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Karen
We finished a wonderful show in Lexington last night and packed up for the trip to Nashville. Thanks to all the people in Lexington who came to shop with us and to the great gals from the Junior League of Lexington. It was a fun show and we hope to come back here next year.
Hello from beautiful Lexington KY! We got a late start from Springfield on Tuesday. We had hoped to leave by 1 p.m. and it was 3:30 when we finally got out of town. We expected the trip to last about 8 hours, but, due to Cheri's Starbuck's addiction, the trip took about 10 hours as we drove around Rolla and St. Louis looking for a Starbuck's.
We had a new addition to the SUV for this trip -- a cargo carrier. We always fill the SUV to the brim and this was a good alternative to towing a trailer. The only problem was that the SUV was still so full that I didn't have space to put a paper bag and had to leave my little hot pot at home. Can you believe that? We won't be buying much.
Market last night with a great preview party. There were lots of people and they enjoyed the live band and great food as they perused the many offerings available.
Happy Friday! Cheri called last night to tell me she'd had a very successful buying trip. She was able to purchase high quality rubies, sapphires, amethysts and more. She was really excited. I hope she has time to put a few things together before we leave next week for Lexington KY.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!
I love pink and added to this brown herringbone -- it's just scrumptious! It's going to be a really good looking handbag when I finish it later today.
Hope the rest of your weekend is great!
... and a bump on the head. I had a fight with the handlebars of a handicap scooter as I was loading it into the back of the SUV 5 days ago, and there is no hiding it! It looks worse than it feels, and the color has increased since we took this yesterday. My kids have tried to politely remind me that I'm not 35 any more. I hate to say they're right, but -- they're right. I'm going to try hard to think, and remember this, before I again attempt something questionable!!!
Cheri and I have always loved the Junior League of Kansas City MO's Holiday Mart and this year's show was special. (This is the second largest Junior League Holiday show in the country). We hoped to get some ideas for our booth layout and, like always, we had a great sister trip as well. What made it so extra special was seeing friends we've made on our show travels who have been vendors with us at other shows. Several were vendors in KC this year. Here's Cindy, (and hubby, Jerry) owner of Treasures of the Ozarks. We had booths across from each other in Dallas last year. Although she also designs jewelry, hers is very different from ours. It is really beautiful. Check it out at http://treasuresoftheozarks.com/
I spent Wednesday through Saturday at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in KC taking classes and buying supplies for our handbags. Watch the blog to see my special purchases!
Karen
Here's just a hint of what I've been working on. I love this fabric and adore the trim! I can't wait to finish it and see it in its final form.
We're deep into the fall show season, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of handbag construction going on in between shows. 
There are three of us sewing on them so that we are stocked full for the next show. The first place to see all our new handbags is at the Junior League Holiday Shows in Lexington, KY, Nashville, TN and Waco, TX. We had a booth at the shows in Nashville and Waco last year and we hope people will come back to visit us this year. The Nashville show is held in an old factory that has been converted to shops, restaurants and the display halls. It is a really interesting place and I can't wait to go back and visit a smocking store that I found last year.
Cheri has been working on some beautiful new jewelry pieces using the stones she was able to find at a recent gem show. Her work just gets better and better.
I have made a vow to be better about posting and to take pictures to share with you what's going on at Silver Pansy Designs. 
Cheri and I have not disappeared, but we have been incredibly busy. Cheri's day job is keeping her well occupied right now and I had another surgery after the ankle. What I thought might be a 1 week recovery period (Boy was that unrealistic!) is going to be many more. I don't like being slowed down past the point I've determined that it should be! Oh well -- give up the control. Recovery from both is going well and I've got the opportunity to work on learning patience!
I've spent today going through all the fabric and deciding what kind of bag it wants to be. I used to laugh when Cheri said the stones had to tell her what they wanted to be, but I find that it is true. All the years I've worked with fabrics I've actually had the best results when I purchase fabric that speaks to me before I work on a pattern.
It's much cooler here than it has been for several weeks. We had a slow, steady rain all day Saturday and flowers in the yard and the herb garden look so much better than they did.
We are getting so excited to do our fall shows. It is always fun to meet new people and renew friendships that we've made in the past. September will be here before we know it and it will be "on the road again" for us. Please drop by and see us at the Junior League holiday shows in Tulsa, Nashville and Waco.
Take care,
Karen
Well -- the jewelry half of this duo, Cheri, is hard at work on the items we will be presenting at our fall shows that start in September. She has some really interesting new ideas to show you this year. The textile half of the duo, that would be me, has been laid low for awhile. I fell last December 4th on the way to a show in Waco TX. About 2 weeks later the doctors found that I had broken my ankle. We've been working ever since to get the silly thing to heal and it would not! Last Friday my orthopaedic surgeon reconstructed the ligament and removed the broken bone. He assures me that I'll be good as new, but for the next few weeks I'm going to have to take it easy. For now it is no weight bearing and "keep your toes higher than your nose." I'm trying to be good. I'm doing lots of sketching and planning so as soon as he gives the "go" signal I'm ready to spring into action. Thanks for all the good thoughts you have been sending. They are very much appreciated.
There are a few days left for you to vote in our poll. Please let us know your opinion. Take it easy and try to stay cool. We'll be back in touch!
Karen
Welcome -- we are excited to communicate with our Silver Pansy friends through this new blog. We probably won't post every day, but will let you in on what's going on in our design studios (we are both working in studios now) and what we are up to, as well as where you can purchase jewelry from Silver Pansy Designs.
We just returned from our annual summer trip to Washington D. C. That's great news for our clients as we have always had good luck purchasing gemstones there. This year was no exception. We came home with excellent stones and Cheri has lots of ideas about how to use them. We'll be debuting sterling silver jewelry pieces using these stones later this year. Keep reading this blog and watching our web site.
Thanks for your support!
Karen
