Contemporary Concepts

eBay Anniversary

2012-02-02T09:45:00.004-05:00

Woo hoo! I got this message in my email inbox today:

Congratulations!

It's your 13-year eBay anniversary

starjewelr8,

We want to say thanks and let you know how much we value having you as an eBay community member. All of us at eBay wish you the very best in the year to come.

Thank you!
John Donahoe
President and CEO, eBay Inc.
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King of Hearts Trivia

2012-01-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

The king of hearts is the only one who doesn't have a moustache.

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An Irony of Aging

2012-01-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

It's my son's birthday today. The night he was born I didn't sleep at all. I had just gotten into bed when my water broke at around midnight. I was in labor just over 5 hours, he was born at 5:19 a.m.

Flash forward to now. It's hell getting old(er). These days I find myself waking up at least once each night to go to the bathroom and get a drink. Like clockwork. Every night. Except last night. I find it ironic that on the anniversary of the night I didn't sleep at all, I didn't wake up to go to the bathroom!

Tonight I'll probably be up twice.

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Thumbtack.com

2012-01-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

I just discovered an interesting service site called Thumbtack.com. Seems like a great addition to my arsenal of ways to get myself noticed! Their tagline is "find and book trustworthy local services". I'm all for finding and using small businesses whenever I can, aren't you? Check out their listings! You can find ME here: Handcrafted Gold or Silver Wirewrap Jewelry

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Going Dark on January 18th

2012-01-17T21:48:00.001-05:00

I've censored the following, in protest of a bill that gives any corporation and the US government the power to censor the internet--a bill that could pass THIS WEEK. Join me and many other sites like Wikipedia and Reddit and "go dark" on January 18th for 24 hours. To see the uncensored text, and to stop internet censorship, visit: http://americancensorship.org/posts/39442/uncensor

██████████ █████--█████ it! The ████████ isn't ███████ but it's ██████ ████ ████ the way it is. For ██████'t ████ let's ████ ████████ the ████ OUT of it!

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YouTube is My Friend

2012-01-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

I saw some interesting statistics about YouTube today. Did you know:

1. 35+ hours of video are uploaded to YouTube per minute?
2. In 2010, there were 13 million hours of footage uploaded to YouTube?
3. There are 3+ billion video views per day?
4. The average visitor spends 15+ minutes a day on YouTube?
5. YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine and 3rd most visited site on the Web?

I've been thinking about how YouTube can help me spread the word about my jewelry. I could at least put up a slideshow of Contemporary Concepts' coolest stuff, right? And maybe one of these days get around to making a tutorial on some of my items. I've got a cute little Flip video camera. I've got a tripod. Now I just need another couple hours in the day!

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Holiday Shipping Report

2012-01-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

This is the "shipping area" in my store. A counter with bubble mailers on the right, then moving leftward you'll see my postage meter, Sharpies to write on the bubble mailers, cute stickers to put on the packages, stamps, and the Outgoing Mail Basket. And the official count is in...between November 25th (Black Friday) and December 24th (Christmas Eve), I mailed 148 packages. All over the world. Woo hoo! Many thanks to all my friends and fans--keep those orders coming! And tell all YOUR friends! Contemporary Concepts is THE place for handcrafted jewelry!

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A Jewelry Storage Tip

2011-12-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

Put a piece of white chalk in your jewelry box to help protect your jewelry from tarnishing. If your jewelry box is one of those big ones with lots of drawers, break the chalk up into smaller pieces and put one in each drawer. Replace with new chalk about every 6 months.

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Too Busy to Blog

2011-12-09T16:50:00.001-05:00

Craziness! I've mailed out 76 packages in the last 2 weeks. And that doesn't count the business I've done in the store, and the time it takes to make the stuff I need to make! So you'll forgive me if I just haven't had time to write any blog posts recently. I've got to take the business when it comes!

If you'd like to jump on the bandwagon and give a gift of handcrafted jewelry this year, you've got a few days left. Hop over to my website, my Etsy shop, or my Artfire studio and pick out the perfect present--I won't mind another trip or two to the Post Office!

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Personal Adornment

2011-11-17T16:16:00.001-05:00

Jewelry has been worn throughout the ages by people of all cultures...as ornaments, as displays of social rank, and as emblems of religious beliefs. Most of our present knowledge of the history of jewelry comes from the study of preserved personal objects from tombs around the world. From those cultures who did not bury valuables, we can learn about personal adornment from surviving paintings and sculptures.

The the widest sense of the word, jewelry would be ornamental objects made from many kinds of both organic and inorganic materials, such as hair, feathers, scales, bones, shells, wood, leather, metals, or minerals. Today we think of jewelry primarily as precious or semi-precious gemstones mounted in valuable or attractive metals like gold, silver, platinum, or copper and brass. Most recently, alternative metals such as steel or titanium are gaining favor.

My philosophy about jewelry has always been if you like it, buy it and wear it. It doesn't matter if it's a17-carat diamond or a pair of bright orange plastic dangle earrings. Jewelry IS personal adornment. It's all about YOU! So let Contemporary Concepts adorn you!
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My Favorite Book

2011-11-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

The next item on that 30-Day Blog Challenge I've been going through is "my favorite book". This, like the favorite song and the favorite movie, cannot be whittled down to just one. I have been a voracious reader since I was a kid, so many, many books have entertained me over the years. Maybe not so many since I had my own kid, but I still manage to squeeze one in now and then.

I've read a lot of science fiction/fantasy over the years. That's my favorite genre. Some of my favorite writers are Jennifer Roberson, Piers Anthony, Orson Scott Card, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Roger Zelazny. The first time I picked up a book by Orson Scott Card, I didn't put it down until I was finished. Literally. Didn't put it down. I think it was about 3:00 in the morning when I finished--it was great! I just love it when a book pulls you in like that!

But Roger Zelazny was my favorite. His series about a magical royal family in the realm called Amber was masterful. Twists and surprises and wry humor. I read it in college and TOTALLY fell in love with the main character, a prince named Corwin. There were 5 books in the first series, then several years later came a second series focusing on the offspring of the original characters. A total of 10 books. You can now get them all in a single volume at amazon.com... The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10. Treat yourself--you won't be sorry!

I once wrote Roger Zelazny a fan letter, praising the Amber books and asking if they might possibly be made into a movie. This was in about 1979. He sent me a postcard reply, thanking me and saying there was interest in making a movie. I'm still waiting. It would be SO awesome. Especially if Peter Jackson were to direct it....

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My 11:11 11-11-11 Moment

2011-11-11T19:48:00.001-05:00

At 11:11 a.m. on 11/11/11, I got to kiss my son on his beautiful cheek. If that isn't a great way to mark a special "moment", I don't know what is! (He's in middle school now, but his cheeks are still just as kissable as when he was a baby in the bathtub!)

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Beautiful Jewelry from Scrap Materials, Part 3

2011-11-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

These gorgeous rainbow beads are 4mm Swarovski crystal cubes. I inherited them in a batch of stuff I acquired about 4 years ago. Periodically I would take the little baggie out and note how pretty all the colors are together, but then put them away again because there aren't more than 7 or 8 of each color and I wasn't sure what to make with those few beads that would do them justice! For some reason when I ran across them again about two weeks ago, the "rainbow" idea struck me. I decided on silver wire partly because a lot of people are going for silver these days, and partly because I liked the way the colors really stood out against the metal. Gold wire would have "warmed" the colors, which is fine, but silver really makes them "pop", don't you think?

This was heading for a listing in my Etsy shop. I had taken pictures of it a week or so ago, and just finished editing the pictures on Monday. And guess what...it sold in my store! I have some more beads, but not enough in the true "rainbow" colors to make another bracelet just like this. I think what I'll do is just a "multi-color" bracelet in a similar style. Don't want those beautiful cube crystals to be homeless any longer!

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Beautiful Jewelry From Scrap Materials, Part 2

2011-10-30T09:57:00.001-04:00

First I need to remind you that scrap materials means not only little leftover bits and pieces, but also things I've had lying around for so long that they probably gave up hope of every adorning someone's body! This one is a 5mm (millimeter) heart-shaped iolite that I got in a batch of other sizes and shapes of iolites about 12 years ago. Hearts are hard to set, because they're fat and round at one end and skinny and pointy at the other. They will often want to pop out the fat end, or shift sideways so the heart seems to be lying partway on its side. A 5mm stone is a bit of an odd size, too. It's very small to be set in wire without being in a pre-made pop-in setting first, with a wire design around it. I didn't have any heart-shaped settings, so I modified a round setting. Then I just added a small bit of leftover scrap sterling silver wire to secure the setting and make a bail. Now it's a cute, dainty little pendant, perfect for a young girl or a woman who likes her jewelry understated! I'll be listing it on Etsy soon!

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Relaxation Spots

2011-10-25T16:46:00.000-04:00

I would REALLY love to be here: (Hamilton Island near the Great Barrier Reef)

Or here: (sunset at Lizard Island near the Great Barrier Reef)

Both photos are courtesy of Islands magazine. You should really subscribe. It's an inexpensive way to see phenomenal relaxation spots of the world!

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What's In My Purse

2011-10-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

This is the next item in the 30-Day Blog Challenge list I've been referring to periodically (when I don't have any new jewelry to show you!) What's In My Purse... (The picture is not my purse, just a representative.)

My cell phone
My son's wallet
3 pens
Some personal pictures
Some personal notes
Aspirin/ibuprofen
My little Flip video camera (one of these days I'm going to figure out how to get the videos OFF it!)
Mirror
Reading glasses
2 nail files
Lip balm
Eye drops
Comb
2 checkbooks
Sunglasses
My MP3 player
My keys
A couple of old bank receipts
An envelope with a check for my husband (must remember to give that to him!)
My wallet (the contents of THAT will make a whole other blog post!)

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Relationships

2011-10-18T18:13:00.000-04:00

I remember when I first met my husband and we were talking, getting to know each other, and one of the subjects was old boyfriends/girlfriends. I commented then that all the people we had known in the past had made us the people we became so that we would end up together, appreciating each other. I have always believed that philosophy. I still do.

