Yay! Summertime is here! I get a three month long break from Nursing School (Which is a blast! In a boot camp, OMG I might accidentally KILL someone kind of way!). I am thrilled to have time off (lol with 4 kids? Is this really a break?). Anyways, after the kiddos go to bed I get to play with ribbon instead of crack the books. Yippee!!!

Lately, I've been playing around with auction templates. I took a HTML coding class (yes I coded my own dotcom - Shelleybean.com if you wanna check it out). I'm not a HTML guru, but I can tweak a code to get it to do what I want. I think they help with the presentation on eBay for sure.

Speaking of eBay... I'm THRILLED to announce that I have been invited to be a BOWDIVA on eBay!!!! I'm so proud! I listed my first big, posh boutique bow for our Fourth of July launch and it sold! How awesome is that?



On Etsy, I've been focusing on smaller, more basic bows. Personally, that is what I prefer on my daughter (If she'd keep a darn bow in her hair!). But making the big, stacked boutique bows is sooooooo much fun! Here are my current eBay listings:

Time for some Holiday Shopping!

Yay! I love the Christmas season!!! They're playing Christmas music on the radio already. Can you believe it? As of right now, we have 45 days until Christmas! Time to get shopping!

Looking for stocking stuffers for your little princess? Shelleybeansbowtique hair bows add the perfect touch to any outfit. What little girl wouldn't love some hand-crafted Christmas bows? All of my bows are meticulously hand made by me, not mass-produced on some assembly line overseas. These are high quality, beautiful bows.

And at 15% off, this is the perfect time to buy! For a limited time, take 15% off the most expensive item in your cart. Sale ends soon, so don't delay!

This Festive Jolly Holiday Boutique Bow is so sparkly and fun.

Only $5 at Shelleybeansbowtique


Curly Classic Christmas Korker , bouncy and cheerful!

Only $5 at Shelleybeansbowtique

Solid Twisted Boutique Bows
Collection of 5 in your choice of colors

ON SALE!!! Only $12 for all 5 at ShelleybeansBowtique

I am a professional hair bow maker and a perfectionist! All ends are heat-sealed to prevent fraying and the strongest methods available are used to secure all parts.

I frequently sell to local boutiques & I care about your satisfaction. I am not some fly-by-night ebay seller out to make a quick buck and hide behind my profile over the internet. I am the real deal.

I am a mother to a one year old little princess & love what I do. I put my heart into each and every bow. I want you & your little one to be thrilled with your purchase and remember my store when you need more awesome bows!

Wholesale orders and special requests are welcome!

Drama in Hairbowland!!!

So the Yahoo Group that I used to belong to, Freehairbows, claims to be "a group free from cattiness, in-fighting and control from the instruction sellers". What a joke.

It is group that is based on a web page designed to help mothers, grandmothers, and (future?) small business owners learn to make hair bows, yet the moderators allow its members to be ridiculed and attacked for typos and the misuse of words. What a great learning environment! <--Slight sarcasm indicated here...

The people who get reprimanded by the moderators are the ones who contact them when the known bully starts pushing people around. I personally didn't do that; However I did post that I'd watch how the MODS handled her. They didn't, BTW.

I'm all for differing opinions. Hell, I'm opinionated and an independent thinker too. However, there is a time, a place, and a professional way to handle these things. What purpose does it serve to bring ones opinion up in a ridiculing way in front of everyone who cares to gawk besides directing traffic to your own site and selling advertising??? Did you get a few more clicks today than usual? Was it worth it? What kind of a vulture makes their living off of other people's misery?

I chose to leave because I believe the company you keep changes who you are. If someone has lower standards than you do, you either bring them to your level or they drag them down to theirs. Life is too short to spend one moment in the presence of toxic people, especially when the ones in charge side with the vulture. There are other bow groups out there.

Honestly, I'd learned all I needed to from that group. I was confident enough with my bow making skills to start mentoring some of the newbies. It felt good to give back, and I'll miss that for sure.

If anyone is looking for me, I'm in friendlyhairbowmakers and littlebowpeephairbows, as well as a few other exclusive groups. I'll miss you gals! I grew attached to many of you, and that is exactly why I refuse to stay in a group where the moderators allow a bully to push any of you around.

Looking for great boutique quality gifts?

Check out:

Shop CafeMom on Etsy.com

CEM, Mommy's making a difference

You can find all sorts of unique one-of-a-kind gifts, lovingly hand made by stay at home moms! There are tons of goodies from tu-tus to hand made soap! Totally sweet!

So you want to make hair bows?

I have a ton of links to free hair bow instructions in my "favorite links" area that helped me get started. I don't believe in paying for instructions, personally. There are so many free resources out there.

Another great place to start is in Yahoo Groups. My advice would be to join several bow making groups and see which one makes you feel warm and welcome. Ask questions and see how your fellow group members respond. There are tons of groups where people ask questions and share ideas. Don't worry about being the newbie. We were all newbies once.

If anyone makes you feel inadequate, just know that they feel threatened. The economy is troubled right now, and honestly bow sales are down. Many bow makers are catty, and don' t want you treading on their territory. I think this is ridiculous. They don't own your ribbon, or your daughter's hair. I would not stay in a group that is unfriendly for any amount of information. There are other groups!

As a bow maker, I have found that there are two types of mothers that put bows in their daughters hair: those that are crafty and have the time, and those that would rather buy them. If you are the crafty type, like me, welcome to your newest addiction... RIBBON! Sometimes my living room looks like the Offray factory exploded!

I started making hair bows after the birth of my daughter Emily. She is the youngest of 7 kids (Brady bunch), the oldest 6 of whom are boys! I was just tickled pink! I wanted the whole world to know Emily was a GIRL! I didn't want hair bows, I needed them!!!

So girlfriend, I understand why you are here. I hope to share with you all of the information that I searched for that helped me to get where I am today. As I find the time (hahahaha mom of 7 going to college for her RN), I will post free hair bow instructions of my own as well. Enjoy!