My only sunshine treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d93ab0fd16d6d919f8a91cf/my-only-sunshine

Our pretty yellow silk flower collar bow was included in this cheery treasury on etsy!

Ideas For Your Pets Easter Baskets by WeeMef on Etsy

Aurora Bows Easter Neckties are included in this brilliant collection of things for your pet's Easter Basket! Thank you WeeMet on etsy.

AuroraBows Artisan Studio ArtFire Buy & Sell Handmade

AuroraBows Artisan Studio ArtFire Buy & Sell Handmade

I love this platform! Great fun and imported my etsy shop in just a few clicks. Get your shop ready for spring and Easter now!

Dog Pet Bows for Japan Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue by Lazytea

Dog Pet Bows for Japan Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue by Lazytea

Aurora Bows New Flickr Gallery

Check out our new photo gallery on Flickr!

Check out our bows - This will give you a better idea of the variety available from Aurora Bows. There's much more I just haven't hda a chance to photograph and post everything yet.

Stay Tuned!

Ready for the Wearin' o' the Green?

St. Patrick's Day will be here soon.  Spring is coming.  Green is the color of March.  I just added these minty green puff bows to the shop today.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69638411/pet-dog-groomer-bow-mint-green-organza

New graphics

The time has come for me to face the music.  I've been sitting the fence on my branding for several years.  I have made scads of logos and designs for other businesses.  Somehow doing my own is deal last priority. I need to order business cards again soon.  And, it's high time I face up to this.  So, for the past few weeks I've spent countless hours in Photoshop.  I let each design or idea steep for a day or so then I toss it out.

Until today.  It finally came together.  I am inspired by Erin Bradley Designs though I know with my tiny profit margin, I cannot afford to spend on something I should do for myself.  It's hard to see my work eve being good enough with Erin's style being near perfect.  See what I've done?

Now, I just need to place the order for the cards and stickers and make sure I've got the new profile picture and headers every place they need to be.  What a job!  I feel a great sense of accomplishment.  What do you think?

I also spent several hours heat sealing ends on a huge batch of inspiring Easter and Spring colored ribbon.  I can hardly wait to make it into bows.  Of course, now I'm even further behind getting items into my shop.  So, if you need something, please ask  I have thousands of bows ready to go and even more ribbon ready to be made into bows.  What is in the shop is the very tiniest tip of a huge iceberg.  Hopefully, I'll get some new items in the shop tomorrow.

Busy, Busy, Busy

With all apologies to the busy beaver in Winnie the Pooh - I've been busy. I so enjoy putting together the bow orders and getting the boxes ready to ship. I do NOT enjoy going to the post office and standing in the long line. About a month ago, I shipped several boxes using the online shipping feature from USPS. One box somehow did not make it into the hands of it's intended recipient. The Tracking & Confirmation said that it was indeed delivered; but the customer said she didn't get it. After waiting quite some time we were both convinced the box wasn't going to be there. I felt terrible. USPS offered little help. So, now, I'm going the extra mile to ensure that customers know I've actually shipped the box, how it is going to arrive, and I'm doing the whole SCAN sheet thing.

Today, I was delighted to find that I can still use the online shipping at USPS and simply take my parcels and SCAN sheet to a nearby parcel center where there is never a line and I don't have to go downtown. I zip in with the parcels and am out in less than 2 minutes. YAY!

Made note that I'm running low on St. Pat's bows again. Apparently, we're all gearing up for the annual wearin' o' the green. I've ordered more ribbon; but, I can probably only fill a few more Etsy orders. I've found some awesome grab bags of ribbon from Etsy suppliers. And, I've made up a beautiful array of pastel, springtime colored bows. Now, I just need to get some pics and get them in the shop.

Which brings me to another problem. I've been replacing my inferior pictures on Etsy. I was satisfied with the first few items; but, over the last few days the thumbnails are not being properly processed by the Etsy server so they look horrible. The actual image looks wonderful even when enlarged; but the crunched pics are not so good. It's more than a little discouraging since I've struggled with the photography end of this. Other sellers in the Alaskan Team have echoed my woes with proper lighting during the wintertime in Alaska. I thought I finally had a solution and now this. I'm hoping it will go away the way it came - be gone bugs!

I'm slowly getting in the groove. I still have my local groomers to keep supplied. And, sales through the Etsy shop are as I expected. I'm so happy to have been able to help out a Cocker rescue group in Wisconsin with some of the "shelter bows." Economy shop bows are a big hit. Unfortunately, I always feel like I'm sending out bare little babies - an unfinished product. I know not everyone wants or can afford bling; but, it makes a world of difference. I will contemplate not having that option in the future. Once I gather materials, cut the ribbon, heat seal the ends, tie the bow, sort, and put them on a straw; it really isn't that much more effort or materials to add the bling. No, I don't like using the adhesives; but, it adds so much to the bows that it's worth the minor annoyance. It's great fun to choose what bling for which ribbon. Often the bows turn out much better than I expected because I found just the right bling.

