As a big fan of the Food Network it was great to meet Tyler Florence in the Oscar Mayer event in New York City a few weeks ago (watch the video interview with Tyler Florence). However, the person who made even a bigger impact was a Wienermobile driver Brian. Did you know that every year thousands of college graduates get to apply to be an official Wienermobile driver and only the best of the best will be approved? Neither did I. Bryan tells it all what it takes to be a Wienermobile driver, and how he lives life to the fullest driving around the most famous wiener of them all. A must see video – shot directly inside the Wienermobile!! You can also follow and chat with the @Wienermobile crew on Twitter.

Special thanks to my friend Rachel Ferrucci who filmed the video – and here is a picture of Rachel and I inside the Wienermobile.

Tangled is one of our family’s favorite movies on DVD right now. It is the iconic story of Rapunzel with new twists and it is not just for the girls, even the boys in our family enjoyed the movie. Mandy Moore gives her beautiful voice for Rapunzel and we had a change to catch up with her and hear what she had to say about becoming a Disney character.

Did you want to be a princess when you were younger?

Mandy Moore: I did! I think it’s every young girl’s dream to be a Disney princess. I didn’t necessarily want to be the princess with a big dress and a wand, but I definitely wanted a nice tiara like The Little Mermaid. I really wanted to be the mermaid princess.

How similar are you to Rapunzel?

Mandy Moore: I’d like to think that I’m pretty similar to Rapunzel. I think she’s got a great sense of adventure and she likes to see the good in people. She’s also very curious about the world. I can definitely relate to her in all these ways. I don’t know if I’m as brave as Rapunzel – but I’m really into martial arts. I’m not a martial arts expert or anything, but I’m a huge fan. Rapunzel is pretty handy with a frying pan in the movie, so she can clearly take care of herself.

Can you take care of yourself?

Mandy Moore: No, but I wish I could. That’s why I think I’m so interested in martial arts. I’m curious to see if I can pick up any tricks along the way.

How does it feel to be the newest Disney princess?

Mandy Moore: It feels very cool. I especially like the idea that this movie will live forever. One day, I’ll be able to show my own family, “Look what I got to be a part of.” It’s the ultimate childhood dream.

What’s your favorite song in the film?

Mandy Moore: My favorite song is the duet I get to sing with Zachary Levi (who voices Flynn). We got to record the song together, which was a lot of fun. I was blown away by Zach’s voice because I had no idea he could sing. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is going to be amazing.’

Did you always want to be an actress when you were younger?

Mandy Moore: I think I wanted to be an actor and a singer ever since I was six years old, so I was in lots of school plays and things like that. I appeared in plays like The Christmas Carol, Gypsy and Bye Bye Birdie – but I didn’t always get the lead role.

Did that bother you?

Mandy Moore: No, it didn’t bother me. I was just excited to be included, especially because I was doing the plays with a lot of my friends. All I wanted was to be around my friends and to be in good company.

What advice would you give to youngsters who want to take up a career in acting?

Mandy Moore: If you want to become an actor, you have to understand that a lot of disappointment comes along with this job – but you can’t take it personally. Even to this day, I still get disappointed when I audition for something and I really want it, but it doesn’t end up going my way.

What’s the best way to handle rejection?

Mandy Moore: You just have to learn something positive from the experience. You have to think to yourself, ‘What can I do differently next time?’ Or maybe you weren’t doing anything wrong, but it just wasn’t the right opportunity. There’s always a next time!

Is it important not to take rejection personally?

Mandy Moore: It is very important! You have to find a way to not take it personally and not let it deter you from doing the thing that you love.

How would you inspire today’s youth ?

Mandy Moore: The only thing I can say is, “Be yourself.” You shouldn’t have to change for anyone to be their friends. Just continue to be yourself, no matter what.

I had an opportunity to catch up with Melanie Nelson of Blogging Basics 101. Melanie has done so much for the blogging community by helping bloggers to learn about blogging. If you are new to blogging and would like to get started, Melanie is an amazing person to know – and even if you are a seasoned blogger, you will learn new things from Melanie! But even if you are not into blogging, I think Melanie’s story is amazing how she created her career and path to her success by learning everything and anything there is to learn about blogging. She is an inspiring woman, living her life to the fullest!

Katja: How and when did you get started with blogging? What did you do before that?
Melanie: I have a master’s degree in technical writing. When I graduated, I was hired by a local company to do something completely different than writing instructional materials: create web pages for other local companies. I started building websites in 1995 and coded most of them in Notepad because there were no WYSIWYG editors at that time. Many of the webmasters in my group would put personal pages on the company server (can you imagine?) and we’d update them as the whim struck us. That was the first time I started blogging. In 1997, while I was pregnant, I updated those pages much more frequently and added more pictures and shared the pages with family living in other states.

