Hair Bow Blog by Fifth Avenue Bowtique

I’ve just successfully published my first article regarding homecoming mums, and have gained Expert Author status on ezine.com! I also plan to add an article on how to pin on a Homecoming Mum, how to order a homecoming garter for a guy, and more!

Here are some excerpts. To read the whole article, please follow the link below!

What is a homecoming mum? You may be thinking that the Homecoming Queen simply goes by another name in the South, or that her mother also plays a role in the festivities. Homecoming Queen and Homecoming Mum…would make sense. However, a mum refers to a unique flower collage that is deeply rooted in Texas football history.

…Students typically begin wearing homecoming mums the Friday before their high school football game. All schools are different, but most students wear them only on the day before the game. Students also typically wear homecoming mums during the football game AND after to their homecoming formal dance. If you are new to Texas, check with a friend on the common practices in your community…

Essentially, this is a keepsake that provides a snap shot of exactly where these two people are at during that one week of their high school life. If a couple is attending as friends, the mum could include general information and be of medium size. Hearts and other romantic details should be kept off so neither party gets the wrong impression from the event. On the other hand, it is fair game to go all out with the above details and any additional important details for a serious high school couple. Keep in mind, most girls save them afterwards, and pack them away as a memory along with high school year books. She will notice if her mum was “mass produced” at a local grocery store or flower shop just as she will appreciate any personalized details.

View our products at: http://fifthavenuebowtique.com/bow/high-school-homecoming-mums-c-137.html

Mum shown on 3rd grader

Middle school homecoming mums have become popular recently, as the pre-teen crowd continues in their attempt to keep in stride older high school siblings, neighbors, and friends. After all, many middle school students in a school district will attend their local homecoming football game! In Texas, football games are woven into the local culture, so whether we’re talking about a small town, or a large city, a large portion of the community will turn up to support the home team!

While high school homecoming mums were once simply a flower, they have grown into an eccentric display which showcases the individual personality of each high school student. In doing so, the concept has created an image of the homecoming mum as being desirable, simply because the mum is typically purchased by a boy and given to a girl. When a mum is given, the implication is that a romantic connection exists. So, in our culture today, children have begun to “date” younger and younger, and Middle School “couples” can reasonably be expected to attend a homecoming game together. It is not likely for a middle school to hold a homecoming dance, as this is typically reserved for high school students, however, in an attempt to “hang” with an older crowd, middle school students have begun wearing and giving homecoming mums like their older peers.

Of course, this also means that parents are buying mums for their middle school students. Any middle school student who is not being supplied with a mum by their date would naturally want to receive one to wear at a game. The overall culture has convinced the middle school student (in the same way as high school students) that they must wear a homecoming mum to a game.

View our website at: http://fifthavenuebowtique.com/bow/high-school-homecoming-mums-c-137.html

embroidered and customized homecoming mum

Houston Homecoming season is about to get started with homecoming festivities beginning as early as next week! I will keep a continual log of Houston area high school homecoming games and the coordinating Houston area school’s homecoming dance for this year. Hopefully this will be some help for those of you looking to purchase homecoming mums for your “children”, or just to be extra prepared! After all, it is difficult to win the inevitable mum contest with just a few days notice- trust me!

Please feel free to email me at info@fifthavenuebowtique.com with your Houston area school and location so that I can keep an accurate list! Don’t worry- even if someone else at your high school happens to find our website, we do offer exclusivity of our designs for our customers so you can guarantee you will be fabulous regardless of what anyone else has.

Dekaney High School (North Houston) September 24
Klein High School (North Houston) September 24
Northland Christian School (North Houston) September 25
Klein Forest High School (North Houston) October 8
Spring High School (North Houston) October 9
Klein Collins High School Homecoming Dance (North Houston) October 15
Westfield High School Homecoming Dance (North Houston) October 16
Klein Oak High School (North Houston) October 29

View our website at: http://fifthavenuebowtique.com/bow/high-school-homecoming-mums-c-137.html

I just completed this homecoming mum Ring design, and, although I am a full grown adult, I am tempted to wear this Homecoming ring around this afternoon.  My initial thought was, “Why should the Homecoming Queen have all of the fun?”  And, so long as everyone is already dressing up, what better than to add matching accessories! 

Now, everyone knows that “re-wearing” a homecoming mum is against the rules…this is a faux paus in the same category as wearing your old wedding dress to your second wedding.  Don’t get caught doing it.  However, I hardly think that re-wearing an accessory such as a mum ring, earrings, bracelet or other spirit items would constitute a foul.  In fact, since all 5th Avenue Bowtique items are “lifetime quality” (all of our materials are chosen so that your mum will last many years- specifically, or grosgrain ribbon, which won’t tear, bend or break), this little mum ring will be great for many years of wear, and a keepsake of your homecoming games! 

The homecoming mum ring is shown with several coordinating layers of ribbon, several sequin streamers, and curled grosgrain ribbon streamers.  The center is one of our famous diamond beads paired with a high quality metal football charm!

