Monday, November 22, 2010

TQB Designs Trunk Show at Noun: A Persons Place for Things

Yes, that's right after four years of carrying my work and what I consider to be my "flagship" retailer location (you can always find my work here).. Stephanie, the owner of Noun and I got together and decided that a trunk show of my work would happen this Holiday Season.

Come on down to Noun, on SE 33rd and SE Belmont.  Here are the dates and times I'll be there.... :


Noun:  A Persons Place for Things
3300 Southeast Belmont Street 
Portland, OR  97214 
503.235.0078

Trunk Show dates:  December 4th and 5th  from 12 - 5 & 12 - 4  (unless I'm busy I may be able to stay later)...

I will have loads of new colors and my new "Universe" collection with my Waxing-Waning earrings, and Comet Necklace, along with my "Branching" series - all newly made especially for this holiday season and this trunk show.  I will also have some of your favorite color stories like "Oaxaca" along with one of my newest and most popular "The Fall of Icarus", as well as some of my older favorite designs you know and love.

Come down and say Hi - can't wait to see you!

- Pink



Sunday, November 14, 2010

TQB Designs on Artful Home


Over the summer I was approached by the people at Artful Home.  If you don't know about this art selling site... well, it really is worth a visit.  This is a site with some of the most beautiful and finely crafted art anywhere.  And they asked me to be part of this!  I'm very excited to have my own section within the site itself and if you decide to purchase a piece from me from this site you can get a small discount.  

Here's how:  enter my code TQBDESIGNS when checking out and you can take 5% off your entire shopping cart purchases.  It's that easy.  

I have a limited number of items listed and these will not be available anywhere on-line but through Artful Home. 

Thanks again for all the support of my customers and I hope that you have a fantastic holiday season:)

- Pink 

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Copy, Copy, Copy - my sincerest catalyst for change.

Okay, so after years of making some of my original designs I have decided instead of being upset about being copied I would just move on and be creative and come up with new and more inspiring creations.  This is one of my most copied designs on record - my "Pin-Dot Earring".  I can't tell you how often I find it on Etsy and on Flicker being copied... makes me feel - well... actually inspiring.  Moving on already:)

I find it to be a great catalyst when a design of my becomes common-place.  I'm sure that many of you fellow artists can relate to this since I'm sure that it is a common phenomenon.  What do you do?  Use that energy to come up with something fantastically creative.  You will feel so much better about what you do instead of living in the past with an old design.  Time to move on:)   Good for you!

- Pink

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Where do you go first? 40 Directions...

I know many of you have been wondering where I have been.  As everyone can probably understand, life can slip you some unexpected turns and twists and mine is in the midst of just now beginning to settle back into a routine.

My summer was extremely busy what with 4 summer shows in the Mid-West.  All of them very successful beyond my expectations.   I had a great time, but as anyone knows who does this type of thing, it really isn't a vacation.  In order to save on money my husband and I drove to all my show with all of my equipment, from Portland, Oregon PACKED into our Volvo, along with two kids and two dogs (our Rat Terrier - Daisy and our Jack Russel - Rosie)...phew!  I have to say it was an adventure.  Jason is the best - he did most of the driving so that I could make beads from my tray on my lap.  I had to make beads between shows as I ran out of certain color combinations and at each rest stop I would count how many I made in a sort of competition with myself and the miles yet to travel.

I did two shows in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin, you say... yes, I love Wisconsin.  It is truly a beautiful state and Madison has the most amazing capital building.  This Art in the Square show was crazy - at the end of the second day a major thunderstorm moved in and because I am used to the temperate weather in Portland, Oregon, I thought that my tent was perfectly suited for any city, weather, etc.  Well, I was wrong.  Mid-west weather requires a much more durable tent... so, next summer when I go back a re-purchase will have to be made.  At one point Jason and I were hanging on the tent in hopes that it wouldn't fly away!

I also love Sheyboygan, Wisconsin.  If you don't know where that it, well its about a 3 1/2 hour drive north (depending on the traffic) of Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan.  It is during their Summer Festival this year that I experienced my first tornado.  Yes, tornado.  The sirens went off and everything - but the locals seemed unfazed by it, letting me know that tornados never come to Sheboygan because of its close proximity to the water.  Needless-to-say, I was rapidly throwing jewelry into a bag while people are running past and into the Art Center building.  In the end the locals were right.  The tornado didn't come 'close' to Sheboygan... it hit three miles outside the town.  And my knees were jello the whole time afterward!

We did find time after Sheboygan to get down to Milwaukee to the Harley-Davidson Museum.  I had been wanting to go there for Years and it was absolutely fantastic.  I wasn't sure how the kids would like it but they had the best time... go figure!  It really is a great place for them, sitting an some of the motorcycles, listening to engines, playing some of the games, looking at all the crazy styles - they even had one of Elvis' motorcycle.

So, with more shows after that, by the time I got home all I wanted to to do was relax and never get in the car again!  It took me a few weeks to re-group and get back to things by mid-September.  So, my daughter started high school and my son started 2nd grade.  Also, my father's cancer is progressing and I needed to help my mother out there since I had been gone for so many months.  He is holding his own right now I'm happy to say:)

After my summer adventure, and a much depleted jewelry stock, as well as being pulled in 40 directions - Etsy and even some of my retailers are suffering the consequences of my busy schedule.  As of November, I now have a new routine and some new retailers as well, and I'm back to work on Etsy and finally feel mostly caught up.

