the shops that I want to feature. Then I had to categorize them and narrow down my first choice. I now I am very AR. I like to be organized and make lists. This way I can keep track of when and who I featured and what type of shop. Before I reveal the shop I thought I would answer why I am doing this. There are so many amazing artists that make all kinds of things on Etsy. All you need on a desert island is a laptop, internet and Etsy! Well maybe a credit card and UPS to deliver your great finds. I want to use the Memento's Etsy Feature Fridayas a way to showcase shops that for the most part don’t have huge sales volume and have items that might be different than what everyone else has. If I think a shop is neat maybe others will too.

Drum roll Please…

Memento’s Etsy Feature Friday Shop is Alynn The Design

Alynn The Design creates one of a kind custom name art. She is so very talented and her designs are amazing. When I received the name art for Liberty and Maverick I was blown away. I told Alynn I would write about her on my blog and I apologize that it has been 2 years. I told Alynn things that I wanted for each of their names and she created the most perfect piece of art.

Liberty’s has some princess and dress up. As a 4.5 year old she loves dress up. I also wanted some American and Liberty parts to it. Notice the Liberty bell in the letter e? I love it. I put it in a 8 X 10 frame and it sits on a bookshelf in her room.

Maverick's has airplanes which at the time we didn’t know what he would be into and at 9 months old he could spot an airplane. He is 2 now and loves them. The theme was perfect with some American, Airplane, and Camo. The pictures are beautiful but when you see them in person they are truly a piece of Art. They also have a birthday cake on one of the letters with their birth years. If you look closely it looks like I had a very short pregnancy with Maverick and Liberty both being born in 2005. I sent Alynn the wrong date for Maverick.

From Alynn The Design’s Shop:

Welcome to my online store! I'm Alynn Johnson and in my shop you'll find that creativity truly is all-in the design!

I love a creative project and have done a number of different things for Etsy customers, including illustrations, fliers, stationery, and custom art work!

I specialize in creating one of a kind name art that is as unique as the individual behind the name! Not every name is unique, but I can guarantee your name art will be! This is a wonderful and affordable gift for a child, the new baby, a teacher, your stylist, the boss, your niece or nephew, your best friend…etc!!! All names and/or words are made to order. Each piece is uniquely created and two are never exactly the same. Theme ideas are unlimited!!

Basically, you name it, I'll design it!

Please check out Alynn The Design to see more of the amazing designs that Alynn has created. I hope you have enjoyed discovering a talented artist from one of the many creative shops Etsy has to discover.

Memento Etsy Treasury Tuesday

2010-08-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the First Memento Etsy Treasury Tuesday

Seaside Inspiration

I bought a necklace on Etsy about 3 or 4 months ago and I was searching for earrings to match. The bracelet was aqua with pearls. I found so many beautiful earrings it was hard to narrow the choices down. After looking at all the beautiful sea colored creations I thought I would put together a treasury with the colors of the ocean and beach themed items. I love the photo under the pier the lighting is so pretty. When I saw the wine bottle that has the monogram on it I loved the product and the photo. What a great item for a garden party, pool party or beach party. In keeping with the outdoor party I found the beautiful starfish stationary and the starfish napkin ring. I hope you enjoy looking at these items as much as I enjoyed finding them. You can see all the shops here. Please check out these shops for some beautiful seaside inspired treasures.

Seashell Collection

Lucy Grace Photography

Wrapped To Perfection

Print Your Party

Georgie Designs

Jessicas Design Shop

The Back Porch Shoppe

Le Papier Studio

Word Couture

The Noble Starfish

Zinnia Designs

Mae Chevrette Art

Art by Jeanne Winters

Jennifer King Designs

Leen The Graphics Queen

Kendras Kreations

I will blog more campaign 2010

2010-08-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

I will not start this post with sorry, or that I have been MIA. Or say I will try to do better. Instead I will just make a commitment to weekly blog features that should do the trick right? I love that I have my blog and I feel that I have lots of great things I want to share with y’all so here goes. The new and improved I will blog more campaign 2010!

There are lots of great new and exciting things coming for Memento and this poor lonely neglected blog. Here are some of my new ideas and features that I am going to start on a *regular* basis. I have been collecting a list of Etsy shops that I want to feature and I am going to start two weekly features. One will be Memento’s Etsy Treasury Tuesday. I will post a treasury and comment about why I picked that treasury. If you are not aware of what an Etsy Treasury is they are a selection of items typically with a theme that might be by subject, color or style. On the Etsy front page there is always a treasury but if you click on see more you can see lots of treasuries that are member picked showcases of products. There is a search at the top right and you can search a theme or color for the treasuries. Check back tomorrow for the start of Memento’s Etsy Treasury Tuesday. My next feature will be to spotlight a shop every Friday with Etsy Feature Friday. To start I am going to share some of my favorite shops. I will change the type of shops that I showcase so it won’t be the same types of items every week. If you are interested in having your shop showcased please send an email . This Friday's Etsy Shop will be one of my favorite shops….hmmm which one to pick. For those of you that know me I love the beach and the color blue maybe something with these in mind. Or personalized items. There are so many great Etsy artist it will be hard to choose who will be the first for Memento’s Etsy Friday Feature.

