Oh, how we love....OUR INTERNS!!!

Oh My Gosh....You're an event planner - you must LOVE your job!  

As a matter of fact, I do love my job.  I get that alot when people ask what I do for a living.  It sounds so glamorous and chic...and it kind of is to an extent, but there is A LOT of hard and stressful work involved.  You have to be OK getting dirty, you have to be able to channel Martha Stewart every now and then, and you have to LOVE (and I mean passionately love) details!

I was thrown into the world of events & weddings not knowing anything other than they took a lot of attention to detail, which I was good at.  Now adays they are degrees for event planning, which is amazing!  Still, the degrees don't prepare you for exactly what goes on behind the scenes, the stress, the clients, the doing a million things all at once, which is why I am a strong advocate of educating our up-and-coming event and wedding designers through internships.  I'm so lucky to have several interns on staff right now.  They are all so eager and green - it's a wonderful opportunity for them to learn, and it's so self gratifying to me to be able to share my passion with future eventistas (yep, I just made that word up)!  


If you are interested in becoming an intern, we do have 1 summer internship open.  Read on down to find out more.  Now, let me take a moment to introduce you to a few future event extraordinaires...

Meet Victoria!              Victoria Villines
Internship Spring/Fall 2012  Victoria is from Harrison, Arkansas and will be graduating in May 2014 with a degree in Hospitality and Event Planning and a minor in Business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. With her degree, she has high hopes of owning her own business (my kind of gal). The store Kleinfeld’s has given her the dream to own her very own Bridal Boutique or dress venue. Anything bridal, decorating or designing, are things that Victoria is interested in.  Her hobbies are very broad. She loves anything outdoors; hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing, she loves to read, bake and as weird as it sounds she loves to clean (which you have to do a lot of in event planning).  Victoria is a very organized person so everything has to be orderly with her.  Everything has a specific place and note on it to tell what it is and what should be done with it. She has a large family with 3 sisters and 1 brother, 5 of them all together. Family is a very important part of Victoria's life and she attributes the person that she is today to her family. 

Hello Miss Courtney!   Courtney Peachey                         Internship Spring/Fall 2012                                                         Her name is Courtney Peachey. She too is a Student at Arkansas Tech University and plans on graduating with a Bachelors in Marketing and Management in May of 2013.  She enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, running, shopping, and sitting home on a Friday night watching "Say Yes to the Dress" with her mom!  God is Courtney's number one and as far as her plans for the future go, she plans on letting Him lead and seeing where He takes her!  Courtney has always been interested in event planning and absolutely loves weddings, so interning at the barn is a dream for her!  And we're so glad to have her on board! 

Introducing Karly!          Karly Denkhaus                                 Internship Summer 2012                       Karly Denkhaus is a marketing and psychology double major at the University of Notre Dame (yep, she's foreigner...ha, ha but we LOVE you Karly) and will graduate in May 2013.  She works as a research assistant studying the psychology of morality and as a teaching assistant while at school.  Outside interests and hobbies include anything outdoors, especially hiking, fishing, and camping, attending country music concerts, playing or watching various sports, and generally trying to soak up as much sun as possible.  I asked Karly why she wanted to be an event planner when I interviewed her and I absolutely loved her answer.  She said when professionals come to speak to them at school, the event planners are always the happiest of them all.  I think that is a great way to pick a profession!  Be happy in what you do and you'll never work a day in your life!!
And now introducing.....YOU?
We have an opening for a summer 2012 Internship!!!

Our interns do many things in preparations for events/weddings and photoshoots.  They attend meetings, they iron linens, they clean glassware, they get to talk to brides and in the end, they will all get to style a shoot of their very own (under our direction of course).  That is a very important and unique piece of experience our interns will get to walk away with.  We love them all like cute cuddly puppies we want to keep, but know that we will one day have let them go to a new home :o( 
Ok, that's my analogy anyway....don't laugh!!!

If you or someone you know would be a great fit for our summer internship and wants to apply....send your resume and WHY you want to be an event/wedding designer/planner to our email:  barnattwinoaksranch@yahoo.com 
Please put INTERNSHIP in the subject line of your email.

Oh on a totally seperate note.....I built an amazing bed today that will hang from one of our trees out here at The Barn....Thank you very much Melissa McCrotty for the idea and the instructions :o)  Can't wait to share the pics soon.

That's all for now barn heads!!! 

Gates & Siding & T-Shirts...Oh My!

What the heck have we been doing for the past 2 weeks you ask?  Well honey, grab a sweet tea and sit down a spell, and let me fill you in....