How do you wear this sucker, which is over 10 pounds? Our guide will help..

homecoming mums are something that many Texas high school girls look forward to each year.  The designing of the homecoming mum is part of the fun, and the act of receiving the mum from someone special (even if mom) is equally important.  I have previously explained that it is a social faux paus to make it through homecoming week at a Texas high shcool without a homecoming mum.  Seems crazy?  It’s just Texas.

So, if you’ve found the mum of your dreams, you should be in ethereal bliss.  However, there is one common problem that could bring your homecoming mum fashion statement to a screeching halt.

If this is your first homecoming, or your mum is enormously heavy (again, think 10+ pounds), you’ve got to be wondering, “How do I attach my homecoming mum?”  Students have pushed themselves into the tradition of wearing the homecoming mum all the way through school on Friday before the homecoming game, then again during the Homecoming football game, and ALSO at the homecoming dance!

Some girls have been known to take off the mums during school simply because they are so darn heavy…carrying an extra load of 10 pounds can be exhausting.  Now, if this were one of my children, I might elect (in a brief lapse of judgement) to remind my daughter of the dangers of pregnancy…this may be a unique opportunity to explain how uncomfortable dragging this much weight can be.  That is a random comment, but the point is that the competitors in this event have got to pace themselves for the distance of the race.  Taking the homecoming mums on and off as needed may be necessary.

So, how are you going to get the homecoming mum to cooperate?  This is a unique “accessory”, being so heavy, lengthy, and (especially) having a hard cardboard backing that is not ideal for securing to a body in any way.  What is the best way to attach the homecoming mum?

5th Avenue Bowtique homecoming mums come with several alligator clips secured to the back, which can hold to the inside edge of a shirt (or spagetti strap during the dance- whatever you decide).  But, this isn’t going to keep the homecoming mum on…and, if you have no alligator clips, you’re going to need a lot more!  We recommend that customers secure the remainder of the homecoming mum with safety pins by sticking several through the back of of the homecoming mum (so they are hidden), and carefully through the shirt, dress, or other garment being worn.

We sometimes include “sashes” for our homecoming mums, which wrap all the way around the back and completely avoid any pinning.  This makes taking the homecoming mum off EASY and painless, and is a “clothes saver”- all of those pin holes can really rip up some fabrics!

Here is another suggestion- because of this difficult process, if you’re going “sashless”, consider wearing clothing you know will not be damaged by your homecoming mum.  Wide strapped tank tops work well as well as cotton t-shirts.

When you purchase your homecoming gown, consider how you will be wearing your homecoming mum…spagetti strap gowns and sleeveless gowns are the enemy of homecoming mums.  You will be struggling to keep your homecoming mum attached (and not pulling down your dress in some cases) the entire night!

monogrammed ribbon- part of our Custom Mum package

I’m still on the homecoming mums topic.  After all, the Texas football season has begun.  Texans everywhere are dragging the festivities out as long as humanly possible.

In towns like Midland-Odessa, Texas football will truly run the local culture.  Yes, the show Friday Night Lights is pretty darn accurate.  When it comes to football, Texans can be brutal and will stop at nothing for their football fix.

I met a stay at home mom yesterday who had 3 children.  Her son, 10, is a football player.  Daughter, slightly younger, is doing Texas competitive cheer.  So, here is how she described her children’s “sports activities”:

“…the football coaches run them like crazy.  It is so hot that most of the boys are puking and crying.  A lot of the mom’s who stay to watch will comment with phrases like, ‘I love Texas football’ when this happens….”‘

Really?

Now, for the daughter.  Little squirt is a competitive cheerleader at about 7 years old.  At her gym, the cheer mothers have been told they can not attend practice.  Essentially, they have been kicked out of the gym while their young daughters practice because they are so aggressive and attempt to communicate with their daughters (this interferes with the coaching).

So, this mom says to me, “I haven’t been staying for football practice.  Most of the mom’s do, but I just don’t see the point…when they have a problem with it, I remind them that the cheer teams don’t even allow parents to watch”

So, this is how the Texas football tradition continues from generation to generation.  And, it is no wonder that our state is among the only to pass down the homecoming tradition.  After all, there are enough people that dislike the homecoming mum concept.  Last year, I actually had a customer tell me her daughter changed her mind and no longer wanted a homecoming mum.  However, homecoming mums and the related events are an activity participated in by the collective.  I don’t mean just a high school, or a town.  I am talking about the entire state.

Homecoming games are an opportunity for the 10 year old boys playing little league football to take a break from practice (and the heat stroke), and attend a “real” game.  Hopefully this will give them an idea of what they could be…in a few years.  Hopefully, they’ll be lucky enough to play in a High School Football game.  This is irrelevant to the homecoming mum tradition, but they are both equally interesting.  In the same way that the mum idea keeps being passed down (regardless of whether everyone really loves them), the idea of starting babies off with football and cheer is contagious.