Buried in the pile....

Wow, I have been gone for awhile it appears by the date of the last blog entry I wrote!  I am amazed at how long it has been.  I kept doing all kinds of updating on my web-site (http://jklartjewelry.webs.com) and on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JKLARTJewelry).  I added all kinds of photos, learned how to put a ghost label on the photos and networked like crazy.  I just forgot all about this blog!!!!  

Now my challenge is to link it all together so when I update, it is quick and dirty.  I figured it out for Facebook, Twitter (@wireitup4u), and am now linking up LinkedIn to all of those things.  Google+ is on the horizon too.  I would never have guessed I would be using this much technology when I was in junior high.  I cannot believe how fast technology changes but I am excited to learn about all of those changes.  I don't have to love all the changes, I just need to know how to work my way through the difficulties to get to the end result I want.  (Good thing I love challenges and puzzles!)

I used to think I would not need this much technology to make art.  Art - the kind I make anyway -  is made with your hands and your mind.  I have not been one to do a lot with digital art, although it interests me.  I have always done what would be called traditional art - drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, etc.  "So why would I NEED to know how to use all this new technology?"  That is a question I asked myself before and never really had a good answer so I just kept doing what I knew how to do.

Now I know why I NEED to know this techy stuff!!!  I want to have a business in art and jewelry.  I want to eventually have my own little shop - maybe with some food and beverages provided by some really talented people I know - so I need to be able to operate technology well enough to get the business of business done.  I may never be an expert but I am one of those people who likes to know what I can do on my own and where to find help if I get stuck.  I need to be able to do advertising and utilize social media to network and sell my goods.

Like I said before, I did not think I would be doing this much tech "stuff" in junior high when I was sitting in computer labs with the first generation of Macs.  If x=, then y= was hard enough then!  Look how far we have come.  Amazing what we do when we put our minds together and stretch the boundaries of our "world"!!!  I won't ignore this blog now that I have this new challenge - how to integrate this blog into all of my other postings. 

I know I have not gotten followers per se but I think that might change if I just tweak a few things....  Pass my blog along and follow me if you like what you read.  I am known to post pictures of my work on my blog so you might just find something you like.

Relationships

Relationships play such key roles in all of our lives.  Sometimes we neglect them and discover that we need to work to make them stronger.  Sometimes we make sure we nurture them and continue their growth.  Relationships are how the world operates and I have discovered over the last year just how important they really are.  I have experienced a lot of big changes in my life since last summer and honestly can say I like where they have taken me!

I started to use my love of art to create jewelry and build my own business.  I am always open to new experiences and ideas.  I look forward to meeting people anywhere and just enjoy talking with them, no matter the topic.  The connections I make with people build over time and they connect me to people I might never have met if I had just stayed doing the "same old thing", staying within my own little social circle. 

I am just about a year old in business and looking back has been great for me to do.  I see where I started, how my goals have grown, and how important people are to my success.  If I am successful, then someone else will be too.  You see, when someone is successful, they spread their success to others.  "Paying it forward" is not always easy but it is always well worth the effort! 

I hope that you will find success in all you do as well and look forward to hearing about your travels and adventures in your life.  Continue building relationships that make you a stronger, better person.  I will always remember that relationships with people are how my business will find success and grow!!  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so!

Mother's Day? Summer?? What????

I found myself looking at my calendars on my computer, now that I have learned to successfully organize myself with them, and realized it is almost MOTHER'S DAY and that right after that is summer.  I was not really prepared for time to fly so quickly!!!  I even scanned the last blog entry and saw it was not so nice in April when I last wrote.  I am crossing my fingers that this will be a nice, calm spring!!!  It certainly makes it easier to get out to vendor markets.  Sun does not just bring out flowers and green grass, it brings out PEOPLE!

I continue to create unique jewelry and look forward to wedding season, prom seasons, and all of those events that make people search out that one-of-a-kind gift.  it is challenging to create something special for brides, friends, and other relatives but it is a challenge I welcome and rather enjoy!  I want to create something that will be meaningful to the person who receives the gift and uses it or wears it. I do make lots of different things like bottle stoppers, glass rings for your wine glasses, up-cyclced containers, key chains, jewelry, and I am sure I will stumble onto something new to try.

If you have a special event or person that you would like me to create something for, please keep me in mind.  I know I say it a lot but it is true - I love to create something that is meaningful and will do whatever it takes to work with you to make that happen.

Enjoy the time you have with the special people in your life every day but be sure to celebrate Mother's Day with at least a hug or phone call to say, "Thanks Mom!"  (Us moms love that....as much as we love our kids!)  Take time to play this summer too.  Play is necessary!!  (5 year olds are not wrong about that!)

Thoughts on a cold, windy, rainy Saturday......

After several beautiful weekends and great shows at local vineyards,  this cold, windy Saturday morning has me wishing for those days back!!!  I have spent some time reading different blogs related to jewelry creation and business.  I wondered what some other people experienced and thought as I am new to this venture.  It is certainly helpful and reassuring to know that I am not the only one with the same questions, concerns, and quandaries!!  The internet definitely makes networking much easier in this business!

One of the things that I read recently that has stuck with me is that there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes and that it gets to everyone at some point.  It is hard to be your own boss!!!  It is much easier, I have discovered, to work for someone else than it is to work for yourself.  (Even though I must admit it did not appear that way until I began to work for myself after losing my job last year.)  When you work for someone else, you can leave the work behind and there is someone else to pass things along to when they are no longer your responsibility or become too huge to handle.  Granted, not everything or every job works that way, but when you work for someone else in my experience, there is more than just you in the boat to help paddle (whether they like it or not and whether or not they do it well....).

