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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Happy New Year!

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We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is preparing for a Happy New Year!  Hero On My Arm will be taking a bit of a break to start 2009- we'll be closed until February 1st to allow us to catch up on existing orders as well as plan some exciting things for 2009.  We've enjoyed being able to turn your hero's uniforms into treasured keepsakes throughout the year and look forward to working with everyone in the coming year.  With that said, we also realize that we're not perfect, and we have some things that we need to work on, like delivery times and email communication problems- that's why we are taking this time "off" to fix those pesky things that are tripping up our prospering business.

Health and Happiness to you in the new year!

Monday, December 15, 2008

End of the Year Announcements...

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As of right now, every order that was promised to be delivered for Christmas will be arriving no later than December 24th!

We've had a few customers inquiring about their orders that they wanted to make sure they received them in time to mail them out to other people as gifts- this was not what we meant when we promised delivery by Christmas- so if you are one of those people, please just email us and let us know where you'd like your orders mailed to- we'll happily ship them to a different address if needed.

As of today, December 15th, Hero On My Arm will be closing for new orders until Feb. 1st  We have a lot of exciting things planned for 2009 that require some time off to make happen (as well as 2008's taxes to do!) and the website will be getting a major makeover as well.  We will still have quite a few pre made bags for sale in the meantime, though!

  Hopefully everyone understands that this is much needed time off and away, and we'll see you in 2009!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Pictures and Patience, Please...

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First, some more pictures, from our kiosk at the Clear Creek PX (thanks Angela!).

And now a request.  Please be patient with us at this time, we are INCREDIBLY busy completing orders and doing our best to reply to all of your emails as soon as we can.  If you've emailed us and haven't gotten a response, feel free to send us another email, but realize it may be a few days before we get a chance to get back to you.  Thanks so much!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

More Pre Made Bags

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We added a few more pre-made bags to the website this evening.  We'll have more added next week, too!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Pre Made Holiday Bag Sale

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There are 18 pre made bags up for sale on the website, all can be altered slightly (different color ribbon, name tape or patch added) and still be shipped in time for Christmas.  And the best part is that they are all on sale- priced between $15 and $20!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

December Announcements

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two JACQUELINE bags, one with velcro added

A few announcements for this month:

Custom orders in time for Christmas delivery are now CLOSED.  We are not able to accept any more custom orders and have them completed in time for Christmas.

We will have a selection of pre made bags available for purchase on the website later this month.  When they are added, we will make an announcement here on the blog.  You will have the ability to add a bow (and choose its color), and also to add name tapes to these bags.  

The last day to order a pre made bag in time for Christmas depends on the location you are having it shipped to.  Pre made bags will ship the following business day from when they are ordered.  Below is the UPS shipping transit times:

So for example, if you are purchasing a pre made bag and would like it shipped to Fort Hood, Texas, the time in transit is 2 days, so the last day to order would be December 21st (for shipping December 22nd and arrival December 24th).  Please note that not all the transit times "make sense"- the time in transit is 3 days to Alaska, its 5 days to Las Vegas, and 6 days to some more rural areas out west.

We won't have a lot more to report here on the blog for the rest of the year, as we are working overtime completing orders and *trying* to take time to spend with our own families this holiday season as well.  We'll post when we have pre made bags up on the site for sale, and we'll also post lists of completed orders for December as they are shipped.

And lastly, the office is extremely busy this month, please understand if we are slow to respond to emails, we are doing our best to make sure every single order is completed on time, and we will reply to each email, but sometimes it does take a few days.  Thank you for understanding.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Fort Hood Customers...

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Don't forget this is the LAST week to place your custom orders in time for Christmas delivery!  Hero On My Arm has a kiosk at the Clear Creek PX front entrance (right next to the food court, see above picture!) all this week:

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9 am to 7 pm
Thursday is Thanksgiving and we are CLOSED
Friday and Saturday 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday 11 am to 5 pm

In addition to placing custom orders, we do have a large selection of pre-made inventory as well.  Come out and say HI to Angela, Lindsay and Kelley!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Christmas Order Deadlines

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The last day to place an order for Christmas delivery is:

DECEMBER 1st

All orders placed between now and then will incur a $10 shipping fee instead of the normal $8. We will be temporarily switching from USPS (US Post Office) to UPS to ship our holiday packages, and the increased shipping fee reflects this change.

