Fun Fall Colors Are Here!

New Green & Clear AB Crystal Circle Pendant with Center Dangle

Hello Everyone,

Did you have a good week?  I have to admit that this has been a very difficult week for me.  Monday I had to go to Philadelphia (two hours south) to a doctor appointment which went well but getting there was quite a challenge.  Then Tuesday I was totally exhausted.  Wednesday well you don’t really want to know all this stuff so suffice it to say it has been a long week…

Matching Green & Clear AB Crystal Earrings

In spite of it all I was able to make these pretty necklaces and earrings.  Some are Crystal and some are Glass.  There are all different colors from green to red, yellow and orange to Aqua blue.  I am really enjoying these and plan to sell them at the upcoming bazaars (details to follow).

Aqua Glass Bicone & Teardrop Circle Pendant with Center Glass Dangle

I would love your reaction.  What do you think?  They measure about 1 and 1/4 inches across and the earrings are about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, without the earring wire.

Two Tone Green Crystal Circular Pendant with Matching Earrings

I think these are a fun twist on an old favorite.  I can make them in birthstone colors for any birthday or school colors for a little fun this new school year.  What’s your favorite color?

Lovely Mix of Fall Colors in a Circular Pendant with Matching Earrings

Have A Great Weekend!  Fall is coming!

~ Lori

Wordless Wednesday

The Newest Fall Necklace & Earrings in Pale Green, Yellow, Orange & Red Glass Bicones. Also Available in Swarovski Crystal

The Newest Fall Necklace & Earrings in Pale Green, Yellow, Orange & Red Glass Bicones. Also Available in Swarovski Crystal

A Friend of Mine…Pam Sani Part 2

For you my Friends,

Well, I promised to fill you in on Pam’s Jewelry Show.  Pam did well  though not as well as I had hoped.   I had been so excited and wanted Pam to do Super, Fantastic.   She passed on some insights that she learned through the process of this show and I thought I would pass them on to you.

Level of Preparedness:

1) To have a Great Show you need to be well prepared…from business cards to pricing.  You need plenty of stock, plenty of promotion and plenty of smiles.

2) Be honest with yourself about how much effort is required to: create your items, prepare them for sale, and to promote your event PLUS your level of willingness to do it .  If you are not up for it either get some help or reschedule, because it’s a lot of work!

3) Shift your focus from what you want, to what your customer needs:  from what you create, to pricing, to presentation it’s all about your customers.  So, make it attractive to them in every way.

4)  Once you’re prepared and everything is in order, enjoy your customers!  Have fun and those perfect customers will come to you!   AND Finally…

 5) Don’t give up!  All the hard work pays off.

These ideas have been very helpful to me as I am preparing for my own fall shows.  There is still a lot of work ahead so keep your chin up and just do the next thing!

Have a Great Week!

~Lori

Happy Friday!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a great week!  I’ve been busy, busy, busy working on making jewelry for my up coming jewelry shows/bizarre(s).  Here is a picture of my latest creation.  It is a twist on an old favorite.  Let me know what you think.  I have some fun ideas for personalizing them too.  Choose the dangle in the center from any number of fun items from Initials to little characters to beads like the one shown here.

This Fall Glass Circular Pendant has a little dangle in the center that could be your initial, a little character or a bead or beads of your choice. Pick your own colors too. You can also order this one in Swarovski Crystal for added sparkle.

This Fall Glass Circular Pendant has a little dangle in the center that could be your initial, a little character or a bead or beads of your choice. Pick your own colors too. You can also order this one in Swarovski Crystal for added sparkle.

Please send me your opinion.  I would love to hear what you think and even what you would buy as a gift or just for yourself.  This one is Glass but I am working on a Swarovski Crystal version too.

Looking forward to hearing from you…

Have a Great Weekend!

~Lori

Wordless Wednesday

Frosted Dark Teal & Clear/Silver Glass Earrings

A Friend of Mine…Pam Sani

Hi All, Happy Monday!

I know, I know!  I’m really just trying to get myself into a good mind-set to face another week.  How do you prepare yourself for the new week?

I have told you about my friend Pam before.  She is a brave soul!  Last Friday she had a jewelry show in her home.  She worked  so hard preparing for it.   I hope she got a really good return on all her hard work.  She has a good core group of people who come just to see what she makes and they buy from her too.  Can you imagine?  Imagine having repeat business…what a dream.  Just starting out I don’t even have a mailing list.  I would just send an invitation to everyone I know.  That’s about 6 people, ha ha ha.  She has had shows before so it is not as big of deal for her as it is for me but still there is a lot of work that goes into something like that and I know she wants to have good sales as well as a good time.

