HerKentucky Business: Mellen Designs

Today, we're so excited to spotlight Mary Ellen Harden of Mellen Designs as our July HerKentucky Businesswoman.  Mary Ellen's whimsical, iconic cards and gifts have a distinctively "Lexington" feel, with vibrant drawings of local landmarks, horsey themes, and bright colors.  I first noticed Mary Ellen's work when she designed a custom character for Junior League of Lexington's Holly Day Market. Since then, I've found myself absolutely smitten with her work.  The KY Lady Flat cards are just calling my name (juleps, horseshoes and silks? Yes, please!) and I'm simply obsessed with the Map Cards, the cutest and most unique way to tell a couple's story on a save-the date! -- HCW

Mary Ellen Harden is committed to providing the South's spunkiest, most sophisticated line of cards and gifts. Born in Lexington, Kentucky and graduate of the University of Kentucky Harden is most proud of her local success. Awarded a Trendy Finalist at the National Stationery Show in 2011 is one of the company's greatest achievements. The Mellen line includes greeting cards, invitations, correspondence card sets, gift items, and custom illustration for weddings and large celebrations. Harden says, "The opportunity to give customers exactly what they imagined, or sometimes, better than they imagined makes this very fulfilling work!"

Mary Ellen graciously agreed to answer our questions starting her business and about life in Lexington.  We were thrilled to find that she's as lovely as her artwork!

Have you always lived in Kentucky? 

Yes, I have always lived in Lexington. I went to SCAPA for elementary and middle school and graduated from Lafayette High School.

When did you start drawing/ designing? 

Mellen Designs Horse Shoe Tray

I was always crafting something! I was a young aunt in 6th grade and my sister decorated my neice's room in Winnie the Pooh, I did a series of colored pencil drawings based on the Winnie the Pooh series for the baby's room. I guess I consider this my first large project! I worked at Peggy's Gifts on Clay Avenue in college and she was kind enough to use my art for custom order requests, etc. This was when I produced my first simple line of cards and created custom invitations. I can't remember when I first picked up a marker, but I do remember visiting Disney World in the third grade with my family and walking through MGM studios when artist were still sitting over desks drawing characters for the films. It hit me that I would really enjoy a career where I could do the same.

What made you decide to start your own business?

Save the Date map cards

I was very fortunate to find a job out of college at a successful greeting card company. This gave me the opportunity to learn the industry and build my skills. The owners pushed me to start my own line on the side, so January 2008, only a semester out of school, I opened Mellen Designs. I have always had a goal of owning a stationery business, I just thought it would occur much farther in the future.  

What do you wish someone had told you before you started MEllen Designs?

That there are a LOT of stationery companies out there! Just a joke, but it does raise the topic of comparison and competition. My business model is to do my best, and stand out as myself - not to worry about the "others." I find as a woman and in my business, comparison sneaks up. Although watching industry trends is very important, comparison can make you lose sight of yourself!

What advice do you have for women who want to start their own business?

 I believe that if you are doing what you love and cannot imagine yourself doing anything different you will achieve success. It is very hard work, not to be brushed over, but if your heart is in it, the hard work is so very fulfilling.

Mary Ellen also answered a few fun get-to-know-you questions for us:

Baby Magnet Card

What is your favorite drink?

I hold dearest my morning coffee with a bit of milk and sweetener, but more exciting is an ice cold beer on a hot day at the lake!

What is your favorite spot in Lexington?

I'll have to name a few - Merrick Inn for a celebratory dinner with my husband, the Arboretum for a run with my dog, Keeneland with friends, Old Cassidy Ave. where we are moving in a week, UK campus which brings back so many great memories, Graeter's Ice Cream Parlor with a black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream cone in hand!

Jeans or a skirt?  

Definitely skirt! I can't ever get jeans to fit me right, I'm short!

  

Cats or Cards?  

Cats - always! We named our sweet beagle puppy, Cali after Coach Cal.

  

Summer or Winter? 

Summer! Hot summer days lift my spirits and bring inspiration - of course, it's always harder to get to work in the summer!

