Add some Colour to your life!

Let's celebrate spring and bring some colour back into our wardrobe.  I'm done with my drab black and grey t-shirts.  I just love the colours of spring.  Mint green, blues, corals, orange, pinks, neon brights. 

It's so easy with these stretch bracelets.  Just pop one on and you have instant colour. I've used materials such as premium glass firepolish beads from Czechoslovakia, semi-precious stones, sterling silver beads, premium cord and care in making. 

Mix and match.  Just pop one on and you have instant colour.

To celebrate spring I'm having a bracelet sale in my etsy shop.
BOGO Sale.  Buy one get the 2nd one (at same or lesser value) for 1/2 price.
Limited time offer.

Paint Works Magazine

Last winter one of my lovely customers, Amy Mogish, asked me to make a custom eye glass chain for a project she was working on.  Amy had painted a beautiful wooden eyeglass case and she wanted me to make a coordinating chain for her eyeglasses.  She sent me the sweetest owl charm that she had painted herself and wanted me to attach to the back.  She also sent a couple of pictures of her painted owl for inspiration.  

Now her work can be seen in the latest Paint Works Magazine (April 2013).  You can even try your hand at making this project with her detailed step by step instructions.

Paint Works Magazine

Owl Be Seeing You by Amy J. Mogish.
Page 82-84.

I made the glass chain with denim blue and brown glass beads along with some copper beads.  All handwrapped onto copper wire and attached to antiqued copper cable chain.

So much fun to see this project in print.  I'm so happy for Amy and so happy I could be a small part of it.  You can find Paint Works Magazine at your local book or magazine shop.

Looking Ahead at 2013.

The corner of the living room does look a little bare right now.  The tree is down and the decorations are packed away for another year.   Another year, another Christmas gone by.  A new year brings hope of something better, excitement of things to come and knowing to enjoy it day by day.

We have some big changes coming us to this year.  It's hard for us to believe that Erica will be moving out to University in nine months. Wow! How can that be?  By the end of this year it will just be the three of us at home and I'm sure that will be a bit of an adjustment to us all.   As quantity of time inevitably diminishes as the girls get older we want to make sure we have quality time together.  We'll have to work at continuing as many family dinners as we can and just spending time together.

I have some things I'd like to work on professionally.  I want to be more proactive with planning, sales goals and effective marketing.  I think to take things to the next level I do need to consider the business side of things in conjunction with the creative side.   To continue to be profitable and competitive I can't just follow every pretty bead I see.  I think sometimes beads to me are like squirrels to our dog Mabel. Beads!! Squirrel! (if you know what I mean!)

I want to start painting the walls again.  A few years ago, and before I opened my etsy shop, I was painting rooms all the time.  Paint chips and swatches could be constantly found taped to our walls as I considered future colours.  It's definitely time to do this again and I'm ready.

To do this I need to find a better balance of my time with work and our home.  One of my biggest goals this year is to organize and clean the house.  This goal will involve other members of the house but we're all ready to get rid of all the stuff we've accumulated over the last several years.  We've been in this house for 15 years now and it shows.  My mind thinks big when it comes to organization (everything cleaned in the next 2 weeks!!) but I know this will be a long term process.  Drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard.  The time spent will be time saved later on when you don't have to go searching through mounds of stuff to find things.  Most importantly for me though is that less clutter just makes for a calmer feeling.

Some sorted inspiration!  (Style at Home)

We started our organization plans off right by sorting and purging all our Christmas boxes.  We had decorations that haven't seen the light of day for years.  We still have a lot of Christmas boxes but they are labelled and everything in them is something we use. We are still missing a box of decorations that we could not find this year but I'm sure it will show up over the year when we tackle the basement.










I'd like to grow about 3 inches taller but while I wait for that to happen we will continue to walk more and eat healthy.  For me, I need to make sure to take the time for myself to do these things.

A picture from a beautiful walk we took at my parent's cottage over the holidays.

Happy New Year everyone.  Any plans for your year ahead?

18th Annual CBC Charity Craft Sale

In the last week I've had the Christmas songs playing while getting ready for my Christmas show in Toronto this Thursday.   I've been beading like a mad woman (well a happy one but sort of in a frantic way!)  Beads are, well, let's just say everywhere right now.  I'm hoping I can find the dining room table again before Christmas dinner!!

In amongst the beads, wire and chain I've been printing earring cards and having a trial run setting up my table.  I've been tagging and pricing and rearranging the table set up.  Phew no wonder I've been drinking a lot of coffee this week!  I also ordered new business cards - twice.  I'd love to say it's just because I love them so much that I had to order more.  Well, actually I am really happy with them except for the spelling error on the front.  Arghhh!!   My fault entirely as I just didn't see the error.  Perhaps this is a cue that I have a tad too many things going on at once! Anyways, the new and improved ones should arrive just in time for the show.

