Tuesday in Tucson

Tuesday in Tucson

WOW! What a day! Karen signed both of us up for a polymer clay class. We left the condo at 7:00 a.m. sharp in eager anticipation. Karen is an accomplished polymer clay artist by my standards. I, on the other hand, had never touched the stuff and assumed it would be like playing with play dough in the old days. I can safely say I know how to roll up a worm or swirl it to make a ball. That was the extent of experience that I took into my first class filled with accomplished Polymer Clay artists a.k.a. enthusiasts.

The amount of tools and supplies that they wheeled into the classroom astounded me. Everyone set up their pasta machines and we never got to eat a single kind of pasta! I soon learned that the pasta machine would save a lot on blending and rolling out the clay. It was quite fun.

I learned how to condition the clay and then blend colors to create my own design. I love color and had no problem blending and mixing. Now the "accomplished artists" on the right hand side of us looked to be struggling quite a bit. They had clay flying as they stuffed it into a pasta machine that cried for mercy. I went in worried that I might be the one slowing the class down due to my inexperience but I will have you note, yours truly held her own.

So much of today's class took me back to my rubber stamping days when I taught my own classes. I felt at ease with the teacher. She was very personable and taught in a way that novice to experienced could learn and understand. Our instructor's name was Julie Picaarello and she taught us the technique of Mokume Gane.

We'd watch her demonstrate a technique and a list of steps and then we'd go back to our tables to execute it. Karen was very helpful and reminded me if I'd forgotten a step. We were allowed a half-hour lunch break just long enough to take the necessary break and eat a banana.

I was the lucky winner of the first band aid in the class. They should've known not to arm me with something sharp! Not that Karen didn't provide an indepth lesson on handling the tissue blades before we started. Of course I received I told you to be careful. *grin*

Before the class was over we were able to bake our new masterpiece (or not) called tribal pendant and learn how to make lizard tails out of our scrap clay. This technique required some of my skills that I came into the class with like rolling a snake. Phew!

What I took from the polymer clay class is the knowledge that it is an addiction of its own. It can require as many tools, clay colors and supplies as my rubber stamping and other beading additions.

Karen kept telling me not to get hooked because one polymer clay addict between the two of us was enough. I could get hooked but have to keep my focus on what lies ahead. My job is to create one-of-a-kind, heirloom quality treasures for Beads in a Box. And now I'm creating the Untapped Potential line designs. No more time for new addictions. (If I could only get addicted to weight loss and exercise!*smile*)

After our class Karen and I finally had a light lunch at 4:00 to keep us going so we could shop until 6:00. We went and saw our friend, Bill, at Cherry Tree Beads. We discussed our next venture of creating a wholesale line. He talked about what stones, lampwork and metals he could provide that he carried regularly. He also talked about pricing and delivery timelines. Then we hit the tables on the hunt for the treasures that hide beneath all the other stones. Many new stones to consider and our old favorites that sell great awaited us. Bill has quality stones and cuts available. We ran out of time and will finish shopping with him in the morning.

Tootles for now, Kyla

We've arrived in Tucson!

Here at last!

We were so excited to touch down in Tucson and not need our coats. It's 67 degrees and sunny. My kids are going to be so jealous when they see a picture of the car we are renting. A Ford Mustang and, no doubt, the coolest car in the lot.
I have to warn Karen to hold onto her cookies when I take off; it's got power. We started our hunt at the Village Originals tent where we traditionally start off buying our copper and silver findings every year. We had good luck there and found out that they will not be offering metals in the future. Something we've never done before is venture off to the other tents in that shopping area. We found some nice sterling silver earrings that our customers will love. Karen stopped dead in her tracks with pure bliss in her eyes when we found Austrian crystals. She was so in awe she could've bathed herself in all the glitz and sparklies coming from that area. Many colors and shapes were to be had. Hold us back! After an exhausting couple of hours we decided we couldn't take anymore. Remember we started our day at 4:00 a.m.

