You NEED to read this post!

A lovely lady, who shall remain nameless for privacy reasons, sent me this lovely picture of a Christmas package she wrapped.  Here's what she wrote:

"...the glitter ribbon is extremely rigid ribbon - no softness to it - no wires but
no softness, either.  The package came out really pretty. I never would have had a pretty bow with that ribbon had it not been for Craft-Dee BOWZ."

Now you may have noticed that the posts for her Craft-Dee BowZ have heads on them.  The happy owner of this Craft-Dee BowZ has difficulty with the strength in her hands and so I had a "special" bow maker made for her.  This is what makes what I do so worthwhile -- I am so happy to be able to make someone else's life just a bit easier if I can and it looks like it worked!  This sweet lady also sent me a sample of this particular ribbon and let me tell you, she is sooo right about the difficulty in working with it.  If she can do it, then so can I -- with the Craft-Dee BowZ, of course!

I just thought this needed sharing and thank you so very much, my special lady, for sharing.

Donna

Paper Sundaes challenge...

Well, I thought I'd submit a card for a challenge from Paper Sundaes since they are looking for bows (ahem!  that would be me!) on cards.  So I thought I'd pop this little card in that will be offered in My Creative Classroom's online class starting January 14, 2012 (stay tuned!).  This is just one of several cards that I created in that classroom using the Craft-Dee BowZ.  So be sure and check out My Creative Classroom to see what's going on over there!

I've used non traditional colors for this holiday card and you'll find out exactly how it's done using the Craft-Dee BowZ as well as some other great projects.

Donna

And yet another way to make your bows...

While playing around one day with my Craft-Dee BowZ I wound up creating another method of making bows for your cards.   It sort of surprised me when I did it and then I decided to put it to the test.  Here's the result of my fiddling:

I'm referring to the row of bows at the bottom of the card specifically.  I discovered that by stringing a continuous series of bows together on the same length of ribbon resulted in this.  I thought it was kind of cute!  Note that I also added bows to her hair as well as making a lace bow for the heart.  Lot's of Craft-Dee BowZ going on here!  I had originally created the card for a challenge over at Memory Making Crafts and, well, I won the challenge!  I guess it surprised me because this type of stamp is out of my genre and I wanted to challenge myself with it.  I never expected all these bows to work the way they did -- all on one card?

Donna

It's a miracle!

Well, sort of a miracle.  Do you remember in my last post (oh so long ago) I mentioned that my daughter and friend were playing with the Craft-Dee BowZ and trying new "tricks" with it for bow making?  I indicated that they had devised a way to make even bigger bows than the 4-1/4" bow.  Well, yesterday that came to fruition and I felt it NEEDED to be shared.

My daughter is an event planner for a hotel on Cape Cod and was asked to participate in the decorating for a huge function coming up.  (She is an incredible card maker in her own right and sells her cards in several locations on the Cape.)  I had invited her up for the day to help do some photography work using the Craft-Dee BowZ and since God did not see fit to bequeath me with a third arm or hand, I needed someone to take photos while I tied the bows for some projects. (Stay tuned for some classroom training at My Creative Classroom using the Craft-Dee BowZ.)  While chatting, she mentioned her participation in the upcoming event and that the hotel had purchased another bow making tool (name withheld) which became the curse of Frankenstein.  She said it was impossible to follow the instructions in a logical manner, but being the bright girl she is, she figured it out.  The end result was pure torture and an ugly bow.  She remembered her light bulb moment from the trade show and asked if we could give it a try.  She needs to make 9" bows for 36 light fixtures at the hotel.

Have I got your attention yet?  You will laugh when you figure out how it's done.  We placed two Craft-Dee BowZ end to end (plugs facing outward on each bow maker) and put the dowels in the furthest holes from one another (one dowel in one Craft-Dee BowZ and the other dowel in the second Craft-Dee BowZ).  Using the SAME method of making multiple loop bows, this is what we created (and it only took 45 seconds by the time we fluffed out the loops!):

You can just about make out the 9" mark on the scoring board.  This bow is gorgeous in person (click on the picture for a larger view)!  So my daughter borrowed an extra Craft-Dee BowZ from me and went home a happy girl.  She's now very excited about making 36 of these!  This particular one requires 9 feet of ribbon.  I believe Dina is making her bows with an additional loop and will need 12 feet of ribbon for each.

