Black Friday and Cyber Monday SALES!

Well, that time of year is here, again. I can't believe it. I know some of you have your entire map planned out of what stores to hit, at what time, you've looked at all of the promo's and you know what you want. Then, there are some of us, that don't even want to get out on Black Friday. I would be one of those people. I just hate waiting in lines and getting ran over.  It just doesn't sound like fun to me. But, I'm sure all of this will change when I have a family of my own and there's those special things my children want. 

Black Friday SALE 

Dainty Button has something even better. No lines, no waiting out in the cold. Just logging on to our etsy shop in your comfy PJ's and hot cocoa. How cool is that? At 12:01 AM (CST), Friday morning, our etsy shop will be open for Black Friday. Here's the details...

The holidays are a very, very hectic time for us. All of our items are "made to order", so you can imagine how busy we are trying our very best to fill all of your Christmas orders. We've decided to do things a little different this year. We have a very large inventory of accessories already made up and ready to ship : ) These items will be in our shop on Black Friday. So, not only do you receive 50% OFF, they'll also ship within 3-4 business days of when you purchase. Pretty awesome, I'd say. 

We also have a few pieces that we will include in our Black Friday SALE, that are very popular and "made to order", but those shipping times will be 7-10 business days after purchased. Not only do you receive a fabulous HALF OFF discount, but we've included a special Christmas gift, from us to you.

With any purchase over $20 (not including shipping), receive a complimentary set of our original European wool felt flower pendants (set of 5)....

Have Black Friday plans? Don't worry! We have a Cyber Monday sale for you? Cyber Monday is the cyber world's "black friday". This sale will be just as big, but in a way, a little better. Our ENTIRE shop will be 40% OFF, the entire day. This means that ALL items will be on sale. Accessories and Sweets. Yes, even sweets. This will also include our newly re-launched Men and Boys Neck Tie and Bow Tie Collection. The shipping turnaround will be 7-10 business days after purchased, on this sale, due to the fact that ALL items (particularly made to order), will be discounted.

How can you get your discount? Here's the codes for you...

Black Friday Sale Code:

blackfriday11

Cyber Monday Sale Code:

cybermonday11

Our Black Friday SALE will begin at 12:01 AM (CST), Friday morning, so don't wait to log on. You can log on at http://www.etsy.com/shop/DaintyButton?ref=si_shop. Some items are limited and won't be available for long. See you Black Friday!

Charity M.

and 

DB TEAM

Fall Fun

Hello....

Hello, Hello. I have finally gotten the chance to sort of revamp my blog. Eeek. It so, desperately needed it. It's been pitiful, really. There are many reasons why it ended up looking pitiful and to keep from boring you to tears, I will not indulge you. But, good news. My blog will now be more than just announcing a new collection, expansion, sale or giveaway. Yes, those are great and needed from time to time, but I want to give readers something more enjoyable to read. So, let's make this fun! So, with that being said. Here is to the best of my intentions. Wish me luck!

Help!!

I posted on my facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dainty-Button/187487127949802 about revamping our blog and asked for feedback and suggestions. I think maybe one person commented, but I did have a few email me. I've been asked many times to share DIY's with my blog and fan page followers, as well as customers. I won't be sharing any DIY's about my own personal work and recipes, but I will be posting some great ideas and such, that I'm a big fan of and hopefully, it will inspire others. As far as my own work, that's why I'm in business : )

Ok, on to my post. I'm blabbering...

What's your favorite season? I think out of all of my friends and family, fall is probably a favorite. I can't recall many telling me summer or winter. It's usually either, Fall or Spring. I think this is because the weather is so nice. It's either, right before or after you feel like you're in hell or going to freeze to death. I would have to say that Fall is my favorite. Summer is ok, but honestly, I live in San Francisco, and we don't really get a summer. We don't really get any seasons, for that matter. It's pretty much the same year round, give or take a couple months during winter that actually feel like we're having a "winter". But, "Fall" is still my favorite. I can always feel it in the air, starting around August. The energy of everybody's summer winding down and school starting back up. I get so excited. I'm a HUGE holiday person, so I think one excitement is knowing the holiday season is so close. So, as I write this post on the eve of Labor Day, I can't tell you how excited I am to just get tomorrow over with. I guess, it "officially" seems like fall once we bid Labor Day "goodbye". 