We thought we'd do some grocery shopping before we headed back for the night. Low and behold, half way through the store we realized we were in an all organic store! We are a little slow at this point. The realization came when we couldn't find our Diet Coke! Tragic! We got the heck out of Dodge and stopped at the nearby Italian restaurant. The shrimp marinara and shrimp scampi were wonderful enough to propel us back to the condo and get unloaded. Our condo has six remotes. Remember this country girl has only had three stations to choose from most of her life. Operating this high-tech system was quite a challenge. Just get a station we recognize. Karen and I sorted through all the treasures and cut the strands to put them in plastic baggies. Needless to say, we didn't last long into the night; we were tucked in by 9:00 p.m.
Tootles for now, Kyla

Tucson!

Kyla and Karen are off to Tucson --

They are on the hunt for beautiful and exotic stones to create with. It is fun and exciting, but tiring. Keep watching for updates on what "finds" they come across!

Janice

My Turn & Thoughts

I am finally able to sign in; until now, I couldn't get where I needed to be to add a thought or two. When Internet Explorer didn't want to let me sign in; Brandy, our tech, downloaded Mozilla FireFox and here I am! So, what do I want to share and more importantly what would you be interested in reading.

As I've read Kyla's postings and felt her passion, humor, and enthusiasm; I wonder what do I bring to our blog. One thing is my commitment to the path we are taking and how important it can and will be as we create our future for our jewelry endeavor. Another is the assurance that when you find the right combination of talent, hard work, and flexibility you can achieve your dream. One of my favorite sayings is "whether you think you can or you think you can't; either way you are right!" We think and believe we can.

We had a need that drove our vision 5 1/2 years ago and the path we turned down was all about personal adornment or jewelry. While this direction received mixed reviews from our co-workers; we got full board support and approval. Our journey hasn't been an easy one. But, it has been filled with people who understood what we wanted to accomplish and supported us through their praise, suggestions and purchasing our jewelry. What I am most proud of is all of the connections made across the country through our jewelry. So, I plan to talk about the journey, the dream, and our future. This photo is one of our first booths at our Holiday Splendor craft show and the one above is a display we set up to showcase our jewelry.

We welcome your comments; suggestions, ideas and potential partners that may want to display and sell our jewelry. This helps us to improve what we do as we continue our journey.

Wishing you a creative day, Karen

Hello from the Lincoln Women’s Expo

Hi there from sunny Lincoln, NE, not! My daughter Sadie and I are working the Lincoln Women's Expo. We set up our booths on Friday afternoon for the Saturday and Sunday show. We were excited to see that we were right next to the staging area. We knew what that meant right away. "Elvis!" Yes, he was in the building.
Joseph Hall, an Elvis impersonator, had scheduled shows for both days. At the last show he was at, our booth was in a different building and we couldn't enjoy it at all. Not this time. WOW, was he gorgeous! I thought maybe even better than the real deal. I was corrected by a seasoned lady that Elvis was pretty hot in his early days, too.

My friends tease me about my uncanny radar when it comes to noticing special attributes about people. In my travelings, I love to watch people. Now, I never intentionally look for strange and interesting things; I think they just find me. The fun is telling my friends when I return because they are sure to ask what "sitings" I had on this trip. (Sorry, I can't tell you about my sitings in Philadelphia last September. There would be too many "beeps.") Saturday at the expo I was just sure this lady was going to be an act on the nearby stage. I could tell by her 1/2" thick perfectly painted on arched brown eyebrows that she was going for the dramatic look. Nope, I was wrong. She was in the "Elvis" fan club!

It doesn't matter how far away I am from home, I can always make a connection somehow with people. Returning to this show after being in it last September, I remembered some previous customers and even what they bought. They were impressed with my memory. They don't know that I can't remember to balance my checkbook or get the oil changed on a regular basis.

