Things to know before applying for your Passport.

Planning a vacation? Spring Break is rapidly approaching, followed by wedding/honeymoon season. Are you prepared for travel outside the country? Here are a few helpful hints for applying for your passport.

·         APPLY EARLY - The process is not as difficult or confusing as it may appear at first but the added stress of an upcoming travel deadline isn’t helpful.

·         BE PREPARED -  Print out your paperwork at home, carefully read through the documents before filling out your information. Click here for the appropriate documents https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm

·         BE CAMERA READY - Save time by having your photo taken ahead of time. Many places such as Walgreen’s and Walmart provide passport photo services that take only minutes and you won’t have to worry about meeting the special size requirements for your application. There are additional guidelines on what not to wear….do NOT wear white, try to avoid wearing clothing with logos or you’ll be sent back to take a new photo. (or worse, your application can be rejected and you’ll have to start again)

·         CALL AHEAD - You can apply at your local post office without making an appointment. I would suggest calling ahead of time to find out the hours that they will accept your application.  They may also be able to give you a heads up as to when the “slow” time of day is so you can save yourself additional time standing in line.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Engagement Photo Ideas and Tips

Engagement photos are a great way to celebrate and share your exciting news. Over the years they can become a beautiful reminder of how your lives began together. Here are a few ideas to help you make your engagement photos memorable.

CAPTURE YOUR PERSONALITY: Are you world travelers? campers? Are you the couple always hosting game night? Express your identity as a couple through the mood and location of your photos.


Photo by The Nichols



Photo by Gwendolyn Tundermann

SHARE THE MOMEMENT: With a little planning, you can share the surprise and joy of the exact moment of your engagement with your friends and family. Talk to your photographer for ideas and locations that would work well for such a candid moment.



Photos by Tanya Velazquez

INCLUDE THE WHOLE FAMILY: Maybe your blending families or perhaps your family wouldn't be complete without your four legged friend, why now add them to your photo shoot? They'll be a part of your lives together too.



Photo by More Than Just Pictures

Photo by Megphoto

DOUBLE DUTY: Use your favorite photos as your Save the Date to share your news and prepare everyone for your special day.



Save the Date Postcard by Serendipity Beyond Design

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

 

School Valentine's Day parties used to be a celebration filled with sugar hearts, chocolates and heart shaped suckers but many schools are opting out of sugary treats.

While I'm happy to hear that my kiddos won't be loaded up with cookies and cupcakes before heading home on Valentine's Day, we have had to do a few internet searches to find fun Valentine's. Stickers, pencils and temporary tattoos are popular selections. We found a few more cute ideas and included them on our Kids Holiday Party Pinterest board. The kids and I are really looking forward to making the Valentine's cards together.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

4 Fun, Easy Ways to Reduce Stress

 

EXCERCISE: release stress through activity and clear your mind. Just stepping outside for a quick walk can be helpful.

 

SLEEP: the proper amount of sleep rejuvenates your mind and body.

 

MUSIC: an instant mood changer! Rock out to your favorite upbeat song to transform your current state of mind. Better yet….Dance it out :)

 

SUNSHINE: boost your Vitamin D and soak in the many benefits for a strong, healthy body.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

The Meditation Lounge Group Meditation: Friday Flip

Dear Bert,

The holiday season can be filled with a number of triggers for stress….crowds, travel, last minute dashes to the store and crazy work schedules just to name a few. This year we were blessed with a midmonth invitation to The Meditation Lounge for a guided group meditation session with Selena Johnson.

The beautiful open space immediately surrounds you in light and warmth.  

 

We took our seats, got very comfortable with plush pillows, mats and blankets. Selena lead our group in breathing exercises and then through a journey of imagery that helped each of us focus on our individual connections to our inner strength. It was very relaxing and empowering all at the same time.

 

Afterwards we all enjoyed a buffet of snacks and discussed our experiences during the meditation. On the ride home, our carload decided we would be happy to visit Selena again! An overall positive experience, wonderful for our Friday Flip.

 

Happy New Year!