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The BelAire Courtyard

2011-10-17T16:59:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted a picture of the lovely courtyard where my store is located. Fine dining restaurant Cafe Margaux is on the far right (outside the camera range), with some of the outdoor tables and the pretty fountain in the foreground. My store is in the back left corner of the courtyard. To my "right" is a cute little shop featuring ScentChips fragrance melts. To my "left" is a boutique full of fun and fashionable clothes. We also have The Village Spiceman, with all kinds of yummy sauces and rubs, and Shoetique, with cute and affordable shoes, boots, and bags. If you're local, you need to come down and reacquaint yourself with the BelAire Courtyard (especially ME!)

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Not a Baby Any More

2011-10-14T14:23:00.000-04:00

When you are a mother, you are periodically hit in the face with the reality that your child is growing up. (Yeah, yeah, fathers too, but it's not the same.) I got one such smack in the face this morning. My son chose not to participate in the Spirit Day at his school today. About 5 or 6 times a year, Ricky's school has a themed dress-up day to show their school spirit. It's not mandatory that they dress up, but he always has. In fact, he just did "Clash Day" a few weeks ago (where they wear all kinds of outlandish clothes that don't match). Today, however, was "Pajama Day" and he said it felt "weird" to have his pajamas on while getting ready for school. I made a big deal out of "my baby...growing up...." and he rolled his eyes and started to make excuses, but it told him it was okay, it's just a mom thing. And I do understand. It's apparently not cool to wear pajamas to school after a certain age. (Until you get to an older "certain age", and then it's fun again--all the teachers and staff at the school always dress up!)

Okay, now if he sees this he's probably going to get mad at me, but I can't resist. THIS is my baby. THIS is how I choose to think of him, at least from time to time!

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No Smoking

2011-10-13T12:56:00.001-04:00

One year ago today I quit smoking. Not a drag, not a puff since October 13, 2010. Just had to mark the occasion. Yay, me!

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The 2012 Calendar Search, part 1

2011-10-10T11:13:00.001-04:00

Every year for the past 13 years, I have bought promotional calendars to give to my customers, so they'd have my name and contact information in front of them all year long. This year I did not. Partly because it was like pulling teeth to actually GIVE them away before February, even though I started handing them out in October. Even though I bought fewer and fewer each year because it WAS so hard to give them away. But the main reason I didn't get them this year is because the calendar company really pissed me off. I'm not going to go into that whole story, but after they took money out of my bank account without notifying me first, I was done with them.

The problem with that is now I'm on a hunt for the perfect calendar for myself. I always got a couple of designs that I really liked and used them in my home and in my store. It's probably just a bit early in the year to find a lot of choices of 2012 calendars, but I ran across one by accident the other day that just took my breath away!

I love horses, and this collection is by one of my most favorite photographers on Etsy...irenesuchocki. She apparently has more calendars, but I haven't dared look at them all yet. I'll probably want them all! I've already got several of her photographs in my official Etsy "favorites" list--she's just phenomenal! You can see all 13 white horse photos and purchase this calendar here: White Horses Calendar (Go ahead and buy it, I won't mind--I've already asked and she can make more!)

The only drawback to this magnificent calendar is that it's only 5x7". I need a calendar that has a relatively large box for each day so I can write on it. I'm getting to that age where if I have things to do or bills to pay and I don't write it down, it flies right out of my head! Fortunately there's no rule that says you can only own ONE calendar...mwaahahahaha!

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Passwords

2011-10-07T13:21:00.002-04:00

This is a great article from the October newsletter of my friends at Onsite Computer Specialists. This is stuff I honestly didn't know, and that I found very useful. So I'm passing it on!

How to Create a Strong Password You'll Actually Remember

Pop quiz: See if you can guess which password is more secure -- Tr0ub4dor&3 or correcthorsebatterystaple. The first password is a jumble of letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers and characters, with a few numbers substituting for letters. The second is a string of four common words -- correct horse battery staple.

So. Which is the better password? Keep in mind that hackers can design programs to run thousands of password guesses per second....

If you picked the second one -- the string of common words -- give yourself a gold star! It's the stronger, more secure password. It's also easier to remember than the first. And it goes against all of the password advice we've been given to date.

"Through 20 years of effort, we've successfully trained everyone to use passwords that are hard for humans to remember, but easy for computers to guess," writes Randall Munroe, mathematician and creator of the brilliant XKCD.com, "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."

According to Munroe's calculations, the jumbled password could be cracked in about three days by a program running 1000 guesses a second -- child's play, in other words. The same program would need 550 years to guess the second password, which has roughly 44 bits of entropy (compared to the other's 28).

What does this mean to you? It means you can stop picking (and forgetting) gobbledygook passwords. Instead, choose a few generic words (avoid proper nouns like your dog's name or your hometown) and commit them to memory. Time required? Less than a minute. Brain cells required? Very few. Now your passwords are stronger AND easier to remember.

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Yes, Women Understand!

2011-10-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND

10. Cats' facial expressions.

9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.

8. Why bean sprouts aren't just weeds.

7. Fat clothes.

6. Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time.

5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.

4. Cutting your hair to make it grow.

3. Eyelash curlers.

2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.

AND, the Number One thing only women understand:

1. OTHER WOMEN

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My Favorite Movie

2011-10-03T11:28:00.000-04:00

The next item in my 30 Day Challenge is My Favorite Movie. This, like my favorite song, is impossible to pin down to just one, although I AM much more discriminating with my movies than my music. I don't like mindless, stupid, drunken comedies (like The Hangover). I don't like horror movies (the "Freddy" movies, the "Halloween" movies, the "Chucky" movies. Hmm.. with the proliferation of all of these horror series, though, apparently SOMEBODY likes them!) I'm not crazy about shoot-'em-up, drive-like-crazy action movies (like Die Hard or Gone in 60 Seconds), but I will sit through one occasionally with my husband and son (just last week it was The Road Warrior--man, Mel Gibson was YOUNG!).

A "message" in a movie is fine, especially if it's sort of left up to interpretation. I LIKE to think! But too "artsy" in the presentation of the message and I'm bored. (I hated Shakespeare in Love). I guess what it boils down to is I like to be entertained, and for me entertainment requires a decent plot and actors who can actually act, and I like it to engage me in the story. So, here are a few that I've sat through more than once and enjoyed every time:

Glory (1989) --the Civil War film about the first black regiment in the Union Army, starring Matthew Broderick, Carey Elwes, and Denzel Washington in one of his first movies.

Excalibur (1981)--the epic Sword in the Stone, King Arthur and Camelot tale, starring Nigel Terry, Nicholas Clay, and Helen Mirren.

Willow (1988) --a fantasy adventure where reluctant dwarf and a former thief must protect a baby princess from an evil queen, starring Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis.

The original Star Wars trilogy.

Most of the Star Trek feature films.

And of course, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The director's cut. Hours and hours and hours of Peter Jackson's masterpiece, done just the way I hoped it would be when I first read the books back in the mid-1970's. I think it's time to watch them again, actually....

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My Most Popular Ring

2011-09-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

In the mood for a sweet little treat? This little ring is the most popular style I sell. It's probably because it's so inexpensive, but all the feedback I get says it's cute and fun and a favorite to wear. I make them in any size you need, from 3 to 14, in gold or silver twist wire. You can find them for sale in my Etsy shop, sale priced at only $4.00! Plus only $2.00 for shipping.

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Beautiful Jewelry from Scrap Materials, Part 1

2011-09-28T17:16:00.000-04:00

I've collected quite a bit of "stuff" over the years, as you can imagine. One of these days I'll post a picture of my bead drawers...LOTS of beads! And I've got stringing materials and bits of scrap wire and old vintage jewelry and all kinds of little bits and bobs that are waiting patiently to be made into something pretty. This is the first in a planned series of posts about jewelry I've made using primarily scrap materials, with "scrap materials" being defined as anything I've had laying around for more than 2 years.

This necklace is made from fat faceted teardrop pink glass beads, which I got in a large collection of beads given to me by a friend who quit the business about 3 years ago. They are strung on thin tigertail beading wire, which is so old it's lost its label so I can't be more specific, but I do know it drove with me from Albuquerque 25 years ago. I handcrafted the chain links from bits of scrap wire in the bottom of my "scrap tray", which filled up over the past decade and which I've spent the last 2 or 3 years digging through to find just the right length of wire for the current project. The only *new* things on this necklace are the jump rings and crimp beads that connect the bead part to the chain part, and the spring ring that closes it in the back, plus the earwires on the earrings.

FYI, it measures about 17" long and is for sale for $36.00 for the set!

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Duct Tape!

2011-09-26T10:48:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought I'd seen everything. Seriously. I was walking from the parking lot to my shop this morning and passed a city truck parked the wrong way on a one-way street. A bucket truck, and there was a city worker up in the bucket, ripping duct tape off a roll. He then proceeded to apply the duct tape to one of the globe-shaped street lights that line our quaint historic streets. I literally stopped in my tracks. This guy is duct-taping a street light! Man, I knew the City of Cocoa was cheap, but...duct tape? Really?

(The truck is on the left. The white bucket with the worker guy in it is center-left, partially hidden behind the tree. The globe light with the highly-visible duct tape on it is center-right.)

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Pictures of Me

2011-09-25T15:43:00.000-04:00

Next on the list of the "30 Day Challenge" is a recent photo of me and a photo from 10 years ago. So...

Here's recent, taken in August with my son on his first day of school.

And here's about 10 years ago. Also with my son.

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My Favorite Song

2011-09-22T18:14:00.000-04:00

I recently ran across the list of "30 days worth of blog posts" I started doing a couple of months ago, and decided to try to get back on track with it. Today's topic is My Favorite Song.

The problem with this is that I don't actually have a favorite song. And by that I mean I don't have just one favorite song. I like so many kinds of music that it's impossible to pick just one. Plus the fact that there are new songs constantly being written and produced and flung out over the airwaves, or on YouTube, or the bottom track of an obscure CD...lots of places to discover great new music!

