Archive for the ‘Newsletter’ Category
May 2011 News from Dragonfly Beads Cazenovia NY!
What a month it’s been! We had our grand opening in Cazenovia, 20 days of rain, a few glorious sunny Spring Days, Ladies Night Out, classes, birthday parties, college club events, girl scouts and a mini trunk show with CNY Glass! I just caught my breath! I am so thrilled with the move. It has been great to see familiar faces as well as meet and greet new customers and friends. From day one, I have felt welcomed in Cazenovia by the fellow businesses, the chamber, and the residents. The new space feels great; it’s warm and inviting with plenty of space for classes and creating. Thank you for bearing with us during the move. We’re still unpacking and sorting, and there are boxes of beads that have yet to find a spot in the shop! But over the next few months, we’ll rearrange a few more times and have much more to show!
A few announcements I wanted to make. First of all, we LOVE to help you create. We are happy to teach you the basics of putting together a bracelet, a necklace or a pair of earrings, and this is offered for FREE if you purchase beads with us! A private class can be arranged for $20/hour if you would like to bring in beads from home. However, PLEASE make an appointment! We’d hate for you to come in when we’re not available to help. The store offers birthday parties, outings for girl scouts or school groups, and we also have vendors coming in who we meet with to bring in exciting new beads. As long as you make an appointment, we can make sure we’ve set aside time to work with you!
Secondly, the store will be CLOSED on Saturday, May 14th. Renowned Metal Clay Artist Terry Kovalcik will be teaching a class on making boxes and hinges in PMC. This is a large class covering rather complicated techniques and for the sake of the students taking the class, I’ve decided to close the shop so they are undisturbed during the course. It is very exciting to be able to offer these “Big Name” classes! Ask for more information about upcoming courses.
Friday May 27th is Finally Friday in Cazenovia! Shops will be open late, and Dragonfly Beads will be demonstrating some basic jewelry making techniques. Take advantage of a late evening of shopping, learn something new, then go out for drinks with a friend!
Finally, we will be re-scheduling the Trunk Show with CNY Glass (Those of you who made it to Ladies Night might remember the “cute guy” who was here with his wife! ) Chris and Jackie Rice are incredibly talented artists who work with glass, steel, iron and wood. The trunk show (formerly May 27th and May 28th) will be re-scheduled for sometime in mid June.
Thanks again for your patronage, those of you who have followed the shop from Manlius, and those of you who have just discovered us. I feel rejuvenated and recharged, and can’t wait to see the store grow. April Showers have certainly brought May Flowers and positive growth for Dragonfly Beads!
erin
January 2011 at Dragonfly Beads in Manlius NY
Happy 2011! I have a feeling it’s going to be a really good year, and not just because I’m getting married this year! January is a great time to commit to making positive changes in your life. I won’t call them “resolutions”: Instead, I like to think of them as goals. So my goal this year is to have an even better year than 2010, and to provide you with more exciting classes with a strong focus on metal clay! If you are strictly into beading, never fear…you need toggles, bead clasps and focal components, right? Try your hand at metal clay to add a personal touch to your beaded projects!
Our first big metal clay class this year is March 26th and 27th with Holly Gage. Holly will be teaching Repoussé Effects in Metal Clay. This class is suitable for all levels of experience, and Holly will push your abilities to their limits and beyond, all with patience, humor and skill! You will leave class with a very personal piece that you can be proud of.
Repoussé Effects in Metal Clay
Saturday, March 26th and Sunday, March 27th, 10-5. $375 total for both days.
All levels of ability welcome
Learn the secrets of transforming original photos or drawings into highly detailed, low relief images, which look similar in style to traditional Repoussé. Discover how to wet-work a reverse polymer mold of your image; manipulate silver metal clay and use tools to create different hand-wrought textural effects; and to carve details for the finishing touch. The Repoussé effect is only achieved by this technique and is different from photopolymer plates. The results are unique and original, beautifully echoing the hand of the artist.
Small Habitats
Please sign up early! Spots are limited and your space is not guaranteed until a deposit is made!
