1. Now, let’s be honest, we all love those beautifully piped sugar cookies, but who in the world wants to pay $3 a cookie for them?!  I am here to tell you that while they do require ‘time’ to make them, they are not difficult!  BUT they are fun to decorate, and is a  wonderful family tradition to begin with your children! {Yes, children can do this too!}

    Cookie classes have been a really popular event each year, with at times having nearly 100 cookie class requests! So this year, I’m getting prepared, early! With everyones schedules becoming incredibly full around November and December with holiday plans and cookie exchanges, this year I am starting classes early!

    {Starting classes early}

    I thought it would be fun to begin cookie classes this year in October! And because I always like to teach classes that are useful and relevant to the moment, classes will be geared toward the particular holiday or season we are entering! October will been Halloween or fall inspired, November will be Thanksgiving or fall inspired and December will be holiday inspired! This way, you can join a class which will allow you to use those cookies for a family gathering, event or school party – and your contribution will be all done, and amazing!

    Cookie class chattanooga hixson tn

    {What will we learn?}

    Besides having lots of fun, you will learn basic piping and some additional advanced techniques for sugar cookies! Each guest (see notes for Mom & Me)  will be given 2 dozen cookies, with 4 designs, where you will learn to not only pipe, but also learn 3-dimensional piping, sanding & other techniques. This will allow me to instruct the entire group on 4 cookies, and allows guests the opportunity to practice what they’ve learned on the additional sets. This means that while everyone is practicing, I can help one-on-one with questions and fine-tuning!

    {What is a class, and its cost?}

    I teach all of my classes in a super fun, relaxed, social-gathering – kind -of- way! They can range from open classes in my space or they can be a private class of your friends, family or mom & me, at my space or yours! Each attendee will receive 2 dozen cookies, use of supplies, 2 hours of instruction & time to complete their cookies, as well as, a take-home recipe & instruction booklet. The cost of the class, per person, is $30.00 {see Mom & Me, below, for separate pricing}.

     {Mom & me classes}

    If you’re interested in a Mom & Me class you will receive {depending on age of children} 1-1.5 hours of instruction and time to complete their cookies, use of supplies, as well as, a take-home recipe & instruction booklet. The cost for Mom & up to 2 children, is $30 and includes 2 dozen cookies {additional cookies, if desired, can be purchased at $5.00 per dozen}. Classes are taught with the same concepts as adult classes, although we start with basic techniques to get the kids started and then allow moms to listen in for additional techniques, as desired!

    {FREE, you say?}

    One thing I’ve learned from teaching classes, is that people have fun doing them, and often want to do it again, with friends! So this year, I decided to treat hostesses {my space or yours} to a free class! Here’s how it works! If you come to a class- hosted by me, or hosted by one of your friends, and you decide you want to gather up your own friends, family or mom & me group {with minimum of 5 guests} and host your own class {my space or yours}, your $30 fee is waived! OR if you already know you want to host your own class, gather at least 5 of your friends, and your class fee is waived!

    Wouldn’t it be fun to schedule a class for …..  a bridal shower, baby shower, play group, teacher gathering, birthday, bachelorette party…?

    {How to schedule a class}

    I’ll be scheduling ‘open’ classes shortly, but feel free to email or call me, if you’d like to be emailed when the class schedule is available.

    If you’d like to schedule a private class, as you already know, it can be tricky to gather a group of friends – so be sure to contact them right away! Class schedules are flexible – mornings, afternoons, evenings, with the exception of Sundays.

    To secure a date on the calendar, please {call} me at 710.8839 or {email} me at   Trish@PerfectlyPoshSweetsandSoirees.com !

     

     

     

     

     

     


  2. Where’s Waldo {…I mean, Trish}

    August 17, 2012 - posted at 6:20 am

    Wondering where I’ve been?

    Time sure has flown by, but i’m back in the swing of things!