Aside from the fact that I've been SOOOO bad about posting the blog, we've been quite busy.  Both working on the barn and also meeting with brides, stalking their Pinterest, designing tablescapes and all the FUN FUN Stuff that comes along with my amazing line of work!  
(Oh yeah, not to mention soccer & tee ball are now happening simultaneously...Good Lawd!  People with more than one "mini-you"...my hats off!!)

We've had a gorgeous several days of sun and we've taken full advantage of that.  I've donned my tank top in hopes of catching some rays while I work - I forget how tired you get when you do manual labor in the hot sun!  Geesh, I've been wiped out!  Alas, I digress...


Gates
Yesterday, we got the gate put up at the entrance to The Barn and worked on getting the road "aired" out and hopefully dried up a bit so we can add some shale or gravel.
I have a lot of refinishing to do on the gate.  As with everything else out here, it's an old piece of fence panel, the i've repurposed as a gate.  I'm going to paint it and sand it down to fit with our look - but that's the fun part :o)  I will post pics as soon as I begin the finish work on the gate...I am looking forward to it!!  Next step on that will be adding the gate opener (yes, because I'm too lazy to get out and open the dang thing every time I pass through it).

This is before we cut the panel and hinged it on....still lots of refinishing to do - it is going to be a great entrance gate once we're done...plus we will be adding "Twin Oaks Ranch" to it.  

& SIDING
Tomorrow, we will be getting the remainder of the siding to finish the back of the barn (that you can see here).  The remainder of the siding will also be what we use to build the big barn doors.  I cannot stress how much my iPhone pictures do NOT do this justice.

This is the back side of The Barn....we will be putting on rest of siding next week.
You can see the opening at the other end of The Barn...that will be the front double doors.

This is a refresher pic of the "other side" of The Barn - this pic is old, but I wanted you to be able to see both the front and back of The Barn.

Also, The Barn will be getting wired (as in electrically) in the next couple of weeks....Woo Hoo I'm Doing the Running Man - that means we can now listen to music while we work!  Not to mention, now that we have siding up, it's getting pretty dark in the barn...so we need a little light so we can see what we're doing.  Electricity = Greatness.
I'll be happy to kick that noisy generator we've been using to the curb.  I may actually go all "Office Space" on that thing now that I think about it!

This is a pic of the patio area getting the tin put on the roof. 

& T-Shirts are Here...T-Shirts are here!
The Keep Calm and Marry On t-shirts arrived this week and they are FaBuLoUs!  We had LOTS of sweet little barn heads pre-order shirts and now that we've accommodated all of them, we have just a handful of shirts left.  If you want one, I urge you to let us know via Facebook or email ASAP.   We may be down to only having around 10 shirts left, seriously!!

If you want one grab it while they last ($15 each)

...OH MY!
A few other things we've been up to:  Putting out bug killer (yes we are in THE NATURAL STATE, thus all things "nature" come with it), burning brush piles, planting seed, consulting with our landscaper  (New Digs = Amazing), prepping for photo shoots, oh yeah and.....
GETTING THE MOST AMAZING BLUE RIBBON EVAH.....

We haven't even had time to get them our profile info to post on their website, but when it's up, we will shout it from the rooftops!  If you don't know Southern Weddings Magazine, you are missing out on the best wedding magazine out there (Sorry Martha!).

That's all for now barn-heads....We've got some fun stuff in the blog for next week (and yeah, yeah, I'll post it on time, I promise).

B to the A-R-N!

Hard at work...yes we are!

I'm ecstatic at the progress that's been made in the last 2 days!  You can now actually start to tell what it is going to look like....kind of, but not totally.  There's still lots to be done, don't get me wrong...but the barn is definitely taking shape and taking on some attitude.  Yes, this barn has some major attitude!

The Barn...getting closer!

It's almost as if once we get out there and start working, we get in such a groove that we look down and it's 7pm.  Those days are exhausting but so rewarding.  I love taking pictures at 7am, then again at 7pm to remind myself how much got done that day.

My spur of the moment "I'm gonna build another swing" swing... this is where I take my breaks now!

This is our other swing.  Remember it from our Fall Photo Shoot?

I don't think this blog allows enough characters to tell you about my laundry list of things still to be done.  But we are quickly marking through them.

Remember my "Girl Power" Bridge?  It's pretty close to complete!

We have many fabulous weddings on the forefront, but we are also beginning to plan our Open Barn Event that will take place in July.  You will definitely want to score an invite to this event!  A few things on our program will be live music, yummy food, gorgeous details & fabulous people.  It's not just a wedding Open House, it's open to everyone.  