The store will be hosting another Rio Rewards PMC Certification Class this spring. Friday, April 29th through Sunday, May 1st. This is an excellent class, and I credit it for carving the path that has led me to where I am today with metal clay: traveling internationally to teach, being in an apprenticeship with Holly Gage, being featured in a magazine and calendar, creating memorial jewelry that has customers as far away as Singapore and Tasmania, and loving every minute of creating with this incredible material! Terry Kovalcik will be teaching this course for us. Terry is an extremely gifted artist and a kind and patient teacher. He has been a professional illustrator for over 25 years, and his eye for detail has certainly translated well into the metal clay world. His work has been featured in numerous books and magazines, and he recently won first place in the Cultural Symbolism Exhibit at the 2010 PMC Conference in Purdue Indiana. He is currently the Featured Artist for Metal Clay Today
The Rio Rewards PMC Certification class will meet from 9 am to 5 pm on Friday, April 29th, Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st. The cost for the 3-day class is $495, which includes all the materials (and believe me, you’ll be getting a LOT of Metal Clay!). Students will complete 7 projects, which will test student’s proficiency using PMC in a variety of ways. New techniques will be taught and mastered. For more information you can call Dragonfly Beads or to register, call 1-866-345-2698 or email education@riogrande.com. After completion of the class, each student will be awarded a certificate and enrolled in the Rio Grande Rio Rewards program (which means discounts on clay and PMC tools!). In addition, each student receives a one-year membership in the PMC guild, and will receive the gorgeous PMC Annual, full of inspirational work done in the field of Metal Clay. And keep in mind how blissfully wonderful it is to be able to take 3 days and JUST PLAY WITH CLAY with a wonderful and patient instructor! Class space is limited, so sign up early!
Terry Kovalcik will be coming back to the store on May 14th and 15th to teach boxes and hinges. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this! I LOVE lockets, and Terry is a guru when it comes to hinges in metal clay
Hinged Boxes
Saturday, May 14th and Sunday, May 15th, 9-5. $375 total for both days.
Skill level: A patient determined beginner, or preferably, intermediate. (Participants should have a few workshops under their belt.)
In this two-day workshop, we will explore the process of making a hinged box using Silver PMC. Make either a pendant that holds something close to your heart or a small decorative box that sits on a table or slips into your pocket. The choice is yours.
The techniques we will cover: Tab hinges, pattern making, dry construction, surface treatments, riveting, wire bending and creative closures.
Zodiac Crab Locket Open
Are you a friend of ours on Facebook? If not, you could be losing out on exclusive offers from Dragonfly Beads! Secret sales, discounts, promotions…you never know when we’ll announce the next one or what is going to be. So become our fan and stay in the loop!
CNY Glass Studio will be here for a trunk show on Saturday, January 22nd, from 11 to 3. Chris and Jackie will be here with their beautiful beads just in time for Valentines Day! Pick up some hearts, or Jackie’s popular “Heart and Key” necklaces! Jackie and erin will be teaming up to bring you a class combining Metal Clay and Lampwork beads…details to come!
Key to my Heart
Over the winter, we are reducing our hours. Starting Tuesday, January 24th. The store hours will be:
Tuesday 2-6
Wednesday 2-6
Thursday 2-6
Friday 11-6
Saturday 11-5
We will strive to continue to provide you with excellent customer service, innovative classes and a willingness to help you learn and grow as a jewelry designer! The next time you consider buying beads at a big box store, please remember your local bead: Dragonfly Beads, Market Beads and Beads Unlimited!
In the immortal words of David Bowie, “Turn and face the strange, Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!”
December 2010 News at Dragonfly Beads, Manlius NY
Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! I am getting into the spirit with the snow, the twinkling lights and decorations. I’m looking forward to creating some unique hand-made gifts for the holidays!
To really get you into the beading spirit, we brought in some special Kazuri beads for the month of December! You can truly feel good when you buy these beads. Kazuri beads are handcrafted ceramic beads made from African clay, dug by hand by women in Kenya. These women then shape each bead individually without the aid of molds, forms or any modern machinery. The beads are painted and glazed to produce a smooth, shiny decorated product. Your support of these beads provides these women a job which in turn helps them to support their families. You empower women in Kenya and make a difference in their lives, and the lives of their families. Feel good and look good with Kazuri beads!
Kazuri Beads
As an added incentive, the first person to correctly guess our Kazuri trivia question and bring the answer to Dragonfly Beads in person, will win a pair of Kazuri beads! Turn them into earrings or a pendant for you and a friend. The trivia question is… (Drum roll please…)
What does the word “Kazuri” mean?
Be the first to bring your answer in to the store in person and select your beads!
As I was lamenting the price of silver today, I made another happy discovery…I just re-constituted about 40 grams of metal clay (That’s approximately $90 worth of metal!)
Despite the high cost of metals, metal clay is virtually waste-free, and unused unfired bits can be re-hydrated and brought back to original consistency. That 40 grams may have been thrown in a scrap heap had it been sheet metal, but I was able to turn it right back into to clay and make more jewelry! What a great time to learn about this versatile, re-constitutable, “green” product! Gift certificates for classes make a great stocking stuffer!
