Coming 2013

Well, the time has come to bid Dainty Button goodbye. I have tried preparing myself for this since announcing business closing in November but it's still very bittersweet. I've reflected so much on the past 3 years and what I could've done differently but as my momma says "You can't live with regrets, only move forward.", so that's what I'm doing. Moving forward. I've definitely rethought my decision several times but I'm always reminded of why I chose this and I know I'm doing the right thing. As I prepare to complete the closing process, I feel it very necessary to communicate with our followers and clientele as much as possible, which is why I'm posting this blog and will be doing a lot of communicating via social media in the next two weeks. Originally our close date was December 31st, which is still sorta the same date. I say "sorta" because there is a lot more involved in closing a business than just saying "goodbye" and "see ya later." The Christmas holiday rush literally left myself and team exhausted. It was such a great season but very tiring and we did happen to oversell stock which left us in a bit of a pickle in the days leading up to Christmas. A huge thank you to all of our very understanding customers that made that dilemma less stressful. I do have some good news for those DB lovers that are sad to see us go. We are introducing a little spin off of the original Dainty Button, LLC....

This will be a collection you can purchase from our etsy shop and website. This will be scarves, pocket squares, and occasionally hair accessories. The great thing about this collection is it will be pre-stocked and ready to ship within 24 hours! Amazing, right? This will be a VERY limited collection, hence the new name but it's something I will be able to do as a fun hobby, while still offering merchandise to DB lovers. This collection will be available January 7th, 2013 on both sites. 

Until then...

I will be tying up loose ends such as customer service issues, last minute shipments, etc. We have already started going through inventory but we'll be completing that process and preparing for our "going out of business" sale. There is still A LOT of inventory that needs to go. This upcoming sale will have all pre-made items, which will ship out within 48 hours. ALL items will be FINAL SALE and non-refundable or exchangeable. We will be handling customer service issues from purchases made December 1st-31st, 2012 up through January 14th, 2013. We WILL NOT be handling any customer service issues or emails after January 14th, 2013. Please keep this in mind. I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to the new year! Mark your calendars for our HUGE blowout "going out of business" sale!

Going, going, GONE!

I hadn't planned on this day coming until the end of December but with much contemplation and reviewing our record breaking sales over the weekend of black Friday and Cyber Monday, I'm going to have to do something that is a little premature to the dissolving process of Dainty Button.

For those that are aware of Dainty Button closing the doors of business as of January 1st, 2013 you will be able to relate to this a little more than newcomers. If you're new to DB or just hearing this you can read more info regarding this announcement earlier in November HERE. I had made the decision of closing my etsy shop during December 17-26 to spend the holidays with my family, then reopen on the 26th as we clear out all inventory before the December 31st close. This is still the plan however everything you'll be able to purchase during our "going out of business" sale will be READY TO SHIP. The reason for this is I made the decision to not go into 2013 with any pending transactions and all loose ends tied up, which means that I will need to cut off incoming holiday orders in the very near future to ensure this. My accessories take anywhere from 5-7 BUSINESS days to process and clothing takes up to 21 BUSINESS days to process and with December 17th being the last day we ship to receive by Christmas, I'm already over the deadline for clothing (November 19th) and the accessories  portion deadline is quickly approaching. If you include how well we did over the holiday weekend with black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, my team and I will be working around the clock to meet all deadlines. 

I am going to keep items listed in my etsy shop until Thursday, November 29th at 11:59 PM (PST). PLEASE NOTE: This is the last opportunity to purchase inventory FOR THE LAST TIME. 

I currently still have the cyber Monday 40% OFF code up in the shop and will remain to keep that there until tomorrow (11/29) so you can enjoy a good bargain for one last time.

As these next two days will be the last opportunity to purchase Dainty Button on a regular basis, I will remain to offer our infinity scarves throughout December, with the exception of our 12/17-26 close period along with men's pocket squares. I am keeping my etsy shop open as well as my Dainty Button website after the first of the year indefinitely for purely the enjoyment of it being a hobby ONLY and a fun way to make extra cash for a rainy day and a means to keep in contact with my social media fans and clientele. I will continue to offer a limited amount of our very popular infinity scarves and pocket squares at POP UP prices. See, I'm not falling of the face of the earth?  

You can still purchase select items on a limited basis...

Although this is bittersweet for me, I'm very excited about my future and the personal goals I'll be pursuing. You can still continue to follow me at facebook.com/daintybutton, @daintybutton on Twitter, and @daintybuttonsf on Instagram where I have some fun plans to stay in contact with everybody after DB closes. As Dainty Button has served the means of being a full time (and a half) job for me the last 3 years, I'm happy to take a backseat, put it on cruise control and enjoy the crafting aspect of it as a fun hobby. 

