Southern California Bead Shop Hop day 2

Gene is determined we are going to get to all 12 stores left on the list today.  We wake up around six am, and get everything packed and on the road by 7:30.  According to his calculations we’ll make it to the store in Palm Desert before they open the doors.  After a quick stop at a Carl’s Junior drive-thru for breakfast, we’re on the road.  This man who drives like an old grandpa is flying like a bat out of hell.  I’m in the back seat typing on my computer being thrown this way and that.    It is a narrow winding road through some beautiful scenery before we hit the desert.  We think we’re making really good time when gps tells us to pull into a trailer park.  Hmmmm?  We struggle to follow the directions and we end up in front of someone’s

trailer.  I’m sure this isn’t it.  I’m getting ready to call and ask them where we go, when we decided that if we type the store name in we might get a different result.  Yep.  We’re 20 minutes away from the store, and it isn’t in someone’s livingroom.  We get to the store right at 10:00, and in we go to Monica’s quilt & Bead Crations.  Their theme is Betty Crocker’s cook books, any of them.  They have some cute cooking charms that I simply can’t resist.  I peruse the stone donuts to wire wrap.  They have some cute mother of pearl carved flowers that catch my eye, but I already have a bunch of those that I really need to turn into jewelry.    They have quite a selection of intricately carved bone beads.  I’d love to stay and browse, but I’m already over my time limit.  I just didn’t want to drive all that way just to get a stamp on my passport.  Boy am I glad we hit this one first thing.  The hottest climate of all the shops, and it’s already unbearably hot.  On to a Rolling Stone one hour drive. 

Before I even entered the, I was loving the wind chimes that were hanging outside of the store.  Most of them used vintage silverware for the chimes, but some of them used keys.  Once inside the store there were more wind chimes.  I love them!  I’ve made one wind chime, and was gearing up to make more after my last trip down to the Oceanside Farmer’s market I saw some nice ones.  This store had a side room with snacks and “Grandmother” from little red riding hood.  You spin a wheel for your discount and a prize when you purchase.  Also with a minimum purchase there are Coke bottle top necklaces with Little Red Riding hood pictures in them.  They have lots of vintage buttons and clip on earrings as well as vintage jewelry.

As I approached  the Garden of Beaden I noticed more wind chimes and some hanging candle holders.  We entered the Jungle Book!  The charm was a cute little monkey.  I’m sort of partial to monkeys.  Then we were shown the snacks, and I believe this was the first one with some healthy snacks thrown in with the chocolate.  There was fruit as well as veggie sticks.  Of course I went straight for the Mr. Goodbar minis.  The make and takes were really cute, they had two types of charms that were Genie bottles, and a key fob made with leather strips and flowers riveted together.  There was a trunk show for passion for paper beads, and the woman who owns it was there showing someone who had come a long distance to get tips on making the beads.  I picked up her card to check out her youtube videos.  The owners were so impressed that we had come all the way from Vegas, that she wanted to take our picture.  I guess I need to watch their website for our photo.

Bead it!   Was spotlighting Black beauty, and as I neared the front door I see next to the bale of hay there is a tiny little black pony. They were getting pictures of all of the hoppers with the pony, and they will be posting it online.  Sorry I don’t remember what they said about that.  As soon as I entered the store I’m given a black bag with a coupon offered a snack, some cold water, and my charm. She points to a discount table and tells me of the gifts with a $15 purchase.  I’m told to head to the back table where there is FREE make and take.  It’s a little charm beaded in a spiral stitch and a horseshoe charm at the end.  Knowing that we’re trying to get all of the stores in, they offered to let me take it with me, with instructions.  NICE!!!  So I make my purchase, get my free gifts, and we’re off to the San Gabriel Bead company.   We thought the phone said about 20 minutes, but when we looked again it was saying almost 30.  Uh oh!

