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!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know Thanksgiving isn't until tomorrow but I thought I'd do this while I'm thinking about it! We have a lot to be thankful for. Family, health, our needs are met, etc.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Boutique Flair!

Laci Jo's Creations is proud to be the first boutique to sponsor a giveaway at BoutiqueFlair.com! Go to BoutiqueFlair.com to find out how to enter to win the certificate. Be sure to check out their reviews while you're there!

Poofy Tutus!

These tutus have been so much fun to make! The possibilities are endless! My Extra Poofy Tutus seem to defy gravity! They are three times as full as the basic tutus and look so cute!

Newsletter!

I'm putting out a newsletter! Once a month I send out a newsletter to my wonderful customers. In it you'll find freebies, discount codes and all kinds of goodies. I'm also featuring a business each month. If you'd like your business featured, let me know (info@lacijo.com) and I'll see about adding you to a future newsletter.

Sterling Silver..

I love sterling! I had an idea (scary, I know!) to use jump rings to make a bracelet. Usually that's called chain maille but I don't know if this counts as chain maille or not. I don't care what it's called! I really like this one. This bracelet is all sterling. It's even more beautiful in person than the pictures show. It shines like you wouldn't believe! I'm planning to make more in different patterns and using different shaped rings. It's time consuming but the end result is worth it! The clasp is a simple, plain sterling toggle clasp. There are no extra designs on it - it really finishes the bracelet nicely. Look for more of this style in the future. Flowers, circles, triangles and more!

Bringing you up to date...

I know, I know! Too long between posts. Not good. But I have some good excuses.

1. We're getting an addition on the house. It hasn't been too horrible but I'm ready to not have people here every day.

2. Kids. Yes, I have kids and they keep me busy! When school starts again I'll have more time for this (yeah right!).

3. Business. It's been keeping me going, and going, and going.... That's what I'll tell you about tonight and then I'm headed to bed.

So last Friday I get a phone call and an email from a potential customer. Of course the one day I forget to take my cell phone with me is the day I have someone that wants to place a BIG order. And I mean BIG! I returned her call and email. She wanted 10 adult size tutus (really, it makes a difference if they're adult size or child size. Adult size take longer to make and use more tulle). She wanted them to be in her hands TODAY. One week, half way across the country! I'm happy to say she had them yesterday. Yay me!

So anyway, back to the story. I worked hard all weekend - even had the kids stay with Grandma on Monday so I could finish them. I took pictures (like she asked) and emailed them to her. She was thrilled, yada, yada, yada.... I asked her if she'd take pictures of them being worn. They look so much better on a person than they do sitting in my photo tent to have the picture taken. I'd like to have a picture to put in my gallery on the website. She emailed me back and said she'd be happy to take pictures. She then explained where these tutus will be worn.

It seems there's this event in LA next week. An event for up and coming young artists and designers. It's called Project Ethos. They have this little thing called a fashion show and MY TUTUS will be worn by the group that is dancing to open and close the show! How exciting is that?!

Okay. I'm done for tonight! Since I don't have (good) photos of the tutus, I'll leave you with a photo of a ring I made recently. Tomorrow, if I get a chance, I'll blog about the ring and also my latest favorite piece of jewelry. If you can't wait to find out what it is, check out my website and see if you can find it. It's the only thing that is ALL sterling silver.

Updated the website!

Finally! Another post! Sorry but it's been rather crazy around here. We're having an addition put on our house so I haven't had much time for blogging.

Back to the topic..... I spent a lot of time over the past couple of days updating the website. Check it out! There are some new bracelets and new pics. I have some new Autism Awareness bracelets in the store. There's a new special for the months of June and July. It's for anyone who hosts an online party. If your sales reach $200 you'll get a free bracelet or tutu along with the regular hostess benefits!

Another name bracelet

I really like the Swarovski® cubes! They go very well with the square letter beads. This bracelet is made with sterling silver (of course! All my name bracelets are.), Swarovski® cubes and Swarovski® pearls. The charm I put on this is a puzzle piece. It is the symbol for Autism awareness. My son has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS (find info here) which is an autism spectrum disorder. The doctor thinks he has Asperger's Syndrome but he's a little young for that diagnosis. So, I have incorporated the Autism awareness symbol in this bracelet which is one that I wear quite often. Once I get the right color beads, I'm going to be making some Autism awareness bracelets and selling those.

All of my bracelets can be customized with a charm of your choice. This just happens to be the one I choose for my personal jewelry.

Beads, beads & more beads!

I went shopping yesterday! I found some beads that I was looking for so I spent some money. I had a lot of fun last night after I finally got them all tagged so I know how much to charge for them (that's the boring but important part). I came up with a name bracelet that I really like. The pictures don't look as good as it does in person. It's made with sterling silver, Swarovski crystal pearls and of course the letter blocks. I also found some peace stone jasper (had never heard of that before) that is really pretty. It has pink & green in it like I've been using lately. I put that with the pearls & sterling beads and I think it looks great. I might make some earrings to match it. So without further ado (because I'm tired and can't think of anything else to say about these pieces), here are the pictures. Sorry they aren't very big. You can see them better on my website ~ www.lacijo.com.

My website

I finally have my website up and running. I'm sure I'll be making some changes on it in the near future because I'm never satisfied with it. But I finally found a great shopping cart service so I now have a fully functional website that people can actually order from! www.lacijo.com Now I need to work on building up my inventory for the parties and craft shows. I love the idea of doing online parties because then people who don't enjoy going to the home show type parties can just shop from home. I've also added gift certificates. What better gift for that hard-to-buy-for person?! Let them choose their gift!