Make sure you take advantage of purchasing inventory these next two days as they will be the last! And back by popular demand, don't miss this last POP UP SALE before Christmas!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

I had hoped to get this posted last night but with the hustle bustle of the Thanksgiving holiday I was not. So, hopefully you'll have a moment in between Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers to peruse this blog post if you do happen to participate in the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I don't typically blog about POP UP SALES prior to going live with one but this is going to be our biggest and last, so I figured this was as good of time as any to address some issues that do pop up (no pun intended) on our POP UP SALES. You can find details on why this will be our last POP UP SALE here and more information regarding the closing of Dainty Button here. 

Most web based businesses participate in Cyber Monday, so why are you doing Black Friday?

I have always done a Black Friday sale AND Cyber Monday sale for my customers. I'm not sure why but it works. There's two different crowds usually and the bargains are great. I did however contemplate nixing Black Friday and just combining everything into a Cyber Monday sale but I've been promoting both sales for about a month now and I decided to keep it as is. I am aware that having an online sale on Black Friday while everybody is out fighting for deals is not the smartest thing but there are some that don't enjoy the madness of Black Friday and I also set the sale at a late enough time in the evening that most should be home and relaxing. Or in the ER. 

Our POP UP SALES have always been a great success and have come with few complications however issues do arise and I have to address them. Here's a few that I feel need to be gone over prior to the sale and also a few revisions to the rules.

POP UP SALES are first come first serve:

My POP UP SALES are not an auction sale as the price is already set however the invoice does go to the first that comments. If there's 7 available obviously there's ONLY 7 and I can ONLY issue invoices to the first 7 that comment. 

Invoices:

Invoices are subject to change:

I have come across this issue a few times and for the most part, customers are pretty understanding however some have not been. My items have always been made to order with the exception of a few items. This includes the POP UP SALES. This will change after December 31st, which is discussed in the blog info given above. I go through inventory, which means that I measure out how many scarves I can offer and provide, pre-cut. Once I start cutting and sewing scarves, there might be blemishes in the material or measurements might not have been exact, which would be subject to the invoice changing. This is not a case of me being dishonest in sales but a simple oversight. I have done my very best to inform customers when this happens and I'll be honest, there's been a few times it's slipped my attention to detail and I've been very good about exchanging the item or issuing a refund if that happens, however I do try to catch this prior to shipping. Please note that invoices are subject to change if we have oversold or there are defects in the material.

Invoices must be paid within a certain time frame:

I have tried to give ample time for customers to take care of invoices. It used to be 24 hours but on items that have had several comments, it has evolved into a 3-5 day process and slowed things up significantly. I changed the time frame to 12 HOURS. I try my best to get invoices issued ASAP but depending on how busy the day is, I may not get around to it right away. I kindly ask that the invoice be paid within the 12 hour time frame given. If the invoices have been issued at night, I do try and give a little extra time considering most are sleeping half of that 12 hours. If you've commented on an item during a POP UP SALE, I encourage you to check your inbox regularly for an invoice to arrive. I do also try and comment on FB when I've distributed invoices.

**If the sale takes place in the evening, I try and get invoices out the following morning.

**If the sale takes place during the day, I try and get the invoices out by the end of the night.

***Invoices for the Black Friday POP UP SALE will be issued sometime Saturday, November 24th. There is no set time.

Invoices will not be revised upon customer's request, with the exception of it being my error:

This has happened a few times and I made an exception because it was not something that was in the rules and it was the first time it had happened, but I want to cover this prior to this sale because it did create a halt in production. If you are not sure about an item in a POP UP SALE PLEASE do not comment. We issue invoices to those that comment and if you're not sure about it, then the chances are you're not going to take care of the invoice, which means that it's a waste of time for me to distribute an invoice and also PayPal fees accrue. There are several others that want these items and it's not fair to casually comment with no intent of following through. If you're on a budget during a sale, please keep that in mind when you're commenting. I understand that sometimes you're a little surprised upon seeing the "damage", especially when you've commented on several items but to go in and revise invoices because you did not budget correctly or you've changed your mind really does take a lot of extra time. If the invoice consists of errors on my part, I will be more than happy to revise the invoice. Comment with caution.

Shipping is combined:

I'm often asked this question by newcomers to these sales. YES, shipping is combined on multiple items.

POP UP SALES items are FINAL SALE:

I'll be honest, mistakes have happened during these sales. Items have been shipped incorrectly, defects, missing items, etc. The sales are very big and with dozens of invoices coming in and going out, oversights are going to happen. I do try and correct these and prevent them from happening. If I'm responsible for shipping the incorrect item(s), the item is defected, or the item is delayed and it's not been shipped yet, I will issue a refund. However, if you do receive the correct item and there are no defects, there are no refunds issued. These items are at a very great bargain price. If we were to offer refunds and exchanges on a whim, it would be pointless, to be honest with you. If the item is a skirt or other item, exceptions can be made however it is subject to my decision.

