A Lil Loopy ****OPEN****

A Lil Loopy

(Click ^^ To Link To Facebook Page)

 $25 gift certificate

Good toward any of her items.

A Lil Loopy On Etsy

Little Sweet Pea Creations ****OPEN****

 

Little Sweet Pea Creations 

(Click ^^ To Link To Facebook Page)

Winner will receive a chiffon heart headband 

in their choice of color and size.

 (Subject to color availability)

Free shipping within Canada and the US

2 Pretty Girls Boutique ****OPEN****

 

2 Pretty Girls Boutique 

 (Click ^^ To Link To Facebook Page)

Tinker Bell bow which (including shipping) would retail for 10.00. For the winner its free.  

Bottle cap center may vary

2 Pretty Girls Boutique ****OPEN****

 

2 Pretty Girls Boutique 

 (Click ^^ To Link To Facebook Page)

A dress now holder and can be custom made to the 

3 colors of the winners choice. 

 Retail value (including shipping) is 33.00. 

For the winner...it's completely free!!

Little Tickle Boutique ****OPEN****

Little Tickle Boutique
(Click ^^ To Link To Facebook Page)

  

A Surprise Lorax bodysuit or Tshirt

Sizes available newborn to 7 years

Free shipping

Little Tickle Boutique On Etsy

19 Elephants ****OPEN****

19 Elephants

(Click To Link To Facebook Page)

Custom Crochet 'Hootie the Owl' - stuffed animal toy

Measures approximately 3" wide and 5" tall

Available in the following colors: 

Green, Blue, Sunflower, Black, Light Pink, Pink, Lilac, Grey, Cream, Turquoise, Lime Green, Purple, Cranberry, Sage, Burnt Orange, Orange, Aqua, Dark Green, Navy, Red, Chocolate Brown, White, Yellow, Light Brown

 19 Elephants on Etsy

NEW TO HBC....... BUY BACK !!

So I have had this idea circulating through my already full brain and I finally have a second to sit at the computer and put it down in writing.  I am really hoping that this will work out to be a win win situation for everyone!

I am going to offer a "Buy Back" program for those of you who have a LIKE NEW hat or hats of mine (HBC's) that no longer fit, or wanting a change of scenery.

I will be donating these hats to hospitals, and various charities.  I will no be re-selling these items on my FB page.  I have so many emails each day needing donations and such and I just don't have enough time in one day to donate to all of them, so I thought I would figure out a way that I could give back and have it be a "win" situation for my friends (fans you are my friends ;)), and help out those in need.

Here is how this will work: 

If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity please email me at hairbrainedc@yahoo.com with the subject "Buy Back", please list the item you are wanting to send back and a photo if/when possible. These items need to be clean and in good condition as I will be giving them to others.  I will be washing all items so they are clean before I donate, however they can't have any permanent blemishes. I will then give you the information needed to ship that item to me.  When I receive the item in like new condition I will then give you HBC store credit of $5 per item.  You can use this credit immediately or you can save it up and have $$ to spend here, or on etsy.

I will also be accepting others items that you are no longer in use of and will give you store credit for those as well.  Those terms will be discussed in an email depending on the item.  These items as well will be donated and need to be in good condition with no permanent marks or blemishes.

If you are a fellow crafter (crochet, headbands, knitter, etc.) and would like to send some items to be donated please feel free to email me (hairbrainedc@yahoo.com) and we can agree on a store credit that way as well.

I will also have this information on my blog www.hairbraincreations.blogspot.com in case you can't get back here for some reason :)

Thank you all so much!

xoxo

Ali

Procrastination......

 

Now I'm not sure how many will relate to this........BUT I SURE DO!!

New Year, New Changes....

Friends welcome to 2012!

As I reflect on the last 10 months of starting HBC, yes I know it's only been 10 months,  

I am still in shock and awe EVERY single day!  People really want to buy MY hats, and things?!?!  

This makes me more giddy that a love sick school girl!  

I'm not entirely sure if y'all know exactly how HBC came to be or how I got started, 

so I will give you a lil insight as to why I'm in disbelief daily.

Back in the Dark Ages when I was attending high school, I happened to take a photography class in hopes that it would give me a quick ad easy credit to graduation.  Little did I know that, THAT class would change the course of my life.  I walked into Mrs. Harrington's Beginners Photography class with a high school chip on my shoulder, you know the one that most of us have when we are just trying to get the heck outta there and if this was how I was going to get my art credit than lets hurry up and get it over with?  

Well, believe it or not I actually enjoyed that class, cameras, candid moments, memories, stories, etc;. Photography had become my ultimate passion!  I couldn't live without a camera in my hands at all times.  Of course remember this was the Dark Ages so we had FILM, for all you youngsters out there this was a roll of reflective metals that was placed in the camera and you only had 24-36 chances to get a great photo, there was no Photoshop or Light Room it was all on you!  You couldn't go through and just delete the ones that didn't turn out, nope you had to pay to develop even the crappy ones.