In my MP3 player, you'll find artists from KC and the Sunshine Band to Lady Gaga, from Shania Twain to Train, from the Village People to Mercy Me. With some instrumentals by piano artist Yiruma, New Age from Enya, and jazz from Richard Elliot. Over 3000 songs altogether! My favorite female vocalist is Celine Dion, and my favorite male singer is Steve Perry from Journey. I have all their albums (Celine AND Journey). I inherited my brother's music collection when he died, and he turned me on to a group called Collective Soul--more "rock" than I usually get into, but great guitar stuff! Which is, I'm sure, why he liked them. The only music I absolutely cannot abide is opera. My college roommate used to blast operas as loud as her stereo could go, all the time...ruined any interest that I might possibly have been able to cultivate.

So you can understand why it's impossible for me to pick a favorite. Toad the Wet Sprocket? Barbara Streisand? Styx? Enrique Iglesias? I've never incorporated music or video into my blog. I'm not sure I can figure out how. If I hit "post" and the song stays embedded, then yay me! If it doesn't work, you'll know I tried. Here's Steve Perry with my choice for the day--"Lights". Leave a comment--what's YOUR favorite song?

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Ear Cuffs--An International Phenomenon

2011-09-17T13:09:00.000-04:00

Ear cuffs have been around for more than 30 years. They're just an accent accessory that "clips" on the side of your ear, wrapping around the middle part of the cartilage from front to back. I've been making ear cuffs as long as I've been making jewelry, which is 27 years now. I've got some that are just thin simple bands, and I've got some that are intricate, ornate sweeps of wire and beads that go all the way up and down your ear. And I've got lots of designs in between. You can see them all on my website.

Do you know where I sell the most ear cuffs? The Sandinavian countries...Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark (boy, do they LOVE ear cuffs in Denmark!) But they are truly an international phenomenon. Just last Tuesday I mailed three international packages: one to Spain, one to Japan, and one to--wait for it!--Denmark! All ear cuffs. I just get the biggest kick out of that.

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In Memoriam

2011-09-10T17:53:00.000-04:00

I belong to a Facebook group that is alumni of my high school who graduated between 1976 and 1986. There's one long thread going on where some of them are collecting names and circumstances of those alumni who have died. A lot of the names I don't recognize, but many of them I do. And I had to contribute to the list as well...my brother Greg, who killed himself just this past April. I think he would have been pleased, as am I, at the number of old friends who have offered their condolences and even shared a quick story or memory of their friendship with him.

Father James McGowan is the originator of the main list, and he offered a prayer of sorts not long ago. It feels fitting to me to post it here, not only for my high school friends who have passed, but for those we lost ten years ago on 9/11, and for my brother, who I am gradually becoming less mad at and who I miss.

" Long ago we stood together. A generation in one place. At one time. We were young and restless.We thought we were fifty feet tall and bullet proof. We thought we would live forever. No one told us that that death might find us or that we would part company so soon. Loss is never easy. We need to be mindful that it is not about how all these people died or that they left the party early. It is the fact that they lived and we were privileged to have them touch our lives and; maybe we were privileged enough to touch theirs. Amen!"

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Tiger Eye Multi-Stone Pendant

2011-09-08T14:37:00.004-04:00

There's still a lot of interest in pendants made with more than one stone. This one is three graduating sizes of tiger eye, one of the most all-around-popular gemstones out there! A typical tiger eye stone will have lustrous alternating bands of yellow and brown, with a luminescent "eye" of chatoyancy. Roman soldiers wore tiger eye for protection in battle, and it was sometimes thought to help the wearer "see all", due to its appearance.

This pendant measures just about 3-1/4" long including the round bail that will fit a chain or cord up to about 6 millimeters. Each stone is outlined in continuous strands of 14kt gold filled wire. It's bold, it's eye-catching, and it's one-of-a-kind! Hurry...you can buy it in my Etsy shop right now!

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My New Motto

2011-08-28T12:46:00.004-04:00

I was reading Reader's Digest yesterday and one of the little articles was about what adults have learned from children. This one stuck in my mind, and it's SO true that it is now my new motto: Life is too short to eat food you don't like.

Think about it!
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Middle School

2011-08-08T15:55:00.004-04:00

My son started school today. (Yes, we start early here.) Sixth grade. That's middle school, with lockers and changing classes and dressing out for PE. He's very excited. Absolutely blows my mind. What happened to my baby?

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15 Facts About Me

2011-05-11T11:13:00.006-04:00

I recently ran across a 30-day blog challenge, and since I am seriously not-so-great about blogging, I thought participating would be good to get me posting more frequently. I won't guarantee I'll finish the list in 30 days...in fact I'll probably s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out a bit with some new jewelry pictures and other musings. Day 1 is Fifteen Facts About Me:

1. My hair is not naturally blond.

2. My eyes are naturally blue (although my colored contact lenses make them look bluer).

3. I'm adopted.

4. I drink coffee all day. Iced coffee, actually.

5. I sleep on the right side of the bed.

6. I love, love, love good landscape photography--I could look at beautiful scenic pictures all day!

7. I played the trombone in band from 6th grade through college. It was my dad's horn that he played in school, too, and now my 11-year-old son is playing it! Three generations of trombonists, one horn. How cool is that?

8. My pet peeve is misspellings. Especially on signs in front of businesses. (I will NEVER patronize your establishment if you can't spell your message correctly!)

9. My favorite color is green.

10. I'm a sucker for a Krispy Kreme plain glazed doughnut.

11. I'm not much of a drinker. I've had the same bottle of Southern Comfort (good with Diet Dr. Pepper) in my freezer since 1992.

12. I love the smell of fresh cut grass, orange blossoms, and pine.

13. I have a seahorse tattoo on my right ankle.

14. I smoked for 31 years--quit last October. (Yay, me!)

15. I adore my husband and son.

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The Legend of the Dreamcatcher

2011-05-09T11:35:00.003-04:00

Native Americans of the Great Plains believe the air is filled with both good and bad dreams. Historically, dreamcatchers were hung in the teepee or lodge, and at the head of a baby's cradle. According to legend, the good dreams pass through the center hole of the weave and into the sleeping person. The bad dreams are caught in the web and perish in the light of dawn.

Multiple-Stone Pendants

2011-03-11T15:59:00.006-05:00

I've noticed a trend in multiple-stone pendants lately. Is that happening where you live, too? I've done a couple of special orders where the customer requested more than one stone in the setting, and so far one piece for inventory with 3 tiger eye stones.

This piece is a special order for long time customer Alicia D., who brought me these fabulous watermelon tourmalines to set into a pendant. She hasn't picked it up yet--I can't wait to see the look on her face! I LOVE this pendant! It is SO going to get noticed every time she wears it!

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More About the Car

2011-03-03T10:38:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been more than a month since I blogged! AND that it's been more than a month since I took my car in to the shop...I'm STILL driving the loaner! The problem with the door was fixed a couple weeks ago, but then husband decided I needed an oil change before it left the shop. Okay, fine, so we did that. Then brother-in-law the mechanic decided I needed new tires and an alignment before it left the shop. Okay, that's fine, too, but I thought maybe before we did that we should probably fix the broken strut bar on the front passenger side that's likely CAUSING the car to need new tires and an alignment. That's a part that can only come from the dealership, and of course they don't actually keep them in stock, we we're apparently waiting for that to come in. THEN the actual work will need to be done. THEN I'll need new tires and an alignment. Who knows how much longer I'll be driving the loaner?

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Car Trouble

2011-01-31T06:44:00.005-05:00

The driver's side door on my car won't open. Something about the electric locking system...it's locked shut and no amount of fiddling, coaxing, swearing or even key-using will get it open. It's been like that for just over a week. So in order to drive from Point A to Point B in the last week, I've had to climb over the center console to get to the driver's seat. Now...I am a 51-year-old size 16 woman. Climbing over the center console is, well, let's just say my son thinks it's pretty darn funny!

Fortunately, today I have a loaner car so that my car can go to brother-in-law's shop. (Brother-in-law is a mechanic.) In order to change the locking system, the inside door panel has to come off. In order to get the door panel off, the door really has to open. Let's hope brother-in-law has a few more coaxing swear words in his arsenal so HE can get the door open!

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The Impossible Customer

2011-01-20T13:11:00.004-05:00

I have a dilemma. I have a long-time customer--we'll call her Anna--an elderly lady who really likes a bargain, if you know what I mean. She bought a pair of ear sweeps last weekend. A day or two later she called me and said that she had lost one and asked about a replacement. I told her I'd be happy to make one and the cost would be 1/2, since I would only be making one earring instead of a pair, so that would be $9.50. The next day she called me back and told me that she felt I should give her the replacement earring, since she has brought me "so many" customers over the years. And since it was the second time she had lost one of her ear sweeps. Oh, great.

First I told her I couldn't be responsible for how a piece of jewelry is taken care of once it leaves my store, and it certainly wasn't my fault that the earring got lost. She responded that she understood that, but that she had been such a good customer, and she had brought so many people to my store, that she felt she deserved this special treatment. I then asked her if I should have the same policy of replacing lost jewelry for every customer who may have brought in a friend over the years, and if not then how was that fair to the others, and if so then how am I supposed to make a profit and stay in business? No response except to repeat what she had said before. Very whiny-like. She brought me "all those people who bought stuff." I think that's pretty audacious. She's apparently got quite an exaggerated sense of her importance. She's not even in the top 20 of all the customers who have brought me additional business by bringing in friends and family. She doesn't even come in all that often. Once or twice a year, and usually only when she's coming to Cocoa Village to go to the Playhouse for a Sunday matinee. She actually buys maybe every third or fourth time she comes in.

And then when Anna buys, she buys stuff on sale. She asks me what stuff is on sale, and when this item or that item will be going on sale. If what she wants isn't on sale she sighs loudly and puts it back. She put off buying a pattern wire bracelet (like the one pictured) years ago because it wasn't on sale and she thought it was too expensive. That was before gold went up to over $1400 per ounce. NOW the price on that same bracelet is $150.00. When Anna was in last weekend, she whined that she "should have bought it back then because look at the price now." Yeah, well...!

