SUZIE Q'S DIARY

​Once again, a Big “THANK YOU” to all of my Suzie Q Friends who visited and supported the last two versions of my shop at the Crossroads Market, as well as an extra Shout Out to those of you who have followed me over the years since 2002.

I greatly appreciate getting to know each and every one of you and hope to continue to see some of you at my upcoming Serendipity BEAD STEW events… That would be super-sweet!

And, speaking of “BEAD STEW”… I have so many exciting things to tell you about, so please read on…




Just in case you missed recent Suzie Q eNewsletters, Facebook posts, etc., ​​Suzie Q Studio at the Crossroads Market is NOW CLOSED, as of July 28th, 2019, in order to focus on my new easy-to-make jewelry kits, “Serendipity BEAD STEW”, which I’m incredibly excited about!

If you'd like to know more about the reasons for closing my shop at the Crossroads Market, take a look at my previous blog post>>> "DON'T WORRY I'M ONLY CLOSING MY PHYSICAL SHOP"





So, what have I been up to since I closed my shop three weeks ago?

Well, I’ve been busy, busy, as usual; however, it’s been so fantastic to tackle tasks that always seemed to get pushed to the bottom of my never-ending “To-Do” Lists when I had my shop.

PLUS, I’m working on some bigger, long term “beady” projects that I’m super-stoked about!

(Please see below for more details)




FINALLY… Business cards for “Suzie Q Studio”… YAY!

Between having something pressing to promote or do for my shop every week and my ultra-busy graphic designer, I never had the extra time to get a business card designed and printed.

But, everything happens for a reason, I suppose, because had I created a business card design when I first opened at the Crossroads Market, it wouldn’t have anything about “Serendipity BEAD STEW” on it because it was only launched in April of this year, so I’m extra-happy to have a card that’s totally current with the direction of my business!

What do you think?… Pretty FAB, right?!




Other lingering, unaddressed issues because I was too busy with my store?…A multitude of Social Media situations! 

Since closing, I’ve been updating my Suzie Q Studio platforms, including taking a very long look at my Google Business Page, something I had always been too busy to pay too much attention to, even during the years prior to my shop at the Crossroads, and boy-oh-boy, was that ever a big mistake!

A Google Business Page is what comes up on the right-hand side of the page of whatever business that you’re “googling”. Since updating my page with current info and, more importantly, appropriate and engaging photos, WOW!… As of today, I’ve had close to 2500 “LOOKS”, in ONLY two weeks, at the first image that you see at the top of the page!!! 

Other Social Media Plans:

• RE: Instagram: @suzieqstudio … I promise I’ll be finishing my “Suzie Q 6-OH! Birthday Trip Story” on my Suzie Q Studio feed as soon as I can, and so sorry for the big pause in the story! As well, my goal is to be posting on a more regular basis, once I get some of my other projects out of the way.

• I’ll be creating a second Instagram account for Serendipity BEAD STEW to feature new kits being added to the website, pics of bracelets created by BEAD STEW online purchasers and at BEAD STEW events, etc. 

• I’ve signed up for some Pinterest training to improve my skills (almost non-existent right now) in this department. I’ll keep you posted on Suzie Q PINTEREST developments.

• RE: Facebook: /SuzieQStudioYYC  - Please “LIKE” my page, as well as “LIKE” and “COMMENT” on my posts so they'll appear in your own News Feeds :-)

• I’ll eventually be creating a new Facebook Page for Serendipity BEAD STEW too… I’ll let you know when this happens.

• I’m also working on a new website with my “Web-Wizard” sister, Rita… YAY! Of course, this is a longer term project, with all of the other more pressing things to do right now.

​

I’m very happy to tell you that Serendipity BEAD STEW Bracelet Kits will be available to purchase on the Suzie Q Studio website this September, with oodles of choices for anyone who's inclined, to easily create a wonderful, one-of-a-kind bangle-style bracelet!

