Wire Pendants!

These fun pendants are as individual as the people who make them.  Some days, you can tell my mood by the pendant I make (feeling quiet, or very sociable, or just plain happy!)    I use 14 gauge Aluminum wire as the base, and either 24 or 26 gauge non-tarnish American made wire for the wrapping.  As far as the beads go, pretty much all beads fit onto the 24 or 26 gauge wire, so I just try to pick out the prettiest or most interesting of a strand and then find smaller accent beads that really make it stand out.  Every other bead in the pendant is designed to make the main bead show off, which is why sometimes I don't put tiny crystals on when I wrap across the front of the bead.  Let me know in the comments what you think, and I'll post more of these soon!

Rose Quartz and tiny clear crystals around a rare 

white abalone center bead with an Amethyst drop.

A Biwa Freshwater Pearl is the star of this show, 

but 3 and 4mm crystals as well as a composite 

abalone bead are added for an ocean effect 

and a Smoky Topaz drop.

The subtle shading of this Florite bead is enhanced by 

it's Biwa Freshwater Pearl counterpart, and the abalone 

drop.  The 3 and 4mm crystals pull all the colors together.

The faceted Smoky Topaz bead is softened by 

the smooth Rose Quartz and Coin shaped Freshwater

 Pearl, along with 3 and 4mm softly colored crystals. 

This simple pendant really shows off the texture and 

shine in the nacre of the Biwa Freshwater Pearl.  Matte

 (not shiny) crystals are used to enhance the pearl, and 

the pearl drop is there for movement, but to not distract.

Amazonite and a baroque Freshwater Pearl play 

off of each other, with the 3 and 4mm crystals creating 

a "wave" effect, enhancing the ocean feel of this pendant.

Natural Turquoise is enhanced well with different stones,

 here with Tiger Eye and Garnet, with a Smoky Topaz drop.

Thank you for stopping by, come by again soon for more ideas, inspirations and more!

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!

New classes abound!

Well, we're all recovered from our travels, now it's time for the new classes!

The new class brochure is out, I'm glad it's done and out. It's an awful lot of work, but well worth the effort. I think that getting the brochure in the mail reminds people that they should come in and see what's new. We have over 70 classes this brochure. Some we haven't offered in a while, some gorgeous new ones, and some old favorites. Hopefully we'll get a bunch of full classes since it's a little hot to do much outside!

The other thing that I'm excited about with this class session is the special events we have planned. Our goal with the Trunk Shows is to bring you items that you don't have access to otherwise at a great price. We don't settle for the vendors that do trunk shows constantly, everywhere. We want your jewelry to be amazing, and we do that by bringing unusual and unique items to you.

In a couple of weeks we have a glass trunk show that we have never had in the shop before. In fact, this particular vendor has not had their glass available in this area.... ever! It's not your run of the mill Czech glass, it's unusual, some of it looks like it might be vintage, without the vintage price tag.

August brings our first Sterling Silver trunk show. This is stuff that is more unusual, not the average Sterling trunk show. We'll have Israeli Sterling, Israeli Non Tarnish Brass, Thai Silver, and Solid Copper. Some pretty fantastic stuff.

September is the Semi-Precious show. It's the awesome one, everyone gearing up for the holidays. This vendor has the most amazing selection at great prices. If you have been, you already know this. Of the two shows a year we do with her, this is the big one. It won't be back until April, so don't miss out.

October brings with it a Swarovski crystal trunk show. This vendor goes to great lengths to get discontinued and vintage Swarovski crystals that will amaze you. They are treasure hunters, you never know what you're going to get, but they never disappoint.

Well, hopefully we'll keep you busy this summer. I, for one, am planning on staying indoors and making lots of jewelry! Keep on beading!

Bead and Button

Well, it's taken me a week to recover enough from the trip to be able to write about it. For those who have been in and have already heard me talk about it, well, you'll have to hear it again.

I stand by my thought that anyone who wants to take a wonderful bead trip to bead mecca, Milwaukee the first week of June is your best bet. Skip Tucson, skip the other shows, go to Bead and Button.

