Be Blessed...

Johnny the bagger

2007-11-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

My pastor shared this story last sunday in church and i was very moved by it. Its about a 19-year old down syndrome boy who wanted to make a difference in the lives he come across with.

A few years ago, I was hired by a large supermarket chain to lead a customer service program to build customer loyalty. During my speech I said, “Every one of you can make a difference and create memories for your customers and motivate them to come back. Put your personal signature on the job. Think about something you can do for your customers to make them feel special - a memory that will make them come back

About a month after I had spoken, I received a call from a 19-year-old bagger named Johnny. He proudly informed me that he was a Down syndrome individual and told me his story. “I liked what you talked about!” he said, “but at first I didn’t think I could do anything special for our customers. After all, I’m just a bagger. Then I had an idea!”

Johnny said, “Every night after work, I’d come home and find a thought for the day. If I didn’t find a saying I liked, I would think them up.”

When Johnny had a good thought for the day, his dad helped him set it up on the computer and print multiple copies. Johnny cut out each quote & signed his name on the back. Then he’d bring them back to work each day. “When I finish bagging someone’s groceries, I put in the thought for the day and say ‘Thanks for shopping with us!’

It touched me to think that this young man with a job most people would say is not important, had made it important by creating precious memories for all his customers.

A month later the store manager called me and said “You won’t believe what happened. When I was making my rounds today, I found Johnny’s checkout line was three times longer than anyone else’s! It went all the way around the frozen food aisle. So I quickly announced, “we need more cashiers; get more lanes open,” as I tried to get people to change lines. But no one would move! They said, ‘No, its okay - we want to be in Johnny’s lane - we want his ‘Thought for the Day’.”

The store manager continued, “It was a joy to watch Johnny delight the customers. I got a lump in my throat when one woman said, ‘I used to shop at your store once a week, but now I come in every time I go by, because I want to get Johnny’s ‘Thought for the Day’.”

A few months later, the manager called me again. He said, “Johnny has transformed our store. Now when the floral department has a broken flower or an unused corsage, they find an elderly woman or a little girl and pin it on them. Everyone’s having a lot of fun creating memories. Our customers are talking about us - they’re coming back and bringing their friends. A wonderful spirit of service has spread throughout the entire store - and all because Johnny chose to make a difference!”

Johnny’s idea was not nearly as innovative as it was loving. It came from the heart - it was real. That’s what touched his customers, his peers and those who hear this story.

Great service comes from the heart. Will you be a Johnny today?

AMETHYST EARRING

2007-10-19T00:25:00.001-05:00

These simple earrings are made of

clear glass see through czech beads

Just a pretty simple accessory to spice up your look!

Price: $6
Shipping: $1

NAA'ILA

2007-10-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

Meet Naa'ila

Made of plastic beads, metal disc and czech glass beads

Price:$8
Shipping: $1 ( in the United States)

QUEEN OF SHEBA

2007-10-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

Queen of sheba is made of stell chandelier findings
and czech glass beads
in colors of purple.

Price: $8
Shipping: $1

THE COFFEE STORY

2007-09-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

Each of these earrings tells a different story

AMERICANO

Price: $5

ESPRESSO

Price : $6

MACCHIATO

Price: $6

RISTRETTO

Price: $6

Shipping for earrings are $1 each

COFFEE SHOP

2007-09-22T23:26:00.001-05:00

CAFE AU LAIT

hmm, i'm feeling like 'coffee' now....

this cute combination of glass and plastic beads
consist colors of bronze,stone, olive and coffee.

i bet it'll look super cute on your ear lobes!

Price: $6
Shipping: $1( in the United States)

MOCHACCINO

Price: $6
Shipping: 1 ( in the United States)

ORIENTAL

2007-09-22T01:34:00.001-05:00

LADY OF HAN

This piece has a replica of the ancient chinese coin of the
Northern Song Dynasty during the period between 1102-1106AD

The coin has 2 surfaces that has 4 chinese characters on one side
and a dragon and phoenix on the other,
representing 2 of the most powerful symbols used in chinese history.

