V'Day the next----

www.kreativeartizangallery.com

Good Evening everyone!!

Well, it's the day AFTER V'Day and like most--glad that it's over. I don't have anyone special in my life at the moment, but a friend, one who things we are both sweethearts to each other invited me over for dinner and I said sure why not. It was uneventfull
to say the least.....our usual jibber and jabbers.....and good food and good company.

They say to add humor to these blogs, at present can't seem to find any to have you wanting more of what I haven't posted yet.....HEHE. I'm not that good at jokes and sometimes it takes me a while to even remember them let alone tell you one or find humor in the day that I might want to post.

I talk to a lot of people during the day, but I make it a business prospect rather than humours jokes and they leave empty handed. NOW it's not to say that my own questions and by the way that I ask them aren't funny.....because I do try to lighten up the experience once they are in the shop--not to keep it so stern of a business.
With all the consignments in the shop---you have to talk to everyone that comes in and depending on there mood.....which I am pretty good at--I can cut the joke and make them feel better about me talking to them and then the talking starts which is okay. Oh crap listen to this bs.....but it's not. I'm talking to you as I would be talking to my customers.....I do joke with them when they come in if there's a funniness that I may have seen before them came in. Like standing outside and looking in the door to see what's inside then finally one might open the door and they all come in.
You can joke about them standing out there like a bunch of sillies--and they finally decide to come in.

I do like having fun with customers that you can tell you will have fun with. It makes for a better repore with them once they come in and if they had fun....guess what, they will be back. What is nice about my shop....it having been there the past couple of years, I am getting repeat customers from out of town, decidedly coming to Fort Walton Beach looking for my shop. That is the coolest feeling.

Todays' work consisted of painting the front window (walls) with a splash of color like I did throughout the shop. IT LOOKS WONDERFUL. AND I made a purposeful
mistake on the floor with ALL of the colors as well......you know like paint spills ALL OVER the place.....looks cool.

Well, I am heading out the door tonight to go watch some movies, like I did last Sunday night at a friends house.....I don't get showtime. SO I am a moocher until
the 6th of June to someone's place every Sunday night.

And tonight's dinner---yum, yum I haven't had PIZZZZAAAA and BEER in a VERY long time....I do try to eat healthy!!! BUT NOT TONIGHT!!! Whoo hoo.

Nite nite everyone and thanks for reading if you are.

Daike
the shoppe keeper
http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

Second message to SLIDE SHOW

http://www.kreativeartizangallery.com

Good Morning,

A WONDERFUL friend of mine gave me a little bit of information and I am forever grateful for her help!!!! Check out the slide show of my shop. This gives you a little better look at what I have inside aside from the pictures I posted a while back. This is so AWESOME....all these things that she finds for me. Well have to head to work in about an hour....but thought I would share this am.

Daike

the shoppe keeper

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Check out my Slide Show!

Mother's know best!!!

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Mother's know best.......yep that's what I have been told, here at the ripe ole' age (how old am I once again?) Oh yeah--almost at that 1/2 mark in life.....but anyway she gives me a call this afternoon and downloads into my weeeee brain (not really) BUT with all of this information--well it's totally crammed now with more schtuff!!!!

This information is to bring in more people to my sites.....ALL of them and I have more in the makings.....wow what we do to get NOTICED. I like it, I like it.

So I am actually going to keep this one short since I have tornado's coming down the pike AND a horendous thunderstorm in the wake as well.....oh my gosh the ooga, ooga, ooga chaka song is on right now----I'm hooked on a feeling--I'm high on believing that your in love with me, lips as sweet as candy a taste that's on my mind--like a glass of wine????? (Blue Swede--the group) Anyway had to stop and listen -- oh how funny---so close to Valentine's Day..........

To ALL YOU LOVE BIRDS OUT THERE>>>>>>>>believe and be hooked!!!

