Etsy Etcetera...Are You Following Me?

I joined Etsy just in time for Christmas but not in enough time to make a dent in sales for this season. Etsy is an on-line store where you can buy and sell all things handmade. There are books on Amazon about how to be successful on Etsy. I first heard about Etsy a couple years ago and I finally decided to give it a try with four necklaces posted. This social networking and on-line marketing stuff is kind of fun! Visit me on Etsy...

http://www.etsy.com

Etsy Seller Name: beadcentricjewelry

Beadcentric Jewelry is also on Blogger.com (as you can see), Twitter, and Facebook:

http://beadcentric.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/beadcentric

http://www.facebook.com/BeadcentricJewelry

Follow me! :-)

Silent Night is a Temptation

You would think that with the holiday season coming to a close I would be sick of Christmas music but quite the contrary. I dug out my old favorites and researched some new ones on i-tunes. Five days left until Christmas and that means there are four more days of Christmas music to play in my store. The sappier the better. Here is my list of top 10 favorites, old and new. 1."Silent Night" by the Temptations (1980)-the long version, is still my number one favorite. This soulful melody keeps me harmonizing and happy year after year. I hope I don't scare away any shoppers.

The rest are as follows: 2. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Jordin Sparks or Sara Evans; 3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Julianne Hough or Martina McBride; and I would be remiss if I did not mention my two favorite classics from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vincent Guaraldi Trio, 4. "Linus and Lucy" and 5. "Christmas is Here". Last year I became quite fond of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (T.S.O.) with three songs on my list: 6. "Christmas, Sarajevo 12/24", 7. "A Mad Russian's Christmas", and 8. "Joy of Man's Desire/Angels We Have heard on High". Of course, I have to throw in a Chipmunk song and that would be 9. "The Christmas Song". I especially like to play this song for one of my studio mates who writhes in pain every time. It's really fun to watch...hehehe. And last but not least, 10."Auld Lang Syne" by just about anyone. Dan Fogelberg is one of my old favorites and John Fahey plays a nice mellow guitar version.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Stretched Thin? Stretch Bracelets Are In!

Holy Toledo! These are flying off the shelves! Stretch bracelets are great inexpensive gifts and stocking stuffers. Most of them are made with good quality Czech or Cane glass, lead-free pewter or Sterling silver, and Swarovski crystal. Stop by my studio and pick up a few. There are a variety of colors and shapes from which to choose. What? I don't have your colors? Rummage through my bead drawers and let me help you design your new favorite bracelet in just minutes! Stop by tomorrow, Saturday, December 19th. We will be there from 11:00-5:00 for our annual "Last Saturday Before Christmas Open House". Visit my website for my regular hours and location: www.beadcentric.com or call for an appointment.

Gifts Need Not Come Between Husbands and Wives

Every year during the holidays the same dashing gentleman comes into my studio to buy his wife a necklace. He usually stops by my annual "Last Saturday Before Christmas Sale". This man looks through the jewelry and asks me what I think his wife would like. I advise him that she has picked a few favorites throughout the year and I have taken note. So this nice man picks out a necklace and matching earrings based on my recommendations and purchases them. I then ask him if he would like them in a matching colored box or gift pouch. He usually says a gift box would be great so all he has to do is tie a red ribbon around it and it's wrapped! The gentleman then thanks me for my help and I thank him for his business, kiss him on the cheek, and say "See you at home, honey!"

Under One's WINGS

Friday night I sold my jewelry at a fundraiser for WINGS at St. Charles Church and School in San Carlos. I had never heard of WINGS and when I "googled" WINGS I found a few entries but nothing local. WINGS stands for Women In God's Spirit. A nice lady there explained that it was a "club" for women to get together and talk about God and to strengthen their relationships with each other and God. The Fundraiser was quaint and very fun. There were a lot of gift baskets raffled and half of the craft vendors won a basket including me! Of course, I picked the one with the most chocolate and I did share it with my fellow vendors. Twelve tickets well worth the prize! I found the people to be very friendly and I hope that there will be more of a presence for this local branch of WINGS. We need more nice people in the world.

Raspberry Truffles and Lemon Scones

It is always fun to shop for jewelry especially when it is different than anything you can pick up in a department store. Be unique. Stop by Beadcentric Jewelry studio this weekend and pick up something different. 1045 Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos. Nearest cross street is Brittan. Together we can sip hot cider and nibble on raspberry truffles and lemon scones. Feast your eyes upon a colorful landscape. There is a lot to see and alot to try on... Open Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. both days. See you there! Bling! Bling!

It's What I Do

Beadcentric designs and produces handcrafted jewelry using Czech glass, pearls, semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystal combined with sterling silver, gold-filled or vermeil chains and findings. Color combinations range from elegantly soft and understated to boldly brilliant. Many pieces are custom designed and one-of-a-kind. What do you have in mind?