Go Mobile and Succeed

Bows, Glorious, Bows

I have fallen madly in love with ribbon. This is only natural for someone like me. I’ve been sewing since I was ten years old. I have always been fascinated with making something out of nothing and I enjoy working with my hands. It only took one visit to the craft store to get me hooked. Let’s talk bow making!

Locally, I’ve had the best luck at Michael’s finding inexpensive ribbon. I have found that 3/8” works best for ear bows, with 5/8” and 7/8” for collar bows. My store has a large display of ribbon in 3-yard packages for $1.00 a spool on sale. If you cut the ribbon between 11-13 inches long you will get about 10 pieces of ribbon. This works out to approx. 10 cents apiece.

I precut all my ribbon and keep it in a plastic bag so it stays organized and clean. I use grosgrain ribbon. I like the way this type of ribbon looks. It has an interesting texture and makes for an attractive bow. Grosgrain ribbon also gives the bow weight and an expensive feel.

Make sure you use thick, high quality rubber bands. You might want to use two rubber bands instead of one so your bow will have back up in case one rubber band breaks. Upholstery thread is the way to go with a long darning needle for stitching it all together. Make sure the needle is sharp so it is easy to push through the layers of ribbon. You won’t have to make as many passes with the needle because this thread is heavy duty and doesn’t break. I always triple knot my thread.

You can also make bows out of paper flowers. These were purchased at Michael's.

Finding something special to put in the center of the bow is the fun part. You can use beads, pom poms, buttons, rosettes…that’s up to you. You can wander around the craft store and buy anything that strikes your fancy. I hand stitch all my bows. I keep my trinkets in a little container that includes an assortment of styles and colors so I can mix and match. Experiment. You can also troll eBay for goodies and do-dads for bow centers.

Many of the local craft stores have coupons every week. Some creative groomers frequent the Dollar Stores and buy the 99 cent stems of plastic flowers, popping off the flowers and going that route.

(Photo Courtesy of Bo Sommer)

I found the cutest packages of bugs and spiders for my Halloween bows at 99 cents a package at a dollar store. They came in two colors, black and white so I bought one of each. I even have plenty left over for next year’s bows!

I am a big fan of the collar bows. I find that many of my customers do leave them on until the next groom. Ear bows can leave knots and tangles in the hair and frankly, I don’t like putting them in. The biggest bonus in regard to collar bows– you only need one! That’s a money saver. 

Some holiday bows...

Everyday bows...

Here are some ear bows. These were easy as pie! All I had to do was stitch a rubber band on the back as pictured.

Now, if you are reading this and shaking your head and saying this is not going to happen, there is hope! If bow making is not your cup of tea there are many talented, creative groomers out there that make bows. One of my favorites is Tica Verret. Tica has a large assortment of high quality, hand crafted items. Check out her facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TicaBows. Other places to find interesting bows are www.etsy.com, www.ebay.com or just google “bows.” To get more familiar with bow making you can also watch bow videos on youtube.

Every single one of my customers has noticed the hand made bows. They love them and are impressed when I say I made them myself. No doubt, bows can give your groom the WOW factor. They are the icing on the cake. A finishing touch. Dress up your furry best friends in the finest bling and guess what will happen? Every time your customer sees that snazzy bow on their pet’s collar, they will think of you and smile. Whatever path you follow, you can be creative or spend some time having fun shopping for bows on the Internet. It’s even a good idea to just look around and get ideas. I’m hoping this blog will light a spark under your bow-making fire as we all head towards the holiday season together. 

 

Fun In The Sun 2011/Halloween

Fun In The Sun 2011/Halloween

What do you get when you combine a grooming convention and Halloween….double the fun! I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunity to attend Fun In The Sun for the first time. With the lure of a cheap plane ticket and staying with friends, I just couldn’t say no. As I flew through the clouds on my way to Orlando, I spent my time with ribbon and a needle and thread, making a pile of collar bows for all my furry friends when I return home.

All the stars were aligned for me on this trip. I managed to miss a devastating winter snowstorm that hit the East coast when I was gone. My plane took off on time, leaving behind my family, who spent three days without power, heat or phone, while I took advantage of some down time floating on the Lazy River at the beautiful Championship Resort where the show was held.

I knew this was my last hurrah facing the winter weather as a mobile groomer and I was going to take advantage of it. Florida mobiles are one lucky bunch. They don’t have to face the trials and tribulations we do heading into November as we turn the clock back and the temperatures start to drop.

This was a last minute trip for me so I had few obligations at the show. I was able to visit with my southern grooming buddies that I often don’t get to see. I spent some time with Ali and her family at the Groomers Mall who are some of my favorite people. I was able to watch quite a bit of the grooming competition, awed by the talent and skill of the humble Lindsay Dicken, as she took four 1^st place wins in Division A.

I got a kick out of seeing many canines dressed in their Halloween finery, the highlight being a Boston terrier in a pink tutu and a matching polka dot bandana. This little girl was into it as she strutted her stuff on the trade show floor entertaining everyone, wherever she went.

It was great to see two special friends from my old days at petgroomer.com, Judi Stratton and Lee Duffy. I was very proud of Lee who won an Honorable mention with her yorkie pom Chloe.

I even got to meet Amber Powell-Brooks and Celeste McCormack from my Facebook group Go Mobile And Groom.

The Halloween Party was a lot of fun on Saturday night. I was glad I saved many of the costumes that my kids wore when they were growing up. I managed to dig up a pair of feather wings and a silver tinsel halo, dressing up as an angel as I got into the spirit of it all. I even managed to cut a rug or two as the DJ played some rockin’ music on the dance floor. The cutest couple by far was Sally and Jerry Shinberg, dressed up as witches, shrouded in orange and black.

I was feeling pretty cheerful until I read the text message from my husband when the plane landed. A transformer had blown up on our street and the power was out again. Driving home was just horrendous. Everywhere you looked were hanging wires and power lines, branches and trees were all over the place.

I managed to unpack while it was still light outside. Then DH and I decided to go to the movies and eat out. We stopped at my Mom’s house, delivering all the frozen food we had in our freezer as she still had power. We got home, lit a few candles,  and wandered around the house with flashlights in hand. Brrrrr! It was cold. Forty degrees!

Looking back I’m sure glad I took a nice long float on the Lazy River because last night I huddled under a pile of blankets, frozen like an ice cube. I’m a bit upset with Mother Nature as I’m hoping this storm isn’t an indication of things to come. The power in our house is out but not in the van. The green light is on.  I’m always ready to groom!