After I had our first child, I quit working to stay at home so I didn’t have a server to keep up with the page updates. I didn’t journal online again until 2003 when I heard a Kim Komando show about something called weblogs. I thought, “I definitely know enough to do that” and started a blog that day. It was on Blogger and I called it Stuff I’m Thinkin’ About. Yes, I did. How awful is that? I proceeded to change the name of my personal blog several times until I finally decided on Don’t Try This at Home.

In 2006, my friend Shannon (who wrote Rocks In My Dryer) encouraged me to start Blogging Basics 101 because she and I were both receiving so many questions about how to start a blog and keep it running smoothly. We launched BB101 in January 2007. I absolutely love writing articles for Blogging Basics 101 because I’m able to blend my passions for technology and technical writing so seamlessly.

Katja: How did you learn so much about blogging? How many blogs you have had?
Melanie: I learned about blogging by doing. If I have a question, I Google it. I find out as much as I can about something, then I apply it to what I need to do. Most of the instructional articles I found were poorly written, so I knew there was a need for well-written instructions for a beginning audience. As I learned, I would share the information with my readers.

Over the years I’ve had several blogs:

• Don’t Try This at Home was my personal blog. While I occasionally discussed my children, it was more a place where I could talk as myself about the things I was interested in outside of being a mom.
• Bloggy Giveaways was a daily giveaway site. Some of you may remember the amazing carnival we hosted every quarter. It was named…wait for it…The Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. So original, I know. See? Not everything that is successful has to have an incredible name, it just has to work. The reason Bloggy Giveaways and its carnival were so successful, in my opinion, is that it wasn’t about receiving product myself, it was about giving excellent products away and providing an advertising platform for companies. It originally started out as a way to showcase moms who had Etsy shops and were trying to make a living from home. It grew to include larger companies and brands, but we were able to keep the momentum going because we interacted with so many of our fans.
• Blogging Basics 101 is still alive, but I’m afraid it’s a bit neglected. I have been very busy developing online courses teaching bloggers and businesses how to use social media (mainly Facebook) to grow their audience and sales. I’ve also been doing consulting for local businesses. Like many small business owners, I’m finding there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, I am always open to publishing guest posts if anyone has a tutorial they’d like to share. Just e-mail me at melanie@bloggingbasics101.com and give me an idea of what you’d like to write.

Katja: What do you think has been your biggest achievement in social media so far?
Melanie: That’s a great question. I feel like I’ve done some great things because of social media, but I’m not sure I’m exactly where I want to be yet. I’ve helped on client, Purse-a-nality grow her business to three times its size simply by teaching her how to use Facebook effectively. She’s a go-getter of a sales woman in the first place, but she had no idea the power social media could have on her sales. That’s been an incredibly fun ride.

On a more personal level, my participation in the social media community has led me to opportunities I might not otherwise have found. In particular, I was asked to write TypePad for Dummies (it was published in 2010). Since then, I’ve worked as a freelance editor with Wiley and have served as technical editor on a few books and contributed a chapter to another. Since I’m a trained technical writer, this is the kind of work I really enjoy and would love to do more often.

But probably the single most rewarding thing that’s happened for me is when I meet people and they tell me they learned to blog by reading my site. Holy cannoli! There are some days you feel like everything you put out there is just part of the abyss. Then I attend a conference, present on a panel, and have people tracking me down for more information or to tell me that I’ve helped them. That is probably my biggest achievement. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing you’ve added to someone’s life in some way.

Katja: What are you excited about right now?
Melanie: Oh, thank you for asking! I’m really excited about a few things. I’m going to start doing a short, 30-minute interactive video chat on my Facebook page via Livestream every Wednesday night at 8p CST. (Don’t worry, only I will be on the video part, you can sit in your pajamas and make faces at me and I’ll never know.) I’ll take questions from the audience and I’ll have a few topics of my own to discuss. To be part of that or find out more information, be sure to Like the Blogging Basics 101 Facebook page. I’ll post more information and reminders there.

I’m also very excited about my new online courses (these will be more in-depth than the Livestream shows). I’m currently testing out several options for presenting webinars about blogging and social media. If you’d like to be in the know about upcoming classes, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter. The newsletter will have a list of current and upcoming classes and also shares tips and information about social media and blogging.

My online classes currently cover everything from search engine optimization to beginning blogging to creating and running a Facebook business page. You can see a full list of my social media classes at Blogging Basics 101.

