How to Tie a Tie

Throughout high school, when Cory had to dress up and wear a tie, like for band or choir concerts, he had his dad tie it for him.  If his dad wasn't going to be around, they would tie it ahead of time, then loosen it up so Cory could slip it off and then slip it back over is head when he needed it.  Then all he had to do was tighten it up, and he was good to go.

Then he went a away to college, where he needed to be able to tie his own ties - because his dad wasn't available.  At first he said he was going to find some girls to help him, but then he decided that he really did need to learn to tie his own tie.  So he went online and followed the easy instructions he found.  There are some really good tutorials for tying several different knots on the Tiecoon.com website.  If you've always wanted to learn How to Tie a Tie, be sure to check them out.  Follow the step by step guides on how to tie windsor knots, how to tie half windsor knots, how to tie four in hand knots, how to tie pratt knots, and how to tie a bowtie. There are pictures of each and every step so you'll be tying your own ties is no time!

Now that Cory knows how to tie his own ties, he's wearing ties all the time.  He's gone tie crazy!  And he looks really nice.

Now that you've learned How to Tie a Tie, you need some news ties, too - right?  You're in luck, because one lucky winner is going to get a $50 gift code from Tiecoon.com.  That will buy a lot of ties, because they have plenty of nice cheap ties at Tiecoon.com.  A lot of the ties are $5.

---- Giveaway Sponsored by Tomoson.com ----

To Enter: Visit the How to Tie a Tie tutorials on Tiecoon.com then come back and tell me which knot you want to learn first.
For Extra Entries: tweet about this giveaway, share on facebook, and/or blog about the giveaway.  Come back and leave a separate comment for each one.
Deadline: Entries must be received by 11:59pm Central Time on June 30, 2011. 

Good Luck!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Ties.com Giveaway

Last week I mentioned that Cory received a very spiffy tie from Ties.com.  Well, good news!  One of my lucky readers will also receive a tie from Ties.com!!

To enter, visit Ties.com and have a look around.  You'll be able to choose any tie under $20 - and they have plenty to choose from.  Then, come back and let me know which tie(s) caught your eye.  Ties.com is also asking for your feedback, so while you're there be sure to "like" your favorites using the facebook 'like' application.  I just liked the muted stripe skinny tie Cory got.

Image via CrunchBase

For extra entries, you can tweet, share on facebook, blog, etc. - spread the word.  Just be sure to leave me a comment for each.  You have until 11:59pm Wednesday April 20th to enter.  Good luck!

Related articles

• Review: Skinny Ties from Ties.com (alwaysbcmom.com)

Review: Skinny Ties from Ties.com

Cory started wearing ties regularly.  I think it was last week that he declared it to be 'Tie Week' and wore a tie every day.  This week he's worn a tie several days, too - at least for his job interviews.  He's getting to have a whole collection of ties, and he's always on the lookout for new ones.  That's why he was extremely excited to find out he was getting a tie from Ties.com.

This was his first choice, Bold Plaid Skinny Tie by Silk Rhino Neckwear - Turquoise Polyester:

Spiffy, huh?  Well, they must have been out of this one because he got is 2nd choice, the Muted Stripe Skinny Tie by Silk Rhino Neckwear - Black Microfiber

That one is pretty spiffy, too!  And, while it looks nice in the picture, it looks even better in person.  This is a very nice tie - dressy and stylish, and the microfiber is really nice material.  It seems to be easier to work with and get a nice knot than the polyester ties.

Ties.com has ties of all kinds, designer ties, skinny ties like the one we got, striped ties, solid ties, bow ties, and tie storage too.  We're definitely going to have to get Cory some kind of tie storage so he can keep all his ties nice and neat.  And, for guys who don't wear ties because they don't know how to tie them, they have a great step by step animated guide that shows how to tie a tie in several different knots.  So there's really no excuse for not looking sharp on a regular basis, right?

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Review: Tie Hangers from Tiecoon.com (and a Giveaway too)

Remember that awesome bow tie I got for Cory from Tiecoon.com?  He loved it when we got it, and he still loves it.  He also likes to wear regular neckties - and he even used the internet and taught himself to tie his own ties.  I tried giving him the instructions from the comics, but I guess that wasn't good enough.  Whatever it took, now he can tie his own ties!  Which is awesome, and I'm sure it means he will be wanting more ties.  Thankfully, Tiecoon.com has some really nice ones for some really great prices.  $5 ties - you really can't beat that.

They also have these handy plastic tie hangers, which I got to review.  As soon as Cory saw them, he wanted them, because he doesn't have a good way to store his ties right now.  These will let him hang them neatly in his closet so the ties won't get dirty and wrinkled, and he can look as spiffy as he wants to.  Each hanger should be able to hold two ties and hang on the closet bar with his other hangers.  They sent me three of them, but I broke one when I was trying to hang it in his closet to take a picture, so now we only have two.  It wasn't the tie hanger's fault - I was holding the camera in one hand and trying to force the hanger onto the closet rod with the other, instead of just sliding it on properly.  (and I didn't even get a good picture to show for it)  So, depending on how many ties he has and how many he's planning to have, we'll have to get him some more.  They're only 5¢ each at Tiecoon.com and shipping is really reasonable, so it looks like a good place to get them.  I don't even know if you can get these anywhere else, and certainly not for 5¢ each.  I think they're going to be really handy to have.