Speaking of classes, the store won’t be offering any classes during December. I know how hectic it gets! But class will be back in session in January. Please call or email with any requests for classes you’d like to see.
TOOT TOOT (that’s me, tooting my own horn). I’ve got another opportunity to assist my mentor Holly Gage! I will be traveling to Snohomish Washington to assist and learn with Holly. She is teaching two courses at The Ranch. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity, and will keep you posted along the way! Be sure to check the website for blog updates. I will be gone from December 9th through the 14th, but never fear, the store will be open with my lovely staff running the show! I will also have a lot more information about the class Holly is teaching here at Dragonfly Beads in March. Holly is an internationally renowned teacher, and she’s going to be at my lil’ ol’ shop to teach this March! How cool is that?!? Ok, I’ll get off the horn now. But check out one of the gorgeous pendants Holly made. This is the Innovative Prong Setting that she teaches, set with Titanium. So lovely!
I’m feeling excited, festive and I’ve full tidings of comfort and joy. Don’t worry about the price of metal, beads are still beautiful! And I’ve got a TON of new beads in, the Kazuri trunk show is going on, new findings and chain on the way as well as the ever-popular Swarovski Holiday Tree. Happy Holidays and please support local shops and businesses in the Greater Syracuse Area this holiday!
November News at Dragonfly Beads
Can you believe another month has flown by? We had a truly wonderful group of Rio Rewards PMC Certificate students take the course from Chris Darway. Everyone passed, and the quality of work (and people) was top notch! The next PMC Certification is being planned for April 2011.
Speaking of future plans, I’m SO exited to tell you about two majorly cool upcoming classes.
The first is March 26th and 27th, 2011. Holly Gage of Gage Designs will be teaching Repoussé Effects in Metal Clay. This is one of the classes that Holly taught in England this past summer, and I was lucky enough to travel as her assistant and apprentice. I loved this course, and Holly is an amazing teacher: patient, extremely knowledgeable and very giving of her experience.
Repoussé Effects in Metal Clay
Saturday, March 26th and Sunday, March 27th 2011 at Dragonfly Beads
All levels of ability welcome
Learn the secrets of transforming original photos or drawings into highly detailed, low relief images, which look similar in style to traditional Repoussé. Discover how to wet-work a reverse polymer mold of your image; manipulate silver metal clay and use tools to create different hand-wrought textural effects; and to carve details for the finishing touch. The Repoussé effect is only achieved by this technique and is different from photopolymer plates. The results are unique and original, beautifully echoing the hand of the artist.
Small Habitats
We also have Terry Kovalcik coming May 14th and 15th to teach boxes and hinges. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this! I LOVE lockets, and Terry is a guru when it comes to hinges in metal clay.
Something to put something in. A BOX!
That’s a hinged box.
Skill level: A patient determined beginner, or preferably, intermediate. (Participants should have a few workshops under their belt.)
In this two-day workshop, we will explore the process of making a hinged box using Silver PMC. Make either a pendant that holds something close to your heart or a small decorative box that sits on a table or slips into your pocket. The choice is yours.
The techniques we will cover: Tab hinges, pattern making, dry construction, surface treatments, riveting, wire bending and creative closures.
Fiddle Head BoxZodiac Crab LocketZodiac Crab Locket OpenPillow Box
Space in these classes is limited, so sign up early! The more participants we have, the lower the cost of the class will be. The class price will range from $350 to $450, depending on sign ups.We’ve got some great events coming up this month. On Saturday, November 6th, CNY Glass will be having a trunk show at the store. There will be all sorts of gorgeous hand made lampwork beads, as well as finished jewelry, jewelry stands, business card holders, and other great gift ideas. There will also be a class incorporating chain maille and lampwork beads. Make a gorgeous bracelet for yourself or for a friend!
On November 13th and 14th, we will have a HUGE trunk show from New Mexico. The store will be transformed and overflowing with exquisite beads; rubies, emeralds, high quality turquoise, chalcedony and black spinel to name just a very few. This is a really fun show, so come check it out! This is a good opportunity to get some beads for Holliday projects. You can buy beads and learn how to knot them at our Knot your Mother’s Pearls class on Tuesday, November 16th, from 5 to 7 pm.
The store will be closed on Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th for the Thanksgiving holiday. Eat, drink and be merry!
This time of year starts to get so busy and hectic. Take time to be thankful for your health, home, family, pets, and all the wonderful things in your life!
erin