The Dragon and the Apprentice: Top Tips for Business Success in 2010

This event was held on Monday 11th January to raise funds for the coming season's schedule of free training seminars for Irish Women in Business. The two main presenters were Bill Cullen, chief taskmaster of The Apprentice
and Sean Gallagher, "the firiest dragon of them all".
The MC for the day was Michelle Daly, a real new media wiz, and she and Tara Wilson Black, founder of IWIB, seem to have done the lion's share of the backroom work, ably aided by a team of helpers. A number of other presenters took part. And the day was brought to a rousing end of astonishing quality by Veronica Canning, she of 'Shoeisms'.

Michelle, Veronica and Tara seen here with Bill Cullen.

The event was outstanding for the positive energy that characterised its organisation and execution - the team even managed to manifest a thaw so that the snowbound could travel to be there! Outstanding too were the level and quality of sponsorship it brought together, with services being donated free by a number of companies. Michelle made sure that those who could not attend had live updates on Twitter and YouTube, and some great photos have been posted on Facebook. I was fortunate to secure a stand within the conference room to showcase my work and was delighted to get to know the gracious visitors to my stand.
Bill's advice was based on the principles in his book, Golden Apples, while Sean emphasised the need to respond to change with positive action. A common theme was the importance of passion along with a willingness to work hard but smart, and to have someone to bounce ideas off - an 'accountability partner' to use Sean's American expression. Other speakers reinforced the theme of keeping one's energy positive on many levels, and Veronica ended the day by inviting us to formulate a 'big audacious aim' - I sheepishly reduced it to BAA as my nmemonic, pardon the pun! This BAA to be where and what we would like to be three years down the road. It had worked spectacularly for her, why not for us too?

Winter Wonderland

Check out the amazing snowy photos of Ireland under a blanket of white!
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0107/snow_gallery.html

This link came to me courtesy of my lovely horticultural hort'curious friend Ena Ronayne who does a great gardening blog.

I'll be travelling the snowy roads tomorrow to get to the Osprey Hotel in Naas, I have taken a stand to show my jewellery at the exciting event, The Dragon and the Apprentice. I'll try to post a report on it afterwards...

DIY stand for my rosary beads

I saw a tip posted on Rena Klingenberg's great tips newsletter and website - http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com - and sent in by Beth Millner. I felt sure I could adapt it to hang and display my various semi-precious stone rosary beads. Beth had made hers from a combination of wooden dowelling and curved and t-connectors for copper piping and was using it to hang cards for her pendants.

The incredible thing was that when I went shopping in Woodies, dowelling was actually 50% more expensive than copper piping (!!) as well as being a shorter length, so I was delighted to be able to treat myself to a long length of half-inch copper piping and make a really good-looking stand which I have protected from tarnish with a light coating of Renaissance wax.

The hardware shop was also my source for the clear shower curtain rings I used to hang the beads on; very convenient as they can be opened individually to remove a rosary to show clients.

The beauty of this design is that it can be made to almost any height and width you might require. It did a great job for me!! I can see myself making more of them!

Five great days at the National Crafts Fair, RDS, Dublin 2009

It was a big step for me, and I had such a lovely time! Set-up on Tuesday followed by five days (the first three from 10 in the morning to ten at night) on the balcony with wonderful friends on either side of me. The event organisers had created a great atmosphere with musicians and a terrific food emporium as well as a huge Christmas tree and great pennants hanging down.

I was delighted to be in stand B8 - the Aura-Soma bottle B8 is all about lightening the heart by following your joy and doing what you love. I loved connecting with those who came in to my stand, and quite a few remarked on seeing my motto - made with love, wear with joy - that they could feel the love in the jewellery.

The Aura-Soma Air Conditioners came into their own for clearing and lifting the energy on our stands. There was such a great sense of positive energy surrounding us and people seemed to relax and open their purse strings to treat themselves to something nice as well as buying beautiful gifts for friends.

