{Fabulous Friday Giveaway} TomKat Studio Party Girl Swag Bag from Dreamers Event in NYC!

UPDATE!!!

Wow!  What a response to this giveaway!!  We'll have to keep that in mind for the future!

And we have a winner....and that lucky girl is....

COMMENT #1776 - Carie!

She said "I am a fb fan! I love the whippy cake head band!

I bought one for my baby at a boutique and love it. Now mommy needs one!"

Carie, please contact me at toni@thetomkatstudio.com to claim your wonderful prize!

We were so lucky to have a few fabulous sponsors for our trip to NYC for the Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doers Event! So many of our favorite party girls attended the event, so we decided to put a little "swag bag" together for them! We all went out to dinner Monday night and gave them out to the girls! The bag included a Whippy Cake headband, a sweet Lisa Leonard necklace, a cupcake cookie made by The Cookie Jar and a pocket mirror with our new TomKat Studio logo on it! {launching soon!}

We saved a bag for one of our LUCKY readers to WIN!

Not only will our winner win the contents of the Party Girl swag bag, but also a Rose Bag in Raspberry by our other fabulous sponsor, Jo Totes! Also included...a DOZEN fresh cookies from The Cookie Jar! WOW!

Here's how to enter:{Please leave a separate entry for each comment!}

1) Please leave a comment below telling us your favorite item in the swag bag!
2) Become a fan of The TomKat Studio on Facebook, come back and let us know you are a fan!
3) Follow The TomKat Studio on Twitter, come back and let us know you follow!

Winner will be chosen on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 11:00pm (MST). Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org. This is a sponsored post. The TomKat Studio may have received product and/or payment from sponsors.

Here's a peek at some of the fabulous party girls who attended! It was so nice to meet many of the wonderful women I interact with on a daily basis! Such a talented, creative group of dreamers! Many more photos to come!

{Trip to NYC} Martha's Headquarters!

This week, Toni, Andrea & I had the opportunity to attend the Dreamers into Doers Event! We had an AMAZING time with so many of our fellow party people!
{more details soon}

We would like to thank our fabulous sponsors for their support!

Jo Totes

Lisa Leonard Designs

Whippy Cake

The Cookie Jar

{Trip to NYC} Martha & Me!

Pinch me please....
that's Martha.....

and yes....that's me!

We are having a FABULOUS time at the Dreamers into Doers Event in NYC. We had a full day of fantastic speakers, followed by a Martha appearance and cocktail party!

We'll be in the audience at the show tomorrow, 1/19 on the Hallmark Channel!
It will be LIVE so look for us!

{Trip to NYC} Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doers Event & Shop Announcement!

Here we go!

Andrea, Toni & I are heading to New York City for the Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doers Event! We are so excited for this trip and can't wait to meet all of our fellow party girls and friends that are attending! The event includes workshops with fantastic speakers including Martha herself! We also get to attend a taping of the show! I am so lucky to have such an fabulous team and this trip is going to be such an amazing experience for all of us!

We would love to give a huge THANK YOU to our sponsors:

Jo Totes

Lisa Leonard Designs

Whippy Cake

The Cookie Jar

Stay tuned this week for FUN updates from NYC and SURPRISE giveaways!

Also, if you are placing an order, please note the updated SCHEDULE in the shop for accurate delivery times!

{TomKat Studio} Busy! Busy! Busy!

Hello friends!
Things sure are busy around here! I am overwhelmed with my to-do list right now! Lots of exciting things going on...I just need to get going on everything!

I've been working on this new Fall Thanksgiving Collection for awhile and I finally prepped it and photographed today! I will be posting it soon and it will be on SALE for a few days!

Thank you to all of the fabulous fans on Facebook who helped me come up with some yummy sample text for food labels! Fabulous ideas!

Our NEW Holiday Collections are in the works!
We are collaborating with a few FABULOUS party girls to showcase the collections!
These will be full party collections, along with additional listings for gift tags and add-ons for customizing! We are working on some ADORABLE themes that you are going to love! Both traditional and some with a modern twist!
Our popular Sweet Snowflake Collection from last year will also be expanded and available in various colors!

We are so excited to announce our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide! We want to share all of our fabulous finds and offer ideas for this gift-giving time of year! For more information about sponsoring, please email advertise@thetomkatstudio.com!

PRESS NEWS!

I have been invited to appear on ABC15's Sonoran Living Live, our local lifestyle show on Friday, November 12th! I will be displaying ideas for Thanksgiving and the Holidays! I am so nervous, as it will be my first television appearance as a party stylist....but SOOO excited for this opportunity!