Another business consideration I need to make soon is how to brand this shop. At some point I really want to have some of my other handmade items in the shop. Running two shops has been too difficult for me. I get easily confused. Need to keep it simple. I'm tempted to buy a pre-made package; but, I've made logos for other businesses in the past. Why not make my own? Because I can't make up my mind? That's probably the rub. I feel the answer is near. Stay tuned!

Once the branding issue is resolved, I'll focus on sales and other marketing efforts for Aurora Bows.

Yin Yang Taiji Dog Pet Cat Bow by Lazytea on Etsy

These were so much fun to make. They make me smile. I reluctantly offer them on Etsy. I just so wanted to share them. Yin Yang Taiji PomPom Dog Bow on Etsy

Purples and Blues and Reds Oh My by SGArtCA on Etsy

Gotta Love Treasuries! It's such an honor. And, they are so much fun. Thank you SGartCA.etsy.com

w00t - Another Treasury - Pet's Jubilee!

Pets Jubilee Valentines Edition 1 by GabAttack on Etsy

WEST COAST IS THE BEST COAST

WEST COAST IS THE BEST COAST by pddispatch0701 on Etsy

Lookie! Our bows were included in another Etsy Treasury!

Yay! Aurora Bows Makes An Etsy Treasury

PJ Birthday Party Part 8 - Treasury by Etsy Sasha Sassy Doxie

Sweetie Bows in a new "Treasury"

My Valentine's Day Sweeite Bows made it into the "My heart belongs to you treasury"  - Thank you CraftedEssentials


Check out the Treasury on Etsy.com

Vote for Sophie!

From one of the groomers using Aurora Bows:

http://bissell.promo.eprize.com/mvpcontest/gallery?id=31802

Chow Chow Rescue needs your vote!!!  We've entered Sophie in a contest to win 10,000.00 for our rescue.  You can vote everyday so please do.  Voting starts January 26th.  So please vote everyday and pass this along to everyone you know.  http://bissell.promo.eprize.com/mvpcontest/gallery?id=31802

 

Just a little bit about Sophie.

 

We pulled Sophie from a shelter in Richmond, Va.  She was only 10 weeks old and blind.  Can you imagine being blind in a scary shelter.  Since the day we got her she seemed to be having a few issues.  She would bite at the first touch.  I knew this was something she would have to learn and it is getting better but she still lashes out from time to time.  She also seems to be having seizures.  She will wake up from sleeping and be in a frantic state.  We are now videoing her in hopes to catch one of her fits.  She also will pee and poop in her area and will lay in it, not caring that she is soaking wet and caked in poop (hence her getting a bath everyday).  With all this said we have taken her to my Vet and done all kinds of blood work and taken in many urine samples.  We did find she had a urinary tract infection and treated her for that and it is now gone.  We also found out she is not concentrating her urine.  There are many reasons this could be happening so we are now seeking the knowledge of an internal medicine specialist.  Dr. Koch called to let me know Sophie's Liver Function test came back abnormal.  He said that the seizures and her not concentrating her urine could both be caused by this Liver Dysfunction.  We will try and treat this by reducing the ammonia the Liver is trying to detoxify.  He is putting her on a protein-restricted diet, a drug called Lactulose and one called Metronidazole.  He said if this is what is causing her issues we should know within a few days.  If not, we will need to run some more tests.  I sure hope this helps Sophie.

 

So please vote for Sophie everyday so she can get the medical attention she deserves!

 

Cindy
Chow Chow Rescue
of Central New York, Incwww.chowrescue.petfinder.com

St. Patrick's Day Dog Groomer Bow Assortment

It's been a busy weekend.  I've already sold bows for St. Patrick's Day so I guess there are some groomers planning ahead.  I reposted the listing.  If you need a larger order or have special requests be sure to let me know Bling@Aurorabows.com

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65489645/dog-pet-groomer-bow-st-patricks-day

Economy Shop Bows Available

Because every penny counts these days, we are offering an assortment of our grooming bows without bling and extras.  Still a high quality bow; but since we don't have the added expense of doodads they are a lower price.

If you want to sock up and save on shipping just email me Bling@AuroraBows.com and let me know.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66222378/dog-pet-bows-groomer-assortment-economy

Pictured here with bling - But, you never know - 

If I am low on economy bows, I may include some with bling - SURPRISE!

Interesting scheduling/promotion software

Groomers looking for good online scheduling system should look at this one.

http://admin.storevantage.com/public/pet

Happy New Year!

2011 is bringing some changes to Aurora Bows.  We have moved our shop to Etsy.com!
I'm gradually building our stock there.  We have some exciting new bows and a wider variety of sizes.

Because our how-to pages and other fun links are not in the Etsy shop, I launched this blog and will regularly add new features, how-tos, links, and build a community.

Valentines Day bows are selling now.  Don't delay.  I will try to get St. Pat's and Easter bows up in the next few days so you can save by combining orders.  Our usual assortments - Box O'Bling and Baby Bling will be there soon as well.

If you have any requests, special needs, or ideas be sure to Email Bling@AuroraBows.com   We love special requests.  Do you need larger bows in your assortment?  More smaller bows? More Pink? More Red?  Just let us know.

Watch for our announcement of Korker bows!