About my infinity scarves:

My infinity scarves come in different sizes. If you happen to purchase more than one and try and measure them up, chances are they may not be the exact size. This is normal and the nature of handmade items. They're not cookie cutter scarves. Fabric dimensions are different and I do measure scarves on the weight of the fabric. If it's a heavy knit, The scarf will not be as big as more lightweight scarves simply because nobody likes to wear a blanket around their neck. Lightweight scarves are bigger because they're lightweight and nobody likes to wear a string around their neck as a scarf. There's no need to be alarmed if this happens, as it's completely normal for them to be different sizes.

Shipping Turnaround:

I do include the shipping turnaround in invoices, which is normally 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS (not including holidays/weekends) after the invoice is taken care of. 

What's going to be in the Black Friday SALE?

Infinity Scarves (men, women, and children)

Skirts (READY TO SHIP)

Miscellaneous READY TO SHIP items that are in stock.

What's going to be in the Cyber Monday sale and how is it different than the Black Friday sale?

My Cyber Monday sale is on my etsy shop and website on Cyber Monday, which falls on November 26th this year. The sale will go live at 8 AM (PST) and last until 11:59 PM (PST). I will provide a coupon code via social media and also on my website and etsy shop announcement. This coupon code is applied at checkout. This year we are providing 40%-60% OFF items and FREE SHIPPING. This does include items that you would not find in a POP UP SALE, such as our current Fall Collection, headbands, bow ties, little girls leggings, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE:

Clothing (women and children's) is NOT GUARANTEED to arrive by Christmas as our Christmas deadline was November 19th. Accessories (headbands, scarves, bow ties, pocket squares, shoe clips, etc.) WILL BE GUARANTEED to arrive by Christmas. We will do our very best to try and get items out in time to receive by Christmas but again, it's not guaranteed as I am short staffed, my production manager will be going out of the country for the holiday season and I currently have a lot to tie up before my December 31st closing.  

I hope I have communicated details with you as clearly as possible. I'm very excited about these two sales as we have some great items to offer at bargain prices. The rest of the holiday season is a great time to stay close to our etsy shop, website and social media outlets, as I'm clearing out all inventory, including fabric. My heart is so full with how wonderful my customers have been the last 3 years. This truly has been the adventure of a lifetime and I'm so blessed. I pray you and yours has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. God bless you!

Charity

xoxo

What to expect after December 31st, 2012.

I feel like I've addressed this a million times since I announced I would be closing my business but I feel it necessary to mention again and knowing I have a concrete plan on my future, I can let my customers and fans know what you can expect after December 31st, 2012.

I love crafting and always have. I will continue crafting and offering it to my customers and fans on a very limited basis. I can't say that I'm hanging up my hat where crafting is concerned but the business aspect, I am. My POP UP SALES have been a HUGE success and a lot of fun for customers since I started them in April, however they are a bit more time consuming than I'd like. Here is what I have decided to do which I believe will be beneficial to both parties, as I can enjoy it as a hobby and you can enjoy the fruits of my hobby. I'm dedicating one weekend a month to produce a month's supply of infinity scarves for men, women, and children and list them in my etsy shop. I will promote these via social media at the same price as POP UP prices. The advantage you will have purchasing from etsy versus a POP UP SALE are these:

1. Your purchase is guaranteed, secure, and you can track it.

2. There is no fighting over an item. You simply click, purchase, and it ships.

3. The turnaround will be much quicker.

4. You're getting the item for the same price as a POP UP SALE.

5. You don't have to stay glued to the computer waiting for the item to list, antsy to be the first to comment.

This is much easier for me as well, considering it takes a lot of time to issue invoices, some customers don't pay their invoices, which means new invoices must be reissued and that involves more time. Also, I have been known to accidentally overlook an invoice because of the very high volume of sales that come through during the POP UP SALES and it essentially leads to even more problems. Just trying to make us all happy at the end of the day. The great part about this is I will already produce what is listed and they will ship within 24 hours. How awesome is that? 

In the meantime, there is roughly 6 weeks to purchase what is currently listed in my etsy shop and on the website. Also, we have three large sales approaching quickly that you don't want to miss!

Until next time!

Charity

xoxo

The Million $ Question: Will I ever be able to buy Dainty Button Again?