It is a busy time of the year but I'm really looking forward to this show.  It will be great to see some of my customers in person and to meet new ones.  It's also a great opportunity to meet some fellow vendors.

If you are in the Toronto area please come out and visit me at the CBC Charity Craft Sale. 

 CBC Building Atrium at 250 Front Street.

Thursday, December 13th 2012.

8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.  

You can find me at Booth #51 under Wallis Designs.

The Sale is in support of Unicef.  All proceeds from vendor table fees and public donations go directly to Child Protection around the world. 

While I'm at the show most of my Etsy shop will be travelling with me so I'll have reduced listings on Wednesday and Thursday this week.  I also won't be shipping those days.  I'll be back listing and shipping on Friday the 14th.

Pretty Chic Boutique

I'm happy to let you know that Pretty Chic Boutique is now carrying Wallis Designs Jewellery.  If you are in the Guelph area please drop by and see my designs in person.

Pretty Chic Boutique 
34 Quebec Street
Guelph, ON

Phone: 519-780-2800

Store Hours
Monday - Friday 10-6
Saturday 10-5
Sunday 12-4

Pretty Chic Boutique carries a gorgeous collection of handmade jewellery exclusively created by Canadian artists and designers.

Stop by on November 21st and save 15% on everything in the store.

The Year Ahead for a Scorpio.

Yesterday was my birthday and as a tradition I looked up some birthday horoscopes.  I know they are often quite silly and mostly amusing but I had fun reading these ones this year.

Image: http://www.timegenie.com

I liked these excerpts:

...Put creativity and effort into your domestic life.  Make a move or fix up your digs...    Better quit thinking and get those colours picked and start painting!

...Sometimes you might want more privacy, but because of your increasing popularity, this could become a burden.  (hehe)

...Although Mercury retrograde begins in Sagittarius, it slips back into Scorpio.  This means you'll be dealing with ex-partners and running into people from your past.  (no doubt this will happen while running to the post office in my yoga pants and no make up - that's usually when I see people I haven't seen for years!!)

Allow extra time for everything you do because you will be dogged by delays and silly errors.  (oh dear!)

My Chinese Horoscope: Dragon.
This is a day when you should be full of confidence in your ability to succeed.  You can be especially encouraging to people who don't share your attitude.  Fear of failure can make people hide and avoid taking risks.  Sometimes the best way to learn is by making  mistakes.  (hey, this works out with the fact I'll be dogged  by silly errors!)

This one though was my favourite and actually quite hopeful.

...No doubt you can find an excuse for giving up on a long-term goal, but you have come so far and achieved so much, why waste all that now?  Your birthday chart indicates you are so close to success - so keep at it.  (and I will!)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday!

Thank you for making my day!

Last week I received the nicest handwritten card in the mail.   When I picked it up out of the pile of bills and advertising I didn't immediately recognize the name or return address.  Who's it from? and What could it be?

I couldn't be more surprised to find inside a thank you card from one of my customers.  This really made my day!

Wow! I am so lucky to have such wonderful customers! Here's a good chance for me to thank all my customers for their wonderful comments and feedback.  It's a joy to work with you and know you are wearing my designs.

Thank you Laura for taking the time to write and send this to me! You really brightened my day!

Milestone

I just posted my 300th item in my Etsy shop. Wow! What an achievement. I remember 4 years ago when I opened my shop I struggled just to get to 35 listings. Now I have a fabulous assortment of jewelry to choose from: earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

Beautiful cream and grey pearl necklace. A lovely modern twist on the traditional pearl necklace.

Thanks to all my customers for their encouragement and support over the years. It means so much to me that my designs are enjoyed around the world!

What's new this week.

Happy Monday friends.
I have some new lovelies to show you today.

Delicate charm necklaces with vintage inspired colours and petite charms.

A new vintage jewel to add to my collection.  These ones are a gorgeous, rich amethyst colour and larger than my regular teardrop earrings.

I can't say enough of how much I love these earrings. Love the gold scrolled details and the sparkle.

More vintage inspired necklaces.

I'll be adding more new inspirations over the week in my Etsy shop. Drop by for a visit!

To Do and I Do.

Rainy days and Fridays never get me down.  Despite the monumental rain coming down today I had a great day!  I was able to complete this gorgeous wedding order of my vintage glass jewels.  The rich amethyst colour is so beautiful.  Somehow in all the doom and gloom the skies became just bright enough for me to take these pictures.

oh! so lovely.

If you ask me if I do custom work I would say 'I do'. I especially love to work on wedding orders.  I can work with you to create the perfect design for your wedding party that really reflects your style.  You can even send me a swatch of your dresses and I can help you colour match.

