Inspiration

I guess walking in to a bead store can be a bit overwhelming. I see the glazed over looks on my customers faces all the time. I easily come up with pieces to make but then again I have an entire store at my disposal. My customers really enjoy it when I make up samples that they can use for inspiration or to out right copy - it's ok, really it is! One thing I'm trying to show is how easy it is to come up with pieces with what I've got on hand. Every month I will be taking a copy of a bead magazine or a fashion magazine, finding a cool piece in it and trying to come up with a similar version with what I've got in the store. This month you'll find these cool earrings.  I found this picture of a pair of beautiful earrings from a recent US magazine.  Nice if you have an extra $525 kicking around!  I did my own take on them and I think they look pretty good!  I used Tierra cast frames, glued in some Swarovski crystal rivoli's in Crystal Golden Shadow and added a pair of earwires.  The best part it that they cost less than $20 to make! Use this as inspiration for your own piece or just to spark a bit of imagination. Have fun and bead inspired!

We are growing!

It's official - I've run out of room in my cute little store! While away on my little mini get away at Christmas I of course had to buy beads along the way. I found this AMAZING new vendor and I spent a ridiculous amount of money on new beads, pewter charms and loads and loads of copper beads. I dragged them in to the store and thought "where do I put them". The sad thing is that I have no more room. So, time to add more room! I was off shopping all this week and bought a bunch of stuff to make room for all the new goodies I will have coming in over the next 2 months....Tucson is just 3 weeks away! Wahoo!! Sorry, travels to Tucson bring out the silly shopper in me. Here are the photo's of the loads of new fixtures. I'll post what it looks like when it's all done. I can't wait for the new look and all the new display room.

Cancer Fundraiser

One of the best parts of owning a bead store has been all the wonderful people I've met. I love getting to know more about everyone, their lives, families etc. I've had the pleasure of getting to know a very special lady by the name of Alaine. Alaine has been battling a rare form of lung cancer and during her recovery she was looking for something to keep her busy. She came across an idea for making bracelets out of old silver spoons and thought "I can to that". Well, she did! With the help of her husband Kelly (great name huh?)she bends and shapes the spoons she's collected in to the most fabulous bracelets. She adds a sterling silver charm, maybe a bead or a cancer ribbon charm, a magnetic clasp and a beautiful bracelet is born! The most amazing part is that Alaine donates 100% of the money she makes from the sale of the bracelet to cancer research. How fantastic is that? Alaine popped by the store yesterday and dropped off 4 gorgeous bracelets for me to sell to my customers. They are $40 each and every dime will go to cancer research. Pop by the store, try one on - you'll love them! Also, if you are digging through your China cabinet, or perhaps your Grandmas, and come across any silver or silver plated spoons you'd like to donate I will happily take them off your hands and pass them along to Alaine. The only thing required is that they come in a pair of two and are not stainless steel. Forks, large spoons, small spoons, even demitasse spoons would work.

Giving Back

I've has always felt it was important to give to those in need. Sometimes we can give in small ways that we had never thought of! One of those ways is in donating your small toiletry samples you receive while staying in hotels. These samples are collected and then distributed in a few different ways. Some are given to womens shelters where women in distress seek refuge, others are given to those living on the streets of Vancouver - everyone deserves to feel clean don't they? The rest are packaged up and sent to foreign countries for those less fortunate than us. If you travel, simply take along your own bar of soap, shampoo and conditioners. Remove the toiletries left by the hotel on a daily basis - a few nights at a hotel can fill up a small bag! Bring the bag of toiletries to Kellie's Bead Boutique where they will be passed along by me. A small gesture that can mean so much to those that need them.

New Year - more posts?

I made a vow last year to try and write more but I think I was a bit delusional! Starting up a bead store is a daunting task and it was all consumming for me. I think I've finally found my groove so I'm hoping that this will be the start of more posts......don't hold me to it though!!

My hubby and I decided to take a bit of a break over the Christmas holidays and we headed south to California to visit my Father. On our return trip home I asked my husband to indulge me and let me see as many bead stores along the way that I could. I found some very nice stores in towns that were so small they only had one gas station - who would have thought they'd have a bead store!! I found some rather disorganized and cluttered stores but mostly I found pleasant owners, cheery staff and loads and loads of cool beads! I popped by two stores where I know the owners. Carole from String Bead in Chico, California and Dusti from Beads at Dusti Creek in Portland, Oregan. Both these ladies have done a fabulous job with their stores. Carole has a workshop that made me green with envy and Dusti has used every bit of space to it's full potential - an organizers dream! It gave me some great ideas on how to improve my store and the first thing I did yesterday was rearrange my chain. Thanks Carole for the great idea. Lots more to come, now if I can only find time to do everything I want!

Class teaser

One of the more challenging parts of owning a store is coming up with projects for my classes. I have tons of ideas swirling around my head but with silver costs being so high these days I've had to tone down some of my designs. This has me using copper for just about everything! I had no idea what I was going to make today but after playing around a bit this is what I came up with. My version of an "urban dog tag". Hope you like it!