New Beginnings

I am proud to introduce to you my absolutely perfect granddaughter, Leah Dawn. Weighing in at 9lbs, 1oz., she's healthy, happy and beautiful! But you can see for yourself in this photo when she was not quite one day old.


Holding Leah for the first time last week, I was overwhelmed with the depth of love and emotion I felt. I'd always heard it was even better being a grandmother than having your own children, and now I get it. Seeing how my son and his wife beamed with pride, and the love I could see in their eyes for each other and for this child they have created, was beyond expectation. There's something really sweet and powerful when you see your child hold their child. Wow. Let's just say my eyes did not stay dry.



As I draw nearer to being 50 years old, I am very proudly wearing the name of Grandma. Pretty soon my friends will start running the other way as I reach to pull out my little photo book I keep in my purse. Hey, I'm a new Grandma...kind of like being a "born again" mother. Only better! And I promise to look at every one of my friends' pictures of their grandchildren because now I get it.

"Grandpa" and I are counting the days until we get to see Leah again, at Thanksgiving. You can bet this year our family has a LOT to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Grandma Mary Anne

Welcoming New.....Retail Stores!

I'm still waiting to welcome my granddaughter into the world. Doesn't she know her due date was yesterday? I guess she has a mind of her own, which is awesome.

In the meantime, my shipping department (oh wait, that's still me) had a busy week.

I'd like to welcome some new customers for the Garden Gals earring line. They are:

Weiss Brothers Nursery in Grass Valley, California
Valley Feed and Fuel Company in Madera, California
Shawnee Feed Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma
Holm Town Nursery in Fife, Washington
The Gated Garden in Lander, Wyoming
Green Thumb in San Marcos, California
Emigh Hardware in Sacramento, Califonia
Green Thumb in El Toro, California
Yamagamis Nursery in Cupertino, California
Eisleys Nursery in Auburn, California



If you live near any of the above stores, please visit them and be sure to tell the store "I read the blog of the woman who makes these".

And for all my blog readers, if you'd like to purchase anything on my website (www.madisondjewelry.com) I'd like to offer you free shipping AND a free gift. Please enter FREESHIP in the coupon code area, and in comments please mention "I'm a blog reader."

Anticipation

I'm usually a fairly patient woman. Okay, maybe my husband would disagree with that statement. Within the next week or two, my first grandchild will enter this world and I CANNOT WAIT!

I have been blessed with two amazing sons. My oldest son is 25, and he and his wife are expecting my first grandchild. Okay, in all fairness it's their first child.

Up to about two years ago, I was not ready to be a grandmother. I'm still in my 40's, and it just seemed too soon. But when on this past Easter my son and daughter-in-law surprised us with a sonogram picture in a gift bag, I instantly knew I was ready. Ready or not, there was a baby coming! My son and daughter-in-law are so looking forward to this new chapter in their lives, and I am so ready to love another baby, watch her grow, be an important part of her life.

Yes, I said "her". We know it's a girl!! Having boys, you can imagine my excitement about a girl coming into the family. Oh, and did I mention my husband, her grandpa, gets all gooey at the thought of having a granddaughter?



And you can bet when she's old enough, this grandma is going to teach her to make jewelry. Madison Designs Jewelry.

The REVEAL of my NEW LOGO!

Presenting my new Facebook Icon! It's a portion of my NEW LOGO!!


Well, if you've been following the Incredible Logo Makeover project by LeeAnn Brook of Brook Design Group, then you've probably already seen the new Madison Designs Logo! But if you haven't seen it, here is the full logo:



It was a wonderful collaboration, and LeeAnn is wonderful to work with! She offered three choices, and the final choice (after many people weighing in on Facebook) my selection was actually a blend of #2 and #3. I loved #3, but wasn't crazy about the original "M" in the circle. So I asked LeeAnn if she would mind trying the typeface of the "M" in #2 and putting it with #3 and voila! We have a new logo!

Other news....I've introduced an additional DiVine Wine earring line, perfect for retail stores! It comes on a revolving rack, just set it on the counter and sell them! Of course anyone can buy them off my website for the low price of $15 per pair. Here are all the cute "styles" of wine-themed earrings to choose from! (click on the graphic to see it larger).




Any of the designs in the DiVine Wine section that have freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals, amethyst, garnet, or peridot with the grape clusters, can be made with any of the 8 charms above. Just ask!

Please comment on the logo -- I'd love to hear your opinions on anything on my site as well. Check out the jewelry -- the holidays are coming! www.madisondjewelry.com.