Beautiful Bride with her Bridesmaids in Monogram Spa Wraps

I have had a busy summer with bride and bridesmaids gifts. Here is a beautiful photo that Brittany sent me of her and her bridesmaids wearing velour spa wraps with their monogram in hot pink. The spa and the ladies look so classy and beautiful. Thank you Brittany for sharing the photo and that Memento could be part of your special day.

Coming Up
Memento has had the opportunity to be part of some great PR lately. Thank you too all of those that have help spread the word about Memento’s Personalized and Monogrammed Gifts. I will let you in on more of it in the next few weeks. There will also be 2 giveaways coming in the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned….See now I have to blog more I have set everything up & don’t want to keep y’all hanging.

Thanks for stopping by.

First Birthday Onesie Sale & Vancouver Olympics Update

2010-03-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been very MIA! What has been going on since November? Where to start! This past Christmas Memento was very busy with lots of Christmas orders. I am still amazed at how word has gotten out about my little business. Thank you to all my existing and new customers that found my creations. The mommy & me aprons were by far the biggest seller. Second was the collapsible market tote baskets.

On the personal side lots has happened in the Johnson household. Ron's mom passed away 9 days before Christmas. Donna survived for 8 months after being diagnosed with cancer. I still find it hard to believe that he doesn’t have his mom walking on this Earth anymore. When you think of your mom you just think she will always be there. We all have a mom but when you lose your mom there is only one mom. I had the pleasure of having Donna as my mother in law and friend for 14 years. We spent 3 weeks in Vancouver in May after she was diagnosed with Cancer. We had a great visit and got to spend some quality time with Donna while she was still feeling okay. When Donna and I last talked in person we had a wonderful chat that brings tear to my eyes just thinking of it know. She told me how proud of me she was. That I turned into a wonderful woman and a great Mom. I married Ron when I was 20 so Donna did see me grow from a young gal to a woman to a mom. She told me she could not have asked for a better partner for her son. It meant so much to me to have a talk like this with Donna. We have had other talks before that were deep and meaningful but this one was different. We both didn’t know if this would be the last time we saw each other or not. It turned out it was. We had a plane ticket to spend Christmas with Donna but she passed away Dec 16 and our ticket was for the 20th. I thanked Donna for raising Ron and for the gift I have in having him be my husband, best friend and the farther of our children. He is an incredible man and I am so blessed to share my life with him. Without Donna I would not have my husband or my children. It is never easy when we lose someone we love. I try to tell myself when you feel in the middle of the sadness that the depths of sadness reflect the depths of love that person holds in your heart.

We spent Christmas in Vancouver which was happy & sad. Liberty enjoyed spending time with her cousins and seeing my mom, Grandma & Papa. Maverick enjoyed opening any and all presents regardless if they were his. Then in January we got to see my mom again as the kids & I and my mom went to Mexico for a week. We had lots of fun playing in the sand, ocean and pools. It was nice to get away and just relax for a week. Then in February we went back to Vancouver to attend the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Having grown up in the Vancouver area I was so excited to attend my first Olympics and that it was in my home town. Ron & I went to two hockey games, the women’s bronze and women’s gold match. They both were great games. When Finland won I felt sad for the team from Sweden as they sat back on the bench and watched the Finland team hug and cheer with their win. But in sports a win cannot be celebrated without someone loosing. The president of Finland was there and it was a very moving moment when the team sang their National anthem to their president. I had tears and my eyes and felt the emotion. Later that afternoon was the Gold game between Canada and the USA. We took a flag for both countries and we cheered for Canada. I love the USA but growing up in Canada and with Canada being a hockey country how can you not cheer for Canada. I did however keep in mind that when the Olympics were in the USA in Salt Lake City Canada did beat the USA in the gold game on US soil. So it would be poetic justice if the women's USA hockey team gave Canada a taste of what it feels like to loose on their soil. But that didn’t happen this time. Canada won and the sea of red in the arena went wild. I did feel sad for the US team just like I did for the Swedish team. It is hard when you lose a game at that level to remember how far you have come and what an accomplishment it is to be 1 of 4 teams playing for a medal at the Winter Olympics. When the USA got their silver medals they entire crown chanted USA. It was very moving and I hope the women all know that we were so proud of them. I had never been to women’s hockey game before and it was a pleasure and honor to watch both of these games. I do hope they continue to keep women’s hockey in the Olympics. For years in skating, skiing, Luge and other sports there have been European or Asian countries that dominant and as that sport has time to develop more countries bring more competition to that sport. With women's hockey it has only been in 4 Olympics so far and needs time to develop and grow. So to the rest of the world please continue to grow your teams. That sums up our Canada, Mexico, USA travels. We are planning on staying put for a while now and no flights. It isn’t easy with 2 car seats and stroller and luggage.
On the Memento side so far this year which I know it is already March but I took most of January & February off to recover from a very busy end of last year. After doing an inventory and looking at sales I am focusing on moving inventory that I will no longer carry. I have so many baby items but in the personalized gift category there is so many baby blankets, bib, burp cloths, diaper cover and onesies that are out there. I have decided to focus on things I do that are different. Plus this will free up the current $4000 inventory I have! Can you believe that number. I asked my accountant (my husband) if I was profitable last year. He said yes and no. He isn't a real accountant which may be why it takes so long to get definite real answers from him. But he said my inventory is much too high and if I can get it to half or less than Memento would be profitable. This is the start of year 3 and I have set my goal to move out inventory and focus on a core line of products.