 For more Mellen, visit the company website and blog, or follow Mellen on Twitter and Facebook. For the remainder of July, Mary Ellen is running a 10% off offer for all online orders.

Junior League Horse Show

Most good Southern girls have worked what seems like countless volunteer shifts at countless charity events. We've sold cookbooks and raffle tickets. We've led tours of homes and we've decorated for holiday markets. And we've gone to more dinners than we can even remember. They all seem to run together after a while. But nobody can ever claim that Horse Show is anything but unique. The Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show, which takes place this week at the Red Mile Race Track, is unlike any other charity event you'll ever attend. For one thing, it's huge: now in it's seventy-sixth year, it's the world's largest outdoor Saddlebred horse show. It's also a really big deal, serving as the first jewel in the Saddlebred Triple Crown.

Source: lexjrleague.com via Connie on Pinterest

I've had the pleasure of volunteering at a few Horse Shows, and I have to say it's one of the most entertaining and unique events I've ever attended. Even if you know nothing about Saddlebreds or show events, it's an amazing spectacle. The delightful historic track and the show's pageantry provide a charmingly anachronistic evening. It's the kind of event where you see four generations of a family turn out to enjoy the show, and I've honestly never seen more Lilly Pulitzer prints under one roof!

Source: aceweekly.com via AceWeekly on Pinterest

Y'all should head out to the Red Mile for the remaining sessions of the Horse Show. I promise you've never seen a charity event like it!

HerKentucky Story: Krissie Bentley of LexRunLadies

Today, we're kicking off a new feature called HerKentucky Story.  We've asked friends, writers, and fellow bloggers to tell their stories about Kentucky life.  Today's story comes from Krissie Bentley, coordinator of LexRunLadies, a group of Lexington-based women runners.  

You can keep up with Krissie on Twitter (@krissieb) or on her blog, My Radical Commitment.  If you'd like to learn more about LexRunLadies, you can visit their website, Twitter (@lexrunladies), or their Facebook Group. , You can also email them here.

You know those people you see in your neighborhood? Those people who lace up their shoes, pack on their water packs, and run with blatant disregard for precipitation, temperature, or condition of sidewalks?

Yeah. I am one of those people.

I admit that I started running to lose weight, but that’s not why I still run. I keep running because of what running has given me. Not only do I pay more attention to my body and the changing of the seasons, I pay more attention to where I live, work, and play.

Sunrise in Midway

I have learned so much about Lexington and surrounding areas because I spend so much time on foot. When I run downtown, I find shops and restaurants that I return to when I’m clean and dry. I smell food and coffee as I run by restaurants that I return to at the end of my run. I like to explore areas on foot that I’m not familiar with and areas I know well. I pay more attention when I’m moving a little more slowly. Things look different when I’m not behind the wheel of a car.

Lexington also has an impressive trail system, including the Legacy Trail and the Brighton Rail Trail. Many of the roads in the Lexington area are lightly traveled and also fun to run. The area around Keeneland is one of my favorite places to run, not only because of the challenge of the course but also because I never know who I’ll come in contact with.

I ran across these guys in the area surrounding Keeneland.

Being a part of the running community has introduced me to new places to run outside of Lexington as well. Midway is a beautiful place to run. I have met up with friends to run their familiar routes in Louisville. I love to run the trails at Shaker Village in Harrodsburg. Because I am on the lookout for new places to run, I am frequently finding new places to explore.

From the top of a hill on a Shaker Village Trail

The running community in the Lexington area is thriving. I coordinate LexRunLadies and we are often out and about. I have met so many friends through this running group. I am frequently amazed at how strong and quick I can connect with someone while we’re out for a run. It seems like so many personal barriers just come down when we are running. The support, encouragement, and challenges I have felt from this community have changed the way I view myself and my strengths.

LexRunLadies at the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon, March 2012

We welcome and encourage anyone – ladies and dudes, as we call them – from the absolute beginner to the multiple marathoner. We meet at various locations in and around Lexington. You’ll find encouragement, feedback and answers to all sorts of questions, even the embarrassing ones. If you have ever thought about wanting to run and are interested in support, please reach out to us.