I plan to offer a few courses this spring and summer, then offer more regular courses in the fall. I know that as a mom, for me anyway, spring and summer can be hectic because I’m driving kids around, hosting playdates, and, yes, even supplementing their education a bit because it’s summer. (I know! My kids also think I’m the meanest mom around because I make them do school in the summer.) I think it’s hard for moms to have time to learn something new, so it will give me some time to offer discounted courses and work the kinks out. By September, I’ll schedule the courses in a way that you can take only the ones you need or you can take them in a specific order that allows you to build on previous classes and knowledge.

Katja: How do you live life to the fullest and any tips for others to do so too?
Melanie: For many years I thought I was living my life to the fullest. What I’ve realized now, though, is that I would always stop short of true success. I have a sort of self-sabotaging part of my personality that I listen to more often than I should. For a while, as new opportunities would arise, I would run the other way. For instance, Mashable linked to Blogging Basics 101 last year. That was a huge opportunity I should have leveraged to gain new readers and keep them. Instead, I took three months off and didn’t blog a bit.

In September, 2010, I made a conscious decision to stop my self-sabotaging behavior and lean into my fear. After all, it was a fear of success that was holding me back. What if people knew I wasn’t what they thought? Or what if I’m not as knowledgeable as people (or I) think I am? Who do I think I am, anyway? So I’ve been leaning into that fear and confronting it head on. I’m pursuing my ideas, learning new things every day, and really working hard. I’m living my life to its fullest because I’m adding to myself and sharing what I learn with others. It’s not always easy, but each time I push through a milestone, I gain a little more confidence and see a lot more success.

You can find Melanie on Twitter: @chilihead, facebook.com/BloggingBasics101 and read bloggingbasics101.com. You can also read more about Melanie at www.melanienelson.com and LinkedIn.

Disney’s StarStruck movie is comes out today on DVD and also available in a two disk DVD/CD pack, the full length soundtrack includes songs by stars Sterling Knight and Brandon Mychal Smith. The Extended Edition DVD is the only way to get the exclusive content not aired on TV, and if you have little girls in your family, you will want to note this tween movie – perfect for watching again and again on rainy days of the summer.

My 8 year old daughter Gaby picked her favorite song from the movie to be featured in this post..

What can you tell us about your new movie?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: StarStruck is a movie with a great, little love twist. I play a character called Jessica – and the movie’s story is all about her falling for a pop star, played by Sterling Knight. I think the movie’s going to have everyone laughing because it’s funny and it’s really, really sweet. Jessica is really down to earth and sweet. She’s not obsessed with fame, but her sister is. In fact, her sister is obsessed with Christopher Wilde – who is the pop star played by Sterling in the movie. She’s a huge fan of his!

Are you similar to Jessica in any way?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: Well, I can really relate to Jessica because I’m new to Hollywood, just like she is in the movie. Hollywood is a whole new world to me!

Let’s talk fashion, Danielle… Are you a fan of your character’s outfits in StarStruck?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: Jessica is really girlie, which is pretty similar to me – but she wears a lot of pink and I’m not the biggest fan of that color. I’m pretty casual, just like Jessica – but I think she wears more dresses than I do.

How would you describe your personal sense of style?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: I love wearing jeans. I live in them! You’ll always find me wearing jeans, boots and a T-shirt – but I’m trying to get into fashion more and I want to play around with it. It’s fun to play with fashion and clothes.

Who is your fashion icon?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: I love Blake Lively. She’s one of my favorite actresses and she’s got a really classy and beautiful look. She’s somebody that I really look up to and follow.

Have you always wanted to be an actress?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: I never really pictured myself as an actress. I just fell into the industry when I was 10 years old.

How did you get your big break?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: I was getting my haircut in Chicago when someone approached my mom. They asked me to audition for an agency and it all started from there. I hadn’t even performed in any school plays or anything like that, so it was pretty amazing to be picked up like that.

So what’s your top tip to acting success?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: I think it’s all about working hard and learning as much as possible about acting. I took acting classes and I’m always trying to improve myself. Everyone can improve and the more you work in the industry, the better you are going to feel about it.

Do you have any audition tips for youngsters who want to follow in your footsteps and act?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: Be yourself. It’s important to get into character when you’re performing a scene, but it’s also important to be yourself when you’re meeting people at castings. Put yourself into the character’s shoes and really follow your instinct when you perform the scene, but it’s fine to be yourself once the scene is over.

Is it natural to be nervous at auditions?

DANIELLE CAMPBELL: Some people get really nervous, but others don’t. It’s completely random. If nerves hit, you’ve just got to work through them and be confident with yourself. Oh, and stay positive.

Are you a fan of romantic comedies?

STERLING KNIGHT: Absolutely! I’m definitely a romantic comedy dude because I’m a big romantic at heart. I’m a softy, so it’s always nice to watch movies that make you think that love at first sight is actually possible.