First Item to focus on is Personalized First Birthday Onesies. The perfect way to celebrate your little on turning one and a great gift for giving a special little boy or girl. Onesies are embroidered with an appliqué one in fabric choices for girls and boys. Or choose a cupcake appliqué design. On sale for $18. Onesie come in white, blue, pink or chocolate brown. Once they are sold out of that color and size I am not going to order anymore, so get them while you can.

Have a great and wonderful week.

Etsy It Up! Market Tote Giveaway

2009-11-16T05:32:00.000-08:00

Memento's having another Giveaway! Etsy It Up is a fantastic place to learn and discover some amazing Etsy Shops. Celeste is having a November Palooza and right now you can win a Personalized Collapsible Market Tote Basket from Memento! The winner can pick their color of market tote & the design of their choice. Click here for details on entering and how to get Extra entries.

Make sure to enter before November 22nd

I have a few posts in draft mode but I haven't had the chance to finish them! Sorry for the 2 month hiatus. I may be a bit sporadic over the next month. The Memento Christmas Order Deadline is December 7th to ensure Christmas Delivery. I have some new creations and designs that are perfect for Christmas you can check them out here.

Little Sister & Big Brother Personalized Shirts

2009-09-27T17:32:00.001-07:00

I created these adorable sibling shirts with lil sis and big bro for Trista & Ryan Sutter to celebrate the addition of Blakesley to the Sutter family and Max becoming a big brother. Trista is such a sweet woman and her family is equally sweet and precious. Trista was kind enough to send me a photo of Blakesley and Max in their shirts on Father's Day. I was so excited to see my shirts on these two adorable cuties.

There have been lots of new & exciting things added to my Website and Etsy Shop. I added the personalized mommy and me apron set with pockets & polka dots as well as the personalized cupcake mommy and me apron set. My Etsy Shop hit 100 sales over the weekend which is so exciting! Thank you to all my amazing and wonderful customers.

My studio is almost finished. The counter tops arrived this weekend and should be done in the next day or two. I will post pictured once they are completed. I love working in an organized place and I feel like it has been a bit scattered the last few months. but it is so worth the wait.

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great week,

Paperlife Spotlight featuring a Memento Giveaway!

2009-09-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be featured on Amy's Picture & Paperlife. We are giving away an embroidered apron & market tote. Please enter the Paperlife giveaway by adding a comment on the Paperlife Blog. Amy also has a new website that will be launching next week. You can get a sneak peak and remember to bookmark it to see what Amy has in store for next week at the Paperlife Website.

I created this apron for scrapbookers and crafters. I love this saying, Life is a story Scrapbook it.

Memento's New Blog Makeover

2009-09-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Check out my new Blog. I LOVE IT! Hilary with Simply Yours Designs created it for me and she did an amazing job. I showed her my logo and website and she created something that I think looks so Mementoish. Thank you Hilary for doing a fantastic job. Please check her out if you are looking for a swanky blog makeover.

Sorry for my 1 month disappearance from my blog and from visiting my favorite blogs and SIT'S. I have been busy with lots of things that I thought I would share with y'all. I have done lots of orders in the past month and here are some of my creations.

I embroidered 7 duffle bags for a cheer team. I have created some new Mommy & Me Apron Sets that I love. These aprons have pockets on the child and adult aprons.

I created these aprons for EAD Designs. I think they turned out great.

We have also been in the works of creating the ultimate workspace studio. I will post the before and in the process photos. We are still waiting on the countertops so the final photos will be posted once it is finished. Please don't laugh at how messy my space is. I didn't start taking the before photos until we were already in the middle of things.

My husband is an amazing man and he is very handy. He made the work table which I LOVE it is the perfect height and nice and big with lots of room. He used IKEA kitchen cabinets. The wall and floor cabinets are also from IKEA. I love my new space it is so much easier to find things and I have lots of space. I have a designated sewing and serger table. The first thing I made on my new table was this dress for Liberty's first day of school.

