La Plates thanks you for 2008!

We can't let the New Year sneak by without thanking all of La Plates family, friends and fans. This has been an amazing year and we could not have had this success without you. We look forward to an amazing 2009 with many new adventures on the horizon. We wish you much health and happiness in the New Year!

In the spirit of sending out thanks, we would also like to mention the fabulous PR we received from Self Magazine (Dec. 2008) - La Plates made an appearance on their Holiday Gift Guide.

Holidays with La Plates

You had to expect a few plates to go around our household for the holidays...well, here's what we took to Pops' house to celebrate!

This ended up being the favorite - interesting!

Design Star - for real!

My friends know this, but I might as well admit to all...I'm an HGTV junkie. I don't have many free moments, but those precious times when both boys are napping, work is at a minimum and I can sneak away for a stolen t.v. fix, I immediately go to HGTV. While Design Star was airing, I would DVR every episode. I was a huge fan of "Jen" before I even knew she was a KC girl. Seriously - her murals are fab and her giggle is contagious, how could I not love the chick?!

Well, I treated myself to an early Christmas present...Jen came to rescue my home office/t.v. space/play pen. If I loved her from a far, she was even better in person! She was all about making the space perfect for our family. She's created the perfect plan for me. She's assigned me homework, as I'm bound and determined to put some of my hours of viewing to work. I've already gone to 2 Lowe's and am hitting the ground running tomorrow to knock out a couple of items on my list.

Stay tuned for before and after shots of the transformation. In the meantime, set your DVR's for Paint-Over with Jennifer Bertrand 5/4c on January 1. She's got a Showdown with Kim Myles in February and then she and her husband will be welcoming their first born to the world. What a lucky little man!
P.S. If you live in the KC area, Jen has donated something fabulous to the Children's Mercy Auction - Red Hot Night, February 14th...I'll meet you at the bidding war!

Spirit of the Season

Last week was a little rough. I was on balance overload - mommy and working woman had collided head on Wednesday morning. Then my Christmas "angel" appeared at the perfect moment.

I was hurrying into the grocery to buy enough turkey for the kids and babysitter. I quickly rushed to the deli counter where I placed my order. I spoke briefly with the woman waiting on me and she asked me if I worked weekends...I work from home, a little all the time...do you like the Nutcracker?...yes, are you selling tickets?...wait one minute...I waited, confused as to what was coming, but interested all the same.

As she returned from the basement of the store, Rose presented me with an envelope. You take these tickets and promise me you'll go to the Nutcracker. I bought them for my husband and I the day they went on sale and we can't go now. Will you go? I didn't know what to do or say...can I pay you for them?...no, they are a gift to you...but you don't know me, are you sure?...take them, I want you to go.

I walked away from the deli counter with tears running down my face. I stumbled through the aisles, forgetting anything else I had intended to buy. What I didn't tell Rose was that I had wanted to take my son, but didn't think I should spend the money...I didn't know if I had the time to take him...the business woman had been overshadowing the mommy a little too often. Rose stepped in and reminded me of the importance of family, traditions and holiday spirit. She will never know the impact her gift had on me. I only wish she could have experienced the pure joy in my son's face as the music began and the curtain went up. Rose gifted me the most pure random act of kindness. I plan to pass it on as often as possible - thanks Rose, you are an angel in my book!

All decked out in his Sunday best - had to bring Blankie for the show too!

Reading up on the Nutcracker before the show began.

Christmas card photos

My mother had so many amazing qualities. I hope that I am fortunate enough to carry on some of these qualities in my life. However, one thing that always irked me was her constant quest for the perfect Christmas card photo. My brother and I would pose for photos in March and say, "Mom, that'll be the PERFECT Christmas card pic!"...in hopes that that we were done for the year.

Now that I have two kids, I get it. I get that you have one chance a year to connect with all your near and dear family and friends. I get that you want both your kids looking at the camera, preferably looking as though they like one another and maybe no snot or tears visible. Now I get that she started at the beginning of the year, because it could quite possibly take 11.5 months to get that great shot to show off. Well, I gave myself 1 weekend. More specifically, one day. Here are some real "keepers" that I know I will laugh about in years to come. Right now, I'm just slightly annoyed that I couldn't accomplish just one! Enjoy a good laugh on me...those of you getting a card, just wait to see what arrives next week!