Get Your Little Ol' Self On The INVITE List!
We're starting a super fun new way to get  your little grubbies on an invitation to this event.  It's called our "Tell Us Your Story" contest.  Everyone is welcome to participate...if you aren't yet engaged, you're engaged, or you've been married for 12 years....we want to hear your story (or your dream story) about how you met your special someone or how he/she popped the question....or how you dream they will pop the question.  Everything is game!
The story with the most "LIKES" will win - so be sure and ask your friends to "LIKE" your story!

That's all for now Barn Heads!

Sunny Days = Progress!

 I am a happy camper today....for a couple of amazing reasons: 

Happy Camper Reason #1....ROOF
Houston, we have a roof!  Yes, that's right, the roof on The Barn is complete!  It's a fabulous thing and it gives life to The Barn.  It's a good thing we got done when we did because today we have wind gusts of a gazillion miles per hour.  Here are a few progression pictures:

Here we are halfway done with the roof.

Roof is Complete!

Roof complete from inside The Barn!

Happy Camper Reason #2....SIDING
The very first piece of siding went up!  Hooray...I've been staring at this gorgeous pile of Oak (yes I said Oak) siding for months now, and I finally get to dive into it and put it on The Barn.  One freaking heavy piece at a time!  Who needs a gym membership when you're building a barn.  I'm so banged up, bruised, and sore....but by golly, I'll have some strong muscles after all this is done.  Plus, we don't really have to worry about the wind when putting up siding.  Whereas on the roof, one gust of wind and we would have to call it quits, or else become a human kite!

That gorgeous Oak Siding!

So the next couple of weeks will be dedicated to siding, siding and more siding.  I can't wait to share pics when we get lots of it up.  This is going to transform this barn into what we all are dreaming of...a rustic, old-looking barn.

Stay tuned for more pics in the upcoming weeks.  It's coming along nicely folks....

That's all for now barn heads!!

Take a Leap!

I know I must be crazy - 2 blog posts in one week!
This post really has nothing to do with The Barn, but I wanted to share it.  I've always received most of my creative nudges (sometimes shoves) from people in my industry that I admire or find inspiring.  If I can "nudge or shove" at least 1 person to take their leap....then I'm a happy camper!  So if you have a bucket list, or a list of any kind, today's your day to cross something off.

+++++++++++++++

Well, it's not everyday that you get to post a blog on February 29th, so I thought I would share my thoughts today with my readers.

It's LEAP DAY!

Every 4 years there is 1 day dedicated to taking a leap (i'm sure it isn't really dedicated to that, but I totally think it should be).  So take your leap today.....


.....start that business you've always wanted
.....say I Love You to that special someone
.....begin that diet/workout/lifestyle change to better your health
.....pick up the phone and make that call
.....pop the question
.....say yes
.....plan that trip
.....go out on a limb
.....grab the bull by the horns

However big or small that "thing" or "leap" is, don't put off 'til tomorrow what can be done today.  Take a leap!
What's the worst that could happen?   I guarantee it's no worse than not knowing what could've been!  
I've taken many leaps in my life and then stood back and scratched my head and thought "what on earth did I just do?"  But, I've always learned from my experiences and become stronger because of my craziest leaps.

Happy Leap Day.....from one self-proclaimed, serial-leaper!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like.......A Barn!!!!

I am sitting here in my comfy, cozy chair and I'm becoming more and more frustrated as I watch The Bachelor.  Since I can no longer watch this nonsense, I've decided to write my blog.   Why does The Bachelor always fall for the crazy, psycho one?!  And why do I get sucked into these awful, un-reality shows, they are so scripted and predictable.....Uggghh, (enter a big, awful, long SIGH here)!

And now, back to the barn....
So we've gone from a skeleton-frame of a barn to getting some tin on the roof!  Um, did you hear what I just said?  Hold on to your bootstraps as I repeat it......WE GOT SOME TIN ON THE ROOF TODAY!!!
And I built a bridge.  I took on the project of the bridge that will go over the creek connecting The Barn to the Bridal Suite and Restrooms.  Yes, me alone - so I'm contemplating naming this bridge GIRL POWER!!!  Ok, not really, but that would be a ridiculously great name for a bridge, right?!
Anyway, everything is well on it's way to becoming finalized.  I'm so happy with the progression and we are right on schedule.

The Bridge on Sunday.

(ok ok, so my husband helped me HOLD some boards on Sunday because I don't have 9 arms - but it's still a GIRL POWER bridge).