And on the not so fun side I have had a cough for 6 weeks and I am on my third something or other I have caught. I was on antibiotics until I had an allergic reaction to them. I started a new antibiotic yesterday and it seems I am allergic to it as well. Hard to get better when you can't take the medicine! I have never before reacted to medicine and now in 3 weeks this has happened twice. Between trying to get orders done, and being sick I feel like I am that hamster in the cage running in the circle wheel. I keep trying to get more things done but they just don't happen. So thank you for reading my long awaited updated and let's hope that I am back in the swing of things now. Thank you to all my new and repeat customers. I have had my business for 2 years this November and I enjoy it so much and I am thrilled to see how my name is getting out there and my business is growing.

Thank you sincerely.
Terri

Memento's Etsy Shop 1 Year Giveaway

2009-08-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

And the Winners are... Drum Roll Please

The winner of the Tailgate Gift Set - Personalized Collapsible Market Tote Basket and Fleece Stadium Blanket is Joanne Schultz

The winner of the Monogrammed Ice Bucket is Beth Jacobs

Congratulations to both of you and thank you for taking the time to enter Memento's Etsy Shop 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway.

We had 117 entries. Thank you everyone that entered by following Memento's blog, twitter or Facebook fan page. Thank you for all the tweets and Facebook shout outs. Thank you for displaying Memento's button on your beautiful blogs.

As a way to thank everyone that entered I am offering 10% for the month of August on my website and etsy shop. You will find different things both places. If you purchase from my website you enter this code: giveaway when you check out. For etsy please send me a convo with the code giveaway and the item you would like to purchase and I will change the price to reflect the 10% discount.

Thank you all for participating and being a part of a fun giveaway.

Etsy Shop 1 Year Anniversary Celebrate with 2 GiveawaysTailgate Set for Blog Readers Monogrammed Ice Bucket for Bloggers

2009-08-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Memento's Etsy Shop First Year with 2 Giveaways!

I have 64 Etsy Shop Sales and 64 blog followers so I say let's give $64 away! Luckily I am the marketing, and accounting girl so I can approve both!

Giveaway for Blog Readers & Followers

Tailgate Gift Set - Personalized Collapsible Market Tote Basket and Fleece Stadium Blanket
value $58 plus shipping of $8 for total of $66 (oops a little over!)

I have done giveaways on other blogs but this is the first giveaway by Memento for Memento. So let's make it Momentous!

Giveaway - (gívvə wày)
noun: something given away free ; specifically the act of giving something away free staging a promotional giveaway
Giveaway Starts Aug 6 2009 and ends Aug 9th at Midnight. Two Winners will be chosen Monday Morning August 10 with random.org.

How to Enter
There are a few ways you can enter and you can increase your entries. To receive additional entries do any or all of the following or do them all and receive a total of 5 entries

1. Become a fan of Memento on Facebook (if you are a fan already comment below that you're a fan & you will be entered)

http://tinyurl.com/mpa8ze
leave a comment here that you are a fan

2. Follow Memento's Blog (if you already follow comment below that you're a follower & you will be entered)
leave a separate comment that you are following Memento's Blog

3. Follow Memento's on Twitter (if you already follow comment below that you're a follower & you will be entered)

http://twitter.com/shopmemento
leave a separate comment that you are following Memento on Twitter

4. Tweet this on Twitter:
Personalized Tailgate Market Tote Basket Giveaway
http://tinyurl.com/ngwtzn

leave a separate comment here with a link to your tweet on twitter

5. Post on Facebook:
Personalized Tailgate Market Tote Basket Giveaway
http://tinyurl.com/ngwtzn

leave a separate comment here that you posted this on Facebook

Giveaway for My Fellow Blog Writers

Monogrammed Ice Bucket
value $40 plus shipping of $7 for total of $47

I am offering an additional giveaway just for my fellow blog writers. You can win a Monogrammed Ice Bucket. You can enter the market tote giveaway and the ice bucket giveaway.

How to Enter:
1. Blog about this giveaway by answering this question - What was your first personalized or monogrammed gift or item you bought yourself. Share your story.
Leave a comment here with your blog link about your personalized post

2. For a second entry add the Memento Button to your blog.
Leave a separate comment here with your blog link and say that you grabbed Memento's button. (If you have the button already ~ thank you! Just comment here & you will get a second entry)

My story about my first personalized item.

I think my first personalized item was either a leather bible with my name on it or a gold id bracelet from a boyfriend in high school. Do y'all remember these from high school? I received personalized stationary for the first time from a friend of mine, Amanda. It took me at least 4 years before I finally used one. I loved them and didn't want to use them all up!

Thanks for participating in Memento's Giveaway.

Giveaway Starts Aug 6 2009 and ends Aug 9th at Midnight. Two Winners will be chosen Monday Morning August 10 with random.org.

