I need help!

Okay, I need your help! I'm having a hard time coming up with names for my new bows. I plan to name them girl's names most of the time, so I thought I'd turn to the other little girls in my life. But, I don't want to play favorites, either. hmmm. I decided I would put all the names in a basket, and when I need a new one, just draw one out. So, here's your chance to help me out - send me names! I expect to see daughter's and nieces names galore! =)

Great new listings!

Yesterday I updated my etsy account with some great specialty items! I plan to do a lot more listing in the days ahead. Check it out - I think there's some cute things over there!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5611361

Make it Yours!

If you're like me, you like things with a great value. Well, I have an idea to make your bows an even better value - interchanging them! Here's what I mean:

Here's a basic large pinwheel and a small pinwheel. Very cute by themselves, and very popular, multi-purpose bows.

But, put them together: Instant double pinwheel! This can be done by sliding the alligator clip through the center ribbon.

Here's some more examples of other possible combinations:

Large pinwheel with marabou.

Here's a Large Gracie Bow, Medium Gracie Bow and yellow mum flower. Cute and fun by themselves.

But together, something extra special! Perfect by themselves for everyday, then interchangeable for special occasions!

Here's my newest style, the "tailored bow" with a sheer rosette and a rose flower.

Now, here's those bows in combination:

These interchanges can be done using any of my bows that has a flat center ribbon, like on a pinwheel (not a knotted "rosebud" like on the basic bows), as the bottom bow, and any bow of your choice on an alligator clip on top. Let me know what you come up with!

new style!

Here's another new style!
I call this one my "Tailored Bow" because it looks so sophisticated. These can either be done on grosgrain or satin, with sheer on top.

Custom Bows

Here's a few custom bows I did recently: Isn't this one too cute? This Lydia bow matches a little baby jumper that has dalmation spots on it, with a pink t-shirt underneath. Cute, cute, cute!!

This is an Amber bow. I thought the pink and white with the snowflake was a great combination!

Here's one of the two Ava bows that I did for Melisa's girls. The other is a slightly smaller version of the same thing. Hey, Melisa- I know you're not busy or anything - but I'd love to see a picture of the girls wearing their matching bows!

peppermint stick

Like that "fresh, minty taste"? Here's some things for you:A Lydia bow in cranberry and white with white sparkle marabou.
New headband colors - "burgundy" (?? matches my "currant" ribbon) and "red". Great for Christmas!! (and Valentine's Day - one of my favorite holidays - looking forward to making things for that!)

And, just in case you were having a hard time getting in the Chrismas mood:

These little clippies make me feel so jolly! And they look really cute in hair. I'll have to get a picture up to show you. These special edition clippies are "one and only's" so if you're interested, let me know before someone else does!

New style - 3

Drumroll..... Saving the best for last! (too bad you'll read it first, and ruin that!) =)Here's my favorite of the three new styles:I call this one the "Over-the-Top Bow". Not because it's huge or overly showy, but because of it's shape. This one took a little while to figure out - reading the directions VERY CAREFULLY helps! =) When made properly, the loops go "over the top" of the top bow.I really like this one! It's a little showy - but I don't think it's too much! I can also make this one in several sizes. Mediums are shown in previous photos, and small is below.

New style - 2

I'm posting these separately so you all can give me your "reactions" at the bottom of each bow. So, here's number two:
This one I call a "Rainbow Bow" (hmm, is that redundant?) I can also do this in several sizes, Medium shown here. I can imagine these as doubles, or with a tuxedo-style bow on top... (I like variations) =)

New styles!

I like to browse around the internet, looking at other people's bow sites. What I'm looking for is designs to steal! This week I came across several gems, and was busy figuring out how to re-create them. I'm pleased with what I finally ended up with, even if it did take plenty of goofs.
This one is called the "Twistie Bow". I can do this in several sizes, large shown here. It is a rather large bow, but I like them that way! =)

Nieces namesakes

The Victoria Bow:

The Amber Bow: The Lydia Bow: It may be hard to tell, but those bows are different sizes, from largest to smallest.