If you're reading this blog and have no idea what I'm talking about, chances are you did not read this blog. As of January 1st, 2013, we are closing our doors of business. This was a very hard decision to make but one that was very much needed, as I'm taking time to pursue personal goals in my life and start a new chapter. A new chapter where, unfortunately, my little business will not be able to be a character. A few questions I've received pertaining the closing of the business that I wanted to cover.

Will I ever be able to buy Dainty Button again?

Yes and no. I'm dissolving the LLC aspect of Dainty Button where it runs as a fully functional California licensed business, HOWEVER, you will not be able to purchase on a regular basis and ONLY SELECT ITEMS. Here are possible times you can purchase, but not guaranteed. Times I will offer small select items will entirely depend upon my schedule and what I have time for.

1. My etsy shop will be open the first weekend of the month to purchase small, select items, HOWEVER, it will be a limited supply of inventory.

2. I will have a FB POP UP SALE occasionally. This allows me to still enjoy the crafting aspect of it, not tie myself down to working 12-14 hours a day, the stressful burden of being married to a business, while still offering others my talents.

4. Occasional seasonal times (but not guaranteed).

3. Occasionally at conferences/markets when time permits.

What will happen to social media? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram?

We're not going anywhere. We will obtain the name Dainty Button as this was the name before it became an official LLC business in 2010. I'm keeping all social media outlets live and active for the following purposes.

1. Blogging, DIY's, social interaction with fans and clientele, etc.

2. POP UP SALES

I started Dainty Button off as a means to extra cash and for the pure enjoyment of an outlet to exercise my crafting talents. That's it. I still want to offer these items to fans and clientele but unfortunately I cannot offer these on a full time basis, not even part time basis, which is why I will offer select items occasionally, mentioned above. 

PLEASE NOTE: The only items I will offer as mentioned above will be accessory items, NOT clothing. 

The advantage of this...

Because I will only be offering items occasionally, ALL ITEMS will be READY TO SHIP and no longer MADE TO ORDER. Items will be shipped within 48 hours of purchase! Now, that's something to be happy about!

I hope questions were answered and although this is very bittersweet, I'm very excited about the future! I would take advantage between now and January 1st to stock up as you will not be able to after the first of the year. Here are events that you might find to your liking...

xoxo

Charity

Dainty Button Bids Adieu

I thought that if this day ever came I wouldn't be able to face it with a strong mindset, but surprisingly I am rather calm and have full confidence in what I'm about to write. I'm not sure how these sort of things are supposed to be properly approached but I do know I owe my customers, social media fans, friends, and family the proper Dainty Button farewell. 

I started Dainty Button as a hobby almost 3 years ago. I think most of you know this story but if you don't, here's the short version, it took off and became what I call my accidental business. The past 3 years have been the most adventurous, stressful, overwhelming, exciting, achieving, and wonderful 3 years of my life. If you've ever or currently own your own business, you can fully relate to this. The time, tears, frustration, money, and sacrifice that I have invested into this business would blow your mind. I have lived for my company for 3 years and that is why I must bid adieu. I have not lived for myself, but my business. My life has revolved around my business. Vacations have been put off, quality time spent with family and friends has been scarce, and the hours of sleep I have lost, well, I'm too ashamed to even tell people. Why not hire help? I have and currently do have help, however that does not stop me from putting in more hours. My average day consists of 12-14 hour days. There comes a point when a chapter ends in one's life and it's time for a new one and that time has come for me.

When I made DB a legalized LLC I gave it to God. I told God that DB was His and if He ever wanted it back, it was His. Needless did I know that He would hold me to that promise. I have neglected so many important areas of my life the past 3 years. I have prolonged finishing my degree, slacked off on many other areas, my children's book has been delayed a year, which will finally be published next month, have had health issues, and spread myself so very thin, I have found myself on the floor bawling my eyes out, so exhausted, I can't even think straight...on numerous occasions. Important things have slipped through the cracks and I feel like I'm letting others down, including myself. God is not happy with that and I don't deserve to live a life that completely drains me.

I love what I do and God sometimes asks for the biggest part of your life, to see if you will sacrifice it. I have been tossing this decision around for weeks, if not months, and finding myself over the weekend, once again, on the floor of my sewing room, so exhausted and spent, sobbing, I asked God what I should do. I am not one to say "God spoke to me" but I knew in my heart that He was asking for something that I have held so very close to my heart and it has become my identity, world, and the center of my focus. I have fought this for some time, but when God wants something He doesn't give up easily. This past weekend was my moment of brokenness and finally giving Him what He's been asking for and since then I have had such peace and reassurance with my decision. I cannot justify the time I've spent investing into my company because it far outweighs the time I've spent with family/friends, my church obligations and commitments, personal well being, and ultimately my Heavenly Father. In the process of building my own business, I have forgotten about myself. I gave something that God had blessed me with back to Him and I must now follow through with that promise. 

