TWIRL TURNS SEVEN | ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY

FRIENDS!! Happy Wednesday! We are SO excited to finally share with you guys what our big announcement is... eeeeeek!! It's been so fun to hear from many of you about the anticipation of the announcement, we love the sweet support from this community of ours. Y'all are THE BEST! And as a huge "THANK YOU!!!" for all the love you've shown us over the years (7 to be exact) we are celebrating with a MASSIVE GIVEAWAY!!

Our 7th anniversary is this month (we can hardly even believe we're typing those words) and to celebrate the fun, growth, and joy we've experienced over the last seven years we are doing it big and scratching that seven-year-itch by spoiling our Twirl Family with what we believe to be one of the best giveaways imaginable!

We have teamed up with some awesome local vendors & some of our favorite national brands to create a bundle of goodies that get our hearts really excited but hopefully YOURS too!!

Our hope for our 7th anniversary is to reach 7,000 followers on Instagram! We are at 6,068 as of today (11/2/16 at 5pm EST) so we have full confidence that we can reach (at least) 7,000 by our anniversary on November 27th. Totally possible, right?! Well, we need YOUR HELP to get there! Once we reach 7,000 on IG, we will randomly select a follower who followed the giveaway entry rules and that lucky winner will receive the following GOLDMINE OF GOODIES:

- A PHOTO SESSION WITH MALICOTE PHOTOGRAPHY (We're still squealing that we get to spoil someone with this!! Amazing! Such a blessing, Kelsey & Matt are THE BEST!)

- The Southern Weddings Wedding Planner

- The Southern Weddings Wedding Day Journal

- Southern Weddings Volume 9 (Latest Issue!)

- Two prints by Thirsty Hearts Designs

- Custom Vows Print by Melody Joy

- Baubles & Bowties Volume Two

- Personalized Wooden Hanger by Five Dot Design

- 50% off Full Set of Mink Eye Lash Extensions + 50% off Full Set of Eyebrow Extensions by Lashes by Kia

- And a yummy bottle of champagne because we're celebrating, duh!

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Sooooo want to know how you can win all of that fabulousness?!?

Check out the GIVEAWAY RULES below:

1. Follow us on Instagram @twirllex

2. Tag 3 friends in our post about the giveaway that might want in on all this goodness too!

* * * EXTRA WAYS TO ENTER * * *

1. Comment on our blog announcing the giveaway (surprise.. you're half way there because you're already here!) and tell us something you're thankful for! Easy enough right?!

2. Repost our image about the giveaway (FOUND BELOW) on your own Instagram account and tag us (@twirllex) and use the hashtag #twirlturnsseven.

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We seriously cannot wait to see who wins this amazing giveaway!! If we're being honest, we are real bummed we can't enter it ourselves... from a photo session with Kelsey to tons of Southern Weddings goodies and fabulous lash extensions.. it's a girl's dream!

So let's get going & make it to 7,000 so we can spoil one of you rotten!

Most of all, please know, WE LOVE YOU GUYS SO SO MUCH!! We couldn't be doing any of this if it weren't for y'all and for that we are eternally grateful. We get to do what we love because of this Twirl family and that makes our hearts truly burst with joy.

Cheers to seven years & a million more to come!! Thanks for being along for the ride with us.

XOXOXO, The Twirl Girls

The Heart Behind: Tinker's Cake Shop

THE HEART BEHIND: TINKER'S CAKE SHOP

by Chelsea Sidebottom

We're back with another amazing addition to our "The Heart Behind" series and we're thrilled for you all to get to know the heart behind Tinker's Cake Shop, Cameron & Tracie Tinker. Not only do Cameron and Tracie make some of the most delicious cakes and baked goods in all the land but they also have hearts of gold which we are so excited for y'all to get to know.

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Can you give the readers a little background about your business? How long have you been in business and what services do you offer your clients?

Tinker’s Cake Shop has been in business for the past 11 years. The first five years, Tinker’s was a fully stocked bake shop that was open to the public. We sold cheesecakes, birthday cakes, and several other assorted goods. After some time, my wife and I decided it was time to focus on what we loved most, one-of-a-kind wedding cakes. We create cakes for an array of events such as birthdays and anniversaries but wedding cakes are our specialty. 

When did you know that this was the business for you?

I started baking professionally at the age of 16. I was rather tiny and unable to maneuver a lot of the heavy machinery that most baking required so I started out with cakes. I continued my love for baking by going to culinary school where my favorite class was none other than cake decorating. I think that was a big indication that the cake business was the one for me.

Where did the inspiration for your business come from?

