Charlotte

Laurie Louis Designs — Southern Social Stationary and Gifts

August 21, 2017 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Laurie Louis, owner of Laurie Louis Designs a custom paper and goods company located in Indian Land, South Carolina, is a stationery designer who leans on Southern style to create universal designs for every taste. Laurie started her design business and after a long career at ESPN and has made it her full-time job. While her initial work was for the wedding industry, her business has grown to a lifestyle brand and includes nautical, beach and classic themes.

While her initial work was for the wedding industry, her business has grown to a lifestyle brand and includes nautical, beach and classic themes. Laurie’s website sells a combination of paper goods and custom gifts online and Laurie Louis Designs will be branching out into specialty boutiques in 2018.

Growing up, when Laurie’s mom and her friends hosted an event, they made sure that everything matched from the invitations to the table cloths and napkins. Today, she’s carrying on that tradition and helping others create magical events starting with custom stationary to match their theme from beginning to end. I recently attended an intimate dinner party Laurie hosted to showcase her work and discuss her design style. This dinner party was no exception to her entertaining rule — red tablecloths, blue lanterns to light our meals accented with beautiful yellow sunflowers and catering from local company H&M.

Each design is carefully thought out, with Laurie handling all of the design work and the majority of her printing. If there are items she can’t personally produce out of her design studio, she uses a trusted small printing business in Alabama to handle her client orders, knowing they have the same expectations regarding quality and customer satisfaction.

I asked Laurie if she worked with thermal and letterpress stationery and she told me she’d love to branch out in the future, but she has to test and work with everything until it meets her high standards for craftsmanship.

As my son heads into his senior year of high school, I’m already in the planning stages for his graduation party. I’ll be planning on designing custom invitations and gifts with Laurie to fete him before he flies the nest for college.

Disclosure: I attended an event for Laurie Louis Designs and was given a small gift as a dinner guest.

Charlotte’s Pure Intentions Coffee Introduces New Cold Brew

June 1, 2016 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Local Charlotte coffee roaster, Pure Intentions Coffee, has released a limited edition rum barrel-aged cold brew for the summer. I’m a coffee purist who has never been into col-brew coffee, but have been working to develop an appreciation for the unique nuances and flavors the cold brew coffee method brings to my palate. This rum barrel-aged brew was crafted with PIC’s Organic Guatemala Acatenango dark roast processed and aged in a rum barrel from Belmont-based Muddy Rivery Distillery.

Coffee beans are very sensitive and will quickly pick up the flavors of that they’re stored or transported in. If you transport and store green coffee beans in burlap for an extended period of time, it will pick up the flavor of burlap. If they’re exposed diesel fumes, they will pick up up and present the flavors of the diesel. (Appetizing, I know.)

Roasters will use a method called “barrel-conditioning” which harkens back to the days when coffee beans were transported in whatever barrels the exporters had on hand. This gave the green coffee beans different nuances of flavor based on the type of barrel they were packed in. These brews are supercharged with flavors that are as complex as the most complicated wines.

Pure Intentions Owner Matt Yarmey took this idea of barrel-conditioning a step further. Instead of using green coffee beans in Muddy River Distillery barrels, he started with beans that had been roasted and cold-brewed. The 6-month planning process for the brew concluded with a 2 month, 10 day aging process, managed by Free Range Brewing in Charlotte’s NoDa district. The final product offers flavors of oak, molasses and vanilla, without a measurable amount of alcohol content.

“Innovation is at the cornerstone of our business. This is a new experiment; most aged cold brews are aged as green beans then brewed. We’ve aged our cold brew as a liquid to see what variations occur. I enjoy testing the unpredictable.”

Where To Find Pure Intentions Cold Brew

Look for the new cold brew on tap at Free Range Brewing, Bottled and Tapped (Cornelius), and other Pure Intentions draft locations; the coffee will also be used in cocktail creations at Soul Gastrolounge (Plaza Midwood).

Free Range Brewing, NoDa
Bottled and Tapped, Cornelius
Hattie’s, Plaza Midwood
Fonta Flora, Morganton NC
Sycamore Brewing, South End

About Pure Intentions Coffee

At Pure Intentions Coffee, we hold every step of the process to high standards: sourcing quality- grown beans from environmentally-conscious suppliers, perfectly roasting each batch and providing a full range of additional services to help you deliver amazing coffee service to your customers. At Pure Intentions we believe you should fill your cup with character.

Visit Pure Intentions online (www.pureintentionscoffee.com) to learn more about all Pure Intentions offerings and their recent Fair Trade & Organic Certification.