What can you tell us about your character in StarStruck?

STERLING KNIGHT: Christopher Wilde is the most famous and successful pop star on the face of the planet. He has a skewed perception of reality because that’s what his life is like, but he’s a good person underneath it all and he works hard to do his job properly.

Did you enjoy playing Christopher?

STERLING KNIGHT: Sure. I love cars, so it was really fun to play a guy that has six of them in his garage! I had the time of my life on this movie.

Have you ever met anyone like Christopher Wilde in real life?

STERLING KNIGHT: Zac Efron is dangerously close to Christopher Wilde. He doesn’t have as many cars as Christopher, but he is hardworking and he is genuinely one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

Where did you meet Zac?

STERLING KNIGHT: We shot a movie together called 17 Again and we’ve been friends ever since. He’s very similar to Christopher because he’s really, really famous and he’s extremely inspiring to watch.

Would you like to become a pop star like Christopher?

STERLING KNIGHT: Not really. I’ve always had fun with music, but I prefer to listen to it rather than sing. It was definitely a fun experience to get into a recording studio and see how everything works, but it’s never been a main goal of mine. I don’t think I’ll be actively seeking a pop career.

Spill the beans, Sterling… Have you ever been starstruck before?

STERLING KNIGHT: I don’t usually get starstruck, but I met Sir Paul McCartney randomly on Sunset Boulevard a few years ago and I lost it! I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think and I didn’t know how to speak. It was crazy. He was nice enough to talk to my family and me for 10 minutes, but I remember babbling away about nonsense.

Which celebrity would make you starstruck right now?

STERLING KNIGHT: I think I’d be pretty starstruck over John Mayer. I’m a big fan of his music and I think he’s great. Like I said, I don’t usually lose my cool when I see a celebrity – but I’d be impressed if I got to talk to John Mayer. It would make my day.

What was the highlight to filming in Hollywood?

STERLING KNIGHT: It was especially cool to film in Hollywood because Danielle – who plays Christopher Wilde’s love interest in StarStruck – had never been to Hollywood before. She’d never seen any of the landmarks and she was really awestruck at the handprints in the concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. It added a great element to the shoot.

Was she blown away by the Hollywood landmarks?

STERLING KNIGHT: She was! I had so much fun watching her eyes widen when she saw things for the first time. She walked up to the imprint of George Clooney’s shoe to see how big his feet were and things like that. She was really funny.

Tell us a reason why we should buy the movie on DVD..

STERLING KNIGHT: We’ve got some really cool stuff on the StarStruck DVD that I’m really excited about. We’ve got some expanded music sequences that were really fun to shoot and there’s also an entire song that was never heard in the original movie. It’s a really catchy track! If you have as much fun listening to it as I had recording it, you’re in for a HUGE treat. StarStruck is a really cool romantic comedy that will have you laughing your head off. It’s sweet, romantic and a lot of fun to watch. Trust me… You’re going to love it!

Disney’s StarStruck on Amazon.com $20.99

Alice in Wonderland is the trendiest movie of 2010 and the Skimbaco Lifestyle’s feature weekend is on! Anne Hathaway played the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland and we had an honor to get this interview with Anne Hathaway about her role.

What did you think of the platinum blonde look and shimmering white gown you have in the film?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I think the look of my character really fits into Tim Burton’s canon, when you look at a lot of his heroines. A lot of them have pale hair and shadowed eyes and dark lips. I think this is the more extreme version of it. She is the White Queen so obviously the color of her hair is informed by that. What I was struck by when I saw the film was that the hair and make-up actually matched what I was trying to do with the character – which was to play her as someone who was good but with a tiny bit of darkness in her. I thought that came out in the lips and the nails. I was so happy that I did not recognize myself.

Where did the vegan/punk rocker description of the White Queen come from?

ANNE HATHAWAY: That came from the script actually. When she says it is against her vows to harm any living creature, well I am a geek – and I had a lot of time on my hands, obviously – so I made up a whole back story about how she maybe liked meat but it made her sick and how maybe her parents saw her sister start to display violent tendencies and so they got her to make a vow that she would never harm another living creature. So she had repressed her aggression and hadn’t explored it. So that is where the punk rock and vegan thing came in.

Were you a fan of the books?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I loved the books. I didn’t read them till I was at college. I was really struck by Alice’s emotions and the way she felt overwhelmed by the world around her. Also I was so entertained by the world of the books. When I was doing my research for the film I read a lot of essays on the books. One of the things that someone pointed out was that Wonderland is a place of extreme emotions. People [in Wonderland] have emotional reactions to things – often angry reactions. I remember when I read the book that my hormones were raging and I felt a connection to it. I had been planning on reading the books for some time because when I was in Fifth Grade a teacher had us memorize the Jabberwocky poem. So when Johnny was reciting that in the film I was saying it along with him.

