Tuesday, April 26, 2011

April Arts and Crafts Fair at Southtown Mall

Arts and Crafts Fair at Southtown Mall this weekend!

Don't forget Mother's Day is coming in May.  Mom probably loves jewelry but rarely buys it for herself. 

I have lots of new bracelets and matching earrings this month.

I'll also be having an inventory reduction sale of up to 40% off selected items.

Where:  Bloomington, MN, I-494 and Penn Ave.; south of 494 across from Kohls

When:
  • Friday, April 29, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.I'm in front of the Dress Barn, a good place for jewelry. 
  • Sunday, May 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 
Hope to see you there!
 
Blessings!

Friday, April 22, 2011

New Bracelets

Bracelets continue to be one of my biggest sellers. 

Which means my inventory of bracelets has dwindled down to (practically) nothing.  I say practically because my inventory in all categories is way larger than it should be to begin with and the chances of me running out of anything is never.

When I saw the spring colors in the nearby Dress Barn at Southdale Shopping Center (shameless plug because this is where I sit during my Bloomington Arts and Craft Show, which is coming up...), I dove right in and started making fun new bracelets in all the bright colors I saw.

I'm also going through all my glass and stone beads, pricing those I don't want and making bracelets and earrings with those I love.  So there will be a bead sale in the near future. 

Meanwhile, I made it through the blue and green glass, and stone bead flowers.  Here's a peek at some of the new bracelets and matching earrings.  Except for the Pink Enamel & Flowers and the triple strand in greens, all the designs are simple and clean.




Here are some matching earrings:


Let me know what you think!

Now, after I do some house cleaning, it will be on to the purples, yellows and neutrals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Laurel

Mayfaire's Not-So-Daily Maily: My First Tattoo, Perhaps?

My friend the artist shares insights on being a full time artist.

Mayfaire's Not-So-Daily Maily: My First Tattoo, Perhaps?

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A New Day!

From the looks of it out my window, it's a beautiful day today! 

And I'm out of bed and ready to get some work done.  After I run a few errands, that is.

Being self-employed sounds great, doesn't it?  Working from home, no set schedule, no boss...

No sick leave pay, no benefits, no salary...

I love making jewelry.  I love doing craft shows, meeting customers, seeing what they like and making custom pieces for them. 

I wanted to take this business to the next step:  to do more and bigger shows, get back into some stores, write a book, do a newsletter, etc.  However, I don't want to eat, sleep and live jewelry 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  There has to be a balance between work and a personal life. 

While I'm unemployed as far as a "real" job, there are things that need doing around the house, too.  Like cleaning out cupboards, closets and drawers, having a garage sale, cleaning house, paying bills, balancing the checkbook, etc, etc.

For now, it's time to get outside and enjoy the weather!!

Happy Spring!

Laurel

Monday, April 11, 2011

To sleep ... perchance to dream

I'm not sure what I'm battling today, but after a few weeks of shingles and a bout of the flu last week, my body still feels like it's still in a war zone. 

What's up with that?!?

I didn't get out of bed this morning until 10:30 a.m.  Since I went to sleep about 11:00 last night, that's almost 12 hours!!  What's left of the day if I have to sleep for 12 hours!!??

I did manage to get a few things done today:
  • Added 2 items to my Etsy store
  • Added the April Arts and Craft Show in Bloomington to my Facebook events
  • Posted some pictures to my Facebook page
  • Did 3 loads of laundry
  • E-mailed a few people
I guess I did more than I thought I did.  Not as much as I wanted to, however.

Hope tomorrow will be a better day!!

Blessings!

Laurel