NY Observer PLAYGROUND

Could it be, La Plates so close to Gossip Girl? OK, so we just happen to be within a magazine in which Kelly Rutherford is on the cover, but we love it! Michelle, from NY Observer Playground and Chic Baby New York, was kind enough to contact us about including La Plates in their Holiday Shopping for Kids section. She picked 2 of our little boy favorites - horizontal STRIPE with american text. Checkout the mag:

Holiday delivery 2009

We hope you are enjoying a fabulous holiday season! The La Plates elves are scurrying around to create all the holiday gifts for fans near and far. In order to get everything delivered to customers by December 24th, we must receive your online order by Friday, December 4th at 11:59pm, central time. We will produce orders all December, but we can't guarantee a pre-Christmas delivery after the 4th. Selecting Overnight or 3-Day Select UPS service can rush the shipping, but our production time is still 10-15 business days.

Harper's Bazaar - love it!

Be sure to pick up the December 2009 issue of Harper's Bazaar. Their holiday gift guide is FABULOUS and includes La Plates Platter in the "Personalized" section of the guide! They really do have a great collection of items...of course we're a little partial to the bottom right area of page 180!

La Plates SQUARES platter - background light blue, script monogram navy - is available at www.laplates.com for $34. Order by December 5th for Christmas delivery.

Holiday is in the air!

I was racing through Target today, picking up some last minute items before heading to our next trunk show. When all of a sudden, I realized it's really the holiday season! The trees & lights are up, holiday tunes are ringing and I got that little spring in my step!

Now, before my holiday ways are tarnished, I'm whipping up a little treat for all you La Plates fans. We just added 6.5" salad/dessert plates to our holiday collection and we want to give a few away. Until Wednesday, 11/11 at 11:11pm (central), buy 2 sets of identical salad/dessert plates and we'll give you a 3rd set FREE!

Seriously, who couldn't use a set of these fabulous plates? They are great for breakfast rolls, salads, desserts, appetizers, after school snacks, bridge parties, poker night, tailgating, holiday parties, hostess gifts, the list goes on!!

Buy 2 sets of identical salad/dessert plates and we will automatically add a 3rd set FREE! But only if you order by 11/11 at 11:11pm.

Colin Cowie comes to KC

We have been on a whirlwind of a trunk show tour. However, a friend of La Plates delivered a platter to one of our favorite party planners - Colin Cowie. Mr. Cowie was in town for the American Royal Tablescapes event - hosted at Mary Carol Garrity's Nell Hills.Rumor has it, he loved his platter! Brown Greek with Orange Circle monogram "CC", bon appetit Colin!

New products, just in time for holiday gifting!

You asked for them and we listened! La Plates has designed salad/dessert plates, just in time for the holidays! Seriously, how cute would these be for gifts to your girlfriends, family - or yourself?! These 6.5" plates are sold in a set of 4 and are designed to match our 10" lunch/dinner plates. But we think these sets are so cute, they could even stand alone! Be sure to order these soon, they are available only for a limited time.
Next up on our list of new favs - the La Plates Catch All. How practical AND fabulous?! The khaki canvas bags come with an accent color of cherry (shown), black, caramel, avocado, denim, mango or lilac. You can select gold or embossed for the monogram. All monograms are created with a block style font, so we recommend doing them in first, middle, last order - or a two letter monogram is cute too!

Back to School in Hollywood!

What's cookin' at La Plates?

We always test out new items at our trunk shows. This way, we can get personal feedback on items & see what we should bring to the website. This fall, a favorite of customers has been our La Plates Recipe Box. Seriously, how cute is this? I love that I can transfer all my favorite family recipes...written in the handwriting of loved ones...into my hip, personalized recipe box. There's even a place to secure the "recipe of honor". I hate to say it, but it almost inspires me to cook more often!

Included with the personalized recipe box are labeled dividers, blank recipe cards and a La Plates cover card.

Holiday Trunk Shows

We've started the wild La Plates holiday tour and hope we can meet you on the road! So far, we've been to Memphis, Asheville, Charleston & Nashville...all shows in private residences. Thanks to all that have made it a fabulous holiday season already!

Now the tour continues and we'd love to meet you and share many new products from La Plates! The next three shows are a fabulous way to shop in person and for a great cause! A percentage of all sales at the events goes to the organization hosting the event. Please look to the websites linked for more details.

