Friday, February 21, 2014
It's been a while!
Apparently keeping up with a blog has not been my top priority! Ooopps!
What has happened since last post, where to start!?! In December of 2011 our daughter, Mackenzie was born! Perfect little red headed baby girl! Because of the demands of new motherhood and wanting to spend every moment enjoying her giggles and cries, I took the year off from attending conferences and getting the chance to meet you all. I have to admit, I missed you! I happy to say that so far I am scheduled for 3 conferences: VA AER, PA AER and the International AER in San Antonio in July/August. Just the beginning of what is scheduled and hope to finalize plans for a few more adventures.
New products-
Well, one product that has been hugely popular is the Braille letter beads that create Pandora style bracelets and necklaces. I am in awe at the response and look forward to continuing sharing these throughout the year. Two main ways to order is to either create your own combination or select from the premade bracelets already configured on my website.
Also new to my site is the Braille tshirts and totes. The tshirt design was inspired by my niece, Emily's existing tshirts in Braille. Anything she had been given had the Braille right across the chest- which looks great, but I doubt reading across her chest is appropriate! ;) My design has raised printed Braille on the sleeve- that way you can share with your Braille reading friends and not get too close and personal! Also in the collection are totes, perfect for the Braille reader or teacher.
Another great addition is the beginings of my most popular items created in stainless steel. Why stainless steel? Simply put: it is a durable, super shiny, cost effective alternative to sterling silver. Many people prefer the look of silver but find it cost prohibitive. Available now is the Teacher's Apple, Helen Keller LOVE and The Teacher's Tree. All three are available as a pendant, keychain or bookmark.
And the best for last: The stainless steel Alphabet Bangle! No tarnish, super affordable and great end of year gift for your teachers! Currently available in the SM/MED size, the larger bangle is due mid March! Stay tuned!
www.jewelryinbraille.com
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Competition
Competing at the highest level is the greatest test of one's character. ~Russell Mark
I have always been a competitive person- it was what motivated me to achieve success. It may have started when I was young- I am the middle child and my older sister and I would create games and being that I was younger- I usually lost... and then I would quit, my sister loved that. Yup, didn't want to play unless I could win. Maybe I wasn't the best kickball player or most invisible hider in the 'go seek' challenge. But I tried and failure just stunk!
It wasn't until I started elementary school and took my art classes very seriously that being the best at something became important. Trying to be the best little artist I could and making the most life-like ceramic dog I could was my goal. Which, by the way, was complimented at the artshow as being a very well done horse. Horses don't sit like that, come on!!! har-rumph! At the end of every year, I crossed my little fingers and hoped to win the 'Art Award'- a validation that I tried REALLY hard to be the best, possibly I was the only one who cared about that award- but that's what motivated me. (By the way, I won from grade 1 thru 6- every year- OK, had to share the award in 6th grade, but who is counting?) ;)
In the process of making Braille Jewelry- or any jewelry or product for that matter, being aware of your 'competitors' is important. Knowing what is out there helps me to keep my product line fresh and unique. When I am attending conferences and meeting many of you, the one comment that I hear over and over is about the selection being so great. Joking, I answer that I am like a squirrel, I am unfocused and move to the next project quickly. I personally like selection- don't you?
The moral of my story is this: through maturity (all that know me, please stop laughing)I have learned that when faced with competition, rise above and just be better. Don't quit! Simply let your work, skills, experience, and talent speak instead.
I have always been a competitive person- it was what motivated me to achieve success. It may have started when I was young- I am the middle child and my older sister and I would create games and being that I was younger- I usually lost... and then I would quit, my sister loved that. Yup, didn't want to play unless I could win. Maybe I wasn't the best kickball player or most invisible hider in the 'go seek' challenge. But I tried and failure just stunk!
It wasn't until I started elementary school and took my art classes very seriously that being the best at something became important. Trying to be the best little artist I could and making the most life-like ceramic dog I could was my goal. Which, by the way, was complimented at the artshow as being a very well done horse. Horses don't sit like that, come on!!! har-rumph! At the end of every year, I crossed my little fingers and hoped to win the 'Art Award'- a validation that I tried REALLY hard to be the best, possibly I was the only one who cared about that award- but that's what motivated me. (By the way, I won from grade 1 thru 6- every year- OK, had to share the award in 6th grade, but who is counting?) ;)
In the process of making Braille Jewelry- or any jewelry or product for that matter, being aware of your 'competitors' is important. Knowing what is out there helps me to keep my product line fresh and unique. When I am attending conferences and meeting many of you, the one comment that I hear over and over is about the selection being so great. Joking, I answer that I am like a squirrel, I am unfocused and move to the next project quickly. I personally like selection- don't you?
The moral of my story is this: through maturity (all that know me, please stop laughing)I have learned that when faced with competition, rise above and just be better. Don't quit! Simply let your work, skills, experience, and talent speak instead.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Frustration....