Peace out

Daike

the shoppe keeper

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Sunday Evening

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Hi Everyone,

As far as weekends go.....things can most deffinitely change on a dime. I mentioned about heading to a friends. This I did do and had a wonderful time. Did some cooking, eatting, drinking (yes a little bit) and falling alseep on the couch.....getting up at the crack of dawn (6ish the first time then 7:30 for real time) and decided NOT to let the day get away from us.

We head out the door, make a makeshift coral for my motorcycle (1300VTX Honda) ORANGE in color do some yard work. Cut each other's hair (since I like to do my own instead of paying for the astronomical prices they want) and I cut my friends. I get a little trim hear and there.

We head in for showers, breakfast, then on our bikes to Lowe's for measurements and away we go for the rest of the day.....once your on your bike and EVEN if you had something else planned forget about it, cause it aint gonna happen. We headed out from Lowe's and went in the opposite direction from the house, went sightseeing and touring around neighborhoods and parks and wherever our selves took us. IT was a gorgeous day in the neighborhood and we took full advantage of it. What a nice day for a ride.

So didn't go to the metaphysical conference.....didn't really want to be indoors actually and ended up seezing the day.......most appropriately if I don't say so myself. Managed to make it home at a decent hour this evening and now heading out to some other friends for a movie this evening.

I wanted to share some pictures of the work that I do.........here are a couple of pictures. If there's anything else you might want to see.....log onto my web site and enjoy.

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

Citrine Earrings with Silver and 14kt gold.

White CZ and Silver with Gold accents.

Silver Tears. My most famous set of earrings.

This is an awesome ring. Blue Topaz, Amethyst, Boulder Opal and an Australian Opal.

Hope you enjoyed looking at just a couple of pieces. More at my web site and other items as well.

Later, heading out the door for the evening once again.

Daike

The Shoppe Keeper

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Friday-and still another day to go

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Good evening!!

Well it's Friday and for me the week still isn't done. I have tomorrow and then YEAH off for TWO days. Heck I spent the last two days closing the door for about two hours each day.

Would you believe that ever since I have had a shop--and were going on five years now, I have never closed my doors for that long of a time in any one given day. I just needed to get out on the first decent sunny days in a long time. Well nothing much has been going on. SO I'll be back on Monday after the weekend's ordeal. I know that I wont be around tomorrow night, heading over to a friends and staying the weekend. Then off to the metaphysical show this weekend.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Daike

the shoppe keeper

ww.kreativeartizansgallery.com

myspace.com

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

Well, good evening everyone.

I have spent what seems like an eternity working on myspace.com- theshoppekeeper- getting those pages up and running. It's amazing at already the amount of people that I have as friends but good to see that I contacted the right ones because they are mostly businesses.

Doing all of this the least expensive way possible to get traffic to my web site.

Well my day wan uneventful, until I closed up at about 2:30 and went for a long walk. I ended up talking to a customer/friend at The Landing for about 20 minutes, then headed in the back door to another friend/commissioners/jeweler and we talked for about an hour. Within this time I had him show me some work that I have always wanted to learn. Nice to know that HE actually does make his jewelry as well. But their stuff is good stuff....you know the baubles kind. Anyway
he showed me what I wanted to learn and away I go back to my shop to then notice some people that I haven't seen in about a year. Well I whistled for them but they didn't hear me.

I am busy getting some work done and low and behold, Kim and Ruby come into the shop (the ones that I haven't seen in a year) and we yak for another hour or so.....all the while another friend (whom called me when I was busy) comes waltsing in and we have a yak session. So my afternoon consisted of a walk and lots of talking!!!! Nice being your own boss. It was a quiet day anyway. So I could take the walk and be fine with it.

Well, it's time for me to hit the sack. Hope your day was full of abundance and joy and happiness
as mine was!!!

Daike
theshoppekeeper
http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

Now if I could only find my mother's web site......I would be in good shape!!!

TODAY'S WONDERS

www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

It's me again, the shoppe keeper.

I have been reeling with work these past couple of days. As I mentioned, I believe two days ago, I have been painting the inside and stoccoing the outside and painting it as well and that I am finally done. I said something too about putting up some pictures, well I am getting to that.