Anita & Ema

 

 

The show Trip Flip and host Bert Kreischer, have encouraged us to expand our list of experiences. Open doors to possibilities, say Yes! We have created Friday Flip as our way to engage in new adventures, share experiences with friends and celebrate life together. At Sosia we find reasons to celebrate and we celebrate often! Our wish is that our customers do the same. For more information about Trip Flip and how Friday Flip got started click HERE.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Ideas for adding flare to your guests' take out boxes

Thanksgiving Take Out Boxes

 
 
 


We recently added Take Out Boxes to our collection of To Go products. These lined and microwavable kraft boxes are an ideal way to send guests home with Thanksgiving leftovers without losing your entire Tupperware collection. We offer the boxes with festive labels but here are a few more ways to dress up your holiday leftovers.

Instead of placing the label directly on your take out boxes, use them on a tag and add a personalized message on the back and tie with a ribbon.

 

Create a colorful arrangement of leaves from your yard to add autumn charm to your leftover boxes. We wrapped green raffia around the boxes to secure the leaves in place.

 

Tie a beautiful bit of fabric around your take out box and slide a plastic knife and fork under the knot so your guests will have everything they need to enjoy your Thanksgiving goodies.

 You can find more Sosia Take Out Boxes and other products in our Etsy shops Sosia and Sosia To GO!

 

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Haunted Tour of St. Louis: Friday Flip

Dear Bert,

It's officially October and we are looking forward to all that Autumn has to offer. The leaves are just beginning to transform the local scenery into a colorful Fall display and the nights are slowly getting cooler making St. Louis the perfect backdrop for spooky storytelling, just in time for Halloween.

This month's Friday Flip set the stage for all the Halloween festivities to come. We attended an evening with David Riordan of Roirdan Tours for a Haunted Tour of St. Louis. We met David and the rest of the tour group at The Morgan Street Brewery, one of the oldest buildings in historic Laclede’s Landing.

 

As we walked surrounding areas of The Landing and weaving around The Arch grounds, David shared stories of bizarre events, unexplained experiences and their historical connection to St. Louis. Stories of ghosts and spooky encounters including tales of Bloody Island, the mysteries of Lemp Mansion and events that inspired the famous movie, The Exorcist were a small taste of all that David had to share with us throughout the evening.

It was a beautiful night and David's enthusiastic storytelling was a great kickoff to the Halloween season! We will continue to celebrate the month with new ideas for Halloween favor boxes and party recipes inspired by our spooky adventure. We'll be sure to share them all in the coming weeks.

Stay Spooky St. Louis,

Ema & Anita

The show Trip Flip and host Bert Kreischer, have encouraged us to expand our list of experiences. Open doors to possibilities, say Yes! We have created Friday Flip as our way to engage in new adventures, share experiences with friends and celebrate life together. At Sosia we find reasons to celebrate and we celebrate often! Our wish is that our customers do the same. For more information about Trip Flip and how Friday Flip got started click HERE.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Milo's Bocce Garden: Friday Flip

 

Dear Bert,

This month's Friday Flip took us to Anita's favorite St. Louis location, The Hill.  We decided our activity to try was playing Bocce at Milo's Bocce garden, and we had a blast!  We met up with a couple of our friends and started the afternoon off with lunch.  The food was, of course, amazing being one of The Hill's many famous Italian restaurants.  But the real fun began after lunch when we went outside for some bocce. 

The rules of the game were conveniently located right on the court for us (good thing since Anita hadn't played in at least 20 years). Despite the 90+ degree weather, we enjoyed the game so much we had to stay for a second round.  It certainly didn't hurt that our very kind waitress kept the beers coming:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking out Milo's front doors you face the local Catholic Church, St. Ambrose, with it's beautiful statue 'The Italian Immigrants'.  The church holds a lot of family history for many of The Hill residents.

 

Being on The Hill, we certainly couldn't head home without a trip to Missouri Bakery, so we stopped for some Chocolate Drops and Cannoli.  Delicious!  Our families were certainly pleased with our take home treats;)

Looking forward to next months' flip!