Be happy!

The Incredible Logo Makeover!!

I am so lucky to be the recipient of an Incredible Logo Makeover by LeeAnn Brook of Brook Design Group! She is taking my Madison Designs Jewelry logo that I created myself (with limited logo design experience) and bringing it to a new level of professionalism and awesomeness!!

If you want to follow the progress, please go to LeeAnn's blog: http://www.brookdesign.com/company/blog/ and you can even comment if you'd like.

Stay tuned....

My apologies...

I have not been writing in my blog for a few months. Perhaps you noticed, more likely you did not.

It's been a very crazy few months, with our oldest son announcing he and his wife are having their first child (in about a month!), our youngest son graduating from high school, and sadly, my mother-in-law breaking her hip, and after a valiant struggle to recover, she passed away this summer.

While I haven't been writing on my blog, I have been doing all I can to move the jewelry company forward. Things have definitely improved, with two distributors and a sales rep organization taking on the Garden Gals earrings!

A new version of DiVine Wine Jewelry is coming -- similar in style and price to the Garden Gals line. At a suggested retail price of $14.95 they are affordable in a time when that's more important than ever.

I won't let so much time go by before my next post. If anyone has comments or questions or things you want to know, let me know!!

Be Open to Opportunities (AKA: You Can't Hit a Home Run if You Don't Step Up to the Plate)

You never know where the next big opportunity might be. I took a rack of Garden Gals earrings into a local garden center store, Weiss Brothers in Grass Valley. They have everything from locally grown vegetable and flower plants, trees, soil amendments, indoor plants, tools, containers, gifts....well you get the picture. Emil Baldoni, one of the owners, liked the jewelry and put it on his counter. As great as it was to have him want to sell them in his store, the real gold was a bit of information he gave to me -- the name of the buyer for a large garden center distributor.

My personal motto has always been "you can't hit a home run if you don't step up to the plate." So I called, got an appointment, and met with that very nice man at that very large company. HE LOVED the Garden Gals line! We've got some paperwork to do, but it's looking very good that his organizaton is going to add them to their line of product offerings! This could be huge and I am ready to roll!!

I apologize I haven't blogged in a few weeks. I will get back on schedule here soon with gemstone folklore. I've created some new pieces with turquoise and kyanite and mother-of-pearl that I'm proud of. My son Andrew even designed his own piece with turquoise and pearls that will make it to my website sometime this week.

And on this Memorial Day, let us remember all who have fought for our freedom and lost their lives in the process. It's truly the largest sacrifice.

Introducing Garden Gals!

After many weeks of preparation, I am excited to introduce to you a new line of jewelry called "Garden Gals"!!

Perfect for the gardening enthusiast or anyone who loves flowers, gardening or nature, these earrings are made of lead-free pewter (made in the USA) and are on sterlng silver ear wires. With 16 designs to choose from (including butterflies, frogs, flowers, watering cans, garden hats and tools and more) there's something for everyone! They're not yet available in garden stores and gift shops, but they are available on my website: www.gardengalsjewelry.com. The retail price is $14.00 per pair. I'd love to know what you think, so please leave a comment!

Here are the designs (click on the photo to enlarge to see detail):

Jasper Brings Peace

Jasper is an opaque and fine grained variety of Chalcedony. It is found in all colors including: red, brown, pink, yellow, green, grey/white and shades of blue and purple.

Jasper is protective, it brings peace and well being and gives insight. It can align all the chakras and balance yin yang energies, it is stabilizing and healing. Medicinal values were long attributed to jasper, including a belief that wearing it strengthened the stomach. Jasper was also believed to cure gynecological problems.

Legend says that Jasper would drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites. In the fourth century, it was thought to bring about the rain.

Whether this is true today, I can't guarantee. However, if you wear a lovely piece of jewelry made from jasper I can promise you will enjoy the compliments! To see this necklace (this jasper was mined in nearby Auburn, California) and other quality jewelry, please visit www.madisondjewelry.com.

And have a Happy Easter!

Ruby - for the Royal at Heart

Known as a gemstone of nobles, July's birthstone Ruby brings freedom, passion and vitality. Possessing the Camelot-inspired properies of devotion, love, strength, honor, wealth, determination and leadership makes this stone a good choice for the royal at heart. The Ruby protects against negativity and helps relieve physical ailments. The brilliant cut Ruby (right) can be very expensive. The rough Ruby (as pictured in the pendant on the pearls) is much less expensive, yet very beautiful. To see this necklace, go to www.madisondjewelry.com.