As of January 1st, 2013 I will be dissolving the official LLC of Dainty Button. I will be taking this time to pursue personal goals in my life. All of this broken down...

1. I will offer certain items twice a month via social media, where customers can purchase, such as our popular POP UP SALES.

2. Customers will occasionally be able to purchase merchandise at various conferences and crafting events. 

3. I will still offer my craftsmanship talents but purely as hobby and not as a business on etsy the first weekend of the month, in the form of small accessories.

4. Dainty Button will remain on social media to interact with fans, blogging purposes, and connect with other crafters, while retaining it's given name for identity purposes. 

5. Dainty Button, LLC will remain a full time business through the holiday season where you can currently purchase at Dainty Button Etsy and Dainty Button Website. These sites will remain open until January 1st, 2013.

 If you have not had a chance to purchase from Dainty Button or currently consider yourself a customer, I would take advantage of the next 6 weeks to purchase, as I will only offer items in the above mentioned format as of January 1st, 2013.

I cannot express the gratitude for the amazing support that customers have shown me the past 3 years. Customer service is never an easy field and trust me, I have had some very horrible experiences, but the good far outweighs the bad and it's been an honor to work with such amazing customers. If you've purchased from Dainty Button, thank you. That's all I can say, is thank you. I will be around, so you've not seen or heard the last of me and you will have opportunities in the future to purchase select items as mentioned above. So, let's not say "goodbye" but rather "I'll see you later." Let's have a wonderful holiday season and go out with a bang! 

Charity Morgan

Dainty Button Owner

Fall '12

Fall '12 is here! We released our fall season collection today, well the beginning stages of it. Did you know that it takes an average of about 8-9 hours to upload, list, and load shopping carts in our etsy shop and on our website when we launch a new collection? So, you can imagine what I've been doing all day. I'm very excited about this collection. It's different, there's a lot of new items, and we've ventured into something that I said I would never venture into...children's clothes. It's crazy to think that almost 3 years ago I started off Dainty Button off with  accessories, mainly headbands, and now it's a complete clothing line. There are various different reasons as to why I've avoided this step for so long. One, it's  A LOT of work but at the end of the day, it's rewarding. This collection has simple pieces but we're taking baby steps here and maybe by next spring we'll have ventured off into more exciting chapters.

I've gotten a little bit of a late start on the collection this year but better late than never, right? I scheduled our photo shoot a couple months ago for mid-September with the genius of photographers again, Sam Hassas. He did our Spring '12 commercial shoot and it went over wonderfully. A week before our photo shoot, I dislocated my ribs, which caused my back to go out. I've never had back problems before in my entire life, so this was all new to me. I seriously don't know how people live day to day with consistent back problems. It was scary, painful, and so annoying. I'm always on the go and this was such an inconvenience. I really don't know how to take it slow. I had almost 15 models ready for our Fall '12 shoot and because the doctor ordered me to take it easy and rest I had to reschedule the week of. Sam Hassas is not a photographer that has many openings. He's in high demand and I knew I had blown my chances of him doing our fall shoot. I was wrong! He had an opening the following Saturday, which enabled me to recover those extra few days. I'm still not fully recovered but I'm much better. I went from almost 15 models to 5 models for this shoot due to the rescheduling. I was a little nervous about it because this was a large collection and I was afraid we'd be spread very thin. I was so wrong. 

I didn't put as much planning into this shoot as I did our Spring one. I was scrambling, rushing, and very off. My best friend from Texas came in for the spring shoot and we were so prepared. I literally threw every piece of clothing, accessory, and shoes that resembled fall in a huge suitcase and headed to location. I wasn't feeling too well and because of my back/rib mishap it had put me behind almost 2 weeks on everything. I had 2 adult models and 3 children. Our location couldn't have been more perfect, except it was in the 90's, the models were modeling very heavy fall pieces, the majority of the group were children under 7. They were absolute angels. The shoot could not have gone more smooth and without any hiccups. It was relaxed, fun, but very hot. 

Our location was literally in the middle of nowhere. There was a condemned barn which you'll see in many of the shots. The kids loved the barn and Sam had them believing there were whales in the creek, where they also took photos. 

We had intentions of using a tent we brought along for our dressing room and a place to relax during different scenes but it was the mother of all camping tents to put up, so we set up a dressing room in my sisters SUV, as well as other cars and used my car as the closet and vanity area. We had shoes lined up on the side of the road.

Meet Mehgan and Mikayla, our two adult models who are very good family friends. I couldn't have been blessed with better models. This shoot and collection was very different from our spring. They brought a very different dynamic to the entire collection, which I'm thrilled about. They were fun, professional, and natural at it. Such a fun time!