The Bridge today.

The barn around 2pm today....the first piece of tin goes up....MAJOR MILESTONE!!!

The barn around 5:30pm today.....Hooray for Tin!!

"So....What's it Gonna Look Like on the Inside?"

Well, blog, I'm glad you asked!  If any of you read our write up on The Wedding Post's blog back in November there were 2 photos that were picked especially because they give a good representation of what the walls inside the barn will be like.  Granted, the walls of our barn are not going up until after we complete the tin on the roof, it is going to be spectacular.  I absolutely cannot wait for it to be finished.  We have some amazing and unique things in store for our photo shoot, once the barn is complete.

This is NOT our barn...but this is similar to what the interior will be like.

Open Barn?   Yes, Please!

Also, we will be holding an "Open Barn" event once The Barn is open.  This event will be an invitation-only event for our current booked brides, wedding industry profesionals and some lucky winners of contests we will be holding via our Facebook page, so make sure you stay tuned-in to our Facebook for your chance to score a fab invite.  

- Show Us Your Can - 

The "Show Us Your Can" contest is going on right now.  If you have one of our Barn Koozies, we are asking you to post creative pictures of where your koozie has been.  The photo that receives the most "likes" will win an invite for 2 to our "Open Barn" event.   Contest runs through March 31, 2012.

This is our "Show Us Your Can" Contribution.  I call it:  Can on Horseback!

If you don't have a koozie, you can get one for $5 (postage is included in the cost).  Just send us an email with your mailing address and we'll forward you the pay link.  You can email us at barnattwinoaksranch@yahoo.com

These are our koozies....they are double sided.

This is the other side of them.

As always feel free to post your comments below - we love hearing from you.

Wow...I had a lot to say today!  

That's all for now barn heads.....adios muchachos!!

(thank goodness The Bachelor is over now)

Dear Ol' Dumptruck...

Feeling HOT HOT HOT!

A 72 degree day really gets me in the mood to start thinking about gardening and landscaping.  But before I start all that, we've got a barn to complete.  We finished putting the last part of the roof framing for the barn today, the electrical conduit has arrived and I happened across some amazing wooden spools that we will be using for awesome decor.  So, it's been a pretty great day!

Up to my ears in ba, ba, ba, ba, boxes!

Now that I'm at home I've been stuffing boxes, stuffing boxes, stuffing boxes.  If you participated in our Facebook Fan Giveaway in January, then you are getting ready to find out what boxes I'm stuffing!  
I can't wait to drop these bad boys in the mail tomorrow....because I have a fun little contest in mind.

Grab a Kleenix...

On a somber note, our sweet little chicken, Dumptruck (my 4 year old named him/her), traveled to to greener pastures today, where the creeks flow with golden corn and lay pellets fall from the sky.  While putting out hay, Dumptruck was found in my barn (not The Barn).  It seems as though he/she was stepped on by one of our horses.  I know, it's awful, but it's just life on a farm.  If you have a lot of animals, odds are not all of them are going to be around for a long time.  Dumptruck is survived by his trusty pal Ding-a-ling (also named by my 4 year old).  Ding-a-ling is a big white duck that is a spitting image of the Aflac duck, and he has been so sad today.  So, our poultry count was cut in half today by some horsing around (ok, not funny... I know - but if I don't laugh about it, I'll cry).

  

Dumptruck

2010-2012

(L to R)  Dumptruck & Ding-a-ling

I cannot leave you on that sad note.  So, I'm going to ask you this:  

Question:

What do these cities all have in common?

East End, Arkansas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Russellville, Arkansas

Dallas, Texas

Statesboro, Georgia

Iowa Park, Texas

Conway, Arkansas

Answer:

These are just a few of the cities in which our 2012 Brides are coming from.  

I know, right?!!  AMAZING!!

That's all for now barn heads!  Nighty Night!

Valentine's Day Eve

I'll set the mood with a little diddy 

(not about Jack & Diane...but about you and your lover).

This song is going at the beginning of my blog today so that you can listen while you read.  This is currently my #1 hot & steamy valentines love song.  I adore Josh Abbott Band, and this has always been one of my favorites, but it is super duper fitting for Valentines day.  So, have a listen and tell me if it doesn't make you want to go steam up some car windows with your Valentine.....Raaawr!

A Vintage Lovestory...

just in time for Valentines Day!

We were honored to get to design and style a photoshoot for Melissa McCrotty's advanced photography class over the weekend.  Originally it was supposed to be at Twin Oaks Ranch, but the weather was just too darn cold.  Here are just a few of my favorite pics from the shoot.

