Kookie Krums

gone in 60 seconds.

 
I had the privilege recently of doing the dessert table for the talent show & silent auction at my daughter's school. Cookies, brownies, and cake pops were the order of the night.

A big tray of cookies is always popular.

 
The cake pops, though, proved to be worthy competition.

 
Our now-famous sea salt brownies made an appearance too.

 
However, as soon as intermission was announced, everyone descended on the dessert table. I think I maybe had time to say, "Hi, yes, these are all from Kookie Krums," and woosh! Everything was gone. Sixty seconds is probably being generous! What fun to see so many people in one place enjoying our delicious treats!

And so fun to watch my six year old march confidently up on the stage and sing her heart out. I love her.

 

Who, me?!

Recently I received an email saying, "You have been nominated for 'Innovative Businesswoman of the Year'." I immediately decided it must be a marketing gig, as I'm just little me having fun in the cookie world and dreaming of constantly moving towards bigger and better. Turns out . . . it was for real!

So last night I had the opportunity to attend a dinner for eWomen Network. I wasn't familiar with their organization a few weeks ago, but have since learned that they are an international group of women dedicated to connecting women and promoting women in business. What a fabulous idea! You can find out more about their organization by clicking on the image below.

These women believe in giving first - sharing their knowledge and expertise with other women in businesses, without immediately looking for the return. Sounds like a pretty good approach to life in general. I'm just sayin'.

While I didn't win the award, I was amazed at the group of women nominated in the category that I was a part of. These women have excelled in business, gotten involved in their communities, and have proven that women can truly do anything. I was so honored to be among them!

Thank you, eWomen Network, for the nomination!!

Mom's Fun Basket

That is such an understatement for this basket. I had a blast working with Tammy from Curtis Fundamental to put together this basket for their Auction. The class theme was "Mom's Fun," and Tammy went to town collecting donations for this . . . literally!! Tammy is a donation collector extraordinaire, and I had a vision of the amazing display all of this put together would make.

We filled this ginormous basket with items from various local merchants, and then stuck in gift cards galore! We had items like a water bottle, stationary set, notepads, mini-drinks, incense, sachets, jewelry, and all kinds of other fun stuff.

Gift cards came from restaurants, house cleaning services, personal trainers, car washes, ice cream parlors, spas, salons, boutiques, and more! This basket was valued at over $1,000! I SO wish I could have been the high bidder on this basket!

Finished off with a dozen cookies and a gift certificate to Kookie Krums, this seriously was something any of us ladies would have been in heaven with. Fantastic outpouring from local businesses really made this basket the dream that it was.  Isn't it gorgeous?!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

I so love making new friends, and these four kids were absolutely adorable!! All decked out in their green and headed downtown to find some St. Patty's fun, they were more than willing to come in and help me finish off the shamrock cookies before I closed for the day today. I promise they were all smiling on the first ten pictures I took - before I realized my camera settings were changed and I was taking completely dark pictures. Ya'll were great sports and very patient with me, hope the cookies made it all worthwhile!

Don't you just love that green hair?! It was AMAZING!!! I hope ya'll come back and see me again!

The Pirate's Booty

We were excited for the opportunity to be a part of Jolli Mon's Annual Pirate Party this past Saturday. With costume contests for children and adults, it was a fun party! Kookie Krums donated the first, second, and third place prizes for the kids contest. Third place won a candy cone and three cookies. Second place won a mini paint can filled with eight cookies. First place won a cookie & candy bouquet in a bright bucket. Congratulations to all the little pirates!!

Weekend Festival

We had another fantastic arts & crafts festival in downtown Dunedin this past weekend, and we had a blast!! My hubby was very gracious to come and work the show with me, since my aunt that usually helps me has been sick. We definitely missed her being there with us! But hubby was up to the challenge, and we made a great team. Fortunately, no need to hit the gym this weekend, I got plenty of exercise both Saturday and Sunday!

Saturday morning we started at 6:30, and were hopping by 7:30. I think finally having some gorgeous weather brought everyone out for the weekend! We finished up at 5:30 and were completely exhausted. We sold over 1500 cookies on Saturday, and about 60 cups of coffee per hour all day long. I know, insane, isn't it?! I love it!!  Sunday was a little bit quieter, but not too much. My girls cracked up laughing when I showed them that I had literally run the sole off one of my tennis shoes. It's hanging on by one glue dot right now!

A big thanks to all of the customers who came in to tell me about the rave reviews they've gotten for cookie bouquets they've recently sent. I love hearing that people love receiving our bouquets, totally makes my day. If you've never sent one, jump on the bandwagon! You can be a hit too!!

