Come See my Lastest Designs

Here is an updated list of shows I am participating in. Come see my lastest designs and start your holiday shopping.

Nov 19 - Gwynedd Mercy Academy HS, 1345 Sumnetown Pike, 6-9pm

Nov 21 - private home show

Nov 22 - St Rose of Lima, 428 S Main St, North Wales, 8:30am - 3pm

Dec 4 - St. Stanislaus, 493 E Main St, Lansdale, 5:30-10 pm

Dec 5-6 - Epiphany of Our Lord, 3040 Walton Rd, Plymouth Mtg, Sat 9:30-4, Sunday, 8-2pm

Do you know what makes crystals shine?

Wear Sparkling Crystal Jewelry for the Holidays
‘Tis the season to sparkle and shine. I love the look of crystal jewelry at this time of year. Although there are several nice crystals on the market, my favorite is Swarovski Crystals. I use Swarovski Crystals almost exclusively in my jewelry designs. Whether I spotlight one brilliant crystal bead as a focal or weave many into a design for maximum dazzle, a crystal jewelry piece is always a surefire way to enhance that holiday outfit.

Many Swarovski Crystal lovers believe that the raw material used in their manufacture occurs naturally, like rock crystal. However, Swarovski Crystals are not a natural crystal but are man made. They are made at the factory in Wattens, Austria, using a basic formula perfected by Daniel Swarovski and his three sons in the earlier part of this century

Do you know what makes crystals shine? When crystals are made, the more precisely the faceted edges meet, the more dazzling the crystals appear. Swarovski Crystals are fired using a combination of natural minerals and quartz sand, and then cooled slowly to avoid stress and inclusions. The factor that sets Swarovski Crystals apart is the superior quality of the cutting and polishing. Crystals are more expensive than glass because crystal quality is dependent on the production method and the processing of the raw material. Both factors play a major role in determining its brilliance and the measure of its value.

Busy Fall Schedule

I've been very bad about posting any new material here. But I do have a very good excuse. The Jewelry business has been keeping me very busy.....always a very good thing. Also, I've been working on my Fall Events Schedule. October is manageable but my November calendar is getting full. Here is a list of events I will be participating in. I hope to see lots of old friends and make lots of new ones.

September 19 - Copper Partridge (Sellersville) Anniversary Celebration
September 20 - Sellersville Gallery of the Arts, Downtown Sellersville, 12-5 p.m.
October 3-4 - Skippack Days, Downtown Skippack (tentative)
October 30 - J&J, Horsham
November 1 – Father Judge High School Fall Craft Show; 3301 Solly Ave., Philadelphia; Sunday 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
November 7-8 – Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School Holiday Craft Fair, Doylestown; Saturday, Nov 7th 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, Nov 8th 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
November 13 - Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Christmas Shopping Night; Upper State Rd, Montgomeryville, Friday 7-10 p.m.
November 14-21 – Chalfont Holiday Craft Boutique, 181 Park Ave, Chalfont (off of Limekiln Pike); Weekdays 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
November 19 - Gwynedd Mercy Academy Shopping Night, Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd Valley, 6-9 p.m.
November 21 - Private Home Show
December 5-6 – Epiphany of our Lord Christmas Craft Show, 3040 Walton Rd., Plymouth Meeting; Saturday 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Circle Madness Necklace

Back on Track

Sorry there was no new post in July. Most of the month was spent taking new pictures of my pieces and retyping inventory sheets and files that I lost because of my hard drive crash. Now that I am back on track and organized again, I will be posting some articles such as "How to take care of your Pearls" and "What is Stabilized Turquoise?" I hope you find these articles interesting and informative.

In the meantime, I am posting a picture of one of my new necklace designs that I call "Circle Madness." It's a fun piece done in silver plated chain with wooden, ceramic and Mother of Pearl beads. These long necklaces are so popular right now. Look in any fashion magazine, and you'll see them on movie stars and celebrities.

HARD DRIVE CRASH

Sometimes, you just have to learn things the hard way. Two weeks ago, my computer hard drive started making a terrible crunching noise. Immediately, I knew this couldn't be good. Thank goodness I was too busy to panic. I was preparing for the next day's Aloha Event sponsored by the MCCC Women-Owned Business Network. The event was a huge success. I met some great people, had the pleasure of hearing Lynne Doyle speak, and made some jewelry sales. The main purpose for my participation as a vendor was to show my jewelry and help brand my Ciao Bella Jewelry name. The fact that I made some great sales along with some great networking contacts was an added bonus. The whole evening was so much fun.

However, the next day I was back facing my computer problem. For a $50 diagnosis, I got to hear those dreaded words from a computer geek......."your hard drive is corrupt and we're unable to retrieve any files." Just the week before, I thought to myself, "Gee, I really should backup all my files." Did I do it? Of course not. Like I said, "Sometimes, you just have to learn things the hard way."

I now have a new hard drive and a brand new external hard drive for backup. I was very lucky to have a friend's son help me out with the repair. I would have had to spend a lot more money to get a new computer and all new software. Although I now have to recreate all my inventory sheets, vendor files, and marketing materials, it's not the end of the world. I also have to take new pictures of my jewelry inventory. At least I have printed pictures of all my designs.

Take a tip from me.......BACK IT UP.

Aloha Event June 3, 2009

I am so excited about the upcoming Aloha event this Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. at Montgomery County Community College. It's being organized by the MCCC's Woman-Owned Business Network of which I am a member. I will be one of 50 vendors at this business to business networking event. We're hoping to attract a great mix of professionals. Please contact me for more info. Hope to see you there!

Bad News/Good News

Well, the bad news is that one of my retailers, Green Tomatoes, is closing this weekend. I just got the premier spot in the shop and set up my new booth this month. I love the store and will miss selling there as well as shopping there myself. The good news is that my jewelry pieces have been flying off the shelf since people heard it is closing......best month of sales in the entire two years I've been there. The other good news is that now I don't have to scramble to make a lot more jewelry for my June 3rd Event at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell. The event has been organized by the MCCC Woman-Owned Business Network of which I am a member. Admission is free and it runs from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. You can attend two out of four seminars: "The 30-Minute Marketing Plan" by Square 2 Marketing, or "Candy Making. It's not JUST for Kids" by Kathy's Just Desserts. The other two seminars are: "Your Bottom Line from the Inside Out" by The Paula G Company or "To Grow Your Wealth, Ensure Your Heath" by Juice Plus. The keynote speaker at 6 p.m. is Lynn Doyle, host of "It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle." There will be door prizes, over 30 vendor tables, free massage, and complementary Daycare . You can contact me for more info.