Christmas in Gaylordsville..

before i share with you the photos from our weekend, i’d like to thank you for your support and your prayers. we still have no diagnosis and my mom will be going for further testing. i’ll let you know how it goes.

so. this past weekend, we met up with my mother-in-law in kent then took a short drive to gaylordsvile, specifically to the merwinsville hotel restoration. the hotel was decked out for the holidays (and they had a gift shop!! yay!)

they had an awesome train set up and some old fashioned mechanical toys…..  and everything was decorated so beautifully….

i bought that little santa next to the snowman and he’s been added to my collection ;-)

i love that the restoration is retaining the charm of days gone by….

here’s a close up of the letters to santa. how sweet is that??

we did a little shopping in kent – so picturesque! we really enjoyed our day!

what kind of holiday festivities are you enjoying?

it’s beginning to look a lot like….

okay, i’m not gonna say it. although the little man did have a snow day today (!!!!) yeah. i know. anyway, tis the season – almost – so i’m offering gift certificates again! at the moment, they’re only available for my etsy shop but i plan to offer them on the charm site as well.

go take a look at my facebook page (the “welcome” tab)! it’s all tricked out now ;-) whaddaya think? and you might notice a new sign up in my sidebar>>>>……i’m doing a newsletter now and anyone who signs up gets a special surprise. yay! (i love surprises!)

speaking of seasons and holidays, i’m beginning to give some thought to cyber monday, black friday and holiday promotions (oh, my!)

what types of holiday promotions do you like to see when you’re shopping?

gussy gift guide, day 2

here we go! the second day of gussy’s holiday gift guide is here with another selection of fabulous artisans! i’ve fallen in love with beso handbags! her vintage prints are fabulous and the “eve” bag es muy perfecto!

pretend it's Monday..........

yes, i know. no one wants to actually pretend it's monday. but I'm late. so just go along with it, k?








this week's "featured items" are up and ready to go in my etsy shop!! purchase either of the "featured items" (or all, if you'd like - i certainly won't stop you!!) and receive a 10% discount, refunded via paypal. just enter code BJBLOG!

and................you might notice a special little pretty over on my sidebar??? yup, i've done it! i'll be participating in Gussy's Holiday Gift Guide!! view the gift guide november 1st thru the 3rd to get a jump on your holiday shopping - chock full of handmade goodness! (here's a two-fer for me: i get to participate in a super-cool holiday gift guide AND participate in a "high-visibility advertising opportunity". half a check for me - woo hoo!)

i have a sister who's holiday shopping is always completed well before thanksgiving. i would love, love, love to be that organized but christmas shopping in the summer just doesn't seem to work for me.

how do you shop for the holidays?

Overdue update...........

Before I begin with my past due update, take a look at my new banner!!! I'm SUPREMELY pleased with it. I've updated my Etsy shop - banner and avatar - and I think I made a good choice. What do you think? And speaking of my Etsy shop, don't forget: FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING thru December 18th!

Okay, so on to my update. I never reported on the Black Friday show! drum roll...................one sale. To my mother-in-law. lol!! Really, it's okay. I was a bit disappointed, yes, but I accomplished so much because of it that I believe it was worth it.

First of all, I redid my table display and I was overjoyed with how it turned out! I put the table on bed risers so everything was eye level, changed the color scheme from what I was using last year (beige - the jewelry just blended in to the table) and made all new displays (btw, instructions for these displays I found on Beth Millner's blog (and this one) - she is an AWESOME jewelry designer!! If you haven't seen her work, go look!!)

Second, and most importantly (as far as I'm concerned) preparing for the show motivated me to create 3 new collections of jewelry! I'm also very pleased with them and how my work is growing. I LOVE what I do!! I thank God that He's given me this talent and the means to do what I love!

(These photos were taken by Julia Sloan, owner of Brazen Betties)

I don't really have an update on the Housatonic Valley Association Silent Auction. It occurred on the 6th but I don't know how my pieces did :-( If I find out, I'll let you know!!

And here is my praise report for the day: I have holiday orders this year! Last year, I didn't see any increase in sales over the holiday but that's changed this year. It is so cool to think that something I've created may be on someone's wish list for a holiday gift! I really am blessed!

