Home | Announcements

Category: Announcements

Introducing The Sawyer!

Introducing The Sawyer!

Announcements, Hairbows 0
15Jul

I’m excited to not only bring you a new product this month, but to bring you the story behind the piece and it’s name. Last December in a social media post about planning for 2021 I asked for suggestions and ideas of what products you’d like to see. I received an email from a long-time customer who I had originally met through a local running group. She’s the parent of 4 little ones, and had a unique need for one of her children:

 

“My 4 year old son has long curly hair that we keep out of his eyes with hair clips. He would like hair clips that are geared more towards boys than girls.”

 

I created a few options for him and sent them off for her son to try. I made our clippies without the bow on top in a few solid colors, and covered some snap clips in a faux leather. Her son gravitated immediately to the covered snap clips and wore them daily! And so, the Sawyer was born.

 

This product is special because it was created with all children in mind. The Sawyer fits with our clean, classic styling but offers patterns and colors that would appeal to boys and girls to show their personality.

 

These are one of the few products that I offer that doesn’t involve ribbon. The Sawyer is made with metal snap clips and faux leather. The leather is first cut to our custom dimensions. Then a slit is cut on the back side for the clip to fit through. Next the piece is glued together and checked for flaws. The clips are packaged on our branded cards and are ready to travel to you!

Power Suit

Power Suit

Announcements 0
28Jan

There were many common themes in the events of Inauguration Day – the quality and tone of President Biden’s speech, the historical significance of VP Harris’ swearing in, the brilliance of Amanda Gorman’s words in her poem, and that the women of the day came immaculately and impressively dressed.*

Their outfits were downright striking – all dressed in brilliant hues, head to toe. The abundance of purple – what happens when blue is mixed with red – was outstanding . Dr. Biden was wearing light blue – the color an EdD wears at her graduation. These women all exuded confidence yesterday. I hope they felt the confidence inside that we all saw from the outside.

Since January 6, this picture has resonated with me for a very powerful reason.

These aides, an Emory University student (R) and a Northwestern University student (L), came to work this day dressed appropriately for their roles, probably not expecting this day to be as notable as it turned out to be. Once the insurrection started, these aides guarded our country’s democracy by carrying the electoral votes out of the chambers to safety. I later learned that the dress that the woman on the left was wearing sold out almost immediately. Because of their actions, the outfits these women wore on this day now carry those same attributes – power, safety, responsibility. I can only imagine that the women who ordered that dress on that day will also think of this intern every time they wear it and embody those qualities.

Yes, our confidence needs to come from inside, but there’s no reason our outsides cannot portray that confidence. For a few years I was an ambassador for a women’s running brand Oiselle. One of the most powerful concepts that I learned as part of that team was that of a power suit – clothing that makes you feel your best so you can do your best. Part of this blog post defines the concept of a power suit.

FASHION, FEMINISM, AND THE NEW POWERSUIT
We all have the ability to approach our clothing choices with more insight. Every day, once you are dressed, close your eyes and ask yourself “how do I feel?” and “how do I think I’ll feel in six hours?” And if the answer is “probable foot pain” or “a dug-in underwire,” it might be time to break up with that garment. Take it off. Thank it for its service. Then, ask yourself – how do I want to feel today? What clothes make me feel that way. Define your powersuit, and wear it loud and proud in the world.

We all have those pieces of clothing in our closets that make us feel our best – perfect fitting jeans, a dress in the just-right color, shoes that feel like clouds. For me, even when I’m not feeling my best, I pull on favorite pieces of clothing so I can “fake it until I make it.” Wearing that outfit will help build my confidence and get me in the right frame of mind to tackle whatever I need to – it’s my power suit. I have favorite pieces of running clothing that I did amazing workouts in or raced a new personal record in that I’ll wear on days when I just don’t want to go run. My mood and mindset shifted because those pieces help me channel powerful energy.