Fall 2012

What have we added this season? A LOT! We're launching our full children's collection, cardigans, and dresses! 

Here is a small gallery of our Fall '12 collection, which we have selected some feature items and you can now purchase in our etsy shop. You can find the collection on our website at the end of this week, as well. 

Dainty Button Children's Fall '12

Bow Ties

Can be purchased here

Reindeer Dress

Furry Shrug

Christmas Plaid Bow Tie

Can be purchased here

Elf Leggings

Taupe Shimmer Infinity Scarf

Can be purchased here

Splash of Autumn Dress and Legging Set

Can be purchased here

Grey Cobweb Dress

Can be purchased here

Cocoa Ruffle Leg Warmers/Boot Socks

Can be purchased here

Katy Bug Leggings

Taupe Shimmer Infinity Scarf

Can be purchased here

Sugar Plum Dress and Boot Socks

Can be purchased here

Santa's Little Helper Ruffle Leggings

Can be purchased here

Leopard Dress and Furry Shrug Set

Can be purchased here

Funky Fusion Purple Shimmer Dress and Furry Vest Set

Can be purchased here

Women's Fall '12

The Fall Knit Maxi Turtleneck Dress

Can be purchased here

You can also purchase this dress with our matching Plum Crochet Vest Dress

This can be purchased here

Ribbon Knit Skirt

Can be purchased here

Tweed Peplum Skirt

Can be purchased here

Polka Dot Knit Skirt and Zig Zag Cardigan

Can be purchased here

Burst of Autumn Knit Skirt

Can be purchased here

Arizona Winter Sweater Skirt

Can be purchased here

Red Plaid Short and Maxi

Can be purchased here

I hope you've enjoyed some of our featured items from our newly launched Fall '12 line. To see the rest of our collection, please visit our etsy shop. 

Until next time!

Charity and DB Team!

xoxo

PIN IT WARS!

We haven't done a giveaway in awhile and I wanted to do something a little different than the typical sharing a photo and commenting. Pinterest has taken over our lives and what better place to host this next giveaway and contest, right? This will be very simple and since most of you are already on Pinterest, fun as well. 

Rules and Guidelines:

To Participate:

1. You must be on Pinterest

2. Find us on Pinterest by searching "Dainty Button" or "daintybutton@yahoo.com" and follow us.

How to:

The PIN IT WARS contest/giveaway will begin on Friday, September 21st and end on Friday, September 28th at 11:59 PM (PST). Beginning on Friday, September 21st, we will PIN one of our favorite items to our pin board and announce this on our FB wall, with a link. We will post a favorite PIN every day during this contest. 

Your participation...

1. A Repin = 1 ENTRY 

2. Repin and a FB comment "PINNED IT" WITH YOUR PINTEREST USERNAME on the Pinterest link we post each day = 2 ENTRIES 

Rules:

1. Only one repin and comment will be accounted for daily, HOWEVER you are more than welcome to repin as many times as you'd like : )

2. The contest winner MUST notify us within 24 hours via email (daintybutton@yahoo.com) to redeem their giveaway.

3. The giveaway of choice will not be shipped until 21 BUSINESS days after redeemed.

How is a winner determined?

We will accumulate the total number of PINS and comments at the end of the contest and draw a random winner via random.org.

What is the giveaway?

The giveaway of choice will be a $150 SHOPPING SPREE redeemable in our ETSY SHOP or at daintybutton.com.

Now, who's ready for WAR?

Charity and DB Team!

FB Auction and POP UP SALE - Labor Day

Good morning and Happy Labor Day! Can you believe it's technically the last "summer" holiday and we're already in September? If you've been following us on FB or Twitter, I'm sure you've seen something about the POP UP SALE and FB auction we're kicking off today, in honor of Labor Day and it being our last summer sale, so to speak. I don't think we've ever covered a blog post about our POP UP SALES, so here is a good time to do it, while we're covering our FB auction.

POP UP SALES

We did our first POP UP SALE in April of this year, I believe. I never intended for the sales to become a weekly or bi-weekly event but it has evolved to just that. What is a POP UP SALE? A POP UP SALE is a FB exclusive sale for our FB followers, allowing them the chance to get items at extremely discounted prices. Sometimes we announce POP UP SALES, other times we don't and surprise followers. We post the pictures directly onto the FB wall, what the item is, what size (if clothing), how many we have in quantity, the price and shipping, then prompt followers to leave their email address. If there's 5 available, we'll send invoices to the first 5 that comment and so on. We give a 12 hour time window to have these invoices paid. For the most part most of the invoices sent are paid but there are those few that are ignored. We do try and stick to a tight 12 hour window but if you do contact us and let us know, we're usually good to keep the invoice open. A few other things to know about POP UP SALES...