So I started the photo shoot early during bathtime...I know it may be my only chance at happiness x 2.

Yes, I dress them in matching outfits for photos.
We tried to bribe with a Jayhawk, but a fight broke out.

Things got worse, instead of better...

I decided an outside shot might be more fun for them...not so much.

We moved to the front yard and added a wagon, not much more fun. They simply look like their mother has lost her mind, pulling them around in 10 degree weather...at least I could break out the coordinating coats!
Happy Holidays!

Cakespy addiction!

Here at La Plates we are always looking for fabulous things. We like to share our experiences with you and let you in on little treats we find along the way. In one of our searches for the perfect dessert, we came across the Cakespy website. Jessie has a terrific sense of humor, an amazing eye/taste for all things sweet and a real talent with the paint brush. We've had a little exchange of ideas this Fall and sent a Cakespy plate her way.In return, Jessie created the most precious painting of me and all my boys on the golf course. Those of you who know me, know I don't stand a chance when it comes to golf! This is going to be a precious piece of art in our home - I will enjoy it for years to come. I consider it an early Christmas present to me, thanks to my new friend Jessie, the Cakespy!

Here's my painting and note from Jessie sitting in my snowy kitchen windowsill - what a sweet treat!

American Music Awards

Our friends over at The Silver Spoon recently asked if we could design a few La Plates for the American Music Awards. We love the opportunity to share our products with a new audience. Coca-Cola was the sponsor of the event, so we went with a variety of designs, using the Coke colors. Although we couldn't attend the event (holiday craze), we hope everyone loved what we designed for them!

Customized a plate for our friends

Rihanna's zebra plate

Mariah's bamboo plate

Taylor Swift's paisley plate

Carrie Underwood's squares plate

Alicia Key's chevron plate

Jordin Spark's modern plate

and we couldn't forget the Coldplay kiddos

Holiday Shows

As a business owner, in this economy, I am thankful for all my loyal customers. I thought I would just humor you with a few shots of our living room today...


I was hopeful to have a clean house for all my guests over Thanksgiving. Now I'm re-evaluating and thinking I will use them as my delivery team! Thanks to all the women who came to La Plates Girls' Night Out - such fun! Next week we'll be at the Kappa Kappa Gamma Holiday Homes Tour - Homestead Country Club, Prairie Village, KS. We'll be showing many of our 2009 Collection items and a special fleur-de-lis design. Hope to see you there!

Holiday Craze

My lack of writing is not due to lack of love for our readers. The holiday season is in full swing around here and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done! While I would love to share details of everything going on at La Plates...I must spend any extra moments with my family. As soon as we get a free minute, we'll scan the latest PR...Lucky, Chicago Home & Garden, Self, Cookie - all December issues.

Sunday Funday

We're always looking for a little fun on the weekends as a family and Costco fits our criteria! A few weekends ago, we ran into our friends in the "toy aisle", have you seen the loot Costco carries?! The fav of the kids was the lifelike horse and dinosaur that you can feed. And the prices are amazing! Seriously, I could do all my holiday shopping there - including my husband's list. He found jeans that are usually $170 for $39! I saw a pile of cashmere...maybe in this economy Costco is the answer for my Christmas cashmere!

Even though we took full advantage of the free samples (thanks ice cream lady who pretended we hadn't been by twice already) we decided to be adventurous and head to the "cafe". Talk about a deal - a hot dog and drink for $1.50, are you kidding me?! Pizza broke the bank at $1.99, but it was awesome! I highly recommend a trip to Costco. If you don't have a membership, tag along with a friend that does!

A first date at Costco

Back Home Again, In Indiana

I love my family more than anything in the world. I especially love when all the generations can hang out together and create memories. The following photos are from a recent trip back to Indianapolis where it all began. I hate that I didn't snap a picture of the pinball competition that ensued in "Pops" basement...someone forgot to tell Pops that you let the 3 year old beat you! I love that my Nana packs up and heads to Pops' house so we can all hang out together. How cool is it that my son knows how to bake the best snickerdoodles in the world already?!