As we neared the location the phone was telling us to go, we just knew it was telling us wrong, because the address is in the 300 block, and we were in the 4100 block.  All of a sudden the addresses went from the 4000s to the 500s.  I’m really trying to rush, because Gene is still thinking we can get to all of the stores.  I’m directed right to the table to get my charm and my passport stamped.  The trunk show is right there, so I start looking.  There are stones galore.  I start asking for specifics, and one after another He doesn’t have what I’m looking for.  Then I see it!  Vintage Czech glass graduated pearls.  $3 and $4.50 a strand!!!!.  I take all that he has.  Yes, I’m spending my fortune!!!  I’ve got a lot of pearl knotting in my future!  After I had already made my purchase I made a once around the store, and was torn, because I really felt familiar, and comfortable with the types of materials and components that were sold there.   They’d already given me a free make and take right with the check in.  They did a great job.  Oh yeah, the theme was Secret Garden, and the make and take was seed beads in a seed envelope.  Really cute idea!  I look again at the paper they handed me, and I realize that there are more freebies.  There are 3 free patterns there just waiting to be picked up.   I want to stay, but we have more shops to hop to.  I’m starting to see that it’s impossible to hit all of the stores today.   Soon I’ll have to break the news to Gene.  He’s repeated several times how much fun he’s having.  Yes, you read that right.  He’s not just tolerating it and being a good sport, He’s actually having fun!  He said it was sort of like a scavenger hunt.  It really is.  We’re off to the Castle  the Creative Castle.  I wonder what book they’ve chosen.

Apparently all of the crazy driving and the battery popping out of my computer not once, but twice, I’ve lost a few hours worth of blogging.  I’ll have to try to remember and reconstruct what happened.  When I opened it this time, it looked normal, but it said read only.  It was letting me type, but maybe that’s what happened after the battery fell out the first time.  Time to reconstruct.

Creative Castle had a trunk show with Swarovski rivolis, cameos, shibori ribbon, and suede.  I found some peacock eye rivolis, and some cameos that caught my eye.  Their theme was the secret life of bees, and I got a nice little bee charm.  I bought a few charms, a stone donut and some lacy stiff stuff.

Beadiak I was greeted by a hearty Aloha.  I asked if we were in Hawaii, and was assured that we were.  The book was Hawaii by James Michener.  On the table to the right, there was a platter of Spam Musubi.  I knew when Gene made it inside that he would want some.  He walked in, and he was mesmerized staring at the tasty morsels.  The lady who made them was happy that someone wanted them.  Most of the people had no clue what they were.  I think she even told him how to make them.  I found some copper charms that I can’t remember now the name of the finish, but I had typed it before.  Lol. 

Beadahs  was a challenge to get to, because we were here on a Saturday evening at dinner time.  We were right on Wilshire BLVD where all the beautiful people go to be seen.  The gps told us we had arrived when we were square in the middle of an intersection.   We got stopped at the next light, so I got out and walked to the store.  Gene was gonna try to find a parking spot, but if he couldn’t, I was supposed to meet him at the corner.  My phone was on silent, don’t ask me how that happened, and he tried 4 times to call me.  Then I tried to call him to tell him where the parking was.  He was driving and was yelling at his phone that was on speaker.  Can you picture that.  Well he didn’t hear that I was telling him where to park, he thought I was telling him where to find me.  He drove around and around, and called back and asked where I was.  Eventually he made his way into the Great Gatsby!  They had some really cute earrings for the free make and take.  I even bought a couple of extra kits.  For a moment I thought they would have a donut in the Pink Crazy lace agate.  They had geometric shapes in that stone, they had flat round beads in that stone, they had at least two dozen donuts on display with more under the counter, but no luck. They had no donuts in the Pink Crazy lace agate.  After playing their version of beer pong with green olive colored ping pong balls into the martini glasses, and neither of us were successful, we rushed off to …. To find the car.  It wasn’t on the third level, and the elevator didn’t believe we really wanted to go from the 3^rd to the 4^th level.  Don’t they know sometimes people get off on the wrong floor and need to go up one more floor?  We punched the last store we expected to go to into the gps.  Too late.  Then we punched a closer one in.  maybe we could make it?  We headed out.  I asked Gene why everyone was passing him, and I could tell that he wasn’t having so much fun anymore.  As we finally pulled up in front of the store, I was so disappointed to see that it was less than 5 minutes after 7 and they were still in there.  So close, but yet so far.  I saw a poster for the collective works of……Emily Dickenson.  At least if it were Edgar Allen Poe, I could have quote the Raven and just said Never more. 