Well I hope you enjoyed this post and that it creates more turmoil for those creative juices!

Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear from you!  Leave a comment!

Donna

Back from Troy (again)...

Hello bow makers!  Well, we're back from the NY Women's Expo in Troy, NY.  And no disasters befell us such as tornadoes or hurricanes.  Gee, maybe my luck is changing!  This could be a long post, so bear with me.

In any case, I'd first like to say that the promoters of this event were par excellence.  They outdid themselves with the set-up, venue, and advertising.  They were there on the spot if you needed them for anything and couldn't do enough to help this event be a success.  Well, we did have one little glitch in the three day show -- on day 2 the promoters entered to find no electricity in the building!  They made a mad scramble to contact the building's manager who told them they don't have an electrician on  retainer, so the promoter had to get her own electrician and have the work done.  We were up and running within an hour of the show's opening.   The promoter (Suzette Anthony) spent over $40,000 in advertising alone for this show -- now that's a promoter!

Sadly, for whatever reason, the show did not generate much traffic -- do you believe my luck?  But we had a grand time for ourselves and were able to do our own shopping (pssst!  great Christmas gifts!) at the many (150) booths.  We met some terrific vendors and swapped lots of ideas and garnered tons of advice for future shows.

I brought hubby and daughter with me as well as our dear friend, Priscilla.  Priscilla got a little crazy and bought this adorable hat very first thing and proudly wore it the first day of the show.  She said it matched her shoes -- you'll just have to take my word for it, it did.  Here's our la-di-da Queen showing off her finery.

Here's a look at Dina and Priscilla practicing their bow making.  They actually came up with even more great ideas for the Craft-Dee BowZ that I hope to share with you very soon.  Mind you, Priscilla had never even seen the Craft-Dee BowZ, but that sharp little mind of hers was clicking away.  She and Dina came up with a very clever way of making even bigger bows -- stay tuned! 

Hubby got all dressed up for the occasion -- he had to look like part of the team, didn't he?  Since we girls were wearing our glittzy corsages, hubby needed to look the part as well, so I made him a bow tie (thanks for the suggestion, Regina!).  Here he is in all his glory.  He got more attention at the show than anyone!  Everyone loved his tie and  commented on it.  (Keep this in mind, bow makers!)  As we say, "the Craft-Dee BowZ ain't just for card making anymore!"

I do have to tell you this one other story.  An adorable young lady, Victoria, entered our booth and we demonstrated the Craft-Dee BowZ with her.  As we were talking, we were admiring some of her jewelry.  She told us she makes a lot of it herself.  She promptly set about making a bow into a ring.  Here are two examples of the new Craft-DeeBowZ ring.  Isn't this great?  I love it!  Hmmm, do I see Craft-Dee BowZ earrings in the near future?  I'm modelling the one Victoria made.

And here's one I made using the double loop bow.   Don't these give you great ideas - maybe for little girls' parties, a special nite out with a bit of dare and flair?

While at the show, my friend Carol from Albany dropped by the booth.  I hadn't seen Carol in about 10 years, so we caught up on family life and such.  She was telling me that she couldn't believe the amount of advertising that went into this show.  Hi Carol!  I hope it won't be another 10 years before we see one another!

So I left this show with ideas buzzing in my brain which I hope to pass on to all you bow makers.  Drop me a line - I'd love to hear from you.

Donna

Off to our next show...

Hi bow makers!  Well, I'm off to do another trade show the end of this week.  I carry mixed emotions on many levels, but foremost is the weather.  Many of you know that the first show I did was the day after the tornado in West Springfield, MA.  The next show I brought hurricane Irene WITH me which resulted in day two of the show being cancelled.  So to say I'm a bit unsettled about this next trip would be an understatement.  What's left?  earthquake? mud slides? blizzard?  Okay, I'm going to think positively -- I know there's a higher power with some great thing in mind for me.