What was it like to work with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton?

ANNE HATHAWAY: Johnny, Tim and Helena are all like this awesome rock band and I felt like I was invited to play back-up on their album. And then they would say…here’s a solo…and be like, oh really!, Thank you! Tim has a joy to him and a commitment to his own aesthetic that I respect so deeply. I felt so privileged to be around and I was so inspired by that. When you work with Tim Burton everybody not only tries as hard as they can, they also bring their most creative selves and everyone does what they can to make it as special as his vision. So one of the biggest differences about working with Tim is how much he inspires people. On this film Tim pointed me in the direction that he wanted me to go in and then he basically said to do what I wanted to do with it.

I had been very nervous about working with Tim because I had admired him from the first time I saw Beetlejuice and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I wanted to fit into Wonderland, which was a mad, imaginative wonderful world. Also I was very nervous about working on green screen, which I had not done before. So I worked out all the details before I got on the set and Tim was totally open to everything. He is not a director who says ‘no’ very often. He likes to play, he likes to explore. Even if he might disagree with you or if he doesn’t understand where you want to go, he will give you the opportunity to try. For instance my character having a weak stomach was a happy accident. He made an entire arc in the movie about that and I was so happy with that. I don’t know him very well but he is very easy to get along with. He is very interesting, very funny and he is a rule breaker.

Tell us more about the green screen experience in Alice In Wonderland.

ANNE HATHAWAY: There was a huge room that was just green. If I had had to work on it longer I might have got freaked out but it was just two weeks. Tim knew what he was doing and most of the cast had worked on green screen before, so I just watched what everyone else was doing and pretended I knew what was happening. I felt that way at the world premiere when we met Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. What do you do? Is it ma’am as in jam?

You have been a princess in The Princess Diaries and now a Queen. Are you drawn to roles that subvert expectation, and are you careful choosing the right roles?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I try to bring an unconventional approach to all my roles. It is not necessarily to defy expectation but it is more to ask what would I expect in reading this and how can I mess with the rhythm of this character? My (role) choices are character driven. I want to play characters that interest me in films that are directed by film makers that I respect.

Do you think that after Rachel Getting Married and your Oscar nomination that people saw you in a different light?

ANNE HATHAWAY: People that I really respect have come up to me and said that they did not think that I had that in me. That is a very nice feeling but I wasn’t out to prove anything with that role. But that happened without me trying and it was nice. I started when I was so young and my goal has always been career longevity and so I always planned to take my time with everything and explore things. I am not sure that I could have played a character like Kym [in Rachel Getting Married] before I did. I had a lot of growing to do and I still have a lot of growing to do. So I just hope to work with people who are going to help me grow.

How important for you is it to mix things up by doing Indy movies and big budget productions?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I have been told it is very important. But it is just that I don’t like repeating myself. I like to change it up a lot. So I have explored as many options and genres and types of films as are available to me.

A bonus must be that this film has the quirkiness that Tim Burton brings?

ANNE HATHAWAY: If Tim had asked me to do Blade Runner – The Musical I would have done that. Actually that is a great idea, I would want to see that AND be in it! But actually the fact that Tim was doing Alice made it even more exciting for me. And that it was a return to Disney was wonderful. But it was really more that I was motivated by Tim and also I fell in love with the White Queen. From the moment I saw her in the script she sparkled to me. I was really drawn to it. I have always had strong feelings about which role I was drawn to. And it has always been the role in the script that I have been asked to consider. I have been very lucky because not every actor is given the option of auditioning for a different role.

You were cooking some potions in the Alice in Wonderland – do you like to cook?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I’m trying. I am new to it. One in five things is very good and everything else is nice effort. I am working on the basics right now and trying to find my go-to chilli recipe. The other day I roasted a chicken that I have got to say was awesome. But I used a lot of butter and it’s not hard to make chicken taste good when you use a lot of butter. I am not a very imaginative cook, I follow recipes, but I really do enjoy it. That and baking. I used to be a vegetarian but obviously I am not a very committed vegetarian when you roast chicken. My favorite recipe is the Waverley Inn’s Chicken Pot Pie. That is a restaurant in the West Village of New York where they make a Chicken Pot Pie that is the most delicious comfort food ever! I found the recipe and I have made it a few times and it is really fun. I like time consuming cooking projects when I spend all Sunday in the kitchen making a big meal. I like Sunday and I invite people over for brunch and then it turns into dinner.