(Finally figured out how to get ahold of them and place them on these posts) so bear with me please. There are those of you that just know everything and those of us who are still learning.

Some pictures of the inside of my shop.

This is the right hand side of my shop as you enter the store. (above picture) Showing some works of Mermaid Pictures on the shelves, the Art piece is a well know Greek Artists named George Pedritis and other things on the walls.

This one is also on the right hand side and most of the work is done by Linda Devins an acrylic and oil based painter whom also worked for Bob Hope and has some of her work in the White House, Margaret Thatcher has some and so does Queen Elizabeth the II and of course Actors and Actresses and many collectors across the country.

The left hand side of the wall as you come into the shop. Loads of goodies addorn these walls. All artists from the Eastern shores to the top of the panhandle. The stained glass pieces I do, the pottery comes from Sue, some collages from Rebecca and other works of art from various other friends. A collective of precious pieces for everyones taste. (bottom)

(I probably shouldn't be stretching them out a bit, but trying to make them look bigger)

This one (bottom) is the far back left hand side of my shop, again housing a lot of different pieces of wonderful works. The artists that I have in my shop are a great bunch of people--(why) because they do not bother me with idle chit chat or pesky questions. I say this because they just drop things off at the shop and I do the rest. I brought everyone into the shop because of there workmanship and what they had to offer.

A little stretch of the imagination and your life will never be the same. The jewelry is also something that I do, these boards carry only brass and copper pieces. I have five cases and 5 more boards that have silver and gold designs on them. (visit my web site, http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/ and you can see my work and everyone else's in the shop.

Well, you now have seen a little bit of what the inside of my shop looks like. Hope that you might of taken a little walk on the wild side and decided to log onto my web pages and really see what I have to offer. I still haven't finished uploading everything in the shop, so must head and do that now.

Hope you have had a wonderful day.........oh almost forgot about today. I managed to get some grouting done as well working with some unfinished pieces. I have been listening to marketing tapes all day too. You know trying to get on the web and become famous or is it infamous? Then got around to working with the cut outs that I started yesterday evening with the jewelry.

I should have then online within the week---If not I'll put on on here and you can see what I am talking about....they are the coolest earrings that I made a long time ago and decided to bring them back. Oh that reminds me---I have to go and find this cool web site and read up on them and add them to my links.........they were pretty neat.

Gotta go, have a wonderful evening and day tomorrow.....talk to you soon.

Daike

The Shoppe Keeper

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

PAGE FIVE-HERSTORY

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

PAGE FIVE

Well another 7 years of working the mall shows got me to thinking, why not do shows in my own back yard rather than all of this traveling. Mind you I truly enjoyed it, but it was time to see if I could make any money at home. I started doing the malls in and around the Metropolitan area and found out that I had a decent market available to me. So for numerous years I did the shows around home-then started doing only weekend shows and three day shows....with all of this I became a promoter myself with a friend and did that plus the shows for 4 years. We decided it wasn't worth the time or money to continue doing the promoting that we dissolved the promoting business and went our separate ways. I enjoyed staying at home and working the weekend shows and making the money that I did on a weekly basis. When you go from making lets say 400-1200+ a show when you are working for someone, now that was based on the work that you did--the sales and the commission rate that you got for the percentage on all of the different metals that I worked with and also for tolls and some of your gas. (you got payed a little different after being with the company for more than your contract so sometimes the gas was payed for) to making on your own 3,000 to 10,000 a show. I would have to say that I did pretty good all by myself.

But what really made it special--well those were the customers that kept coming back to you over and over again because they loved your work and wanted you to make them something special. To this day and now living in Fort Walton Beach, Fl. no longer in VA, I STILL have those regular customers that email me or call me up asking me to make them something with their words being -'YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKE' and you know what--they are right, I DO know what they like--since they have been customers of mine for over 15 years and it's a wonderful rep pore when you have those kinds of clientele that keep asking you for more. Every piece of jewelry that I have made obviously is an extension of myself and when someone wants to buy it--WOW what a rush, it's a nice feeling because you are making something with your mind and hands and someone wants to buy it from you. That's what has made making jewelry all the worth while for the past 25+ years and why to this day I still do it, but dabble now in abstract stained glass and whatever else my mind and hands wander into.