So with that being said, I'd just like to let you know that the Craft-Dee BowZ and crew will be at the NY Women's Expo in Clifton Park, NY (on the outskirts of Troy) and the show runs from Friday, September 23 (from 12 to 7), Saturday (from 10 to 6) and Sunday (from 10 to 4).  Tell all your friends and please drop by.  This is a wonderful event with over 150 vendors generating about 5,000 attendees and offering a multitude of products such as fitness, home & decor, education & success, jewelry, crafts, fashion, food & dining and health & wellness and many others.  Part of the proceeds for this show go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Cure Foundation.

Craft-Dee BowZ will be offering raffle tickets on this pretty little package that I put together for this occasion.  I purchased an artists canvas frame, decorated the front and back with various designer papers (from Fight Like a Girl) then filled the opening in the back with an Craft-Dee BowZ and three spools of various pink ribbons and topped the whole thing off with some gorgeous bows made with, what else, the Craft-Dee BowZ!  Here are pics of the front and back of this package.

(the above shows our old name, so don't get confused)

My friends have all been asking if I had made up a bunch of these.  That answer would be "no, not right now".  I've been so crazy busy with my teaching job and the store closing where I work that I'm lucky I have time to even get ready for this show.  Wish me well and I'll be sure to have pictures upon my return.

Donna

Witchy, witchy, boo!

Hello followers.  I had to share this latest contribution from my friend, Chris.  She decorates her kitchen table for every season or holiday and here's her latest for Halloween.  She bought a paper mache hat and painted it, then stamped it and added some glitter.  Do be sure and note that the finishing touch is the bow made with the Craft-Dee BowZ.  She did a great job on altering this hat!  Thanks Chris!

Please feel free to drop a comment.  Love to hear from you as always.

Donna

It's not just for card making...

Hi everyone!  Well we've been busy at work with our Craft-Dee BowZ these past few weeks and I just thought I'd share some other ideas with you that will give your projects pizazz.  By projects, I mean scrapbooking, holiday gifts and a fun twist on picture framing.  Remember, these are ALL done with the Craft-Dee BowZ and the only thing stopping you is your imagination.  So here goes.  (Click on any picture for a larger view.)

This scrapbooking page was done by a friend.  Is this not the cutest? Sorry about the word redundancy -- but it just is the most appropriate word for this layout.  You'll see how every bow to the right is the same size consistently.  The bow to the side of the picture of the Divine Miss "O" (as she is called)  was done by adding an extra tail for more interest.  And don't forget the bow in her hair!  Yep, also done with the Craft-Dee BowZ and added for a 3-dimensional look.

The Divine Miss "O"

This next layout is done on an 8x8 page.  Clearly, much simpler, but look at the dimension that the bow adds to this layout.  Simple, but just enough.  This happens to be my granddaughter at her best.

Not to be outdone, I'll call her the adorable Miss "L"

Now this next picture of the adorable Miss "L" will show you her real side.  Not to take away from my favorite (and only) grandchild, I'd like you to focus on how you can present a picture, perhaps as a Christmas gift (in this case) or change it up for a birthday gift with balloons and bows.  You get the idea.

This is the REAL Miss "L"!

And this last idea is from the owner at The Crop Shop who has sold more Craft-Dee BowZ than I can count!  She was kind enough to donate this to my booth as a way to show how you can gift wrap the gift wrapper, so to speak (LOL!).

She placed an Craft-Dee BowZ with some spools of ribbon in a cute little sleigh.

She then shrink wrapped it and added a bow made with, you guessed it, the Craft-Dee BowZ!

Well this ought to get your creative juices rolling in another direction!  If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for dropping by.

Donna

I'm waterlogged...

Hi all!  Just like the rest of you, this was one unbelievable weekend with Hurricane Irene, huh?  I think I have bad Karma because I had to do an Craft-Dee BowZ convention out in Troy, NY this weekend and I brought Irene with me.  You may recall that my last convention I brought a tornado with me to West Springfield.  What's up with that?  Perhaps you should all give me a wide berth!

