What a difference (almost) a year makes!

There have been many changes at Laci Jo's Creations over the past year. In July I made the decision to start selling ribbon. In September I made the decision to stop making bows, tutus, etc and focus on the ribbon. It was going so well that I really didn't have time for the other things. Then in late September I started having issues with my ribbon supplier. I won't go into that here because this is a positive post! lol

I had already transferred my website to Danielle of Den's TutuCute Boutique (who makes some pretty cute items!) so I decided not to go back to making tutus, bows and all of that.

Well, after a little break and time to regroup, I now have my own ribbon line! It will be arriving any day now (maybe even tomorrow!) and I can't wait for you to see it all. There are pictures on the site but those are just samples. There will be other colors to choose from. The site will be getting a new look over the next few weeks and the name will be changing from Laci Jo's Ribbons & Bows to just LaciJo.

I will TRY very hard to keep the blog updated. You know how things get though. I am on Facebook so you can keep up with me there if you'd like.

It's time to celebrate!

Not only is Valentine's Day this month but we're also celebrating Laci's 5th birthday! To celebrate, we're offering a special discount for newsletter subscribers only as well as some special sales over the next few days. Our first few items have been revealed on the site already. *NEW* heart clippies, way too cute beanies and Cinderella has arrived to help us celebrate! Some of her friends will be joining her over the next couple of days so be sure to check back often.

Superbowl's Coming!!!

Okay, I have to be honest and say I have NEVER before in my life looked forward to the Superbowl. Well, except a LITTLE bit last year because two "local" teams were playing. Now that was interesting around here ~ halfway between Chicago and Indianapolis! I don't honestly have a reason why I'm somewhat excited about it this year. Josiah is a Patriots fan (because he got a Patriots football from his cousin and he thinks they're the greatest team in the world because of it). I'd kind of like to see the Packers make it too. But I'm not a true "green" Packer Backer. I could go either way depending on who makes it.

Anyway, on to "bow business!" I'm going to run some specials for Superbowl related products. You can check out more details on the site.

In a nutshell, here are the specials.

Individual items....

Team bow with team colors & bottlecap center ~ $5! (regular $7)

Pony o streamer in team colors ~ $4.50 (regular $6.50)

Wrapped snap clip in team colors ~ $1.75 (regular $2.50)

Tutu in team colors ~ prices vary, see website for details

Wrist tutus in team colors ~ $5 each or 2 for $8! (regular $8 each or 2 for $14)

Package deals....

Basic short tutu & matching bottlecap bow in team colors ~ $18! (regular $27)

Basic medium length tutu & matching bottlecap bow ~ $24 (regular $32)

Basic short tutu & matching pony o ~ $22 (regular $26.50)

Basic medium length tutu & matching pony o ~ $26 (regular $31.50)

Basic short tutu & matching snap clip ~ $15 (regular $22.50) add an additional snap clip for $1.50

Basic medium length tutu & snap clip ~ $20 (regular $27.50) add an additional snap clip for $1.50

Basic short tutu & matching wrist tutu set ~ $20 (regular $34)

Basic medium length tutu & matching wrist tutu set ~ $25 (regular $39)

New headbands!

I have a new addiction. Woven headbands! I love these. They're a lot of fun to make and the possible color combinations are endless. With up to four colors per headband and various patterns, you can have a headband made that matches any outfit. Starting at just $6, these are an affordable hair accessory for any lady - young or "old". Here are a couple I have made. I ran out of headbands though so I had to order some today. As soon as they get here I'll be making more and putting them on the site. I have one more here that's Laci's. I won't post the picture of it just yet because I entered it in a contest on one of my Yahoo groups. Once that's over I'll post it here.

Spy Bags!

I made some more Spy Bags. Or as Josiah calls them "Treasures in the Sand." I love the way his little mind works! These are all put together and ready to go. They'd make great Christmas gifts! Two are specifically for girls, one for boys and one could be used for either. You can find more details on my website.

I have pictures!!

Well, we didn't get to do the Christmas pictures on Sunday afternoon because Laci's been sick. Seems like a never ending thing around here this time of year. But I did take some pictures of the headbands. I should have snapped a picture of Laci this morning before she went to school. She was wearing her Hello Kitty headband that she insisted I make for her. She looked sooo cute! I got the size proportions right and I think they'll fit just about any child. I can do adult size as well.

So, without further ado, here they are!

Gift Certificate Winner!

Congratulations to Andrea! She's the winner of a $50 gift certificate to lacijo.com!! I can't wait to see what she decides to spend it on.