Random ~ Update, Some Blogs to follow, New Designs, & Cookies

2009-07-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the great comments and emails about my adventure this past week. I will give you a little update. Today is Sunday and since Tuesday (my dental apt.) I have flossed daily, brushed my teeth twice a day with my new Oral B electric toothbrush and used the Crest Pro Health mouthwash. I also switched toothpastes. My whole life, or at least the majority of my 33 years I have used Close Up. It is a cinnamon flavored toothpaste. Most people probably have never heard of it! I am not a mint flavor girl and prefer the cinnamon taste. Whenever I tried others I felt like my breath wasn't as fresh come morning. When I was at Target getting my new dental regime arsenal I saw there were at least 5 kinds of Crest, Colgate and Aqua fresh toothpastes but only one type of Close Up. It made me think maybe I should give up my cinnamon toothpaste and go for a 12 hour minty brand. So far so good. I will let you all known the results of my new system once I see the dentist again in 4 months.

I enjoying writing my blog and I try to dedicate time to it. I also enjoy reading and commenting on lots of great blogs written by some very talented women.

A dear friend of mine, Emily has recently created her blog, Emily Hagerman Design. She is a very talented woman and I highly recommend you follow her blog to learn more about her amazing design skills. You can see some before and after photos of a house renovation and some great insight into the world of designing and redesigning.

A different Em from Life Liberty and the pursuit... has a great post on her blog right now about healthcare. I have had a post for my blog in the works but it is still in the works. It seems to get fueled when I get frustrated or fired up about the direction we are going right now. So check hers out and stay tuned from my take on why a socialized health care system is not the best option.

I found Em from SITS (The Secret is in the Sauce) if you blog or are looking for some great blogs to follow then SITS is the place to look. This amazing Sitstahood of women is a group of bloggers dedicated to supporting one another by leaving comments. Lots and lots of comments.

Another blogger that I discovered is Melissa's Heart & Home. Melissa shares some of the neatest home decor items and where she finds them so we can all try to make our house as pretty. She is very sweet and I enjoy checking in to see what she has discovered.

Did I did warn you that this post was random? I did a market tote this week in a design that previously I had only done on a cosmetic bag. It turned out amazing. I love it when my customers bring me an idea. Thank you Shannon for a great idea. One of my best selling items is the Mommy and Me apron sets. I received this great idea from a customer also. Thank you Kim Marie for starting a great gift item for mommies and their daughters.

Speaking of little kitchen helpers. I made cooked with Liberty my 3 1/2 year old. It is not the first time we have baked together however it is the first time that she stayed and baked the whole recipe. Of course there was more of a mess on the counter but for the most part 90% of the ingredients made it into the bowl. She did dip her fingers in the measuring cups of brown sugar, white sugar, butter and flour, not to mention he chocolate chips. It’s a good thing the cookies were for us only and not to be shared with the masses. We would have some quality control issues. We had a great time and it was fun to bake with my little helper. We made Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. If anyone has an amazing recipe for THICK CHEWY oatmeal chocolate chip cookies PLEASE share it with me. I have tried and searched for so many. I am looking for a thick chewy bite down into it type of cookie. Not a flat one. Speaking of recipes I have a great recipe book for baking that has an amazing pecan cookie recipe that I am in the works of asking the author if I can share her recipe and plug her book. So stay tuned for that too.

Okay I think I should sign off for now but I really do have lots more I could share... but I will save it for another day! Thanks for stopping by.

My Day, My Blog, My Adventure

2009-07-21T19:41:00.001-07:00

Today was just one of those days that I could laugh, cry, get really mad, throw up and have a stiff drink! So I thought what better thing to do then blog about it! I will try to make it easy to follow with some headings. Blog Issues Earlier I accidentally set my blog to a new template instead of backing up my template. (Read previous post.) It drove me crazy being at the dentist and then having a busy day knowing my poor little blog was a blank white sheet all day. First off Thank you to Unknown Mami and to Melissa. Unknown Mami ~ Thank you for the help and great info! I was so frustrated today that I needed to take a break. Thankfully it is all back. I decided to take the opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons and changed it up with a new background and added some orange in! Thanks for the encouragements. Melissa thank you for your very sweet sentiments. I found my blog background at Hot Bliggity Blog isn't that the cutest name?

Lesson Learned
BACK UP YOUR BLOG REGULARLY!
My most recent backup was 3 months ago...that is bad! So learn from me and back it up.

Dentist
So I go to the dentist and I get my normal hygienist. the last time the lady was rude abrasive and mean. I don’t like her at all so I made sure I got the nice sweet lady again. I even told her that the other lady was this way. I thought she should know that I requested her and I liked the way she treats her patients. At my last appointment they said I had gingivitis(gum disease) and that I HAD to floss every day. I have never in my life flossed every day. But I did floss for 8 weeks straight every day. I was so proud of myself. Then after that I didn’t floss everyday for 2 months. I did it 3 or 4 times a week which I thought should be good since I have greatly improved on the flossing thing. Well no! My sweet lady hygienist tells me that my gums have gotten worse and I need to have a procedure done that will cost $400. The full cost was $850 and my insurance was paying the rest but that was my cost. I asked for a minute and I called my sweet husband because I knew I was about to cry. I was a crying mess trying to explain to him that I flossed for 2 months and then didn't keep it up and know my gums are worse and they told me to take better care of them and know we have to pay this and it is my fault. He told me not to beat myself up over it that I should be very proud of myself that I did floss the amount I did. He said it's okay and asked if I was going to be okay. The hygienist came back in with me wiping my tears and asked if I was okay. I told her I thought I tried so hard and here I am still in worse shape. She gave me a hug and said Oh honey it's okay. I am sure she thought I was a hormonal crazy lady. I then told her about my blog to the best I could so she would know what I was talking about and how it was just not a great day and here it was only 11 AM.

