Sunday, March 29, 2009

Hostess Aprons are here to stay!






Hostess Aprons

Need a great Hostess Apron for Entertaining or Cooking for the family? Aprons are definitely here to stay and women and children are having fun wearing them - they are fun and functional. To get a closer look at the above aprons or the see what others are available you can visit: www.overthetopaprons.com Thank you for the visit. I appreciate any comments you may have as far as styles, colors, or if you just want to comment on your favorite.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Spring Color Trends; Print Trends for 2009




Neutrals, plaids, florals ....


In The Pink ... Polka Dots,
Plaids, Abstracts, Animal Prints .... lots to choose from!

Thanks Sassymammas for the review ~ well appreciated!






Sassymammas Review ... Thank You!

Who is overthetopaprons?
We've all fallen in love with the gorgeous aprons given generously as prizes at our Launch Party. But just who is the brains behind the frills? Meet 74 years young, grandmother & businesswoman,Corline, who says she often gets asked if she is the model in her promo shots? She's even had to put out a disclaimer that she's not!

Corline, how did 'Over The Top Aprons' come about?

About 3 years ago while I was watching a talk show featuring a woman who made aprons, I thought to myself, I can do that and maybe even a little better; it was at that moment 'Over The Top Aprons' was "born". My specialty is designing/creating aprons that express styles for today's woman and child. The aprons are chic, elegant, romantic, classic, and at times a bit fun and funky. I use designer fabrics and ribbons and strive for quality workmanship. I love color, fashion,and fabric."

What gives the Aprons their 'sassy' point of difference?

The idea for the aprons is to have them be practical and durable enough for everyday ware while allowing the woman to express her individual style; All of the aprons are machine washable(cool water). When a woman puts on her own unique apron I want her to feel special whether she is cooking dinner for her family, cleaning the house or entertaining friends. When she puts on the apron that expresses who she is she not only feels pretty she feels just a little bit "over the top"!"

And now, for the most important question!
What '5 things can't you DO without in your handbag'?

1. Keys (we live in the country and a car is an essential)
2. Wallet (always prepared with cash and a credit card)
3. Sunglasses (glare is difficult on the eyes and we live in Sunny California)
4. Cosmetic case (oh, my, I need a touch up every now and then!)
5. Business card holder (You never know when an opportunity will present itself to share what you enjoy doing)

Head on over to overthetopaprons and check our Corlines sassy range, not only in adult sizes, but she has the cutest toddles sizes too. I promise you won't be disappointed! Make sure you leave a comment to say you called from sassymamas to let her know how much we support her.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Thanks to: ALL IN A MOM'S LIFE for this great review!!







Thanks to : All In A Mom's Life... for this great rerview ... Kristen, the blog author is a fun writer, makes you feel you are "right there".

Monday, March 16, 2009 (review by Kristen)
Still Jealous? I Thought So.

I love winning stuff. Can you guess what I love more then winning stuff? That's right...winning really cute goodies that I actually want, that I need. Yesterday I received my first bloggy win. SassyMamas had their launch party last weekend and I scored some pretty cool stuff.


Over The Top Aprons
provided prizes and I was the lucky winner of this adorable black and white poodle apron. J-bug is so gonna love it...but I'm making her wait until her birthday! *Insert evil laugh* Seriously. How stinking cute is that apron? You can't see all the detail from this pic so go ahead and click on it for more pics. There is a sweet little pocket and a pleat in the front on the skirt. (Every apron needs a little twirl action.) The apron arrived in a sweet black tulle bag tied off with a pink satin bow!

So I spent a little time (okay fine...I spent a lot of time) on their site and I fell in love with all the sassy skirt aprons. And the full aprons. Alright, I fell in love with all of them. I compiled a collage of a few of my favorite aprons from their site just for you. Feel free to go over there and buy me one of my faves.

http://www.overthetopaprons.com/


Aren't they so cute? The white Bath Apron says "Mommy & Me." Precious isn't it? I have to admit the ruffled skirt aprons are my favorite and they look so fun. Their black with white Polka Dot Apron reminds me of 'I Love Lucy' minus the oven fire. Don't forget to check out their maternity aprons. What a great and fun idea. Who says you can't look stylish in the kitchen?

Now, continue on and pop on over to Kristen's personal blog: All In A Mom's Life. You will have fun to getting acquainted with her!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Personality Feature - The Apron Goddesses - Julia








The Apron Goddesses - by Julia. If you have not had the opportunity to be introduced to the blog: The Apron Goddesses - then here is a good time to not only get acquainted with the blog but also with Julia the developer of The Apron Goddesses concept!