AND, here’s some FAB NEWS... If you’re in the Calgary area, I’ve arranged for a local “Pick-Up” location, so that you don’t have to incur any shipping charges. More details to come about this in upcoming eNewsletters :-) 

That’s right… The bead combinations that we artfully, hand-select for each Serendipity BEAD STEW Kit, are so unique and fabulous, that no matter how you add the beads in your kit to the bangle wire, you’re guaranteed to have an eye-catching bracelet that you’ll be proud to say, “I made it myself!”… No previous beading experience is needed.

Because the beads are pre-selected in our kits, not only does it save you tons of time in getting your supplies together, but this project is so easy that it’s perfect to create it in a group setting, because you can socialize at the same time as making your bracelet… Fun, or what?!

And speaking of getting creative in a group setting, I’ve got some exciting news!...

 Since closing my shop at the Crossroads, I’ve also been working on lining up venues to have Serendipity Do-The-Stew “Nites” & Parties, for participants to feel good being creative with like-minded people and friends in a group setting.

I’m thrilled to announce that the first place that I’ve arranged for BEAD STEW activities is at my friend Sandy’s new store called, “Dream Dog Boutique”!!!

For all of the DETAILS, please check out my Q-Blog post>>> BEADS & DOGS… OH-WHAT-FUN!

More BEAD STEW venues TBA in the upcoming weeks… I’ll keep you posted :-)

HEY!… FYI… There’s now a Serendipity BEAD STEW Gallery on the Suzie Q Studio website… YAY! >>> BEAD STEW INSPIRATIONS

The BEAD STEW Gallery is full of inspiring photos of FAB bracelets, the makers who created them, action shots and much more. As well, this gallery will be updated on a regular basis, so take-a-look often!

 ~ xo Suzie ️

Since my "physical" store, Suzie Q Studio at the Crossroads Market, will be closing this Sunday, July 28th at 5pm, I thought you might want an up-close look at some of the fabulous Sterling Silver that will be available at 50% off... for this one last weekend. For more information, also check out my previous blog post>>> SUZIE Q STERLING SILVER SALE CONTINUES!

It's definitely time to stock up! Check out all this Sterling Silver lusciousness...

I hope you'll pop by Suzie Q Studio to say hi, reminisce, and check out all our fabulous SALES before we close our "physical location" this Sunday, July 28th, 2019. If you'd like to know more about my exciting upcoming plans for Serendipity BEAD STEW, just click here>>> DON’T WORRY… I'M ONLY CLOSING MY “PHYSICAL” SHOP!

See you this weekend!

 ~ xo Suzie ️

​A BIG "Thank You" to everyone​ ​who attended the Suzie Q​ ​STERLING SILVER SALE!!!  ​​If you ​missed out on my Two-Part​ ​STERLING SILVER SALE​, don't worry... I've got some fab news!​...

​I figured how to squeeze the​ entire Sterling Silver collection into my cozy shop, so GOOD NEWS...​ ​the SALE is​ EXTENDED​ ​until I ​close my "Physical Location"​ ​at the Crossroads Market... YAY! 

That means the sale is on from NOW until SUNDAY, JULY 28TH at 5PM!

••• Ooo-La-la!!! •••

Shown in the images above & below, plus the following video are just a small sampling of the FAB Sterling Silver items that will be available at 50% OFF UNTIL SUNDAY, JULY 28th at the Crossroads Market location of SUZIE Q STUDIO!

Isn't it incredible to think that each and every one of these miniature art-pieces are individually handcrafted... WOW, right?!

Shown in the video above are just SOME of the unique and fabulous Sterling Silver jewelry-making beads, components and findings in my HUGE STASH that will be available on SALE at 50% OFF*. (*some exclusions may apply)

PLEASE NOTE: In most cases with the items shown in these images, more quantities of each style will be available, while quantities last. 😊

Isn't the detailing extraordinary?!  

"HILL TRIBE" silver of Northern Thailand, technically speaking, isn't "sterling silver" because it has a higher content of Pure or Fine silver than sterling silver.