The long-drawn-out two-month process of applying for a credit card machine culminated in delivery of the machine in the nick of time, the evening before the show opened! And a number of people commissioned me to make something for them in the weeks following the show, so tons of encouragement!

Dalkey Winter Fair was good...

Dalkey was interesting. The torrential rain on the invite-only opening night kept the crowds small, and I stepped in a puddle in the dark which got me wet over my ankle, shoe, sock and all.


My wirewrapped pendant necklaces were much admired, and people were delighted to get lovely freshwater pearl earrings, both drop and stud, at good prices. Especially popular were my birds nest gemstone rings, a show special at just €19!

All very encouraging with the RDS craft fair coming up 2-6 December.

See True Colours Rosary Beads and Jewellery at Dalkey Winter Fair

This weekend, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th November from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the DLR County Enterprise Board Winter Fair is taking place in the Heritage Centre, Dalkey Castle, opposite the church in the main street. I will be there along with several other members of the DLR Jewellery Designers network, and there will be other artisans showing a variety of crafts and other products. The poster shows one example of the sumptuous necklaces and earrings created by the very gifted Laragh McMonagle, who will be also be showing her new range of exciting pure silver rings.

At my stand, in the lower right-hand corner of the Hall, you can find:
* my handcrafted full and one-decade rosary beads in a range of wonderful stones, each one accompanied by a specially made sturdy leather zipped purse
* stunning necklaces with unusual gemstone pendants which I have beautifully wire-wrapped in sterling silver or 14k gold filled; matching earrings (I'll post a few photos in my next installment)
* wide range of freshwater pearl necklaces (some with detachable enhancer pendants), complete with matching earrings
* some great semi-precious stone jewellery
* lovely faceted heart rose quartz pendants at a very special price
* divers other pieces of jewellery lovingly crafted by me

And if you see something you would like if made a little differently, or have an idea of something you'd like me to make for you, just let me know. I love to create for a real and known person!

I will also have a stand in the National Christmas Craft Fair in the RDS from 2nd to 6th December, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and will have some other pieces made for that, including some rosary bracelets and some lovely pearl and gemstone combinations. But you may miss out on the best if it goes at Dalkey...

The Christmas giveaway from the European Artfire guild

If you like the look of this collection of goodies, come on over to our European Artfire guild blog and find out how to win them! The little white pearl bracelet (handknotted with a sterling silver extension chain and clasp) is by Yours Truly, and lots of other talented artisans have made lovely things too...

Designer Rosary Beads in gentle Amazonite with St. Theresa of the Roses theme

This lovely rosary beads was gone almost as soon as it was made. I love the combination of this soft aqua colour and the bronze. I also like that the cross does not have a corpus hanging from it, something that upsets my children!

Yellow rosary beads - a ray of sunshine!

I wrote some time ago about a request for yellow rosary beads. I'm very happy with the results. My lovely online friend Francesca from Canada chose the 8mm yellow opal with brass and bronze, definitely the most dramatic-looking of the items I had made, and it will soon be winging its way to Italy to the lucky recipient.

Here are the other options I had made:

Lovely butterly yellow aragonite in 8mm beads with large silver Trinity Cross and Rose centre:

Translucent sunshine in A grade 6mm citrine with a graceful Art Deco silver cross and center set:

A similar 8mm yellow opal bead with silver and a lovely "Foot of the Cross" crucifix featuring John and Mary. The rose centre has the classic picture of St. Theresa of the Roses on the reverse. There is a matching cross which I have used in another sold rosary, in bronze, which I will post shortly.

A softly irridescent 7mm yellow-lipped mother of pearl rosary with the Hunt Museum Penal Cross:

I do love working to request, it seems to bring out my inspiration!

100 gobs!

My good friend Stephen has just completed a 100-day run of posting a caricature a day, and has combined them all in this shot. For more detail follow the link in the title.