I am also now going to be on the radio regularly! You may remember my interview with Mathew Blades of Mix 96.9. He has asked me to be a part of a fabulous panel called "Women Like You" that will discuss fun and interesting topics a couple mornings a week! Check out the panel and our podcasts so far HERE!

Martha Stewart's Dreamers into Doers Event 2011

I'm heading back to NYC! Toni, Andrea & I just registered to attend Martha's Dreamers into Doers Event in January! It sounds like it is going to be an amazing trip and we will have the opportunity to meet so many of the Party Girls we chat with online all the time!
More details soon!

Whew...see what I mean?
LOTS going on!
Fun! Fun! Fun!

XOXO,

Kim

{Press} Kim Stoegbauer on MarthaStewart.com!

When I read a message on my Facebook page from one of my party girls, saying that I am on the Martha Stewart home page, I took a deep breath. Did she really mean HOME PAGE? Like MarthaStewart.com? No backslashes, no links....just MarthaStewart.com? On my iPhone, I held my breath and waiting for the website to load.
What would I see? Where? Really? Really?

REALLY!

I knew that I was going to be part of a highlight of Martha's website, Dreamers into Doers. Caitlin, the fabulous coordinator of the site, mentioned it to me a few days ago...but THIS? Me? My photo is on the main page of Martha Stewart!?? It's Martha, Martha, Martha & Me! It's not at the bottom, it's at the top! Whaaaat?!? If you click the link, "Meet the Dreamers into Doers" it will take you to the highlight that includes me and 16 other featured Dreamers (including my sweet friend, Courtney at Pizzazzerie)! Pinch me please. I am seriously dreaming.

I just simply cannot believe it.
Your excitement about this has already been overwhelming and your sweet comments are bringing tears to my eyes. Thank you for making this an amazing journey for me. Without you and your constant encouragment and support, I would not be where I am!
Thank you!

A huge thank you to Caitlin at Martha Stewart for making a dream come true!

CLICK HERE TO SEE ME!

Oprah...Martha...Me?

One of my sweet readers, Amy just sent me an email letting me know that Oprah is looking for Martha Stewart's BIGGEST FAN!
Oh. my. goodness.
This could be such an amazing opportunity!! I would LOVE your help getting Oprah's attention! If you have just a few minutes, would pretty please tell Oprah about me and how much I love Martha?

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT!

You can enter your information and then in the notes,
tell her about The TomKat Studio!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

{My Trip to NYC} Part Three :: Martha Stewart's Bloggers' Night Out!

I apologize for my delay in reporting back on the amazing experience that I had visiting NYC! Things have been crazy busy here at The TomKat Studio! So here we go....
As you may have read, I was invited to Martha Stewart's Bloggers' Night Out event, held at Martha's headquarters! After my last minute shopping excursion (read more here), it was time to head to the event. Here I am waiting for a cab! Melissa from Project Nursery spotted me and took this picture!..... Flash forward....15 minutes. No cab. No cab. No cab. The hotel door man can't even get me one. Frantically, I went across the street to try to hail one in the right direction. No luck.
PANIC. I NEED TO GET TO MARTHA STEWART.
I did not want to be late. I was invited to come up early and I did not have time to be delayed. All of a sudden, this young guy says...need a ride?
Ummmmm.....well.......
"HOP IN.........MY BIKE."
Really? Really?
I mean, it's hot and humid and I'm all dress up, hair done, fresh makeup, little dress, high heels...and you want me to get in the back of a pedicab? I've never been in one, so I though it was more for tourists taking slow tours. I didn't realize it was a viable means of transportation!
Well, people I would do anything for Martha....so I JUMPED in!
I wish I had a video of this. I called my husband from the pedicab and yelled..."I'm on my way to Martha....in the back of a bike!" All of a sudden I looked up and yelled..."I think I'm in Times Square!" It felt straight out of a romantic comedy where the girl is rushing through the busy city, trying to get to her true love before he marries the wrong girl. Guess what? Instead of being 30 minutes late taking a cab, I was 2 minutes early! Bless that guy who gave me a ride and swerved through 100 taxis to get me there! I took a few minutes to compose myself and freshen up (in the men's room, girl's was locked) and then called up to meet the lovely, Courtney of Martha Stewart! Whew.
Courtney invited me to come up early before the event (I felt so special!) to chat and meet other fabulous event planners, Tara Wilson of Tara Wilson Events and Stephanie Grimm of Couture Parties! I have worked with Tara on several television segments (here and here) and Steph and I have been chatting online forever! It was such a pleasure to meet them, along with Courtney and her friend, Anne Marie of Perfect Bound. We met up and then took a tour behind the scenes of MS Headquarters! After the tour, it was on to the big event! There were beautiful displays from Martha Stewart Weddings in the hallway on the way to the event location! Gorgeous cupcakes, cakes, craft projects and more! All of a sudden, I was walking right behind Ms. Stewart herself! Sadly, I did not get the opportunity to have my photo taken with her. She only took a few photos with fans and then decided no more so that she could enjoy the short time she had at the event! She welcomed us all and talked about the various Martha Stewart blogs. Inside the party, there were tables and booths set up by the various Martha departments. Of course, I went straight to the craft department table and tested out some of their new punches coming out! For more photos of the event setup, visit the Flickr photo pool! The best part about the event was meeting some of the amazing women who have inspired me to create this business! Not only was I steps away from Martha, but I finally had the opportunity to meet my idol, Amy Atlas. It was such a pleasure to meet her in person. She was so sweet and everyone was flocking to meet her. She told me that she was proud of me and loves how aggressive I am when it comes to my business. I was so happy to be able to thank her in person for the wonderful exposure and opportunities she has given me. Next time I'm in NYC, I hope she'll let me take her out to lunch! I also had the amazing opportunity to meet and chat with Darcy Miller, Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings! She was so friendly and sweet to everyone. I told her that I style children's parties and she asked for my card! (thrill!) Meet my new best friend, Stephanie of Couture Parties. Stephanie and I hit it off immediately and stuck together during the party. We were even interviewed on camera about the event! Stephanie is a super talented event planner in Newport, Rhode Island. We ended up going out to dinner together after the party and had a great time! We could have talked for hours about ideas, parties and business! Love you, Steph!Here I am, right at home at Martha's Headquarters! After the party, we were waiting sitting in the lobby waiting for some friends and I just didn't want to leave.
It felt so surreal being in Martha's building.
Who knows? Maybe one day, I'll be back!
I also had the opportunity to meet some of my fans and fellow party girls!
See collage photo at beginning of post! From top left:
Kate of Kate Landers Events
Tanya of Save the Date for Cupcakes
Stacy of Scrumptious Swirls
Kristy of Posh Pixels
Megan of The Decorated Cookie & Amy of Amy Atlas Events