Even though the cost is slightly higher, UPS guarantees delivery dates and times and allows detailed tracking of your package- neither services the US Post Office offers.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Update Your Calendars!

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Two of the events we listed previously have already happened, and we've added three more, so we are updating the list of upcoming holiday events:

St. Christopher's Holiday Bazaar
Wednesday, November 5th
Killeen, Texas
This one is tomorrow!

Ladies Auxiliary MOPH Chapter 423 Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 4 pm
2 Carson Circle
Fountain, Colorado

Fort Hood Officers Wives Club Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday, November 16th 12 pm to 5 pm
Killeen Civic and Conference Center
Killeen, Texas

The Holidays in the South Bazaar
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 4 pm
Yano Hall, Bldg. 6005 on Andrews Avenue
Fort Rucker, Alabama

Little Rock AFB Spouses Club Craft Bazaar
Little Rock AFB Conference Center
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 4 pm

Fort Hood Officers Wives Club Luncheon
Wednesday, November 19th
Fort Hood, Texas

2008 Holiday Craft Bazaar
Saturday, November 22nd 8 am to 4 pm
Cody Auditorium
Cody, Wyoming

Fort Hood Clear Creek PX
(front entrance, next to the food court)
Monday thru Wednesday, November 24-26th 9 am to 7 pm
Thurdsay, November 25th- CLOSED, THANKSGIVING
Friday and Saturday, November 28-29th 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday, November 30th 11 am to 5 pm
(This will be the LAST chance for our Fort Hood customers to place custom orders in time for Christmas delivery!)

Christ Kindl Weihnachts Markt
Saturday, December 6th 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday, December 7th 12 pm to 5 pm
Gunners Inn
Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Election Day

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Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th! Make sure you VOTE!

More updates from Hero On My Arm coming later this week, too...

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween

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Hero On My Arm wishes everyone a SPOOKY and SAFE Halloween!

(Wanna learn more about the home in this picture?  Click here.)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Mark Your Calendars!

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Emily at the Fort Hood Officers Wives Club Luncheon, Oct 2008

You can find Hero On My Arm at the following events/places this fall:

Fort Benning Community Spouses Club Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, October 25th 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday, October 26th 12 pm to 4 pm
Building 4, Fort Benning, Georgia
Everyone come out and meet our Fort Benning Rep, Kimberly!

Fountain-Fort Carson High School Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, November 1st 9 am to 4pm
Fountain-Fort Carson High School
900 Jimmy Camp Road
Fountain, Colorado
Everyone come out and meet our Fort Carson/Peterson AFB/Air Force Academy Rep, Helen!


St. Christopher's Holiday Bazaar
Wednesday, November 5th
Killeen, Texas
Everyone come out and meet one of our Fort Hood reps, Emily!

Ladies Auxiliary MOPH Chapter 423 Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 4 pm
2 Carson Circle
Fountain, Colorado
Come out and say hi the Helen again, in case you missed her earlier!

Fort Hood Officers Wives Club Holiday Bazaar
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday, November 16th 12 pm to  5 pm
Killeen Civic and Conference Center
Killeen, Texas
Everyone come out and meet two of our Fort Hood reps, Angela and Winter!

The Holidays in the South Bazaar
Saturday, November 15th 9 am to 4 pm
Yano Hall, Bldg. 6005 on Andrews Avenue
Fort Rucker, Alabama
Everyone come out and meet me! LOL.  (Seneca will be at the Fort Rucker event.)

Fort Hood Officers Wives Club Luncheon
Wednesday, November 19th
Fort Hood, Texas

Fort Hood Clear Creek PX 
(front entrance, next to the food court)
Monday thru Wednesday, November 24-26th 9 am to 7 pm
Thurdsay, November 25th- CLOSED, THANKSGIVING
Friday and Saturday, November 28-29th 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday, November 30th 11 am to 5 pm 
(This will be the LAST chance for our Fort Hood customers to place custom orders in time for Christmas delivery!)