Wear Pearls to Enhance Your Integrity (and look beautiful doing it!)

Pearls -- whether they are cultured, Tahitian or fresh water variety, are said to enhance personal integrity. Pearls promote sincerity, truth and loyalty. They also bring wisdom, safety and love to the wearer. Pearls and soothing, calming, yet focuses attention on the wearer. Pearls come in many shapes, sizes and colors. To see more examples of pearls in jewelry, visit www.madisondjewelry.com.

Get your creative juices flowing with Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli, often called simply "Lapis", is a popular deep blue gem stone. Lapis is versatile -- you can wear it with blue jeans or an evening gown. Folklore says Lapis brings peace and clarity of the mind. It's the stone of wisdom, knowledge, perfection, protection and creative expression. To see this lapis necklace (and other designs), go to www.madisondjewelry.com.

Turquoise, the Friendship Stone

Feeling guilty for something you did to a friend? You might consider gifting them with something made with turquoise. Turquoise is known as the friendship stone. Ranging in color from bright aqua blue, to green, to yellow and even white, turquoise relieves guilt, and brings peace of mind. Also credited with creating spirital attunement, strength and a sense of "grounding", turquoise is also thought to be protective. Whether you believe the folklore or not, you probably agree that turquoise is beautiful. (Be careful when shopping for turquoise, as sometimes what looks like turquoise is really Howlite.) Buy turquoise from people you know and trust (like Madison Designs Jewelry). To order this turquoise and cinnabar necklace, visit www. madisondjewelry.com.

The Gemstone Garnet

Want to bring more peace and sexual desire into your life? Wear (or give) something made with the deep red colored Garnet. Also called the "truth stone", garnet inspires love, commitment, devotion, stability and order. It's said to also create an even flow of energy. Who couldn't use more of that? Perfect for Valentine's Day!

You can find beautiful jewelry handmade with garnets (like these garnet and heart earrings) at http://www.madisondjewelry.com/.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

The Gemstone Amethyst

Ever wonder what meaning lies behind each gemstone? The gemstone Amethyst facilitates spirituality and contentment. It's a stone of strength, stability, and peace. Amethyst is excellent for meditation, and enhances psychic ability. Amethyst ranges in color from light to dark purple, and is the birthstone for the month February.

visit http://www.madisondjewelry.com/ to see some amethyst jewelry.

The Meaning of "Madison"

What's in a name? I'd like to share with you the reason why my business is named "Madison Designs Jewelry".

When people started buying my personal jewelry designs (literally off my neck), I was encouraged to start this business. At the time my youngest son was 14, and I didn't feel I should jump into something else that would take more time away from him. Then I noticed as I was making jewelry, he would start to help me. He was very good at taking my designs and recreating them (which was a big help when I had my wine-themed jewelry in the Wine Enthusiast Catalog and was selling in large quantities!). His technique was so good that side by side you couldn't tell which ones I'd made, and which ones he'd made. Of course he swore me to secrecy -- the guys just couldn't know he made necklaces and earrings. We had a partnership and a precious mother/son secret -- he'd help me make jewelry and I wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing.

So back to the topic. The word "Madison" is a combination of my initials (MAD) and my SON who is helping me in this business. He starts college next year, pursuing a degree in industrial design. He wants to design cars instead of jewelry, which is wonderful. It's been a fun experience to share with him and maybe one day he'll design a special car just for his mom, the jewelry designer. I hope he makes it pearly white or ruby red.

The Jewelry Business

This is my first entry in my new blog. Will anyone read it? I'm not sure. But it's a way for me to record my journey on my way to fulfilling my goal of creating a successful jewelry company, Madison Designs Jewelry.

I'd like to share my intention about what I want Madison Designs Jewelry to become.

I want to create a jewelry company that will grow large, and help support the economy of Nevada County. I want to share with local non-profits through jewelry fundraisers, and to provide flexible employment for work-at-home moms (and others) in our community.

My goal is to someday see a piece of my jewelry on someone as prominant as Oprah. That sort of lofty goal requires lots of hard work and marketing of my creations, which is why I'm starting this blog.

Please visit my website, www.madisondjewelry.com. I'd love your feedback -- which styles appeal to you most, which don't, do the prices seem reasonable? Something in particular you'd like to see? The website has a lot of jewelry on it, but I have lots more that hasn't made it on the website yet, so please keep checking. Oh, and thanks for reading this. I hope you continue to follow!

Mary Anne