1. If you comment on several items, we do our very best to combine shipping.

2. Items are normally not shipped from POP UP SALES until 5-7 business days after invoice is taken care of. We do our very best to include this info in the invoice but sometimes it's overlooked as we are distributing invoices very quickly.

3. Over the span of 5 months of doing these sales we have had situations where items were missing and invoices were overlooked. This is not intentional or us "scamming" you, as one customer recently told us. Ha! Sometimes, you just have to laugh. Please keep in mind that we are using a PayPal system, where there is no third party database, that's helping us manage orders, as our etsy shop or website allows. FB is basically our "online store" during this sale and when there are at times, well over 100 women commenting different items, it's extremely easy for us to overlook a comment. Again, we do our very best but mistakes do happen. I paid my invoice but never got my item. Once customers pay their invoices, our production team prints out all of the invoices from that sale. We try to print these invoices out after all of the invoices are paid but a lot of times production is wanting to start on it, as there is a 12 hour time window and if one item has been reissued a couple times, it could prolong the shipping status of others, and they start printing. If your invoice is not taken care of at this point, it's not printed. If it has been taken care of, again, it's extremely easy to overlook printing an invoice, which is why there have been occurrences where items have been paid but not shipped. It's simply an oversight on our part and we do our best to right it ASAP. 

 4. Quantity control and oversells: Before a POP UP SALE commences, we go through our inventory and see what we're wanting to get rid of or sale, count the quantity (keep in mind we're counting fabric and how many production can get out of what we have in fabric inventory), which is where we normally put the quantity on the post. There are times when oversells occur, which means there are too many comments and not enough to go around. When this happens, if we're able to obtain more fabric in inventory, we'll email the customers and let them know or offer a refund. We try to avoid this but it does happen every once in awhile.

5. POP UP SALE items are FINAL SALE.

FB Auction SALE

I've seen online auctions and always thought they were really neat but honestly never thought of doing one. One of my very dear friends suggested we do an online FB auction when I told her we were in the works of doing an "end of the summer" type sale. Her theory was "So many of us want items during your POP UP SALES but because we log on to FB way after you've posted, we don't even stand a chance. A lot of these items, I want so bad and other women do too, why not have an auction and let us outbid each other. If I really want an item, I'm going to fight for it. Ha!" So, today we're kicking off our very first FB online auction, which I'm very excited about. We will have two FB albums on our page, one that's POP UP SALE and the other that's Auction Sale. What's the difference in the POP UP SALE and Auction Sale? Our POP UP SALE will have items in quantities over 1, which makes auctions pointless. Our auction sale will have items that are one of a kind and we're also including some fall items that you'll see at full retail in our etsy shop and website in the coming week or so. We will post the starting bid, ask you to leave your bid. The auction will end tonight, September 3rd, at 11:59 PM (PST). Once the auction has ended, we will close the post out by asking the highest bidder to comment with their email address, where we can email an invoice. Again, we will use our 12 hour window to pay the invoice, otherwise it will be redistributed to the next highest bidder. 

Now, I'm off to finish preparing for this fun sale today! I hope to see you there!

Charity and DB Team!

Support Mary Jane

I hate cancer. I hate everything it represents...the heartache, hurt, pain, depression, fear. I have lost some very dear people to cancer, as I'm sure many of you reading this can say the same. This blog post is dedicated to my best friend and her family. Jana lives in Houston, Texas and married a good friend of mine from California. A few weeks ago, her mother-in-law, Mary Jane, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Jana is the young mother of two wonderful children and has spent the last 6 weeks here in California caring for her mother-in-law, as she begins chemo. I have heard the heartache and sadness in Jana's voice as she speaks of this and not to mention the toll it's taken on their family and friends. Along with cancer comes unexpected expenses, which is where I'm hoping I can play a part. Dainty Button  has designed a special infinity scarf in pink to support Mary Jane. 

This special LIMITED EDITION infinity scarf, which we have appropriately dubbed The Mary Jane, retails at $7 (plus shipping). Half of the proceeds will be going to a "Support Mary Jane" fund. There is a link at the top left corner of our blog to donate any specific amount, if you choose to do so. I'm rallying our customers, fans, friends, and family to support Mary Jane in spirit, prayers, and financially. Everybody needs someone in the bleachers cheering them on and I know Mary Jane and her family can use all of the support, prayers, and cheerleading they can get during this difficult time. Who's in? 

To purchase The Mary Jane Infinity Scarf directly from our etsy shop, please click here. We appreciate all of the support we receive and please keep Mary Jane and her family in your prayers! Let's help fight this for Mary Jane!


Charity and DB Team

Mary Jane and Jim Campbell posing with her "new hair".