So check out my web pages for the shoppe that has a little bit of everything relating to the arts and crafts circuit--but these items come from people that I know and have known for many a years. WE ALL take pride in what we make and present to you the consumer, public and customer.

Thanks for reading a little bit about me. If you should have any questions, email me via the web site or post a question and I will get back to you as soon as I am able.

Remember I also run my shop and work at making jewelry and the abstract stained glass and anything else that my mind and hands wander into. (was that a dejavu?)

Take care and thanks again.

Daike
The Shoppe Keeper
http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

PAGE FOUR-HERSTORY

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

PAGE FOUR

So I would be in the mall an average of 11 hours and then the average 5-6 on Sunday doing my work and selling the jewelry that I was learning how to make while on the road with the two days of training before heading out to the shows. Then come Sunday morning those of us that had been around for a while and had taken the time to get to know one another, we would find a HOJO--and again way back then it actually WAS called Howard Johnson's and go eat breakfast. Usually this consisted of taking about 4-5 booths because of the number of exhibitors that would end up joining our small group of 4-5 and we would just have a relaxing morning before we started in on the last day.

That night once the mall closed, you would go thru the entire process of tearing down your display and dolling it out to your van--packing it up and heading home. Once again that could be an hour from your house to 13 hours away. When you are at the end of a show, your energy seems to come back because now you want to get home. So your pumped up and driving and you can't seem to wait till you get to find your own bed!!!!! That after a long show is the most wonderful feeling of all!!!! Yes our bed in the van is yours as well, BUT it doesn't compare to your bed at home. So then come Monday--you would have the day off and then Tuesday head to your boss's house for some more training and getting everything that you need for the show--like the information-which one where is it and when do I leave. Sometimes you never got the day off cause you had to leave on Tuesday and that meant--come in get some training and all of your things cause you're leaving on Tuesday for your next show.

So I did this for 7 years. An actual apprentice for learning a trade usually last for 5 years. I stayed an extra two because I did enjoy working for them at the time. BUT I finally got smart and decided it was time to go out on my own and see if I could make an actual living at it for myself.

Well I did just that. I left the company-but before I could do that, I had to relinquish everything that I was used to taking with me to the shows because it didn't belong to me. I NOW had to go and make my own display-buy my own props-the materials, tanks, buffers, stones, solder, tools and tables, lights and everything else that I would need to make my OWN jewelry now--I had to do everything myself. Well this was a do or die situation. I got the materials and everything that I needed and made my display--one table-one case and two stand up that housed the dangles and pendants that I made. I left for upper state New York for my first show in Binghamton Mall. I drove the 8 hours from VA and did the same thing all over again but this time--what I made WAS ALL MINE....and I didn't have to share it with anyone.

Later gator
Daike
the shoppe keeper
www.kreativeartizansgallery.com

ON TO PAGE FIVE............

PAGE THREE-HERSTORY

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

PAGE THREE

Depending on your mall-whatever the hours were, that is how long we were in the mall. Most mall hours were 10am to 9-9:30pm and again you were either working four or five days. So we head in walk the mall to our spot--cause your van is at the farthest end of the parking lot and whether it's summer or winter (OH yeah, almost forgot---slept in the VAN during the winter and sometimes you would wake up to three feet of SNOW depending on what state you were in!!!!) you would walk all the way in, find your booth and finish setting up from the night before. Putting up your jewelry--that usually took about an hour every morning to put everything out. You would learn after a while even though there was security, which malls you could just cover your product and which malls you had to take your things out with you for fear of something or everything being taken by whomever was left in the malls at night. So you would set up and get yourself all squared away for the day and be completely open when the mall would be open up for the public.