You are not an adventurous cook but are you an adventurous eater?

ANNE HATHAWAY: I have eaten Fried Crickets. It was fine. They were very greasy and dense. They were crunchy but I did not think they were nice. But I was happy that I had done it. The one thing that I absolutely cannot eat – it turns me off – is tripe! I cannot eat any type of intestine. A friend has come back from Bhutan and they showed me pictures of something they ate and it was the grilled guts of some animal and it was not appealing. I get a little nauseous thinking about it. So I am not that adventurous. The Travel Channel would never give me my own show.

Buy the movie at Amazon.com ($16.99) or rent at Blockbuster Express ($1 per day).

Alice in Wonderland, the trendiest movie of 2010- feature continues with an interview with Helena Bonham Carter.

You are engaged to Tim Burton and have two children together, what is it like working with him?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: He asked me to be in Alice In Wonderland and I was really touched that he still wants to work with me. He is such a brilliant film maker and I love his work. But I really expected not to be in this. I did hideous Baby Jane Alice pictures…saying ‘Can I be in it!’ He said that I had to be in it because he had drawn me. And there was this drawing of his huge headed person, with angry eyebrows. It definitely had my eyebrows. It always starts with a sketch. He said to think of Elizabeth 1 and I said that I got that. He said it was Bette Davis in the film of Elizabeth 1, The Privates Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex. So I watched that and then Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest.

What about working with Johnny Depp?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: He is a brilliant actor. The Mad Hatter is not the sexiest look though some people might think so. I did laugh when I saw him but then he laughed at me, too. Johnny is also a very good artist. There is not much that he can’t do…which is very annoying.

You are a good artist as well, and we see a totally new Helena Bonham Carter in Alice in Wonderland. How did you create the voice of The Red Queen?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: I talked with Linda Woolverton, the writer, and I said that I thought that The Red Queen had arrested development and that I was pitching her about two years old. And she said absolutely! She’s like a toddler, she has a tantrum all the time. She’s a toddler tyrant – toddlers are tyrants! They’ve got no sympathy for any other living creatures… the toddler thing was a big thing. My two year old daughter – she is quieter now – was retrospective inspiration. Two is kind of the time when you don’t have any empathy for any other living creature. You slap things and it’s all about me. That’s ok in a toddler but not in a grown-up toddler. When Linda Woolverton told me about the big head it made sense that she chops off other people’s heads because she feels jealous of their normal sized heads.

Did you ever loose your voice during the filming because you are screaming all the time?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: I lost my voice. Tim said that I could dub any bits that I wanted later. And I did lots of dubbing because a lot of the time you can hear that my voice is cracked. But I think she would probably be like that because if you scream all the time you are going to have a cracked voice. Tim would say…What use are you by lunch time?…because I would have lost my voice. And to tell you the truth, after shouting all day I didn’t actually have a voice after lunch, so, I didn’t really speak much, except on set, which was probably what Tim wanted!

How was it working with green screen?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: It was tiring. I don’t want this to sound like a sob story because it wasn’t like running a marathon. But the green was not a lovely, calm green. It was a bright green and if you have a whole room like that…so you had to get out of it after a while.

You were brilliant as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Are you interested in doing another musical?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: I love singing. But I didn’t have long enough to practice. There is talk of something but it’s too early to talk about it. Singing is exciting and daunting – the more you do it, the more you realize how much hard graft it is. But you know what? I bet you that I got pregnant because I was singing for Sweeney Todd. I was breathing properly because I was singing and it produces happy hormones too. It is very healthy, a great thing to do. Afterwards I said I was going to sing every day and continue to do my exercises and Tim said…no, your not! Of course you fall out of the habit but I would love to do another musical.

The costumes in Alice in Wonderland are amazing. Do you have a favorite movie costume?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: I love costumes. I have most of Mrs. Lovett’s at home and all my underwear. No-one ever saw that but they had it made for the film and I’ve worn it a lot…silk bloomers which were fantastic. And from this I have a lot of reject Alice In Wonderland socks. I wanted the Mad Hatter outfit. It was fantastic. But I didn’t get it of course!

Has anyone suggested you having your own fashion line?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: I have, I’ve done my own bloomers. Then I did a thing called Pantaloonies which was really for charity. I take old jeans that people send to me. They fill in a scrapbook questionnaire. Then I chop off the jeans at the knee and put frills in and scrapbook of you on the backside. I did a set for a bride with silk and organza and pictures of her dogs on the backside.

You and Tim Burton have two children. How do you cope being an actress and a mother?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: Well I’ve got help. But now both of us have got to take a break. We also have to rebuild certain bits of the house that are falling down.

What did your eight year old son, Billy, think of Alice in Wonderland?