Geesh, that's a lot of places- See you there!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A Short Hiatus...

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Starting today and until November 1st, the Hero On My Arm blog will be "informally" closed in order to catch up on all existing orders as well as to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. We are very sorry for any inconvenience, and can't wait to get back to blogging as usual.


Thanks so much for understanding!

Friday, September 19, 2008

New Styles for Fall

2 comments:
We promised one more new style this week, how about 3?

First, a very functional wristlet with detachable key chain:


Second, another variation on the CLAUDIA bag, a bit larger, with fabric accents, Velcro closure and personalization:


And finally, a drawstring bag, again with fabric accents, room for a unit patch or or one of our many patches. This one is for the kiddos, but also works if you are one of those ladies that just likes a smaller bag:


Okay, that's enough for one week (I hope!). All of these styles will make it onto the website in October.

Seneca will be OUT of the office for the next 2 weeks (until October 6th), but orders will continue to be processed and shipped as normal.

Once again, have a great weekend all!

Pictures, Including Some Sneak Peaks for Fall...

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This is actually a bag they sell at clothing and sales- a customer sent it to us to pink-ify! We added hot pink handles, trim around all the pockets, hot pink name name tape and Army Wife ribbon. So if you have a special request, just ask, chances are, we can make something happen:


This is picture of where it all happens- our new sewing studio. It is a heavenly 210 square feet, with another 200 square feet of storage. Hero On My Arm could not be happier to finally be "home"!


And a few sneak peaks for fall to say thank you for reading the blog. You'll see all the styles at our upcoming shows in 2008. This first bag is based on our CLAUDIA bag, but its larger and with a Velcro flap. Kelley suggested the embroidery on the flap, and we think it turned out great:


This bag came about from the desire to create a bag, similar to the MARGARET style, but one that was specifically designed for the ACU. (Sorry I was in a rush to get this one in the mail, I didn't really frame the picture well, hence the paper towels in the background, lol!)


And this isn't really something new, the small ABIGAIL with fabric accents, but its become the most popular style, so we'd like to reassure everyone that we'll have LOTS of them available for fall and Christmas:



One more FABULOUS new bag style coming in a day or two, you will LOVE it!!

Have a great weekend everyone...

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Behind the Scenes and Local Events...

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So it may not look like there is a lot going on at Hero On My Arm...but trust me, there is! We are VERY busy preparing for the upcoming holiday season, but alas, that leaves us little time to blog....

We have updated the list of local events:

http://polkadotdoorboutique.com/pages/wheretobuy.php

If you are in the Fort Hood area, you will have LOTS of opportunities to see us, our purses and meet some of our fantastic new sales reps!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Back Open for Business

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Just stopping in to say "Hi!" and let everyone know that we are officially moved in to the new design studio and open for business.

The rest of August will be extremely busy just completing orders, so we'll be posting lots of new pictures, and stay tuned for some exciting new things in September!

It's good to be back!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Order Updates

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In preparation for our move at the end of the week, I spent today going through all of our outstanding orders, since I will be taking a week off to get everything settled in the new house and new design studio. While I will be taking a week off, none of the other seamstresses will, so orders will continue to be processed as usual. Everyone on the lists below is getting an email this evening with a more detailed update on your order.
Also, even though we are moving, our business address (where you send the uniforms) has NOT changed. It is:

Polka dot Door Boutique
PO BOX 310044
Enterprise, Alabama 36331

Okay, now for the orders:
We are waiting on uniforms from the following customers:
Rosa G, Stacy B, Susan I and Heather H

The following people have accessory only orders which will be mailed next week:
Cherie K, Jack R (2 items), Kelli H, Nicole N, Latrice M, Melissa M, and Elizabeth H

The following people's orders are back from the seamstress, and will be mailed next week:
Jessica N, Kathleen S, Kelley E, Sarah A, Jill M, Erin S, Vanessa R (shipping 8/11) Rachel P, Debby J, Katie B, Nicole P, Audra R, Jessica Y, Susan L, Justin W, Erin D, Stacy B, Robert F, Amanda M, Toni D, Pam M and Nakita S

And lastly, the following people's orders are at the seamstress now, or will be next week:
Linda J, Jessica H, Typhani R, Rachel H, Brittany J, Cassandra T (3 purses), Ayako S, Simona T, Bobbie O, Samantha B, Robert E, Tyler W, Anne B, Christopher C, Constance S, Nickalus S (2 purses), Kristina B, Katie G, Sheila A, Rachel W, Carrie J, Elizabeth D, Roselyn C, Amy P, Lynn H, Jessica G, Kelley W, Toni M, Donald L, Chester H, Amanda H and Rachel E.