Lesson(s) Learned
(1)Floss EVERYDAY - I discovered that if you floss every 24 hours you stop the bacteria from growing. *Gross alert* The bacteria in your mouth doubles after 24 hours so to floss 3 times a week will not stop the bacteria you need to do every morning or every night but keep it to a 24 window.
(2)Get an electric toothbrush. I thought those were expensive and not necessary. Well $50 for an Oral B toothbrush sounds cheap compared to my dental bill!

Target
This afternoon I went to Target to get an electric toothbrush which they had on sale from $69.99 to $49.99. My sweet hygienist told me that an electric toothbrush gets the bacteria that a regular old fashioned brush can never get and she said that with flossing is the best way to prevent dental issues. So I am willing to give it a try. Tonight should be fun flossing and a new fandangled plug in toothbrush. I sure lead an exciting life! My 3 year old Liberty also got a battery operated Hello Kitty brush so we can start her young. Maverick my 14 month old got his first toothbrush toady. We had been using a face cloth but he is a biter so a toothbrush is probably wise! As for Ron my dear sweet husband well he never gets cavities or has any teeth issue so for him we will stick with the old fashioned. I did tell him I would get him one if he wants one but he said nope. Maybe he needs a visit to the unfriendly hygienist?

The rest of the day was rather calm and I had no more tears and I did avoid any stiff drink so I think I came away from the day mostly unscathed. My sweet little 3 year old told me she had a tummy ache when my computer wasn't cooperating but she didn't tell me because she thought I was not happy. I gave her a hug and said you can always tell mama when you have a sore tummy.

I hope y'all got a little snippet into my day and I hope your days were all just as interesting.

I Lost My template!!!!!

2009-07-21T07:22:00.001-07:00

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!! I hit the wrong button!
I went to backup my template and I hit save template and gave myself the blank Minima template! I am so MAD! I could break something! Okay so here is my new blog with no background no colors and no 2 side bars! UGH! I will fix it later today or tonight. If anyone knows if I can backup with an older saved version will I lose my template and widgets? I am trying to decide if it is easier to refigure out how to change the template to 3 column and change the background or if I should upload a previous version. But I think I will lose more that way! Oh Me Oh My!

Monogrammed Ribbon Flip Flops

2009-07-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Show off your summer pedicure with some cute Flip Flops

Last summer I did a bunch of flip flops for a girls swim team. I have lots of photos of flip flops I made but I haven't had the chance to update them on my website or etsy shop. But I was so excited about them I wanted to share them with y'all while I'm adding a few more per day. Here are some of the newer ones that I created and some of the popular styles. If you are interested in any of the flip flops that you see here but are not on my website or etsy shop yet please email and I would be happy to create them for you.

Preppy Stripe Ribbon Flip Flops

I love these they are so bright, cute and perfect for summer time. The other great thing about having a big bow on your toes is if your pedi needs some help nobody will notice because they will be admiring your cute flip flops! So far I have one pair of preppy flip flops on etsy.

It's A Girl ~ It's A Boy

I got a pedicure before both of my children were born. Ironically I have a pedicure and two days later I had a baby - both times! Maybe there is something to this. How cute to celebrate a new baby then with these adorable girl or boy flip flops. Another great idea is to use these flip flops to let your toes do the talking to tell your friends and family that you are having a baby and what the sex is. If you are waiting to find out the sex, (One of those people who drive everyone else crazy! I was one of them!) you can wear one pink and one blue! I have both of these listed on etsy click here for the boy or the girl pair of flip flops.

Pretty as a Princess

I created these for my little princess last year and she loves her princess crown flip flops. I created one in blue inspired by Cinderella. ~ A dream is a wish your heart makes.~ What little girl doesn't love pink? There had to be a Sleeping Beauty inspired pair in pink. ~ I know you I walked with you once upon a dream.~ How can you tell I have a little girl? I need my little man to start watching some shows to even out the Princess and Barbie movies! I do have flip flops in toddler and kids sizes.

Twitter, Facebook, Blog ~ How do other WAHM'S do it all?