First and second place pinball competitors

Betty Crocker and her prodigy Waiting for the snickerdoodles to bakeNana evening out the haircut his big brother createdHappy as can be with Nana behind the scissors!

Lucky Magazine - gift guide

Kudos to one of our retailers for getting La Plates into Lucky Magazine this month! Checkout Elizabeth Bauer Design - her store is fabulous and her design work is amazing!

Celeb update

We try not to get to star struck when celebrities love La Plates, but our friends over at The Silver Spoon sent us these recent shots (Passion for Pink luncheon during the Emmy Awards) and we got a little ga-ga. I mean how many hours did I spend in front of the t.v. watching the original 90210?! The chant "Donna Martin graduates" is ringing in my ears as I write. And then to our next fan, Curb Your Enthusiasm, to Waitress, to Jack's Big Music Show...how do I pick my fav?! Thanks for your La Plates love ladies!

Tori Spelling - Modern Plates for her kiddos

Cheryl Hines - a Stripe Plate for her cutie pie

What a week!

Monday was our annual Girls' Night Out - craziness! Each November we host a night of shopping for the ladies...this usually turns into more of a party, but it's an "official" reason to hire a sitter or convince the hubby to stay home. I always get an idea of what items will be really popular for the holiday season by what these ladies select. Of course La Plates standard 10" inch plates are always a hit, but the La Plates Coolers and Placemats knocked it out of the park! You might say, placemats...I didn't know they were available?! Well they are not online yet - it was a preview of our 2009 Collection.

Here's a quick pic of one of our samples. The placemats are 12"x18" and are covered in a thick ("wipe"able) plastic. What the ladies loved is that you get to customize BOTH sides of the placemat. That means you get to pick 2 fabulous designs...think monogram on one side, name on the other, 2 totally different looks!
We will have our La Plates Placemats at all of our holiday shows. You can find us at St. Chrys Holiday Faire in Chicago, IL 11/13-11/5 and KKG Holiday Homes Tour in Kansas City 12/2-12/3. We have a few other shows throughout the season as well, but we think they send invites - sorry!

Rocker tees for tots

Everyone has that friend that is a lover of the ol' rock bands...well, here's what you need to get them for the next baby gift, kid's birthday, something - a Rowdy Sprout tee. These vintage looking t-shirts, onesies and dresses are so soft, I'd like one for myself. (Flashback to the permed hair, lots of hairspray, rocking out to Poison!) They are 100% cotton, Made in the USA and designed by a really cool girl from Indy.

Coastal Living

I didn't want to get excited before anything came out in print, but La Plates was featured in Coastal Living, November issue! I've always loved the magazine and am honored they selected our Lifesaver Plate as one of their favorite nautical finds.

Halloween, check!

After years of teaching school, Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays...the sugar highs, the costume drama, the list goes on. Each "day after" I enjoy looking back at my photos and checking it off my list for another year. Here are a few highlights from yesterday:

We tested out our neighbor's frog costume...a little tight!

Our pumpkin costume - just right!

After rounding the Prairie Village Shops, we took a candy break, yum!

Someone decided handing out candy was as much fun as getting it!

My all time favorite costume!
Her mommy owns Twenty 20, delish...glad lobster isn't on the menu!

Barefoot Contessa

If you've been to my home, you know I have a lot of cook books, but only use a few. I have a collection of The Barefoot Contessa series and can't decide on my favorite! Today, I picked up Ina Garten's latest addition - Back to Basics. Since I was number 779 on the list to get my book signed, I had plenty of time to look over the recipes. Yum, I can't wait to test them out!

We always like to take an opportunity to share La Plates with people who would appreciate their design and function. We thought Ina was the perfect candidate to test out our new oval platter. Somehow I think she'll be filling her platter with better treats than mine! See what we designed just for her:

Navy Gingham Oval Platter with Light Green Script Font

Don't worry Ina, I'm almost there...I know you've signed 778 books, but I've got a special treat for you!

She loved it!