Paired with an elipse shaped army green see-through bead,
It measures close to 3 inch including hook

LADY OF QIN

I made another pair with light green beads

Price : $7
Shipping: $1 ( in the United States)

DIVYA

2007-09-22T01:17:00.000-05:00

In the Hindi language,
DIVYA means divine

This is another piece similar to 'Lakshimi'
It is made with glass and plastic beads
and measures
2 1/2 inch excluding the hook

Price: $7
Shipping: $1 ( in the United States)

SOLD- LAKSHIMI

2007-09-22T00:58:00.000-05:00

Indian goddess hindu Lakshmi is the goddess of fortune, grace and charm, and loveliness, fertility, and beauty in Hindu mythology

This piece is made of glass
and plastic beads

I had alot of fun mixing all sorts of colors in this piece
They all blend in wonderfully
i had a combination of
light green, online green, matalic green, beige, sand, rust aqua, and turquoise

This piece measures 2 1/4 inch includhing the hook

Price: $7
Shipping: $1 (in the United States)

SWEET CARAMEL

2007-09-18T22:45:00.001-05:00

As you can see, i'm totally loving this bead right now.
I came up with another design, this time the same
see through gold bead is paired with
metal-discs

Attached right above the metal-disc is a tiny gold bead

This piece measures 2 1/2 inches

Price: $8
Shipping: $1 ( in the United States)

CLEOPATRA

2007-09-18T22:24:00.000-05:00

I saw these absolutely gorgeous see through gold beads hanging on the shelf
in a store and they were screaming 'BUY ME! BUY ME!'

The color and the detail of this bead is just...
.........
( fill in blanks with a word summing up the meaning of gorgeous, beautiful, magnificent, lovely..)
These gold see through beads has a hollow center with a fractured texture surface

So i came home and paired these beads with another favorite bead of mine
i find the combination of gold and olive green just......
................
( fill in with the same word you used previously)

i am just smilling away looking at this pair of earrings.

It measures 2 1/2 inches including the hook

Price: $8
Shipping: $1 ( inside the United States)

BUTTERFLY TRAIL

2007-09-09T00:24:00.001-05:00

This compact case is meant to serve as a 'handy kit'

..maybe as a travelling make up bag..

or when you're just making a short stop at the supermarket
and you really don't want to bring that huge 10 pound Coach bag of yours
coz all you need is your phone, some dollar bills and car keys

it also could serve as a bag just to contain your kleenex and sunglasses

This case measures 7 by 5 inches
and has a 1 3/4 inch base for more storage

The butterfly is sewn on with hand embroidery
DMC threads of different shades of pink and red are used
Stitches include satin stich, chain stich, french knot and running stich
the butterfly measures 2 1/2 by 3 inches
The trail marks beside the butterfly consist of
pink beads, and sequins

A zipper serves as an opening for the case

Price: $15
Shipping: $2 ( in the United States)

GREEN MOSS PENDANT

2007-09-05T16:56:00.001-05:00

Just simple bold pendant
That has a tiny gold bead at the bottom

Attach it to any necklace, chain, or strap
and wear it around your neck!

Price : $2
Shipping: $1 (In United States)

SWEAT PEA TOTE

2007-08-31T01:34:00.000-05:00

The sweet pea tote is made out of denim
It has a single pleat on both sides

The front of the tote is embellished with a single
sweet pea flower made out of indian floral jersey material
a big bold wooden button is used as the center of the flower

Olive green bias tapes are used as vines and leaves on the bag

The flower has a 5 inch diameter
the wooden button is 1 3/4 inch wide

The bag measures 12 by 11 1/2 inches
and is slightly curved at the bottom
There are two 2 inch wide straps measuring 19 1/2 inches in length

It is the perfect size to store your favorite book,
a bottle of water, your basic necessities- makeup, keys..etc
and you're ready for your day!