    As many of you know, we moved from Nevada to Chattanooga, TN! Aside from all the work involved in a big move, this move meant that after being in a year-round school system, my children actually had summer break for the first year ever!! While they had no idea what ‘summer break’ actually was, I was super excited to show them! Soo, after what seemed like 5 years of NEVER-ENDING SCHOOL, I decided to take the entire summer off to enjoy my children, travel to see family, enjoy endless hours of playing wii, late nights and do all those summer activities our children haven’t been afforded over the past 5 years!

    So now that we are all settled in from our big move, and all 3 kids are now full-time back to school, I am officially back to work! I truly am excited to be back to work, but even more so, for the changes I announced back in the spring! I won’t delve into all those details again, so if you’re interested in the journey of Perfectly Posh being redefined and split into 2 businesses, you can read it here {my big plans}.

    While Perfectly Posh will only be taking a  few custom cakes and sweets orders, we will be offering classes regularly. If you’re local to the greater Chattanooga & Northern Georgia areas, gather up your friends and family, host a playgroup, celebrate a birthday, holiday or shower! Our classes are so much fun!

    Give us a jingle to schedule a private class, or sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know as we schedule open classes. We offer a variety of classes covering basics to advanced techniques, including:  how to frost a cake,  piping & filling cupcakes, crafting cupcake toppers, beautifully iced holiday cookies, and yes, even how to work with fondant! Perfectly Posh has a fresh new look since the spring, so visit us here {PerfectlyPosh Sweets & Soirees}!

    And finally, if you’re interested in weddings as much as I am, please join me as I’ve just created my new separate wedding planning business here: Facebook {Olivia Grace Events} and it’s website {Olivia Grace Events}, it’s brand new, but I will begin tomorrow to blog on all the lovely details of weddings, as well as share the details of my clients weddings.

    I am incredibly excited to be afforded the opportunity to follow my passions, and hope that you follow along with me!


  3. Hello world, I’m the new girl, taking on BIG plans!

    April 3, 2012 - posted at 6:51 am

    Eeek, my first blog post! I’m so excited and scared to pieces at the same time! I was pretty sure I was going to be the last person in the whole wide world who’d join the blogging world! What in the world did I have to write about? Who in the world would listen? Funny the things rumbling around in our brains, holding us back… that voice has been kicked to the curb. There is so much amazing, beautiful, quirky, loveliness to share!

    But first, this week, it’s all about me. I’m spilling a few beans. Grab your sweet tea and sit down for a bit, this one is super wordy, because it’s really 2 blog posts in one, but that’s because their relative, and I’ve got lots of news to share! I promise, I’ll keep the next posts much shorter!

    Um, no I’m not a risk taker……

    Many of you saw pictures, comments & teases here and there about a business workshop I had the pleasure of attending on March 3,  in Nashville, TN through Amber Housley Inspired. To be honest, I was the biggest skeptic. I remember thinking this will be great, but am I really going to get my monies worth? Do I make the investment, there are lots of other things I’d really like to spend that kind of money on. I really struggled with this. While I was contemplating signing up for the workshop, I signed up for Amber Housley’s Inspired newsletter. I got this email from Amber entitled, “When was the last time you took a risk?”. Um, I don’t do that. Yep, exactly. That’s exactly why I decided to sign up. How was I ever going to build a successful business and move past being a “mom with a frosting spatula” (hee-hee, Sara Rose!), if I couldn’t take a risk. Done.

    Amber Housley post card

    I left for Nashville at 6am, my 3 sleeping little ones in the capable hands of daddy. Eek.  My hubby woke up to 2 sick kids with the flu. Did he call me at any point? No. He knew I’d turn around and come home if I knew, and boy was he right.While I would have raced straight home, I am thanking my lucky stars that he chose to confront the day on his own.{Big, big points earned, Daddy’o}

    Feeling Inspired!

