Don't forget the card!

So, if yesterday's post inspired you to take a class and make a special Mother's Day gift for someone, then we have the cutest card to go along with it!

Brandi Cameron of www.brandicameron.com designed a fabulous gift enclosure card using our Creatively Made slogan. I seriously love Brandi. She totally gets my vision for Molly O Designs. And trust me, my visions are often about as clear as mud to other people. But they make perfect sense to me! LOL.




This little card let's everyone know, that their item is Creatively Made, not homemade. And, that it was made by you! Trust me, when you tell people that you made a gift for mom this year, they will hide their store bought gifts in shame. Especially when the gift is from a Molly O class.

If you need a Molly O gift card to put with a gift you have already made, let me know and I will be happy to get some to you asap! You can email me at molly@mollyodesigns.com

Creatively Made Mother's Day

Now I'm not naming names, or pointing fingers, but there was a Mother's Day not too long ago where a certain husband worked all day and did not get a gift for the mother of his children. Did I mention those 3 children were all born in 4 years time and that she had been changing diapers for 7 years straight? All I have to say is that it is a good thing he is such a nice guy and a good dad, not that I know him or anything like that.

But I've decided that there is nothing wrong with celebrating yourself as a mother. If that means buying yourself a gift in appreciation of all you do for your family, then go for it! Is there anyone more deserving of a gift then a mother? I think mother's should be able to buy themselves a gift on a daily basis.

So in that spirit I thought I would post a few gift ideas that you can either make for yourself or for another mother in your life.

I just made this necklace for a new mom to be who is having a baby girl. She is due in a week and I can't wait to give this to her! Hopefully she isn't reading this, but if she is, SURPRISE! Hope you like your gift! LOL. I'm really bad at keeping secrets.






















This necklace is from our Stamped Jewelry Class. You can create necklaces, bracelets, key chains, etc. The options are endless. You can either add the names of your children or words of inspiration. Use your imagination to create something special. Add on a charm or birthstone dangle and you have the perfect gift!

If you want to make yourself or another mom feel fabulous, then you can always give her a little bling. These crystal flip flops are the hit of the season. This party is so much fun. And who doesn't love to wear a little bling?! Add a little or a lot. It is up to you.




The best part of both of these classes is how good you feel when you are finished. You can let your creativity flow while burning off some stress. In the end you will have a gift for yourself or for someone special.

I love www.pingg.com!

Seriously, this is by far my new favorite invitation web site. www.pingg.com It is so chic and easy to use. The perfect tool for all our creative ladies.

What I love is that although they have hundreds of trendy invitation designs that are ready to be emailed to your friends with just a few clicks, you can also design your own. And I'm not talking about cheesy clip art photos and unattractive colors. I mean, design something that is personal and all about your event. Check out the invite I just created for one of our classes.

CLICK HERE to see the invite and web page.


And that isn't all, there are so many fun little add-ons. Like publishing your invite to twitter or facebook, sending it over to your blog (uhh hum) and it even creates a personal event website. You can send your invitation via email or even as a text to all your friend's phone.

Now, I'm not going to say anything bad about that "other" online invitation website. Because honestly, I'm impressed with their branding. Everyone knows "that" site. Job well done marketing department. But I guarantee once you use www.pingg.com you will NEVER go back.

Go ahead and create an invitation, you know you want to. And feel free to invite me. Or better yet, throw a Molly O party and then I will be sure to show up!

Just the Girls

I love a girls night out! Especially when it involves friends, wine, chatting and of course a creative energy.
















We held a focus group class this week to get feedback on the new Molly O look, classes, concepts and vision. I can't tell you how much I adore and appreciate the ladies that attended. I limited the attendance to 6 so we could focus on what needed to be accomplished. You wouldn't believe the great advice and suggestions that I got from these women! I've been frantically working every since trying to implement the improvements that resulted from our class. Often times, I get so caught up in the my ideas that I forget that not everyone thinks the same way that I do. I got the perfect combination of positive feedback and constructive criticism.


It was so great to watch as everyone started to have those "that's how you do that!" moments. What fun to teach my friends the secrets and tips that I have learned along the way. My friend Julie even went home at 10 p.m. and made more bows! She has 4 girls at home, so she needed to get started. LOL. I love it, and can't wait to see her girls in all their bow glory.









Our next focus group will be in 2 weeks! This week we focused on our basic bow class. Next up is our flip flop class. Perfect timing for this beautiful weather we are having in Vegas. I will be limiting the class to 6 people again. So drop me a note if you want to attend.

It's all about the bling........

I know, I know, I need to rein it in when it comes to bling. But how can you not love things adorned in Swarovski crystals?! I love to sprinkle them on everything from my girl's bows to the throw pillows in my newly decorated living room (pictures to come!).