I do feel a little sense of loyalty to her because she has been a customer since before I opened my store. That's more than 18 years. She's given me some business, and she's brought me some business. Probably enough to warrant giving her a $9.50 earring so I'll make her happy and keep her business. But if I don't give her the earring and I lose her business, it really won't be much of a loss. Sigh. I'm probably going to give her the earring, but I am DEFINITELY going to make sure she understands this is a one-time thing, and that I will not be responsible for replacing anything more that she loses! And then I won't see her for 6 months or a year, until the next time she comes in and whines about wishing she had bought that bracelet 5 years ago........

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New Year

2011-01-08T13:39:00.004-05:00

I love the new year. New Year's Day is actually one of my favorite holidays. I can't help but get inspired by all the possibilities. Yes, I know January 1st is just another day, following all the other days before it. For me it's psychological, I guess. The beginning of a new calendar. The first week of the first month of the year. My Quickbooks program has the same year-to-date comparison numbers for the day, the month-to-date and the year-to-date. The only day of the year that that is the case. It's the "newness" of a New Year!

Now, I don't make resolutions per se, but I do always evaluate where I am and what goals I'd like to work on accomplishing. My intention this year was to write my email newsletter more often, to post on my Facebook business page more often, and to blog more often. You can see how well that's working out so far--it's the 8th and this is my first blog post of the year! Ack!

Although all those "more often"s are specific steps toward my goal, the actual goal itself is to interact more with my customers. I'm a one-woman operation, so when you deal with Contemporary Concepts you deal with me. The world is getting smaller, you know, and I've been at this jewelry thing a long time. I have friends, fans, and customers all over! I want to hear from all of YOU more often, and I intend for you to hear from me, too. Yay for the internet and social networking!

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Happy Anniversary to Me!

2010-12-04T20:33:00.004-05:00

I'm celebrating my 18th anniversary in my store this week! I opened my doors here in Cocoa Village the beginning of December 1992. It feels surreal to even say that--eighteen years. And you know what? I still can't wait to get here every day! So here's to at least eighteen more.....!

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A Clean Work Space

2010-11-15T15:43:00.005-05:00

I cleaned my desk Friday.

Such a simple statement, but if you had any idea what it looked like BEFORE Friday, you'd know what a big deal it really is! I haven't seen the top of my desk in over 4 years. I know it's been that long because that's when I emptied out my shop and painted the walls, then put everything back all organized and fresh.

It took me 10 hours. I started at about 10 in the morning and didn't finish until 8 that night. And truth be told, I'm still not quite done. The biggest issue was the years' worth of little wire scraps that were jumbled together in a giant mound covering most of the desk. In order to send the scrap wire back to the refiner, I had to separate the gold from the silver. And I didn't quite finish. I separated about 20 ounces of wire, but I've got 6 or 8 ounces still to separate. I have to wait for my poor, hunched-over shoulders and back to recuperate before I can tackle the rest of it.

But I'm SO excited that my desk is clean! What is it about a clean working surface that just inspires you to get down to business? I've been pretty productive. In fact, that's why it took me a couple days to even blog about it...I've been busy making stuff and didn't want to take time out to take a picture and write a post! Mostly I've been making ear cuffs, and you'll find some new ones listed in my Etsy shop. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to work...

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My Bad

2010-11-07T16:48:00.003-05:00

It's horrifying how long it's been since I blogged! I swear I've meant to post something nearly every day for the last two weeks. I even had things in mind to write about! There are just never enough hours in the day.

I HAVE been working, though! Since this is a quickie-post, I'll just put up a picture of one of the rings I made recently. A new style using two 8mm beads, this one with blue lace agate and moonstone (made for a special order for a customer who found me on eBay).

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World Map

2010-09-17T15:16:00.007-04:00

The shop next door to me, Village Home (see their blog link down in my Favorites), has a map of the world where they put a pin for each customer who comes in from out of town. It's a cool idea, and one that I blatantly stole recently!

Not too long ago, I was getting some packages ready to mail out and one of the packages was going to Israel. In all the 26 years I've been making jewelry, I never sent a package to Israel before. That's when it occurred to me that people coming into my store might think it was interesting to see all the places in the world where my jewelry lives. I bought a really big map, mounted it on styrofoam, and put it up on the wall behind my ring case. I only had records going back about a year, but that's still a lot of pins--took me about 4 hours to put them all into the map. And I didn't put a pin in for every single package I mailed out--there are only so many pins you can stuff into a tiny space indicating a big city like New York or Washington DC! In fact, the whole US Eastern seaboard is pretty full! It's hard to see the pins in a picture incorporating the whole map, but there are pins in every state in the United States except Wyoming, plus several in Canada, Australia, and the UK. In addition to Israel, some of the more "interesting" places are: Sweden, Norway, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Iceland, and Malta! Yes, Malta--is that cool or what?!

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Uptown Magic

2010-09-02T16:41:00.005-04:00

This is "Uptown Magic", from The Luella Collection. Just finished last week. The center pieces were a pair of vintage clip-on earrings. I've added the swirls of gold wire and the dangling pink Czech fire-polished beads. Suspended on french earwires, these beauties measure over 3" long. One of a kind and sure to get noticed! I'm thinking...holiday parties? On sale in my Ruby Lane shop.

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Erin

2010-09-01T12:04:00.003-04:00

This is Erin. Her "mom" is long time customer Jinny R., and I'm always delighted when Erin comes along to help with the shopping! She's an Irish Wolfhound, one of the largest dog breeds in the world. Impressively well-behaved for her size, too. What I find most amusing is when she politely lays down to wait while Jinny buys jewelry, she takes up nearly a third of my entire floor space!

Occasionally I'll get a shopper who will poke their head in my door, with a tiny little teacup-size dog in a bag or a stroller, and they ask if it's okay for their dog to come in. I get a kick out of telling them about Erin!

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Child Labor

2010-08-29T17:13:00.005-04:00

Ricky joined me at work yesterday. My shelves all got dusted and my glass cases cleaned. That's why we have offspring, right? ;)

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Another School Year

2010-08-23T12:10:00.004-04:00

Okay, am I a horrible mother, or what? I actually forgot to take "first day of school" pictures this year! Honestly, it didn't even occur to me until the end of the week! Then it was almost another whole week before I remembered to bring my camera home from work. Fortunately, it was far less distressing to my son, who gamely posed for "beginning of the school year" pictures last Thursday.

I guess the good thing about being a couple of weeks into the school year before I post his picture is that I can also report on his progress so far. Ricky's in 5th grade this year, and will be playing trombone in band again. (He just loves the band teacher.) So far every paper he's brought home has been an A, and he tested at 9th grade, 8th month level for the Accelerated Reader program. That's the highest in his class, which he thinks is pretty cool, but it also means he's required to earn the most points for reading individual books each grading period, which he's not nearly as thrilled about. I've never had to worry his academics--he makes his mother very proud--it's his "focus" we've needed to work on. And I'm happy to say he appears to be making progress there. A little over two weeks into the school year and he's only forgotten his homework folder once! Haha!

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The Driftwood Backdrop

2010-08-18T11:57:00.005-04:00

Last month I posted about some interesting display items that a friend of mine had let me borrow to use for photographing my jewelry. I showed a picture of a cameo that I had taken on a chunk of pyrite, and the same cameo on a chunk of honey onyx. At that time I mentioned the fantastic big piece of driftwood he let me borrow, but I hadn't yet shot any photography using it. Well, I have now! I'm telling you, that thing is FANTASTIC! Every inch of it is different and every inch is beautiful and interesting. The picture above is a dichroic glass and amethyst necklace draped down the driftwood. I just love it! My friend is going to let me keep it for awhile, but sooner or later I'm going to have to get one of my own. I'm told to check out aquarium-supply places, as these large pieces of driftwood are often used to decorate big fish tanks. I sure hope I can find one as beautiful as this!

By the way, this gorgeous necklace is for sale in my Etsy shop!

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Participating in Customers' Lives

2010-08-16T11:00:00.004-04:00

I had a couple come in this past weekend with their two children. The woman was so excited to have found my store; they had been looking around Cocoa Village for a couple of hours before one of my fellow merchants directed them to my corner. It seems that this couple had been in my store 10 years ago, looking for a stone to help them with their fertility issues. They had been unsuccessful even with in vitro fertilization efforts, and were willing to try something a little more offbeat.

At the time I had just gone through some fertility issues of my own, and my baby son was about 7 months old. I had been wearing a small ruby crystal point prior to, during, and after my in vitro procedure. I had a couple more unset ruby points and had the lady choose one that felt "good" to her and I set it so she could wear it on a chain.

From what she told me, this happened on August 5, 2000. On August 5, 2001, her daughter Julia was born! A year to the day--she was particularly delighted by that detail! (Apparently after the pressure was off, they were able to conceive their son without further issues.) They were back in the Cocoa Village area for a few days and felt they just had to come and find me and let me know that in my small way, I had helped them start their family! Too cool! The mother told me she had even thought about sending me a birth announcement and pictures, but they couldn't find the business card I had given them. She also said that she wouldn't allow the hospital to remove that ruby pendant, even while she was giving birth, and that she has it now safely put away for when her daughter is older.

Do certain stones actually work to "fix" certain problems? Speaking only for myself, I can say that you can't be around stones and work with them for as long as I have and NOT feel their energies. Who decided what stone works best for what circumstance?...I don't know. There are a number of books on the subject, and all the ones I've seen seem to agree for the most part. Is it psychosomatic? I don't know that either, but if the end result is the result you're looking for, then what does it matter?

The bottom line for me in this situation is that this lovely couple had their kids and they were so happy. I was happy for them, and delighted that I had had the opportunity to participate--even in a tiny way--in an event that was so important to them!

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Impatient Drivers

2010-07-27T11:36:00.003-04:00

Note to impatient drivers: riding up my rear end is not going to make the car in front of me go any faster!

(And it must be nice that those pesky Speed Limit signs don't apply to you.)

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Heat

2010-07-20T22:57:00.004-04:00

I think I'm starting to get hot flashes. I can't tell for sure because the heat index here has been over 100 degrees for days, and it's so humid you feel like you need gills to breathe. Either way it's a drag!

