100 Waves of Summer
In my hunt for beachtown boutiques, I came across Mary Tantillo’s shop in LBI, NJ called Swell Colors Glass Studio. Her stained glass is amazing and I specifically love the idea she had for “100 Waves of Summer.” She made 100 different stained glass windows for each day of the summer… and a couple of Indian Summer days in fall 
www.swellcolors.com
Tags: glass studio, lbi, mary tantillo, nj, stained glass, swell colors
“A real friend is someone who takes a winter vacation on a sun-drenched beach and does not send a card.” ~Maya Angelou
Tags: beach, card, earth, friend, grain, maya angelou, sand, silent sun, story, sun, vacation, walt whitman
Serene Photo of Northport Harbor
One of my favorite photographers is John Ellsworth. He is a resident of Northport, NY & focuses his work on local waterscapes, boats and one of my favorite places, the Northport Harbor. If you haven’t seen his work, definitely take a look here. www.johnellsworth.com. His artwork is great for a beach house, bathroom wall or even home office. They exude serenity and a relaxing connection with nature.
We will both be displaying our work at Cow Harbor Day on 9/27 so come out and celebrate with us! www.northportny.com
Tags: beach house, cow harbor day, john ellsworth, northport, ny
Check out www.seabags.com to see some real ingenuity & eco-friendly fashion. This is a great company that recycles old boat sails and turns them into tote bags, beach bags, wine bags, etc. Prices are a bit steep for a standard tote bag but the craftsmanship and durability probably stand the test of time. A great gift for the beach bum in your life. You can even customize to put your favorite number or image on the bags.
Tags: boating sails, eco-friendly, recycle, seabags.com
This week is a very special one. It kicks off the ‘official’ summer season and things get very busy for me! I have a couple of new orders to finalize and stores to follow up with…. not to mention the lack of a free Saturday until the end of June. AND I am celebrating the 10th year anniversary of meeting my husband! How time flies…. carpe diem…. xoxo AliRay
Tags: anniversary, busy, june, memorial day, summer
It’s Earth Month — time to love your Mother Earth a little bit more this month
April is shaping up to be a busy month for me and I’m trying to find at least one weekend to spend looking for seaglass. I wrote last week about the six month plan and week 1 of month 1 is shaping up well. I have a new shop in Port Jefferson, NY selling my jewelry and a jewelry party lined up for the 19th. More to come…. enjoy the day!
George Burns – “Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed.”
This is my biggest issue – I love to sleep. I complain about there being not enough time in the day, but I don’t want to sacrifice my blessed sleep hours in the morning. I’ve tried setting my own voice to an alarm clock, having my husband yell at me, using multiple alarms and I snooze, snooze, snooze away. God help me when I have kids….
That being said, the main reason I need more time is for my jewelry business to flourish. Last year was my best year yet… which I am very proud of. BUT there is always room to grow and I have a laundry list of things to do. I decided to give myself a monthly task list. This should give me a full month to get different aspects of the business growing. I’d love you to keep me on my toes and ask how the progress is going. Here is my list to date which brings me to September. I’ll try and update weekly
April – New Summer Store Sales (on-going)
May – Blog / Site Pictures
June – Search Engines
July – New materials
August – Potential Site Redesign
Happy Thanksgiving! I wish you and yours a wonderful day full of warmth, laughter and love. AND lots of delicious food! I am most thankful for my husband, family and friends. You are all genuine, honest people who inspire me and keep me grounded.
AliRay Designs had its best year ever and I am very thankful for my vendors and customers. Especially because this year has been difficult financially for many. I’m looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. I’m confident that my customers will stay loyal because my designs are affordable and different. Not to mention eco-friendly. When looking for a personal and one-of-a-kind gift, you’ve come to the right place. I’m offering free shipping and free gift wrapping at different times in December. Stay tuned…
Love and thanks –
Ali
Tags: , eco-friendly, one-of-a-kind, thanksgiving
Hey everyone, its been so long… sad but true. I’ve been lax with my writing and not 100% sure why. For one, I keep forgetting my password and I’ve been very busy with my ‘real job.’ Tonight I am sitting back, traveling on business, in a hotel room — the perfect time to get back into writing. BUT, It’s a very different day b/c one of my best friends gave birth to a baby boy this afternoon!!! Our ‘Scranton Family’ grows! I made a necklace called ‘Baby Feet’ around Mother’s Day and have been waiting for this day to pair it with the June birthstone necklace. Ironically, the pearl is June’s birthstone. I use a ‘mother of pearl’ semi-precious stone — it is perfect for the occasion! For those who haven’t seen it, here is a snapshot.
I heard an old quote this weekend which struck a cord. “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” Today’s news made me think about what you can control vs. what you cant. Baby Ryan decided to come two weeks early and was welcomed with open arms. There are many times when I dont embrace change or adjust slowly sticking to old habits. My 6/16 lesson is to control what I can — like passwords and my work/life balance. And embrace unpredictable surprises.
Share with me your thoughts, ideas and 6/16 lessons… what did you learn today?
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