Price: $25
Shipping: $3 (in United States)

Embroidery

2007-08-29T23:37:00.001-05:00

My passion for embroidery was one of the main
reasons i decided to venture into the fashion world
so when i heard about a hand embroidery competition i knew God was giving me an opportunity

and i got even more excited when i found out that i will be competing for
$10,000 USD,
free flights and 4 nights accomodation in Sydney, Australia to
attend the prize giving ceremony,
1 year mentoring by London College of Fashion (how cool can that be?),
1 day course at the royal school of needlework,
work experience at Marion Thomas Studio, and an opportunity to contribute to her next collection

i had a huge zeal after signing up for the competition
i only had
' LONDON LONDON LONDON'
and
'SYDNEY SYDNEY SYDNEY'
on my mind

but
......

i did not manage to get into the finals

well, will try harder next year.

The main theme was :
ECCLESIASTICAL

and under that theme we had to choose either
1. Lady in black
2. 1001 nights
3. Travelling circus

Being very much attracted to the gypsy culture, i somewhat concluded that
gypsy = traveling circus

so wala

i had a hard time understanding the brief of the competition
as my teacher once told me, there is never a 'right' or 'wrong' in art
it all depends on the way you interpret it

The Brief

3.Travelling Circus
A real mix of gypsy, country, Irish (Celtic strap work) and Romanian
craftsmanship. Joyous Pentecostal celebration, a continuation of summer’s
feeling, for item dressing and ‘boho’.
Random fabric mixes-tweeds, plaids, florals, overprinted wools, embroidered
flannels and cords, wool lace and reworked folk flowers, with dull silver
accents.
Craft bright reds, blues, yellows and greens, with sober darks.
A striking worn, lived-in look evoking travelling entertainment and fun,
combining distressed fabrics with heirloom pieces.

So my basic idea was to embroid
patterns, designs, symbols that represents different countries
such as,

China- peony flower as the national flower, the traditional chinese circle

a Cross- like i said, i had a hard time understanding the brief and relating 'ecclesiastical' and
'traveling gypsy'
this cross was done last because i realise there was no elements of ecclesiastical in it

Indian embroidery patterns

Romanian fabric details

Design from the Huichol natives in Mexico

Indian henna prints

and then i combined all the pieces to make a patch work skirt
the whole skirt was suppose to be covered, but
i guess i got lazy

it was a great experience
i managed to practice and polish my embroidery skills

so i guess i'll just try out again next year

oh,
this is the link to all the second stage winners ,
i honestly thought some of them didn't deserve to be there,
but hey, thats the sore me talking

http://www.hand-embroidery.co.uk/comp2007/2ndStage/index.html

GYPSY CORSET BELT

2007-08-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

I entered this belt for an embroidery competition

and the very reason it is here....

didn't do too well...

Anyway,
this 'gypsy' corsetbelt is detailed with hours of hand sewn embroidery
The designs on it are all inspired by native american costumes,
patterns and symbols

The embroidery floss used in this belt
are all from DMC, so quality of the thread is assured

The width of the belt is 8 inches
and gradually decreases to 4 inches
from front to back

The belt is 31 inches in length

There are 6 eyelets on each side
for the purpose of a cross lace up opening
also serves as a special design element for the belt

Price: $35
Shipping: $3 ( in the United States)

VIOLET RASPBERRY ZIPPER CASE

2007-08-29T19:03:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love the color purple?
the color of
Lavenders, lilac.....and ..er...Barney..

But wait,

you gotta love red too....
the color of roses, raspberry...ferrari?

Why can't you have both???

in ALL Shades of those colors?

Here lies the solution...

I don't think you can ever get too creative with your pencil case
esspecially if you're a 'i want it all ,and i need it to be in this shape,
that color, that design' kind of person

This is a zipper case measuring 10 by 4 inches,
Wide enough for your school supplies
you won't be able to find anything like this sold in stores,

ok, maybe you can, but definitely NOT in
a combination of red and purple

It also serves good purpose for entertainment,
for example,

Mr Skalavotch is educating the class about the difference
between kazakstan and kyrgyzstan

which by the way, you didn't even know existed

Start playing around with your pencil case,
take ALL the zippers apart

did i mention this case is made out of 10 zippers,
5 on each side
and ALL of the zippers serves as openings?

and if Mr.Skalavotch starts rambling about
how to say hello in the kazakh language
which is

      Khayrly kün

This is when your zipper case serves as a toy,
be creative!

for now, i think i have done an impresive job in transforming
my zipper case into an odd shaped
lantern

Price: $13
Shipping: $2 (in the United States)

POCKET FULL OF DAISIES

2007-08-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Did i mention that i absolotely LOVE embroidery?