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Photo Backgrounds

2010-07-19T10:09:00.008-04:00

There is a guy who is a long-time customer of mine, who is a serious rockhound and who has a lot of spare time on his hands. He happened to come in one day a few weeks ago when I was working on photography and noticed the various backdrops I use to display my jewelry on when I'm taking pictures: a piece of wood with a light "interior" side and a dark bark "exterior" side; 2 different light grey patterned tile pieces, 1 beige patterned tile piece, and a small but very pretty piece of driftwood. (I also shoot outside on the edge of the courtyard water fountain, a cement bench, and various plants and leaves.)

The next day my friend shows up with a huge chunk of pyrite (fool's gold) for me to use in my photography. I'm not kidding, this thing is at least 10 inches long by 8 inches wide by 5 inches deep--the biggest chunk of pyrite I've ever seen. There's one section with glittering little square nuggety protrusions, and other sections where the rock is smoother but still has the "gold" flecks through it. A beautiful specimen, but my first thought was whether it would be too shiny to get a decent picture without glare from the flash.

A couple of days later he comes in with another big rock. This one is honey onyx--layers and striations of soft peach alternating with white, and an uneven, rocky face, which is perfect for displaying jewelry. Just gorgeous, and a nice neutral color that I thought would be great for a background.

Last week I finally got around to shooting some new photography using these unique pieces. You can see the results yourself--the same cameo pendant taken on both rocks. The pyrite is actually not as bad as I thought, but doesn't work well for every color of stone. With the right item, though, it's a really interesting background! And the honey onyx is fantastic--I don't think there was any piece that I tried to photograph that didn't look good on it. I'd love to get some comments on what YOU think!

Just a couple days ago, my customer brought in this FANTASTIC big piece of driftwood for me to use. It's got light and dark sections and lots of lumps, bumps, holes, and protrusions that are going to make for amazing pictures! You can see more examples of the pyrite, the honey onyx, and soon the driftwood in my Etsy shop or my Artfire studio. (Be sure to look at the jewelry itself while you're there!)

A Lovely Sale

2010-06-28T10:39:00.005-04:00

I had a lovely sale yesterday. Yes, I'm here in my shop on Sundays. I don't get a lot of customers, but I usually get a bit of work done--complete a special order or two, write my newsletter, photograph some jewelry. Yesterday was really no different, up until about 3:00. This nice young man comes in and says his girlfriend's birthday is coming up, and that she had been in my shop and saw some things she loved and had been raving about them.... All that great stuff that an artisan loves to hear!

He brought me a beautiful piece of lavender sea glass to set into a pendant for her. I was so excited at the prospect of making a $20 sale on a Sunday that I told him I'd be happy to do it on the spot, rather than putting it into my pile of special orders. He seemed pretty impressed about that, and proceeded to ask if I had any chains to go with the pendant, so he could make a complete "presentation" out of it. Well, SURE I've got some chains--another $15!--let me show you....

While I was setting the sea glass, he wandered around the store looking at other stuff. It turns out he had a "budget" amount in mind, and darned if he wasn't going to spend it all! He liked a couple of my larger, fancier neck ring pieces and asked my opinion. I tried on the one that was sort of asymmetrical so he could see how it looked on a real person, but advised him that it was really a piece intended for a night on the town, not so much a wear-with-anything. He quickly decided on the other neck ring--a fantastic green dichroic glass bead set in the center of a gold wire neck ring (pictured above). Fancy, yes, but it will look great with a party dress or a T-shirt, and he loved the fact that it would accent her green eyes.

While I was wrapping that up was when he told me he was still under budget, and grabbed another neck ring off the display by the door. Fifty strands of colored steel wire in black (one of the few things in the store that is not something I personally made, but VERY cool!) with a spoon-shaped blue, black, and silver glass pendant.

He made some excellent choices, and I told him so. All unique, attention-grabbing neck accessories that are going to get his girlfriend noticed every time she wears one. (And isn't that what great jewelry is all about?!) But I also told him that the thing she was going to find equally important was that he paid attention when she was talking about something she had seen that she liked. He was pleased. I'm quite sure SHE is going to be pleased. (And I was over the moon about the size of my lovely Sunday sale!)

I know I titled this post "a lovely sale", but I think the moral of the story should be: great jewelry, and a guy who pays attention! What more could you ask on your birthday? Right, girls?

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Text-speak

2010-06-17T16:48:00.003-04:00

I have the worst time texting. Partly because my phone is kind of old and doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard. So if I want to type an "s" for instance, I have to hit the 7 key four times. And I have to get my reading glasses to see the darn keyboard in the first place!

But my biggest problem is that I just cannot bring myself to use text language. I have always had an anal-retentive "eye" for grammar, and misspellings just make me crazy. Typos, too, but that's not done on purpose. I CANNOT use "u" "r" for "you are". I CANNOT use a 2 for "to" or "too". I CANNOT use a 4 for "for". I must use correct grammar. I must punctuate my sentences, and begin the next sentence with a capital letter. I CANNOT not capitalize "I" when referring to myself. So it takes forever for me to send a message. And of course the person I text most often is my 10-year-old son, who has absolutely no problem utilizing all kinds of abbreviated "spellings"!

I think encouraging text-speak in children is a really bad idea. I think they should learn how to spell and form sentences correctly before they start mangling them. Some of the things my son texts to me, I can tell it's just text-speak (and I hate it!). But some words, I'm not sure if he's spelling them wrong on purpose or if he doesn't know the correct spelling. So I get on him about it. And he says, "I know, Mom." Then I don't know if he really KNOWS, or if he's just feeding me that 10-year-old "I know, Mom" attitude!

I am quite certain that text language evolved out of laziness. And that's a shame, because I'm equally sure that it's here to stay. Except for the lone hold-out. Me. Anyone care to join me?

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Later Hours

2010-06-10T13:13:00.006-04:00

This past weekend many of the merchants of Historic Cocoa Village started staying open later on Friday and Saturday nights. For a long time, most of us have heard complaints from the locals saying they wished the stores would be open later so they could come down after work. This is a good thing, IF they have the right mindset.

My concern is this: sure, there are those people who come down to one of the restaurants for dinner, then walk the streets window-shopping. They wish the store was open. They cup their hands around their eyes and press up against the windows of the darkened store. I know this happens, because I see forehead prints and side-hand prints on my windows occasionally. And I'm not even on the main street (although I am right next to a fine-dining restaurant). So, do they really want to do some SHOPPING? Or would they just like to window-shop INDOORS with the lights on? Because window-shopping indoors with the lights on doesn't do the merchant one bit of good.

Do people take into consideration the additional labor and electricity, if nothing else, that goes into staying open 3 extra hours? I highly doubt it. So if people just come to Cocoa Village and walk around pointing and saying, "ooh, isn't that cute?" but don't BUY the cute thing, then it's having a negative impact. It is costing the store owner money. I realize it takes time to get the word out that something has changed, no matter what that something is. We're working hard to get the word out to the local community that some stores are offering later shopping hours. For me, the operative word is shopping. To some of the people who might come down, the operative word is going to be some of the stores will be open.

In a shopping district like ours, with dozens of individually owned-and-operated businesses, you're never going to get everyone on board. It stinks, but it's a fact. There are some who won't even consider staying open late. There are others who are "waiting to see what happens". There are still others who will try it once or twice and if they don't make a bunch of money, they'll say "oh, that doesn't work for me". I wish it were possible to get everyone to see that an all-out, committed, group effort is good for ALL of us, even if every visitor doesn't buy something in every store every time they visit. Just as I wish it were possible to get the visitors to see that BUYING something is beneficial to THEM because it will encourage the shops to stay open and to be open the next time the evening-shopping bug strikes.

If the shops aren't open, the public can't buy. And if the public doesn't come and buy, the shops won't stay open. Catch-22? You bet. We'll see how it goes. I'LL be open every Friday and Saturday evening until 8:00 p.m. Come on down! And bring your wallet! I won't be upset if you don't buy from me (although it would be REALLY cool if you did!), but I'll be sad if you don't buy something, somewhere.

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Lots of Ear Cuffs!

2010-05-29T11:05:00.007-04:00

For several months now, a very large number of the orders I've received online have been for ear cuffs. You know, the little adornment that wraps around the outside cartilage on the side of your ear...? An accent to earrings, or an accessory in and of itself. From simple bands to ornate sweeps, for young and old alike, they're a cute and comfortable, and mostly just fun! I've got several listed for sale in my Artfire studio or my Etsy shop. Pop on over and in just a couple of clicks you can order, pay through PayPal, and have your own ear cuff on its way to you. Trendy, maybe, but inexpensive enough where you can treat yourself and hop on the ear cuff bandwagon!

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Summer Schedule

2010-05-24T10:18:00.003-04:00

The thing I love most about summertime is that I get to sleep in a little longer each morning, since I don't have to take my son to school. Not TOO much longer, because I do have to take him to the day camp he attends at his karate school, but long enough for it to feel indulgent. The downside of that lovely sleeping in is that I get to my store later in the morning, and have that much LESS time to get everything done that I need to before I open my doors. Like this, for instance. I'm blogging, and it's already time to be opening my store. I did list some new items in my Etsy shop, but I still have to update my Facebook Fan Page. I did take care of my eBay sales and made a new listing there, but I haven't written the bill payments that need to go with the mailman today.

Adjusting to my summer schedule will require a bit more focus than I am sometimes inclined to have. Today is only the first day. I'm not totally displeased with my progress so far this morning. I'll go update my Facebook Fan Page, write the checks to pay the bills, and then get to work on the gigantic pile of special orders on my clipboard! Since my doors are now open, there's the possibility that customers might walk in, but being in business to sell to the public is what makes all those other things even necessary, right? So if I have to get up from my desk to take care of a customer, that's a GOOD thing! The rest...I'll just keep muddling along!

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Another Custom Order

2010-05-21T15:41:00.005-04:00

Sometimes customers themselves put together two or even three things that I already make to come up with a whole new design. Helps me think outside my usual "box" as it were! Donna was buying a 3-Bead Point Bracelet with clear AB Swarovski crystals. She wanted earrings to match. Now, Donna likes a bold earring, as you can see. She saw the J-Shape Hoop Earrings that I had, and held up the bracelet so the crystals were inside the earring. "Can you make it like this?" she asked. "Absolutely," I said. "I'm the Burger King of jewelry design--have it YOUR way!"