The past week as been so hectic. Our family moved, which is by far, the worst experience. I hate moving with a deep passion. But, during this hectic week, my mind was going crazy with all sorts of new ideas. It's always during the most busiest, hectic times, when this happens. Not sure, why. In the midst of moving, finding a new home for my dog (horrible experience) and processing orders, it's a wonder, I'm this motivated. Ha! As I knew the Labor Day weekend was drawing close and it was technically the last summer "hoorah" for many, my anxiety for fall seemed to increase and the reality that the season was actually here, because even more exciting. I'm a huge entertainer and baker, during the holidays. Love it! I try to throw a Fall/Halloween party and Christmas party. Last year, I wasn't able to throw a Christmas one, because I was experiencing the first holiday season of retail. This year, I'm more prepared and a party is on the list! So, look for a lot of posts this season, with fun party and entertaining ideas, as well as baking tips and recipes. I'm sure there's a few of you out there, that enjoy it it, as much as I do.

First, I thought some of these ideas might be fun for my shop, Dainty Button, but after much thinking, I realized they just weren't a good fit. Mainly, shipping would be a pain in the rump. And I don't need to add any more work to my already busy schedule or any more "pains to my rump". But, they're such fun little ideas, I want to share! So, for those that have asked for fun little DIY's and tutorials, here you go! Maybe you can find some great use for them this season. I know, I will be trying them, myself.

Candy Apples

Don't these look amazing?? Another reason, I love fall! Candy and caramel apples. As soon, as I get settled in to our new home, I will most definitely be trying these guys out!

Recipe Ingredients

• 12 very small Red Delicious apples (from bagged apples)

• 1 cup each light corn syrup and hot water

• 1/2 cup red cinnamon candies (like Red Hots)

• 1/4 tsp liquid red food color

• 12 (8-in.-long) clean twigs, thin wooden dowels or candy sticks

• 2 cups sugar

Recipe Preparation

1. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
2. Wash and thoroughly dry apples; remove stems. Insert twigs firmly into stem ends.
3. Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 250°F (wipe down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush occasionally to prevent crystallization).
4. When mixture reaches 250°F, add cinnamon candies and stir just to blend. Continue to cook until 300°F, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and swirl in food color, tilting saucepan, until blended. Let mixture settle for a minute until bubbles slow down.
5. Holding an apple by the twig and tilting pan, dip and swirl apple until coated. Lift apple and gently twirl over saucepan, letting excess drip back into pan. Place on prepared baking sheet, twig up. Repeat with remaining apples.
6. Allow apples to stand at room temperature until candy coating hardens, about 1 hour. Candy apples can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored at room temperature.

I'd love to know if you try these, and how they turn out. I'm thinking these would be a fun addition to our church's College and Career Fall Party.

Candy Corn Craze

These are great little party favor ideas! I did them last year, and it was a huge hit!

What you need:

1. Mason jars or jars of any assortment adds uniqueness and variety.

2. Candy Corn

3. Mixed nuts or one particular type

4. Ribbon, notions, buttons, string, name tags, etc.

Get to it!

1. Simply mix Candy Corn and mixed nuts into each jar. Shake well, to give it a good mixture. I alternated with Candy Corn and mixed nuts, while shaking (lightly), as I alternated. The mixture was even and perfect.

2. Add your own decoration on the jars. I added ribbon, buttons and little notes on the front for my guests.

This was super fun and thoughtful. A yummy gift to give your guests.

Fall Fashion Find

My other favorite thing about fall, besides the food and entertaining is, fashion. I absolutely adore fall fashion. I live in a city where I can get away with wearing more of it, year round, but during the fall, it's even more fun. Recently, leafing through different fashion magazines, a style stood out to me, that I was anxious to try. 

Knee socks and stockings with booty shoes, open toed shoes, etc. I know, I know. There is a fine line between wearing knee socks and booty shoes or shoes of any type, for that matter, as stylish fall fashion and looking like a sleazy Catholic schoolgirl. With as much fashion expertise, as I have (however much that is worth), I recommend to wear it carefully. Ha! 

So, the last couple weeks, thanks to SF's wonderful "fall weather", I've been able to test the waters, a little. Here's what I've come up with...

I'm always asked where I get my shoes. Well, a variety of places. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" but on the other end of that, I'm also a firm believer in "deals". I hate paying an arm and a leg for my wardrobe. I shop at Target, Forever 21, thrift shops, etc., and I'll hit up sales. I'll admit that Nordstrom is my favorite department store and I'm guilty of frequenting it, quite often. But again, you get what you pay for. I live in a city where thrift shops are incredible. I know, not all people have that privilege, but I think if you look at the right places and know what you're looking for, you can find some great deals. I said all this, to say that 80% of my shoes have either been on sale, stores such as TJ Maxx, Marshall's, etc., thrift shops or, ok, I'm contradicting what I said earlier, gulp...knock offs. If the shoe is fab, I'm going to buy it, even if it is a knock off. Sure, they may only last a couple months, but what a wonderful couple months, those will be. I just don't recommend doing this with your entire shoe closet, otherwise, you will stay broke, for having to replace them all the time. 