Find Pure Intentions on Social Media:

Instagram: @pureintentionscoffee

Facebook: @pureintentionscoffee

Twitter: @PureCoffeeCLT

SHARE Charlotte Announces 2015 #GivingTuesdayCLT Campaign Goal

November 4, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give via #GivingTuesday. Through #GivingTuesdayCLT, SHARE Charlotte and local nonprofits will partner together to make a positive impact in OUR city by connecting community members with local nonprofits to raise awareness and encourage giving during the holiday season.

#GivingTuesdayCLT is important to me and my own personal philanthropy of service and giving back to my community. During times when I didn’t have money to donate, I could always donate my time, which is just as important. It’s something I have instilled in my own son, who seeks a life in public service.

This year, the #GivingTuesdayCLT campaign goal is to raise a record $2M by December 1st for area nonprofits.

Since its inception last year, the #GivingTuesdayCLT campaign more than tripled its fundraising goal from $600,000 raised in 2014. With that, the community at #GivingTuesdayCLT aims to make 2015 a HUGE giving year and they need your help! This is your opportunity to give back, however you can – make a donation, volunteer time, or help a neighbor.

“This is our opportunity as a community to not just give back, but to come together for the greater good of Charlotte,” said Kelly Brooks, SHARE Charlotte Founder.

New this year to the #GivingTuesdayCLT campaign will be two additional giving options. The Give Shop is an online storethrough SHARE Charlotte’s website. SHARE Charlotte has made it easy to purchase specific goods for the nonprofits they support. Can’t choose? Use the General Fund and donations will be split evenly between all participating nonprofits.

“This campaign doesn’t just end after one day; it creates an outpouring of awareness, inspiration and hope that continues year after year. We know that $2M will go a long way for our nonprofits, and we’re thrilled with the community backing we’ve received thus far in support of this goal.”

As part of #GivingTuesday, the Charlotte community will be charged with an opportunity to donate time, funds and goods to area nonprofits of their choice from November 10 – December 1. This year, the nonprofit partners almost doubled from 64 to 108, further diversifying the growing need of goods and services among the greater Charlotte community.

New to SHARE Charlotte this year you’ll find the Arts & Science Council, Humane Society of Charlotte and Ronald McDonald House. Returning as a nonprofit partner is Changed Choices, a small nonprofit focused on serving women holistically from incarceration through their transition to life outside of jail, who saw a tremendous impact from participating as a nonprofit partner last year.

“We were able to connect the #GivingTuesdayCLT campaign with longer-term fundraising efforts to pay off our transitional home,” said Karen Kovach, Executive Director at Changed Choices.

SHARE Charlotte will kick off its campaign with an event the second week of November. For more information on how to become a sponsor of #GivingTuesdayCLT, or for the complete list of participating nonprofits, please visit SHARECharlotte.com.

SHARE Charlotte Event Calender: http://sharecharlotte.com/events

About SHARE Charlotte

For SHARE Charlotte, everything is in a name. As a one-stop shop, spreading the good news of more than 330 non-profits in the Charlotte area, SHARE Charlotte also encourages the greater community to share its heart by making an impact in mere minutes. Through its signature campaigns #GivingTuesdayCLT and #summershareCLT, SHARE Charlotte raises awareness of local non-profits, and more importantly, the level of giving. To share your heart, visit SHARECharlotte.com, and identify a cause today. You can also follow the good news on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Vimeo.

My Vanity and an Invite to Learn about Kybella™

July 27, 2015 by Lisa Leave a Comment

I have been looking in the mirror more often as of late. What is normally an act of personal growth and inner connection has become one of “who is that woman in the mirror?” My own vanity has been kicking my rear, and for once, I’m okay with it. I’ll never look like I’m 20 again, but I can do things that will help me slow down time on her eternal march across my face.

My name is Lisa and I’m a mid-life woman who has a notebook filled with things I can do for my skin and face. These include cosmetics that “blur,” fill in the wrinkles and help give my skin, and albeit temporary, dewy look and procedures done in my dermatologist’s office.

The aging process has also resulted in things “shifting” on my face. I’ve always had a full face and extra weight has given me the dreaded “double chin.” A recent consumer survey revealed that 68% of consumers are bothered by fullness under the chin. To that I say, well, yes. Known as submental fullness, the appearance of double chins or neck fat is a condition that can negatively impact the overall appearance of the face and can result in a person feeling older and heavier.

