The Family Jewels

Picturetaking is fun!

I'm here late taking pictures of the new shipment that came in today.  Those new items will be listed just as soon as we can... While at the camera, I also took a picture or two of new mixes TBL (To Be Listed).  I've been playing around with the camera lately, and the vibrant colors of these mixes make me happy inside.

(If you want 'em even more sassy, you can click on the pictures to see larger versions.)

The Cabochon Mix:

The Kunzite Mix:

The Czech Fire Mix:

The Czech Mix picture might change, as they're still in the process of assembling the mix, and it might need a different pic by the time they add the last strands.  We'll see.

I'll let you know when those guys are up!

PS - All Gemstone Pendants and Centerpieces are 50% off tomorrow, beginning at 12tonight and ending Tuesday night at midnight!

Wee correction, for TRIPLE negative.

Mom just corrected me.  The phrase is apparently:
We ain't never not made it yet.

If you're placing an order today, know that we really appreciate your choice to shop with us.  Especially this week   : /

We've never not made it yet?

This week is a stressful one for RnR, that's for sure.  (The irony that RnR also stands for Rest and Relaxation is not lost on me today, hah.) 

Ebay has really messed us up this time.  Due to a glitch on Ebay's end, no new launchings have happened for an ENTIRE WEEK now, and they're offering no compensation, because the problem was so widespread that it would put them out of business to compensate everyone affected.  I call BS, but whatever.  Ebay is huge, powerful, and very very lucrative, you can't tell me that they can't help out sellers they've messed over at all. ANYWAY, I put out a special appeal to our wholesale customers, but I'm sort of at a loss as to what else to do. 

Assuming we make it through this (and how does the phrase go?--we've never not made it yet), I've got some ideas long-term that I think have potential, both conscience- and marketing-wise.  I'm really interested in RocknRocks being a socially-conscious company, and I think it may be possible, something I really had wondered about, given China's poor  record with worker protection and whatnot.  Mom already does a lot as far as trying to know our suppliers, but I think we can go further, and that our customers will want us to do so.  I'm excited to think more about it--Don't want to give too much away when I'm still in the brainstorming mode, but definitely know that these sorts of things are very high on my priority list  :)

Note to self:  Tomorrow I'll tackle the emails from the weekend, and go to Curves.   And call about that 2nd dose of the HPV vaccine.  I keep forgetting about that, and that's NOT GOOD.  Maybe now that I've typed it out...

Tomorrow (technically "today" at this point) also means that Agate, Ruby, Sodalite, Lava Stone, and Prehnite are all 50% Off.  Discount is already active and will be until midnight EST tonight! 

Aaaaand, it's Cassie, all graduated.

 

These are merely two from MANY MANY graduation pictures, hah...

For any Smithies who may be reading and interested as to why my diploma picture is inside, our graduation AND Ivy Day both took place in the oh-so-glamorous Indoor Track and Tennis Field, due to it raining constantly that weekend.  Sigh.  No Illumination Night either.  It apparently stopped raining right as graduation started, but alas, we were all inside by then.

Wait, wait, I must post this Ivy Day picture to show I felt about this fact:

I am "less than pleased" here, with my bathrobe and umbrella covering my white Ivy Day Dress while we all hiked across campus to the ITT. Oh good times  :)

Don't worry, we still had fun that weekend. 
To prove it, here is a candid Big Smile Shot:

Pay no attention to the state of that room in the background.  We'll say it was because I was in the middle of moving out.  While that's a true fact, some "in the know" might try to point out that I am less-than-orderly in my living sometimes.  Cough.

Anyway, that's me!   As time passes and I get nostalgic for college friends and life, you may get more friends-included, picture-heavy posts.  And maybe even some current family photos, you never know!

Sneaking out of work early & Back again

Today I ducked out of work early this afternoon for a matinee with 3/4 of my brothers & Company.  The Boy, Joe, Joe's girlfriend Simone, Jerry, Jerry's girlfriend Carissa, and Angel and I went to see Chuck and Larry, which only made me aweebit uncomfortable 72% of the time due to all the fat and gay jokes?  More than a little cringe-worthy.  However crude it was the whole way along, it was strangely heartwarming in the end though, I admit.  I'm sure that's exactly what they were going for.