Stockings...

Another one of my downfalls is, stockings. Love them! What's not to love, besides the lack of circulation part? Ok, that can be annoying. I stumbled into Forever 21 this weekend. And boy, I shouldn't have. There, at a huge table were tights and stockings of every color, style and print. All under $8! The mustard colored tights you see in the last picture, are one of my choices. Absolutely adorable and they're comfy. Sometimes, when you pay a cheap price for stockings, you get what you pay for. These are not the case. They're sturdy, enough control, but not cutting the circulation off. I'm thinking of purchasing a few extra for stocking stuffer ideas. Seriously, go check them out!!

And the last little fashion trend, I liked was light floral skirts with stockings. A couple that I've worn the last couple weeks...

Ok, so this picture is totally random, but you get a good idea of how I pulled off the knee socks and booty shoes look. I generally, would not have done this before, but for some reason, I love the look. 

That's my little sister, who looks amazing for just giving birth a month ago! 

Fall fashion is a wrap, for now!

Let's get to down, to business...

If you follow my Dainty Button facebook page, then you will know that we just concluded a HUGE Fall Giveaway, last week. A $200 SHOPPING SPREE! Yep, tis' true! I also, have a Giveaway Friday, every Friday, as well. Normally, I do not post our winner publicly. I used to, but due to a certain situation, I decided to start contacting our winners privately and leave the option up to them, whether they wanted to announce it. I have decided to announce these winners and hopefully, they will not mind. Due, to the time crunch I'm under, I'm hoping this is ok. Eeek. It's my pleasure to announce our lucky winners. The Fall Giveaway was a little tricky, with over 75 entries on separate days, I had to have 3 other people help me choose our winner. We chose our winner by drawing a name. Random.org wasn't a good fit for this giveaway drawing.

Fall Giveaway

$200 Shopping Spree 

winner is...

Giveaway Friday, last week featured a dozen of our very popular Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cake Pops

According to Random.org

our lucky winner is...

Each winner has 24 hours from within the time this blog post has been posted, to redeem their giveaway. Please private message us on facebook, email us at daintybutton@yahoo.com or simply comment on our wall or twitter. Once we are contacted within 24 hours, we will send out an official Giveaway Email. Thanks everybody for helping share Dainty Button and participating. This is not the only giveaways we have. Check in throughout the week for a chance to win in our other giveaways! 

And to end this blog post, I'll be introducing a little Dainty Button project. Virtual Trunk Show. I've seen a couple of my friends do this and have always wondered if it would be a good project for my lil' business. So, I'm going to give it a try. It may completely bomb, but I won't know until I try, right? So, who wants to host Dainty Button's first Virtual Trunk Show? There will be a couple perks, such as a discount for every order placed through your hosting. And it's super easy! Without, spending too much time on this subject, if you're interested in hosting, a couple things to keep in mind:

1. Comment below with your email address or email me at daintybutton@yahoo.com.

2. Once you've received a special email from me, be on the lookout for a post on our facebook wall that will be encouraging all that are interested to participate. The participation in this post will determine, whether your name will be chosen to help host a Virtual Trunk Show. 

If all goes well, the first time around and it's a success, I'll continue doing it.

Ok, so this a complete wrap of this new revamped blog. How do you guys like the changes? Any ideas, suggestions, feedback? Feel free to comment or email me at daintybutton@yahoo.com. I'd love to hear from you!




Sincerely,
Charity

Fall Giveaway

Fall Giveaway

A $200 Shopping Spree!

Yes, you read right!

We're giving away a chance for one lucky lady to win a $200 shopping spree in our etsy shop. 

How can you participate?

Easy breezy!

Details and Guidelines...

Each day, from now (August 23rd) until Monday, August 29th, we will post an OFFICIAL Giveaway Picture (picture is above). When you see this picture posted, it is your cue to SHARE! Sharing is not all that counts...

Once you share the photo, come back to our fan page wall and post that you shared. Sounds easy, right? Well, we've added a couple extra things that will give you not one, not two, not three, BUT FOUR chances to win. Here's what they are...

2 entries =

If you post a picture of your favorite Dainty Button item, along with your "I shared" daily post, you're entered

3 entries =

If you post your favorite picture with your "I shared" daily post and you follow us on twitter @daintybutton

4 entries =

If you post your favorite picture, with your "I shared" daily post, follow us on twitter @daintybutton and follow our blog, which is right here. 