When I got married I had saved up enough money to buy me a 35 mm (film) Cannon SLR.  I took and lugged that thing every where along with about 10 rolls of film at all times.  Anyhoo, needless to say I have about 10 bazillion pictures of anything and everything you could ever think of.  Well after a couple years that camera gave up on me and it was WAYYYY out dated.  I couldn't afford to buy a new digital one so my passion, my photography, went to the way side.

I had tried many other hobbies, however NOTHING could compare to the satifaction of photos!  I began researching and saving, researching and saving some more, and I was finally able to invest in my first digital SLR, and OH BOY was I in LOVE I had to re-learn EVERYTHING, but it came back to me pretty quickly.  I started messing around taking photos again and started having people ask me to take their family photos, newborn, children, you get the idea.  I realized that the kind of photography that I gravitaed towards and that I love more than anything was newborns, and birth stories.  These amazing little creatures are perfect, and sweet, and smell delicious, I could go on for decades about these lil munchkins.  Well as I was perfecting my craft and finding my style I started searching Etsy for props, blankets, pails, boxes, etc; and I came across some A.DOR.ABLE. animal hats!  I tried to purchase some but the wait was just too long.  MONTHS of waiting so I thought to myself I wonder if I could teach myself to do one or two that I could use in my photos. 

AND SO IT BEGINS.

I bought a book and some hooks and started, it took me a total of 3 hours to teach myself every stitch, abbreviation, and how to read a pattern all on my own (proud moment).

I was now ADDICTED, and with my OCD I was in BIG trouble.

I had made ONE, yes just one and I was forever hooked.  I posted a cruddy, blurry, horribly ligthted cell phone picture of the hat and had 20 orders within 2 days. 

Me:  "Oh my GOSH!" 

Hubby:  "What?!?"

 Me:  "babe, look at all these emails....!!!"

Hubby:  "sigh, by the way you sounded I thought it was something important.."

Me:  "thanks for you undying support SHEESH  (chuckle)!"

Hubby:  "what are they for?"

Me:  "hats (non nonchalantly)"

Hubby:  "hats?  Whose hats?  Your hats?  Since when do you make hats?"

Me:  "Since Thursday."

Hubby:  "(laughs out loud)  Okay, whatever floats your boat."

Before I could  finish those 20 orders, I had 10 more then 10 more, and so on, and so on.

HBC has been such a huge blessing to me and my family and I take extreme care and put a lot of love into each piece.  I never let one leave my hands until it is absolutely PERFECT in my eyes.  I love each one of my customers, and friends, and my family you all have been so supportive and kind.

So to you I say THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

And my family says thank you!  You allow me to be a mommy to my 5 kids and wife to my hubby.

Ali, Byron, Jaicee, Pressley, McKaydie, Rykker, and Zyrik 

CHANGES.  The title to this post was New Year, New Changes.

Through many discussions with my husband and my children we have mutually decided that I will only take 6 custom orders a month.  

Now that doesn't mean that I won't be crocheting in the mean time that just means that I will get to work on some of the items that I need to for Ready To Ship, family, and close friends and most important donations.  I love donating my work to those in need.  I get extreme joy in seeing people happy, even if it is just for a split second.  Those smiles mean the world to me.  I will have a list that you can add your name to and I will just go down the list.  If I get extra time I may work on those who are next in line.

I will also be putting in place a tiny price increase.  I offer FREE SHIPPING on all my items to everyone in US and Canada.  For me to continue to offer this option I need to implement this.  Thank you for understanding.  

Here is to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012.

I am amazed!

I know this is a business blog, however I feel compelled to speak about the kindness and generosity of complete strangers.  My faith in people has been restored and I feel like there is still greatness on this Earth!

In my previous post I had mentioned my baby girl and the trials she is enduring, with a HUGE smile by the way, each and every day right now.  I at this time cannot think about the surgery because I do get MAJOR anxiety!  Surgery, no matter how large or small, is still a surgery and should never be taken lightly!

Ok so back on subject...lol!  I have a FB page and have made some really great "friends" even though these people don't know me or my daughter they are willing to donate and share their time and talents with me and my baby!  I cannot explain to ANY of you how this makes me feel!  A little back story....I have a very strained relationship with some of my family members and to be honest some of them don't even know that she is having these struggles, and I'm not entirely sure that they care : ( .  Needless to say my only support system is my loving and amazing husband and my kids, or so I thought. 

Today I have been so emotional with all the generosity that has come our way in the places I would least expect it!   Here are the people who have hearts the size of TEXAS!  Please know that I pray for all of you and that I cannot thank you enough!  I hope I can in some way repay you all one day! 

XXX XXX 

Please click on the names and show some LOVE back!

Funky Photography Prop Shoppe

MO Creations

Photos By Tiff

Toora-Loora-Li

Little Sparrow Logos

LuvBugs

DreColey Designs

Pretty Princess Hairbows

 

FUNDRAISER AUCTION FOR MCKAYDIE

Hello,  my name is McKaydie and I am 3 years old.  I am a happy very loving little girl and I always have a HUGE smile on my face no matter what.  My mommy is Ali and my daddy is Byron and the love me very much!  My mommy took me to the doctor for a regular well child visit, where my doctor noticed that there was something wrong, he gave me a paper and some crayons and let me color while he talked to my mommy.