The cotton wreaths were a last minute add-on.  I think they looked pretty awesome!

 

I loved the cotton boll for the groom's boutonniere, with a touch of quail feather to make it that much more vintage.

One of Melissa's marketing designs is raw cotton, so we used lots of it in the design of this palate.  It was so much fun!  We were a bit bummed that we had to do it indoors in a "not so pretty" room, but we made it work and were happy with the outcome.   

Oh, it's just a quick styled shoot....NOT!

Believe it or not, there is a TON of work that goes into just doing a "simple" styled shoot.  Thank you so much to one of our fabulous interns, Victoria (whom I will call the Iron Diva from now on).  She was in charge of making sure all of our linens were wrinkle free - and she did a fab job!  She rocked our pink event iron with style!   Another big 'ole thanks to Cindy for helping clean water spots, stage the shoot and attempt to slice & fan fresh strawberries :o)   

This is our pink event iron - it is wonderous!

Valentines Day in a box...Heck Yeah!

I am so stoked (can't believe I just said stoked) about this super cute dishtowel I received from my Texas Valentine that I must show it off.  It has an adorable pair of valentine boots embroidered on it.  I love a cute pair of boots....and now I can dry my hands on a pair!  

You can find your own cutie-patootie towel at Kohls.

Here's a peekity Peek at what else was in my VDay in a box.

If you can't tell, I like frozen drinks....they make me feel like I'm on vacation!

It's hard to believe February is at the halfway point.  That just means the completion of THE BARN is that much closer.  I am so, so, so ready.  I cannot add enough so's to that sentence!

That's all for now barn heads....Enjoy your Valentines Day!

For the LOVE....it's February!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE....

Happy February Everyone!!!  This is the month of LOVE....Awwww!  And so i'm going to be talking about random things I LOVE!  I love all these crazy things below.  Some may be related to the barn, others, may just be fun things I'm loving right now.  So, allow me to begin...

Of course, first and foremost, I LOVE my God!

I LOVE my Valentine....He's cuddly, he's rugged, he's rough, he was country, when country wasn't cool.  He can be silly, he can be serious, he can drive a tractor!  He loves Willy, Waylon, George, Pat, Merle & Daugherty (I can't relate to the latter, but whatever floats his boat).

My Valentine

I LOVE my little duder....He's sweet, he's tough, he's silly.  He loves pirates, horses, 4 wheelers & dirt bikes, and most of all, he loves his mama!!

My Little Duder

I LOVE the progress of the barn...This is the latest picture I have.  It's even further along than this picture, but I haven't had the opportunity to get outside with my camera lately.  We are actually getting ready to start putting TIN on the roof.  Hot Diggity Dog!

It's coming along quite nicely...

I LOVE wedding cake cupcakes from THE CAKE PLACE!  Ummm, they have this ridiculous raspberry filling in them that Lauren concocted herself and they are To. Die. For!

Heaven in a paper wrapper...

I LOVE this pendant and wish my valentine would buy it for me (etsy...$28...hint hint).  

I'ts a barn door pendant.  I absolutely aDOOR it! Ha ha...I'm a dork.

This is fabulous...

I LOVE my new mascara....silly I know, but when I find mascara that works on my eyes, I shout it from the rooftops!!  It's called "They're Real" and it's made by Benefit.  You can buy it at Sephora, Ulta or online.  It makes you look like you wear false lashes and stays on.  I absolutely LOVE it!

I highly recommend...

I LOVE pink and red together - it makes me happy

I LOVE designing delightful events in barns...and I cannot wait to create some barn masterpieces this year! 

I LOVE going to the beach - it recharges my batteries and I always return pumped up and ready to go!

This is our spot...our little slice of happiness!

I LOVE change.  This may sound weird, and lots of people hate change, but I love it.  Probably the only constant in this world is that things change.  This is the whole reason why I got into business for myself..I cannot stand working on the same thing, seeing the same thing day in and out, etc.  This is why unique things catch my eye - making each event something new and different from the last one.  From changing my hairstyle, to my decor style, to changing my Old Gringos....I love change!!

Hello Lover...

My trusty old go-to boot...when in doubt, I wear this one!

I LOVE all of our BARN fans and brides who will be getting married here in the upcoming months.  Each wedding is going to be so unique and fabulous - I absolutely cannot wait.  The suspense is killing me!!!

I also love burlap things...

These are just a few of the many things I LOVE!  Take the time and celebrate the things you love this month.

That's all for now barn heads....thanks for reading!