So, when I saw some cute crystal converse shoes in my local children's boutique, I just couldn't resist blinging out my new Ed Hardy sneaks. O-kay, they look a little over the top. But I swear that if you put them on with some cute jeans and a solid black or white top, you have a really cute outfit! That is the key to bling. Keep it to one item and one item only. Don't wear a bling tshirt, with bling jeans with bling shoes. Then you just look like you have been living in Vegas too long.






















Of course I had to make a pair for my girls. This time I added in some black polka dots using jet black crystals and made the matching shoe laces. We get stopped every where we go when they are sporting their bling high tops. I think these would be adorable for pageants as well.



The best part about these shoes is the price! They retail for $110 at my local boutique. You can make them for half the price at a Molly O class. Our Molly O Stylists can teach you all the tricks and techniques for making these fabulous shoes. Book your class today!

National Autism Day

Today is National Autism Day. It is amazing to me that autism was almost unheard of just 10 years ago except for people's narrow perception from the movie Rain Man. And now, we have a day and month dedicated to awareness.

But I still think that many people don't truly understand what autism is. Or for that matter what the children look like that are diagnosed with this disease. Could you pick out a child in the grocery store that has autism? How many times have you looked a mother because her child was screaming or throwing a tantrum in the store? I have been on both ends. From thinking that a mother needs to get her child under control, to later being glared at and even asked to leave church because my child could not keep it together. Trust me, you feel the need to run away and punch that person in the face all at once. And then head straight to confession. LOL.

Let me show you what Autism looks like. Meet my sweet son Clay (right) and his friend JC (left). Are they the cutest little 5 y.o. boys you have ever seen?! Both were diagnosed with Autism around the age of 3. They have been in school together since that time and have both grown by leaps and bounds. When they are together, they make you laugh until you cry.





















They both have an obsession with legos and Star Wars. Put a new lego catalog in front of them that features star wars sets, and they are in heaven. Where speech use to elude them just a few short years ago, and eye contact was non-existant now comes excited chatter and sparkling eyes describing each star wars character and whether they are on the good side or dark side.

In the fall they will both be transitioning into a mainstream kindergarten class. But this new achievement did not come easily. You may remember that I shared my story of Clay's diagnosis last year during Autism Awareness Month. It feels like a million years ago that he was diagnosed and yet it has flown by. I wish now I had kept track of the countless hours spent doing therapy with him at him, taking him to speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc. But I guess the journey isn't as important as the destination.

Our destination often changes and new goals are set. But we are getting there! My neighbor said to me recently, "are you sure the doctor gave him the right diagnosis?" Yes, I'm sure. But to see him today he is a completely different kid. We still have some hiccups. And will probably continue to face new challenges. But thanks to following my mother's instinct and screaming my head off at our peditrician (it went a little something like this, "Something is not right with my baby, I just know it! He is 2 and he can't talk! I scream his name and he doesn't hear me" Her response, "my brother didn't talk until he was 4, let's wait a year." Mommy instinct kicks into high gear, "NO, YOU WILL GET ON THE PHONE RIGHT NOW AND FIND SOMEONE THAT CAN TEST HIM AND FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG.") We never went back to that pediatrician. Though my husband gets to see her at work. Oops. Sorry honey. But sometimes the momma lion just has to take care of business.

Point being, mommy instinct and early intervention are key to this epidemic. The earlier you find out (even if you don't want to know) the sooner you can start helping and pull these kids out of their secret world and into ours. And I'm so happy we were able to do that for Clay. I just can't imagine my world without him.

Time to Flip for Summer!

I don't know about the rest of the country, but here in Vegas it is starting to feel like spring/summer. If the winds would just die down a little we would have a few gorgeous days. I even have my first sunburn of the season to prove it. Time to break out the sunscreen!

Along with warm weather comes fun summer shoes. But in this economy, who has the money to spend big money on everyday shoes. We have the perfect solution! Our adorable boutique flips flops are perfect for anyone that can walk with flip flops on their feet. I say that because my 3 year old is still trying to master that task.




We have designs and ribbon combinations for little girls, tweens and even trendy moms. And I can't say enough about how comfy these flip flops are. I searched high and low to find a manufacturer that didn't cause blisters or sore toes. Isn't that the worst?!







These shoes are so fun to make. Get the girls together and we will teach you how. I would also suggest a pedicure, but considering I don't really like feet you are on your own for that one!

If you are in the Las Vegas area and are interested in hosting a party, email us at info@mollyodesigns.com

If you are outside of Las Vegas you can contact us to find out when a Molly O Designs franchise will be opening near you!