Pam's FunSpace

Tom and I have been working on our basement remodel plans for the past few months. We’re planning on creating a grand bar and game room in our unfinished basement. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of years, but it became a priority after I saw the perfect solution for the bar top when I was a meeting at Eaton Corporation in their Green Center. Their bathrooms had these glorious countertops made of recycled broken glass bits. They were just exquisite. And the project was on!

Now, Tom just loves it when I find stuff like this. We went through the same thing in our kitchen with special tile and even special granite for the countertops. He couldn’t understand why I just couldn’t pick something in stock at Home Depot or Lowes. I don’t know if it’s the satisfaction I get when finding unique things or the designer in me always looking for something fresh. I think a little of both. And I’m drawn to the the style of the 1960’s and he likes more traditional things. If Tom had his way, the room would be painted with black & gold on two walls and blue & white on the other two. It’s hard living in such a sports crazed city and there’s no bigger Steelers or Penn State fan than my husband! So our room will likely be earth tones of brown and green and we’ll use eco-friendly paints, because that’s important to me. Tom gets his big screen tv.

I came across this fantastic company called Enviroglas in Texas. You can actually order a complete custom sample for only $50 from their website:  http://bit.ly/lRpC49

I was like a kid in a candy store. After I ordered my sample, I had to go back and order a sample kit as well. Now I just have to wait for them to get here so we can keep moving on our project! Pittsburgh is supposed to be a very “sustainable green building” city, however I haven’t been able to find any local fabricator that offers this kind of countertop, so we’re still working out those details.

We’ve also been looking for the right touches for the room and found the greatest bar stools & end tables at grandinroad. I just love, love, love their furniture and accessories!http://bit.ly/lwkCRo

We were able to order several different colors of chairs. So we have olive, sedona (burnt orange), and camel colored chairs coming. All the colors are planned to match the broken glass colors in our bartop. They also had these great dice end tables and we ordered those too in black and red. We’re planning on some kind of tiled or hardwood floors on the bar side and shag carpeting in the lounge. I actually talked Tom into shag!!!!

Then I found fantastic upcycled glasses on Etsy. Tall and short glasses made out of various shades of green wine bottles, cut down and polished for drinking glasses. You can find many different artists who make these kind of glasses. I’ve order a whole series of glasses with various labels, including cool root beer bottles, vodka bottles, and more. They’re all cut down and polished just beautifully. Just go to esty.com and search for upcycled glasses.

So we’re just getting started, but hope to have the room finished by Fall. I’ll provide more updates as we go and I welcome any comments or suggestions!

Trish and I just got back from the EPS Expo in Baltimore, MD today. It was a great expo for the members of AFPR and EPSMA, and we met a lot of great people in the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) industry.

This is an exciting year for the EPS trade associations! The new industry consolidation was announced and discussed at the Expo. MarketSpace helped by creating the video that kicked off the session http://bit.ly/hVEoJF

Pat Culpepper with Progressive Foam said, “Together we all have one common denominator — EPS… A stronger association creates a stronger industry. We are all here to improve ourselves and our companies.” Scott Novak at Tegrant Corporation is quoted by saying, “It’s time for us to play offense by having a single, consolidated message.” And Andrew Bayley with BASF said, “One board, one body, one decision-making process, one focus.”

MarketSpace is working with the committee to rebrand the new consolidated group, which will include both AFPR and EPSMA. This year, we’ll help them with a proactive PR and social media plan, as well as many other marketing efforts. And to help educated the members on social media, we were asked to speak on it during the expo.

During the kickoff, Scott Novak said, “People don’t get their news or information in the same way anymore. We must take advantage of social media.” We introduced Twitter to the members, helped them sign up, and tweeted live from the show. It was a simple exercise to create awareness.

For our presentation, we handed out decoders and used a QR code that linked to a special, secret mobile site with social media tips. We outlined the b-to-b channels that made sense for them to consider and discussed how they might do that. We had a great audience and helped everyone to see how social media could fit into their marketing strategies.

We’ve worked with the EPS industry since 2006, and we’re looking forward to helping them successfully launch a new association.

Decoding Social Media

This week, Trish and I went to the kick off meeting for the 2010 Festival of Trees. I can’t believe that summer is winding down and it’s only three months until Christmas! Or as my brother Tom told me on Saturday, there’s only six paychecks until Christmas. We’re so excited to participate again and support the Beaver County Children and Youth Services’ Valentine Dream Fund. Plus, it’s an opportunity for our team to get in the holiday spirit and have fun doing something together outside of work. Be sure to check out our Festival video from last year below or click here.

Mo is heading the team this year and I’m so excited to see their ideas! We have October to get our all of ornaments and decorations and then we decorate in early November. Light up night happens the week of Thanksgiving, and it’s a special night where all the sponsors and volunteers light up all the trees and celebrate. The show opens to the public on Thanksgiving Day and runs for the next couple of weekends before the trees are auctioned in mid December.

Be sure to check the Festival’s Facebook page for updates! http://bit.ly/d31cJk

Well, summer is finally here! And it’s time again for our community Cranberry CUP (Community Uniting People). Every year the Cranberry Township community comes together for one purpose, one cause. This event is near and dear to us as we work in this community and some of us live here too.

