The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

  Please take a moment to check out my friend Andrew Thorton's giveaway for this week. It's a GOOD one!

I met Andrew a couple of years ago in Tucson. His family has Green Girl Studios and they make these amazing little sculptures for jewelry design. Everything from beads and pendants to innovative clasps. You can see some of my designs using Green Girl's pendants and beads below.

These are some of my bead family. Ellie Roy (Argenta Bead Compay), me, Holly Ertel (Hotzy Totzy Jewelry), Cynthia Dupps (Bead all About it). Andrew actually took this when we are shopping at To Bead True Blue this year.

Check out Andrews Blog, and enter the contest for yourself!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...: "For this Thursday Giveaway , I wanted to do something special! I wanted to share a few things from the show with everyone out there in the ..."

48 Earrings

This is how it all started, a photo of my product.

A few emails later and I had an order for 4 - pair of each color. That is 48 earrings :)!

I thought it would be kind of cool to photo document the assembly line process. This is how the earrings started out. From the bottom up. I started with the lucite filigree, added the brass and the glass beads.

Aren't these cute! I love my job, I love being around all this color!

After getting the bases built I piled them all up together. Then had one more step.

This is a completed earring with the french hook ear wire.

THen finally, ready to pack and ship. 

It was a little overwhelming to make 48 earrings that all looked exactly alike. Most of my designs have been one of a kind for so long. I am starting to break away from that in order to get more orders and to get into more boutiques. The big goal is to start having "Look Books" for boutiques to order from. This means designing at least a season ahead. All of which is hard for me to wrap my head around because I have always designed in the moment for shows. I'll get there though. I am currently working on a new line called Czech and Chain. It will be earrings, necklaces and rings made from high quality Czech glass and vintage chains.  See the image below for a sneak peak!

Who Reads This

   How about a special blog giveaway just for you blog readers. 

Leave a comment and tell me what you are doing this summer.
I will enter all the names into a drawing for 25% off any one item in the Bella Vita Shop. 

I will draw for a winner on June 15th.

   My summer plans consist of: a huge presentation, a vacation to North Carolina, maintaining our garden, my b-day, and work. Hopefully a hand full of swimming trips and dinner parties with friends will fit in.

The most recent picture of our garden.

Procrastination...

   I am trying to write this presentation... I feel like it's mostly just going to come to me when I give it. But, in true Brandy fashion, I have to plan everything out. 

I am through the intro and working on the body. The intro took appx. 5 minutes so, that leaves 55 to fill.

   The slide show is coming along nicely, and the perfectionist in me is making it take 5 times longer than it should. My goal today is to write about Trendy Chic and The Delicate Balance... I'll be presenting 3 pieces from each line. The focus of the speech though, is my Vintage Redux line so the bulk of the presentation will be about that. If I meet my goal today I am going to allow myself to take off and go swimming! But, here I am procrastinating... in a good way though. 

   I got up early and hit the farmer's market and flea market! What a day for it!
I got a new hanging basket, fresh eggs, a bouquet of flowers from a very young entrepreneur, and some onions, OH and a basket cherry tomatoes grown here in Oklahoma! Yay, fresh tomatoes already!

   I also scored a bunch of goodies from the "Vintage Fairy" at the flea market. Check out what I dug up today. Happy first Saturday in JUNE! I love JUNE!

A Story from Grandma

   Last night my grandmother called me to visit, which tickled me because that meant that she was feeling better. She wasn't feeling very well when I was home to visit so we didn't get as much good quality time together as usual. 

So we caught up with each other, talked about flowers, buttons, and cooking pesto. 

   Then she starts to tell me her "snake" story. 

She spotted a large black snake creeping around her Martin house in the yard. She called for back up but my aunt couldn't help and my grandpa was busy at the antique store. 

   Grandma told me all about getting the hoe and rake and going at the snake. She said she hit it 7 or 8 times but never could get a good swing at it and that it slowly slithered away.... she thinks she hurt it and scared it enough not to come back!  My 80-something year old grandma... the mental images of this crack me up!

A photo given to me by my Grandma, it's her and Gramp's in their early years. I love this photo. It sits on my desk and I look at it all the time. I like to sit and think about how much times have changed since this photo was taken.

I've decided to start documenting the stories from and about my Grandmother. I hope you enjoy.