2009-07-08T19:43:00.001-07:00

I have recently recreated my facebook account. So currently I have twitter, facebook and my facebook business fan page, my blog, my business which consists of my website sales and my etsy shop and all of my wonderful customers. In a whole different direction is my amazing family and my role as a wife and mom. I have not completely figured out the balance yet on all these things. I wonder what other small business owners, wahms and etsy artisans think and do? If you are one of these and if you use twitter, facebook or your blog please add some comments on what works for you and maybe we can all help each other. I do see how you can connect all 3 together but you still need to give time and attention to all 3 separately. I have thought of giving a time of the day each day and setting a timer for 30 minutes and that is my social media promo time and try to give a little love to twitter, facebook and my blog. As you can see it has been almost 2 months since I posted to my blog. Rediscovering facebook and the fan page was not so helpful to my poor blog!

Can't wait to see what some of you facebook, twitter and blog moms have to say.

May is in full bloom at Memento

2009-05-09T20:03:00.001-07:00

It is a busy time of year for Memento right now. To all of my new and repeat customer's thank you for keeping me hopping. I have created some great Graduation gifts, Mother's Day gifts and Teacher year end gifts. I am really busy embroidering which is why I haven’t been on my blog or twitter. I don't know why the last few weeks have been busier than normal. Does it have anything to do with twitter or my blog? Or perhaps some featured places my products have been. Whatever it is it's working. Yeah!

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your gift giving. I love creating personalized gifts that are just what the customer was hoping to find. The hot item of the past week has been this Navy Market Tote Basket with the polka dot design and initial. I have always really liked this one and for some reason lots of others are loving it right now too.

I need to run to go create and ship some more orders but I wanted to say a quick hello to my new followers and customer's and say I will be back again to blog and twitter I am just not sure when!

Thanks and everyone have a wonderful Mother's Day tomorrow.

Celebrate Earth Day April 22 2009

2009-04-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

What are you doing to make a difference for Earth Day this year? How about using a market tote basket for those little trips to the grocery store. A trendy and practical way to make a statement while you shop! If we all do one small thing it adds up to a large impact.

Memento is excited to announce our Earth Day Promotion
April 21,22,23 for Every Green Slogan Market Tote that is ordered Memento will donate $5.00 to Earth Day Network .

There are two to choose from:
ONE Less Plastic Bag
Live Simply that others may simply live

What is Earth Day Network?

Founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide. Earth Day Network is a driving force steering environmental awareness around the world. Through Earth Day Network, activists connect, interact, and impact their communities, and create positive change in local, national, and global policies. EDN's international network reaches over 15,000 organizations in 174 countries, while the domestic program keeps over 5,000 groups and over 100,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year. As a result, Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a billion people participate in our campaigns every year.

Why Earth Day?

Because it works! Earth Day broadens the base of support for environmental programs, rekindles public commitment and builds community activism around the world through a broad range of events and activities.

Learn More at Earth Day Network

http://www.earthday.net/

Beach Themed Jewelry from Fellow Etsy Artists

2009-04-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

I am a beach girl at heart and I love the color blue. The Ocean has so many different shades of blue and greens. I have been favoriting some jewelry that catches my eye and thought why not share it with others. You can see these wonderful beach inspired creations in the etsy mini collage. Please check some of these shops out.

NicolaYoonDesign's

Collectible Jewelry by Klay

Cinnamonsticks

Ophelia's Jewels

Jennifer King Designs

Lissa Harlin Designs

I love the sound of the ocean and the feel of the sand and the smell. It relaxes me and brings back so many great memories. I have visited lots of coasts and all of them have a special place in my memories. It’s hard to pick a favorite.

On the Pacific Ocean side Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast has rugged rocks and the rough crashing waves that make an amazing sound. It is very powerful and edgy at times. In the morning it can be very calm with the mist.

California has some beautiful beaches. Some of my favorites are Big Sur. You just have to Google it and you will be amazed at how beautiful it is. Carmel is a very pretty place to visit and to sleep away the day on the quiet laid back beach.

On the Atlantic side there are lots of great places to mention. The Carolinas are lined with amazing beaches. I have not visited any of North Carolina’s beaches yet but that is a must for my beaches to visit list! I have been to the Charleston area beaches and to Hilton Head. The beaches in South Carolina are more of a blue color. St Simons off the Georgia coast is very pretty with the Oak trees inviting down the island streets and then the pier and lighthouse down at the beach. The Florida panhandle has soft white sandy and aqua waters that are very picturesque. Okay I think I need to get back to getting some things done! I feel like I am at the beach already! Thanks for letting me share and I hope you enjoy seeing these beautiful creations that some very talented etsy artists created.

Etsy Gift Guides ~ Shopmemento's Collapsible Market Tote Baskets Listed!

2009-04-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Shopmemento was listed on 3 Etsy gift guides!

All three gift guides have chosen one of our Collapsible Market Tote Baskets. The Tailgate Set is listed in two Gift Guides; Graduation Gifts and in the Gifts for Dad Guide. The Personalized Gifts Guide has a black market tote. How cools is that. I just wanted to share because I was so excited to find out some of my creations were chosen for the Etsy gift guide.

Here is the Etsy Personalized gifts Guide.