Then end of another long day hopping.  Gene really did seem to be having fun.  He even is trying to figure out a way to come back on Friday.  I really appreciate his commitment to me, and to our family.  

 

 Here's the view at Peperdine University as we drove past.

Southern California Bead Shop Hop 2014 Day 1

I woke up excited and ready to hop.  We were dressed and out the door before 9:00.  The stores opened at 10:00.  Not only did we have time to get breakfast, but we had time to sit and eat it.  We went to Angelos burgers.  That’s one of those places that we would usually use the drive-thru, but today we were going inside.  The whole time we were eating, I was ansty, like we were in a hurry. 

 We were the first ones through the door at Ocean Sky beads in Oceanside.  I already knew their book was Charlotte’s Web.  The owner had made some beautiful wire spider’s web signs with the word beads, and the names of the people who work there.  I had thought that I had my blinders on, but as soon as I walked through the door, her dollar box lured me in, and I quickly filled up a tray full of shiny baubles.  I had purchased enough to play 5 carnival games and get a free prize!  Yay!  I let Gene play the carnival games, and we got a free prize at each of those games.  I knew we were in a hurry, so we scampered off to Ocean Sky beads in Carlsbad.

I was greeted by the Queen of Hearts and her over top costume and faux Royal accent.  She made it loads of fun.  She offered to let us play croquet with the pink flamingos as mallots, and then a game of “Utter nonsense” where you utter nonsense to win up to 3 charms.  I decided to do the make and take here.  Then we scurried off to Oskadusa.

When I saw the name, I expected to be greeted by a quiet Japanese woman.  Instead I was greeted by a little mermaid complete with a tail and long hair with pink highlights.   When we arrived it was difficult to find, because there was a big truck parked right on the sidewalk in front of the store, but by now I’m sure it’s easy to find, because that truck had guys installing the “Beads” sign.    I asked the owner if there were any significance to the name Oskadusa.  I was told that her aunt was given a doll that was made by her mother who was the grandmother of the owner.  She had made this doll, and her arms and legs were too long, and she was a floppy doll.  The aunt(sorry I don’t remember names, I heard so many new names today.) who was under 6 years old had named the doll Oskadusa.  When she was just 6 years old her mother who had lovingly made this doll passed away of ALS, and this doll is what she had to remember her mother for the rest of her life.  The store was named after the doll in honor of her grandmother.

On the way to the next store we passed the San Diego LDS temple.  What a beautiful edifice!  If we had planned better, we would have been headed north, and would have had a great photo opportunity.  Headed south, the angle doesn’t have the pretty plants showing, just bridges and other buildings.    

At Beads & More we were greeted by Thing 1 and Thing 2.  We were immediately told of the make and take, the deals and gifts, and shown the game to start.  I wanted to take pictures of the game, but after asking if it was ok, they suggested that I would have people posting the answers to the clues.  Clearly he thinks I have a bigger following than I do.  There were 12 numbered piles of charms, and each one represented a movie.  Then there was a 13^th bonus movie clue.  I knew Shae from Sweet Beads in Las Vegas would love this game, because she is such a movie buff!  I decided to do the make and take bookmark.  It was so cute, I couldn’t resist.  Then we had to scurry off to The Beading Bar.

The store was neat and well organized, and when I first entered I thought that they hadn’t gotten the memo about book themes.  The man behind the counter was wearing a conservative button up shirt with a gray tie, and the woman was nicely dressed in business attire.  The greeted us politely, and just sort of waited for us to say something.  Now I know they were waiting for us to guess the name of their book.  Since none of the others had really made us guess, it threw me for a loop.  They handed me the charm, which was a pair of handcuffs, and continued to wait.  Finally they asked if I knew what book it was.  Oh, all of this was the book.  Since they wanted me to guess, I guess I’ll let you guess as well.  I must say they did have an impressive collection of handcuffs.  The gentleman also told me that one of the stores I was headed for was the Bible, and I could gain redemption from their book there.

