Dress The Part: Armani Makeup

Luminous Silk Foundation: It leaves a flawless finish (really!)

Face Fabric- Love this sheer cover for hot summer days.

Rouge d'armani Lipstick: There is just something about the color and shine that is perfectly blended. I love colors 500 and 502.

This is the best mascara on the market. (yes, even better than Lancome Difinicils)

I am not sure why there isnt more buzz about Armani makeup. I love my Bobbi Brown just as much as the next girl but am amazed that there isnt more hype around Armani. I just love their products - if you are looking for some new makeup for summer, here are my top picks!

PS. If you have some extra money in the bank and or have just taken out a 2nd mortgage I recommend any of the Creme Nara products. To die for but they will set you back a bit!

From the Vault...

Look what I just found in the image vault!

Love this holiday row house image.

I love this for cook book labels. I will get this added to the web asap.

This was a custom image for the 2011 calendars for The Elegant Setting

Canal House - custom image. Love the detail!

Custom image painted for Jana Kramer's wedding when we were considering creating a map and itinerary of events.

Custom image - I now see the Brazilian flag everywhere!

It's Official!

Memorial Day is the official kickoff to summer in our family. We did our annual trek to the Hamptons and visited all our favorite places and found a few new ones!

I brought these notepads which were dropped off to be used in a photo shoot at a dinner party. Wait till you see where it was!

How did you spend your memorial day?

Yummy.. Grilled Nachos!

After a busy weekend finalizing a notepad order for a major TV station photo shoot, my personal chef suprised me with this amazing tower of grilled nachos. We used the grill pan from Williams Sonoma we purchased last year. Give it a try this memorial day weekend!

Must Be Somebody's Baby....

Me, 1977 Lake Oswego, Oregon

Paperwhites - The first store to carry Hampton Paper

Hamtpons Magazine - The first to feature Hampton Paper!

The Elegant Setting at their new location, 27 West Main Street, Southampton

The Dandelion Patch Locations: Reston, Vienna, & Leesburg, VA and Georgetown

Memorial Day Weekend this year brings to mind the celebration of two very special babies, one person's baby is 40 and the other's is 4. Can you guess who they are?

Well, I am the baby in my family (I am so sure you would have guessed that by now) and my youngest, Hampton Paper is turning 4! Wow, time has flown and I am just in amazement at how far we have come in such a short time! I am have fond memories of some of the highlights:

The voicemail message from Sara at Paperwhites in San Marino, California saying they just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the line and please send them the binders immediately! Paperwhites was the first store to carry our line.

A call from Stephanie Finkelstein, owner of The Elegant Setting to order notepads for her spectacular store. It was our first wholesale order and I was over the moon that Stephanie with her impecable taste found Hamton Paper to be a great additon to the beautiful things in her amazing store!

The call from Hamptons Magazine to feature our stationery in their magazine. Another first!

An email from beautiful Jana Kramer's delightful mom to help create the invitations for her wedding. (not to mention the great feature of our product in OK Magazine!)

A note from business woman extroidonaire, Heidi Kallet, owner of The Dandelion Patch asking to add Hampton Paper to her collection of personalized paper offerings in all 4 of her stores!

Postings on some of the hottest party blogs showcasing Jackson's firetruck party including:

The Cake Blog

Fete Fanatic

Starships and Laserbeams

(I would like to think this was because of the party and not just becuase of the cute fireman named Curtis)

As I continue to reflect I think about how the company has grown and developed. I am grateful for all the stores and resellers that I work with as they are ALL simply put, a pleasure to work with. I am grateful to all the people who have supported us from day one and continue to support our small business and share in the love of the simplicity and beauty of the line. Thank you!. Offering something special and unique is our primary goal. We always want people to love what they receive as much as we love creating it.

What's your favorite Hampton Paper memory?

Summer Reading List

I am looking forward to the relase of the summer books lists that ususally come out about now.

In partiular I love the one from the Today Show. I made this bookmark last week as there was a bit of extra space from an order. What are your top book recommendations for the summer?

Baby Number.... 3!

So many of my friends are having their 3rd baby! (wait, did you think I had a big announcement... umm definitely not!) Since I know they already have tons of clothes and toys I was thinking that our burp cloths will make the perfect gift. Seems like burp cloths are the one thing that needs to be replaced from baby to baby. Our set of 2 personalized is only $28.00. Great gift, great price!

Feel free to mix an d match images.

Hampton Paper Designs.

Pretty In Pink

We are excited to attend a networking event tonight at Sparkle Events. We were asked to bring something pink and white to share with everyone so I assembled a mini candy table!

The Party Was.......

Thomas' 8th Birthday party was a HUGE success. A fun time was had by all and we are so grateful that James from James Woo Photography was able to capture the entire event.

Blowing out the candles is always my favorite part of the party and one of my favorite photos to capture year after year. I will post the rest of the photos once I receive them.

Look What's New!

Jackson my little truck lover is going to want this image on everything!

You know I am totally going to have a back to school party in the fall with is bus! So perfect for my back to school cards!

Can you imagine my excitement when I opened the mail today to find these new images! Just love both of them. The colors are so vibrant. Look for them on our web site this week. Cant wait? No problem - just send us a note and let us know you want to use one of these new images!

Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lollipop

Very few things are hand made these days and I think as a result when you find something that is, it's even more special. Such is the case with these amazing handmade lollipops from Hammond's Candies. They are the perfect addition to the candy table for Thomas' party. To incorporate them with our theme we added our new medium stickers. More photos of these beauties will be avail as we reveal our upcoming Diary of A Wimpy Kid party scheduled for Saturday.

Hampton Paper Small Stickers. Medium Round Stickers 30 for $12.00 each add'l 30 $6.00

Family Photo Shoot

The boys are having fun here

Running and being goofy.

Leapfrog

Jackson wishing he knew the rules or how to play.

Greg and Thomas looking at the fish pond.

Cherry Blossoms in full bloom are so beautiful only to be eclipsed by my beautiful boys!

This was the first photo - Jackson climed right up on the bench and posed

Great family shot - one of the last ones we all look like its been quite an hour!

Awwww - brothers!

Always on the list - a photo of my and my boys

Classic shot of the 2 brothers - Tina capture the essence of that moment perfectly.

Thomas brought along the book he was reading Diary of A Wimpy Kid (I dont know where he gets that habit from...) So perfect that we found these 2 adirondack chairs in the park. Love this photo!

I recall asking Thomas to sit next to Jackson on the bench when we arrived. Thomas couldnt resist the opportunity to tickle him!

I dont know which is more stressful a photo shoot for Hampton Paper or one for the Mika Family. Both seem to entail hours of prep work. ( I know that sounds a bit crazy) but for the family photo shoot there is selecting and ordering the outfits for the boys, choosing a venue, hair cuts , hair style and make-up and for me... the list seems to be endless.

Fortunately, one thing is consistent and that the photographer, Tina Bazala from Tina Bazala Photography. Tina used to be local to the DC area but moved to the mid west a few years ago. Fortunately she makes it back to DC two times per year, spring and fall and we are able to schedule a photo session. It's hard to believe how long I have known Tina. Her most famous shots are of Thomas when he was just a few weeks old.

Selecting "cute" outfits for boys - always a challenge. This year I had to try to find an alternative to my standard RL shirt. I did find these adorable St. James shirts at Crew Cuts. Nice and classic and a perfect contrast to the spring colors. The shoes - Chucks from Nordstrom. About as "cute" as you can get for boys shoes unless you consider the Gucci sneakers but even I couldnt fork over the coin they were asking for those shoes that would fit less than 6 months.

As is typical for the early spring shoot - it was FREEZING out. I mean, my new lovely Calypso shirt didnt make its debut in even one picture. I was freezing in my spring rain coat. I had vivid memories to the year prior - same thing!

When all is said and done I am always thrilled to see how many amazing shots Tina is able to capture of my babies that are growing so quickly. Tina knows just what to do to bring out their best. Its reallly a talent. I am enjoying looking at these photos over and over and each time find a new favorite or two.

If you had a spring photo family session I hope you too ended up with many to treasure.

Chances Are....

Chances are you know someone who is graduating in May and will be looking to join the workforce. After the diploma is in hand and you had your Hampton Paper Graduation party the next step is going to interview.

I have been in the software industry for many years on both sides of the desk and wanted to share with you some words of wisdom for the graduate you know who is about to embark on the exciting but stressful journey of interviewing. Here are my top 5 recommendations:

1. Make a list of companies you would like to work for and then use resources like Linked In to see who you might know that can get you an introduction. (if you don't have a Linked In account, create one)

2. Prior to your interview, thoroughly research the company - make sure you know the size, executive team, $ in revenue, current product line, competitors etc. Most of this info is available on line. I also recommend looking at the press release section as this usually provides very current info and will also provide good idea of something that just happened that was exciting to the company.

3. Come prepared with questions written down -either on a notepad or ipad.

4. "Close"! What does this mean? At the end of the interview you want to ask for the job. For example " You've spent a great deal of time with me today. Thank you. Based on our conversation would you recommend me for the position?" If they say yes, then you can inquire about next steps, if they say no, then ask why. You have given yourself the opportunity to overcome their objections. This recommendation is critical. Practice saying the above statement (or something similar) prior to the meeting so you are comfortable and it's easily incorporated into the conversation.

5. Follow up with an email to thank the interviewer and restate why you are a good fit for the position. This is your chance to remind them of why you would be a good hire. Be precise and professional!

To get started, write down as list of 5 things you are going to do every day to achieve your goal. Also, if looking for books on the topic consider one that your potential employer might be using like .... Top Grading for Sales. These types of books will provide insight on how they are going to conduct the interview and will help you be prepared.

Good luck!

Good Luck!

Which Celebrity Moms Love Hampton Paper?

Celebrity mom Nancy O'Dell showcases the Hampton Paper tote for her daughter Ashby

Boat tote personalized for Ali Laundry's daughter Estella

Alligator Tote personalized for Catt Sadler's son Orian

Whale tote personalized for Lisa Rinna's daughter Amelia

Flamingo tote personalized for Allison Sweeney's daughter Megan

Dog Tote personalized for Lisa Rinna's daughter Delilah

Happy Mother's day to Hampton Paper's celebrity moms including those that we gifted these best selling tote bags for their kids. The celebrity mom list includes: Nancy O'Dell, Jennie Garth, Denise Richards, Kyle Richards, Allison Sweeney, Catt Sadler, Holly Robinson Peete and more!

Hampton Paper Personalized Tote Bags $38.00