She liiiiiiiiiiives!  Actually, we’ve been very busy around here in case you didn’t notice. hehe!

Right now, I’m spinning several plates working to wrap up some projects and I’ve already booked a few new clients for the coming months, but I am still accepting inquiries… well, until I’m not anymore. I’m not quite sure when my cut off will be — there are some projects in negotiation right now. But it will only be a handful of jobs this summer, so hot-step it if you’re interested.  You can fill out our request for proposal to get started.

I will be taking my summer vacation from July 19 - August 5 and will be unavailable by phone or email (it is a vacation after all!), so if you have a project that needs to launch before then, definitely contact me as soon as possible.  Any projects I’m currently working on will certainly launch before then (barring anything unforeseen), so don’t you fret.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!  Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Hellooo!  It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Allow me to climb out from under my pile for a moment and update this here “schedule” I keep threatening myself with.  A few projects were launched this spring and I’ve been neck deep in repeat site maintenance and some logos, so I’ve been keeping busy.  I am about to launch a few larger projects.. some cute ones!  So I’ll be doing a few proposals for new projects slated to start this summer, over the next few weeks.  I’ll be scaling back on some of the larger custom jobs to focus on preparing Femmplates™ so we’ll hopefully have a few of those available this summer too.  Feel free to fill out the Request For Proposal form if you’re interested in obtaining a proposal!

Summer looks like it’ll be busy as usual for The Moxie Girls™ but we have some fun stuff in store which may include drinks, donuts and faaaaaabulous prizes.  No matching washer and dryers but stay tuned. 

Hi hi hi!  Well, as you can see, we’ve been doing a little housekeeping around here. It’s been a long time coming, but we finally have our new look in place.  We loved our Air Moxie pink and blue girls, but it was just time for a change, so we’ve taken our girls to a cocktail lounge with a go-go twist.  We call it “Moxie-a-Go-Go”. We’re still making some tweaks and ironing out a few weensy details here and there, so pardon any dust you might see.  Overall, it’s finished and should be displaying just delightfully in IE7, Firefox 2.0+ and Safari for both PC and Mac. If you’re using IE6, either upgrade your IE, get a better browser and/or tell your IT department to get with the program.

Some of the new features on this site are a new and improved FAQ section, which breaks down the most popular questions we hear monthly, weekly, even daily.  We’ve also made the proposal process so much smoother by creating a detailed Request for Proposal form that provides you a guideline for pricing and add-ons. 

We have a new portfolio, too! After 5 years and over 450 projects, we realized we had to pare it down a bit, so we’ve removed anything that’s not currently online (for now, though we’ll be bring back our Design Graveyard eventually for retired designs that we really like a lot). We also wanted to showcase only our most current and best work.

As you can see, our blog does allow comments now and we’ll be doing a lot more blogging over here, so please feel free to chime in.  We love a good conversation and meeting new people. We’ll also be sharing some of our favorite blogging tips and editorials on blog design in our Blogging with Moxie category.  And while we did have a semi-hidden feed before, be sure to subscribe to our new feed here.

Kathy has some fun and exciting news for you later, too, so keep your eyes peeled. You may want to get in on it! 

Technorati Profile

Since we have our new Moxie-a-Go-Go look in place we thought we’d kick off the summer with a fun little contest giveaway!  Yay!  Free Stuff!  But hang on there, Bucko, you can’t get something for nuthin’ these days.  In this case it’s something for very little effort so that’ll just have to be good enough!    Lets cut to the prizes:

Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• A Cosmo Caddy, which includes a cocktail shaker, 4 cosmo glasses and a retro-esque carrier valued at $55.00 courtesy of LiquidPlanet.com
• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Two Runners-Up Winners will receive:

• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Here’s how to enter:

• Send us your favorite Summer cocktail recipe… your tried-and-true, your awesome party punch, your blended fruit favorites… whatever!  Send us your favorite Summer-themed cocktail recipes.  Drink recipes must include at least three (3) main ingredients (Garnish doesn’t count!  No rum and coke with limes you sneaks!) For extra credit, include a recipe for a “pairing”, or a tasty snack to go with your cocktail.  You can get even *more* extra credit by posting your entry on your blog and sending us the link.
• Then, send an email with the subject “Moxie Girls Summer Cocktail Contest!” in the subject line to .  Please include your full name (and nickname for announcement purposes if you would like to remain private) and a full address where your prizes will be sent.
• One entry per person.  You can get an extra entry into the contest if you include the aforementioned “pairing” or snack idea.  Like a 2-fer!  Make it a 3-fer by posting your recipe on your blog and linking back to our entry here. If you blog it, be sure to include the link to your entry in your submission so we know to give you an extra chance.  That’s up to three chances to win!  Winners will be drawn at random.

