Monday, May 27, 2013

Hi Everyone for Newbury Park

I hope you are enjoying the long Memorial Day weekend. I hope you are making time to bead, wire wrap, play with sheet metal - i.e. make time to do something you love. Please take a moment to remember those who have served in our armed forces. Oftentimes, that part of the weekend (reason for the season) is overshadowed by picnics, trips and other fun activities.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting your local beads stores. As you have come to know, not only are we a knowledgeable source for your beading supplies but aslso perhaps for your inspiration, encouragment and friendship. I can't tell you how many people I have met over the years through the store who started out as customers and have become friends.

Creative Castle will be hosting a Make n' Take on Saturday, June 8th to make leather, unisex bracelets - a very suitable Father's Day gift! We offer a large and comprehensive selection of beads, findings, supplies and books as well as classes.

The deadline for entries for For the Love of Beads contest is fast approaching. We encourage you to enter and submit your entry to any of our association stores. Entries will be accepted until June 22. To see the complete contest rules and download an application, click here.

We are getting ready for Gail Crosman Moore's classes (June 21-23) and Janice Berkebile's classes (June 27-30) Both are what we call metal/wire artists as opposed to seed bead artists. Gail works with metal clay and enameling and other coloration techniques with metal and will be sharing those with students. She also is a fabulous lampworker and will be bringing a trunk show of her beads and jewelry. Janice is a wire gal who wraps, fuses and otherwise shapes wire into beautiful jewelry. Janice will also have a trunk show of jewelry and kits.

Creative Castle hosts many trunk shows throughout the year. A trunk show is when a vendor or artist sends a collection of merchandise for a specified time period, thus allowing us to present to you a much larger selection of product than we could under normal circumstances. Right now we have a trunk show of lampwork beads from Galactic Glass. The name is very appropriate as there is a small galaxy in each bead; they are beautifully anmazing. The beads will be here through June 9th. We will be having a trunk show of Tom Boylan's lampwork beads in June. His beads were some of the first beads I fell in love with when I started the store (Gail's were the others)

Please visit our website for a complete list of classes and events. We hope to see you soon as there is always something to share with our beading friends.

Carole Tripp

Creative Castle
2321 Michael Drive
Newbury Park, CA 91320
805-499-1377
877-BEADS4U (232-3748)




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Monday, May 20, 2013

        April 22nd seemed like a normal Monday at Beads and More.  I was getting ready for the week making my schedule, paying bills, and planning my beading projects.  A neighbor above the store had a plumbing problem, a clog, with one of their pipes and had a hired plumber to "snake" down the pipe.  The pipe runs down the length of the bead store and then makes a turn in one of our connecting walls.  After a couple of tries with the snake I heard a rush of water and thought to myself "oh good, they found and freed up the clog".  A second later I realized the pipe had ruptured and water was filling the store.  Beads and More has been closed ever since.

      It took a while for the above events to finally sink in.  The water had caused a lot of damage.  Four tables and 4 cabinets had to be replaced along with the carpet and removal of some of the dry wall.  But then it hit me.  Beads and More is getting a make-over and we will be starting our summer with a brand new look.  As owners, Juan and I will be completely refreshed and rejuvenated from having some time off.  Thank goodness for insurance! 

     So I've spent the last few weeks looking forward and planning our grand re-opening.  We have selected new paint, new carpet, new tables and cabinets.  I am starting to get really excited.  I have owned the store for 15 years and I bought Beads and More pre-established and furnished.  Now I get to redesign the store I love and truly make it my own with my own sense of style.  We are moving away from a pink colored store to a beachy cool blue store.  Last week the walls finally got painted and this week we get new carpet.  Things are looking up!

       We are still a few more weeks away from re-opening.  The tables and cabinets have not arrived.  Then we will have the daunting task of putting the rest of the store back together.  All of the beads have been packed up in storage and it will take a while to put them back into their new home.  We can't wait!

      So if you have shopped with us before or you were planning on visiting us this summer we will be opening up again mid-June.  I will announce the date on our Facebbok page as soon as we know.  We hope to see you soon with a new and improved and happier Beads and More.

Julia Armfield
owner,
Beads and More
4150 Mission Blvd., ste. 111
San Diego, Ca 92109