When our shows are in towns with Community Action, it is always easier to explain who we are and what we are about. We were able to reference Lincoln Action Program which most people were familiar with. Sadie visited with a local salon owner about becoming a vendor for our jewelry. We’ll see where that goes. The Lincoln Women’s Expo was a great show and had a lot to offer attendees. I wish the promoters success in the future in building their following. Once again we were blessed with a spectacular performance from the Lincolnaire Chorus. They sing so beautifully. I’ve included a picture of them serenading our booth. We had good sales and look forward to doing this show again next year. Sunday afternoon the wind turned cold and the flurries started. The wind put up a nasty fight on the way home.

It was amazing to see the ease in which Sadie can talk about our agency and the jewelry. She’s a natural salesperson. She, too, truly believes in our mission and is a great advocate. Makes her momma proud!

Tootles for now, Kyla

Lincoln Women's Expo going on this weekend!

Kyla is on her way to the Lincoln Women's Expo -- come visit us Saturday January 23rd from 10 until 6 or Sunday 10 until 5 -- lots of fun and information!

FINISHING UP IN NEW ORLEANS

At the reception on Wednesday night we were entertained by many stories from a gentleman who lives in Hollywood. I could have listened to him all night; I was intrigued. He lives neighbors to Erin Moran who played on Happy Days. Remember Joanie and Chachi? We turned in fairly early and were up and at it Thursday morning. Customers couldn’t wait to see if we brought anything new. Unfortunately, we underestimated our success and didn’t bring enough inventory. At lunch time while Karen was in a session, I made a quick change and moved our two tables of sparse inventory onto one. I quickly dragged the table off and waited to see how many customers noticed. It’s amazing to know that they thought we had added new things! Over all we doubled our sales from our experience in New Orleans last year! We were able to consolidate two boxes into one to ship home. That evening Karen and I were joined by Lois, Mary and Jan. We made our trek down Bourbon Street and definitely enjoyed the sites. (We were taken aback by a few!) Our destination was our favorite, the Red Fish Grill. They were packed and with good reason; it’s delicious New Orleans flavor. Barbecued oysters, seafood gumbo, blackened gulf fish to tempt our palettes … just enough that we couldn’t make room for their famous bread pudding. A hippie groovy store demanded our attention on our walk back to the hotel. I can’t tell you about some of the groovy stuff I saw as I’d get “bleeped.” The tie-dyed clothes took us back. My teenage girls love it these days. We did thoroughly enjoy the local talent along Bourbon Street. It’s amazing what these young musicians can create their tempos on. Who knew 5-gallon buckets made professional-sounding drums? The temperature was very comfortable for an evening stroll.

Friday morning was our travel home day. It started at 7:30 a.m. with a wild taxi cab drive. If I wasn’t awake before, I definitely was snapped into reality. I think our cabby drove 55 mph between stop lights slamming on the breaks at each light. I could handle that. It was the going 75mph on the 60mph interstate, weaving in and out that shook my dentures. I wore a hole in the foot board of the taxi when he took the off ramp doing 60 on the 35mph curves. Couldn't make my living doing that every day! I’ll stick to selling jewelry! We had time for a little breakfast before we took off. Holy Cow! One place had water for $4.50 and the other place for the same size was $1.99. Too bad I didn’t do my research beforehand. Gotcha! Our flight from New Orleans to Denver was eventful for me. I’m not supposed to tell you that I got locked in the restroom in the back of the plane for 15 minutes while our plane experienced a long stretch of turbulence. Karen wondered what happen to me - I had been instructed to “stay put.” (What better place to be if you’re scared to death! HA! HA!) In Denver we had a 4-hour layover. It was spent checking out the shops especially the jewelry stores. They have incredible gemstone jewelry. We studied the stones, designs and prices. It made us even more excited for our upcoming trip to Tucson, Arizona, January 31 thru February 7th.

Tootles for now, Kyla