Why I love Dealing with Small Businesses

Don't you just love small heart centred personal businesses?

I had a wee splurge a couple of months ago on some new bead rollers from the States but sadly my package just never arrived.

I emailed them and the next thing I know they have resent the items to me.  Isn't that fantastic?!  I'm not sure I would get the same level of service from a lot of the larger companies I deal with!

The thing is that this is a small business, so the loss of the original package probably hurt them more than it would a larger company too.

So I have a huge thank you to express to Donna Felkner of www.cgbeads.com - what a generous spirit she has.

I was so excited to finally receive my tools that I almost had palpitations when I was opening the package.  Now to get them dirty...

Of course I'll refuse delivery of the original package if it ever arrives so she gets them back.

But don't you wonder where they ended up?  Is there a huge building full of undelivered packages somewhere in the world?

Favourite Things

I began writing this post earlier and was going to tell you all about why I'd decided to start blogging again, why I've decided to keep my business name as Glitz Art Glass, offer you explanations of my past 18 months blogging sabbatical and a whole lot of other navel gazing stuff.

But I decided instead to tell you about one of my favourite things - one of the things that makes me happy, makes me covetous and makes me smile and stroke them whenever I walk by them.

I have two old china jugs filled with the most amazing marker pens - they're Tombows.  I only just realised that there is a "W" on the end of Tombow when I looked them up online.  With a view to purchasing some more at some stage - or inveigling someone who loves me a lot into buying them for me.

These two jugs of pens follow me around the house, usually sitting at my right hand in the lounge (yes, we have one of those  lounges) or wherever I need to see them to make me feel secure.

I have just done something very OCD with my pens....I have made a spreadsheet of which ones I own so if I feel a shopping splurge come over me (or my significant other) I can jump to the ready and shout "I NEED THESE ONES!!"

At this point I should tell you that these pens are horrendously expensive and that I feel rather blessed to own any at all.  They have only been purchased in ones, twos and very occasionally threes over the years when I felt that I needed a little creative pick-me-up.

Oh, and by the way, I'm still making beads, still making them and selling them in our wee workroom Traders of the Lost Arts in Commercial Street in Takaka and online on www.glitz.co.nz but have also added an etsy.com store where I've been listing loose beads for jewellery designers.  Here's the link to the etsy store  https://www.etsy.com/shop/GlitzArtGlass?ref=ss_profile

'Cos I'm leaving on a jet plane...

'Cos I'm leaving on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again (but I do)

Oh babe, it's great to go...

Apologies to John Denver (who wrote it) and Peter, Paul and Mary (who made it theirs)

My bags are packed, it's early morn, Toy Boy's waiting, he's blowing his horn...

My little sister and I leave tonight for 12 days away - 

first stop is Bangkok, Thailand, 

2nd stop, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 

3rd stop, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3 countries in 12 days - WOW!

The "reason" for the trip is to collect my niece (my sister's daughter), who has been at school in Cambodia for a term, but we will stop in Thailand on the way to have a look around, and in Malaysia on the way home to have a wee rest and some fun together.

I can't wait to see these amazing countries - here's a little taster photo from Cambodia

Not something we see everyday on the main street in Takaka!

I can't wait to get on that plane - don't you love that feeling of taking off for somewhere exotic?

I'm very excited!

If it wasn't for beads I'd go stir-crazy!

OK, enough already!

This is our 10th (tenth, xth) wet weekend in a row and it's now official - I'm OVER it!

It's got to the stage where I'm grumpy and inactive and have the energy of a tired sloth,

with the appetite of a puppy.

Does my bum look big in this?

 The only thing keeping me sane is the workroom and the beads - thank goodness I can escape there and lose myself in the work!

Here's what's captured my attention this week

Green Tiger Beads

 

I'm about to load these babies onto the website.

I hope the weather's better where you are!

Introducing the new "Toru Series" of Earrings - and some corny jokes

The new "Toru Series" Earrings - NZ$45

I've been playing with this new design for a little while - they came about when I needed a simple little earring to match a very detailed necklace, and I needed to make a  longer shape to suit a stylish local lady.

The other day I asked on Facebook what this series should be called and Rebecca came up with "The Toru Series".

In case you were wondering, you readers who are not kiwis, toru means 3 in Maori.

They are made using my little handmade glass "spacer" beads with something tiny between each bead - maybe Swarovski crystal or a similar glass or metal bead.

The findings are still all sterling silver so they won't do anything nasty to your ears like base metal can.

They are about 2.5cms (1 inch) long and are hung on shorter French style ear hooks.

A small selection of colour

The possibilities for this series are virtually limitless!  That's why I haven't put them onto the website.

If there's a colour you fancy that you don't see here - please let me know and I'll take photos and make them up especially to your wishes.  As always, your wish is my command :)!

And now for some corny jokes!

I love corny jokes!  Is it my age? Am I reverting to childhood?

Why did the orange go out with the prune?

Because he couldn't find a date.

How do you organise an outer space party?

You planet!

What did 0 say to 8?

"Nice belt!"

What do you call a fake noodle?

Impasta!

Did you hear the news about corduroy pillows?

The make headlines!

What did the fish say when he hit a concrete wall"

"Dam!"

Proton: "I think I lost an electron"

Neutron: "Are you sure?"

Proton: "I'm positive"

What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?

A stick.

What do you call a cross between a sheep and a kangaroo?

A woolly jumper.

Why did Beethoven get rid of his chickens?

They kept going "Bach-Bach-Bach"

OK - are you ready to get serious about Monday morning now?

What's your favourite corny joke?

Thanks to Pioneer Woman for the inspiration and most of the jokes :)