Okay, that should be everyone!
We will offically "reopen" August 15th, so check back with us then for updates.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

BOWS, BOWS and BOWS!

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We are very excited to announce a collaboration between Hero on My Arm and All the Frills Bowtique, our newly designed Hero Hair Bows!


They are available in two sizes- Toddler (3-3 1/2") and Girls (4-4 1/2").


And they are available in all 4 current camo patterns- ACU, ABU, Woodland and Desert MARPAT, on either alligator or french clips. They are $8 each.

Hero Hair bows are available to purchase exclusively through www.HeroOnMyArm.com, but you can view and purchase other bows from All the Frills Bowtique on their website:

www.allthefrillsbowtique.com.

We are extremely happy with this collaboration between our two companies and hope you will be too. If you are a designer and have a product you think that we would be interested in, please don't hesitate to contact us, we'd love to speak with you!

A New Weblink

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The National Marine Corp Business Network is a network of Marines committed to supporting and linking up with other Marine and military Organizations. They were kind enough to add a link on their website to ours, and we have done the same. You can visit them at:

www.NMCBN.com

Monday, July 21, 2008

Watching the Calendar

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Just a friendly reminder that we will be "closing" beginning this Friday, July 26th, while we make the move into our new design studio. We will re-open in two weeks, on August 15th. You can still place orders during this time, and we will still be available to answer emails as well, it just may take a day or two to get back to you.


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Honoring the Greatest Generation

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Visit:
www.honorflight.org

From their website:
Your donation will help transport veterans to Washington, DC to visit THEIR memorials. Our top priority is our nation's most senior heroes. World War II Veterans patiently waited over 60 years for a memorial that recognizes their service and accomplishments. The WWII Memorial also recognizes the ultimate sacrifices of their friends that never made it home.

They ALL deserve this one last opportunity to visit America's "Thank You." Trips are simply not possible without public support. Prior to the Honor Flight Network, our veterans had given up all hope of ever seeing the WWII Memorial. Now they have hope... but time is not on our side. The time to act is NOW!

In 2007, approximately 1,200 World War II Veterans died every DAY. In another 5-10 years almost all of our WWII Veterans will be gone. This trip is their “last hurrah,” the last time they will be recognized as the conquering victors that collectively and literally saved the world. To this day Europe is free, the Pacific is free and America is free. This freedom came at a very high cost. We can never repay them for what they've done. An Honor Flight is just a small token of our appreciation for everything they've done.

Throughout the Honor Flight Network trip, the WWII Veterans are thanked, recognized and admired for their service. They come home personally knowing how much their country loves them and will miss them. Veterans never forget this gratitude and adoration. Please help us rewrite this final chapter of their lives. "The Greatest Generation" deserves nothing less.

Equal priority is given to any terminally ill veteran who has never visited their Korean or Vietnam Memorials. If America thought it was important to build a memorial to their service and sacrifice, Honor Flight believes it's important for them to actually visit their memorial before it's too late. Terminally ill veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are also invited to travel with us. Perhaps they too will some day have a memorial, but today they need to see how America honors our wonderful fighting men and women.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Our My Space Page

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We'd like to let everyone know that Hero On My Arm now has its own My Space page:

http://www.myspace.com/heroonmyarm

Hopefully this will help even more people be able to find us easier on the web.

