The First Brownies

Today I had my first group of brownies come to do their jewelry class.  They were a wonderful group and I enjoyed my 90 minutes with them.  One little girl said it was the most fun she had ever had as a brownie.  They made some pretty cool necklaces and they all had a lot of pride in their work.  Everything went very smoothly.  Of course there were only nine of them and the two leaders were wonderful.  I'm hoping the rest of my brownie experiences go as well.  The next time there will be 21 girls, so that may be somewhat tougher.

It is so fun to see the creativity of such young girls.  They absolutely loved the beads.  They asked about the other two sisters and I told them they were both accountants and were not able to come into the store very often.  I said I had the best job because I get to come to work everyday and make jewelry or paint or do something else creative for someone.  And its true.... I do have the best job.  Sometimes I get so bogged down in the details I forget to just enjoy the ride.  I get to use my creativity every day that I come to work and I make other people happy by doing it. And I get to see beading or painting or crafts through the eyes of a young girl.  Now isn't that the best job in the world?

 

Girl Scouts and Brownies Galore

Many years ago my now good friend Cheryl saw an ad of mine and called to ask if I could do badge work for her girl scout troop.  I said yes and I started doing classes for her troop.  Soon other local troops started coming to work on badges at my shop.  I have worked with many troops and very many girls through the years.  The first girls are now in college or have started families.

This past spring my friend Cheryl asked if I would become a resource for the entire Girl Scout Council.  That way girls from other towns in the area would know about the store and could come to do badge work.  So the council called and we set up about ten classes for the council.  I tried to spread them out, but it is hard to pick out dates months in advance, but we did it.  As soon as the council guide was published, I started getting calls from leaders in O'Fallon to schedule their own classes.  Then the council office called and said the first class scheduled for Saturday, November 6 was already overbooked.  So instead of having a limit of 15 girls per class, I raised the limit to 20.  Twenty girls!!  Then she called and said there were still more girls that wanted to take the class, so I have scheduled a second Saturday to accomodate them.

I love seeing young people be creative and see the pride they have when they have made something that they really like and is all theirs.  But I may be in over my head.  Hopefully I won't become this really cranky lady that none of the girls want to come back to see.  I'll let you know how the first class goes....

 

Cockscombs, Cat's Heads and Conchos

Sounds like a witches spell.  Today I taught a fall wreath class.  One of the ladies brought her own dried flowers and had a large dry cockscomb to put on her wreath.  Then I came to work and painted cat's heads in hot pink, orange, and purple on a silk scarf (it was a special order).  At the end of the day someone came in looking for western conchos that I could not find for the life of me.  I still don't know where I stashed them.  In between I worked on pearl necklaces for a wedding and made earrings.  Quite a day!  Oh yes, the cute crows went to a new home leaving my shelf bare.

 

Hello to Fall

Well, I got behind again and had to skip the blog.  Almost got caught up, but then got a ton of new orders so am behind again.  I got the sign finished - I did it on heavy duty wood so it would last.  The only problem - the guy hasn't come and picked it up.  I do hate it when I work very hard on something and do it in a timely fashion and then the customer takes weeks or months to come pick it up. 

Fall has been selling really well.  Everyone but me is glad for the long hot summer to be over.  I love summer.  I love Christmas too, but hate the cold of winter.

Had lots of new customers in on Saturday.  It is nice to get the positive feedback on the store.  Even when it is looking its worst.  All the trees need to be redone and refreshed and things need to be dusted.  That will be this weeks project.  At least a start.

Classes will start soon.  I have some jewelry making classes and some holiday craft classes coming up.  I'll post the days and times on this blog.  Hope to have it later in the week.  Also, mark your calendars- Saturday, November 13 is my Holiday Open House this year.  For those who have not attended before, there is food, free crafts, door prizes, and lots of holiday ideas.  It's always a fun day and gets you started on the holidays.