My neighborhood, Manor Creek Farms has participated in the CUP since 2003. Each neighborhood plan puts a softball team together that plays other teams in the community, raising money for a special need right in our own backyard. The ultimate goal is to obtain the cup trophy and win the 2-day weekend tournament. Last year, Manor Creek Farms placed second overall and we celebrated with a big bash in the cul-de-sac.

Every year, more neighborhood and business teams participate and the event grows and grows. There’s opening festivities, a golf tournament, an kick-off party, and the two-day softball tournament. This year, MarketSpace sponsored the Manor Creek Farms softball team by donating team jerseys, “there’s no place like home plate”. MarketSpace will also be a Silver Sponsor and make an overall financial contribution to the charity.

If you’re looking for something to do on August 6th – 8th, consider a trip to Cranberry to catch some of the fun! Drop me a line, I’ll let you know where you can catch up with the Manor Creek Farms team to watch a game!

And, congratulations to Cranberry Cup in celebration of 10 years of giving! http://bit.ly/CranberryCup

This was my first Natural Products Expo and it was an amazing convention! The show featured vitamins and supplements, natural foods, organic foods, health & beauty, green products, and more! I never saw so many vendors in one place. I had great meetings with Kaneka Nutrients, makers of Ubiquinol and World of Green, an online portal for everything green, and understand both of their industries a little more. I found some great products, including Gourmé Mist, makers of a great olive oil and tasty dressings and The Leakey Collection, the makers of beautiful bamboo Zulugrass bracelets and necklaces, and visited other World of Green merchants, including Seltzer Goods and DreamSacks. I found new ways of packaging green products, including a drinkbox-type spring water from Tetra Pak.

Anaheim, CA is absolutely beautiful this time of year! That was all I could say about it, especially after the longest winter in Pittsburgh ever! The sunshine, the warm breeze, and the palm trees — it was just what my soul needed. We even took a drive on Saturday evening down the coastal highway and pulled off at a public spot along the pacific ocean in Laguna Beach. It was the first time I had ever seen the pacific ocean.

I’m back in Pittsburgh and trying to get used to the time zone difference and the dismal and cold weather. At least it’s not snowing! Now, on to the week, recharged and planning new projects and initiatives for Kaneka and World of Green!

I just got back from the Bahamas yesterday. We stayed at a beautiful resort, the Wyndham Crystal Palace & Casino. It’s an older resort, but the hospitality was outstanding, the food was delicious, and the casino was fun! We had a great time, and it was just the R&R that we needed.

The elevators were glass bubbles where you could see the view behind the building (not the ocean view), and I was surprised to see how incredibly ugly the view was! It was of their rooftop. What an opportunity for a green roof. http://bit.ly/3sDShG

My cats are the most funny little pets. They make me laugh at least once a day. They both have their own personalities. Sidney is quiet, curious, and patient. Benny is outgoing, loud, boisterous, and pushy. I love them both!

I was at the Western PA Humane Society in the Northside a few days before Christmas in 2003, delivering their Christmas gift from our agency (That is when I was a Creative Director at the Pipitone Group). The Humane Society had just opened their new shelter, and they offered me a tour. There was a cat there named Munchin. He was an older cat, but he was showing off for me and I loved him at first sight! I was heartbroken when he was adopted before we got back to the shelter. We went anyways just to look at their other kitties, and that’s when they brought in Sidney with her two sisters. Sid’s name was Molly and her sisters were Mandy and Mindy. They were tiny little kittens, and Sid was the only one of the three that was solid gray. She had big green eyes, and was the sweetest little voice. She was our first Christmas present in our new home.

My friends are always asking me about color. Especially when painting their homes, inside and out. I prefer earth tones. You start with a neutral color, whether it’s a green, brown, or blue base, and add a pop of color with accessories. The room always looks great, and it’s so easy to change up the pillows or other accessories.

There’s a fantastic design resource that helps designers pull together the perfect color palette. This resource works great for home interiors too! There’s five colors in every palette. Select one of the colors to be the dominant room color, and then think through the other colors to be used for accessories such as pillows, throws, vases, and more. Check it out! It will be one of your favorite sites!  http://bit.ly/1ZyvaR

MarketSpace is sponsoring a tree for the Beaver County Festival of Trees this year! We’re working on the theme now — you know it will be something retro and over the top! We’ll keep you posted as things progress!

This year is the Festival’s 20th anniversary! Come out and support it, and VOTE for our tree! All proceeds benefit the Valentine Dream Fund, which provides shoes, winter coats, eyeglasses, and more to the children in the Beaver County Children & Youth Services program.

For more information, visit their website at bit.ly/2u6qtL.

At MarketSpace, we’re offsetting our carbon emissions with Carbonfund.org, the leading nonprofit carbon offset and climate solutions organization. By joining Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Partner program, we have joined a national movement of businesses and organizations that are leading the fight against global warming.

Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Partner program supports third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects in the U.S. and abroad to reduce CO2 pollution and help hasten our transition to a clean energy future.

From the beginning, MarketSpace has been greening up our business by reusing, reducing, recycling, and rethinking our actions. We are also taking this philosophy to many of our clients, and working with companies on their sustainability efforts.  To us, being environmentally conscious and “living green” isn’t a big thing. It’s a lot of little things—many very simple. Visit our GreenSpace at http://bit.ly/3gFs7F