And special thanks to one of our new Ft. Hood reps, Pam, who was kind enough to create it for us- you rock!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Embroidery Designs

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We have always been able to embroider any design on your Hero On My Arm purses and accessories, but not everyone realized it. We have all military rank designs:

branch insignia:

badges:

We also have general military designs:

vehicles, planes, aircraft:

Military themed designs:


and patriotic designs, too:


We put some of the available designs together in a set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/heroonmyarm/sets/72157606152761733/

If there's anything that you are looking for and don't see, just let us know- chances are, we have it!

FONTS

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We added examples of the most commonly requested fonts to our Linings Page- Its now our Fonts and Linings Page. We can embroider in any Windows based font, but these are the most popular ones. Anywhere you order something embroidered on your bag, you can now also choose the font, too!

Job Openings

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We added a new page to our website, Job Openings:

http://polkadotdoorboutique.com/pages/jobs.php


Please take a look, we have several job opportunities available.

Thanks!

New Pictures

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Its not a lot (just a few dozen), but we did add some new pictures to the photo stream over on flickr. Check them out, and feel free to leave comments!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Meet Hugs Bear!

1 comment:

Now in addition to creating fabulous purses from your soldier's uniform, we have a new product to add to our site- this one just for the kids. Meet Hugs Bear:


He (or she) is made using a military uniform that you provide to us. It can be either a top or pants, doesn't matter! Bears are available in two sizes, 18" and 22". Sydney is holding a 22" bear:


Each bear is hand stuffed and has embroidered eyes and nose. Bow is optional, and HUGS Bear's paw can be embroidered with your child's name.

We are very excited to offer this new item, please let us know what you think!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Donating Uniforms

2 comments:
We had a very successful promotion for donating your old military uniforms, that has just ended, so we thought that we would create a new, permanent uniform donation policy.

Starting today, July 7, 2008 and going forward the Polka dot Door Boutique will accept any donations of old military uniforms and we will donate 20% of the proceeds of any items (purses and accessories) we make from them to the Wounded Warrior Project, like this purse.


Please mail any unwanted uniforms to us at:

Polka dot Door Boutique
ATTN: Uniform Donations
PO BOX 310044
Enterprise, AL 36331

If you include a note with your email address on it, we will email you a picture when ever we list an auction that used your uniform.

Thanks in advance!

A Successful Show!

4 comments:
Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Kelly said she had a great time at our booth at the Freedom Fest, hope many of you were able to stop by and say hi.

By the end of the day we had completely SOLD OUT of all of the ACU purses! We'll have more at our next Ft. Hood event, the Heart of Texas Holiday Bazaar- its October 4th and 5th at the Killeen Conference and Civic Center.


Kelley found us these retail fixtures at a store that was going out of business! Cool, huh? Makes shopping much easier!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Getting Noticed

1 comment:
It's always nice to be noticed! Thanks to HubPages user OIFVETERAN for blogging about us:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Great-uses-for-Military-Camouflage-Fabric


Charity Auctions

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The Polka dot Door Boutique would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day.

In honor of the 4th of July we have listed 3 charity auctions on eBay:

Retail Price $86, Auction starting price $45.


Retail Price $60, Auction starting price $25


Retail Price $60, Auction starting price $25


20% of the proceeds from these 3 auctions will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project



Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Supporting the Troops

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I don't know what made me think of this last night, maybe its the upcoming 4th of July Holiday, but I thought I would share, in case you didn't know about this. I know I didn't, until I went to pick up my husband last April at DFW for his R&R. I saw Burt Brady there, and he was SO nice, and so were all the other people there just to show their support. The day Steven came home, there were boy scouts there too, and a school choir.

The program in Dallas is called "Welcome Home a Hero" and you can find out more about the program, and how to volunteer here:

http://www.dfwairport.com/heroes/


In Atlanta the program is called "USO Operation R&R" and you can find out how to volunteer here:

http://www.usogeorgia.org/html/randr.html


If you don't happen to live near Dallas or Atlanta, but know someone who does, please pass this along.

Thanks.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Just a few of our new items

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Well, maybe more than a few, it was hard to choose! The Julia bag:

Unit Patch Key chains:


Name tape Key Chains:


Grace Bag:


Small Wallet (debit/ID card holder):


Claudia bag:


Margaret Bag:


Heart shaped flag tees:


Hairbows:


and the Louisa bag:


Whew, that was a lot!