    It was at Amber Housley Inspired that I met these 5 lovely, amazing, talented women, who shared their stories, trials, successes and tips:  Amber Housley herself, the talented gal behind the amazing workshop, shared tools to manage our businesses effectively, and the in’s and out’s of good websites.  Sara Rose who is the sweetest gal on earth and an amazing photographer, emphasized to do all things with love and to never give up!  Amazing designer Kelle Boyd who shared with us how she turned a hobby into an amazing design firm, and how she landed her beautiful textiles in Target & Barnes and Noble!   Jessica Bishop who created the award winning blog, The Budget Savvy Bride, who taught us all about television appearances and working with media.   And Courtney Dial of Pizzazzerie & author of Push-Up Pops, who is just amazing! She taught us so much valuable information about social media & marketing, my brain was about to burst! Courtney was such a powerful speaker, that I can still, to this day, hear her saying “DO WHAT YOU LOVE”.

    It was also at Amber Housley Inspired, that I met 20 other creative ladies who are starting or already had creative businesses, and we all became fast friends. I love that we’ve each become a built-in-cheerleader for one another! You girls are amazing, and I’m so blessed to have met you all! {xx..oo}

      Was it worthwhile?

    So what came out of Amber Housley Inspired you ask?  Did I get my monies worth? Did I feel that the risk was worth it? YES! What I thought was going to be ‘just’ a fun, informational workshop, turned out to be that and so much more! The workshop was an amazing, inspiring, life-changing day filled with compassion, a few tears, laughs and most importantly inspiration and confidence! So if you’re in a creative business, or want to start one, I highly recommend checking out the Amber Housley Inspired site, and signing up for one of the upcoming workshops! Take the leap, it is truly worth it!

    DO WHAT YOU LOVE

    Me & Courtney Dial of Pizzazzerie Push-Up Pops

    So I get home from the workshop, and those words of Courtney’s kept ringing in my head for days, “DO WHAT YOU LOVE”. I mean, I really like Courtney, but listening to the same line for a week in my head was really starting to bug me. I realized there was a reason for feeling so unsettled by it. It’s because I wasn’t doing what I loved. Yep, I said it. I enjoyed making cakes, and bundles of sugar cuteness, but when I sat and thought about what times in my business I was the happiest, I surprised myself. {Aha moment}

     

    DOING what I love!

    What did I learn from this whole experience? A whole lot, but RISK and that there is simply no reason that you cannot do more than one thing, is what I really took away from it. I took the leap, and I’m doing what I love, and that meant BIG changes.  

    1. Teaching!

    FIRST, In Perfectly Posh Sweets & Soirees i’ll be drastically limiting my orders and redirecting the focus of the business on teaching. Keep an eye out on the site as I schedule local classes from decorating cookies, cupcakes and cakes, for both adults and kids!

    If you’re looking for help or inspiration, the website and blog will focus on showcasing parties, ideas and how-to’s. I want to empower readers with how to bake great cupcakes & professionally frost them, to decorating cakes & crafty techniques for creating dessert tables.

    2. New business! 

    Amber Housley Inspired journal cover


    SECOND, I’m SO ELATEDto be launching a new business altogether. Over the past 3 years I’ve felt the most “in my element”, while setting up weddings, dreaming of how I could help make those days less stressful and more organized. It was after the Inspired workshop, that I had a revelation that what I really wanted to do full-time was wedding planning. I am proud to announce that I’ve taken the risk and am following my heart!  The new business, “Olivia Grace”, is named after my 2 beautiful daughters, and will open in June, 2012 offering wedding coordination, with plans to grow into full wedding design & planning services.The website, Facebook and Twitter pages have all been created and are under way! They will be filled with ideas & inspiration, DIY wedding projects, tips & planning, as well as details of weddings that I am blessed to be a part of. I’ll be sure to post a note as soon as they are ready, I’d be thrilled for you to follow along in my new journey!

    Super duper big thank you!

    A big thank you to Amber Housley, for launching Inspired; without Inspired and it’s speakers, I would be without clarity. A big thank you to Courtney, you’re amazing, thank you for all your advice and believing in me!