My first print ad!

So here it is! My first print ad. I'm not expecting an onslaught but I hope it gets me something! It will be in the Litchfield County Times monthly publication (of course I don't have the publication date!!) but just in time for holiday shopping. What do you think?

Okay, back to the bench! I'm averaging about 3 new pieces a day so hopefully I'll have enough inventory for the show!

What's goin' on.............

Just wanted to give a quick update! I've been plugging away on inventory for the upcoming show. I was able to get five new pairs of earrings done yesterday afternoon - new designs! It feels so good to be able to sit at the bench and just create! By the way, five may not seem like much to some of you but I was overjoyed to have that block of time!! My plan is to photograph everything before the show so I'll be able to list them at some point. Still haven't ordered all the supplies I need to create everything I'm hoping but I've got a partial order on the way. Money is tight so I'm trusting in the Lord!



I've been sadly neglecting my Bonhomie Charms site since I put it up but I've committed to some print advertising for the holiday. We'll see what happens! I'll share the ad copy with you as soon as I've put it together (it's due tomorrow!!) I'm going to have to schedule in more work to the site so it's ready when the ad comes out - I'm planning for lots of business ;-)



And you all may remember that I intended to submit some pieces to the Sundance Catalog and I did! Forgive me for not letting you know at the time - I did it at the beginning of the month. I chose my Twisted Monogram Ring, my Love Knot Ring and my Blue Tear Squared Charm Necklace. I haven't heard anything but I may submit a few more pieces after this upcoming show, depending on feedback I get of my new pieces. I'm not certain there will be any interest in the pieces I sent......the same day I submitted, I received the holiday catalog in the mail and a few pieces in the catalog had a similar style to mine. Maybe that means I'm on the right track??



Last but not least, this has nothing to do with me but I think it's really cool! I stumbled across this "Peace Challenge" by a fellow TeamChristianArtistsandCrafters (CAC) member NewCreatioNZ. Check it out! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

Black Friday Bazaar

I know I said I wouldn't be participating in shows again after last year but I've had a change of heart! I'll be doing a "Black Friday Bazaar" on - you guessed it - Black Friday. This bazaar is being organized by Brazen Betties, the fabulous artisan shop that sells some of my work. Julia (the owner) is a wizard at what she does! She did a bazaar over the summer and I had opted out - not the smartest move I've ever made - but I had stopped by and it was a huge success. So..........here I go!

I wasn't happy with my table set up last year so I'm revising and revamping. I'll debut my 'holiday' line along with some new earrings and old favorites. At this point, I have ABSOLUTELY NO STOCK so I'm going to be a busy little girl!!! Supplies are being ordered, bench time is being carved out and I'm getting organized.

If you're local, be sure to stop down! Here are the details:

Black Friday Bazaar
Coe Park Civic Center
153 South Main Street
Torrington, CT
Friday, November 27th 4:30-8pm

Wish me luck!!

Contest - Wrist Cand Holiday Giveaway!!

I've been very remiss and I'm waaay behind schedule with this announcement! The Starving Artist Team is holding a contest - purchase and item from any participating Etsy shop and receive an entry to win this fabulous holiday wrist candy! Each charm has been crafted by a team member so this is truely a one-of-a-kind item! This contest will run through December 6th.

Note: you can also do an Etsy search for "SATEAMWRIST" to find participating shops. So what are you waiting for?? Get to shopping!

On the first day of Christmas............

The shopping's not over yet!!!! I've got one more fabulous shopping experience for you: The Fabulous Artistic Moms (FAM) Holiday Gift Guide. Featuring 12 days of awesome deals and each day is something different.

Be sure to check the FAM Blog each day! Happy Shopping!

Gifting Goodies........

The CTEtsy Team has put together a Gift Guide for all your holiday shopping needs. Check it out!

HOLIDAY ETSY FEST!!!

Beginning Thanksgiving Day and running through Cyber Monday, several talented Etsians (myself included) will be offering some fabulous deals to jumpstart your holiday shopping. So click the button above to get a sneak peek at the participating shops. Each shop will have their own unique deals - ya never know what you'll find!