The Brittney Bow: The Rachel Bow: The Lauren Bow:

The Ireland bow:

The Diana bow: The Laisa Bow:

The Lily Bow:

a new creation! - the "Cambrie" bow!

A request for a very small bow with red ribbon and white marabou inspired a new style! I'm very excited about this one! I really like the combination of styles:This is a small basic bow with a marabou puff on top. It's about as small as I can get with that combination of materials, and is very light too.
These don't have a name as of yet. I ran out of nieces names! =(
~ UPDATE~ These are now called "Cambrie Bows"!

December newsletter

My latest e-newsletter was sent yesterday to all those on my list. If you didn't get it, and want to, send me your e-mail address at: deannms3@gmail.com

Here's a taste of what the newsletter said:

It told about my four new styles - the Sheer Princess Bow, the Rufflie Bow, the Laisa Bow and the Lily Bow.

New party info - I will have two styles of bows at a special rate (probably the latest two), but only available to those who attend! =)

~Special for the month~

Starting this month, I'll be running a special for the whole month. December's special is: for every gift set you buy, you will receive a $5 coupon to use in January!

This is the large sized gift set - includes a large headband, double pinwheel and a medium korker. Price is $15. Gift sets are completely customizable - I'll put whatever color you want, and even change the styles of bows.

New Model

Lauren graciously agreed to be my model and show off the cheer bow and pony-O's.

Thanks, Lauren! You were great!

new - "reactions"

I just added a new feature to my blog - a little thing called "reactions". Now you can let me know what you think of the bows in the post without going through the effort of leaving a comment - although I still really hope you do that too! You can select your choice from the buttons under the post.

On another note - I'm planning to run a series of posts called "What Diana wore today"! =) She's such a great model, and loves to have her picture taken.

Here she is wearing an oh-so-soft play outfit, made with amazingly soft fleece. It's hard NOT to cuddle her in this! And on her head, the rufflie bow, with marabou backing (because there isn't a bow that can't be better with marabou!!) =)

White Sparkle

I just picked up a white sparkly marabou, which inspired some wintery bows:Or, with light blue:

mystery hostess winner

The party last night was a lot of fun! The winner of the hostess benefits drawing was Jen Hunsberger. Congratulations, Jen!

Thanks also to Mom for being my hospitality coordinator, and keeping the food side running smoothly - you sure helped my stress level, Mom! =)

Just a Reminder...

Okay, time is ticking away until my bow party, and so are your chances to earn a drawing entry by "R.S.V.P'ing"! So, all you procrastinators, pick up your phone or send me an e-mail soon! =)

New Marabou Color

I've been wishing I could find a deeper red color of marabou, so when I happened across this burgundy, I was very excited:Just in time for Christmas too! It looks really nice with the mini poinsettias that I made up.

Rufflie Bows

There's sure to be some "oooh's" and "ahhh's" over these bows! Wow! Are they cute or what!?! The ribbon for these is a bit hard to find, so these are treasures! That also means the color selection is limited too. These are the colors I have on hand:

From top left - pink, coral rose pink, lavender, light pink and cream. I'm working on getting more, so let me know if there's a color you'd like to see!

It's a party!

By now, most of you should have received an invitation to my up-coming bow party! It's coming up fast - next Tuesday (the 25th) at 7:00. I'm excited about offering quite a few Christmas bows - and of course all my new styles will be making their debut! This is the perfect time to special order bows for the holidays too - so bring along those special outfits!

This party will be a lot of fun - especially for one lucky person who will walk away with the hostess benefits! Since I don't really need them =) - we'll be doing a drawing for them. Multiple entries can be earned by RSVP'ing (to come), bringing a friend, first to arrive, and more. I've also got a couple other things up my sleeves that should be fun...

Is this "princess" or what?

Here's another brand new style! This one seemed to say "princess" to me:

I think this one is just gorgeous! I'd love to see it on a baby's head! It's made with two layers of sheer ribbon, with a satin rosette in the center. The only issue I have with this one is how to seal the ends. I can't use the flame, because the ribbon just curls up, and the fray-check leaves a white line. I think a wood-burning tool would work, just haven't tried it yet. I'm also thinking of marabou behind this one - I'll definitely have to try that! =)