In Search of the Perfect Beer Cheese Recipe

via BeerCheese.com

When I was a kid, I thought beer cheese came in a plastic tub from the grocery store.  Specifically, one that said "Hall's."  My parents are EKU alumni, and they had fond memories of trips to Hall's on the River  from their Richmond days.  It was always a huge treat when we could find containers of Hall's Beer Cheese at our local grocery store; I loved the snappy, spicy cheese spread as a snack with vegetables or crackers.

When I got to college, I first heard of making your own beer cheese.  My roommate's aunt would whip up a batch a few times a year and send us some.  And, you know, it tasted a whole lot fresher and less "chemical-y" than the pre-made stuff.  I also developed quite an affinity for the beer cheese and crudité plate at Charlie Brown's.  (I was, by this time, way too grown-up and sophisticated to just call them vegetables anymore!)

Now, beer cheese has gotten creative.  Winchester, the birthplace of beer cheese, hosts an annual festival to spotlight it.  Local restaurants have found that it sure is good as a hamburger spread.  And, many people find that the flavor of their beer cheese can be altered by the quality and type of beer added to the recipe.  Beer cheese connoisseurs use stouts or ales to provide complex flavor.  My personal favorite recipe is from Chef Jonathan Lundy's cookbook; it uses Kentucky Ale's fantastic Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. The result is a spicy, nutty cheese spread with wonderfully subtle bourbon notes.  

Whether you prefer gourmet or classic recipes, though, pretty much any beer cheese is wonderful.  Just open a beer, take a drink or so off the top, and fire up the food processor.  It's a great taste of Central Kentucky in just a few minutes' prep time.


Basic Beer Cheese:

10 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese

10 ounces mild cheddar cheese

2 cloves garlic

7 ounces beer

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

 Dash of hot sauce (I prefer Louisiana or Crystal)

1. Open beer and bring to room temperature.

2 Grate cheese with box grater and mince garlic. Place in food processor.
3. Add remaining ingredients, mix in food processor until smooth.  You may need to add seasonings to taste.
4. Refrigerate overnight.  This is best served the next day.

Garden Success in the Bluegrass!

Last month, I shared with you my source for all things vegetable plants: Michler’s in Lexington. Today, I’m here to show you a little bit of success.

I am proud to reveal my very first harvestable, I-can’t-believe-I-didn’t-kill-them vegetables. I give you…radishes:

These guys were, reportedly, juicy and carried a little bit of spicy bite to them. I’m not a fan of radishes, so I happily divided my harvest between my husband and my mom. Both of them bit right into them like they were apples. Success!

Almost ready to harvest is this banana pepper. I LOVE banana peppers and am trying to wait patiently until it’s fully ripe. Not much longer!

The cayenne peppers are coming along quite nicely, too. My husband says we need to wait just a bit longer for these to be ready. I have no idea what do with them once harvested, but he seems excited at the process. It took me by surprise that there was even fruit on this plant. It’s hard to spot!

For you seasoned green thumbs, these three successes might seem old hat or piddly. Not so, my friends! This is proof that I do not kill every living plant placed in my care. It’s a summertime miracle!

Now You're Cooking with Bourbon...

Image via Southern Living.

A few Sundays ago, my beau and I had just sat down to a patio brunch at one of our very favorite Downtown Lexington spots when we happened to notice the folks at the next table.  They were clearly a family, a mother, father, and a twenty-something son.  Their rapid accents and references to Westchester County easily identified them as upstate New Yorkers.   As we finished deciding on our order, we happened to hear the lady at that table wondering about dessert selections, so my beau handed her his menu.  A moment later, she asked us whether the restaurant carried "something called Derby Pie", which she'd been told to try on her trip to Kentucky.