I was a little bit disappointed when we got to the Bouncing Bead that they didn’t have the Bible waiting for me.  Theirs was Pet Cemetery, and there were a couple of fun ladies working there.  I found their clearance table, and I was thanked for taking the EZ necklace sizer off of their hands.  They had had it for a long time, and were glad to see it go.  I mentioned that I really needed one for bracelets.  She walked into the back room and came back with an old one, and said if I wanted it, that I could have it.  It was cracked, and in need of some TLC.  As with most if not all of the stores, there was a gift for spending $15, and I got a bead mat in a color that I actually like! 

Bead Gallery had no parking in the front, so Gene dropped me off and headed to park the car.  I walked past the skeleton sitting on the bench who was waiting for his wife to finish beading.  Their book was Mars vs Venus.  There was lots of chocolate there.  They had a pretty bracelet for a make and take that reminded me of Saturn’s rings, so I decided to sit and learn how to start it while I waited for Gene to park the car.  My phone battery had died, so not only did I not take a picture of the store, but I didn’t know that Gene was texting me trying to find out where the parking was for this store.  As I was making the bracelet, the woman who was teaching me, commented that she was more worried about my husband than I was.  She sent out the posse to find him.  He didn’t recognize the parking lot as being for this store, and it had a sign that it was only for the stores in this center.  By the second time someone saw him, he had found that the flyer for the hop describes the parking, and he was ready to come inside.  As soon as he arrived, we took a quick picture and scooted off.  The next leg of the hop was a little bit longer, and my foot was beginning to swell, so I hopped into the back seat to put my legs up.

At the Dancing Bear Indian Trader I was immediately greeted by quotes from Harry Potter.  I was taken back to the choosing hat where I was given Gryffindor.  I then had to choose my challenge, which was Quiddich practice.  I wasn’t so good at that, only one ball in.  Gene also got Gryffindor, and his challenge was to find the *creature* like a baby  spider.  Their make and takes were great for their theme.  There were hair picks or wands made with chop sticks.  I bought some materials to make mine later.  They had Kumihimo bracelets in the house colors, and they had a wire wrapped *something*tooth.   I’m not into Harry Potter enough to remember the names of these things, but it was really cute.  I got a star candy wand and other things I can’t remember for spending my $15.  We were given a coupon good for FREE chicken teriyaki sliders at Surf Brothers just a few doors down in the same shopping center.  Boy did that come at the right time.  We’d been having lots of sweet snacks, so we weren’t starving, but needed some protein!  Thanks Surf Brothers and Dancing Bear!

The second location of Bead Gallery is where we finally found redemption!  We walked into the Garden of Eden.  I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture of their garden.  They had a beautiful tree with other plants all around it’s base.  There was a rubber snake in the tree, and an apple earring.  I decided to do the make and take and buy a couple of things, because they said that the gift for spending $15 was worth 8 dollars.  I also got 25% off one item.  I made a pretty ring with spacer beads and a Swarovski cube.  It was a cute ring, and all the employees were wearing one.  It took about 5 minutes to make, and we were on our way. 

By now it was clear that we weren’t going to make it to all 11 stores I had hoped to hit.  I laid down in the back seat again, because this was a long leg to the next shop.  We arrived at Bead Island with 20 minutes left before closing time.  It was larger than most of the stores.  We were immediately greeted by the owner, and given a flyer with their specials on it.  She showed me a table with some wire wrapping tools on it, and a few wire wrapping books by local artists that were on special for the hop.  I kept looking around trying to figure out what the book theme was.  It finally dawned on me that the owner had told me at least a half dozen times that their book theme was Wire wrapping 101.  There was a lot to see here, and I was wiped out, so my recollection of the store is severing lacking.  I remember they had a couple of signs in the store that said to ask for help with metal blanks.  They have quite a large selection of metal blanks for stamping, but you have to ask for the book that they are displayed in.  They also had large selection of charms of varying designs. 

As we made our way back to the Oceanside Wyndham resort, Gene and I discussed what we had accomplished, how many stores were left, and which ones we wanted to see the next day.  We decided that it would have been smarter to try to go to the stores that weren’t as close to the resort, because when I come back in 2 weeks, my friends Mary and Cloe aren’t as interested in Bead shop hopping as they are in relaxing and beading on the beach.  I figured I could convince them to hit a few stores close by.  I suggested leaving the stores along the coast in the northern region for last, and that those were the ones that we were most likely to hit.  By now Gene realized that I was trying to get all 22 stamps on my passport, and I wasn’t trying to make him go to all of them.  All of a sudden he started making plans and figuring out travel times for all of the remaining stores.  He told me how much travel time, and how much time was left for the stores.  NOT MUCH!  Well, tune in tomorrow to see how many stores we made it to on the second day of hopping!

Southern Callifornia Bead Shop Hop Day 0

We arrived in Southern California from Las Vegas (home) about midday on Thursday.  I was so eager to start hopping that I decided to take the advice of a couple of friends and check out the bead district which is part of the fashion district in downtown Los Angeles.  One friend had given me the address of a store called Bead Factory, which is actually two stores in one.  The other store inside the store is Bohemian Crystals. 
We worked our way through the narrow crowded streets passing the produce district on the way to the fashion district.  We passed blocks and blocks of what looked like sidewalk sales everywhere.  When we found the address, Gene pulled over and dropped me off.  I decided to start in the store on the corner and work my way down.  I was somehow under the delusion that we would be able to look at most of the 20 or more stores that I had found listed in the area.  That first store (that I never really figured out the name of) was so crowded and so overwhelming. 

As I took a few pictures, Gene tried calling me.  My phone decided I was too busy, and sent Gene a text asking what's up.  He couldn't find me, and I finally had to call him and he made his way through the maze to where I was.  We staggered to the next store:  Beads and More.  Thinking that I had plenty of time, and I was going to compare prices, I started taking notes. A girl said, in her broken English, that I should buy it now, because they would change their prices tomorrow, and she didn't want me to get tired.  I thanked her, and finished my notes as Gene talked to the Owner who was from Iran if I remember correctly.  We assured them we would return, and moved on to the next store.  We finally had made it to the one that had been recommended to me, and I started looking around.  It was more crowded with people, an organized store, but more filled with people.  I was finding charms and other misc. materials when I asked about the Swarovski... I was pointed to the Bohemian Crystal corner of the store....and the rest is history.  WOW!!!  That tiny corner of the store had soooooo many crystals, and the prices were great.  You guessed it.  I bought a lot of crystal rivolis.  You know what that means right?  I have a lot of bezeling in my future.  We closed the store...the sign says they close at 4:00, and they kept finding me crystals, and we left after 4:30. 
After I spend my fortune at that 2 in 1 store, we headed back to Beads and More.  I found some fabulous deals there as well, and I believe they closed at 5:00   I had my list, and so I rushed around the store grabbing the things I wanted.  We were able to get back to the car before the lot charged us for the next several hours. 
So there we were in downtown LA, finished with our shopping for the day, and we realized that it was the peak of rush hour.  Instead of heading to Oceanside where we are staying and  grabbing dinner at Ruby's on the pier, we decided to wait out the traffic a bit and stopped at Jack in the Box.  We made it to our place in plenty of time for me to make 4 macrame bracelets before bedtime. 
I know I promised that I would list a lot of new things on Etsy this week, but I'm afraid I'm going to be a little bit tardy on that.  I'm afraid if I don't blog about this trip while it's fresh in my mind, I'll forget everything.

100 likes giveaway winner!

Before long, I expect to have 100 likes on my Facebook page.  As I've said before, I'm pretty new to all of this.  I wrote my first pattern three months ago, and immediately opened an Etsy store in order to get that pattern to the people who had requested it.  https://www.etsy.com/shop/AuntieJewelrybyJulie?ref=si_shop  I then set up a Facebook page for this brand new business.  The trouble is, I had no idea what to do with it.  I let a few close friends know about it, and as of Tuesday, I had 12 likes.  That was more than fine with me, because there was nothing on the page to see.  While taking a class on how to sell on Etsy I learned that a blog will help.  I still didn't know what I was doing when I started this blog, but I took it on faith that my teachers, Shae and Cloe, knew what they were talking about.  
On Tuesday, I shared my few posts onto Facebook, and then it looked like something was really starting.  I decided it was time to ask friends and family to like my page.  That was two days ago, and I'm now watching for my 100th like.  Someone said it pays to have a large family....after laughing, I started to wonder how many of these nearly 100 likes were family.  I looked at the list and it was only 24 out of 90 something people who were family.  Then I started finding names that weren't even Facebook friends.  This has given me a renewed enthusiasm to list more jewelry for sale.  (just in time to go off grid for the weekend.  I'd better do something to work on those listings off grid)
As a thank you, I will be giving a $10 gift certificate to Fulya Kazar who is the person who gave me the 100th like, and a coupon for 10% off for everyone else during the month of September.  https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/AuntieJewelrybyJulie/coupons?si_ys_dd_coupons=#100LIKESONFACEBOOK   I'll also be adding more items during the first week of September, and watch for a Birthday special.  I'll give you the gifts for my birthday.  
When I figure out more how to tweet, I'll have the same deal.  $10 for my 100th twitter follower, and a discount for everyone when I hit that level.   https://twitter.com/AuntieJewelry1

Bling, Bling, Bling!

Just a short little blog for now.  As I flipped through the channels last night and realized that the Emmys was on, I was tempted to watch it, but to do that would be like stabbing my husband, Gene, in the eyes, so I resisted the temptation.  I expected to be able to google Emmy jewelry and would find lots of pictures.  I'm struggling to find what I"m looking for.  I did find one great image of some very blingy earrings that I could recreate or reimagine. ***This is a prime example of how uncool I really am.  These images are from last year's Emmys.  Oddly enough the first image I found from this year is also Sophia Vergara.  Maybe another blog post is in order**** I normally use fish hook wires or leverback earwires instead of posts because of my allergy issues, and it would be much easier to create it anyway.   First I need to find a source for those teardrop emerald stones.  The Sapphire round and the Ruby round will be a breeze.  In fact, I probably already have those in my stash.  If I had any free time today, I'd just get started making them, but since I don't, I'll have to wait until tomorrow.  I'll bet I can find the teardrops to order today.  (that shouldn't take too long, right?)  Maybe my friend Mary who taught me how to bezel a rivoli has some.  Oh, Bezeling a rivoili is stitching beads around one of these round stones.  Then when I get the teardrop shaped stones I'll need to learn how to bezel one of those.  What was your favorite Bling, Bling, Bling?
   Here's a link to the blingyest pair I have listed on my Etsy store.  If you would like a custom made pair of blingy earrings, let me know!  https://www.etsy.com/listing/192703554/sexy-long-dangle-beaded-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_17

Who is Auntie Jewelry?

I am Auntie Jewelry, and I like to make jewelry, and if I want to continue making jewelry, I need to start selling some of it.  My first memories of making jewelry are of going to a local store owned by some people from our church.  The name of the store was JewelArt.  I remember staring in those little bins full of sparkly treasures and various metal findings.  My mom introduced me to Filigree.  This stuff looked like lace made out of metal.  Mom made lots of pins or brooches with Cameos and other Cabochons with Victorian scenes of lovers in their finest attire.  Sadly that store wasn't around for very long, but it definitely placed a spark deep inside of me. 
Without adequate supplies, or any access to them, I resorted to using the brightly colored plastic covered phone wires that my brothers had left behind when I moved into the upstairs bedroom.  I did a lot of wirewrapping, even though I had no idea of what it was.  I made many multi-colored rings, some bracelets and necklaces.  
Fast forward lots of years.  I got married (and divorced and remarried) quite young.  I am lucky enough to be married to a man who comes from a long line of devoted husbands.  They are so known for this that when my grandma heard we were engaged, she said, "Oh good! Those Spendlove men take good care of their women!"  I am the mother of 6 children and 11 grandchildren.  I spent 31 years raising children, and soon learned I had no time for hobbies.  My youngest child, Benjamin, was born with Cystic Fibrosis, and for the nearly 20 years he was on this earth, my whole world revolved around his care.  
For the last year and a half of his life Benjamin's medical team was an 8 hour drive away from home.  When he was hospitalized for 5 weeks at a time, I would move into the hospital with him. It was a time of hard work for him, and a bit of a vacation for me, because others were responsible for his care.  One time when we were there, Benjamin had stumbled upon a bushel box filled with beading supplies.  He told the occupational therapist that he thought his mom would like to see this box and maybe make something (even when he was sick, he followed the Spendlove tradition, and he was taking care of his mom).  That week, my spark for creating jewelry was reignited!  I still had no time, but I took a set of jewelry with a bracelet, earrings , and a necklace that I had made, home from that hospitalization.
During this same time, we would stay at my sister Amy's house the day before hospitalization, and the day of release, before heading home.  Amy's oldest three children are girls, and they were small at this time.  One of them commented that it was pretty neat that my name was Jewelry and I wear jewelry.  That's when I learned that they thought my name was actually Jewelry instead of Julie, so I was Aunt Jewelry!  
A few years later, I thought I had experienced all the grief I could possibly handle.  I had lost my son in 2009, just before he turned 20.  Twenty days later, I lost my Daddy, fifteen months later I lost my Mom.  I survived the grief, but it was more than my baby sister could take, and she suddenly died of stage four lung cancer last year.  
When Amy died, our older sister and I had been waiting for Amy to wean her youngest child, so the three of us could take a trip to Hawaii together.  Linda, my older sister, commented that Amy never seemed excited to go, but I believe that somewhere deep inside, Amy knew she would not live long enough to take this trip.  Linda and I took the trip in October to honor our baby sister, and while we were there we learned that all adult women are referred to as Auntie, because everyone is family.  At this time in order to honor family, or as they say in Hawaii, Ohana , I became Auntie Jewelry.
Go to my fledgling Etsy store

Baby steps

Where do I begin?  I suppose I can add as many blog posts as I need to give all of the background, so for now I'll blog about what's happening tonight, and in future blogs, I'll gradually fill you in on how I got to this point.
Tonight I attended the third in a series of four classes on how to sell on Etsy taught by Shae Wilhite, the co-owner at Sweet Beads here in Las Vegas http://www.sweetbeadslv.com/ , and Cloe Cessna owner of Cloe's Closet  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CloesCloset?ref=shop_sugg , a very successful store on Etsy.  I'll add another blog later sharing how I decided to open my Etsy store at the spur of the moment on May 22, 2014. It's been over two months, and I'm learning in these classes the things I did wrong.  Class one was how to set up your store, class two was how to fill your store.  I had already done those things, badly, but I had done them.  Tonight, I learned more of what I've been doing wrong, but finally I learned more about what I can do that I haven't already messed up (at least not too badly).
Tonight we learned about marketing our Etsy store.  I'm not going to pretend that I understand everything they taught.
I have to admit at times it felt like they were speaking Greek!  I'm going to be 54 next month, and I didn't grow up learning this stuff.  We learned a little bit about SEO, naming our listings, key words, (I need to think like the customer searching for something, not the seller bragging about it), blogging (that's why I'm here), linking, using social media: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter (2 out of 3), Branding, Teams, Treasuries, and promoting through Etsy itself.  If you know about any of these things I'd like to invite you to do a guest blog here on my blog.  (they talked about guest blogging, and if someone is willing to do that, I'll have to figure out how that's done!)  If you have helpful suggestions on how you were successful at this, be sure to leave a comment below!  For now I'm taking baby steps.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AuntieJewelrybyJulie?ref=si_shop