Thank you so much - everyone for all your thoughts and best wishes... my work is a success because of you.

- Pink

Friday, March 5, 2010

The colors of TQB Designs - by popular demand No.15

Now I know that may of my loyal customers (and future customers too) have been waiting anxiously for a full listing of all the colors I have in my collection.  This is my full collection of all the tiniest colors I have  for your viewing pleasure.  I will subsequently be posting future collections of beads sizes 11 and 8 as I take those photos over the next month.  But, for now - here is my biggest selection of colors that I use in every woven bead size from a 4mm core all the way up to my biggest 1.25" of 25mm.

Enjoy everyone!

- Pink



















In Memorium - Mr. Knightley

My Dear Knightley.  We love you and you will be missed.  We had you for such a short time, but now you are over the rainbow bridge, in the biggest park imaginable and you are running, running, running... without tiring. 

July 26, 2009 - February 17, 2010

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Oh where, Oh where can you be? A shipping story.

When I first opened my Etsy store 3 1/2 years ago, I offered free shipping for my first 2 years.  Last year I finally had to include a shipping charge, however I felt that I did better than most by upgrading the US only shipping to "Priority" for the price you pay, therefore you will get it faster for your buck - and I have no intentions of changing that policy now.   

Now, I know that losing pieces is the cost of doing business - but lets face it - I'm not a big "Box" store that can absorb losses readily.  And that brings us to the new shipping policy. In comes The United States Postal Service.  After doing some lengthy research and pricing I have decided to  use their International shipping and insurance, with my European Union and Canadian customers only.  This increased cost for shipping will include  full insurance value on your items and give you the ability to track its location.   In the event you want to purchase more than one piece in the shipment the additional cost will be $1.00 (a break if you are purchasing higher end pieces as the cost of insurance through USPS is steep).

Having lost 4 shipments in the last year (one of them was almost $200.00) is not a good number.  Also, I have been getting complaints that I don't put "gift" on the customs tags.  Well, that's not legal.  I use the same Post Office every time I ship and the people know me.  In fact, the fine, if they catch you is quite large - so as the old saying goes:  Honesty is the best policy.  So, please don't ask me to put "gift" on your purchase.  I'll just have to give you a big sob story about how I don't want to break US Federal Laws:)

Anyway, I don't want this to sound like a big complaint against my Canadian and European friends - I really do value your business, really!  I just can't afford to ship to you without full insurance and tracking ability.  Thank you so much for your understanding.  If you have any questions about or requests about alternate shipping options if you live in Canada or Europe (like self-insuring to save money) let me know - I'm happy to ship that way to you so long as you are the one taking the risk.

- Pink

Saturday, January 9, 2010

2010 - A TQB Plan So Cunning You Can Brush Your Teeth With It...

...okay so it isn't exactly my words (Have any of you ever watched Rowan Atkinson in Black Adder)... Anyway, I do have some exciting plans for 2010.  I am developing new designs - actually started them this winter when I was in the midst of mania creating work for all my galleries.  I have "Stones & Bones" and "Hands & Hearts",  I have "Skulls" and "Flowers".  Seems to be a yin-yang thing going on with me right now.  Anyway, did I say I was excited already?

I will also reveal some new colors - these are some of the hot colors for the Spring:  oyster, delphinium, windward, nautical, and avocado.  I'm also bringing back some of my older colors making them new again:  cherub, hot pink, dill flower, and flame.   Of course I will have new color stories titled:  "As You Like It", "Hadrian's Wall" and "Cafe de Nuit".  All these inspired combinations are a direct result of my experiences and imagination: of the past - history if you will - and what I believe these stories, people, and places would convey if told with color. 

I would also like to let you all now that I am planning on doing more shows this summer (if the juries allow of course) in the Mid-West.  I so enjoyed doing the 2009 Mid-Summer Festival of the Arts in Sheboygan, Wisconsin at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.  I will be back there again this year and hope to get accepted into some shows in Michigan, others in Wisconsin and Minnesota before the summer is over.  I'll keep you posted on those developments.

On the flip side, because the bulk of my show time will be in the Summer, for those of you that live here/near Portland, OR, so far I don't have any plans to do shows until the Fall, so look for my work with my Retailers.  My first show for 2010 will be Art in the Burbs in Tigard - late October.  I will do one more show in December, but haven't decided which it will be.  I am trying to focus on my fantastic retailers more this year in order to get them fresh work more often.  They are tremendous and extremely loyal and I want to treat them right!  I have retailers in Charlotte, NC, Chicago, Il, Seattle & Olympia, WA and 2 in Portland, OR.

I also want to treat my Etsy customers better.  This last year was crazy-good for me on Etsy.  At one point I had 22 special orders between September and December and I wasn't able to list any new work.  I know that many of you were counting on me to list some new things in order to shop for the Holidays.  Without doing shows in the Spring, I will be able to make/stockpile more beaded rounds and therefore make more work to list in my Etsy store for your shopping pleasure.  Thank you so much to all of you that were sooo patience with me last year.  Your support continues to make my jewelry a success!

All that said, I hope that everyone had a fantastic 2009 and are looking forward to a fresh start with 2010.  I know I am.  And remember, as Coco Chanel said:  "The best color in the whole world in the one that looks good on you."  I hope I create that color for you...

- Pink