HELENA BONHAM CARTER: I think it was slightly overwhelming but he wasn’t scared. Billy was ok. He had seen bits while it was being made when he sat next to Tim in the director’s chair. He is really into monsters at the moment and he talks about Loch Ness and Bigfoot and the Yeti.

Buy the movie at Amazon.com ($16.99) or rent at Blockbuster Express ($1 per day).

Today’s featured Mompreneur is Lisa J. Lehmann of StudioJewel. I got to know Lisa via Twitter a long time ago, and when I got sick, she designed me a custom medical bracelet, that I wear every day. I finally met Lisa in person at the BlissDom conference this winter, and she is such a beautiful person, inside and out, and I feel lucky to have gotten to know her. Besides creating jewelry – Lisa’s passion is to help people and raise awareness, and many of her pieces are dedicated to raise awareness (and collect funds) to her selected charities and causes.

Katja: Lisa, introduce StudioJewel for those who might not know it yet.

Lisa: StudioJewel is a mom-owned metal art jewelry studio based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born out of my passion to create, a background in fine art and a strong desire to be home with my four children. Each StudioJewel design is conceptualized and handcrafted by me, lisa j lehmann.

Katja: What is your best Mother’s Day memory?

Lisa: One of my most favorite Mother’s Day memories was also one of the most simple, laid back Mother’s Days ever. We had a picnic in the park next to rambling brook. I was 5 months pregnant for my third child and my then 2 & 3 year old kids played with bubbles and frisbees and balls. It was a beautiful spring day and everyone was just happy. It still warms my soul to think of it!

Katja: If you could choose anything in the world, what would be your ideal Mother’s Day Gift?

Lisa: Ha…for my now 13, 12, 9 and 7 year old children to never fight or argue with each other again!!! Seriously though…this year i want a FLIP or an iTouch…very, very badly. I’ve tried to win one a hundred ways…but no such luck!

Katja: Which one of your products is the best seller for mothers?

Lisa: My Mom necklace is consistently an excellent seller…it has been a great piece to express those people the nearest and dearest to your heart! I love the center tag on this necklace, it is shown stamped with the word FAMILY, but I have stamped last names, or the word BLESSED – it is a heavy piece of silver and adds great substance and depth to this piece. But another great selling piece are my set of bangles. Five sterling silver bangles gently wrapped in 14 karat gold vermeil. One bangle can be stamped with a word, or words of your choice…kids names perhaps?

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift for Lisa

What can I say… Lisa makes this one pretty easy, huh? I would gift Lisa a FLIP camera with Pink accents and actually give it to her kids first for a week to record their messages already in the camera for Lisa. Oh by the way… stay tuned for the Skimbaco Lifestyle Mother’s Day Giveaways… One lucky mom will win a FLIP camera!

Today’s featured Mompreneur is Sara Tyndall of Ladybugs and Lilipads. Ladybugs and Lilypads is a charming store where you can find beautiful products for your kids and you – and what gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling: Sara even has those famous ladybug shoes that I sent to Suri Cruise (as then later on seen on Oprah) on her homepage!

Katja: Please tell us more about your company.
 
Sara: Ladybugs and Lilypads is a unique online Children’s Boutique. We offer a unique selection of items many of which are custom handmade to order. We hand pick our items very careful in order to bring only the best to our customers. We have everything from children’s clothes and accessories to furniture and room decor.
 
Katja: What is your favorite Mother’s Day memory?
 
Sara: My favorite Mother’s Day memory is my very first mother’s day. My husband planted a tree in our backyard and it meant so much to me. Now we have a tradition of planting a new tree for each Mother’s Day and I look forward to it every year.
 

Katja: If you could choose anything in the world for Mother’s Day gift, what would it be?

Sara: If I could choose anything for Mother’s Day it would honestly just be to spend the day with my husband and children having fun, planting our tree and relaxing. Maybe have someone else clean the house for me…that would be wonderful!
 

Katja: Can you recommend a Mother’s Day gift idea from Ladybugs and Lilypads?

Sara: My favorite mom gift in our store is our photo necklaces. I have one of my own and adore it. I find myself wearing it all the time. I really treasure that necklace.
 

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift For Sara

As a mompreneur and a former boutique owner myself, I understand completely that when you take time off working on your own business, cleaning isn’t really the first choice of things to do – I rather hang out with my family too! I would love to gift Sara a gift certificate to BidMyCleaning.com so she could spend more time with her family instead of cleaning the house. (Oh, don’t we all wish this!)