Center: Amy Atlas, Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart

It was truly a pleasure to meet you all!

{Fabulous Friday Giveaway} Bake It Pretty & Martha Stewart Cupcakes Book!

UPDATE!!!
The winner of this giveaway is...
COMMENT #34 - Tiffany!
Tiffany said: I LOVE Bake It Pretty.
I will take one of everything please!
I'm becoming just as obsessive about cupcake papers
as I am about cake stands.

Congrats Tiffany!
Please email me at toni@thetomkatstudio.com to claim your prize!

{cupcakes at martha stewart event :: photo by kim stoegbauer}

To celebrate the return of our weekly series, Cupcake Mondays, we are excited to bring you a cupcake themed giveaway!

First up is a $20 gift certificate to Bake It Pretty. If you love to bake, you will LOVE Bake It Pretty! CAUTION: Once you enter the wonderful world of Bake It Pretty, you won't want to leave!

Now that you have a plethora of fun baking accessories, you need some new Cupcake recipes, right? Well, we have just the book for you!
Martha Stewart's Cupcakes is filled with 175 inspired ideas so you can create your own delicious bit of goodness!

Here's how to enter:

(enter up to 3 times, leave a separate comment for each action you complete)

1) Head over to Bake It Pretty and come back and comment with what item you loved the most.

2) Become a fan of Bake It Pretty on Facebook, leave a comment on this post to let us know.

3) Become a fan of Martha's Circle on Facebook, tell them we sent you and leave a comment on this post to let us know you did.

Winner will be chosen on Wednesday, August 18 at 11:00pm (MST).

Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org

Want your own copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book?
Purchase here!

{My Trip to NYC} Part Two :: Shopping in Soho

{jonathan adler store :: photos by kim stoegbauer}

I arrived in NYC late Wednesday night and had all day Thursday to "play" in the city! Melisa from Project Nursery was kind enough to be my "guide" for the day, although since I slept in (rare these days) it turned into a few hour excursion rather than a full day! With Martha Stewart's Bloggers' Night Out event that evening, I had to get back and be ready by 4pm. First stop, DKNY! A few peeks through the sale racks produced a few adorable silk dresses, one perfect one for my event that evening! Next up, a quick stop at Via Spiga, where we found the cutest wedges perfect for my dress on sale! A few accessories from the street vendor and I was set for my evening out! Once the outfit was complete, it was time to relax and enjoy the fabulous shops NY has to offer. We stopped at Jonathan Adler and I was in heaven. Bright, bold colors...modern, comfortable design...I could have stayed all day.