My friends over at Dermatology, Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas heard about my mirror time and invited me to their open house and seminar to introduce me to Kybella™, the first and only approved non-surgical, injectable treatment developed to address this common complaint. Kybella™ reduces moderate to severe double chins and neck fat with no surgery no downtime and no sedation required. Now, I have yet to undertake any injectables or fillers in my face, but I do have serious curiosity about what they can do for me.

So I’m heading over tomorrow night to check out Kybella™ and see if it’s a good fit for me in the future. I’ll add the things I learn to my handy dandy notebook and continue to learn more about the process. I’m sure that it’s going to be a popular option for both men and women who are fighting the middle-aged spread and want to avoid invasive procedures.

WHEN:

Tuesday, July 28,

Dermatology Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas

1918 Randolph Road, Suite 550

5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

SCHEDULE:

Dermatology, Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas Open House Schedule Includes:

6:00 p.m. Dr. Munavalli will be holding a “What’s Next for the Neck” seminar
- Learn about other new and alternative treatment options
6:30 p.m. Dr. Munavalli will be performing live demonstrations of the Kybella™ treatment
Free consultations offered throughout the event
From Good Morning America, meet one of the first patients to receive the Kybella™ treatment from DLVSC and see her results http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/fda-approves-injections-treat-double-chins-30696856
Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served

WHO:

Dr. Gilly Munavalli is the only Charlotte physician to serve as a principal investigator in the clinical trials for the development of Kybella™, making him one of the most experienced Kybella™ injectors in the nation and DLVSC one of the first practices to offer this groundbreaking treatment.

“In my dermatology practice, I see many patients who have undesirable fullness under the chin, even though they may have an otherwise balanced and harmonious facial appearance and be in great physical shape,” he said.

HOW:

Kybella™ is administered by injections into the fat under the chin, tailored to the treatment goals of the patient and the physician. Each in-office treatment session is typically only 15-20 minutes and many patients experience visible results in two to four treatments for long-lasting effects.

PLASTIC SURGERY FACTS:

Minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures increased 3 percent, to more than 13.4 million procedures in 2013, according to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

“The demand for plastic surgery remains strong,” said ASPS President Robert X. Murphy, MD. “Facial rejuvenation procedures were especially robust last year, with more Americans opting for facelifts, forehead lifts, eyelid surgery, fillers and peels. With new devices and products hitting the market each year, there are more options and choices available to consumers wanting to refresh their look or a little nip and tuck,” he adds.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT:

For more information or to make an appointment, clients should call 704.375.6766 or visit http://www.carolinaskin.com RSVPs are encouraged and both women and men are welcome to attend and schedule a free consultation.

AboutDermatology, Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas:

Dermatology, Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas was Charlotte’s first Mohs Surgery Center when it opened in 1990 and remains the busiest Mohs Surgery practice in the area. Now with their team of board-certified physicians, DLVS offers additional services, including face lifting surgery, blepharoplasty (eye lifts), laser hair removal, laser skin resurfacing, endovenous laser ablation, sclerotherapy, tattoo removal, laser resurfacing and many fillers. There is also a medical aesthetician on staff who performs skin care and facial treatments, and several lines of skin care products are available for sale. The practice also offers the most advanced treatment options available for general dermatology, skin cancer, varicose veins, laser surgery and cosmetic surgery. Physicians are in the office every day and personally perform or directly supervise all procedures done in the office. For more information visit: http://www.carolinaskin.com or call 704-375-6766.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I’m a curious consumer who is considering future options for the sake of my own vanity.

Charlotte Radiology, Breast Cancer Awareness and Friends — 2014

September 20, 2014 by Lisa Leave a Comment

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. I always love and hate to see this month come around due to the increase in discussions around breast cancer and heightened awareness. My friend Amanda is currently in her battle against breast cancer, and it is a battle. She’s a warrior; except her battle is being fought as she’s hooked up to bags of poison that kill the good and bad cells in her body while she tries to keep herself healthy so she can go for the next round. Have I mentioned she is doing all of this while parenting two very active daughters and trying to be who she is — Amanda.

Amanda — It’s Me, Amanda

On a sad note, earlier this year we lost my sister-in-law, Sandi, to stage four breast cancer. She was just as heroic as Amanda, but her body couldn’t fight anymore. The disease moved to her liver and we lost her after a five year battle. This is where I turn into Forrest Gump — “that’s all I have to say about that.”