This precious girl in the photo above is my new friend Liberty. First of all, I love her name. Isn't she as cute as can be?! She was so excited to pick out some cookies, and had a ball hiding inside my sign. I just had to snap a picture of her cuteness. The hubby took a few minutes to show her brother how to shoot his new bow & arrow that he got at the festival. Hopefully there's not been any broken lamps or hurt sisters yet!!

I absolutely love these festivals, because I just have the best time seeing all of our customers, meeting new ones, and catching up with everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the weekend as much as I did!! And if you missed this festival, I'll let you know when the next one is coming.

Dressing up a Table

I had the opportunity several weeks ago to provide a cookie table at a Working Women of Tampa Bay event in Dunedin, held at Art from the Heart Cafe. Let me just go on a side note here and tell you that if you don't know about Working Women of Tampa Bay, you need to. It's a fabulous group of women that I absolutely love being a part of.

So back to my table. I wanted it to be more than just a table with trays of cookies. I mean, that's plenty, I know, just put out some cookies and most people are happy. Just not me. This was a women's event. I wanted the table to be pretty, and the display to be special.

So here's what I did .  . . I took several panels of lime green fabric and spread them out on the counter. I like adding color underneath my food trays, just for fun. Then I raised a couple of the cookie trays on flower pots (go figure, I used what I had to work with). Adding different layers when setting up a food table is just a fabulous way to go. Adds dimension, and just looks beautiful.

Then I took one of the picture frames I sell in the store, and put in one of my favorite photos. A picture of a little boy who comes in regularly, wearing a shirt that says "Happiness is a cookie in each hand." I love giving my table a personal touch, so this was perfect.

Because this was a business event, I wanted to give out plenty of business cards. Instead of the usual stack of cards on the corner of the table, I did this . . .

 

I have this display for some of my fall merchandise, and this pretty little tree worked perfectly for holding business cards. I even had some women ask how they could make it on the tree. So sorry, it's only for me. All me.

The evening was so much fun, with everyone eating cookies and painting pottery. Happiness all around. After all, "happiness is . . . ."

 

Local Shops Girl comes to visit

We were super excited to get a visit from the Local Shops girl a few days ago. If you're not familiar with Local Shops1, you need to be. The Local Shops girl is the face of this great resource, and she's out visiting businesses in the area, snapping a few photos along the way. Funny thing was, right after this photo was taken, there was another gal in front of the store taking a picture of my sign. I went out and introduced myself. Although she preferred to remain rather mysterious (ok fine, so for some reason she just didn't want to talk to me much), she did tell me that she's taking photos for a tourist-type coffee table book. Hmm, Kookie Krums may be gracing your table in more ways than one someday!! Anyway, I digress . . .

Local Shops1 is a great online source to find independant, local businesses. And as you know, I am all about supporting the local economy. You can sign up for FREE as a shopper to get your card, then take advantage of special discounts and offers from the listed merchants. You can also search by category to find just what you're looking for.

In these times, I encourage you to shop local first, and keep your dollars in your community. This is an easy way to do it. And a good reminder to look cute every day - you just never know who will be stopping by for a picture with you!!

Lakeside Cookies!!

Yep. We're a Lakeside Family now. Hailey will have her debut as a Kindergartener tomorrow. She will tell you proudly that she is going to Lakeside Christian School, and not so proudly that she has to wear a uniform. But seriously, is any child ever super excited about uniforms?? I am very excited about the school, and over-the-top excited about her teacher. She's my mentor, and an incredible woman, what more could I ask for?! I'm certain my daughter is going to have the world's best experience in Kindergarten.

So naturally I was thrilled when the elementary principal called to order Lakeside Logo Cookies for the first day of school. Her gift to the teachers. What a great principal, right?! I told you this is a fabulous school!!

Here's to a fantastic school year . . . may it be a sweet one!

the 3/50 project.

We are very excited to partner with the 3/50 project. A great organization committed to encouraging people to buy locally. I am grateful every day for my loyal customers who make it their business to help my business thrive. I couldn't do it without you. All of you. And in the spirit of the 3/50 project, I am offering a great promotion. For every $20.00 you spend between now and September 30, you will receive $2.00 in 3/50 bucks. During the month of October, you can come back and spend your bucks just like cash. I LOVE free money!! And what a great time to start your holiday shopping! You'll be ahead of the game, and have more money in your pocket! Read the details of the 3/50 project below, and get on board with me. You are what makes the difference.