Supplies have been coming in to Necklace Town at a furious pace! Over 43,000 jump rings, 18 spools of wire, chain cutters, cartons of stones, 4000 jewelry tags, 2000 bubble baggies. We'll go through this in the next two weeks and then have to reorder. Well, maybe not the jump rings that soon, but there is more on back order.
Today we chopped miles of chain. I thought I'd be sending chain home to be cut but everyone chomped right through those hanks and spools. We used up all the stones left from last week's shipment and we eagerly await the next. A lot of pieces were assembled until we ran out of lobster clasps. That's fine, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend and a tiny window that I can finally read my British Vogue while the turkey is frying.
I'm taking this opportunity to give thanks to team Melindesign. I've met so many new people in the last two weeks that just dived in and got to work on this project. Thanks to Donna and to Cami who helped guide the newbies and made them feel welcome with silly jokes, anecdotes, advice, and shared their expertise and technical know how. They even share baked goods. I had the most wonderful piece of pecan pie today, thanks to Sweet Cami! Dedicated Donna! Her infectious laughter keeps us coming up with zingers for those giggles that spill out of her while she's intently wire wrapping under her "special light" Thanks to Jill I, who puts the Energizer Bunny to shame, who has organized a top notch team at her base, with star employee Bella, the fastest wire cutter east of the Hudson River. I thank two new ladies who stopped in today who took command of their tools and got right to work. Jill D (yes! Another Jill!), seed bead extraordinaire and Maggie who whipped up 50 necklaces in record time. Will I be able to keep up with them?? Thanks to Lexy, who finally found her way to my house the other day and fit right into the groove. Thanks to Mr. B, for having the muscle to separate 233 of the toughest bike chain link and boxes of thick brass link chains. Thanks to cheery Patricia, who has drummed up her own team down county with her friend and cousin, getting it done! Thanks to Pam, who is so innovative, she comes up with nifty apparatus to make the assembly swift and easy. I love my jump ring openers! Jody, quiet and swift, who mastered perfect the tough stainless steel wire on her own and came back to show me a bouquet of perfect rounds. I love it!
I give thanks to the jewelry designers that have the vision, the creativity, the innovation of making their art work here and making a living at it. We want to fill their every need to be able to not have to outsource jewelry assembly overseas. I give thanks that they want to keep it in America and we want to give them the confidence and support that they can. Thank you!
These wonderful people have such enthusiasm that is intoxicating. They want to see this succeed. They're doing something that they love to do, or have done in some form or another in the past and are coming back to it. Creating something by hand and getting rewarded for it is so satisfying. Doing it around like minded people, doing it in the comfort of their homes. And all coming together to make this work here, at home, in the USA. Thank you!
I give thanks from the bottom of my heart to my husband, Michael and my son, Simon. Without them, I would be lost. Michael has helped me so much with my inadequacies on the computer, business sense and common sense. I'm stubborn but he's right 99% of the time. Thank you Simon, who has surpassed my wildest dreams, watching you grow into the the wonderful, successful, kind, generous, HELPFUL beyond belief, young man you've become. What a blessing all of you have been to me. Thank you!
Here's a sweet newcomer to Necklace Town who is a sunny addition to the massive necklace making under way. This young lady is eco friendly, free spirited, world traveler and yerba mate tea drinker. She just had a Solstice party! I'm looking forward to hearing all about it..... 