If any of you remember, last year we had some horrible weather. We had tornado warnings every day, rain but still 80 degrees out, thunder and lightning like crazy. It was pretty interesting, especially coming from California. This year, however, was perfect. The day I got there it was 70 degrees, evenings were a little cold, but the days were very nice.

All this talk about the weather might have you thinking that I actually got out to enjoy it. Honestly, the only times we went out were to find food. The hotel we stay at is attached by a skywalk to the convention center, so no need to venture out. I generally don't have any extra time to spend there besides working days, so I don't get around Milwaukee much.

Ohhhhh, the beads. Now, I should explain that I am a little jaded about bead shows. I have been attending them for 22 years, yes, long before there were even beading magazines. I have seen people get ripped off, vendors telling outright lies, things priced more expensively than my local bead shop, and more. This show has a stellar group of vendors at it that certainly represent the best in our industry. It helps that many of us know each other, and if we found out that one of the vendors there was ripping off one of our customers, well, I think they might get lynched.

Just the group of glass bead makers that comes to the show is incredible. Some of the best in the business are there, live, in person, with their latest and greatest. One of my favorite things about the show is looking at what all of the attendees are wearing. If you do go to the show, bring loads of jewelry to wear, the more the better. It's expected. I find myself putting on twice as much as I usually would, and I'm not over accessorized! It's terrific, I'm with my kind of people. So I spent most of the show looking like Swarovski threw up on me!

Before the marketplace opens they host a "meet the teachers" reception where they have 100+ of their teachers in a giant ballroom, each with their own table selling kits and talking to everyone. It's a great opportunity to meet some of these talented people and pick up some kits as well. Deanna was teaching 5 classes at the show, so I helped her at her table at the reception. We were busy enough that I almost didn't have time to look around the room. It's a good problem to have. Deanna noted that there were definitely less people taking classes, but out of everyone in her classes, none were taking fewer than 6 classes. I did manage to pick up a couple of things, and a book that I really wanted about making jewelry out of plexi glass was sold out by the time I got back to the table I say it at. That's ok, I ordered one and I should have it in the next day or so. More new stuff to show everyone!

I found the same to be true in the marketplace. There seemed to be fewer people, but the ones that were there came to spend. As usual there are always people that do well, and those that don't do so well. That just seems to be the way of it, regardless of the economic climate.

I did return with some new things, I didn't go crazy, but there were things that I just couldn't pass on. And if you want to know what they are, well, you'll just have to come in and find out!

Summer is here!

Well, it's 100 degrees out today, so I guess this is the best time to stay in and bead!

Deanna and I are getting ready to go to the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee in two weeks.  Actually, Deanna leaves before me, and she is teaching 5 classes, so I think she's a little more stressed out about it than I am at this point.  I have the majority of my booth display to get together and get up to the wonderful folks up at Arrow Springs to load onto the truck they're taking to the show.  Actually, my stuff is hitching a ride with their stuff which goes on the truck that they and the Soft Flex Company are taking to the show.  I am small potatoes compared with what they all have to take.  I'm just lucky they can take it and save me some $$ on shipping costs! In case you have not heard me say it before, use Softflex, not other products, and if you want to learn to make glass beads, for heaven's sake, go up to Arrow Springs!

So, all the time I get asked about the Bead and Button show.  It's a fantastic show, the biggest bead show in the world.  I have been to many other shows, and no other compares.  Well, they compare, but they aren't quite as amazing.  If you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it.   

I have been thinking about businesses and the economy a lot lately.  I have been making a point of shopping at locally owned stores.  I'm still amazed when I see or hear about yet another shop going out of business.  I'd like to personally thank all of the good people who's continued support of our store helps us weather this unpredictable economy.  We want to be your first choice of places to shop for beads.  We value your business and hope that our customer service and friendly staff makes your experience better than anywhere else.  We know you'll shop when you feel welcome and we're glad it's us!