New product in the works!

Busy, busy, busy! Along with the usual things I have to do (like take care of my family!), I've been working on some new products! I'm hoping to have them online soon - hopefully within the week. Reversible fabric headbands! They are so cute! I have some Christmas bands done and I'm working on "everyday" prints next. I'm hoping to get some good pictures of them but I need to find a good model. You see, my little Laci (who isn't so little anymore!) can model them but her hair is a little short for the headbands. But she has a cousin with long hair who we'll be seeing tomorrow so I'll see if I can get her to model for me.

I'm also putting together some cute tutus & bows to sell at Laci's dance program next Saturday. The leftovers will be online when that's over. AND I bought some new beads today that I'm excited to make into bracelets.

All of this is "coming soon". No specific dates because it all depends on when I get them done! If you're just dying to see the headbands, let me know and I"ll snap a couple of quick pics of Laci wearing hers.

The reason for 40% off......

I didn't get to this yesterday so I'm making it a point to get it done this morning before I start other things. Why 40% off during December? Those of you who read my newsletter already know the basic reason but for the sake of having something to write, I'll start at the beginning. (If you don't want to read the whole long story, just scroll down to the purple text and you'll get the summary!)

We rent our house from the in-laws. Back in March father-in-law decided that he wanted to add onto the house we're in. No complaints here! It's a small house and with two kids and two million toys (okay, I'm exaggerating) we were running out of room. We were first told that nobody would be able to get started on it until August. Then one day toward the end of May, people showed up to start tearing siding off the house so the guys digging the new basement could get started.

So, all the work started in May and we've been putting up with all the stuff that goes along with adding onto a house since then. To keep this short, I'll just say that the final touches are being done THIS WEEK and we SHOULD have the final inspection done and get the occupancy permit so I can start moving things in.

Why did it take 6 months to add on 4 rooms (2 bedrooms, an open area and a bathroom)? Well, the construction was "done" in July. We SHOULD have been in by the end of July. But some things were done wrong and we had problems getting people here when they said they'd be so we finally hired my wonderful brother & his crew to come do the finishing touches. They did an EXCELLENT job! AND they showed up when they said they would! Imagine that! People who actually keep their word. Why didn't we ask them first? Because I/we didn't realize they did work for other people. Lesson learned. Next time we'll just have them do it from the beginning (if there is a next time).

So, the reason for the 40% discount and the $75 gift certificate is that we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! We'll (hopefully) be in the addition by the end of this week and I'll actually have a room for all my supplies!!! Now, keep in mind that this means I'm going to be extremely busy through Christmas with all the usual Christmas things we do as a family (which really isn't much compared to most), getting orders filled AND organizing the addition. But, I'm up for it! I have 2 hours in the morning without kids and they're getting to the age that they're pretty good helpers while they're home.

So, go take advantage of the discount and earn a chance to win $75 of goodies! It's not going to happen often!

Yes, I'm crazy!

40% off?! Anything?! Yes, you can get 40% off your ENTIRE order from now through December 31st!! But I'm not telling you the discount code! I'm not THAT crazy! But I'll tell you where to find it. Go to www.lacijo.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page. On the left side you'll see a little form to fill out that will subscribe you to my monthly newsletter. After signing up, you will be given the opportunity to look at past newsletters. Look at the December newsletter that went out yesterday and you'll find the code. It's that easy! And, since you're subscribed to the newsletter, you'll get monthly discounts and freebies that aren't available anywhere else. Aside from VERY special occasions, I only give these specials to my subscribers. And there have been some pretty sweet deals, if I do say so myself (help me out, subscribers! This is your cue to comment! Haha!). I don't send out tons of email so don't worry about your inbox being flooded with lots of junk mail. And I absolutely WILL NOT sell or give anyone's email address to anybody.

But that's not all! You may have noticed on the main page that I'm also giving away a $75 gift certificate at the end of December. Why? Because Christmas is coming! I love to give and this is the one time of the year that I can justify it as a business owner! Okay, so that's not entirely true. Just ask my friends. I'd give everything away if I wouldn't go broke doing so. But, it is Christmas time and in the spirit of giving, I'm going to GIVE! And all you have to do to enter is place an order before December 31st. It doesn't matter how big or how small your order. One entry per person and with the 40% off code you can get a LOT of goodies for a GREAT price.

I guess I never did say why I've decided to offer a 40% discount. Well, this post is long enough so I'll save that for another post. Probably later today. For now, happy shopping!