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Ricky's Awards

2010-05-19T19:47:00.004-04:00

My son is just finishing 4th grade and his awards ceremony was this morning. I can't even begin to describe how proud I was when he brought home SIXTEEN awards and achievements!!!

1st Place (blue ribbon) 4th Grade Spelling Bee
100% (medal) for meeting goal in Accelerated Reader program
1st place (medal) for Bible Sword Drill competition
Certificate--regional spelling bee participation
Certificate--regional math olympics participation
Certificate for 4th Class Level (25 points) in Standard of Excellence Band Method
Certificate for 3rd Class Level (50 points) in Band
Certificate for 2nd Class Level (75 points) in Band
Certificate for 1st Class Level (100 points) in Band--he may have been the only one in band to get this...I know he had the highest number of points
Certificate--Presidential Physical Fitness Award
Certificate--Outstanding Academic Achievement in Science/Health
Certificate--Outstanding Academic Achievement in Bible
Certificate--Outstanding Academic Achievement in Reading
Certificate--Outstanding Academic Achievement in History
Certificate--Highest Grade Point Average in Math
Certificate--Excellent Academic Work for maintaining better than 3.5 GPA

Well done, my son!!

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Custom Orders

2010-05-14T09:22:00.004-04:00

I often joke with customers that if there were about 8 of me, I could have every piece of jewelry made in every size and every color. Don't get me wrong...I have a LOT of inventory made up. But since there's only 1 of me, every size and color isn't possible, so I'm obviously happy to make any item in whatever size or color the customer wants. Consequently, I have a lot of special orders.

But I also have a lot of custom orders. Loose stones or coins or random vintage jewelry that a customer has lying around in a drawer or a jewelry box. It can't be worn as-is, so people bring or send me stuff to set all the time. This pendant I have pictured is one of those. A beautiful faceted yellow citrine and a large blue drusy from a lovely lady named Shayna. Shayna wanted the stones set together in one pendant. Not the easiest thing to do with wirewrap, but I was able to come up with this design, which I think really showcases the stones. She was thrilled with it, which always makes me happy!

I'm going to post a few more custom order pictures over the next few days. Look through your drawers and dig into your jewelry boxes--do YOU have anything I can transform for you?

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Facebook Fans!

2010-05-12T09:30:00.004-04:00

Are you on Facebook? If you've read some of my previous posts, you know I am. Probably too much! (Some of those games are quite addictive.) But lately I've been paying a little more attention to my Contemporary Concepts Fan Page. I've been posting a little something nearly every day. Not being spammy, I promise. Just little nuggets of information that I hope will be interesting. And pictures. And I finally got around to adding my Artfire Kiosk. That's a tab at the top of the page where you can instantly check out my jewelry in my Artfire studio and even purchase items without ever leaving Facebook! It's a very cool app, and it was embarrassingly easy to set up. Made me kick myself for putting it off so long.

So "fan" me today, and look for my avatar in your News Feed...it's the bright orange-and-yellow sea glass pendant I have pictured here!

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Ricky's Band Concert

2010-05-10T09:47:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday evening was my son's first band concert. Well, I guess not exactly the first, as they did play two songs during the Christmas program, but that lasted literally three minutes, so I don't really count it. Plus, as a beginning band having only played for three months before Christmas, they were pretty bad.

Don't get me wrong--they certainly tried very hard and did their best, but they were at the stage where they were still learning fingerings for the notes and had not yet developed an "ear" to hear how the notes were actually supposed to sound!

This past Thursday they were much improved. They're still beginners, in the fourth and fifth grades, but you could tell they were developing confidence in their abilities. I wouldn't say they were yet good, but they were certainly better!

I could pick Ricky's playing out of the group. Not hard, since his entire band consists of 3 flutes, 1 clarinet, and 3 trombones. (Ricky plays the trombone. Which was MY trombone back in the day. And the same horn which was my FATHER'S back in HIS day! Third generation. Way cool!) Anyway, I could hear Ricky specifically. He did very well. I didn't see a single mistake. Having played the trombone myself, I know where the slide is supposed to be positioned for each note. And I know what the notes are supposed to sound like. (On occasion while listening to him practice, I would get on him about "don't just aim for the general vicinity of the slide position and blat, hoping it'll be close enough.") He hit the notes (the same could not always be said for his fellow trombonists--ouch!), his tone was good--I was very proud!

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Catching Up

2010-05-06T09:47:00.005-04:00

I often find myself composing blog posts in my head as I drive to work in the morning. And then by the time I get here, more often than not, the task of writing in my blog completely flies out of my mind. I wish I were a little less scatterbrained sometimes, but I guess that's just part of being an ar-tiste...? Hahaha!

I've been pretty busy in my store. But in a strange way. Not so many customers walking in, really, and those that do are bringing me stuff to set for them. So I've got lots of special orders to be working on. At least three weeks worth, maybe a month. Sometimes I wish people would be a little more interested in buying the stuff I actually have made up, but special orders keep me busy and prevent monotony! And it's not like I'm not selling anything in the store!

I've been getting quite a few online sales, too. I sell on 5 different online venues, and there have been a few days recently that I've sold at least one thing on each of them. I think that's pretty cool! Of course, when I sell something on Etsy or Artfire or Ruby Lane, it's often something that's one-of-a-kind, so my posted inventory goes down. That means I need to take new pictures and post new items, which can be time-consuming. But it keeps my online inventory looking fresh!

So you see that for everything I might gripe about a little, there's something positive to be had as well. And ain't that the way life should be...?!!

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A Little Progress

2010-03-25T09:13:00.005-04:00

I have to admit that I haven't been doing very well with my "blog before I go play on Facebook" resolution, but I have taken some time over the last couple of weeks to fill up some of those empty necklace displays! Here's a shot of some of the completed bead necklaces: juicy red jade with red glass teardrops, dark green freshwater pearls accented with glittering tanzanite beads, lovely neutral autumn jasper, a rainbow of colored mother-of-pearl discs, and more! I'm shooting pictures of the individual pieces right now, and you'll be able to purchase them in my Etsy shop or my Artfire studio real soon!

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This Week's Project

2010-03-08T12:07:00.003-05:00

This is a picture of the table behind my sales counter in my store. Can you tell I've sold quite a few bead necklaces lately? Can you guess what my project is for this week? Did you guess stringing bead necklaces? Ha-ha!

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Ankle Bracelets

2010-03-03T09:22:00.005-05:00

I've been making ankle bracelets this week. Although the weather is still very un-Florida-ish, I'm optimistic that springtime will soon be here. Shorts and sandals equal bare legs, and I think all that bare expanse of skin needs a little bling, don't you? Check out what I've got in my Etsy shop, or on my website. Big ankles, skinny ankles?...doesn't matter! Since I make them to order, I can custom-make them any length you need. I can usually have them ready to mail out in 3 days or less, and shipping is only $2.00! Treat yourself!

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Sonic Boom

2010-02-22T16:40:00.003-05:00

The space shuttle coming home is an awesome thing. The twin sonic booms as it breaks the sound barrier can be heard and felt for miles! But last night was especially memorable. BOOM-BOOM! And I thought to myself, "ah, the shuttle's home!" But then there was more. A rattle-rattle-rattle of the air itself. You could feel it in your bones. The ground shook. The windows shook. And this went on for a good 15 or 20 seconds. You might think that's not very long, but look at your watch and actually time it. The usual boom-boom reverberates for maybe 5 seconds. I started to think it wasn't actually the shuttle, that maybe it was something weird happening in my neighborhood. I had to turn the TV to the NASA channel to double-check. Maybe it was because it was a night landing and things were "quieter" than they are sometimes during the day. Maybe it was the angle of descent that took it more over my house than usual. Or maybe it was just the old girl saying, "I may be being retired, but I'm not gonna let you forget me!"

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Special Orders

2010-02-19T10:07:00.006-05:00

Thank goodness for special orders these day! The weather has kept the usual crowds from shopping here in Cocoa Village, but I still have people bringing stones to be set or beads to be restrung or other assorted special requests. I recently restrung an old set of ivory beads for one woman, and encased a large uncut emerald in a freeform setting to be added to a heavy chain for a man's bracelet. On my clipboard of Things To Do, I've got a baggie full of vintage earrings to be remade into pendants (see The Luella Collection on my website if you've got some of your own you'd like made up!), and an order for an asymmetrical neck wire and a bracelet with blue cube beads (among other things).

Sure, I've got plenty of regular inventory to be made, too, but I enjoy doing the special orders because they usually make me think a little more outside the box than my normal jewelry-making requires after all these years. Every artisan needs a challenge once in awhile--keeps us fresh!

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Florida Snowball

2010-02-18T09:15:00.004-05:00

I am SO over this cold weather! This morning I had to scrape FROST off the windows of my car. There was so much of it that my son took the shavings and made a snowball! Bear in mind that I live in Central Florida (on the Space Coast due east of Orlando), and it's the middle of February. It should be in the mid-70's this time of year. Spring break time is just around the corner. All our northern friends who are sick of shovelling out from under REAL snow are going to be disappointed if they get down here and can't take off enough clothing to get a decent sunburn...er, I mean suntan.

Come on mid-70's!!!

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I've Got Everything I Need, Thank You

2010-02-12T08:54:00.003-05:00

This morning on my way in to my shop, I passed by a homeless guy sitting on a bench in front of the public restrooms. He was covered with a small, thin blanket and had a plastic grocery bag with some stuff in it on the ground in front of him. And I thought "there but for the grace of God..." Yes, my financial situation, like many others these days, isn't what it used to be. But I'm walking past this guy with my laptop over my shoulder, my brown-bag lunch in my tote, and $14.00 in my pocket. I'll bet that homeless guy would trade places with me in a heartbeat.

