Five Benefits of a Well Made Beaded Lanyard

I enjoy creating lovely beaded lanyards, and I hope many of you like them as well.  However, a lanyard is not just a decorative item, it is a functional item as well.  It gets hard use every day.

Believe in Yourself!

Believe in Yourself!

Without believing in ourselves we can be swayed to live according to what others want and not what we really believe is right for us. We can also be defeated by all the obstacles along the way.

Adjust Your Sails

Adjust Your Sails

Years ago I referred to myself as a cock-eyed optimist. Every morning I would awaken with the thought that things would go well, and it would be a better day than the day before. I particularly thought this with regard to my relationship with my first husband. It is a lovely bright eyed idea, but it did not take into consideration that circumstances did not align with the stars in my eyes.

What was wrong? What was I doing wrong? Basically I did not adjust to the situations, circumstances, and personalities in my life. I just kept expecting it to get better. Of course, it got worse, not better.

When I was in the throes of a divorce, I began to learn to adjust my sails. Counselors and wise people in my life helped me see that I needed to adjust to forces in my life over which I had no control. God was there by my side to do that. Fortunately, my basic nature of being an optimist did not get lost. I learned to make choices that brought about positive changes in my life instead of just expecting that to happen on its own.

Some people whine and complain about fate and how they are always victims of misfortune. That actually causes them to be victims of misfortune, again because they are not adjusting to their reality.

Adjusting your sails is no easy breezy thing. Just like a sailor must learn the skills to adjust the sails to the wind so he can navigate through the water, we must adjust our attitudes and our actions to navigate the winds blowing through our lives.

Are you able to adjust your sails?

Adjust Your Accessories

Do you get frustrated and upset when you can’t find your glasses? Perhaps you need to adjust how you handle that and get rid of your frustration by using a Plum Beadacious eyeglass chain or a magnetic eyeglass holder.

Is your id badge getting on your nerves? Make it easier to wear and display with a chain or beaded lanyard, or attach it to your clothing with a pretty badge reel from Plum Beadacious.

Be Yourself

It has taken me way too many years to really internalize what this quote means to my life. For many years I was a person who compared myself to others. In school, even though I made good grades, I felt I wasn’t as good as many of my peers. I was afraid to speak my thoughts. I was so shy.

As I got older, married, had children, and worked in the business world; I got past the shyness, but still looked at what everyone else was doing and compared myself to them.

Now I am retired from the corporate world, and follow my dream of creating handmade items that I sell online. I am being myself, and believe I am and always have been putting something wonderful in the world.

How about you? Are you comparing yourself to others? Are you doing things because you think you should, but maybe it isn’t something you should be doing because it isn’t you? Be yourself!

Be Yourself at Work

As you go to work each day you have many choices to reflect the inner you. One small thing you might like to do is show your style with your id badge holder. Do you like flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, birds, or horses? Check out the selection of photo-glass cabochons badge holders from Plum Beadacious.

Do you prefer a beautiful lanyard for your id badge? Plum Beadacious has decorative chain lanyards and colorful beaded lanyards.

Do you have a student in your life who would like a stylish id badge holder? Take a look at the choices at Plum Beadacious. Choose from over 100 badge reel designs and more than 40 lanyard designs.

Do You Work Your Art?

Interview by Debbie at Work Your Art

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Debbie for a featured post on her website called Work Your Art.  It was a wonderful experience.

Debbie had a lot of good questions for me that required me to really focus on my business of selling workplace fashion ids.  You can read the full interview in her article "A conversation with LeAllyson Meyer from Colorado, USA."

What Do You Do to Work Your Art?

There are so many ways to work your art to get it noticed by those who are interested in what you have to offer.  The opportunities to sell online abound these days.  There are so many options, it is difficult to choose a path and settle on it.

Here are some ways to work your art.

• Sell it at craft shows
• Sell it at galleries and boutiques
• Sell it online through a marketplace such as Etsy, Zibbet or Amazon
• Sell it through your own website hosted by an online venue that provides templates, selling tools and support such as Shopify, Big Commerce or Volusion.
• Sell it through your own website on Wordpress or Blogspot by choosing a theme or plug-in that supports e-commerce.
• Send out emails to people who sign up to receive notice of your sales and new products
• Set up a shop on Facebook
• Run Facebook ads
• Regularly post on social media such as Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Google+.
• Focus on obtaining exposure through magazines, blogs and other media

I certainly cannot find time to do all of these things.  Some fit my style better than others.

From all I know and read, the key to success with any of this is consistency.  I personally am consistent on my Etsy site and my Plum Beadacious website.  I am achieving results and growth there.  But I am not consistent in blogging, email newsletters, and social media.  I need to improve.

Education Lights a Fire

I have found that educating myself on new techniques, improvements I can make and e-commerce business really lights my fire.  I attended two days of webinars presented by Creative Live on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  These full day webinars were presented by Andreea Ayers of Launch,Grow,Joy.  The first day covered optimizing your website, and the second day covered Facebook marketing.  Both were excellent, and I took copious notes.