Well, we had fun ANYWAY!  Arrived on Friday to set up the booth (here's my dear friend, Chris, at her post just before the show opened).

I couldn't budge her from the spot except for a few short bursts of power shopping the rest of the show.  She was having way too much fun demo-ing the Craft-Dee BowZ.  The booth seemed to be busy with a constant flow.

We met some of the greatest, funniest, helpful, gracious people at this show.  One in particular I'd like to share with you in this post is a lovely lady named Laura who dropped by the booth and said she had purchased an Craft-Dee BowZ at the West Springfield show.  Laura was bragging to anyone within hearing distance about how she made 30 tiny 1" bows for a shower invitation in under 30 minutes.  Here's my new friend Laura who agreed to take a picture with me:

Laura ran out to her car and brought the invitation to show me.  Check out her adorable shower invitation below!  I'm so proud of you, girl, and thanks so much for sharing!

Here's the outside of the invitation. Cute, cute!

And there's her little bow!  Great job, Laura!

The very best thing that Laura shared is a poem she made up to help her remember how to tie her bows (this is because I didn't have this blog up and running when she purchased hers).  I'm pretty sure this is how it went:

It's all about "U"

Cross left over right

Pull the top one thru

And tie it tight

I don't know about you, but I thought it was darn clever if you think about your directions and the videos on this blog.  You are a treasure, Laura!

We got a chance to bond with some other great people, like Denami, Stamp On It and Kreaxions punches.  We all made the best of a potentially bad situation with the weather.

Thanks for checking in and I'd love to hear from you!

Donna 

More Comments of Appreciation...

I just wanted to post some of the great comments that are coming in from other sources.  Heres another one:

Hi Donna,
I just wanted you to know how great your EZ Bowz is to work. I love that the 2 posts have a place for them, at least they won't get lost. It is so much easier to make the different bows, single,double and so on. It is also wonderful that I can hang it up in my craft room which makes it so easy for me to reach for as I use it .Thanks again for such a great product. I love, love, love it....Cathy Walsh. 

Donna

Let's decorate!

Gee, it's been a while since I posted last.  So much to do, so little time!  (whine, whine!).  I finally had some time today to do something I've been promising  -- to show you some samples of how to decorate the back side of your Craft-Dee BowZ.  Now you may ask, why would I want to do that?  Ummm, because you can??  As crafters, many of us like to personalize our toys and, truthfully, the Craft-Dee BowZ is just begging for just that.  When not in use (which isn't often), I hang my Craft-Dee BowZ within reach, but while it's just hangin' around, it's looking pretty!  So without any further delay, I thought I'd show you two samples of my boards (ones I use for shows and demos).  I hope you enjoy them and that it gets those creative juices flowing!

The first one I did at the suggestion of a store owner who just got this "Fight Like a Girl" paper in -- it's geared quite specifically for breast cancer.  While, thankfully, this has not personally affected me, I know many women that it has.  And so, I made this in honor of them.

This is comprised of two different papers from Fight Like a Girl.  First I cut the striped piece to fit the entire BACK of my Craft-Dee BowZ (this may sound silly, but you really don't want to cover the front as you'll cover the holes for your dowels.)  I just cut a portion of the border from another piece from the same collection and decoupaged it to the top and bottom of my Craft-Dee BowZ.  I did add a small scalloped piece in black to make the top border pop a little.  Part of this paper also included the center emblem with the breast cancer ribbon.  Never one to leave well enough alone, I glittered the ribbon in the center and the little white dots in the top border.  Here's another view of how I finished it off with ribbon all around the Craft-Dee BowZ -- do note the little 1" bow that I finished it off with!

Now the second one is quite a bit different.  I'm such a glitter girl, so much so that one of my students bought me a stamp at the convention that reads "a glittering face is the mark of a true stamper".  (Thanks Pat!)  First, what I did was sprayed text weight paper (I'm sure you can you regular card stock -- this was just handy) with Glimmer Mists in gold and aqua and let dry.  I then cut it to fit the back of the Craft-Dee BowZ and ran it through an embossing folder and decoupaged it.  Next, I used micro glitter and peel-offs  for the butterfly and flowers, etc., cut them out and decoupaged them to the back to create a pleasing effect.  Here's the second one.