I’m scared to death to take on something like that, but as you know, anything I’m scared of I wind up walking right into eventually.  So, there is a fall fund-raiser at my church each year called “The Holly & the Ivy”.  I have looked into possibly setting up a table and selling my jewelry there in October.  We will see what happens and if I can pull this off.  It would be a great way just to get my jewelry out there to be seen in the community.

I’ll Keep you posted.

As for Pam…She’s a veteran jewelry show seller  and after having to take some time off she is just getting back into her groove.  I can’t wait to hear how well she did!  I’ll be sure to let you know too.

Have a Great Week!

~ Lori

Exciting News…A Good Dilemma!

Hey,

I hope your week has gone well.  I have some exciting news to share with you.  There is a corner store about 0.5 mile from my house.  It has been closed for 3 or 4 years but just reopened a couple of weeks ago.  It is a little quick shop/deli.  They sell milk, bread, eggs, cold drinks, sandwiches and such.  I was curious and decided to stop in and see what they had done with the place.   So, I stopped in the other day.  They redid the floors, painted and opened up the space for the deli counter.  It all looks really nice.  Of course I got into a conversation with the woman who turned out to be the owner, and in our conversation we talked about small business and trying to make a go of it in this economy.

I told her about my jewelry and she agreed to let me put a little display on her counter!  I am excited and overwhelmed as now I have committed myself to yet more work.  So, I’m on the hunt for a display and this is what I found so far.

It is generic and will hold plenty of earrings, bracelets and necklaces.  I think it is a good start.  What do you think?

Now how to pay for it…?

Have a Great Weekend!

~Lori

Wordless Wednesday

Clear Glass Diamond Shape, Baby Blue Glass Medium Bicone & Silver Glass Small Bicone

A Friend of Mine…My Dad

Hello Monday!

As you well know if you follow my blog, I have worked very hard this summer trying to get my son, Keith into a day program of some sort.  Well I had just about given up hope when my Dad offered to take
Keith swimming twice a week.  This gives both of us a break from one another which we both really need.  So last week and this week I had added to my schedule training Keith to go swimming.

That probably sounds really funny but anytime Keith goes into a new situation it takes some time to get him into a new routine.  So, of course, mom, that’s me, gets to train Keith into “how we go swimming with Papa”.  First, he had to get back into getting up early, then riding with grandma to her work to be picked up by Papa and then go to this new place he had never been before and so on and so forth.  Every little detail has to be accounted for because if Keith doesn’t feel safe he will never let me fade out and not go along.  Surprisingly enough things went really well with only a few little hiccups along the way.

I think Keith was ready to change his routine because he was bored with being at home all summer long.  So that made this easy to work through.  Yay!  So next week is the trial week.  Keith is going to go with Grandma and Papa will pick him up and go swim and bring Keith home all without me.  I can’t wait!  About 3 hours without Keith.  We have been together all day, everyday since May 30th with the only exception of the hour or so that I go grocery shopping once a week (because Keith doesn’t really like to go to the grocery store).

We both need Keith’s services to get started.  It has been a long summer, but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel.  I got a call from Keith’s Social Worker saying she is getting all his paperwork together.  This is good news.  I pray things get started soon.

I have to thank my Dad for helping us…Thanks Dad!

~ Lori

Balance, Simplicity & Organization

Hello Again,

Well it’s Friday and I don’t know about you but I am soooo ready for the weekend!  Last week I was looking for Balance, this week…I need a nap.  I couldn’t find it.  I think the Balance went out the window along with the Simplicity and Organization.

So, what about Simplicity and Organization?  Well, recently I was telling a friend how overwhelmed I have been lately and she said, “Simplify”.   She was right.  The problem is that I can’t really simplify very much.  I keep my life as simple as possible as a rule, because of the huge issues that I do face daily, I can’t handle many.  So that left me with…Organization.  UGH!

Back Again.  I don’t know about you but I am not good at organization.  I am the stereo typical “Artsy Fartsy Messy Person”!  AND I HATE ORGANIZING!  I like things to be organized I just don’t like doing the organizing.  Several weeks ago I talked about getting organized and cleaning up my spaces.  Well, that  stuck a little, only a little.  The problem is I just can’t seem to get everything organized at one time let alone to keep it all that way.  I do a little here and a little there but over all everything is still a mess.  I really don’t know how people keep there spaces perfectly neat.  There must be a room somewhere in their house that everything gets dumped into, and then no one sees it.  I just can’t seem to keep the house “neat as a pin”.  It’s not possible!!!  Of course, I have plenty of help messing it up but not too much help cleaning it up.

So, if anyone out there has any ideas that could possibly help this naturally messy, artsy person I would really appreciate hearing from you.

Here are some organized messes that Keith made this week.  I Love Them, full of Color and Chunky!

This week’s Support Autism Bracelets made by Keith. I Love the second one from the Left!

Have A Great & Restful Weekend.

~ Lori