LA, Here We Come!

Yup, I'm in the Mom Squad. Last month, kiddo and I flew to LA for a fun video shoot. Before we dive into the shoot details, let's just talk about the logistics of getting there, shall we? 

I've been to California before, but never the LA area, and the mere idea of the 101 was giving me heart palpitations. This would also be my first trip where we weren't meeting up with a family member or friend at the airport. Basically, once we got on our flight from MSP, we were on our own. I was terrified about getting lost, ending up on a future episode of Criminal Minds that centered on a deranged Uber driver, and a million other catastrophes. 

I was also wrestling with managing all of these variables on a really tight timeline. I knew this would be a fun memory for us to have of "that time we did that thing," but I'm still a mom, so school takes priority. I wanted to minimize how much school she missed, so here's how we rolled:

• Mon 3 pm : leave school, head directly to MSP
• Mon 9 pm : arrive in CA (We lost 2 hours on the time change.)
• Tues 9 am : arrive on set 
• Tues 1 pm : get thee to the airport
• Tues 11 pm : land at MSP, drive home, sleep
• Wed 8 am : school time!

We made it! We caught each connecting flight, didn't get assaulted by a cabbie, and had the best day with an amazing crew. The makeup artist even hooked me up with the perfect, customized nude lipstick.

We were onset in an amazing private residence for a Playtime with Mom segment for Momtastic. We talked about all of the fun things we do together and her never-ending quest for a dog. Luckily for her, StarLily is getting her closer to accomplishing her goal.

I'm supa dupa happy to report that everything went so smoothly. Kiddo only missed one day of school, and she was up and ready to go the next day. I was crossing my fingers that she wouldn't be a moody, groggy mess, but she was great. Be sure to check out our Playtime with Mom video. It's a two-parter, so be sure you give that right arrow a click after the first one.

SYDT on KARE 11 Today! - Spring Weddings

After my first appearance on KARE 11 Today, I was lucky to be invited back to the show. Yesterday on the show, I shared a few tips to help couples design a dessert table for their wedding. Many of you will probably recognize this dessert table as the one I designed for this inspirational wedding shoot. You'll also notice that I made a few tweaks to the design and layout to fit the tv station's set up.

I hope you all enjoyed the video. I'll be back later today with a second post that features a gelato-themed design. See you soon!

SYDT on KARE 11 Today! - Valentine's Day Dessert Table

I'm so excited to share my segment on the KARE 11 Today show with you. A few weeks ago, KARE 11 emailed me to ask if I'd like to be on the show. Of course, I said, "YES!"

I visited the KARE 11 studio yesterday to show Twin Cities viewers how they can make a fun, easy dessert table for Valentine's Day. Unlike some of my more elaborate designs for clients and events, this table was designed to be kid-friendly, quick, and easy so it incorporates a lot of craft projects. Many of you helped me finalize my color palette by responding to my Twitter and Facebook musings about ribbon colors, so thank you for your input.

In the video, you may notice that I'm wearing a bracelet. There's another bracelet in the front center of the table in a jewelry box. I made those out of gumballs! The host of the show, Pat Evans, discussed the bracelets and showed close ups of them in a separate segment of the show.

This was my first tv experience, and it was so much fun. My friend (and fab photog) Emily Steffen came along to help me set up and to take some behind-the-scenes pics. I'll share those with you in the coming days. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the video.