Sterling Silver is 92.5% fine silver, with 7.5% of another metal, usually copper, to make the fine silver metal harder, which is what can also cause tarnishing with sterling silver.

"Hill Tribe" silver is between 99.5 and 99.9 fine (pure) silver, with the solder being the only non fine silver used in creating Hill Tribe Silver beads, components and jewellery, plus, it usually doesn't tarnish, or very little.

There are a lot of style differences between Hill Tribe silver components and silver pieces made in other countries, which I can point out when you're at either of my sales... just as ask me if you're interested. 😊

Shown above is a "Karen" Hill Tribe woman with her child... She's wearing some fabulous bangles, don't you think?

Hill Tribe peoples are nomadic tribes that can be traced back to the 12th century. It's a fascinating story that you can  read about by CLICKING on this >>>  HILL TRIBE PEOPLE.



The toggle-style clasps shown in this image,​ ​along with more styles, are all available at 50% OFF!

I also have some extraordinary sterling silver "box clasps"* and other unique closures and components that are available at my Sterling Silver sale, although they'll be at regular prices and NOT included at 50% OFF.

​BTW... FORMS OF PAYMENT at Suzie Q's Silver Sale are: Cash, Debit, Visa or MasterCard. Also please note that the pieces shown here may no longer be available -- that's why you should come early for the best selection.​😊


I hope you'll pop by Suzie Q Studio to say Hi and check out all our fabulous SALES before we close our "physical location" on July 28th, 2019.

 ~ xo Suzie ️

Hello Suzie Q Friends!

2019 has been a roller-coaster of emotions and pivotal events for me. Most significantly, my Dad’s passing in January, plus, the launching my new line of jewelry-making kits in April, as well as turning my “round” birthday of 60 years in May.

All of these life-changing moments have inspired me to both reflect and look ahead to how I want to spend my time moving forward — time seems to be speeding faster and faster, with not enough hours in the day to squeeze everything in!

So much of the past 17 years of being in business has given me immense satisfaction and pleasure, but upon reflection, there are two things that have consistently not worked for me. One of them is my tendency to spread my energy over way too many aspects of my business, resulting in constant scrambling and feelings of frustration at never giving any one thing the attention it deserves. Secondly, over the years since starting my business in 2002, it very quickly became all-consuming, pretty much 7 days/week, from early morning until the wee hours of the night, so there’s been very little time for my non-business passions and interests, and for socializing with friends and family.

Since launching my new DIY jewelry-making concept “Serendipity BEAD STEW”, it’s been very well-received… people are loving it and having heaps of fun being creative. I have tons of ideas to make the line even more fabulous, but zero time to develop or implement them because most of my time is spent promoting the various aspects of my Suzie Q Studio Shop at the Crossroads Market, especially my longtime love of “Trollbeads”. As a result, I once again, find myself embroiled in the situation that I described above, so as much as I absolutely love Trollbeads and my retail location… something’s gotta give.

So short story long, I’ve decided to CLOSE my Suzie Q “Jewel-Box-Shop” at the Crossroads Market so I can focus my full attention on seeing what I can create with my Serendipity BEAD STEW DIY concept.

While I’m incredibly sad to be saying “good-bye” to Trollbeads (I was the first retailer in Canada to offer them in 2003!), I’m hopeful that my Trollbeads friends might give Serendipity BEAD STEW a try at one of my upcoming Bead Stew events, so that we might still stay in touch.

As I mentioned, I’m bursting with ideas for Serendipity BEAD STEW, so please take a read/look below, to get a sneak preview:

​Being Creative Feels Good and is proven to be healthy for you too! My new Serendipity BEAD STEW jewelry-making kits are a great way for anyone to add some creativity to their lives, even the people who insist that they aren’t “artistic” or “creative”. The artfully combined beads are so “yummy” that no matter how you add your beads to the bracelet wire, you’re guaranteed a fabulous finished piece.