I'm not sure if many of you out there know this, but before I was 100% focused on making Braille jewelry, I was a Senior Designer for Lenox. One thing that I was very much used to was dealing with factories that would manufacture the items that we had designed. It was a pretty straight forward process: design would come up with new ideas and create either a CAD model- (Computer Aided Design- a 3D computer created representation of the final piece) and/or a technical drawing. The drawing would describe to the factory EXACTLY what we wanted with material, scale, finish, etc.... The factory representative would work with the sourcing department- the group that handled all the business ends of the deal- and in about 2 weeks we would have 1st samples- of which we would critique and make sure the factory is producing exactly what we were looking for. Sourcing also worked with negotiating time, price, terms etc...
Well, one thing that I have realized over the past few years in making my Braille jewelry is that although I want 99.9% of my work to be handmade by me, I really can't do it all and have my business grow. I am a one woman shop- from design, handwork, website, sales lady- if you met me at any shows, you know! But I really want to expand my business and have items available to you at great prices- still my design- but not 100% made by me. I can't do it all... dagger.
Since November of last year, I have been working with a factory to create ~to be announced, but trust me- way cool~ and this has been so slow....... I am used to having an idea and in an hour having a piece in my hand- this is very much not the case. If they tell me 1 week, count on 2. I tried with all my might to explain that I have some awesome events planned for March, I get promises that the items will be in hand... and then apologies.... So, the idea that I would 'hand off' the work has still been a ton of work and I hope soon to be over. When the new items are out- I hope you all enjoy and know it has been a labor of love!
Well, one thing that I have realized over the past few years in making my Braille jewelry is that although I want 99.9% of my work to be handmade by me, I really can't do it all and have my business grow. I am a one woman shop- from design, handwork, website, sales lady- if you met me at any shows, you know! But I really want to expand my business and have items available to you at great prices- still my design- but not 100% made by me. I can't do it all... dagger.
Since November of last year, I have been working with a factory to create ~to be announced, but trust me- way cool~ and this has been so slow....... I am used to having an idea and in an hour having a piece in my hand- this is very much not the case. If they tell me 1 week, count on 2. I tried with all my might to explain that I have some awesome events planned for March, I get promises that the items will be in hand... and then apologies.... So, the idea that I would 'hand off' the work has still been a ton of work and I hope soon to be over. When the new items are out- I hope you all enjoy and know it has been a labor of love!
Friday, January 21, 2011
New ideas
One thing that I loved last year was traveling up and down the east coast and attending many AER state events (teachers' groups) and showing my work. What always seem to come from these events is the beginnings of new ideas. There are quotes, words phrases and themes that I might not have thought of on my own and enjoy the impromptu brainstorming. Brainstorming is something very important to artists!
Also, on Facebook I often run contests. I will suggest a category and request ideas. If I use your idea- you get that item for FREE! BUT, that being said, please feel free to send me ideas- even if I am not running a contest. If I use your idea, you will still get it for free!!!!
Please become a fan, please look up K Fehr designs and Jewelry in Braille and 'like' me!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/K-Fehr-Designs-and-Jewelry-in-Braille/234943035153
Next month I will be in Chicago- attending the IL AER event. Who doesn't love Chicago in February? Brrrrrrr.... But, from that I hope to meet new people, spread the word about my work and ~hopefully~ announce a BIG new addition to the Jewelry in Braille line. Something MANY of you have asked for and is SO close to fruition. Stay tuned!!
Also, on Facebook I often run contests. I will suggest a category and request ideas. If I use your idea- you get that item for FREE! BUT, that being said, please feel free to send me ideas- even if I am not running a contest. If I use your idea, you will still get it for free!!!!
Please become a fan, please look up K Fehr designs and Jewelry in Braille and 'like' me!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/K-Fehr-Designs-and-Jewelry-in-Braille/234943035153
Next month I will be in Chicago- attending the IL AER event. Who doesn't love Chicago in February? Brrrrrrr.... But, from that I hope to meet new people, spread the word about my work and ~hopefully~ announce a BIG new addition to the Jewelry in Braille line. Something MANY of you have asked for and is SO close to fruition. Stay tuned!!
Monday, January 17, 2011
2009/2010 Year In Review
So 2010, what a year! But to fully explain why 2010 was SO amazing for Jewelry in Braille, I need to rewind to 2009.
In January of 2009, I was still a Senior Designer for Lenox- a leading giftware company located in Bristol, PA. Living in Perkasie, PA with my wonderful husband and 2 amazing dogs, it was then that our world moved to Waynesboro, VA, a great town located just west of Charlottesville, VA. The move served a few functions- my husband's job was now in that territory and it got us within 4.5 hours from his kids. The 'plan' (and I giggle now) was to continue working for Lenox remotely- as the majority of my work was on the computer and heck, you can be anywhere to do that, right? So, for the first 5 months or so it was great... steady work and my coworkers were my dogs. Lovin it! As the year continued, work began to slow from Lenox and I thought to myself- why not build a website for my Braille jewelry? At that point it was solely on Etsy and there were a few sales here and there- but nothing in numbers to speak of. So, taking advantage of the downtime, www.jewelryinbraille.com was built by me and launched. Yay!