Now here's the giveaway part - you could win a $25 gift card to tiecoon.com to spend on anything they have - neckties, bow ties, some of these plastic tie hangers, whatever you want.

• To enter, leave me a comment letting me know what you'd spend your $25 on if/when you win.
• You can earn extra entries by tweeting about this giveaway, sharing on facebook, and/or writing a blog post about this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment and link for each.
• Be sure I have your email address (either in your blogger profile or in your comment) so I can contact you if you win.

Giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide and will end at 11:59pm CST on Monday February 28, 2011.  Good luck! (Giveaway Sponsored by Tomoson.com)

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Review and Giveaway: Jon vanDyk Bow Tie from Tiecoon.com

Cory was very excited when he opened the package from Tiecoon.com yesterday.  I think he was instantly in love, calling the bow tie inside amazing and the most gorgeous tie he'd ever seen, or something to that effect.  He does look quite spiffy in it, don't you think?
 

He posted the above picture to his facebook wall and immediately got lots of positive comments.  Who knew it was so cool to wear a bow tie?  What's even cooler is that the great collection of pre-tied, handmade bow ties on the Tiecoon.com (cool name, huh?) site are only $5 each - so they're really reasonable.  The one we received was the Designer mens Bow tie with colors of grey, gray, red, and with polka dot woven design, and it really is gorgeous.  There are plenty of other colors and patterns to choose from, as well as solid black.   You can shop by pattern or color, or just browse them all.  All the bow ties are pre-tied, so they're easy to wear and have enough length to fit necks up to 20".

If you don't like bow ties, Tiecoon.com also has Jon vanDyk neckties - all for $5, extra-long neckties for $8, and silk ties for $10.  Jeffrey used to wear a lot of ties, and now that Cory likes ties, we have looked at ties in the stores, so I know these are good prices - and these are some good-looking ties, too.  They're also 100% guaranteed for any reason.

Giveaway: Sponsored by Tomoson.com

If you'd like a bow tie of your own, you're in luck.  Tiecoon.com has agreed to give 1 bow tie to each of 2 lucky winners.  They will pick the pattern and color for you.  To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment letting me know who you want the bow tie for.  Easy, huh?  For an extra entry, you can tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post, once per day.  Be sure to come back and leave me a comment so I know you did!  Contest ends 11:59 CST on January 18.  Good luck!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com and the Tomoson weekly featured sponsor Favorite Wigs - Shop Name Brand Wigs at Low Prices! Large Wig Selection of Forever Young Wigs, and other Quality Wigs. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Tape This to Your Mirror

Now that Cory's away at college, he's going to have to learn to tie his own ties. He won't have his dad there to do it for him. Thankfully the Sunday comics had just the thing a couple weeks ago. Someone asked, "How do you tie a necktie?" and the comic showed exactly how to do it.
I just cut it out so he can tape it to his mirror, as suggested. Hopefully it will help.

Cory's plan, in the absence of his dad, was to find a girl (or girls) to help him with his ties. I'm not sure where these girls learned to tie ties, maybe from the Sunday comics? I don't doubt he could find plenty who would be more than willing to help him, but it wouldn't hurt for him to know how to tie his own ties. Ties are a guy thing, and guys should know how to tie them, even if they don't wear them every day.

Never having worn mens ties, I don't know how to tie one, but this makes it look fairly simple - simple enough even a character in a comic can do it! Maybe I should tape this to my mirror first and try it?

What about you - can you tie a necktie? How did you learn?

It's All About Ties

I ran into this site today called tiepedia.  It's run by a college student named Matt who loves ties.  A lot.  I think it's really interesting how so many men seem to really hate ties, and many workplaces have moved away from requiring ties - and here you get young men like this college student and my own son Cory who really seem to like ties.

The difference between Matt and Cory is that Matt knows how to tie his ties.  Cory, on the other hand, always has to have help from his dad - who rarely wears a tie any more.  We're wondering what he's going to do next year when he's away at college.  Cory says he's going to find a girl to help him.  While I don't doubt he'll have no trouble finding a girl or two who will love to help him, it won't hurt him to bookmark tiepedia.  Matt explains how to tie a tie - complete with video, pictures, and detailed instructions - not just your basic Half Windsor Knot, but several others as well.

I think tiepedia looks like a great site for all things tie-related.  There's also a fun post full of ties Dad will love to get for Father's Day - tie cakes like the one in the picture.  See more - Not Your Ordinary Father's Day Ties.

A Successful Style

It will be time to start shopping for school clothes soon - after the kids get paid for their work at the fair, of course. Now, what the kids, especially Beth, think is fashionable or "in style" is not exactly what I might like. I guess if they're paying for their own clothes, they can buy what they like, within reason. Eventually they'll learn about true style and timeless fashions. Of course, it seems that, even for grown-ups, styles change. Constantly. When Jeffrey and I went shopping this past weekend, I noticed some shirts and ties. It made me sad that he has gone away from wearing a shirt and tie all the time, for work and for church. Sure, those golf shirts are ok, but there's just something put-together and sexy about a man in a shirt and tie. He even had the pocket square that he could fold to go with any of his ties. It wasn't nearly as nice as these, designed by Peter Belisi, though. I love silk!

I just read about Belisi's start in fashion, and noticed the part about his investing extra money in his tie collection. That ended up leading to his business and his success. It makes you wonder. How much does style have to do with success? Quite a bit, I'd say. Now, if I can get my husband to start wearing ties again.