A Few Custom Creations

I recently had a large home-party, with loads of custom orders! Just thought I'd share a few with you.

Yo-Yo bow with "Initial Button" center

"Duet" bows

"Rufflie Boutique" bow

"Spikey" bow in pastels with tulle

Triple-flower skinny elastic headband - raspberry colored "pretty petals" attached.

Open House 2011

You are invited to attend the

Second Annual Marie D’s Bows Open House!

There will be lots of great give-aways such as – Vera Bradley purses, bags, and other products; Sun Kissed spray tan; Creative Memories mini album; Tastefully Simple dessert mix; bows, bows, and more bows; a tutu and more!

Here are some ways to earn extra entries in the drawings:

• RSVP

• Attend – of course! =)

• Bring someone not on my invite list

• Pass along this information

• Every $15 spent earns another entry

• Book a party

• And more, at my discretion

There will be a discount/perk for everyone who attends!

If you aren’t able to come, but would still like a part in the fun, I can draw a discount for you from the bowl for an e-mail/phone order! Also, I will be running a special etsy coupon code on Facebook next week to celebrate.

Dates - Friday May 20th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday May 21st from 10 to 3

Location - my home (e-mail me for details)

Open House - Give Aways Galore!

Yay! I'm back on my feet!! It feels sooo good to feel good!! I found out that I had/have mono, of all the crazy things. Thankfully, I haven't had the fatigue part (crossing fingers and praying hard).  My symptoms are almost totally gone and I'm so thankful to be back in the game.

I wanted to get you all excited about coming to my open house.  So I got to thinking - most of us want to know (whether we admit it or not), the answer to the question we ask ourselves about going something like this - "what's in it for me?" Well, here's what's in it for you:

Drawing for fabulous give-aways! Things like: Vera Bradley cooler and purses, Disney t-shirts, Usborne books, tutu, french board, Gymboree beach towel, bows, bows, bows...  Wow!

Here's how it will work. At the end of the open house I will draw a name. That person gets their pick of all the items. Then I'll draw another name; that person gets the pick of what's left. And so on, until they're all gone. So, be sure to:

• Send me your RSVP
• Bring a guest
• Come to the open house!!
• Book a show
• Each $15 spent

In addition to the drawings, there will also be door prizes! These will be on slips of paper, and are good for things like: free bows, 1/2 off items, 15% off purchase, 20% off purchase, 25% off purchase!! and others.

Ugh - the "Chin-gollies"

When we were little and got sick, my dad would say we had the "chin-gollies". Whatever those are. But they sure sound cute and innocent.

Not the "chin-gollies" that are in my body. Oh no. These are vicious little beasties, that like to hang on forEVER!!! I've been on my back for the past couple days, and off and on for the past week. Grr.... Moms just aren't supposed to get sick!! Hubby was so sweet, and stayed home yesterday to care for me and the kids, but today asked if I would be okay without him. He wanted out!!! =D Maybe I'll be more appreciated... for a day or two....

I did have a laugh this morning when I ventured downstairs for the first time in a while. Wow! I guess I really do make a difference in my home! LOL!! The first sight that greeted me was the dog nosing through little boy undies, lying scattered among several days worth of jammies. Not typical, let me tell you. At least it brought a smile to my face. The man did well keeping kids together in body (and he bought me popsicles and flowers - such a romantic!!), but there's just some things that need a momma's attention.

So, now that I've given you all probably "too much information" - on to the fun stuff!

I've been working on the open house invitations, and planning some really fun stuff! A little at a time, as much as my headache would allow - very little at a time. With my son's help, they are all stamped and ready to go!  I'm getting pretty excited - hope you are too! Here's a little of what's in store to help:

• Door prizes for everyone - draw a slip of paper with a prize: a discount (10,15,20% off), 1/2 off items, free bow, etc.
• Drawings for great prizes - Vera Bradley purses, cooler, Usborne book, Disney t-shirts, french board, bows (of course!!!), etc. How I plan to work it is, write down your name and phone number where I can reach you right away. When it's time for the drawing, the first person I draw gets the pick of the items. Second person gets pick of what's left, and so on, until it's all gone!
• I'll have a nice little spread of goodies to eat, of course! What's a get-together without food! And I love to eat, don't you!!

More information to come as it gets closer!

Save the Date!

Yay! I finally set the date for my open house! I wanted it a little closer to summer, but not before kiddos are out of school (and all things crafty tends to be put on the back burner). So, mark your calenders for May 14 and 15! There will be totally awesome give-aways (we're talking Vera Bradley, ladies!!! And of course some lovely bows and other fun surprises)  - and lots of great deals!! Of course, I'll have a nice little spread of goodies - yummm!

Here's the dates and times broken down:

Friday, May 14 - 10:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening.

Saturday, May 15 - 10:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon.

Place - my home. Send me an e-mail for more information.

 Extra entries into the drawings will be given for those who: RSVP (e-mail at deannms3 (at) gmail (dot) com), bring a friend not on the guest list, and I don't know; I'm sure I'll come up with some other wacky way to enter by then. =)

p.s. to all you out-of-towners - send in an order between now and then, mention the open house, and I'll give you an entry too!  

So dig out your summer stuff, and get ready to have fun! =)

November Newsletter

The November newsletter got sent last night. If you didn't get one, and would like to be on my list, send me an e-mail at deannms3 at gmail dot com.

The special for this month is for hostesses! If you host a party this month, you will get to jump up two levels in the "hostess benefits" chart. If you book a party, for any other month, you will get to jump up one level! So drop me a line and we'll book your show!

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.

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! =)

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...

Bow Party

I'm sure you're wondering what's taking me so long to post about my first bow party. Well, after so many late nights and busy days preparing for it, now that it's over, my body is saying enough. I overslept this morning, and barely got the boys to school on time - with breakfast being a Nutri-Grain bar and banana in the van on the way!! So I ran a few errands, but didn't accomplish much of anything today.

The show was a big success! There were 12 ladies there, and they all seemed excited about the products. I don't have my "presentation" down very well yet; I'm sure a couple more shows should get that solidified. I even got a couple bookings to get that practice! A big thanks to Jenna! (and to David, for babysitting several little ones)

the big day

Today's the day! My first "Bow Show" is tonight! I'm really excited, and a little nervous. I've got a bunch of things I need to do yet, so this will be short. Here's a sneak preview of what's going to be debuting at the show tonight:

New headband colors for fall! I really like them, even though I was hoping for darker colors with the top row. I'm going to try again for Christmas with a different dye and see what happens. I'm really liking the gray too.

New marabou colors too! There's sage, plum, burnt orange, black, purple and brown. I really like the plum. It also has a flower to match:
I made bows in all my "specialty" bow styles to match the headbands, as examples. I was pleased with how it shows off the headbands. Here's a sample:
Well, that's all I've got time for now. Jenna said she's got at least 10 people coming, with 7 more maybes - I need to make some more catalogs!! Definitely not complaining! She even has a booking already! Wow! (she told me matter-of-factly that "she knows how to do parties!) =)

Coming up - Fall!

I'm working of getting a bunch of fall things ready. I already listed a few on etsy, but have so many more to come. I've got some new styles too - cheer bows, pony-O's, tuxedo bows...

My sister-in-law, Jenna, has graciously agreed to host my first "bow show", which will be next Tuesday. I'm really excited, and a bit nervous. I plan to have my fall products in the spotlight there, so I'm working hard on them this week. I even have some new colors of headbands! Check back soon for some pictures of them.