These webinars were free to me for those two days.  They are now available for a fee through Creative Live.  My point is there is so much free education available, it is amazing!  I have so many tasks to complete from the notes I took those two days, it could take the rest of this year to do all of them.

I know that paying a fee for some of the more in depth education would be worth it, but for now, I plan to take the best of what I obtain for free and apply it.  Later I can delve even deeper with paid education or consultants.

Outstanding People Who Educate on Selling Your Art

Debbie - of  Work Your Art

Andreea Ayers  of  Launch, Grow, Joy

Amy Porterfield  - Social Medial Strategist

James Wedmore - online Video Expert

Melanie Duncan - Pinterest Expert

Tara Gentile  - Business Coach

If you are marketing your artistic creations, let us know what you like to do.  What works for you? Let's start a conversation.

Swinging Beds - Nap on the Porch

I have not been thinking about getting a swinging bed.  But today one of my friends on Facebook shared a blog post she did a while back about porch swings, swinging beds and swinging chairs.  One room or porch was prettier than another.  With summer approaching I am thinking it would be so fun to take a nap on a porch or deck in one of these.

Swinging Bed in the Bedroom

My favorite is the green one below.  This one is actually in a bedroom.  You can see a better picture of it at Dishfunctional Design's Blog Post.

Day Bed Swing on a Porch

Here is a day bed swing.  Doesn't it look cool and comfy?  Can you imagine laying there with the flowering vines above?  Pure bliss!

Full Size Swinging Bed on a Screened in Porch

How about a full size bed on a screened in porch?

Full Sized Swinging Bed in Bedroom

I think the mural on the wall behind this swinging bed is amazing.

Comfy Swinging Chair

If you don't have room for a day bed or regular bed, how about a cozy swinging chair?  Bring a good book when you sit here.

All of the photos in I posted here are from Houzz.  I discovered this website today, and can see I will spend lots more time there.  It has all kinds of decorating ideas, and you can set up idea books with photos of the things you love.  That sure beats the way I did this years ago.  I would cut pictures out of magazines and tape them into notebooks.  I must admit I still have some of those. :)

P.S. Speaking of naps on the porch, I also subscribe to a delightful blog called Between Naps on the Porch.  She has a good post on what it costs to add an enclosed porch to the house.  You probably will want to read many of her posts.  They are excellent.

Do you have any fun relaxing furniture on your porch or deck.  Let us know about them in the comments here.

How Long Should a Fashion Lanyard Be?

Too Short or Too Long?

Many of my customers ask me about the length of a handmade beaded or chain lanyard that I make.  A fashion lanyard is an attractive accessory for the clothing you wear at work.  It should also be comfortable and useful for its function.

An id badge lanyard must perform a task other than adorning our outfits.  That is what makes selection of just the right length so tricky.  There is no perfect length in terms of inches that works for everyone.  So how do we decide the length for ourselves?

Where on the body should a fashion lanyard end?

For most people the end of the actual  lanyard not including the id badge or keys attached to it should fall just below the breast. Then the actual id badge or key will lay immediately below the breast above the upper abdomen.

If a fashion lanyard is too short, and falls at the breast or above, then the id badge and keys will stick out from the breast emphasizing that area of the body.

If the fashion lanyard is too long, then the id badge and keys may lay in the lap when seated.  Another problem with a lanyard that is too long is that it gets caught on a desk or table when you get up, tugging on the strand.  Although it may not break immediately, it does cause the wire to fray over time and finally break.  I have been asked to repair lanyards put under this constant stress.   This can be done, but really involves a total restringing of the lanyard with new wire. Basically it means starting all over to make the lanyard.

The fashion lanyard displayed on the mannequin below is really too long for the mannequin. But Matilda, my mannequin, is quite petite so I don't judge the length I will make a lanyard by her size. Don't I wish I were so tiny!

What are the most popular lengths for fashion lanyards?

I have sold many fashion lanyards in my shop over the last five years.  Most of my orders are for 36" lanyards.  I provide choices to my customers of 32", 34" and 36" lanyards.  These measurements are all the way around the strand of beads or chain plus the drop of the lanyard focal beads and clasp.

To decide which length you need, measure with a tape measure from the middle of the back of your neck to just below the breast in the middle of your body.  Then double that number. For me that length is 17", and I am 5'6" tall.  That means I should wear a 34" lanyard.

Here is a guide based on height for the length of lanyard you should wear:

Your Height	Length of Lanyard
5'2"-5'3"	30"
5'4"-5'5"	32"
5'6"-5'7"	34"
5'8"-5'9"	36"
5'10" -5'11"	38"

You may wish to read more about the construction of my lanyards.

I have many fashion lanyards available for you to purchase in my shop.  You can select the length you want from the drop down box, or if you need it longer or shorter, let me know in a note when you make your purchase.  

What is your favorite length of a badge lanyard?