With all of this you hope that while you were setting up the night before that within your rectangle of other exhibitors you would have someone beside you or behind you that you either knew or had seen before which would make your stay at the mall better because you had someone other than the customers to talk to while you were doing your work. Like I mentioned earlier, I worked at my booth as well. I had all the tools necessary to make the jewelry including the B Tank of Acetylene, the flux, the pickle juice and the solder, the buffer and the raw materials also to include the cabochons and faceted stones that I would work with. A great deal of time while you were making the jewelry for your table(s) customers would come up and look at what you had didn't see anything that appealed to them and then come over to your work bench and ask if you could make something for them--like in regards to a custom order. Yes-obviously was the answer and away you would go with the designing of what the customer wanted--you made sure it's what they had in mind--they would pay for it and you would just give them a time as to when they could come back and pick it up. IF it was pretty simple--then usually a couple of hours--which most of the time that's how long they would be in the mall--so come as you are heading out. Or for something a little more time consuming....then before Sunday.

ON TO PAGE FOUR

PAGE TWO -HERSTORY

http://www.kreativeatizansgallery.com/


PAGE TWO

Now for the good part......you have driven to the mall----set up----time for bed----where do you go and what do you do? Well you could head off to a motel/hotel or get a room with someone from the show that you either do know of don't----or you sleep in your van! (YES YOUR VAN)! Now for those of you coming upon this and reading it......go ahead and laugh.....but do remember one thing.....I have been around for the past four plus decades and way back then........things were different. No I wont go into the let me tell you when I was a youn'en how things were....BUT we did sleep in our vans or motor homes (for those that had them) and we would all put our vans in a big circle. Those of us that new each other and had become friends and followed the same promoter would all get together and huddle our vans together and put our doors facing each other so that when we got up in the morning-----those that had their vans' decked out (meaning--propane heater's-hot water-COFFEE--creamer--bed--dressers--and the portable toilet) we would all wake each other up and have our cup of COFFEE sitting on the edge of the van doors. Talk for a bit, while the water was getting warm for your bird bath. I would bring with me four gallons of water for the days that I was at the mall......Oh BTW depending on the promoter your show consisted of four or five days. So my water is heating up---I close my doors and get ready for the day. We would all usually head in at the same time.

ON TO PAGE THREE--

A NEW LOOK!

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/

Good Afternoon Everyone!!

I have finally for the past week finished the painting that I intended to do in my shop.

Last Saturday I had a psychic come into my shop! Just by chance mind you. I was already in the process of this line of thought and figured who best to ask if I might be on the right track with my shop by adding some color!!!

Well, I asked and away we went. Everything that I was thinking about doing was on target with the happenings of the next couple of weeks.

I will show some before and after pictures of the front and inside. You will have about 3 pages to go thru and I will mark the pages.

I have had a blast painting this week and I LOVE the colors that I added as well. Once I have totally finished the outside. I am going to have the same kind of lettering that you will see on an old banner cut out and put on the outside of the wall above the shop. WE are talking BIG letters so that they stand out infront of the color purple. YES purple! It's a big difference from the metal that was on their before and the ugly look that it had as well. I still have the awning in front of the shop because right now I am using that as scafolding to do the work. I will still have it up for another two weeks probably until I get the letters cut myself and then glued on to the wall.

Well I have some other work to do tonight, I hope that you are enjoying these blogs and updates (well I will try to be more intuned with my own diary (blogs)) and hope to hear from you soon.

Remember, I have pictures to show you. Here goes.--well a couple on this page as well.

First will be an old look---then a partial new look

This is how the store front looked on my side as well. This old building used to be the old Vandergriffs Jewelry Store way back when. This purple building now.....is MY NEWLY RENOVATED LOOK. I stuccoed the walls on Sunday and then painted it purple today.

As I mentioned the awning will have to stay up for a couple of weeks until I get the lettering done. But pretty cool don't you think? I sure do!!

Later aligator.

Daike

The Shoppe Keeper

http://www.kreativeartizansgallery.com/