The inspiration for Tinker’s came after meeting my wife. We met in Hilton Head, South Carolina while working at the same bake shop. We soon realized that opening a business was the next step for us.  

How do you contribute your passions into your daily work routine?

Promptness, flexibility, and professionalism are what make our appointments and cake tastings run smoothly for all parties involved. I try to contribute those three factors into everything we do here at Tinker’s so that our clients are fully satisfied and never forget their Tinker’s cake, as well as their experience they had while at our shop.

What’s the best part of running your own business/ being your own boss?

The best part is being able to determine my work schedule. I’m able to distinguish work time from family time and that’s really important to me. Not to mention, our made-from-scratch cakes require lots of planning and preparation so it’s really nice that I’m able designate a large amount of time for each cake.

What is your favorite part about working within the wedding industry?

I enjoy the creativity that comes with weddings. All of our clients chose different formal wear, flowers, catering, venues, etc. It’s so neat to see all the new ideas and ways that our clients choose to piece together their most special day.

What’s your favorite aspect of your business and how does that motivate you in your daily work?

I always feel incredibly honored to be a part of a bride and groom’s wedding day and that inspires me to keep doing what I love on a daily basis.

What is the most rewarding part of your business?

The most rewarding part of my business is when I receive handwritten ‘Thank You’ cards in the mail from our customers. I enjoy hearing about how pleased they were with their cake and how much their guests enjoyed it as well. It’s incredibly humbling and I like hanging each card on display with the other cards I’ve collected over the years from our customers.

How do you define “success”?

I define success as being happy with what you’re doing and how you’re spending each day.

Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?  

Still making brides happy. That’s our goal.

This blog series is titled, “the heart behind”, you were chosen because of your love for people and your caring attitude. How do you pass your grace and love onto your customers?

I believe the best way to pass grace and love onto Tinker’s customers is by trying to eliminate any and all stresses from the bride and groom when it comes to their wedding cake.  

What advice would you give someone who was considering starting his or her own business?

My advice would be to make sure you really enjoy what you’re doing because it’s going to be difficult. Be ready for long hours but don’t forget to enjoy the experience, you’re guaranteed to learn a lot.

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So wonderful right?? So not only are they culinary geniuses but they incredible people as well -- win win! If you're looking for someone to create the cake of your dreams for your big day.. look no further, Cameron & Tracie are your people! Sweet Tinkers, thank you so much for sharing your hearts with us. We are so grateful for you all and all the joy (and yumminess) you bring to this industry. XOXO!

Sweet Emily: Sharing Her Love for the World in Africa

If any of you have been blessed enough to work with our sweet consultant Emily, you know she has the biggest heart and has a desire to share her love with the world.  Not many college students want to spend their summer helping others, but that is exactly what Emily is going to do.  She just needs a little bit of help to fund her trip to get there!

Here are a few words from Emily:

"The desire to educate others on health and nutrition and my calling to spread the love of Jesus has lead me to a calling to serve an under-privileged country for the summer between my junior and senior year of college.  God has called me to spread His love and further His kingdom while taking care of His children close to home and in far away countries.

I am so excited to say that I will be serving as a missionary through Adventures in Missions in their Passport Program!  The Passport program is a two month long mission trip to a specific country with a group of college age women.  While in Swaziland, Africa, we will partner with a ministry that is already active in the community.  Our ministry will work alongside the Adventures Swaziland Base; we will be feeding thousands of adults and children at Carepoints every day.  I will have the opportunity to spend quality time with the community building relationships and helping to meet practical needs.  Other ministry projects include construction on new and existing structures, helping plant, grow and harvest community gardens; teaching at local preschools; helping with administrative tasks; building relationships and connecting with people in hospitals and homes through conversation, prayer and encouragement. 

I am so excited to see how God will move in my life and the lives of others in the coming year.  I hope not only to be a blessing to those I serve, but also to you.  I want to thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support.  May God bless you as you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this ministry."  -Emily

If you want to join us in supporting Emily you can visit www.adventures.org and clicking "donate" on the right side of the page.  A drop down menu will appear and you will want to click mission trip participant "Emily Rhoads". After clicking on that the next screen that will pop up will be the one where you can enter the amount you wish to give. Please make sure that you choose the Passport program in the drop down menu.

Twirl will be donating a portion of all dress purchases to Emily's mission trip the weekend of April 23, but she needs a big bump in fundraising to purchase her plane ticket by April 1!  If you have any questions please email us at ty@twirllexington.com and we will direct the questions to Emily!

Thank you for continuing to support our Twirl Family!

xoxo,

The Twirl Girls