1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

Locally, as you all know, I’m a big supporter of Charlotte Radiology and the steps they take every year to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer and raise funds during the month of October. For the seventh consecutive year, Charlotte Radiology’s theme is the “1-in-8” breast cancer awareness campaign. The name stems from the statistic that one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

“Educating women about breast health is our constant mission,” said Michelle Russell, breast services marketing manager. “But every October, we get another opportunity to educate the whole community on the lifesaving potential of mammography. As long as the 1-in-8 statistic stands, we will do all we can to promote proactive breast health. At the same time, we use the month to raise funds to help take care of local women whose treatment may require financial assistance.”

Charlotte Radiology is planning several community events throughout the month. A portion of proceeds from all events will benefit Carolinas Breast Cancer Fund, a Levine Cancer Institute initiative that increases access to life-saving mammography screenings and follow-up care for uninsured women. Donations to Carolinas Breast Cancer Fund make possible Free Mammography Days in targeted underserved populations.

Community events this October include:

· Pink Pint Night is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 4 to 8 p.m.at NoDa Brewing Company (2229 N.Davidson). The public is invited – no reservations required – to this special kickoff event, which features live music, food trucks and a special pink brew. There will also be a raffle with prizes from YETI, Lululemon, Aveda and more. A portion of all proceeds will go to Carolinas Breast Cancer Fund.

· Observe the Pink is The Charlotte Observer’s contribution to the awareness campaign, and Charlotte Radiology is a sponsor of the second annual event. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, The Observer parking lot (600 S. Tryon St.) will be home to a food truck rally featuring some of the area’s most popular food trucks, like Juan Taco, Comfort Foods, and Papa Libretto’s. The event will also feature games and raffles, local sports mascots and the Charlotte Radiology specially designed Bras and “1-in-8” Pink Ladies, whose pink and white costuming illustrates the breast cancer statistic.

· Paint it Pink, in partnership with Wine & Design, will be on Monday, Oct. 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. The public is invited to join in creating a special pink Charlotte painting – lead by Wine & Design’s talented artist. The cost is $35 per person, which will include the painting and complimentary drink from OMB. Reservations and pre-payment is required athttp://www.wineanddesign. com/Charlotte.

Charlotte Radiology has launched several initiatives in 2014 that expand service offerings and provide greater access to lifesaving screening tests for women unable to pay for those services.

· The group will be opening a new breast center – its 14th – on September 23 in Prosperity Crossing in north Charlotte to meet the demands of that growing region. The Prosperity Crossing Medical Plaza Breast Center offers screening mammography (including tomosynthesis/3D mammography) and bone density scans – imaging technology that uses low amounts of X-ray energy to detect the presence of osteoporosis. Like all Charlotte Radiology Breast Centers, the center is accredited by the American College of Radiology, certified by the FDA and recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.

· From January through July 2014, Charlotte Radiology’s two mobile mammography centers, which debuted in 2011, have logged 14,227 miles and screened 4,843 patients in North and South Carolina. (In addition, a mobile unit sponsored by Belk and staffed by Charlotte Radiology has reached 2,263 patients in seven states this year. That unit has traveled 26,351 miles in 2014 alone.)

· The newest technology in breast cancer detection – tomosynthesis – was added to breast centers in Monroe, Huntersville and Pineville. “Tomo,” an exam performed on state-of-the-art digital equipment takes multiple low-dose images of a compressed breast from different angles, will soon be made available at the Prosperity Crossing, Ballantyne and SouthPark Breast Centers by end of the year. Since launching tomo in 2013, Charlotte Radiology’s call-back rates – for “false positives” – have already dropped to 7.7 percent from an average of 10 percent.

Tomosynthesis is performed at the same time as a traditional 2D mammogram. It’s on the same scanner with no noticeable difference in the experience or time involved for the patient.

In October, Charlotte Radiology will support various events that support the fight against breast cancer, including Ballantyne Country Club’s Rally for the Cure, Charlotte Latin School’s Serve for the Cure, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Tickled Pink and American Cancer Society Making Strides. For details and a list of all 1-in-8 campaign activities, please visit www.beatcancercr.com

About Charlotte Radiology Breast Center

Charlotte Radiology, established in 1967, is one of the largest radiology groups in the country. It operates 14 breast center locations, including two mobile breast centers, serving more than 100,000 women each year. All breast centers are accredited by the American College of Radiology, certified by the FDA and recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. For more information: www.charlotteradiology.com.

Laurie Louis Designs — Southern Social Stationary and Gifts

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Charlotte’s Pure Intentions Coffee Introduces New Cold Brew

Where To Find Pure Intentions Cold Brew

About Pure Intentions Coffee

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