I'm glad I had this experience. It reminds me to be grateful for what I have. A roof over my head, food on the table, a car to drive and a little money to put gas in it. Etcetera, etcetera. Lots of stuff. Not to mention an amazing husband and a bright and beautiful little boy. And I am grateful. There may be stuff out there that I don't have that I want, but I've sure got everything I need.

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Cold

2010-02-11T09:35:00.004-05:00

Those of us who live here in Florida apparently cannot function in cold weather. Last month we had record-breaking low temperatures, and even a Florida version of snow! (Kind of mushy blobs rather than flakes, but it wasn't exactly hail--they weren't totally frozen--and it was definitely not rain.) Again today it's cold. I don't like the cold.

Granted, our cold is not the same as our friends further north. I realize that there are people digging out from several FEET of snow these days. And yes, they manage to function normally for the most part. But there is a reason that those of us who live in Florida, live in Florida. We don't like cold. And we certainly don't like snow. I'll admit it's pretty to look at, but trudge around in cold, wet, clingy white stuff? No, thank you. I don't even like wearing long-sleeved shirts. I actually only own one, and it was a Christmas gift from a friend a number of years ago. I do have a few sweater-shirts, but they're all 3/4 sleeve.

Those of you who are dealing with cold and snow right now are probably scoffing. Yesterday our high was about 55 degrees. And it's going to be around 60 degrees where I live today. I know, heat wave, right? But you would be amazed, and probably amused, to see how everyday life slows to a crawl when it's that chilly in the Sunshine State. Traffic is lighter on the streets, there are no lines at the grocery store, and the only customers I've seen in my own store in the last few days have been snowbirds! (Those are our visitors from the north who spend time in Florida in the winter. We LOVE them, by the way!)

So I'm going to sit here in my long-sleeved shirt and two layers of sweaters and whine about the temperature. Simultaneously I will be sending positive thoughts northward to those of you who are really dealing with cold, and I will be admiring your fortitude. And I won't even mind if you think I'm pathetic!

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Guys' Shopping Habits

2010-02-08T09:37:00.006-05:00

Valentine's Day is coming. Would it surprise you if I told you I see a lot of men in my store on February 13th? (December 24th, too!) That's not to knock all guys, of course. Some are pretty good about thinking ahead. (My husband is actually one of them.) But others just can't seem to get it together before the last minute. My late stepfather used to call me the afternoon of December 24th or August 23rd--the eve of their anniversary--and ask, "So what does your mother want?" I'd always try to come up with some suggestions, of course, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "YOU live with her...you don't have any idea what she might like?" And Mom is not that hard to buy for--she pretty much likes anything anyone in her family gives her.

Anyway, for those of you guys who might be considering an online purchase of some really great, unique artisan jewelry, you can check out my Etsy shop or my Artfire shop for ready-to-ship items that I'm sure your lady will love! I ship USPS first class, and your purchase will be in the mail the next day, I promise!

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The Wrong Color

2010-02-05T09:30:00.004-05:00

I have a ton of pictures to take of new jewelry that I've made recently, and yet I wore a red shirt today. For some reason the red reflects on whatever I'm trying to shoot and even with the great photo-editing software I have, I can't get the tint out of the picture. Rats. What possessed me when I was getting dressed this morning? Maybe I can find some fabric or a towel lying around here that I can drape over my front to cover up the red. Wish me luck!

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Amethyst

2010-02-04T09:40:00.006-05:00

Amethyst. February's birthstone. And in my experience, one of the most popular colored gemstones around!

Amethyst is purple quartz, ranging in tone from pale lavender to deep, rich, almost-black purple. It is the "stone of meditation", and its energies are said to help amplify intellectual understanding, as well as protect the wearer from intoxication! (Although I certainly can't guarantee you won't get drunk while wearing your favorite amethyst pendant or ring!) It can also be used to attract good luck. I have some fabulous amethyst pendants, earrings, ear sweeps, bracelets, anklets, rings and necklaces. Check out my Etsy shop for ready-to-buy items, or my website for a look at everything I can make. I would be delighted to design something just for you!

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Getting Better

2010-02-01T09:14:00.004-05:00

I have to say that my new "resolution" from last month--writing a blog post before I allow myself to play on Facebook--seems to be working at about 70% effectiveness. If you don't count weekends, that is. But my schedule on weekends is different, so I guess I'll have to work on taking that into consideration. On weekdays, I take my son to school at 8:15 and then come straight to work, even though I don't officially open my store until 11:00. That gives me an extra couple of hours to focus on getting some uninterrupted "work" time in before any customers might arrive. On weekends, I tend to treat myself to a little extra sleep, plus those pesky household tasks like doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom, so I don't get in to work until about 10:00 at the earliest. Not enough time to do all the paperwork and computer business that I should do each day before opening. So I guess my options are: 1) Don't sleep in (hmmm...unlikely). 2) Don't do the laundry or any of those other household chores (impractical). 3) Get more organized and efficient so ALL tasks can be accomplished, even on weekends (wow...wouldn't that be great?) 4) Don't blog on weekends (the most likely scenario at this point)!

You can "vote" with your comments and follow along to see how well I do!

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Single Mom

2010-01-27T10:13:00.003-05:00

At this time every year, for about a week and a half, I get to play "single mom" while my husband is away on his annual camping trip. It always renews my admiration for those single parents who have to do it full time. I've only got one kid, and for the most part he's a pretty good one, but even so I'm pretty worn out by the time hubby gets back. So...kudos to all you single parents who are doing the best you can every day!

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Beautiful Pearls

2010-01-26T10:52:00.006-05:00

I recently got a shipment of beautiful colored freshwater pearls, and I've got all kinds of interesting plans for them. Plus I'm sure additional "inspirations" will strike as I'm actually working with them. But this strand just screamed to be strung right away. Gorgeous deep teal blue, spaced with small sterling silver beads. Yum! (And don't you just love that fantastic piece of natural driftwood they're draped over? It's one of my favorite things to photograph my jewelry on!)

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Ear Cuffs

2010-01-24T12:53:00.004-05:00

I don't know what the deal is recently, but 8 out of the last 10 orders I've received on my various online venues have been for ear cuffs. Apparently there's a resurgence of these little cuties, and I know from many years' experience that they're not easy to find. Well, I've got 'em, and I've got lots of 'em! From thin, simple bands to ornate, climb-your-ear beauties with lots of beads, I've got a nice selection ready for immediate purchase in my Etsy shop, and I've got more styles available for order on my website. Check them out now!

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So BAD About This...!

2010-01-22T09:33:00.003-05:00

Just about every morning as I'm getting ready for work, I'm thinking about my business, my friends, my family...all kinds of things that I could write a blog post about. Then by the time I actually get to work, it's all flown out of my mind. I am so BAD about getting on here and writing. I always feel like I should include some kind of picture ("they" say that makes a blog more interesting). But if I haven't shot any new photography in awhile, that means I have to take pictures and edit them before I can blog. So I put it off. Then the next morning I think of some cool stuff I could write, beat myself up about not writing yesterday, and forget all about it when I get to work. I think maybe I should make a belated New Year's resolution and train myself to write something on my blog before I can go play on Facebook. You think that would work...?

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Pretty Little Gift Set

2009-11-20T15:07:00.004-05:00

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I'd like to mention that I've got these cute little matching pendant & earring sets in many different stones. Because they're handcrafted and unique, they make a thoughtful gift, and they're inexpensive enough to outfit practically every lady on your list! You can see a nice selection of colors, ready-to-purchase in the Pendants section of my Etsy shop! Fast shipping, too--I promise!

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Statement Pieces

2009-11-13T10:23:00.004-05:00

Because I spend most of my "creating" time making what I call regular inventory (the same style of earrings in 10 different colors, or the same ring in mulitple sizes), I don't often have the time to create special one-of-a-kind "statement" pieces. I have lots of little pieces of paper with designs scrawled on them that I've come up with over the years, but I have to carve out special time to work on them. Usually a statement piece will take quite a bit more time to make than regular inventory does, so I can't help thinking about how many rings I could be making in the same amount of time!

But recently I just had to let the true creative beast come out and make something special and spectacular. This is it. A sterling silver neckwire with an asymmetrical curve and two very large white marquis cubic zirconias dropping from each end. Can you imagine the comments and looks of admiration you would get wearing this to a holiday party? One-of-a-kind. Spectacular. Truly a statement! (It's available for sale in my Ruby Lane shop.)

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Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-11-08T15:25:00.001-05:00

So, today I'm officially eligible for AARP and the Red Hat Society! (Uh...yippee?)

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Eeeww!

2009-10-27T18:13:00.002-04:00

I saw a pink Volkswagen Beetle on my way home last night. I can't begin to imagine driving a pink Volkswagen Beetle!

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A Little Productivity

2009-10-19T09:38:00.005-04:00

I'm happy that I finally got inspired enough to make some pendants last week. Sea glass! I've got tons of it, the finished pendants are quite affordable (average about $20), and it's always a great seller because each one is a unique work of art.

The good news is that it only took one afternoon to make all 10 of these pendants. The bad news is that it's taken me 4 days to shoot and edit the photos for them, so they're not all posted yet. My goal is to have them all up in my Etsy shop and/or my Artfire studio by the end of the day. (Feel free to click over and check on my progress!)

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Hooray For The Good Guy!

2009-10-11T12:32:00.004-04:00

It's pretty cool when you get to witness a random act of kindness firsthand. This morning as I was driving to work, I saw an oncoming car in the distance pull over off the road. As I got closer I could see a small dark lump in the middle of the road. Turns out it was a gopher tortoise--a threatened species in Florida. It was trying to cross four lanes of a moderately well traveled road. The guy who pulled his car over got out and picked the tortoise up just before two cars would have come up on it in that lane and as I was passing by in the opposite lane. In my rearview mirror I saw the guy carrying the tortoise safely to the grass and woods on the other side.