October 22-24
(22nd eve = preview party)
Vinique Boutique
The Vincent Club
71 Brimmer Street
Boston, MA 02108

November 12-14
(12th eve = preview party)
St. Chrysostom's Holiday Faire
1424 North Dearborn Parkway
Chicago, IL 60610

November 19-21
(19th eve = preview party)
Junior League of Chicago Holiday Market
Chicago Cultural Center
Sidney R. Yates Gallery
78 E. Washington Street
Chicago, IL

These placemats make me happy...

You know when you're having one of those days and then you have a reminder that life is good and we should be grateful for all we have in life. When we made these placemats we were having that day...think if these placemats greeted you each morning? I'd be skipping out the door daily, ready to conquer world peace! I love creative customers - good work!

Halloween treats...

Are your kids thinking about Halloween already? Well so are all of us here at La Plates! Be sure to order by October 16th for delivery by October 31st.

Happy Birthday to...

OK, so it's my birthday, but I like to turn the tables on my big day. Instead of getting gifts, I like to give them. Actually, I wish I could give all my friends their birthday presents on MY birthday, because I just stink at remembering everyone's big day!

In honor of all those dates that have slipped by me I'm calling this the "Happy Birthday to YOU" deal. Buy a set of 5 plates, get 1 FREE...buy a set of 10 plates, get 2 FREE...and so on. There is no code for this birthday treat, just mention it in the notes or personalization section.
Details of the Deal: Don't buy 6 and then email us to take off the charge for the 6th plate - we'll have to cancel it all and start over - a pain for everyone! Also, a "set of plates" means they are all identical...not an individual name on each plate - make sense? Expiration of the Birthday Deal = October 13, 2009...my Nana's 90th birthday!

iMag is loving La Plates!

After having the fabulous KC Fox 4 News crew interview La Plates as "mompreneur" company, the national Fox News Channel contacted us! Checkout their recent Quick Tip on iMag, recommending La Plates as a great product for function and style, thanks for the love!

Man's best friend deserves La Plates!

Checkout our new products for your favorite preppy pooch! La Plates just added a combo set for a personalized mealtime set for dogs. The placemat is 12 x 18 and is laminated for an easy wipe off during messy meals. The bowls both hold 16 oz. of food or water and are labeled "eat" and "drink". Bone Appetit doggy friends!

Miss/Master Manners via La Plates!

As a teacher, I always tried to bring a little etiquette to the lunchroom...not always successful. As a mom, I've tried to bring manners to our mealtimes...again, not always successful. Now as a business woman, I hope I can help out your family table with our new La Plates Manners & Gingham Placemats! Just remember baby steps to the perfect young lady/gentleman and good luck!

You select from Hot Pink, Light Blue & Yellow.
You determine the font and personalization on the Gingham side -
La Plates provide a place setting guide on the other side!

What I did for summer break - Part 1

This summer has been a busy one! However, all work and no play, is no fun. So we coordinated a little fun with our trunk show schedule...

It's been years since I've visited the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. However, the second you enter the doors, you are a kid again! The hours I spent there as a child, came right back to me as I shared the experience with my children...truly, a magical place! From dinosaurs, to King Tut, to Indy race cars, to the carousel, to "choo-choos", to sand & water tables, to a hands on Chihuly exhibit, to ScienceWorks, the list goes on! It's a must-do trip for any family.

A Giveaway Everyday

Two La Plates Placemats are up for grabs over at A Giveaway Everyday! Check it out and sign up before 8.31.09 to win!

Summer Soiree

We received an invitation to our friends wedding earlier this summer. We were thrilled to be included in their celebration, but also looked forward to all the details sure to be part of this special occasion. While the bride has fabulous taste, it's the groom that would be pulling out all the tricks to make it the perfect day for them both. In true style, we arrived to the groom modeling his monogrammed pants. Think J Crew "critter" pants, but replaced with his monogram. I'm so mad I didn't snap a photo of them!

The gorgeous table

Placecards listed all the nicknames of friends & family. Flowers by Chuck Matney

Dancing the night away, after a fabulous ceremony & delicious dinner!