Pocket full of daisies is made of
denim and is detailed with hand embroidery

of pink daisies

DMC threads are used for their quality

The center of the flower are tiny gold beads
sewn more than twice to ensure quality

This case measures 10 by 4 1/4 inches
and has a zipper as an opening

perfect size as a pencil case
or a handy kit to store items like your keys
dollar bills, coins and etc

Price: $11
shipping: $2 ( in the United States)

MADAME

2007-08-26T19:21:00.001-05:00

Madame is a mini denim clutch with the height of 5 inches and width starting at 6 inches, gradually expanding to 8 inches at the bottom

The front part of the clutch is decorated with zipper red roses
and rosettes made out of a floral japanese print fabric

the clutch has a inch wide red button as a stopper

Carry your daily necessities in this traditional looking red clutch

Price: $14
Shipping: $2

PURPLE ROSE CLUTCH

2007-08-26T01:09:00.000-05:00

this clutch, purse or wallet .. whatever you prefer
is made out of denim

the front of the clutch is decorated with purple roses
that are made out of zippers
the roses are topped with leaves that are made out of the
same material

this clutch is 4 inches in height
and the length starts out at 6 inches at the top
and gradually expands to 8 inches at the bottom

the back of the clutch is sealled by a loop
made of bias tape and a button
as a stopper

Could be a case for your sunglasses,
a travelling bag for your make up,
or a little carry-around kit to store some dollar bills and your keys

Price: $13
Shipping: $2( in the United States)

SOLD-CHRISTMAS MISTLETOE

2007-08-25T18:03:00.000-05:00

Now i know its no where near christmas,
but because of the patterns on the leaf ornament,
i decided to name this piece that way.

Made with a see through sweet olive green
oblong bead.
It has 3 mistletoe leaves at the bottom alternating
between tiny gold beads

This piece measure 2 1/2 inches

Price: $6
Shipping: $2

POCAHONTAS

2007-08-25T17:47:00.000-05:00

This piece was inspired by the red indian culture,
or more specifically the Native American feather,
which is a symbol of prayers,
sources of ideas or marks of honor

Pocahontas measures 3 inches excluding the hook.

Price: $7
Shipping: $2 ( In the United States)

SOLD-JUST FOR FUN

2007-08-25T17:34:00.000-05:00

I was looking at my widely spreaded collection
of miscellaneous junk.. aka buttons, beads, hooks, wires
of odd numbers and colors

and i came upon these little zipper heads at the corner
These are a pair of earrings assembled with 4 zipper heads
of light olive green, mustard yellow,
orange and red

i can guarentee you that you can't find stuff like this
in stores

this piece measures slightly more than 1 1/2 inch

It takes a daring soul to put them on....
someone with a strong street fashion sense

Maybe someone with tight skinny velvet pants, an old white vintage beatles
t-shirt paired with a brightly printed tie or vest

Someone that has 'UNIQUE' printed on their heads (you can replace
that with 'WEIRD' and "ONE OF A KIND')

Anyway, It's just for fun!

Price: $4
shipping: $2

SEA URCHIN

2007-08-25T17:25:00.001-05:00

This is a pretty vintage necklace assembled with green, teal and blue beads.

this necklace measures 16 1/2 inches.

This length is perfect as it
hangs slightly bellow the neck point.

Price: $7
Shipping: $2 ( In the United States)

SOLD-VINTAGE CHOKER/ BRACELET

2007-08-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

This great piece makes a choker and doubles as
a bracelet.

