Handmade with love and lots of coffee!!!!

In a world of cookie cutter box stores it is refreshing to see that handmade still exist. See I have been buying from a few on-line handmade boutiques in the past year and I have two that are my favorite. I want to take a second from ranting and I want to rave about their quality and the fact that handmade still exists.Oh yeah and did I mention it is family owned and operated? Reminds me of days watching Mom and Gram sew Raggedy Ann and Andy by hand and all the fun stuff it meant to grow up a crafter's kid.

First I gotta talk about being a mom and wanting my little girl to look sharp...don't we all? So did I go to Wal-Mart and buy a bunch of dollar bows? Umm no...much to my husbands dismay I did not. I used a friend of friend. Last minute, the week before my daughter's first birthday I spoke with Crystal the first time and a day before the party this little box showed up and in it was such an amazing piece of work I knew I needed more! So I liked Bow Mania and I then started a Bow Mania Fund!

The only picture she would let me get with that first bow!

I now have lots and am patiently waiting on the week my  Christmas gift bows get made....I have to wait till the end of November, but I would wait for them as long as needed. See most that know me know patients are not one of my virtues, when I order from a company I want it like three days before I ordered it. Don't ask how that is possible but anyway I am digressing as usual. The point is with Bow Mania you place the order knowing up front the wait time and the order in which your order will be done. See Crystal is not only my bow maker she is now someone I am proud to call a friend. She makes bows that look like this

A previous order that she took on as well as nine other orders that week!

Beautiful Bow Bouquet!

while raising two kids, maintaining a household, and being a wife. That is where the coffee comes in. I have never been let down with her bows and all my Minion's bows are personalized to what she is into and I buy her outfits keeping in mind what I want for bows so they all coordinate. BTW: She also makes beautiful bow holders so you can never have too many bows! But she doesn't do this alone...everyone see the nifty bottle caps in the middle of the bows? Yup those came from TLC Handmade!!! Crystal's mom Teresa and her Aunt Lisa's business....yes see family owned and operated is not dead people!

With TLC I won a pair of Thanksgiving earrings last year and well I was hooked. They have taken all of my ideas, my hey I want that on earrings or necklace, made my own personal Glee Set that is not available in stores, and made them happen!

 This is probably one of my favorite pairs to date that I have gotten from there! We all know how much Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise is out there! But who else has a pair of these...I know a few have been ordered but not in my area I am the only one!!! Let's talk Awareness Ribbons. Everyone has a color and one they wear...mine is for fibromyalgia. Remember when I said family owned and operated?   Remember when I said they all work together....

My Awareness Ribbon Set

My Daughter's Awareness Ribbon

This is why I continually go back to the two companies.


Now that I have done all the pictures let me also explain something about these three women. Yes they make amazing pieces out of their homes, work in jammies on some days, and have amazing customer service but they are also mom's first. Their children are why they do what they do. They have set work hours and sometimes they adhere to them...They sometimes answer when they are supposed to be closed---spoils a customer ya know? They have kids in school, houses to clean, and dinners to cook just like you do so when you send a message to place an order or ask a question during non business hours and still get an answer...make sure you say thank you! When you place an order and they tell you it will be to you in three weeks, say thank you. You are not ordering from Wal-Mart and they have these items in stock and cookie cutter created. Each item is hand made with love, sweat, tears, and coffee!! When you get an item in the mail after the wait, post a review and say Thank you. Yes we are customers and we are supporting them by buying from them....they probably hot glued themselves a few times making you that piece...a Thank you goes along way.

In today's busy times we are always looking for the next big thing and the next great idea. These three are onto something. Yes they have others out there that do the same thing, many have stolen some of the images made personally by Lisa and now Teresa. But what they don't have is the friendships that Lisa, Teresa, and Crystal build with each customer. I have cried, laughed, celebrated, and wallowed with these three over the past year and a half. I have won as much jewelry from TLC as I have bought...still trying to win a prize with Bow Mania...but I also do win every time I open my box of handcrafted, personally designed, one of a kind hair bows lol.

I also need to mention....their prices are amazing!!! From regular to the the deals and the sales, and the giveaways....I am a couponing bargain shopping clearance rack scouring receipt checking mama.  I will always pay for quality. Do we remember my daughters emergency bow? Still wearing it a year and a half later. I have only had one bow get messed up from Bow Mania and that was not a defect in the making...it was my two year old I am not in a bow wearing mood today and I want to eat the bottle cap off the bow mood. One piece of ribbon came loose but the bottle cap held tight!! So they are virtually indestructible! TLC prices are top notch as well and beat the Red Line Clearance 10 for 10 sale at Claire's/Icings! The quality is so much better and you don't have to pick through bins of broken earrings and smashed eye shadows to maybe find 10 items worth having. All of their work is worth having. Remember the awareness ribbon...they also do medical alert jewelery too!

Now in true Pyscho Mama fashion I am going to rant here for one second:
If you place an order from any of these lovely ladies....please be prepared to pay for it. This is not Amazon where the order will sit in cart for days and it doesn't hurt anyone. See when you place an order with them their is precious coffee and time used as they sit and send you the invoice, put you on the list, tell someone else that their order will have to go with the next batch, and then order supplies to cover the use of the ones making your order. All of this is wasted if you do not pay for your order!!! And ummm there is no wasting coffee!!!!! Time is precious too but coffee is the fuel that runs this whole operation. You remember Ms.Kim from Gilmore Girls...You Break You Buy!!! Well with these gals please remember....You order You Pay! Also while we are ranting....the wait time is non negotiable!!!! The business have grown a lot since the Cars Hair bow Incident of 2013! Gone are the days of a week turn around. During the holidays specifically. We all have Calendars and we all know when the busy time of years are. Please do not try and order a week before Christmas and expect it to be there Christmas Eve...One they are closed and two YOU HAD 365 DAYS TO PLACE THE ORDER!!!! The shipping dates are given when the order is placed before the coffee is poured to sit down and do the invoicing, So if that shipping date is to late blame yourself apologize for wasting their time and say Thank You for talking to me and next time I will order sooner. Also you know when payday is...order then and do as I do...when making the budget add them in so you know you can pay when invoice is sent.

Now that the ranting is out of my system...click the links. Check them out, Like them on Facebook. Get ready to invite three of the most charming southern women into your life and be prepared to become friends with them. They will also be celebrating the holidays with you as you order for Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversary's, and Graduations. They do party favor packages, clocks, and so much more then hot glue a bottle cap to a piece of jewelry or a bow.  Also as the holidays draw near remember them just like you do your postman, newspaper delivery person, and all others who have given you excellent customer service all year....send coffee. I can definitely tell you it will be appreciated.