Gorgeous Weather

It rained all day yesterday, which is always a good excuse to stay inside and bead. I set out last night to use up as many beads as I could, making as many necklaces, bracelets, and earrings as possible. I love doing this to myself, it's kind of like a self-imposed deadline to get things done. the result was 7 different necklaces, and most of them have matching earrings, which I rarely make. I wish I'd been able to do it all day long, but alas, there were other obligations for me to attend to. Prior to owning the shop, I'd have days in my studio where my goal was to use up all of my beads so that I'd have to go buy all new ones. It's a nice idea, try it sometime. I find myself being overly choosy most of the time, not using certain beads because they are so pretty that I don't want to part with them. Sometimes I need to break out of that mindset, use the good stuff, because there's plenty more where that came from!

This week is supposed to be gorgeous out, and that always makes me want to wear new jewelry. We've been bundled up all winter, layers and layers, so now is time for a nice v-neck shirt and a stunning necklace! I made it my goal last year to wear more necklaces, and I'm proud to say that I am doing well in that matter. I love the attention the jewelry gets, and it inspires me to make more.

The store is having the spring Semi-Precious Trunk Show and Sale this Friday and Saturday. I can't wait to see what she has. There's always something new and exciting, which is amazing because after being in this business for 23 years, you'd think that I'd seen it all. This show never disappoints me, it inspires me.... So bring on the new cool stuff!!! If you are coming, come early and bring a friend or two. There's always great beads that are gone first thing on Friday, but for those who can't come until Saturday, that's ok. The lady who does the show for us is a good friend of mine and she brings MORE on Saturday! Woo- Hoo! Thanks for reading, I hope to see you all this weekend!

Spring!

Wow, we're all moved and settling in nicely to our new space. I must say I never want to move again, which my landlord will probably be pretty happy to hear! It's starting to feel like Spring outside, which always makes me want to wear jewelry more. Seems like during the Winter I feel so bundled up that I don't want to heap jewelry onto all the layers. Springtime brings more skin showing... more skin that needs jewels!

The new class brochure is available as of tomorrow, and will be online shortly on the website. We have a bunch of new classes, and even with only having two classrooms now instead of three, we still have a LOT of classes! I have pictures to take tomorrow of all the new ones, so that I can email them to Kathi to put up on the website. There is still no substitute for coming in and seeing the samples in person and getting to touch them!

It's difficult to believe that March is more than half over. This week is our Destination Art! event at the shop. It's a shop hop that we have participated in for seven years now. We have details at the shop, just come by and we'll get you a passport. There are four stores participating this year: Us, Art Ellis, JR Flamingo, and The Paper Garden. If you haven't done this event before, get some friends together, I promise you'll have fun! Each shop is doing demos, free souvenier items, refreshments, and other specials. If you go to all four shops, and get your passport stamped at each one, you will go into a drawing for one of four baskets chuck full of cool merchandise. Come on by and we'll show you where to go to get started.

Thanks for reading, in a couple of days I'll discuss all the fun things I'm doing to get ready for the Bead and Button Show in June!

New Year's Resolution

Ok, it's been entirely too long since my last post... so my New Year's Resolution is to make sure to post at least once a week.

So this year has been an eventful one, to say the least. It's all been good and exhausting! In case you didn't hear, we moved the store in January. This was no easy feat, moving from around 5500 sq ft to about 1600. We didn't lose any bead selling space, and we still have two nicely sized classrooms, but we don't have much storage at all. This was the big challenge. Eight years of stuff to go through. I think that was more difficult than moving my house! I got to see a lot of old jewelry that I made many moons ago (some are 20+ years old!), and cringed at some of the things that I've made and sold. It's good to know where you have come from so that you can appreciate where you're going.

Once the move was done, literally within a day or two, Deanna and I left for Tucson. I have posted about our Tucson trip before, and it's always interesting to me to see how much it has changed. Going to a show of any kind where I am strictly there to buy and not sell gives me a different perspective. The economy has taken it's toll on the industry, shows that had up to a 10 year waiting list now have empty booths. I talked to people who are not planning on returning, and to people who had their best show ever. One seasoned professional told me that he had his single biggest day ever at any show in Tucson this year. I was very happy for him, and glad I could contribute to it! The majority of vendors said that business was looking up. Fewer people in Tucson means that only the more serious buyers were there. And heaven knows I left a good chunk of change there! The weather was great, it did rain the first day, but it was 70+ degrees the rest of the time, and considering the rest of the country was blanketed in snow, we were very fortunate.

Now we're back, spent a week getting everything priced, and Monday it all gets opened up to our customers. We have a ton of Semi-Precious beads, more pearls than I've bought in years, lampwork beads by Lewis Wilson and Harold Cooney, high end Chinese Crystals, Glass Pearls, amazing Czech Glass beads and more! If you are in the area, make sure to come by and check it out.

So now I can take a breath, enjoy the new store, enjoy the ton of new merchandise, and hopefully watch everyone else enjoy the fruits of my labor! I love what I do, and want to do it as long as I possibly can.

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of Piece of Mind Bead and Jewelry Studio and we'll keep you updated with the latest news about the shop. And as I have promised, I will update this blog more often!