{jonathan adler store :: photos by kim stoegbauer}

{jonathan adler store :: photos by kim stoegbauer}

Next stop, Anthropologie! Okay, so we have these here in Phoenix but I've never been. It's my assistant Andrea's favorite store and now I know why! Beautiful home decor, clothing and accessories! I found these adorable yellow mum knobs for Kate's new dresser and put them up front to purchase and forgot to buy them! Oops! Hopefully they have them at the location here. Aren't they adorable? I also spotted the ruffled multi-colored shower curtain that I wrote about on Facebook a few months ago that would be amazing as a dessert table backdrop!

{anthropologie :: photos by kim stoegbauer}

Last but definitely not least, we stopped at the kate spade store! I have been a huge fan of kate spade for what seems like forever! Starting with the days when all I could afford were the knockoffs (sorry, kate) to now, appreciating the style, quality and uniqueness of the designs! I love everything about the products, store displays and marketing. Bright, fabulous colors, girly style, graphic patterns...for sure my favorite brand ever.

{kate spade nyc :: photos by kim stoegbauer}

I already showed you my new Kate Spade iPhone case, but they had some others there that were ADORABLE! Once my new one wears out, I'm getting the bright flowers below!
Lovely...lovely...lovely!

{kate spade nyc :: photos by kim stoegbauer}

We grabbed a quick lunch and it was time for me to get back and get ready for....MARTHA!!!

Stay tuned.........

{My Trip to NYC} Part One :: A Mommy With a Dream

{art print via the love shop}

Written August 4, 2010 on my flight to NYC

Where am I? I’m not really sure I believe it myself.

About a year and a half ago, I left my career in real estate to stay home with my little ones, Tommy & Kate. I started a little blog, The TomKat Studio to share creative ideas and projects I was working on. Given my love for design and photography, a blog was the perfect outlet for me. I started blogging about home decorating, staging, baking, parties and all things pretty that caught my eye. After quickly gaining readership, I decided to open up an Etsy shop to sell some of the things that I was creating.

Fast forward…a year and a half, I am on a plane, on my way to the Martha Stewart headquarters in New York. I rarely take the time to reflect on all of the amazing things that have happened since I started focusing on my passion. I rarely take the time to realize how fast my business has grown and reflect on the fantastic opportunities I have been given. Last month alone, I was named Doer of the Week on Martha’s Dreamers into Doers site, had the opportunity to work with Amy Atlas on an Instyle Magazine photo shoot, was featured on Hostess with the Mostess, had one of my designs featured on People.com, was written up in a fabulous article in The Arizona Republic and did an interview with the top radio station in Phoenix.
WHAT?! That was just JULY! Pinch me.

Tomorrow, I will be attending Martha’s Bloggers’ Night Out at the MS Headquarters. I will have the opportunity to meet some of the very women that have inspired me. I may even have a chance to meet MARTHA. Can you imagine?

Keep dreaming...you just never know where you could end up!

Stay tuned for all of the details from my trip!

Heading to NYC for Martha Stewart's Bloggers' Night Out & BlogHer '10 Conference!

I can't believe I pulled it off! Tomorrow, I am hopping on a plane to New York City to attend both BlogHer '10 and Martha Stewart's Blogger's Night Out! It was totally a spur of the moment decision, but when I get my mind set on something...I tend to go for it! After receiving the invitation for the Martha blogger event and hearing the buzz about BlogHer, I knew I couldn't miss out!

I just secured a pass for BlogHer, a flight (thank you Southwest Airlines!), and a room with a group of fabulous mom bloggers TODAY!
Yes...TODAY and I am flying out TOMORROW!
EEeeeek!

It isn't easy to leave my family, even for a few days...but my wonderful husband urged me to go for it! I have to give a little shout out to my neighbor, Christine and my assistant, Toni who wouldn't let me give up on the effort to go! Thank you also to my friend, Jess who predicted
"the stars will align"
for this...and I think they just did!

Did I mention AMY ATLAS will be there? I'm giddy.
Catch you later..I need to start packing!

{Press} The TomKat Studio in The Arizona Republic!

VERY exciting news! I am featured in today's Arizona Republic!
Last week, Sondra Barr of The Media Barr, freelance reporter for the newspaper contacted me for an interview! Sondra was the editor of Go Gilbert when I was featured on the cover! She has been watching my business grow over the past year and pitched the story the the Republic! Sondra's article is so flattering and really summarizes the growth of The TomKat Studio! She even mentions my heroes: Martha, Hostess with the Mostess & Amy Atlas!

I actually cried when I read it.
Thank you so much, Sondra!

Click here to read online!

Last year's Go Gilbert magazine feature! Read more HERE!

We have had an incredible month of amazing press!
Thank you all for reading and making The TomKat Studio what it is!