Through the year I was perfecting my process, figuring out what was working and what wasn't- working on new designs and trying to figure out my next step. That October we rescued Howie- our male Doberman- adding one more to my coworkers! That November was also exciting- I experienced my first 'Christmas rush' and needless to say, the wind was in my sails and I wanted to get out there!
2010
So my New Year’s resolution last year was to start showing my work- finding the venues and audiences who would appreciate the unique styling of yours truly. So, January something, I began researching teachers groups, blind and visually impaired groups like ACB, NFB, etc... The biggest issue I ran into was that many of these websites were not updated and information was hard to come by. Then I found the AER-BVI website... American Education Resources for the Blind and Visually impaired- now you see why AER-BVI flows off the tongue a little easier! The VERY first show that I saw... the VA chapter of AER... the event, Waynesboro, VA- my hometown. Was this a sign or what! Not knowing what to expect at that first event, I made my checklists and thought I was ready for it all- I was not even close to imagining the response. Here is little ol me, with a line 5 deep all day. It was an amazing day, full of meeting some WONDERFUL people and learning at each turn. I got home after the event and just started to cry. Never, in all of my years of being an artist have I felt so deeply connected to the work and seeing the impact of my creations moved me greatly. That felt pretty darn wonderful!
After the VA AER, I attended the PA AER conference- this time with backup- my husband. It was great to be back in PA, meeting many people who either work with my niece or soon will. I attended the MD/DC AER, The National ACB in Phoenix (where I met my first Doberman guide dog!!) and then took a little time off to rebuild my inventory and fill orders to the Museum of Disability History, Independent Living Aids and the National Braille Press.
Then... the autumn.. oh boy... I attended the SC, NY, AL, KS, FL and ME AER conferences... 6 shows in 6 weeks. Exhausting, wonderful and a true learning experience! The shows ended right before Thanksgiving which to be honest was a blur.. Every morning I woke to find my emails overflowing with orders- wonderful emails from customers wanting unique treasures for their loved ones and I was so happy to be a part of that!
2011 is already shaping up to be busy- so stay tuned for updates on that! Please post your comments- I would love to hear from you!
In January of 2009, I was still a Senior Designer for Lenox- a leading giftware company located in Bristol, PA. Living in Perkasie, PA with my wonderful husband and 2 amazing dogs, it was then that our world moved to Waynesboro, VA, a great town located just west of Charlottesville, VA. The move served a few functions- my husband's job was now in that territory and it got us within 4.5 hours from his kids. The 'plan' (and I giggle now) was to continue working for Lenox remotely- as the majority of my work was on the computer and heck, you can be anywhere to do that, right? So, for the first 5 months or so it was great... steady work and my coworkers were my dogs. Lovin it! As the year continued, work began to slow from Lenox and I thought to myself- why not build a website for my Braille jewelry? At that point it was solely on Etsy and there were a few sales here and there- but nothing in numbers to speak of. So, taking advantage of the downtime, www.jewelryinbraille.com was built by me and launched. Yay!
Through the year I was perfecting my process, figuring out what was working and what wasn't- working on new designs and trying to figure out my next step. That October we rescued Howie- our male Doberman- adding one more to my coworkers! That November was also exciting- I experienced my first 'Christmas rush' and needless to say, the wind was in my sails and I wanted to get out there!
2010
So my New Year’s resolution last year was to start showing my work- finding the venues and audiences who would appreciate the unique styling of yours truly. So, January something, I began researching teachers groups, blind and visually impaired groups like ACB, NFB, etc... The biggest issue I ran into was that many of these websites were not updated and information was hard to come by. Then I found the AER-BVI website... American Education Resources for the Blind and Visually impaired- now you see why AER-BVI flows off the tongue a little easier! The VERY first show that I saw... the VA chapter of AER... the event, Waynesboro, VA- my hometown. Was this a sign or what! Not knowing what to expect at that first event, I made my checklists and thought I was ready for it all- I was not even close to imagining the response. Here is little ol me, with a line 5 deep all day. It was an amazing day, full of meeting some WONDERFUL people and learning at each turn. I got home after the event and just started to cry. Never, in all of my years of being an artist have I felt so deeply connected to the work and seeing the impact of my creations moved me greatly. That felt pretty darn wonderful!
After the VA AER, I attended the PA AER conference- this time with backup- my husband. It was great to be back in PA, meeting many people who either work with my niece or soon will. I attended the MD/DC AER, The National ACB in Phoenix (where I met my first Doberman guide dog!!) and then took a little time off to rebuild my inventory and fill orders to the Museum of Disability History, Independent Living Aids and the National Braille Press.
Then... the autumn.. oh boy... I attended the SC, NY, AL, KS, FL and ME AER conferences... 6 shows in 6 weeks. Exhausting, wonderful and a true learning experience! The shows ended right before Thanksgiving which to be honest was a blur.. Every morning I woke to find my emails overflowing with orders- wonderful emails from customers wanting unique treasures for their loved ones and I was so happy to be a part of that!
2011 is already shaping up to be busy- so stay tuned for updates on that! Please post your comments- I would love to hear from you!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
My First Post!
So, I hope this is a great forum for all of you Jewelry in Braille fans to tell your story about the gift you have purchased! This is post number one! Away I go!
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