Jana (my best friend), Jim, and Mary Jane.

Hosting a Trunk Show

Fall and the holiday season will be here before you know it and we at Dainty Button are preparing for the rush. During the holidays we do a lot of craft fairs and trunk shows, which make it fun because there's nothing more that I love than the holidays, mix in a little shopping and it's close to perfection. We attempted to do this endeavor a long time ago and received many inquiries but due to crazy schedules, we were not able to follow through with it. But now, we're thinking this is a great opportunity for us AND YOU! A wonderful customer of ours emailed me awhile back and suggested this and then it jogged my memory of what we had attempted to do a long time ago and I've not been able to get it off the brain. We'd like to bring the trunk show to YOU and YOUR AREA, by allowing you to host your very own Dainty Button Trunk Show. We're taking baby steps here and our first few trunk shows would be exclusive to our popular infinity scarves, only. We want to make sure this is going to work and what better way to break it in, than with some of our lovely scarves? So how does this work?

It's 3 easy steps and it's FREE...

1. Simply click on this link to fill out an application Dainty Button Trunk Show Application.

2. Once the application has been accepted, we will contact you within 48 hours, with further details and to secure a date, if you are a good candidate.

3. Every scarf sale you make, YOU get to keep $1 for yourself. Not only is this a FREE opportunity, you're getting paid. 

Interested? We're anxious to start booking Fall Trunk Shows! 

Let's get crafty!

Let's talk about crafts, shall we? I'm a very crafty person. I was raised with a crafty mom and I adore doing crafts, which would explain my business. I love DIY projects and I'm pretty good at looking at something and going home and doing it on my own. I would rather do it on my own, anyways. It's a talent, I guess you could say. And there are some that don't have a crafty bone in their body. I have a few friends like that and it's a disaster when they're helping me do something. It's ok, they admit to it. I have lost count of how many customers, intrigued, curious, and nosy (it's ok, most of us are) people have asked how we make our accessories at Dainty Button. When I was first asked this, I would just stay mum and say "thank you." I felt like I would be letting out a huge secret and punished for it, somehow. I'm weird, I know. But the more we've expanded at Dainty Button, the more I've come to realize that it's fun to share ideas. I love getting new ideas and I'm sure you do too. So, that being said, I'm going to announce something that we think is really exciting and I hope you like it as much as we think you will.

Last week, we were cleaning out our supply cabinets and was amazed at how much we had accumulated over the span of 2.5 years. I'm not sure if any of you participated but we had a big crafter's sale on FB and it was such a success. Leave it to me to start brainstorming. My mind never quits. I started thinking back to previous conversation's with friends and family, emails from young girls, women and even other businesses about our production process, etc. And I realized that I want to share what we do here at Dainty Button. You have the crafters that love to make things on their own and even resale them and you have the non-crafters that would not go within 10 feet of a glue gun. So, why not offer the best of both worlds to our customers, right? We started off as an accessories business and have taken a little break, so to speak, but this week we are launching new accessories and trying to get back in a groove, after many customers have contacted us and frankly, we really miss it. But with launching new accessories, which we will always have available, we are launching...

The Krafter's Kloset

This will officially launch on Friday, July 27th in our etsy shop Dainty Button etsy and our website Dainty Button. This will be a place where crafter's and even other accessory businesses can purchase crafting and accessory making supplies at a really great price. Here's what you can look for...

Fabrics

Buttons

Notions

Trims

Lace

Pre-Cut Felt Flowers (made with our European wool felt in a ridiculous amount of colors)

Rosettes

We're bringing it to you! We thought we'd give you a little idea of what will be offered and you can actually purchase these items today...

Rosettes in a Bag

Rosettes in a bag on etsy....

And last but certainly not least. 

Headband in a Bag

So, my business partner and best friend (one in the same) and I were just throwing ideas around and she asked me why don't I do a "headband in a bag." Genius, right! There's been several occasions where we've gotten customers who wanted a custom made headband or maybe something altered on a headband in our etsy shop or website. Well, this is having your cake and eating it too, so to speak. Just don't eat the headband. We're introducing "headband in a bag." What is it?

This is our first one, so more options will be available soon. 

1. Blank headband

2. Pre-cut unglued/unattached European wool felt flowers

3. Buttons/notions

4. Trims, lace, etc.

5. European wool felt pre-cut leaves

These items will differ and alter, depending on what designs we offer. This is allowing you to put your headband together as you please, but with our designs. You can purchase the one pictured now in our etsy shop...

Headband in a Bag on etsy

We're really excited about this and hope all of you crafters will be able to get some good use out of what we offer. Check back on this Friday, July 27th for the complete selection of crafting and accessory making supplies. Until then, cheers!

Charity and DB Team