Monday, December 29, 2008

I'm Getting Married!


This Christmas goes down in history as the best one ever. Not only did I get a Wii Fit I got a Fiance. They are so close, I don't know which one is better. Not really, the Fiance is soooo much better.

My boyfriend, now fiance, decided to show up a day earlier then expected. And on that early day he proposed. So we are now getting married! So excited!!

To add to the wonderful holiday season we went on a cruise to the Bahamas over Christmas. The weather was perfect. Although the stores were all closed in the Bahamas for Christmas, we enjoyed the beach anyways. My fiance enjoyed the bottomless rum drinks more. And we both love our Ship on a Stick trophy we won for the scavenger hunt against the 9 year olds. lol.

After 5 days of being on the cruise boat I am feeling a bit of the rocking motion still. Wonder how long it will take for me to feel like I am off the boat. Also wondering why restaurants are expecting me to pay for my food now. Don't they know that food is free for you when you cruise? Or does that stop when you hit land?

With my fiance being in the military we are planning a wedding in about a month and a half. The last day of our trip was spent making lists and smoothing out the details before my fiance had to go back up to base.

So far we have decided on an outdoor wedding and our colors are Turquoise, Black and white. This wedding is definitely on a budget and short timeline. Two things that generally don't go together.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this process easier and more affordable please comment links and tips. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Christmas Giveaway

Joni Chadwell
You are my winner! Congratulations!
An email has been sent with directions.
Failure to respond within 3 days will result in a new winner being drawn.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Christmas Giveaway - Extra Special


Starts: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Ends: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 Noon EST



Enter to win this beautiful charm bracelet. Handmade by myself.
Perfect for the holiday season and perfect for year round wear.

  • Sizeable up to 8"
  • Made from hand selected glass beads and silver filigree charms
  • Retail: $28
Open to U.S. entries to ensure Christmas delivery

How I got my start:
"I remember when I was little I started a dream book. One that had all the business ideas I wanted to have when I got older. One was to travel the world and buy beads. Well I can't travel the world but I can make jewelry that is unique and affordable. So I guess my dream came true in a different way."

Something funny about my craft:
"I have a tendency to fling beads by accident. When I try to use the beading wire the little bead gets on the end and launches itself across the room...kinda like pole jumpers. That is why I prefer metal work."


The rules and how to win:
It is fun and simple.

1. Stop by my online shop here and take a look around.

2. Choose your favorite item. (And yes, these items are for sale, so feel free to do some shopping while browsing) - Free shipping event going on right now...FREE SHIPPING on orders placed before Dec. 17.

3. Come back here and comment this post with your favorite item.

4. Include a way to contact you - email or etsy name to convo (no contact info disqualifies your entry)

EXTRA WAYS TO GAIN MORE ENTRIES
1 EXTRA ENTRY PER TASK COMPLETED

1. Blog about my giveaway or post on your website. Send me an email Keli@GlitzyGallery.com with the website address.

2. Make a purchase from my online store between the contest dates. Put BLOGENTRY in the coupon section for an extra entry and a FREE gift.

3. If there are more then 100 entries I will give EVERYONE an addition entry.

4. Sign up for my e-mailing list that includes specials and coupon codes here.

Starts: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Ends: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 Noon EST

Winner will be notified by method of contact left within 5 hours of contest end.
You must notify me by 7AM EST your contact info to guarantee delivery by Christmas.
I am not held responsible for delays due to mail carrier workload.
If the winner has not responded within 3 days the next winner will be notified and so on.

If you would like to participate in a future giveaway contact me at my email.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Morocco Shrine Christmas Craft Fair

The set up for these events has now become a science that I have down pat. Everything gets packed into the SUV the night before and the totes are packed in the order of what I will need to unpack first. For example: table cloths go on the top of the totes. Duh...why did it take me 4 shows to figure that one out?

My friend Liza came up with this great idea to use a rolling suitcase for my items.
This helped so much and I was able to get rid of one plastic tote. The suitcase rolling behind me while I had a christmas tree under one arm and the purse under the other went very well. Saved me a trip. A long trip. Maybe not that long, but when you are carrying everything and all the other participants are wizzing past you with carts you secretly wish one of their wheels would pop off and go rolling so they could feel the pain you feel as you lug the tables on your back.

Setup was the night before. This being my first event that I left my displays overnight...I felt like a mother leaving her child at school for the first time. You hope no one messes with them and you are fully prepared to kick someone's butt if they do.

I returned the next morning to find everything the way I left it. Breathed a breath of relief and my mother and I began setting up the important stuff. The jewelry. Que the glowing light from above shining over the jewelry.

Me being the nerd I am, I decided to wear a santa hat.


Thank goodness I did. It was so cold in the building I feared my jewelry would have ice hanging from it.


This was my first use of my new 4ft prelit christmas tree. For some reason I thought 4 feet was a lot taller. I had a charlie brown tree. It worked out great. My mother decorated it and for the life of me I can't figure out why she put ornaments on the back of the tree...it was facing the wall. I had to pick on her about that one.

Things were severely slow the first day for all vendors. Shoppers didn't seem very happy and they didn't want to stop and chat. I remember quite a few of them would pick up their speed as they walked past my booth after I greeted them with a sincere good morning. I am not that scary. I wore my makeup. Sheesh.

Day one was also the day to test out the concession stand food. Every 15 minutes for 8 hours the announcer would come on over the loud speaker and announce that there was food to eat and they had the best hot dogs in the area.
As the announcements would come the announcer would tell everyone gradually how the hot dogs were the best in the city, then state then united states. It was funny if you paid attention to him. I did have one. It was pretty good. Not the best though.

Day two went a bit better. It seemed that shoppers were in a better mood and wanted to chit chat more. Also they wanted to purchase more. It was a way better day for everyone. I didn't scare any customers away. I think.

I was dissapointed to find out my booth neighbor did not make their items. They imported them from Indonesia. The way I found this out? I squinted real hard and saw the "made in indonesia sticker" The rules clearly stat you must handmake all your items.

Many other rules were broken also....no booth sharing, no canopies indoors and no sale signs. Things were not enforced and that made the event a bummer for me. I follow the rules. If you don't follow them I think you should be repremanded. Maybe make that person wear their underware on their heads? I think that would prevent anyone else from breaking the rules.



In my opinion the event was just out to make their money and that was it. Especially when almost every 5th booth out of 140 booths was jewelry. They said it was juried and limited on how many people were allowed per category but obviously their limit is high or they did not follow their guidelines. I will not be doing this event again.

I am excited though. I have another event this Saturday. More information is here. I am hoping this event goes better. This will be my last one of the year and I would like to go out with a bang. A good bang.

Please stop by and say hello. Also get a free promo pack from Artists from around the world.

Thank you...
Denice for sticking out two very long days and many trips to the car with the heavy heavy gear.

Heather for being our bouncer/muscle. If there was a light in our face she did not hesitate to take care of the situation.

To all the wonderful people I met at this event...customers and other event participants

And finally to all of the promo pack participants who sent me their samples and promo items. The packs went over well and you will be happy to know they made it into the hands of many people. I am sending lots of sales wishes your way. There will be another post on the blog about the participants and photos to go with also. Coming soon!