So for my other to do list - the garden did not get crossed off today (and it might not even on the weekend).  Our forecast is for rain, rain and more main.  This weather combined with our weekend activities which includes Erica's birthday, cupcakes, attending the school play, dance rehearsals, lacrosse equipment to purchase, etc. doesn't leave much time for gardening.  Anyways, garden work can wait and there's always next week.  This rain was really well needed so I'm sure the grass and garden are happy to soak it all up. 

Have a great weekend friends!

New Goodies in the Shop

You may have read my post last week (wow! that was already last week).  No wonder I can only manage about 1 post a week (maybe 2 posts if I'm really lucky).  The time just seems to be flying lately.  I had fun playing with all my beads.   I love the new colours.  So summery and fun to work with.  I came up with some really lovely colour combinations. Inspired by summer dresses with a touch of the candy shop.  Modern with a real vintage feel.  Perfectly feminine and fun!

Lemon yellow, mint green, sky blue necklace.

Sky blue bracelet. So light and easy on the wrist.

Gorgeous pink and mint green necklace.  A virtual ice cream cone!

Aqua and mint dangle earrings.

...more to come later this week!

Creative Candy

I've been so excited to dip into my new beads.  I think finally this week I will be able to have some uninterrupted creative time. Unloading my bags I see a lovely burst of summery colours.  Shimmery aqua blue, fresh mint, vintage green, opalescent blue, creamy pink and lemon yellow just to name a few.  My head is happily spinning with ideas.

 I love the unexpected colour combinations that I can already see as the beads roll around on my table.

Creative candy is so much better than real candy.  It gives me such an energy boost that's long lasting and calorie free. What more could I ask for?  I hope to have some new creations in my shop later this week.

Happy 4th Etsy Anniversary!

It was four years ago today when I opened my Etsy shop nancywallisdesigns! Where does the time go?  Over 1100 sales later and my jewelry designs are now all over Canada and the US.  They're worn in England and Australia, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland and many other locations.  I've met so many  wonderful people through this endeavour.

I want to thank all of my family, friends and customers for your support through the years.  Your encouragement, lovely comments and feedback have warmed my heart and inspired me to create. 

Today I want to celebrate and thank you all with a 20% off everything sale.

Use the coupon code: HAPPY4TH in checkout and automatically receive 20% off  your purchase (not including shipping).

Thank you and Happy Shopping!

The Look of Summer

Some beautiful summer-at-the-beach inspired jewelry. New in my shop today.

Boho chic necklace with artisan made lampwork glass beads. I call this one Stormy Seas.

 Fabulous vintage hoops in Emerald Green.

Deep Aqua Glass Beaded Bracelet. Great for layering with other bracelets too!

Add a little summer colour to your life!!

Forget Spring it was Summer in the Air this week.

Wow! What a week.  We've been saying for a while now what happened to winter?  Well now it's what happened to spring?  With temperatures soaring to 26°C and sunshine galore you felt you were hopelessly behind in the gardening department only to be reassured it was only March.  The trees are budding, the birds are out and there is green, lots of green in the garden.  Sandals, pedicured toes and tank tops are the style du jour.
Some spring summer inspired designs!

Have a great weekend friends!

Wordplay - Grateful

Hand embroidered wall art by Violet.

So simply said. Print by vol25.

Perfect for journal keeping by worldofwhit.

I'm a sucker for play on words and love this print by albiedesigns.

Some lovely things I found on Etsy this morning.

Thank you for looking.

My Creative Mess

My obsession with beads is a constant struggle.  I have quite a collection.  I also have bought more organizing containers than you would ever believe all in the hopes of having one of those super clean and organized houses (you know the kind you see in magazines).  One day I'll show you them in all their glory when I get closer to finishing my studio.  It is amazing when they are sorted and organized.  I love being able to go right to the box and find just what I'm looking for. I have a bit of a strange system some are sorted by colour, some by type and some by size but it works for me pretty well.

The thing is though I find I'm the most creative when I'm surrounded by inspiring things.   Lovely piles of little glass beads can literally make my heart skip a beat.  Colours everywhere.  Turquoise, green, pinks and shiny things can make me giddy.  Sometimes the best things happen when working this way.  An unexpected roll of a bead into another pile can stir the most interesting ideas.

I've decided I'm just going to roll with it.  I'm just going to live in my creativity and I guess so is my family. I'm still working on my studio space but I do like our dining room the best. It's bright here and I can have the window open and listen to the birds outside.  My computer is close by, the coffee pot is steps away and of course so are my beautiful beads.  So for now I guess I'm just going to let my beads have their own dinner party at my dining room table.

My new creations.