Hi my name is Ali and McKaydie is our youngest daughter.  She is a very tiny firework and such a light in our lives!  As stated before I took McKaydie and her little brother in for their routine well child visits.  While going over her stats. he noticed that she was not growing very well in both height and weight.  He asked me if I had noticed that she wasn't getting any bigger and I answered yes, however I didn't think anything about it just thought that she was small.  He then proceeded to tell me that it was not normal and that I should be very concerned.  Oh no!  My baby!  What is wrong?  What did I do?  What can I do?  Is she going to be ok?  What next?  How could I miss that??   Is she going to leave this Earth before me?  All these thoughts were RACING through my head.  My stomach sank!  My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to jump out of my chest.  Would life be the same for her?  He then sat down and said that he needed to run extensive and very expensive tests on her and try to figure out what was going on.  We are still waiting for those results to return to the doctor and have him review them.

In the mean time we also found out that she will need surgery the first part of June.  I know in my heart and have full faith in my Heavenly Father the He will protect and watch over my baby girl and that everything will be just as it should be.

We are very under insured and this will be a financial hardship for us.   Don't get me wrong I am very thankful that we even have insurance right now because we have been uninsured for most of our marriage and throughout our children's lives  we have seen many days where we can't take them in for their regular check ups and we can't just rush them to the doctor for every fever or runny nose.  I think that my Father in Heaven was definitely watching over us and gave to us in our time of need! 

We need to have $1000.00 by surgery day just for them to be able to operate.  We will need more after wards to cover any other expenses.  My husband is a machinist and works numerous side jobs to try and make ends meet.  I am a stay at home mom to 5 beautiful children and run a VERY small business out of my home to help compensate the income.

I will be holding an auction on my Facebook page to help raise funds so that we can have the money we need to get her on the road to recovery.   This will begin on May 20th and all the details will be under the album  ~<3 auction/fundraiser <3~  You can click  HERE to take you to my page.  ***You are NOT required to like my page or any other pages this is strictly to raise funds not to build a fan base!***  If you have a business or item you'd like to donate for people to bid on please email me at hairbrainedc@yahoo.com with a picture and information.  Facebook is just the easiest place to do an auction like this.  If you visit my page and decide you would not like to participate in the auction but would like to donate you can either find the donate button to the right or you can send the money to my PayPal account aliballey@hotmail.com.  Thank you so very much for your support and willingness to help!

God bless!

xoxo
~Ali

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

In honor of Cinco De Mayo I will be offering all 

Simple-N-Sweet flower clips 5 for $5.55!
(any color)

THRIFTY THURSDAY ---------------------------->
Please use the drop down menu to chose your quantity :)

Pretty Flower Clips....

These are so much fun attach to hats or hair or anything for that matter :) on $1.50 each or 3 for $3.50 for the small flowers and bows and

$2.50 each or 3 for $6.00 for the large flowers (or multi layer) and large bows!

Cutest Sock Monkey Beanie

This adorable hat can be customized in any color you'd like! The bow is completely optional (it's on a clip) great for girls or boys! Also i can do a mohawk or girl "hair" upon request, and eyelashes.  An amazing photography prop or just for everyday use :)

Price: $30 (includes shipping)

Any size newborn to adult.

Payment methods accepted are: PayPal, Cash, Credit/Debit (through PayPal), or Check!

If paying by check your items will not be shipped until it clears my bank usually 3 to 5 days. There will also be a $30 returned check fee, if it does not clear.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.



Penguin Earflap Beanie...

This adorable hat can be customized in any color you'd like! It's great for girls or boys! An amazing photography prop or just for everyday use :)

Price: $28 (includes shipping)

Any size from newborn to adult.

Payment methods accepted are: PayPal, Cash, Credit/Debit (through PayPal), or Check!

If paying by check your items will not be shipped until it clears my bank usually 3 to 5 days. There will also be a $30 returned check fee, if it does not clear.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.



Owl Earflap Beanie...

This adorable hat can be customized in any color you'd like! It's great for girls or boys! An amazing photography prop or just for everyday use :)

Price: $28 (includes shipping)

Any size from newborn to adult

Payment methods accepted are: PayPal, Cash, Credit/Debit (through PayPal), or Check!

If paying by check your items will not be shipped until it clears my bank usually 3 to 5 days. There will also be a $30 returned check fee, if it does not clear.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Elephant Beanie.....

This adorable hat can be customized in any color you'd like!  The flower is completely optional (it's on a clip) great for girls or boys!  An amazing photography prop or just for everyday use :)

Price:  $24 (includes shipping)

Any size from preemie to adult.

Payment methods accepted are: PayPal, Cash, Credit/Debit (through PayPal), or Check!

If paying by check your items will not be shipped until it clears my bank usually 3 to 5 days.  There will also be a $30 returned check fee, if it does not clear.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.