The Pineapple Necklace

It's funny what instinct tells you.  I made this necklace a while back.  For the holiday season I usually make gifts for friends.  It was cool, but not yet cold (as it in in December), a crispness was in the air. Everything was a sparkle with holiday lights - menorahs, tree lights, garlands.

I'm not exactly sure where the pineapple came from.  It's been among my beads for some time.  It's crystal, possibley Swarovski, but I can't be sure.  A friend had just loned me the book Moloka'i by Alan Brennert  (it's a fantastic novel that includes history the Hawaiian Islands).  With Hawaii in my mind and holiday sparkles in my eyes, this necklace was born. When finished insecurity set in.  I thought "Who, besides me, would ever wear this?"  I put it aside.

Later I was putting together a collection to sell.  Laura Allen took a look at all my jewelry and said, "So tell me about the Pineapple Necklace." At that moment, it was christened.  I loved it, but never thought anyone else would.  So the lesson in all of this is: go with your instincts.  Does it matter if no one else likes it?  No, not really.  But I now own my feelings for it.  It has since become the inspiration for my logo and worn by motivational speakers during presentations. And that's just awesome.

You can find it at my Etsy store.

Rockstar Necklace

Last year I made a The Rockstar Speaker Necklace for Laura Allen at 15 Second Pitch.  She does a lot of public speaking engagements (and if you haven't heard her speak, she's quite inspirational).  Looking for something that complemented her message and matched her personality, she hired me for my first commission. The result was powerful, magnetic, bold and eye-catching (if I do say so myself).  I love that piece and love it on her.

Playing with my beads the other day, I came across some glossy magenta glass pearls.  They seemed so regal.  Then I came across some smoky colored crystals.  They just begged to be strung together. 

The result is the Rockstar Necklace.  And well, I love it (I am biased).  It's powerful and empowering, bold, sassy and eye-catching.  Wearing it brings out the sassy inside.  So now anyone can feel like a Rockstar.

This necklace can be purchased at my Etsy store.

Laura Allen on NY1

Laura Allen, marketing genius and founder of 15 Second Pitch appeared on NY1 today.  She spoke about how to using the perfect pitch can help you stand out in the job market.

You can see the entire interview on the NY1 website.

15 Second Pitch Workshop

Laura Allen conducted another one of her 15 Second Pitch workshops last night at In Good Company.  I have to say that I always find these meetings so invigorating.  Particularly during the down times we're in it's great to be in a room with positive, motivated people. 

This is my third time attending her workshop, and though the content remains essentially the same, I always get something new out of it.  I've been in a different stage with my business each time I've attended.  The experiences speaks to each new level.  The group dynamic changes radically as well.  This time around, it was a smaller group which allowed for more interaction. 

Joanne Morton was also there with her Magic Passion Love.  I met her at the FCW Holiday get together last December.   She is so inspiring.  I was shocked to hear she only started her endeavor in 2002.  It's so energizing to see what she's done in such a short period of time.  Seeing her attitude, it really shouldn't be that surprising.

The Marketing Sessions

Ready to do whatever it takes to sell I finally met with Laura.  I knew this might be hard, she would likely tell me to do things I didn't want to do.  She might even say things I didn't want to hear.  But she's the professional and has a lot more experience running a successful business than I do.  I knew I liked her personality and could work with her, she would be direct but always good-natured.

She reviewed the links I sent her and we went over my main interests. Immediately she said "so tell me about the jewelry."  To be honest, I've been making jewelry for so long I forgot it was unique.  I told her about the pieces I made, how most were made with vintage pendants, found objects constructed from other jewelry.  "Everyone understands a necklace," she said plus she hadn't seen anything like it before.  Really?  Wow!  Jewelry, for me, makes sense.  I knew my designs were unique, it just never occurred to me that they would  be marketable.

It was that easy.  We decided that I would streamline my interests.  I had necklaces ready to sell.  We were going to start selling.  I would return to Etsy learning from my past experience and start a store-front.  I would have at least one sale within the next week.  That was my goal.  At first it was scary, but in talking with Laura, I realised I had the means to sell at least one piece.  I just hadn't tried.