Lastly, I wrapped satin ribbon around the perimeter of the Craft-Dee BowZ and used a double sided tape to keep it in place.  Here's another view of the butterfly one.

If you click on any of these pictures, you will see a close up view and the glitter will be quite evident.

Well, that's it for now!  I hope I've inspired you a little.  We will be doing a contest somewhere down the road for "Best of Show" for any of you who want to decorate and submit pictures of your Craft-Dee BowZ and there will be a prize for the winner as well.  Guess I'd better get crackin' on that!

I'd love to hear from you, so don't be afraid to comment.  

Donna 

It's a wrap!

As previously stated, my main thrust for creating the Craft-Dee BowZ bow making tool was to address the issues of people who are bow challenged.  This came about strictly through my experience as a teacher of card making.  Now that's not a bad thing being bow challenged!  However, if you are one of the countless millions who struggle with bows, then this is a tool that you will definitely benefit from.

So, I've shown you how to do single and multiple loop bows (refer to videos in earlier posts).  I also showed you how they can affect your card making projects.  Well, let's look at the other side of the bow making loop, so to speak.  When you think "bows", you generally think "packages or gifts", right?  Well you're on the right track.  So, here are a few packages that I wrapped using the Craft-Dee BowZ bow maker.  I think a visual helps in every sense of the word.

This first package is a simple bag topper.  What a quick and easy way to dress up a package -- especially if you're short on time.  If you're like me, you leave things to the last minute when it comes to wrapping gifts -- not my favorite thing to do.  This is a 1/2" wired ribbon that I used.  A video will follow soon showing you how this is attached.

This second package is for a small wedding or anniversary gift.  Again, using a wider, wired ribbon, I made multiple loops and added an additional tail.  Remember, the Craft-Dee BowZ makes up to 4-1/4" wide bows!  I'll have a short video on how to add additional tails very soon.  Just by adding some beading to your bow, you have a very lovely gift package.

And the last package was made with a soft satiny (polyester) finished ribbon.  This is not wired ribbon.  I added some fancy gold ribbon underneath to create more impact.

Well, I hope I've inspired you to reach beyond your craft room and your card making endeavors.  Don't let that Craft-Dee BowZ collect dust!  It's more valuable than you think!

Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear from you.

Donna

Time for some samples...

Hi everyone!  Wow!  there's been a bit of traffic on the blog lately -- I guess all you E-Z BowZ owners are finding out just how much fun this tool can be!  So to follow up on my last video showing multiple bows, here are some cards that feature the multiple loops.

The above card couldn't be simpler!  Using a 1-5/8" wide, wired ribbon, a triple loop bow was made.  The card was finished off by mimicking the flowers in the ribbon.  Bright and springy!

This card was submitted by Chris D.  I just love what she did with her multiple loops -- looks like there are at least 4 loops per side!  She made a flower out of it and popped it on a pre-patterned card, added a little glitter here and there and a sentiment.  Great job, Chris!

This particular card features satin ribbon.  We all know what a slippery devil that can be.  You'll note the double set of tails in the back of this bow.  Again, I'll follow up with a tutorial on this technique.

This project features netting for a double loop bow with ribbon streamers.  Think of all the possibilities with weddings and baby/wedding showers, etc.!

This showcases a double-loop bow that has been attached in a way that makes it look like it was tacked on to the card, but is done in a very different way.  Stay tuned -- another video!

Lastly, narrow wired ribbon was made into a double loop bow and attached to a barrette.  What little girl wouldn't love this!  Did you know you can also create some beautiful headbands using your E-Z BowZ?

Well, that's it for today.  I just thought you'd enjoy seeing some samples of the versatility of the E-Z BowZ.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Thanks for dropping by!

Donna

So rewarding!

It is always gratifying when people tell me how easy the E-Z BowZ is to use.  I received a personal email from this gal and this is what she wrote.  I just had to share it with you.

"A Little Something....