A photo of me & the hubs, since my Nana reads this blog and wanted to see what we wore! I found red seersucker pants for him at Brooks Brothers this summer, love them!

ShelterPop Giveaway

When Josie over at AOL's ShelterPop got in touch with us, we were so excited! We had just started visiting their blog & knew it was a great place for a La Plates giveaway. Here's a little ditty about the new AOL home blog:

"AOL's ShelterPop is a go-to destination for people passionate about all things home. As the newsy home design blog of AOL Home, the site provides users with timely decorating ideas, stylish inspirations, practical solutions, accessible approaches, celebrity home content, great new products, and much more."
Now, head over to ShelterPop and win yourself a set of 8 La Plates! The giveaway ends Friday, August 21st. Tell all your friends about it too!

Contest for Templeton Silver

In the last year, we've learned that mom entrepreneurs really join together to support one and other. Recently, we heard of a company that needed our help. Now you can help too and WIN some great prizes!

Templeton Silver needs to change the name of their Heirloom Binky Bracelet since Playtex owns the trademark on the word “binky.” At first this appeared to be a setback, but now they feel it’s a blessing for them and hopefully many others.

“What we need from you is a new product name and QUICK! Please visit our website and click on “Contest” under the “Blog Topics” to see all of the rules and guidelines, as well as the enormous Grand Prize Gift Basket that will be awarded to the ONE person that creates a name that we like!” says Rhett Templeton.

Get those creative juices flowing and come up with a fabulous name for Templeton Silver. They are great moms with a fabulous product...and you could get over $1500 worth of loot! You can see one of the items is a La Plates Happy Birthday Plate - perfect for boys & girls of all ages!

Contest ends Monday, August 31st.

Back-to-School, Baby!

As a former school teacher, I love when kids get excited about returning to school. What better way to psych your kiddo up for the new year ahead, than a cool La Plates Handwriting Plate with their very own name? And better yet, you buy 1 and get 1 FREE! I know your thinking, what's the catch? None! We just want your kid to be pumped to head back to school this Fall.

You create a regular order for the first plate. For the second (FREE) plate, just add the details in the "PERSONALIZATION" section of the first plate. Basically, just order 1 and fill out the details for both together. If there are any questions about your order, we will certainly track you down!

You might ask, what if I want to buy 2 plates? Well then you get 2 FREE! You can figure out the rest - order up! Offer good until August 1, 2009, delivery takes 10-15 business days. Sorry, no discount codes apply to this item.

Fox 4 News

This has been a wild week! It began with the hubby winning the Kansas City Amateur golf tournament & La Plates on The Early Show. It ended with La Plates on Fox 4 News & the mister interviewed by 610 Sports Radio. The funny thing is, neither one of us is very fond of being in the public eye, but the kids think it's pretty cool! Check out the segment about mom entrepreneurs who won a Startup Nation contest. Interview & filming by Stephanie Hockridge and Colton White.

This shows how we set up the dining room with all our products and press...not sure why I left the candlesticks on the table, oh well!

The Early Show, CBS

Southern Living's editor Kristi Crowe showed Harry Smith, over at The Early Show some chic tableware this morning...and guess their first mention - La Plates! Our MODERN brown with CIRCLE monogram in orange made it's t.v. debut today. We are like proud parents over here at La Plates. Check out the link here to view the segment. Thanks Southern Living and thanks Harry, for thinking "these are cool"! Next time, we'll be sure to use your monogram!

The Design Shoppe

Soon after La Plates was "born", the owners of Design Shoppe contacted us. They were one of our first accounts to share La Plates with customers! Not only that, their store is located in one of our favorite towns, Chi-town!

Chicago Home + Garden describes Design Shoppe:
"Arranged like a parlor, the shop offers a mix of new and vintage home accessories, hand-painted furniture, hostess gifts, and a design center devoted to affordable semi-custom window treatments, with quick delivery options. The owners set out to create a welcoming environment for those who want stylish homes without spending a fortune."

Here are photos of a recent stop in the fabulous Design Shoppe, I love it!

The Design Shoppe is located at
2009 N. Fremont St.
Chicago, IL
773-883-6004

4th of July, phew what a celebration!

A celebration of family, friends and the fourth! Happy Birthday America!

all plates, platters & placemats are 20% with code JULY4 until midnight 7/5/09 - shop til you drop!