Movies and Bow Ties

First, let me say that I’ve seen some great movies lately.  Over the weekend, my husband and I watched “Matchstick Men” and loved it.  And just tonight (while I dissected neck ties and folded laundry) we watched “State of Play”.  Both movies were rather good.  

In other news, I got a small package in the mail last week containing 300 little labels for my bow ties.  Aren’t they just perfect?  I’m still shocked that I’m a bow tie maker now, but even after making hundreds of ties over the summer, I still enjoy each little tie I make.  They all have their own little personalities.

Here’s “The Charlie” affectionately named after my grandfather (who did not wear bow ties but does have a great name).

My feverish 3 year old (who is fine today) kept me from updating on Monday as I would have liked, but here are some pictures of the new ties.  I don’t have any images of my model…(or shall I say my most handsome husband).  But if you want any of these, you can e-mail (ellielaveer@gmail.com) me and save me and him the trouble. 

This one is the Gee.  Do you think he will like it?

And The Redeemer

Finally, “The Rascal”

And if you’re interested in seeing what’s in the queue, here are the ties on death row.

And now I am off to bed.  Goodnight my friends.

 

Dear Gordon Gee

I am writing you to tell you of my bow tie business, The Cordial Churchman.  One of the professors of your school ordered a bow tie from me.  He told me that your school is very accustomed to bow ties since you wear one every day.  How many bow ties do you own?  I’ve heard that you own over 900 and that one of your bow ties has visited outer space.  I have a new collection of Bow Ties that I’ll be posting on my store on Monday.  Could you please check them out and see if any of them interest you?  Today, I made a 2 inch diamond point fall colored madras tie that I think you would love.   It would be my honor to have you wear one of my custom bow ties.  Also, if you have any neck ties in the bottom of your closet, I’d be happy to convert them into bow ties for you.

With Kindest Regards,

Ellie

Lots of New Bow Ties – Wool Bow Ties, Madras Bow Ties and Silk Bow Ties

I’ve been working hard on these bow ties and am so excited to finally get them up here for you all to see.  Please visit the STORE (www.elliesbowties.com) and pick one out for yourself or your loved one.  The ties can be ordered simply by e-mailing me at ellielaveer@gmail.com.  Bow Ties are $23 each.  Please share this blog post with all your bow tie wearing friends.

Some of you have asked to see more pictures with more details of the ties so I’ve tried to accommodate you as best as I can.  When you click on the ties, it will take you to my flickr page which has sets of photos of each ties.  Also, I’ve had a few requests to make wool bow ties so I’ve added 3 wool fabrics to my stash.  I think they look great.  I hope you like them as much as I do.

 

Ellie’s Bow Tie Club Flickr Group

Do you have one of my handmade bow ties?  If so, join the club.  I’ve started a flickr pool for all of you.  Please upload your photos and add them to the pool or e-mail me (ellielaveer@gmail.com) so that I can add them.  Also, If you want, add your comments about your bow tie in the comments section so that everyone can know how much you like it.  I’m also going to add the pool to the sidebar so that you can have easy access to it.   I can’t wait to see what you come up with! 

Cheers!

Crouton Crusted Tilapia

I forgot to take pictures, but I thought I’d share today’s dinner recipe. It was easy, healthy, kid-friendly, inexpensive and quick. My favorite kinds of meals.

1-Thaw out some tilapia (or whatever kind of fish you want really) – I run mine under cold water for like 5 minutes
2- Coat with mayo or eggs – I think mayo keeps it moister
3- dip in crushed croutons (little hands like to help with this part)
4- bake at 425 for about 15 minutes on parchment paper if you have it
5- enjoy!

In Many Shapes and Sizes

Andy wore a pretty cool converted necktie with a fish emblematic on Monday. He’ll be sad to part with this one when/if it sells. I might make him submit a higher bid if he wants to keep it!

Here are examples of alternative shapes for bow ties: diamond-point and straight. I’ve been selling a lot of diamond-point all of a sudden.

I’ve posted these ties (The Romancer and The Editor) into the humble blog store.

I’m Also playing around with an Etsy store so you can see them there too.

In other news: I finally got around to mopping the floor today. Ew. The next project is to clean up the patio enough so that the mail man can actually get to our box without danger of riding a plastic fire engine down the hill.

Today’s Thrift Shopping Bounty

This afternoon, I set off with-out children to the thrift stores. I had no real idea what I was looking for, I just wanted to get out of the house for an hour or so.  Here is the strange mix of things I came home with after spending around $30.

1- A french drip coffee maker – most likely never been used – circa. 1975.  A great way to brew coffee with really hot water – a must in our house.

2 – A wicker towel rack.  Totally weird, I know, but I just thought it looked cool.  I’m thinking I will use it to display a quilt in my new sewing room.

3 – 3 new ties to add to death row- They are now waiting to be converted to bow ties.  I have so many standard looking ties in my collection, I’m now trying to find ties that are a bit more wild.  I thought these fit the bill.  Fun, huh?  I can’t wait to see how they look in a bow.

 

4 – Weird cabinet thing – I don’t know what this is, but I thought it would look alright in our 50’s brick ranch home.  It’s really just a wooden cabinet.  My husband things it used to be mounted on the wall, but I don’t want to do that with this one.  I’d like to re-line the top, possibly paint it and use it to store linens in our dining room.  For now, it’s a fun place for my 1 year old to hide and that’s about it.

 

5 – Throw Pillow- My newest addition to the random handmade and thrifted pillow collection is currently posing as a coal tender for my 3 year old’s train (The one with the diagonal stripes and tassels).  He likes to line all the pillows up in a row and pretend they are a big train, then he walks away and the dog thinks he has a new bed.  Once I get around to picking them all up, the whole process starts over again, sometimes involving houses made with couch cushions.  Oh… life with little ones under-toe.

More Necktie to Bow Tie Conversions

Here’s a really cool fishy emblematic that I made this evening that I’m throwing up for sale in my store.  This tie is a narrow (2 1/4″) tie.  I’m so happy with how it turned out!

Also, here’s a photo of 2 ties that have been mailed to me to convert.  This gentleman is an avid bow tie wearer and is so excited to find someone to give new life to his old neck ties.

Bow Tie Onesie

As I was making this last night for Owen, my husband agreed that this shirt screams “My mom is a big dork”.  Somehow, I don’t really mind announcing that I’m a dork with children’s clothing.  I asked my 3 year old if he wanted a bow tie shirt and he said no.  Maybe a neck tie shirt for the big guy?

The best part is that even when he’s really mad, I just look at him and laugh because he’s so darn cute.

Two new super fun ties-

Ok, here are two ties I made out of cotton.  The first one used to be an Ann Taylor madras skirt and the second Ann Taylor pants.  Andy couldn’t tell at first that the pink polka-dotted tie actually has two diff. patterns- one is white on pink and the other is pink on white.  It can be tied three different ways, I like the one with the contrasting (but not really that contrasting) knot.  What do you think?  I’m adding them to the store.