It all began when I bought a cute little red, white and blue pitcher as a centerpiece for my kitchen table. It was cute....but it needed a little something....

So, I cut and glittered some stars, glued them to sticks and put them in the pitcher. The stars were cute....but they needed a little something.....

A search of my craft room produced a lovely silver meshy ribbon. I tied it around the sticks and tied a bow. That was a disaster! The meshy part of the ribbon was fragile. Every time I pulled the loops to tighten the bow, the mesh part ripped. The end result was flat, twisty, warped and torn. I wasted time and a lot of ribbon. It was VERY frustrating.

And then I thought of my bowmaker. In under a minute (and with very little effort and no wasted ribbon), I made three pretty, puffy, perfect silver bows in the exact size I wanted. I glue- dotted them onto the sticks and now I don't think my centerpiece needs a thing!

All hail the mighty EZBowZ!!!"

And here is here centerpiece:

Isn't this adorable?  And I'm so proud that the E-Z BowZ played such an important role in her project.  Thank you, Chris!

Donna

How about some samples?

Hi there!  Now that the video is up (and actually working!), I thought I'd post a few card samples for you.  More to come!

This card typifies the look of the 1" bow -- see it there in her hair?  How cute is that?

This card also shows the 1" bow with a double loop and how it's wrapped on 

a card using only the one piece of ribbon!

This card was sent by a friend.  Don't you just love what she's done?  She made a 1" bow, then clipped the tails in really tight and then braided some fibers to create the body of the butterfly.  Wow!

I'll post more pictures as they arrive.  I'd love it if you'd share photos of cards you've created using the Craft-Dee BowZ.  Just email me with your picture and I'll put it on the blog.

Donna

Check these comments out...

This is from a great little store in Warner, NH by the

name of Wingdoodle:

Donna

Craft-Dee BowZ  and Pearl Pens

Posted by SherRee

The weekend of June 4th Adele and I took a trip to

Springfield, MA for the Heirloom Stamp show.  There was so much stuff there plus tons of stamps and lots and lots of die cuts. The most popular item seems to have been the Pearl Pens which we are fully stocked with except for the Lilac.

The other thing that seemed to be flying out the door were the Craft-Dee BowZ bow makers.  Believe it or not there are a lot of  bow challenged people out there.  I have given up counting the number of times someone has told me that they can't make a bow.  This bow maker makes perfect little bows every time.  Stop into Wingdoodle and someone will demo the bow maker for you and then let you try it.  You will be amazed at how easy it is to use.

Here it is!

The  Craft-Dee BowZ is here!  A totally self-contaned bow making tool, that allows you to make bows from 1" to 4-1/4"!  It's compact, light weight, convenient and pretty.  So without further ado, allow me to present my newest endeavor that is making a fast and huge impact in the stamping/scrapbooking world.  Take a look.

See that little T-peg at the top?

That's the secret compartment that

holds the dowels.  It comes with

a pretty ribbon for you to hang it

out of the way when not in use.

Here it is with the dowels  - notice that they are

made of steel and non-breakable.

This is your tool with the pegs set for a 1" bow.

Here is a small sampling of bows from the 1"

to a 2-1/2" bow with double and triple loops!

So stay tuned while I try and get a video and instructions going for you.  Guaranteed to make perfect bows every time!  In fact, here's a wonderful compliment from Brenda who purchased one at the West Springfield Stamp Arts Festival:

Brenda Bibbey Woods This was my favorite new "find" at the show this year! Every bow I have tried with my bow maker has come out perfect.

Now that 's a testimony that I love to hear!

If you've been hearing about or seeing the Craft-Dee BowZ bow maker from your friends who purchased it at the West Springfield Show, then rest assured you can own one too.  Just email me  at the address just under the banner at the top of the page and I will be happy to accommodate you.

Besides making perfect bows every time, people have loved the idea that they can personalize their bow makers by either stamping and coloring, decopaging or  using the Cricut vinyl!  I'll try and post a few pics later to give you an idea of what I mean.

I look forward to talking to you all and please feel free to leave comments.  I truly welcome them!

Donna