An interesting side note about the "threatened" status of gopher tortoises: When we bought our current house three years ago, the sellers were required by law to disclose that there are two gopher tortoises living on the property! We still catch glimpses of them once in awhile--usually one or the other, but not both at once--wandering around the yard in the middle of the day, eating grass. They'll probably be around long after we're gone--gopher tortoises live upwards of 100 years!
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Still Nothing

2009-10-08T15:44:00.002-04:00

I've waited a few days to post again. I've had this page up on my computer all afternoon, hoping some kind of inspiration would hit. Nothing. I've had a grand total of 5 people walk into my store today. I just can't get motivated with that kind of inaction surrounding me! I've spent an hour or so poking around on other people's blogs. Maybe someone said something where I could take an idea and run with it. Nope. But I just couldn't bring myself to close the page without writing something.

Happy Thursday, anyone...?

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On The Upswing

2009-10-05T09:11:00.003-04:00

September is traditionally the slowest month of the year for me. So you'd think I would get a lot of extra work done, right? Like making more inventory, taking pictures, writing blog posts, updating my Etsy shop and my Artfire studio...

Well, not really. The slower my business is, the slower I seem to move. It's so hard to get motivated. I've spent far too much time the last couple of weeks "playing" rather than getting any productive work done. Oh, I have made some inventory (check out the fire agate pendant picture!) But I've been playing computer games and revising my MP3 playlists, too. Fun, yes, but not particularly helpful for making money!

So I'm glad September is over. It's not that business jumps up by a large amount on the first of October, but the anticipation is there. I'm looking forward to more business, and to being busy. Somehow the more I have to squeeze into my day, the more I do squeeze into my day.

And the cooler weather doesn't hurt, either!
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My 4th Grade Boy

2009-09-20T17:23:00.003-04:00

Since I had forgotten about my blog for awhile, I neglected to post "first day of school" pictures. My son is in 4th grade this year, and doing very well academically so far--all A's. (Behaviorally, he's a nine-year-old boy. 'Nuff said!) Isn't he a cutie?

I'm Back!

2009-09-18T18:33:00.003-04:00

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I got busy with other stuff over the last couple of months, and I kind of forgot I had a blog! How embarrassing! Maybe I'll stick a Post-It note to my computer to remind me to update more often.

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Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T14:57:00.006-04:00

When I get home from work today, there will be 150 people in my back yard, eating mountains of food and waiting for the big fireworks display. My husband loves the 4th of July and has a party every year. He has spent the last 3 days cooking and setting up. There is 50 pounds of barbequed pulled pork, 30 pounds of smoked chicken quarters, 20 slabs of beef ribs, 500 boiled shrimp, and about 10 pounds of fresh-made coleslaw. Then there's the huge fireworks display that he's spent weeks putting together "just so". He's a crazy man, I tell you.

It is SO not "my thing". All those people, most of whom I don't even know. They're friends of his from high school, customers of his lawn service, hunting buddies, fellow airboaters, pool league teammates...my husband is a very social animal. (I do get to catch up with relatives that we don't see other than at this party, and I really look forward to Aunt Peggy's orzo pasta salad!) Rick knows it's not "my thing", and provides special accommodations to ease my discomfort. No one is allowed to park in my spot in the driveway. He puts a "Reserved for Wife" sign on the table and chairs with the best view. And best of all, he rents a Port-O-Let. You might think "eww", but seriously, do the math: 150 people, with an average bathroom requirement of maybe 3 or 4 times each in the 6 or 7 hours they're there (depending on how much they're drinking), that's roughly 500 times people would be traipsing through my house, flushing the toilet and (theoretically) washing their hands. And maybe rummaging through the medicine cabinets and critiquing the way I make my bed! No, thank you!

I asked Rick last night if he knew what my favorite part about the 4th of July was. He said, "The 5th of July?" Made me laugh. I said, "No, although that's probably a close second." My favorite thing about the 4th of July is how much HE enjoys it. He loves to cook for a lot of people. He loves to socialize. He loves to blow things up. So he loves the 4th of July. And I love him. So there.
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A Once-In-A-Lifetime Event

2009-07-02T16:15:00.006-04:00

I am done with all my special orders. I can't believe it! I've been making this handcrafted jewelry for 25 years now, and I can't remember EVER having all my special orders done! Somebody always wants something in a different size or a different color. Or they've got a stone that's been laying in a drawer for years and they want me to set it. Or they have a necklace to be restrung (not my favorite thing to do, but it always makes the customer happy!) or a vintage piece they want remade into something new. (The earrings pictured are a pair I made for a customer to match a tanzanite necklace and ring she had.)

I do have a couple of "orders" on my To Do clipboard. One is a "if you find a turquoise stone in the same color as the bracelet you made me, I want a pendant". Easier said than done with turquoise--there are so many shades and tones and hues that it's hard to match. And I have 3 cameos to set for another customer, but she wants them for Christmas, so I'm not counting them. Should I do the work 5 months before I know I'm going to get paid? Maybe, but I've decided it's cooler to be able to say I've got all my special orders done!

I don't really know what to do with myself...

Okay, THAT was a joke! Those of you who might have read some of the posts in my series about all the online venues I try to keep up with will know that I've got PLENTY on my plate to keep me busy.

But still...I am done with all my special orders!

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Another Artfire Sale

2009-06-29T13:02:00.005-04:00

I've been paying more attention to my Artfire shop lately. Adding more items. And I got another sale yesterday! Yay! I get the biggest kick out of finding a "you sold..." email in my inbox. Not just the money part, I really like the thrill of being discovered. How about if YOU pop on over and discover me...!

Artfire appears to be growing and becoming more well-known. I think it will continue to flourish. Not only have I made another sale, I also made a purchase the other day, a treat for me! There are some artisans who make handmade incense, and I love "smelly" stuff. My latest acquisition is a Cantaloupe/Cucumber scent--can't wait till it gets here!
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Discipline

2009-06-28T15:53:00.007-04:00

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." --Jim Rohn

I happened to run across this quote this morning and it kind of made me think of my post here yesterday. I like to think I already have some measure of discipline when it comes to my business--I have, after all, been doing this for 25 years. But this idea really struck me. Something to strive for!

Summer Routine

2009-06-26T11:58:00.004-04:00

The summertime really messes with my routine. During the school year, I take my son to school and come directly to work, where I have two hours to concentrate on computer and paperwork before I actually open my doors. It's still not enough time, but it sure helps get (almost!) everything done.

But in the summer, I sleep an extra hour. Don't get me wrong--I LOVE sleeping an extra hour. I have a really comfy bed! But now I take my son to his Day Camp at his karate school and come straight to work, but I get here an hour later. One less hour to shoot new photography and upload pictures. One less hour to work on my online promoting. One less hour to drop Entrecards or interact on the artisan websites to which I belong. One less hour to get a blog post written, as you can see from the large gap between my last post and this one.

I have to admit that I have fewer customers actually walk in my store this time of year, so you'd think I could make up some of the time that way. But it seems that the less "invigorating" my day, the less motivated I am to do the things that need doing. I actually found myself playing an online game the other day, even though I have pictures to take and an email newsletter to write. Naughty me!

I've been meaning to post on here for weeks, so actually getting to it today makes me feel a little better. Maybe by the time summer is over, I'll have figured out a new routine where I can get all my work done. Then when I have that additional hour first thing in the morning after taking my son to school, I can squeeze in something else productive! (Like a nap, maybe? I know I'll be missing that extra hour in bed!)

Mother's Day Gift

2009-05-08T14:03:00.004-04:00

Isn't this gorgeous? This is what my mother is getting for Mother's Day. It's a 12mm trillion-cut mystic fire topaz pendant with matching 6mm post earrings. I finished it yesterday and just had to post it for all to see! Am I worried about Mom finding out before Sunday? Nope. My mother is 77 years old, but unlike some of her peers, she has steadfastly refused to jump on the computer bandwagon. Doesn't own one, isn't interested. Practically runs screaming in the opposite direction when I even mention the possibility!

Like I said, this particular pendant is for Mom, but if you love it/gotta have it, just let me know! I've got one more stone just like this and I'd be happy to set it for you!

Where Did The Time Go?

2009-05-06T13:57:00.006-04:00

Wow. Two weeks since my last post? I could have sworn it was only a week or so, and I was feeling guilty about that! But I'm looking at a calendar and there it is in black and white. Two weeks. Where did it go?

It's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing. And I haven't even been sitting around playing games on the computer (although sometimes I envy those who have the time to do that!) or web surfing, or even researching. I've been creating. The Muse is still with me, and I've got to go with it while it lasts! Not that I've ever had long stretches without it--I've been lucky because I love making my jewelry so much that it's hardly ever an effort. And even if a few days go by where I'm not in the mood to make something, I've always got plenty of other work to get done, so I'm never bored.

This past week I've made 14 wire bracelets (one is pictured above, and is available in my Etsy shop!), 16 strung bead bracelets, and 17 pairs of earrings. Plus two special orders. And I've got some gorgeous faceted stones sitting on my desk to make into pendants. That's next!
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My First Artfire Sale

2009-04-23T16:23:00.005-04:00

I set up a Studio on Artfire about 5 months ago. I have to admit that I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to it, only adding new items once or twice a month. I have many online venues to pay attention to, and Artfire is just another "basket" in which to put more of my "eggs". But I was delighted to see an email this morning announcing my first sale from my Artfire Studio! A little 5-Bead Ring like this one, in sterling silver. Size 3-1/2...can you believe it? Who has fingers that small?! Hey, if it's you, drop by and check out my stuff. I make almost all my rings in sizes 3 through 15!
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On A Roll

2009-04-22T09:42:00.005-04:00

I know it's been quite awhile since I posted, but I've got a good reason this time! I've been making stuff like crazy! And when The Muse strikes, I've learned to go with it.

In the past week, I've made 3 bracelets, 7 pendants, 31 pairs of earrings, and 9 anklets. Way too much to put all in one picture, so I just photographed the anklets. I have 13 different anklet styles available on the Chains page of my website. (The designs are also available in wrist and necklace sizes, too, but I sell more anklets than bracelets or full chains.)

So it's almost summer. Your shorts and sundresses are just begging for a little "ankle bling"! And you want something unique and different. You don't want to wear the same anklet styles as on every leg in town. Custom-fit to YOUR ankle size! Your choice of silver or gold, or both! Your choice of bead color--more than 30 colors to choose from! An affordable treat. Check them out!
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