Anita & Ema                      

The show Trip Flip and host Bert Kreischer, have encouraged us to expand our list of experiences. Open doors to possibilities, say Yes! We have created Friday Flip as our way to experience new adventures, share experiences with friends and celebrate life together. At Sosia we find reasons to celebrate and we celebrate often! Our wish is that our customers do the same. For more information about Trip Flip and how Friday Flip got started click HERE.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Gender Reveal Party Fizz: New Options by Sosia

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star! 

How we wonder what you are!

By popular demand our Gender Reveal Fizzies are now available in a variety of new designs! We've even created new options to include your "Out of Town" friends and family in on the surprise of your pregnancy announcement. 

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars and Little Miss or Little Man? Hearts

Have friends and family all over the nation? Send each one of them their own reveal fizz! We'll ship each reveal to a different location so your loved ones won't be left out of the exciting surprise when you announce your baby's gender.

Each fizz is shipped in a small box with a personalized tag. 

"Waddle it be?" , "Little Miss or Little Man?" or  "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Go Ape Treetop Adventure Friday Flip

Dear Bert,
 

Today was our first day of Trip Flip inspired fun! We took our husbands on a quick drive to Creve Coeur Park we found Go Ape, the only Treetop Adventure in Missouri. Go Ape is a ropes course among the trees that includes 39 crossings and 5 zip lines. Each station gets progressively higher in the canopy topping off at  40ft.

We started with a short safety session. Rule #1 Stay attached! (sound advice kids, safety first!) and then were off to tackle the course.

 
 

Ropes, swings, nets….Flying Carpet, Spider’s Web and even a skateboard to ride on your way down the final zip line.

 

We had a great time swinging like Tarzan, (Mike does a mean “Tarzan” call) but the day wasn’t without a few bumps and scrapes. Because Anita and I didn’t quite master our landing techniques, Anita ended up with a few scratches and I took home a few more wood chips (down the back of my pants) than expected.

 

Like the Go Ape motto, we're "Living Life Adventurously!",

Anita and Ema

The show Trip Flip and host Bert Kreischer, have encouraged us to expand our list of experiences. Open doors to possibilities, say Yes! We have created Friday Flip as our way to experience new adventures, share experiences with friends and celebrate life together. At Sosia we find reasons to celebrate and we celebrate often! Our wish is that our customers do the same. For more information about Trip Flip and how Friday Flip got started click HERE.

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia

Gender Reveal Party: Waddle It Be? Bath Fizz

Gender Reveal Fizz 

We recently received this wonderful collage of photos from one of our happy customers and we just had to share their excitement! They captured all of the joy and love of the moment. Thank you Kaitlyn for sharing your gender reveal party photos with us! Congrats to mommy and daddy to be on their baby girl!!

If you're planning your Gender Reveal Party, we have entire party packs available with our Reveal Fizzies in both of 
our etsy shops! Sosia and Sosia To GO!

Here are a few ideas from fellow etsy shops for more Reveal Party Inspiration.

'Gender Reveal' by SosiaToGo

Inspiration for you upcoming gender reveal party!

Bokeh Vinyl Backdrop For & P... FabDrops $28	6- tissue Pom Poms- Gender R... SweetTeaPaper $24	Succulent Plant - Baby Toes SucculentOasis $4.99	Oh Baby Pink Nursery Printab... PrintPunch $5
Baby bow tie, Tiffany blue b... JujuBabyBoutiq... $9.5	Royal Icing Cake Decorations... cupcakesbychri... $10	Gender Reveal Invitation Bab... ModernBeautifu... $13	Backdrop 4ft x 3ft, Vinyl Mo... InkAndElm $29
40pk Gender Reveal Boy & Gir... pagingsupermom $18.98	Gender Reveal, Tutus or Ties... misslizzycakes $34	Gender Reveal Maternity Sash... KennasKlippies... $26.5	SUMMER SALE Baby Hair Clips ... CelesteandComp... $6.96
50 Gender Reveal Water Bottl... LabelsRus $29.95	Gender Reveal Party Straws -... SpiralSage $3.4	Baby Boy Nursery Wall Decor ... DaphneGraphics $8	25-100 pc Pinwheel Wands / 3... DECORBYTORIA $38.7

Powered By Handmadeology

www.shopsosia.com Follow @ShopSosia