"My blog, the Apron Goddesses was inspired by a few factors. I needed an apron since I was getting destroyed in the kitchen. I saw a few other blogs where the authors were showing their aprons. So I knew I was not alone in my appreciation of aprons. I wanted to find some great aprons makers. Hence, The Apron Goddesses was born."

The Apron Goddesses promotes apron wearing and sharing. In Julie's own words, "I want this blog to be the place ladies come to find hand crafted aprons from high quality seamstresses. With apron give-a-ways every week and features on ladies wearing aprons there is something new going on all the time." It is a very informative and fun site - and hey, we can all join in the fun and send Julie a picture of ourselves wearing a favorite apron.

Julie also has another blog called Our Simple Life. This blog consists of written and/or pictorial essays about life on our property in California. Since we live on five acres in a rural area there is lots to do. We have horses, chickens, cats, dog, fish and five very active kids running around. Since my brother-in-law's family lives next door there is always something afoot.

I ask Julie how the got started in blogging. "The first blog I read was The Natural and Green Parenting blog I was looking for safe bottles for my kids and found it there. After that another friend shared her blog with me in the fall of 2008. I started up ny own blog a few months later because I had to keep up my writing."

Julie graduated with a degree in Botany in 1993 from U.C. Davis and worked in environmental consulting for the past 13 years. The jobs in environmental consulting had dried up with the slow economy. I was extremely motivated to write in a format that was creative and basically uncensored with the blog Writing for consulting is dry and scientific and after more than a decade of formal structure the freedom with blog writing was a blessed relief.

Just a little more of Julie and her family .... Julie has know her husband, Mike, since she was 12. She bought her firt horse from his mom when she was in the 8th grade and was friends with her now mother-in-aw before she even had a glimmer of Mike as a future husband.

One of the major influences on Julie which lead her to her love and interest today as an adult, was John Ramos, the owner of the horse stable where she boarded her horse when she was a kid. She has horses and has ridden competitively at the State level for years. Julie said, "John had confidence in me and gave me huge responsibilities as a young adult. This made me independent and self sufficient. When I fist met John he was in his late 60's. He was a tiny Spanish man with a quick temper but kind heart. John 'assigned" me horses to ride in exchange for boarding my horse."

Julie's goal for 2009 is to earn her Bronze medal in dressage. This is a national award dressage riders earn through competition. One must qualify with scores at different riding levels - she is only one score away from her medal!

Julie expressed that being outside riding horses when she was young gave her an appreciation of the vegetation on the trails. She attributes this early exposure to the natural environments at a young age helped prime her to major in Botany in college which led to working in environmental consulting.

She was also encouraged in her writing by several English and Literature teachers recognizing where her strengths were and guiding her in the right direction.

Currently her biggest supporter is her husband, at times a sarcastic tease, but for the most part she knows he is proud of her accomplishments!

Julie admits to being a creature of habit, liking structure and a definite routine. There is an order to her day with the kids and she likes to keep on a schedule. She finds that her kids are best when their days are structured. They know what to expect and are happy that way. I want to give them the support and confidence to be highly effective people.

You ask me why did I choose to write about Julie? Beside being very interesting as an individual, she is unique, she is special, she is one of a kind.

Do yourself a favor and pop on over to her blogs to learn even more about Julie...
The Apron Goddesses and Our Simple Life. Enjoy!

TOP DROPPERS FOR FEBRUARY ... thank you!



TOP DROPPERS FOR FEBRUARY .... Thank you .... all of you are the best!
A Simple Life
Mommy's Little Corner
Life's sweets and spices
The Modern Mom
moms..... check nyo
Scandinavian Ways - Winesworlds blog
my review
Yummy-as-can-be
Take a coffee break...
Spotted Cow Soaps

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Shabby Chic Apon ... Pink and Blue


Shabby Chic is always in. I just sold these recently at my website: www.overthetopaprons. The apron is fun, flirty, and shabby chic. There are a lot more for your viewing. Thanks for visiting.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Social Marketing ... what is your favorite site?






Are you involved in Social Networking? If so what is your favorite site and how is it working for you? Is it worth your time? Would you recommend others to use it?

I hear that the benefits are many but I would like to know your personal experience.

.Have you noticed an increase in traffic to your website or blog?
.Are you receiving backlinks?
.Have you sales increased (if you own a website)?

Please leave a comment and share with the rest of us. If you have any special tips on how to get started or which site would you recommend to be involved with? I know we can all learn more and learning from each other is the best! Thanks.