The winner(s) will receive full credit in our blog postings and mad kudos for their win, but any and all submissions become property of The Moxie Girls™ and we reserve the right to reprint, rename, or modify original recipes at our discretion for future use.  Trademarked and/or copywritten recipes submitted must contain the source of the recipe in order for it to be considered. Multiple entries, or entries missing information will be disqualified so make sure you include your recipe, name and address!

Contest will end at midnight EST June 6, 2008, so please have all entries in by then and we’ll announce the winners here on the blog on Monday, June 9, 2008.

A big thank-you to our friends at Jaqua Beauty and Liquid Planet who helped sponsor this contest.

Winners will be drawn at random out of a hat… or ice bucket, whichever we can find first.  The drawing will be recorded via video or webcam for authenticity.  So start mixing, and start sending those recipes!  Yum!

Helloooo!  Just popping in to post a wee reminder that The Moxie Girls Summer Cocktail Contest shindig is still going on until June 6th.  If you haven’t already, send us your favorite summer cocktail recipes to enter to win one of theeeese fabulous prizes:

Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• A Cosmo Caddy, which includes a cocktail shaker, 4 cosmo glasses and a retro-esque carrier valued at $55.00 courtesy of LiquidPlanet.com
• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Two Runners-Up Winners will receive:

• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Rules here… hop to it kids! Time’s a runnin’ out and these Jaqua hand creme’s a burning a hole in my pocket.  Ok, they’re not actually IN my pocket, more like in a bag on my desk… but they’re taking up space!

It’s that time of year again!  I’ve got a bit more on my plates than I anticipated and that makes it harder for me to spin them, so I appreciate the patience of my wonderful clients. Bear with me, friends!  The train is picking up speed. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s see how many more metaphors I can mix before this entry is over.

I am currently booking for late August/early Fall, but have a couple projects in the proposal phase. If you are at all interested in working with me on a project during that time, please submit your request for proposal as soon as you can.  I only have a few spots available for early Fall.  Once your proposal is submitted, if I’m a good match for your project, I’ll email you with a suggested time to chat on the phone to iron out any details before I put together your proposal. (If I’m not a good match, of course I’ll still email you. Maybe even with a referral if you’re nice!)

As I mentioned last time, I will be unavailable from July 18-August 5th.  That means I won’t be working on any projects or be available to meet on the phone. I will be checking email periodically (though not necessarily daily) during that time, but will not be returning any phone calls until after August 5th.

I think I can safely speak for Kathy when I say we really appreciate you interest in working with us and thank you for your patience with our nutty schedules.

Happy Summer! 

We’ve gotten quite a few fabulous entries, but we’d love some more!  Hit us up with your favorite summer cocktails!  You can read all about the rules and prizes here.

And don’t forget! There’s extra entries in it for you if you blog it (and send us the link) and/or include a “pairing” or a snack or amuse-bouche (aren’t I fancy?) that would go well with your cocktail.

We’re looking forward to drawing a winner and are loving all these delicious-sounding drinks. Keep ‘em coming!  Contest ends at midnight EST, Friday, June 6th.

The Cocktail Contest ends in just under 4 hours, at midnight EST.  We’ve gotten a bunch of lovely submissions and we’re excited to draw our winner on Monday.  I’m not 100% certain what time on Monday we’ll be doing the drawing.  Most likely after Kathy’s bambino is tucked in and we can open the bubbly!

If you’re still interested in submitting your entries, you better get on it. Scoot!  Here are the prizes, in case you forgot. It’s a lot of good schwag, so bring on the recipes!

Well, the results are in!  Out of all the totally fabulous cocktail recipes we received, we have drawn our 3 winners.

First, the grand prize winner is Katrina W. with her oh-so-delectable Strawberry Pina Colada Daquiri. My blender thanks you.

Strawberry Pina Colada Daquiri

• 4 oz pina colada mix
• 2.5 oz strawberry schnapps
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz Bacardi rum
• 2 oz frozen strawberries
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Filled glass of cracked ice

I’m a little unclear on if this is shaken and strained up in a martini glass or if you just throw it all in a blender.  If it’s the latter, I’d stick in a straw, maybe on of those umbrellas and I’m all set.  Use a glass if you must.  Festive daquiri glasses or margarita glasses work great, but any ol’ pint glass will do in a pinch.

