Creative Easter Eggs

I have a really fun project going on right now in the store.  I give you a paper mache egg and ask you to decorate it for Easter.  You can use any material you want.  It is amazing to see other folks' creativity.  I have had some really fabulous eggs over the years.  I have a variety of age groups, so anyone can take part.  Lots of moms do it with their kids and they all bring their eggs in.  The eggs are displayed in the store the week before Easter so everyone gets to see them.  The best egg in each age group wins a prize!  Come get your egg and unleash that creatity!  The most important guideline - HAVE FUN!

Note to Doodle:  How about one covered in friendly plastic?

The Iron Chef - Bead Edition

The weekend of President's Day, my husband and I took a road trip up to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to see my 2 year old grandson.  Since we were actually leaving in the daylight and it is a 5 1/2 hour trip, I took along beads to string in the car.  I had about 20 necklaces I needed to work on, but didn't have the time to gather all the specific beads and findings I needed for those, so I just started grabbing beads I had had in the back for a very long time.  I grabbed a couple of assortments, some lava rock beads, small beads to use on the ends, all the tools and findings I might need, my bead mat and a bead tray.  There were also some loose beads on the tray I grabbed.  When we got on the road, I discovered I had mainly grabbed green beads, which was okay because St. Patricks Day is coming up, but I had not grabbed any beads that truly excited me.  Not wanting to waste the time riding in the car, I started making jewelry with what I had.  I was quite amazed at the things I came up with, all with beads that weren't ones I truly loved.  I was very happy with the things I made.  It reminded me of the Iron Chef competition where the contestants are given only three food items and they have to make a meal with them. That's what I challenged myself to do.

I did not grab enough wire to string all the necklaces and bracelets I had planned.  I ran out on the trip up.  To be ready for the trip home, my daughter-in-law and I had to go to JoAnn's and Michaels looking for wire.  Since I always buy mine from my wholesaler in 100 ft spools, I was not aware of how wire was sold in these stores.  I carry 30 ft spools for my customers, because it is the most economical way to buy it, or I will sell it by the yard off my big spool if they are just making one necklace.  All these other stores only carry 10 ft spools which is the most expensive way to buy it, but also you have to constantly return for wire and will then buy more beads, etc. I know this is sound marketing strategy, but it irritates me that I could not buy a 30 ft spool anywhere.  I try to be a little more customer friendly than the big box stores and I hope that counts for something in the long run.

Oh, by the way.... I made 7 necklaces, two of them multi-strand, 6 bracelets, and 7 pairs of earrings.  I would have made more, but I ran out of wire.....

New year, new resolutions

Here it is already the end of January.  I guess I will have to use Febuary 1 as the date to start my New Year's Resolutions.  I got completely bogged down with the holidays.  I had over 200 brownies and daisies through the store for classes in  November, December and January.  They were all great but I am worn out.  I STILL do not have my back room cleaned up, but have made a little progress.  I have decided I am going to take a "studio day" on Thursdays and just work on something new and completely creative.  I'm not going to work on orders or cleaning or rearranging.  I am going to play.  Today I am pulling out the unfriendly plastic and see if I can become friends with it.  My friend doodle has inspired me.  If I come up with anything great, I'll post some pictures.

I do want to let you know about a fun and wonderful upcoming event.  On Saturday, February 12, we are having a Passionately Pink for the Cure fundraiser at the store.  It will be all day 10am - 5pm.  The cost is $15.00, ten of which goes directly to Susan G. Komen.  Our goal is $1000.  We have door prizes, BINGO games, a raffle,  make it and take its, and refreshments.  If you wear pink, you receive an extra door prize ticket.  If you bring a friend, you both get an extra door prize ticket.  It will be a really fun day and is a cause especially close to my heart, since I lost my best friend to breast cancer five years ago.  Come support the cause!

 

Countdown to Christmas

The last two weeks have been a blur.  The Open House went great.  Lots of food, lots of fun customers and friends, lots of sales. The fairies were the biggest hit at the Open House.  I thought they were fun and so did everyone else!   I had more brownie and daisy groups this past Friday night and all day Saturday.  All nice girls who had lots of fun making jewelry.  This is the week I need to catch up on all my orders and try to finish some of the Christmas items I've been working on.  All those cute snowmen that were cut out months ago are still sitting in the back unfinished.  There are reindeer half painted, finished reindeer waiting for Santa to be painted, boxes to be painted, snowmen heads waiting to be painted and for their bodies, and lots of jewelry to be made.  I have been working on all these, but then have a class and have to throw them all in the back room at whatever stage they are in.  Hopefully I can get some of them completed before the next class next week.  My back room looks like a disaster area.  There is so much stuff piled up it is scary.  It looks like I should be on one of those Hoarder reality shows.  Even when it is messy I can usually put my hands on whatever I am looking for because it is usually fairly organized stacks. But right now it is total chaos and I can't find anything.  People have given me bags and boxes of "stuff" as they cleaned out for Christmas, and I really appreciate it - but haven't had time to go through it and it is piled everywhere!  That will be one of my projects for the new year - clean up the back room!

 

Welcome to My World

Nine Christmas trees and 60 brownies/daisies later, I'm still hanging in there.  The past Saturday was the marathon jewelry class with all the daisies and brownies.  It was like 101 Dalmations in the store with all the little girls running around.  The classes Saturday all went very well and the girls had a great time.  They made some great jewelry.  The class last night didn't go as well.  The classes set up through the girl scout council have evaluation forms of me that have to be turned in to the office.  Last night I was wishing I could turn in an evaluation form on the troop that was there.  Just a little wild when I'm already stressed.

This coming Saturday is my Holiday Open House.  I have nine decorated trees set up throughout the store.  The store has been dusted, rearranged and restocked.  All that is needed is the holiday music playing in the background.  We'll be making cards and ornaments in the back all day.  The other two sisters will actually be in the store all day.  I love once the day gets here and I have all the work done, because it is just like a big party all day and I get to see all my friends.  Hope those of you reading this are able to join the party.

Switching into High Gear

Well now is the time of year when I really have to get my act together to get everything done.  I always kid that I going on cookie crumbs and eggnog fumes.  My Holiday Open House is Saturday, November 13, and I aim to have the store totally redone for the Christmas season by that date.  That means taking down all the Halloween and putting up all the Christmas trees.  The Christmas room is always rearranged and freshened up.  All the new items we've made or purchased for Christmas come out at this time.  It's a great effort but is inspiring and really gets me in the mood for Christmas.  I always want to rush home and put up my trees.

For those of you that have not attended an Open House, it is a fun day with free Christmas crafts all day, refreshments, door prizes, and lots of other fun stuff.  It is the one day that you might meet the other two sisters as they come to help in the craft room.  It happens all day, 10am -5pm.

I'm off to work to begin the transformation.

 

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?