I love to work for myself though and having the chance to take this chance, risk, gamble, opportunity - however one views it - is a blessing!!!  There are days that I would like to just be told "Task 1.  Task 2.  Task 3.  Go home.  Come back tomorrow." but I know in the long run that is not going to work for me at this particular point in my life.  I have been given the opportunity to create work I love and the things I need to do that.  For me to ignore that would be impossible and would not allow me to use the artistic and business skills I have been blessed with by God - or whomever your higher power is.  It is so satisfying to know that at the end of a very hard task that I accomplished my goals and more!!!

I love networking at the shows and getting feedback from people who stop by, whether they purchase things or not.  I love sharing what I do and hearing what other people think, always getting ideas from multiple sources.  When people look at my web-site and leave feedback, I learn even more.  My repeat customers bless me with more business and I love being able to create custom work.  No request is too much!!!  If it is something I cannot quite do, I will learn a new technique and consult the customer so I make something they will love to wear.

I have used the word love quite a bit in this post.....  There is not another word that means the feeling I have for the work I CHOOSE to do now.  I went to school to become an art teacher and for the 15 years that I did that job, I loved it.  My former students, colleagues, parents, and anyone else I met in that situation along the way are always a special part of my memories and of my present today.  It was time for that to end because teaching changed so much from my first year to last year.  To continue teaching, I would have had to stifle my natural tendencies and my heart would not be in it.  No, I do not belong in THAT kind of classroom.

It is time for me to expand my horizons and try something new.  I have helped my brother join the vendor market network and the way that he has grabbed onto this opportunity is so cool to witness!!  He has a gift of baking and presenting his baked goods in such a simple, clean way you cannot help but buy the bread.  It helps that we share the same house right now and I get to smell (and sample) the breads he makes.  Having someone else to talk with daily about vendor and farmers markets, as well as other ideas for expansion like wedding shows is priceless. 

I am really blessed to be where I am these days!!!  Some might say I have taken on a huge task and that I might want to give it up when it seems like the economy is not growing as fast as we might need it to and especially in the jewelry (or "extra fun money" as I call it) market.  However, I look it at as an opportunity that has been given to me and while I have the skills, desire, and energy to do it I need to take the chance to succeed in something I love.  To ignore it, would be to turn away the gifts I have been given and to accept the answer "NO" before the question is even finished.

The question?  Can I find success using the skills I have been given and do the work it takes to find success? To me, the answer is "yes".

Ah, Spring!!!

Hello sunshine!!!  It is so nice to see you and feel your warmth......

In preparation for Spring, I have been creating some fun jewelry and other items.  I have new bottle stoppers in a range of colors and styles.  I also have new glass rings that will make any stemware easier to identify as "yours" when you are at a party.  There are different color combinations that make what you are wearing get noticed, like spring green with a red beaded necklace.  (It really does work!)  The brighter colors and fun designs inpired by spring and its warmer weather make me feel happier and I am sure I am not alone in that feeling.

I am concentrating mainly on winery vendor shows since they are so much fun!  They are very social and relaxed.  The next show will be in Cambridge at the White Oak Winery and guests will get a free glass of wine until the supply runs out.  It is April 2nd from 12-4 pm.  Stop out and leisurely do some shopping whether it is window shopping or actually buying something from the many vendors that will be there.

If you are interested in any items/pricing, drop me an email.  I would love to hear from you!  I like to make deals too....

Julie Luedtke

JKLART Jewelry

Events I Am Attending

Hello!

I have updated my facebook events and those on my web page but forgot to update on this blog.  oops!!!  I guess I do need to look at a list and be able to cross something off so it gets done.

There are 3 events at this time in March.

March 5, 2011  10 am - 3 pm
Mercy Holiday Inn
Des Moines, IA

This vendor market is filled with lots of different items like Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Discovery Toys, and many many more.  It is held monthly so you can find your favorite vendors easily!

March 6, 2011  1 pm - 5 pm

 March 26, 2011  9 AM - 3 Pm
Spring in Bloom
Lots of hand-crafted items to bring home!!!
Fisher Community Center
709 S. Center Street
Marshalltown, IA



There are pending vendor markets at other local wineries.   This is a new venture and those of us involved really, really hope that it takes off!  How fun it could be to go to a winery and experience different markets!  Spring is around the corner, I am sure.....  No excuse to stay inside and hide!  :)

February Special

BRRRRR!!!!

It sure has been a cold start to February.  A blizzard made me think about the warmth of spring and how great it is to be able to go outside without having 20 layers of clothing on and no problem driving anywhere.  I created some bright pieces in pinks and greens, red and oranges in the hopes of warming me up a bit.  Perhaps Mother Nature will take the hint and decide to let us get to the warmer weather sooner.

Since February has Valentines Day and prom seasons are starting, I am offering a special for customers and facebook friends.  Purchase a necklace and choose either earrings or a bracelet for free.  If I do not have a pair that matches the necklace in my stock, I may be likely to custom create them for you for free.  Something to think about when money is tight but we want to have something special.

If you have a deal you would like to create, I am sure we could come up with something.  I am extremely flexible! 

I still have lots of pink stained glass necklaces for those of you who like to wear pink to show your support for the cause that affects so many people - breast cancer.  I do not have any items that are marked to donate a percentage of sales to a breast cancer organization but would certainly look into that if a large enough number of them sell.

As always, if you have a special request, I would love to hear it!!!

Think Spring!!!