Katrina will receive a signed copy of our book, The IT Girl’s Guide to Blogging with Moxie as well as an 8oz. tube of our current desktop favorite, Jaqua Hand Creme with Meadowfoam Seed Oil (though I’m not positive which fragrance you’ll get.  That’s Kathy’s department!) along with a too-good-to-be-true retro cocktail caddy. Oooo ahhh… perfect for trying out some other new drinks, eh?

Next up are our two 2nd place winners:  Chari (or “CLD”, as she’s often known) and Heather H.!!!  Congratulations! Those extra credit entries paid off, ladies! 

Chari sent us an antioxidant-rich recipe (let me pretend, ok?) for something she calls a “Healthy” Cosmo, which she also re-posted on her blog:

“Healthy" Cosmo

1/2 oz. Key Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Licor 43
2 oz. Rain Vodka
3 oz. Pure, REAL Pomegranate Juice
1 Lime Wedge
1 Mint Sprig

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake mightily. Strain into a chilled [preferably frozen] martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge and mint sprig. Sit out on the lanai, prop up your earth shoe-clad feeties on an ottoman and enjoy. Feel proud of yourself for managing to up your antioxidants and get a buzz at the same time!

Heather decided to go all Italian on us with a delicious mix of light, sweet limoncello, tart cran and our ol’ girl the Goose!  She also smartly paired it with a white pizza which if I had my way, I’d have in front of me right now. Mmm mmm… And to make it even better, the white pizza is figure-friendly at only 4 Weight Watcher’s Points® a slice.  That leaves room for another limontini!  Let me have my math.

Limon-tini

• 3oz Grey Goose
• 2oz Caravella Limoncello
• 1oz cranberry juice

Pour over ice, shake, and strain into glass.  Enjoy!

White Pizza

22 min | 10 min prep | SERVES 4

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 vidalia onions or other sweet onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped spinach or arugula leaves


• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 (8-inch) prebaked pizza crusts (such as boboli)

1. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare grill for medium-hot fire.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, sugar, and 1/4 tsp of the salt.
3. Cook, stirring until onion is a rich golden brown, about 8 minutes.
4. Stir together the spinach or arugula, ricotta, 2 tbsp of the parmesan, the basil, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl.
5. Place the crust on a pizza paddle or rimless baking sheet and spread the spinach mixture over it to cover entirely.
6. Top with the onion and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp paremesan.
7. Using the paddle or baking sheet, slide the pizza on the grill, away from the heat source.
8. Cover and cook, rotating the pizza a half turn every 5 minutes, until the pizza is hot and the cheese is fully melted, about 8 minutes.

4 WW Points per serving (1/4 pizza).

Reposted from Weight Watchers.com

Chari and Heather will also each receive a signed copy of our book, The IT Girl’s Guide to Blogging with Moxie as well as an 8oz. tube of our current desktop favorite, Jaqua Hand Creme with Meadowfoam Seed Oil.

We’ll be reporting back about these recipes, along with others that weren’t drawn, in the coming weeks. Plus, stay tuned for the launch of our new website, TheMoxieGirls.com where we’ll be covering cocktails, entertaining, beauty and lifestyle.

Thanks for all of your awesome entries! 

I think a mid-Summer update is in order. Oh me oh my!  This Summer has been insane.  But, in that good way. This girl can’t complain!  There are projects looming, launching and everywhere in between that I am so excited to be working on.

In addition to The Anomalous Life, which recently went live, also launching this month: an adorable children’s clothing boutique for handmade goods, an online homebase and shop for an funky illustrated character named Moxie (no relation) from Switzerland, a spiffed up design and home for the Cooking Diva in Panama, a whole new look for Cheesetique cheese shop and wine bar in Virginia and a fabulous new blog for a very cool young mom writing about living with breast cancer.  Whew!  Oh! And a new look I created for MommyCast, developed by Podango, should be launching this month, as well.

Then in August, it’s a Goliath launch for a network of very nice general practice doctors in Sydney, Australia, a redesign of the Wine Diarist, a wine blog by the wine critic at Slate.com, a new brand and complete overhaul for our fine attorneys, three professional blog designs, half a dozen Femmeplates and a partridge in a pear tree.

*tap dance* TA DA!

After that, it’s a little up in the air… the requests have been rolling in lately, piling up for our September review.  I’ll let you in on a little secret: we’re reading them as we go, so make sure to send yours in!  Don’t wait until the last minute or you could miss out.  I’ve already scheduled my first clients for the Fall, but I’m not booking any more until September 2nd, not only to give more people a fair shot at booking us since we fill up so quickly, but to give myself a moment to breathe. 

If you’re interested in working with us this Fall, we hope you’ll take a moment to fill out our Request for Proposal form.  And stay tuned for Femmeplates coming your way August 11th.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer!