Mint Julep

One of my favorite stores in the Boston area is Mint Julep!  They have 3 locations - one in Coolidge Corner, one in Harvard Square, and one in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  Tres impresivo.  They are one of the retailers who carry my work, and just the other day I was able to snap up a picture of one of my necklaces in their window. Such an honor!  In the pic, it's the one on the top, with the little blue drop on it.  You can find that style and many others at their Massachusetts stores.  Mint Julep is such a cool store - always something that makes you feel amazing... maybe it's their staff!

I met the Harvard Square girls yesterday (Rachel and Meredith), and fell in love with them immediately!  They were so sweet and we hit it off, giggling and smiling away.  It was great - they told me they own several pieces of mine already - such a compliment :-).  I'm so thankful that they continue to think of me for jewelry.  

Enjoy your day!  That's the point, right!?

xo

Sara

New Year's Resolution... on March 16?

I don't have a single excuse for not writing sooner other than the following excuses:

juuuust kidding!

So much since my last post in October, where I promised to write more but then 5-6 months go by and here I am again.  Well, I am in my better condition to write often now, as I am now working part-time and enjoying the remainder of my week as a full scale entrepreneur!  Wow, that is quite a word to know how to type... I'm impressed that no red squiggly lines showed up underneath it, just as the red line does when I type the word, "superdeedooper."  

Since I'm spending more time on my art, my love, my life, I have been busy not only making beautiful jewelry out of beautiful jewels, but updating my online presence!  Find me here: 

- Twitter

- Facebook

- Flickr

Please feel free to friend me on Facebook or "follow me" on Twitter!  Sounds creepy, but I invite you to do it.  I hope all of these online accounts work to increase traffic and get my name out there into the beautiful world.

I've also been able to majorly update my Etsy page!  You can get there through my site at www.saradanielledesigns.com.

In somewhat related news, I've been coordinating an activity called Junior Open Studios (JOS), which is a mentor/mentee group in Brookline (through Brookline Open Studios).  It is our hope that matching up experienced artists with our youth will help prepare them for the world of showing and selling their craft.  It's been so great thus far.  We had our first all-group meeting last night at Abeille, and the little ladies that were contributing to the ideas for our postcard and poster design were so impressive!  When I was that age (9!), I was terrified to speak in public.  These little ones were holding us at attention and doing such a great job of contributing to the design of our marketing materials.  All of this mentor biznass is leading up to our big event, which of course is Brookline Open Studios!  It takes place the weekend of May 2 and 3, my next show.  The youth will be showing with their mentor, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all continues to go well up until the big weekend.

I hope to see you again before Brookline Open Studios (Saturday, 5/2 and Sunday, 5/3), but if not, I hope to see you all online! :-)  

Facebook me!  

xo

Sara

oh, how i've missed you so!

i'm sorry i ignored you.  i'm sorry i never called.  i know, i know, it's been way too long since i posted a blog here!

so i had a whirlwind of a jewelry-filled summer and that drove me away from my computer and back to what some call, "balance"!  i was so crazy busy with working full time and doing shows on my free days that i just had to take a much needed break from what i could take a break from.  

but, i'm now back and refreshed as ever!  i've moved into a new apartment, i've set up a workspace that could still use some improvement but that i'm still inspired to get work done, and i've done some purchasing in the past few months of materials that amaze me.  i've created some new pieces that i've begun to post on my etsy site and i don't plan to stop any time soon!

  

i've rethought much of what i want to get done and finally feel like i have more time to do it.. maybe it's because i've recommitted myself to taking it all one step at a time.  

next up, i will be:

- posting more jewelry to my etsy site, and 

- coming up with a new branding for how i package/present my work, including creating a new jewelry display for my shows!

i can't wait.

the next time you hear from me, hopefully won't be in another two months!  i'll be back soon to update you on some fun progress i've made :-)

xo,

sdd

bingo! dino DNA!

i held a $4,000 strand of amber today.  FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS!  at that price, i can only assume it was from the set of the movie jurassic park, and that scientist john was to extract dino DNA from it.

got it / need it / want it

in the last 2 weeks, i've shown at another round of arts on the arcade and met some awesome folk... i love getting follow up emails from clients to receive feedback on what they liked, when they wore something they bought, or that they are requesting another piece for themselves, friend or family member! i'm beginning to see that through this biz, relationships grow exponentially as a result of meeting in such a positive environment. for some people, a necklace isn't just a necklace; it's part of their wedding... earrings aren't just earrings; they are a reward for signing divorce papers... the countless shows i have gone to are home to some of the nicest people i've come across in massachusetts, and i thrive on the good energy i've been getting from these different events. yeay for nice folk!

here's a list of what's on my current and future plate:

top 5 gots:
- an amazing boyfriend who lends me his support and ride for every market
- a cool new display for shows - backdrop, shutters for earrings
- beautiful materials... thank you nepal and tibet!
- lovely end of summer/fall weather headed our way
- a bit of time to get ready for the holiday season

top 5 needs:
- eco-friendly banner with my biz name on it (say no to vinyl! it's bad for our environment, says the experts)
- to remember to bring a chair to shows (oh, brother!)
- a year's supply of baby wipes... tent-staking, hand-shaking and money-taking lead to a very dirty pair of mitts by days' end
- to post pieces on my etsy site, saradanielledesigns.etsy.com
- to even out my tan line, received by standing in the sun during shows

top 5 wants:
- an on-site shower/sink/kiss my face brand soap at shows :-) a girl can dream, no?
- 3 more retail relationships by the end of 2k8
- to sell my older merchandise and expand my nepalese collection so that it takes over my entire inventory! bye bye beads i no longer fancy... hello beads that make me want to prance-y!
- an impressive gram/carat scale
- a ridiculously oversized, antique, ornate desk to feel all executive-like in to create, create, create!

now that my fantasies have run wild throughout this page (real wild, i know), i am working on creating some small and manageable goals for myself so that i can stop talking/dreaming and start doing... who knew that a little list could get me all pumped.

hooray!

i almost forgot!

the meeting with velvet ribbon went supa-doopa, and nicole, the owner, will be carrying several pieces that i made specifically for her store.  i brought about 5 of them to the culturefest to see what kind of feedback i could get from customers, and BOOM!  one sold!  that's a good sign.  also, everyone was looking at the pieces and picking them up - another great sign.  and while i was at velvet ribbon, i of course bought something incredibly cute for myself.  too bad i have to wait until the temperature goes down about 20 degrees to wear it though.  boo!  it's so cute and i want to wear it now!

today i bought something that is going to make my life something special (as if it wasn't a-ok already!).  i went into a little luggage shop here in coolidge corner and picked up a heavy-duty luggage roller.  cha ching!  i can't wait to utilize this and save myself a few trips - especially with those damn tent weights... 

also, que exciting for me - maybe not for you, haha - i finally updated my business cards to read "sara danielle designs"... it's weird that i am no longer bead thankful, buuuut i am *thankful* that i am representing myself now.  i suppose this means my hiding-from-stalker days are over now that my company name is my real name now!  :-p  d'oh! 

salem CUTEfest!

i showed this past sunday at the salem culturefest - more like, cute-fest!  

i quickly befriended a 7 year old girl named kelly... or wait, i should say, she befriended me... and she became my best customer.  i was moved by her curiosity on prices (she had 17 dollars to spend and i was trying my best to work with her), her excitement about the stones' colors, and her constant smiles and happiness about life.  in exchange for my deep discounts, her mother gave me free chowder, a chicken ceasar wrap, and drinks.  her generosity was so unncessary that i asked kelly to pick out a pair of earrings to give to her mom for free.  much to my happiness, kelly picked out THE pair of earrings that my own little mom made!  this made me so happy, and i called mi moms right away to tell her the good news.

not only did i meet kelly and enjoy her fam's delicious chowder, i met some awesome tie-dyed wearing, free-loving folk named bryce and anthony.  

they travel here and there, to and fro, selling their incense, stones, and woven wares.  we hit it off instantly, and it felt like i had known them forever by the end of the day.  bryce and i shared some chowder under the tree, while anthony showed me his ambigram tattoo.  on one side it said "life", and when you looked at it upside-down, it said "death".  tres cool!

despite the slow foot traffic, the new friends, the youth performing karate to michael jackson hits, and the beautiful weather really made my day.  

as if these things weren't benefits enough, a woman approached me and we instantly bonded as she saw my obama sticker on my shoulder and she showed me her obama charm bracelet.  after chatting with her about my jewelry for a bit, she asked me if i would be interested in selling my work in her store.  of course i would, i exclaimed.  haha, maybe i should ask where your store is and what is it like, anyway?  i visited her boutique after the show was over with a few pieces she hand-selected and was pleasantly surprised to find this gem of a shop... here is a shot of her gorgeous store, sophias.  it is as beautiful as she is - i met her father and can tell that they are going to be very warm, lovely people to work with.

i am so fortunate to have met such amazing people this past weekend, and i am so looking forward to this wednesday's arts on the arcade event in government center.  speaking of which, ahem... i should build my inventory back up - sophia's took my best loot!

take care, lovelies :-)

xexo,

sa