Now I'm back at work to set up the sale for tomorrow, as of yet undetermined.  Exciting Friday, I know.. Maybe I'll get the pictures set for those cab and czech mixes too while I'm here. 

No curves today, though there was yesterday and will be tomorrow!

Who doesn't like a cruise?

I talked with Mike today about the Beading-on-the-Seas cruise.  Mom wants me to brainstorm ideas for advertising it, and to be the point person.  Still waiting for a Great Idea to hit me about the perfect way to get the word out there, other than the email list?

 

I think it's a great idea and will be a lot of fun, but we've got to get folks "on board" (hah).  I mean, I want to be on board.  Who doesn't like a cruise? And a beading cruise? Can't get much better. Hm.

Rick's Brief Return and Headaches

Rick came down to work today for about an hour!  Don't worry, his physical therapist approved the idea.  We had a guest, a really loyal customer who I'll call "A," and he wanted to make sure she and her husband were entertained while they visited RocknRocks.  After all, he's a better talker than most of us put together  :)   

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today.  Sometimes I miss the days when I pulled and packed shipments all day--It was such a feeling of accomplishment when everything was sent out.  Now it feels like I have about 500 projects up in the air and/or not getting the attention they need.  And a headache.  Tomorrow will be better?

...Tomorrow's sale at RocknRocks is going to be a non-gemstone variation of the CPM sale.  Czech Beads, Pearls, and Metal Beads and Charms, all 50% off beginning at 12:01am tonight until midnight Thursday night.

Successful Curves AGAIN, Dancing Lessons, etc.

Curves update: We went! I don’t think we’ll be going tomorrow though due to a 9am meeting with UPS. But, Thursday! I had to take a break from work this afternoon to go (1) get Mom’s favorite Tea (Arizona Diet Peach) from Walgreens (2) take and pick up Caroline from Gymnastics and (3) take Alex to Game Crazy. Good times.

BUT I think everyone has a wholesale account who requested one, and I learned how to list!  And Jenny and I got a New Arrivals banner that I can change up on the website.  I still have to learn to take pictures, but I’m going to let The Boy play around with the program for awhile to try and improve how we picture. If you have any suggestions, we’re open to ‘em. My biggest hope is to get rid of the background (have it just be negative white) and show greater detail in the stones. We’ll see how it goes.

I was going to start taking Ballroom dance lessons this week, but they’re on their 3^rd week of the Rumba. I youtubed the Rumba, and really, I wasn’t that into it. Next month is the Cha-Cha, and I’m a bit more excited about that one.  I'm not altogether sure my hips will move like that though?  I’ll miss the first lesson due to the camping-ness that is going to happen from Aug 4-12, but other than that, here I come, cha-cha-cha. We won’t talk about how one reason I really want to learn how to dance is so that I don’t look ridiculous at my wedding. Because I’m not even getting married. I'm just that obsessed with weddings. Sigh.

Tomorrow's sale?  Lapis Lazuli, Tourmaline, Lepidolite, and Pietersite all 50% off at RocknRocks.  Begins at midnight tonight EST, lasts until midnight Wednesday night.

Catch you soon  :)

Nausea, Curves, and CPM

We went to Curves today!  Check. 

I came down with some awesome nausea after lunch today, so I'm just now getting to a lot of emails I received this afternoon.  As much as I love the daytime crew and the bustle of the warehouse, I have to say there's something comforting about being here at night when it's all quiet.  You'd think it would be creepy, but unless I let my mind go there, it's very peaceful.

As per a customer's request, tomorrow will be a "2ferTuesday" sale.  She suggested that everything that starts with a 'T' should be 2 for 1, but I'm thinking, in honor of Rick's physical therapy machine called a CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine, things that begin with those three letters should be on sale... Turns out there are a LOT of items that start with those letters though, so I'm starting with gemstones, then sometime this week I'll move on to non-gemstone C-P-Ms.  So tomorrow's email & internal code are all ready to go.  Now if only Marketworks would let me work on wholesale accounts...

Manic Monday Sale

I ended up choosing these for the Manic Monday Sale:
Fiber Optic Beads, Ceramic Beads, Coral, and RocknCrystal.
All 53% Off, because I was tired of typing 50%.

Seem random enough?  Maybe I'll make this a pattern for Mondays, a pattern of no pattern.  They'll be discounted come 12:01 AM tonight, until midnight Monday night  :)