Sacred:  Jade’s Dragon, full, belly detail and necklace detail.

Here’s a sample of what I’ve been working on for the Philadelphia Buyer’s Market show..  Jade’s Dragon has a lovely piece of green tourmaline on her belly and a dragonfly charm.  The necklace has a biwa pearl, amethyst  and the main stone just escaped me center in sterling silver with a strand of black river pearls and a strand of snakeskin jasper and swarovski crystals.

Jade’s Dragon is one of  pieces I’ve been working on for the show.  I want to make 2 more but have to bow to reality and know I may not get to them – but then again I may.

Have picked up extra screens, manager’s podium and director’s chair from artist friend Mary Ida who is one of the owners of Heron’s Way Gallery along with Rose Beitzel.  It’s pretty grand to have friends who are right there to support you all the time!  Dhyana Mackenzie of Mystical Dream Art designed my booth signs for me, along with some signs that say:  "Please touch."  She will deliver them Saturday.  Hopefully the lighting will be in by Saturday (due in tomorrow) and I can set the whole thing up for a dry run – I just have to find a 10 x 10 space somewhere in this house – no easy task!  All of my spaces are filling up.  This is a good thing.

All of my flyers and brochures have been received and I’ve put together  press kits for all the magazines that are going to want to interview me.  (see right – aren’t you impressed that I’m so "branded?"  All color coordinated and whatnot!)

I made it over to Heron’s Way today to switch out work for First Friday and decided I’m going to try to get our for First Friday and socialize a bit.

Tuesday I picked used One Coach for some more advice on selling at a wholesale show (decide on your qualifying questions and use them; try to set up an appointment outside of show times; if not that, then follow up with everyone very quickly after the show.  Note:  I will be on my way to Florida after the show.  Do cell phones work in airplanes?).

I also had a delightful conversation with Ellen Kaminsky of EK Endeavors whom I met at EWomen Network lunch last week.  We did an exploratory telephone conversation for 1/2 hour, and if that’s what she does for free, I anticipate getting back in touch with her when I have time to breath!  She does a lot of work with elevator speeches but she also does a lot of work on partnering your business with others and how to make the most of networking and she gave me two pages full of ideas!  For those of you who would like targeted help instead of paying for a full year with One Coach, Ellen is definitely my suggestion.

Now I have to draw or find already drawn pictures for the sales tags for each of the pieces, write their stories and then get all of that up on the website.  But I have SO MUCH TIME that isn’t even stressing me out.

In fact, I have schedule a perm and hair cut and facial for next week.  How’s that for relaxed and assured?!

thought for the day:  At the root of culture shock is the fear that we don’t belong and won’t ever fit in.  In response, we adopt a variety of strategies, all of which involve trying to be something we are not.  We can deny that we are afraid and e defiant or disrespectful of the cultural norms of business.  We can pretend that we understand what we don’t, which makes it hard to learn and easy to look ridiculous.  We can be over-polite, walking on eggshells or fawning over out customers.  Not only are these poses usually unsustainable, they conceal the value we legitimately have to offer.  Each of us has a certain something that delights our just-right customers.   Molly Gordon, The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur:  the practical path to building a business that fits "just right"