2009-04-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce y'all to a friend of mine who is a fellow WAHM. Her name is Dallas and her company is Miss Priss Tutus She makes beautiful tutus for infants and toddlers. She even makes them for teens and adults. Dallas does a great job at promoting her business and getting her name out there. Check out her celebrity page to see what celebrities have a Miss Priss Tutu.

Check out Miss Priss Tutus blog for an incredible giveaway Miss Priss Tutus Blog. This zebra onesie and tutu set would be adorable for photos of your new baby! Be sure to enter by April 13.

Memento Give Away, Disney & Beach Trip, Etsy Photo Shoot

2009-03-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has taken me this long to do second post but this is the life of a WAHM! I have lots of great things to update everyone on...LOL I know I only have 1 follower ! Thanks Amy! but I will go with the Field of Dreams philosophy if you build it they will come!

Shopmemento is featured on www.seeryusmama.com blog and is doing a market tote giveaway. Click Here How Cool is that! I love seeing all the comments people made about the various creations and items I have. The mommy and me aprons got lots of mentions and so did the market totes of course!

I just finished a black market tote this weekend with an ivory monogram and it looks so classy.

In other news we took Liberty who is 3 and Maverick 9 months to Walt Disney World. We had so much fun. We met my cousin Jaycee and her husband Derek and their two children, Zack & Ava. The 8 of us had a great time and we even had some matching shirts that I did. I am in the Muffie shirt and Jaycee is Poopsie. My husband is JJ and Derek is Felix. Not our real names but our vacation names!

Maverick got his first haircut at Disney. He barely stayed still at all for it! He got a pair of Mickey Ears that say first haircut on the back.

After 6 days at Disney we went to Fort Myers Sanibel area for a week at the beach. It was a fabulous trip.

Then last week Liberty did a photo shoot by Brooke Daniels Photography for an Etsy shop that makes petticoats. Here are some of the photos. They turned out great!

2009-01-23T16:58:00.000-08:00

Introducing Memento's Blog!

Please join me on my adventure into the blogosphere.

~About Memento~

Memento was launched by Terri Johnson in 2007, with a desire to build a business that combined her creative vision and entrepreneurial talents; to produce personalized and made-to-order products.

Terri's vision was to offer products that represent a person's legacy, individual taste, or, makes a unique statement about an individual's spirit and character. It's a timeless reminder of a special moment, person, place or time. It's a gift that's fun and creates smiles and laughter. It also represents a special sentiment or reminder that conjures up memories or tears. Most importantly, we want to offer products that make gift giving easy. We believe that our selection of products, with your personalized touch, offer your friends and loved ones a gift that is as unique and special as they are. From all of this, Memento was launched.

Link Love

2001-10-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Featured Link Love

One of Atlanta's most sought after Portrait Photographer's has recently relocated to Northern Virginia. I am happy to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Brooke Daniels of Brooke Daniels Photography. Brooke has taken some beautiful photos of Liberty and Maverick. If you live in the DC area or are traveling to the Nation’s Capital give Brooke a call to set up a one of a kind photo session to remember your family’s visit. Brooke specializes in Natural Light Photojournalistic Portraits of Maternity, Newborns, Children, High School Seniors and Families. As seen on the Cover of the Atlanta Kid's Directory. "Memories Captured Through The Eyes of an Artist"

Link Love

Please visit some of Memento's Favorite Links. If you would like to link to Memento please grab our button. Send me an email and I will return the link by adding your button here.

About Me

2001-10-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks for checking out shopmemento's blog.

My name is Terri and I am a WAHM with a 11 month old son Maverick and a 3 year old daughter Liberty. I have been married for 13 years to Ron, my best friend & the greatest husband and father. I am very blessed to have such an amazing partner for this journey called life, marriage and parenting. He is very supportive of me and my business; which is my third child Memento! Who just happened to come along while I was pregnant with my son. Memento is the personalized gifts & embroidery business I created. Talk about a crazy time to start a business but I have heard from many other fellow moms it’s what us mompreneurs do!

Memento was launched in 2007, with a desire to build a business that combined my creative vision and entrepreneurial talents; to produce personalized and made-to-order products. My vision was to offer products that represent a person's legacy, individual taste, or, makes a unique statement about an individual's spirit and character. I have spent lots of time trying to find the perfect gift that represents the individual that I am giving it to. It isn’t always the easiest task. When I created Memento I wanted to offer these types of gifts. Combining the unique items I have found with embroidery and monogramming I help create the perfect customized item for that special person or event.

Memento creates a timeless reminder of a special moment, person, place or time. It's a gift that's fun and creates smiles and laughter. It also represents a special sentiment or reminder that conjures up memories or tears. Most importantly, I want to offer products that make gift giving easy. I believe that our selection of products, with your personalized touch, offer your friends and loved ones a gift that is as unique and special as they are. From all of this, Memento was launched.

If you love our products, the greatest compliment you can pay us is to tell all of your friends, family and co-workers about Memento!