Mompreneur of today is DeAnna Cochran. Who knows me, knows that I have been inspired by DeAnna for so long – in fact, she was one of those reasons I wanted to have a retail store; to sell and promote products from Mompreneurs like her. I have met DeAnna and her family several times on our visits to Texas, and you can also read my previous interview with her.

Katja: Tell us more about your company.

DeAnna: My company is DeAnna Cochran Jewelry. I am a metalsmith and artist that creates “Jewelry for a Cause”; proceeds benefit children’s charities. The designs are unique, green, and charitable. Collections include designs in reclaimed metals and materials. I launched the first collection after the loss of my son Jackson. I wanted to find a way to give back and make a difference in other’s lives. From the Jackson’s Leaf Collection benefiting MEND organization I have continued to add collections that share other children’s stories and benefit their causes including Noah’s Heart, Leave it to Love, and the Anthony’s Wish Collection.

Katja: What is your best Mother’s Day memory?

DeAnna: My favorite Mother’s Day memory was when my son Jackson opened his eyes on Mother’s Day in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). He was born premature on April 24th so it was a few weeks later when he finally opened his eyes. I arrived the morning of Mother’s Day to the special surprise that his eyes were open. The nurses had made a card for the special occasion. He passed away a few weeks later and this is one of the special memories I have of him.

Katja: I have said this a million times, but I say again.. I am so sorry for your loss DeAnna. On another note, if you could choose from everything in the world, what would be your ideal Mother’s Day Gift?

DeAnna: Spending the day with my son Christian. That’s the best mother’s day gift of all. I am more appreciative of the time we have since my experience. This is why I am glad that my business allows me the ability to make my own schedule.

Katja: Which one of your products is the best seller and you think will continue to be one this Mother’s Day season?

DeAnna: My best seller has remained the Jackson’s Leaf initial and birthstone necklace. There are several styles available. It’s a great way to show the mom, grandmother, or special aunt in your life that your gift was not only customized – no two are ever exactly alike since each piece is created with an individual leaf and their initial and/or birthstone- but it also gives back and makes a difference in someone’s life.

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift for DeAnna

While there are so many gifts I would like to give DeAnna, knowing her giving spirit, I would get a Charity Gift Certificate instead – I would donate to one of the charities DeAnna supports in her honor. I also happen to know that DeAnna and her son Christian enjoy good music and as a fun gift for both them to enjoy together I would send them the Name Your Tunes CD personalized with Christian’s name through out the songs.

Photo: Amy McMullen

This Mother’s Day season I will be featuring Gifts for Moms by Moms. Today’s featured Mompreneur is Marlynn Jayme Schotland of Urban Bliss. You may know her from Twitter as @designmama. Marlynn’s calling cards for moms are modern, sleek and of course practical!

Katja: Introduce your company Urban Bliss.
Marlynn: Urban Bliss is a mom-owned creative studio + online boutique based in Portland, Oregon. We offer paper goods and gifts in our online store, as well as graphic & Web design services plus public relations strategy for clients around the globe.

Katja: What is your best Mother’s Day memory?
Marlynn: There was one Mother’s Day when my family was able to get my great grandmother, my grandmother, my mother, myself and my son all together in the same room to celebrate Mother’s Day. The photos from that day of all five generations are just priceless. My great-grandmother helped raise me and lived to be 102 years old, so having the experience of her spending time with my son before she passed on meant so much to me.

Katja: If you could choose anything in the world, what would be your ideal Mother’s Day Gift?
Marlynn: A lifetime supply of mint chocolate chip ice cream. And bacon. And coffee. Really, a lifetime supply of food in general would be the best Mother’s Day Gift ever! My mother always spoiled me and my brother with fantastic food growing up, no matter how tight their budget was, and now I find myself doing the same with my kids. Plus, I really just love food.

Katja: Which one of your products you recommend for Mother’s Day?
Marlynn: For Mother’s Day, our Urban Bliss Mama Calling Cards are always the crowd favorite year after year. They’re perfect for busy moms (and grandmas!) on the go, and they are both indulgent and also a practical gifts. Plus, they are functional for both the new mom who wants to meet other moms for playdates and for the mom of five who needs to keep in contact with five different sets of teachers, coaches, doctors, sitters, mom friends and so on. I package our Mama Calling Cards in beautiful cheery spring blues & greens and include a complimentary gift card.

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift For Marlynn

Since Marlynn is a mom who knows not just good design but also good food, I picked a monthly delivery of gourmet food as a Mother’s Day Gift for Marlynn. I love the idea of Stonewall Kitchen’s Specialty Food Club Membership
for whole 12 months, and she would get a new treat delivered to her once a month. The picture is what she would get in August – all the fixings to make a gourmet blueberry breakfast with pancakes, muffins and the best of jam, and I can see her enjoying it with her children.