Yes, that seems like a lot, but it all depends on how bad you want a $200 shopping spree in our shop!

Rules and Guidelines

One post a day, is allowed.

All other rules and guidelines will be addressed with the winner, within 24 hours of being chosen.

The Fall Giveaway ends Monday, August 29th at 11:59 PM (PST). 

Are you ready?

Get set, GO!

Catch Me if You Can!

Not really sure why I chose this title, but it seems like I'm always on the run and trying to catch up. Hmmm. Anyways : )

I haven't blogged in quite some time, due to many, many reasons. I can't believe summer is almost over and we're preparing for fall. Yikes! I honestly, couldn't be happier about this. Fall, winter and the holidays are my favorite seasons. So, I'm over here chanting "Come on fall! Come on fall! Come on fall!". Ok, I'm sure you get the drift.

How has everybody's summer been? It's gone by so quick, I'm not sure what all I did. Such a blur. So, let's catch up with Dainty Button!

SIDE NOTE:

If you've been following my blog and our facebook page, you might know that my sister was expecting this summer. Notice, I said "was" : ). She gave birth to the most precious little boy on Saturday, July 30th in San Francisco. Jude Truman Hogue. I thought for a minute I'd miss the birth, due to a trip, but God heard my prayers and I was able to experience the wonderful occasion. He joins my darling little niece, Zoe Belle. I'm quite the proud auntie.

Let's get back to business...

Christmas in July SALE

I will briefly discuss this topic, partly due to me being so exhausted from this sale and it's over. First of all, if you purchased something in our Christmas in July SALE, thank you! Also, thank you for your patience in the delays. This is our absolute biggest sale of the year. It's a time where we mark 80% of our shop down HALF OFF. I've mentioned a couple times on facebook about shipping and turnarounds during our sales, but for the purpose of hopefully making everybody aware, I'm going to mention it here as well.

All of our items are made to order, which means that we don't make them until you order them. We do keep some pre-prepped materials in our studio, but that's not always the case. The fact that we offer most of our shop at HALF OFF with made to order items, is a huge deal. Hundreds of orders come through during this sale. I try to only put in the shop, what I know I have available, but situations do arise, where we run out of materials, fabric, etc. When this happens, I have to place orders with my suppliers. Depending on the location of where my suppliers are (some are overseas), delays can happen. This being the case, this sale. We were able to get a large majority of orders out in a timely manner, but there were still quite a few that were on backorder and it put us behind about a week, give or take a few days. I try my very best to communicate with all customers, via etsy convo or email, but there are times when a couple slip through the cracks. I'm not perfect, I'm sorry : /. With each purchase, a note is included in the invoice, which states our shipping policies. Unfortunately, a lot of customers don't read this and email us in a tizzy because their orders have not arrived yet. It's very important that if you do purchase from us on etsy that you do read the invoice. Also, our projected shipping timelines are approximates.

With, all this being said, I'm planning on revamping our Christmas in July SALE, next year and even the holiday sales that will take place later this year. I'm not too sure what the changes will be, but there's a possibility they will only be extended to those on our mailing list. I feel like some customers don't understand the policies regarding our sales, which then prompts concerns, complaints and negative feedback, resulting in delays, which could easily be cleared up, if policies are read and understood. I love offering sales, but due to the misunderstanding of some, I'm not sure if I want to open my business up to negativity. Hopefully, this makes sense and doesn't come across as rude. I'm only being honest.

Hopefully, I've clarified the policies and info regarding our sales and we are working on making them run a little smoother in the future : )

Fall Collection 2011

Ahhh! So, excited about this collection. I've been brainstorming through the summer and I really hope everybody likes what I have in store. I will begin debuting this collection, Wednesday (tomorrow), August 17th. I've contemplated on how much to debut tomorrow and throughout the week, considering that there are a few pieces that will not be available to preview until next week and possibly the following week. Just a few pieces, but nonetheless. So, I've decided to break things down, like this...

Wednesday, August 17th

Fall Collection Headbands

Thursday, August 18th

Jersey Bands and It's a Wrap

Friday, August 19th

Shoe Candy

Pendants

Black & White by Dainty Button (Boys and Men)

And a few little surprises, thrown in there, somewhere : )

As mentioned above, there will be other pieces added next week, as well.

Giveaways!

Let the fun begin!

We will be kicking off our Fall Collection with giveaways. This is a custom we follow, when we debut a new collection and you don't want to miss it! You can get details on our giveaways via facebook and twitter (@daintybutton).