Here at Gingersnaps Bows, we believe in the influence of the power suit for everyone, girls included. Our pieces help make the everyday special, allow girls to show their unique style, and make them feel their best. Our bows, headbands and scrunchies add some sparkle, whimsy and brightness to any day of the week.

*(In an ideal world, it would be about how smart and capable they are, about their contributions to our country, etc., but that’s another topic for another day!)

Photo credits:
Compilation of Women at Inauguration: @thehomeedit on IG
Capital Aides: Caroline Brehmen, via Getty Images

2020 Holiday Gift Guide – Gingersnaps Bows

2020 Holiday Gift Guide – Gingersnaps Bows

Announcements, Business, Hairbows 1
04Nov

Typically I’m a “the tree doesn’t go up until after Thanksgiving” kind of a girl. NOT THIS YEAR FOLKS! I’m down for all of the holiday cheer ASAP. My holiday candles are out, holiday soaps are in our bathrooms, and Monday the decorations will come out of their boxes in the basement.

To go along with that, I’ve already started holiday shopping for my loved ones. Gingersnaps Bows has a variety of pieces that will make the perfect gift for any girl on your list! Our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide highlights the pieces in our holiday collection, as well as suggests unique gift ideas that are sure to be cherished. Plus bows make great stocking stuffers and can be used to adorn the presents themselves!

I’ll be sharing more about these products and more in the coming weeks, and watch for our holiday sale announcement!

How to fix your bow’s frayed edges

Announcements, Hairbows 0
01Oct

One of the finishing steps I take for each bow before it leaves my studio is to heat seal the edges of the ribbon. But through wear, travel, and maybe even an accidental trip through the washer and dryer (it’s happened to me!), the edges of your bow may begin to fray. The good news is that it’s a super easy fix! All you need is your bow and a lighter. If the edge of the ribbon is frayed a lot, you can start by using sharp scissors to cut a clean edge.

1. Take the section that is frayed and move it away from the rest of the bow.
2. Light your lighter and move it gently towards one end of the frayed edge of the bow.
3. Move the lighter along the frayed edge from one end to the other. You will be able to see the edge seal as you go.

4. Repeat as needed until the frayed edge is gone.

A word of caution: The lighter in color the ribbon is the more careful you need to be that you don’t singe it. If you hold the lighter under the ribbon for too long you’ll see some black areas appear on the underside.

Fall Events!

Announcements 0
18Aug

I signed up for a variety of new events this year. My spring events were all cancelled, but at this point the fall events are still a go (you can see the full lineup here). I’ve heard from the organizers of the first two events (both hosted by branches of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce – and outdoor events) in the last week. The Farewell to Summer event in September will take place on the Triangle in Emmaus and they’re planning on roping the area off and limiting attendance inside the Triangle to no more than 250 people (vendors included). In thinking about fall events, these are the precautions that I’ll be putting in place to keep myself and event attendees safe.

1. I will be masked during the event.
2. I will be asking attendees who are not wearing their mask properly to adjust it.
3. I will wear gloves when I bag orders and handle money, changing them in between guests.
4. I will have gloves available for guests who would like to use them to handle my products.
5. I will have hand sanitizer available for myself and guests to use.

I truly love selling at in-person events – I like the interaction with customers and being able to talk about my products. I am ready to approach the fall season with optimism and a lot of caution!

Checking in!

Announcements 0
04Aug

I certainly did not intend for it to be so long between blog posts. As strange as this summer is, it certainly seems to be flying by! We’re spending our days going to the pool, kids have a short list of things they need to get done every day (reading, some math review, chores, etc).

