A Second Cup of Coffee Friday Morning

This has been one of those weeks:

1) Joan, the other Brass Flower in the Vase, has been in Hawaii this past week,

2) Two of my credit card numbers were stolen and the thieves had a grand old time on my dollars (wishing them very bad juju!),

3) I have piles and piles of patina'ed brass which needs hand-buffing and bagging. Your Orders are in the mail..... (thank you very much!)

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4) Poor Randy hasn't had a decent meal in I-don't-know-how-long,

5) My house looks like a de-militarized zone,

6) I ordered a zippy new stock rack with 420 bins and it arrived all bent and broken, arrrghhhhh!

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But..........here it is Friday morning. It's quiet. I'm blogging. And I've got a second cup of Java on my desk. Everything is right with the world for this moment.

I just don't care about any of that right now. It's Autumn. The trees are ablaze with color. The air is crispy cool and moist and you can see your breath when you talk. I'm in love with October. And that's how I'm going to get through today.

But then: As I keep looking around my office which has so many piles of papers and file folders of invoices that need filing...EERK!

And then I'll soon walk back into my studio and see those piles of brass which need attending. OMG!!!!!

And then when I get jealous at Joan for sitting on a sandy beach, drinking fancy blue drinks with those little paper umbrellas......

And, darn it all.....I need a haircut!

HEY! Jill.....take a look outside!! Remember, you are in love with October???? Whew! Almost lost my cool there. Ok.. I'm much better now.

Hey, Where's that coffee cup of mine? I'm going to take a walk outside with it and talk to my old friend, Mr. Fluffy, the resident squirrel and see what's shakin'. He's always good for a laugh or two.

Until Next Time: Pay It Forward -- Jill

Embracing the Rock with Jewelry:

I love it when Friends send me photographs of what they are making. A friend, Christy, sent in this gorgeous necklace.

Christy used my "Mermaid in the Kelp" pendant along with all kinds of goodies to create what she calls a "very new age" necklace.

When I wrote Christy, knowing that her company name is "Embrace the Rock," I said "Is the mermaid embracing the neck?" She replied "The mermaid absolutely 'embraces the neck'! I love that line, can I use that when I list this piece for sale?" Christy's work can be found at Etsy.

Have a great weekend! Keep sending in your comments, photographs and stories about yourselves. You too can become a "star".....

Visit the Website at: http://www.brassbouquet.com/
Comments send to: brassbouquet@comcast.net

Photos: jpeg at approximately 500dpi: brassbouquet@comcast.net

Finding New Routes On Economic Rough Roads

When jewelry artist Kalli Crawford and her friends Amy Schwab and Lori Christensen decided to hold a few home parties, they had no idea where it would lead them. Kalli, Amy and Lori have fine-tuned the art of home parties and are reaping the rewards of excellent marketing skills, beautiful hand-crafted merchandise and networking. (in other words: hard work and determination)

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Kalli told me in a recent interview that the three of them hold home parties for an evening/afternoon of fun, refreshments and selling. Kalli brings in her beautifully crafted vintage-aged brass and sterling silver jewelry. Lori has a unique line of stationary, (http://www.cardeblanche.com/) and Amy dazzles the group with handmade cloth belts and headbands (http://www.amyschwabdesigns.com/). Kalli says they always send a "housewarming gift" prior to the event so the host can show friends a sample of what products are coming to the show to pique their interest and get the guests jazzed for shopping. Plus it's really a nice way to thank the host in advance for hosting the event. The host receives 10% from the sale receipts. And, usually a guest at the party will ask to host a party in the future which, of course, is the big bonus for Kalli, Amy and Lori. Kalli says this has been a very successful program and parties have been springing up from as far away as Portland and Seattle from their home base in the Bay Area of California.

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Since starting these home parties, guests have invited them to other untapped sites to hold sales, such as wineries and philanthropic fund-raisers. Networking!! Kalli says networking is the key. "Meeting people and knowing people in different environments is extremely helpful in finding new places to hold sales."

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I thank Kalli for sharing this great story with me and wish she, Amy and Lori continued success in the future. Be sure to visit their websites when you get an opportunity. Kalli's site is still a work in progress (don't we all know about that?)

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HOW DO YOU SELL YOUR HAND-MADE

JEWELRY ARTS?
I'd like to know! Email me at brassbouquet@comcast.net and tell me a little bit about yourself. If I find your story interesting, I will call and interview you.....You could be featured in my blog and become somewhat famous. Ok-- maybe sort of famous. Well, whatever! :-)

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Check out my website for my always-incredible hand-patina'ed brass at http://www.brassbouquet.com/

Send comments to Jill at brassbouquet@comcast.net

and remember, until next time: Pay it Forward