The Bauble Market will be closed from June 30th until July 8th for a fun summer break. 

In honor of the 4^th of July and the many people who have served and are currently are serving in the military, I wanted to put focus on The Bauble Market’s “Military Awareness Bracelet”, which is designed with Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver (including a flag charm).

Check it out under our Awareness section.  It is a great value to give honor to someone who is serving our country or who has a loved one who is. 

Thank you to all of those who have made the sacrifice to serve our country (including my dad who served in the Vietnam area) … thanks, Dad! J

I truly enjoy making pieces using vintage beads.  Vintage (or antique) beads have a quality and look to them that you just can not find in the beads that are made today.  It is hard to reproduce pieces designed with vintage beads since the beads can not be reordered or repurchased (in other words, once I run out of the beads …that’s it J), but I have come up with a few select designs that I can reproduce at least for a little while. 

This new addition to The Bauble Market website (www.baublemarket.com) is under the “Bauble Collection”, and it features beads that have a great greenish-yellow hue (hence, the name “Lemon Lime”), and the pressed glass bead in the front just makes the entire piece.  The antique glass beads are set off with Sterling Silver … check it out! J

I have enjoyed having my pieces in Artifacts Gallery for a little over a year, and I am excited about the new steps the owner, Suzanne Scott, is taking.  After enjoying much success with her gallery in a section of town called Wyndhurst, Suzanne has moved to a beautiful space in Peakland Crossing, which is in the Boonsboro section of town.

The space is bright and open, and planning for the move has been something that Suzanne has worked on for months, with a great payoff … a goregeous new gallery in a great location!

My gallery pieces are listed under the name “vibe by The Bauble Market”.  I came up with the name vibe by taking the “vi” from vintage and the “be” from beads, since all of my gallery pieces are made using vintage beads … fun! 

The photo above shows a portion of my pieces that are on display (and for sale!) there. If you get a chance, go and visit Artifacts’ new location at Peakland Crossing, 4327 Boonsboro Road, Suite 4 in Lynchburg, VA (434.384.3644).  Their website is www.artifactsgalleryinc.com .  Congratulations, Suzanne, and I wish you the best in your new location! 

Meet Rita Maya Praja, a 13 year old girl who lives at the Maranatha Children’s Home in Chitwan,  Nepal.  Rita has several brothers and sisters, but her father is a poor, uneducated Nepali farmer.  There would be no hope of Rita being able to continue in school if she were not recently taken in by the Maranatha Children’s Home. 

This past January/February, my eight year old daughter, Aubrey, and I had the opportunity to take a missions trip to Nepal.  It was a wonderful experience, and it was the perfect place to take Aubrey since we were visiting children’s homes.

Our family sponsors a few children in Nepal, but I also wanted The Bauble Market to have an opportunity to help some children out there.  The organization that we traveled with was Allow the Children (check them out at www.allowthechildren.org), and I decided that The Bauble Market could take on 5 children to sponsor.  The Bauble Market is able to provide clothing, schooling, food and shelter for 5 girls on the other side of the world, which is so exciting!

I am looking forward to introducing you to each and every one of these girls over the next few months, and I hope they touch your hearts as much as they have mine.  You too can sponsor a child and make a difference across the sea.  Contact Allow the Children today!

Just in case you have not heard, Bella is one of the best publications I have come across in Central Virginia (okay, the best!).  Check them out at www.beckmediagroup.com, and if you are in Roanoke or the Smith Mountain Lake area, be sure to pick up a copy.  I love their slogan of “for women, by women, about women”.

I discovered Bella about six months ago when I was browsing some shops in the Market Square in Roanoke, and I have been sure to seek out this monthly publication every time I go to Roanoke.  The ladies there do a great job with the magazine, and it features everything that is of interest to women … fashion, home, events, area women … etc.  The Bauble Market was featured in their June issue (thanks so much, Bella!), and I have had fun creating my own ads to place in Bella. 

Their first anniversary party is on Saturday, June 16th at 419 West, and I wish them a Happy First Anniversary.  They are even giving away door prizes, including a gift certificate for The Bauble Market!

The picture showcases the front cover of the June issue of Bella, which featured The Bauble Market in its fashion section. 

Saturday, June 2nd, I had the privilege of setting up my jewelry and doing a demonstration at The Little Gallery at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia (www.thelittlegallerysml.com if you want to check them out). 

The Little Gallery was the first place that I put my pieces, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.  I had the opportunity to meet many people and talk about my jewelry.  The pieces that I have in the galleries are all made using vintage beads, which most people find intriguing.

I started out wearing my fish necklace, which sold right away … I made another that day (which I am working on in the photo), and that piece also sold as soon as I made it.  How fun!  In the photo I am wearing my “cherries” necklace and bracelet that are also big hits with sterling and vintage beads.  I am thinking of posting both of these under my “bauble collection” on my www.baublemarket.com site, so you can watch for these soon!

Thanks go to Wayne Scank of Rocky Mount, VA for taking the photos.  He was taking photos for the Roanoke Times … thanks, Wayne!