It is made out of a variety of vintage buttons and beads
in shades of brown, gold and bronze stringed together
with a strong thick linen thread

The highlight of the piece is a cute wooden button
with diameter of 1 3/4 inches

It measures 15 inches from the tip of the buckle
to the opening loop

Wear it around your neck or wrap it around
your wrist twice

It's your choice!

Price: $10
Shipping $2 (in the United States)

CELESTIAL

2007-08-22T18:16:00.001-05:00

To relate this piece to the heavens is of course a form of exarggeration

This 'heavenly-like' piece is classy and simple

It measures 2 inches including the hook

Price: $6
Shipping: $1 ( In the United States)

VENUS

2007-08-22T17:57:00.001-05:00

Venus is a unique combination of light tinted, see
through beads.

This interesting assemblage of crimson red, stone like olive green and gold
measures 2 3/4 inches

Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty,
i hope it'll do it justice

Price: $7
Shipping: $1 (in the united States)

POSEIDON

2007-08-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

Poseidon is recreated from a vintage necklace i once owned

This piece is assembled with beads of
jade green , crystal blue and gold color.

It measures 2 1/2 inch including the hook

Price: $6
shipping: $1 (in the United States)

AQUARIUS IMPRESSION

2007-08-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

You could match it with a white tank and jeans while
walking around the beach

or

with a sexy black dress for your romantic date tonight

It measures 3 inch (excluding hook)

Price: $10
Shipping: $2

CANDY SHOE

2007-08-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

This Flat ballet shoe was originally bare and i decided
to add a little fun and creativity to it.

I dug up my collection of buttons that were remainings of other project
and started sewing away!

As you can see, the right shoe and the left differ from one another
(the very reason being that i have few buttons in the same design and color)
but it also makes it one of a kind

the right shoe is detailed with blue and purple buttons and beads
and the left is detailed with purple and red

this shoe is a size 7 1/2

Price: $18
Shipping: $4

SOLD-RAINFORREST

2007-08-19T23:50:00.000-05:00

Rainforrest has simmilar designs as Purple Fiesta,
this denim case has green buttons, sequins, beads of all kinds

Measures 10 by 5 inches

Price: $13

shipping: $2 (United States)

SOLD-PURPLE FIESTA

2007-08-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

This denim case measures 10.5 by 4.5 inches and has a zipper as an opener

The front of the case has buttons, sequins, beads of all types in different
shades of purple sewn on to it.

I made this case ideally as a case for pencils and pens.
Other examples could be make up, money, keys and etc.

Price: $13
Shipping: $2 (United States)

SOLD

THE HIPPIE BAG

2007-08-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

The Hippie bag is made of part velvet material.
There are distinctive indian motifs on the front of the bag,
which are decorated with gold beads on the top and bottom.

The bag measures 15 by 12 inches and has a 3.5 inch base and sides.
The straps measures 23 inches each.

price: $20
Shipping: $3 (United States)

SOLD-TEAR DROPS

2007-08-01T16:08:00.000-05:00

These are a pair of tear shaped teal earrings

Measures 2 inches (including hook)

Price: $5
Shipping: $1 - United States ( international shipping available)

RED ROSE GARDEN

2007-07-30T15:30:00.001-05:00

I've always been amazed at zippers.
In this project of mine, they are used to make roses and leaves for my tote

This denim tote has a base measuring 10 by 7 inches
( don't you just hate bags without a base? makes them flimsy...-my opinion)
It has 2 straps measuring 22 inches each

The flowers in front are made out of zippers from
shades of red and pink

Its a great accessory to store your purse,
cell phone, keys and etc

price: $18
shipping: $3 - in the united states (international shipping available)

please leave me a message if you're interested,
thank you!

SOLD-THE ZIPPER CASE

2007-07-30T14:56:00.000-05:00

This creative case is one of a kind!
It is made completely out of zippers
this case can be opened from any side!

One side is made out of zippers of all shades of puple
and the other side blue

It measures 10 by 4 inches
and is perfect to store art supplies, make up, keys etc.

Price: $12
Shipping: $2 (in the united states)- international shipping also available

leave me a message if you have questions,
thank you!