Mailing Listing

I've kind of neglected our mailing list the past few weeks, but neglect no more! If you're not on our mailing list, YOU SHOULD BE! This is a wonderful opportunity to get special promos, info and sneak peeks of our upcoming collections. It's absolutely FREE and super EASY! We only need your email address and you're on it! We usually send out special emails prior to a collection debut, during the holidays and sales. If you're not on our mailing list and would like to be, provide your email address in the comment section, below or email us at daintybutton@yahoo.com and we'll make sure you're put on the list. 

I think this is a wrap, for now, but look for special blogs this week, regarding our collection debut and I hope you'll check it all out! 

Charity

@ Dainty Button

Dainty Button Party and Sweets

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope yours wasn't too rough. It's chilly, rainy and foggy, here in San Francisco. Hasn't made for the most productive day, that's for sure. Well, I'm really excited to just jump in and introduce something really fun. But, first I need to rewind a little and explain the reason for this news, considering it might be in a left field, just a little.

A couple facts about me.

1. I love to decorate.

2. I love to organize and host parties.

3. I absolutely love to bake.

These random facts lead me to last week. My mom and I hosted my sister a baby shower for my nephew, who will be making his arrival this month. So excited! A year and a half ago, I catered for my sister's shower, for my niece, Zoe. It went over very well and kinda landed me a couple holiday catering party gigs, so to speak. Well, my mom and sister asked me to cater again, for my nephew's shower. It was a wonderful break from my daily grind in the headband factory and I remember just how much I absolutely love to bake. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to baking and catering of any kind. I'm huge on presentation and have my little secrets to different recipes. So, I thoroughly enjoyed catering for my nephew's shower. It was a nautical theme and here's a sneak peek...

Lots of fun, with this! Well, after the shower, I had many guests ask me if I catered. Ummm, yes and no. I woke up Friday morning, with a couple emails from random strangers who happened to be referred by guests at the shower, asking about catering and if I would be selling a special treat I had at the party. Cake pops. Yep, the very trendy and yummy treats that Starbucks has made famous. I had a few reservations about this but my friends and family strongly encouraged me over the weekend and I experimented a little bit. I had thought about doing it for those that specifically requested it, but hey, why not add it to my etsy shop? So, I've thought about this a lot over the weekend and have come up with something that I think will work with my little business and not appear to be in left field. If you've followed my business you know that it started off as ladies hair accessories, expanding to little girls, than expanding to a line for men and boys and our recent expansion, our wedding collection. All of these expansions have been a huge success. I've learned to really think ventures through and not just jump on something, just because it sounds fun. So, with a lot of brainstorming, thinking and praying. Yes, I take everything that I do, to the Lord in prayer. I've made the decision to add on a fun little collection.

Dainty Button Party and Sweets

This is mainly sweets, right now. I have included a fun party favor that I used at my nephew's shower and it was a huge hit. So, a little details about the sweets Dainty Button will offer. 

Cake Pops

Yes, this is a huge trend, right now. Yes, everybody's doing. No, my cake pops do not taste like everyone else's or Starbucks, for that matter. That might come off a little braggish, but I'm confident you're going to come back for more. Each cake pop has a theme and is made from scratch. I use the finest and freshest ingredients, a few organic. Dainty Button Cake Pops are fun, yummy and addicting. I am offering these in my etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/DaintyButton?ref=si_shop, beginning Tuesday, July 12th. They will be available in quantities of a dozen, half a dozen and possibly in pairs. Details, pricing and flavors will be available in each listing. Head on over and scoop you up some! I promise, you're going to love them!

Princess Pops
Strawberry Cheesecake

Baby Boy Pops
Chocolate

Velveteen Rabbit

Carrot Cake

Party Pops

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Lady in Red

Red Velvet

Gimme S'more

S'more Cookie Dough

Oreo Pops


Cowboy Pops

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Candy Land

Teacher's Pet

Baby Pops
(It's a Girl/It's a Boy)

These are fun, simple and yummy little treats that I'm offering in my shop, as well. These are great party favors, treats and gifts to give to someone. I will be offering a variety of themes, to start off with and later adding more. Again, another little treat that's yummy!

Marshmallow Pops

If you like marshmallows, you'll love these! One flavor will be available in our shop tomorrow, along with the rest of Dainty Button Sweets. Another wonderful party favor idea, little gift or treat for yourself!

Rocky Road

Do you follow us on Twitter? Do you like us on Facebook? If not, make sure you do! Giveaways, this entire week on all this yummy goodness! Check in daily for a new giveaway, each day, beginning Tuesday, July 12th!


Did you gain any weight just be drooling? Hope not! Head on over and treat yourself!

Charity
@
Dainty Button