We have hit that point of the summer where we all start looking forward to the start of the school year. Our district is offering modified in-person instruction or online instruction through virtual academy that they’ve been hosting for many years. The in-person instruction includes half of the alphabet attending Monday/Tuesday, everyone online Wednesday and the end of the alphabet (where my kids are) attending Thursday/Friday. My husband and I have also opted out of bus transportation this year, so we’ll be driving the kids to school. I’m very thankful that I have the flexibility to be able to support my kids through this type of schedule and I absolutely recognize that not everyone does. I think it will be a few weeks into the new year before we all get the hang of this schedule. I know I will need to continue to make adjustments to my schedules (but I’m thankful the kids will be around to help with chores more!). I’m praying that the return to school goes well. I’m fearful of a new (continued?) outbreak in September and October in Pennsylvania.

One thing that I’ve sort of lost sight of during the last 6 months (can you believe it’s been almost 6 months since this started?!) is how I take care of myself. Even though there are no races on the schedule, I’m continuing to work with my coach and getting my workouts done (for the most part…). I have been staying up too late and then wondering why I’m always so tired. One more thing that is key for me to feeling well is my water intake. I know when I wake up nauseous and with a raging headache that I’m underhydrated.

As far as business… I have no idea. I have a bunch of fall events that I’m looking forward to, but do not know if any of them will happen. I do have some really cute new products coming out and I have some products for teens and adults in the works too! I’m always open to feedback and input about what you’d like to see from Gingersnaps Bows or how we can better serve you… reach out anytime to sarah@gingersnapsbows.com

Have a great week!

Weekly Storytime!

Announcements, Weekly Stories 0
30Apr

Every family has their favorite story books – ones that our kids are riveted by, that they’re drawn to either the story or the pictures (or both), the ones that we’re asked to read over and over and over. My family is no exception. My husband and I are raising 3 kids who all have very different interests, have gravitated to different books over the years, and I’m excited to start sharing them with you! A new storytime video will be available on the Gingersnaps Bows YouTube channel each Thursday. I’m excited to help all of you get through these challenging times by giving you a few minutes of someone else reading to your kids. So grab your coffee (or a glass of wine, no judgements from me!), start the video and snuggle with your littles as I share my family’s favorite stories.

Videos already posted:
Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros
Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie & Allison Oppenheim

Something new for you…

Something new for you…

Announcements 0
24Apr

So it’s been…. weird lately, right? Being asked to stay home 24/7 is nothing that anyone we know has ever experienced. Even going out to the grocery store is totally strange. When I go to Costco or Wegmans I feel so awkward – trying to get through my list as fast as possible, avoiding eye contact, and trying to navigate the store while staying 6 feet from others is odd. Having our lives come to a screeching halt and switching from the kids going to school to them learning at home overnight brings out all the emotions. One day I’m great, feeling like super mom. Laundry is getting done, kitchen gets cleaned up between meals, everyone is on time for their zooms and can log on to apps, and cooking dinner is fun. But then there are the days where I don’t even want to get out of bed. Doing things seems pointless, kids are fussing about doing work, dishes pile up and the house ends up looking like there was a 3-day frat party. So where does this leave us? Right where we started. Staying home to protect others and hoping for our new normal that will come someday.

I’ve had similar struggles with my business. I was still cranking out new products at the beginning of March when the stay at home order started. Around March 15 I pulled out my sewing machine and started making masks for friends and loved ones who worked in healthcare. Then I connected with others from my church who were donating in bulk to local healthcare agencies. All in all, I made over 200 masks in the last month. The time I’ve spent making masks in the last week or so has declined significantly (although I’m still making them for those who need them), and I’m feeling a little lost. All of my spring craft shows have been cancelled, I’m still offering my product online but promoting it feels a little off. So what now?

I’d like to serve the Gingersnaps Bows community in a wider way, and that’s where this blog comes in. Every Thursday I’m going to post a favorite story of my family’s for your children to enjoy. Every Sunday/Monday I’ll post our menu plan for the week. And in between I’ll share tidbits about our life, what products I’m loving a relying on, books that I’m reading, and glimmers of hope and light that we all need. And as always, I’m here to provide you quality handmade hair accessories for your child to make the every day more special.