So of course, it’s my first priority to get the 60+ Limited Edition bead combos of Serendipity BEAD STEW kits uploaded onto my Suzie Q Studio website and out into the world for people to enjoy. I’ve had interest from as far away as Kentucky, so yup, it’s the big “Giddy-Up” on this for me in August!  

Suzie Q Bead Gal Lynn and I had a lot of requests for BEAD STEW kits for younger jewelry-makers, so we’re working on them now, and they should be launching very soon.

 Angelica, pictured above, is a highland dancer, with long gorgeous hair… Isn’t she sweet?! Angelica was so excited by our Bangle-icious Bracelet kits that she decided to get the grown-up version “Pink Grapefruit”, so that she could make her own bracelet right away, instead of waiting for the upcoming “Little Miss” version.

Have you heard of those “Paint Night” events? Because our Serendipity BEAD STEW “Bangle-icious Bracelet” kits are so ultra-easy and fun to make that you can socialize while creating them, I think they'd be the perfect project for a “BEAD STEW” Night… Don’t you think? I think our kits would also be great for “Grown-Up” Birthdays, Bachelorette Parties, etc., so I’ll be working on these types of events to happen this fall… I’ll keep you posted!

As I mentioned above, the last 17 years in business hasn’t allowed me much time for one of the things that I love to do… Prairie Road Trips, so I have this FAB idea to combine my love of Road Trips with my BEAD STEW kits and bring them to smaller communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, hopefully the Spring of 2020… YAY!

Also, I’ll be doing BEAD STEW “Pop-Ups” and probably doing some of the Calgary Craft Shows, especially leading up to Christmas… they’re the ideal Stocking Stuffer.

Like I said… so many ideas and soon, much more time to make them happen. If you couldn’t already tell, I’m super-excited!

Back around 2008-2014, I used to go Las Vegas for business trade shows. On one of my trips, I went to see the spectacular Bette Midler in her “The Showgirl Must Go On” Show. I loved the show so much, that over the course of a couple of years, I went to Bette’s show TWO more times!

Out of the bazillion special things about the show, my favourite part was when Bette would sit alone on the edge of the stage and accompany herself on the Swarovski-embellished ukulele as shown in the pic above. One of these stunning instruments was available in the gift shop for US$3500.00 (signed by Bette) which, of course, was beyond my budget, and as I didn’t win one of them like the guy in the picture above, I became obsessed to “Suzie Q-Dazzle” a ukulele for myself!

First, I ordered my ukulele from the US with some birthday money that I got from my Dad around 2014. In 2015 I ordered all of the Swarovski “flatback” crystal stones, from various companies. With the chaos of several moves of my business, plus rebuilding and running my business, looking after my Dad, etc., I've made absolutely no progress on my ukulele project.

With the new priorities in my life, once I close my shop on July 28th, WITHIN ONE YEAR, I’m committing to getting my ukulele “Suzie Q-Dazzled”, learning a tune on it, videoing myself performing it, and uploading it on YouTube… Stay tuned for updates with my progress… nothing like a deadline to keep me on track!

Whether you’re a Suzie Q Friend from the first version of my shop in the little orange and chartreuse house on 10th Ave. SE in Inglewood, or you came along at one of the various locations through the years since 2002, I thank every single one of you for your past support of Suzie Q Beads/Studio, from the bottom of my heart and am grateful for all of the warm memories!

Be sure to take a look at my upcoming eNewsletters for all of the fabulous Closing Sales to take advantage of some incredible savings before my shop closes on July 28th.

Also, even if you’re not in need of Trollbeads or Sterling Silver Beads on Sale, if you’re in the vicinity of the Crossroads Market over the next two weekends, please stop by for a visit… I’d love to see you!

As well, it's my greatest hope that I’ll continue to see at least some of you, in one capacity or another, around Calgary in the coming years.

Once again, thanks so very much for everything!!!

~ xo Suzie ️