Now, it was a sunny, lazy Sunday morning -- kind of a picture-postcard day -- and we decided it would be a lovely time to play "native Kentuckian" for these folks. (Later, my beau would jokingly say of the encounter, "This is so going in HerKentucky, isn't it?")  So, I gave our new friend a mini lesson on Derby Pie -- how nearly every Kentucky restaurant sells a variant of Derby Pie, but are bound by trademark restrictions to call it something else, how she definitely wanted to try it before she went home, etc.  As she asked more questions about the pastry and its preperation, I went into the basic instructions of how to make a Kentucky pie-- chocolate, walnuts, and a heavy splash of Maker's Mark.

"Does it have to be Maker's Mark, or can you use any bourbon?" the lady then asked. 

Image via Maker's Mark.

Now, as I've said before, Maker's is the bourbon of choice at our house.  We just love its caramel notes and its smooth drinkability.  We know that any time I cook with chocolate, I add a splash of Maker's for balance.  We know that any time we want to undwind with a nice cocktail, it's Maker's and Coke or a Maker's Manhattan.  But, the truth is, it has been ages since we thought about  or explained the reason.  Needless to say, we jumped into Maker's Mark Ambassador mode and gave our Knickerbocker friends a little lesson in bourbon.

I first explained to our fellow diner that I always use Maker's Mark in baking because the three distinct notes -- smokiness, caramel, and a hint of vanilla -- provide a complex counterbalance to chocolate.  This flavor profile compliments the chocolate flavor deliciously.  My beau then took over from there,  noting that Maker's is distilled in a very unique manner, using red winter wheat instead of rye, which creates a smooth and caramel-textured bourbon. 

By this time, the youngest member of the dining party had returned from paying the check.  His mother asked us to repeat a few details for his benefit, to which he replied "Do you work for Maker's Mark?'

"No," my beau and I said, almost in unison.  "we just really like bourbon."

HerKentucky Charity: Woodford Humane Society

I'm a dog person.

(Ok, I'm one of those ridiculous people who's always photographing her dogs, pampering her dogs, having quilts hand-made for her dogs, and generally making a fool of herself whenever dogs are involved. To-may-to, To-mah-to. Whatever.)

Image via here.

Over the holiday weekend, I found myself in a situation where my crazy dog-person heart was just breaking for a sweet and beautiful dog. She was a timid, gorgeous pit bull who'd basically been given to a family acquaintance for breeding purposes. Here she was, a week postpartum, hot and exhausted, and feeding eight puppies. Her old owners didn't want her. She was being given plenty of food and water, and a good bit of attention, but it wasn't like she was home. As I looked into her blue-grey eyes, I wanted to tell her it was okay.  I wanted to tell her that she and her babies wouldn't be subjected to all of the fear and misinformation that arises in relation to her breed.  Mainly, I just wanted to fix things for her.

Now, my beau has had to tell me time and again that I can't rescue all the dogs, no matter how much I'd like to.  We've rescued two high-energy, high-maintenance dogs, and that's really all that we can handle right now.  (But don't think we didn't consider it.)  Since it wouldn't have been feasible for me to personally save this sweet girl, I found myself wishing that she and her babies lived a whole lot closer to Woodford Humane Society.  I have every faith that they could help her find the loving home she deserves.

 Located just outside Lexington, in the Woodford County town of Versailles, the Woodford Humane Society is a non-profit animal adoption center that cares for the animal population of Central Kentucky.  Fueled completely by private donations, Woodford Humane has an open-door policy, which means that they take in all animals, regardless of breed, temperament, health, or age.   "Regardless of breed" doesn't just mean dogs or cats -- the shelter houses rabbits, birds, pigs, and as you'd expect from the Bluegrass State, horses. The WHS commitment to placing animals is truly astonishing. The national average for animal shelter home placement is 25%; since 2007, WHS has found homes for an average of 97% of their animals.

Woodford Humane maintains its commitment to first-rate animal care through year-round fundraisers, including the Limited Editions calendar, the Woodford Wag 5K, and the Freedom Fest. Please consider donating to Woodford Humane, fostering a pet, or adopting a new friend today.  You don't have to be a crazy dog person to make a difference!