Mark Your Calendars - Holiday Open House

December 10th - 12th
Thursday 1:00 - 6:00
Friday 1:00 - 6:00
Saturday 11:00 - 3:00




Come one and Come All! We are having our annual Holiday Sale and have twice as many products this year. Stop by our workshop before you hit the malls. We guarantee you'll find something for even your hard-to-please loved one. Plus, you might even find something for yourself. Now that's a sweet deal.

Address: 9730 South 700 East, Suite 104, Sandy, Utah. We are on the west side of 700 East in Candlelight Plaza.

Call us at (801) 553-2524 for more directions or other questions. See you soon,

Barb

Black Friday Madness - 30% Off Coupon

Oh, it's here and in a BIG way. Black Friday has arrived and customers are online line and shopping. We have doubled-down on our shipping team and, as always, will ship your order within 48 hours. In most cases, however, your order goes out the day it's placed. Now, that's not a bad way to avoid the crowds.

Charming Life makes it even better to shop with us. FIRST, with your purchase of $40.00, we will give you a free pair of freshwater pearl earrings. SECOND, free shipping is included with each and every order. THIRD, don't forget to SAVE even more by using our 30% Off coupon code: HOLIDAY. FOURTH, our Charming Life Designs black jewelry pouch is included with each order.

So, stay in your PJs and enjoy shopping with us.

Barb

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, we had a lovely company lunch to celebrate the holidays at Market Street Grill. Thanks Barb! Here is a photo of most of the crew. We are bracing ourselves for a hectic 5 weeks or so! We don't worry as much about Black Friday as we do Cyber Monday!!!

We hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Holly Russell Godard

Fred Ball, Zions Bank, features Charming Life Designs

Last Friday, Fred Ball of Zions Bank featured us on his "Speaking on Business" radio show. Just in case you didn"t get a chance to hear the radio spot, here's a transcript of the show. We are grateful to Jody, Jacqueline, and Allison at Zions Bank Women's Financial Group. Throughout the years, they have helped us grow our business. They have supported us through our loan applications, including our Small Business Loan which later grew to be our Commercial Business Loan. Their on-going support is greatly appreciated.

Barbara

November 20, 2009
This is Fred Ball, Zions Bank, speaking on business.

Being adaptable is an excellent trait to have in any situation but it's particularly valuable in the current economic climate. This is why I was so impressed after my recent visit with Barbara Kidd about her company, Charming Life Designs.

Barbara tells me the company started in 2003 as Fashionable Fundraising and was designed to do home shows and help nonprofit organizations raise money. She loved the work but found it difficult to make a profit. To increase her profitability, Barbara designed a collectible charm for one of the nonprofit organizations she was working with.

Other nonprofits caught wind of it and started requesting their own charms. Barbara learned more about designing custom charms and began making them in all kinds of forms, from Chinese characters and a whimsical heart to breast cancer awareness charms. The charms were so popular that Barbara completely changed her company's focus, turned it into a for-profit business and re-named it Charming Life Designs in 2005.

Sandy-based Charming Life Designs provides custom charms to boutiques across the United States. In addition, Barbara also secured a contract to sell her charms and handmade jewelry on Overstock.com. She makes necklaces, bracelets and earnings from genuine gemstones, freshwater pearls and 14K gold filled and sterling silver precious metals. Barbara noticed early on that customers gravitated toward less expensive items. Earrings quickly became the top seller. The online jewelry portion of the business started in 2006 but didn't take off until 2007.

One of the special things about her company, Barbara says, is that all pieces are handmade. She employs 15-20 part-time workers, mostly stay-at-home moms, who create the jewelry. She hopes to see Charming Life Designs continue to grow as she finds clients searching for custom-designed products and adapts to each new situation and change in the market.

For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.

Charming Life Designs
9730 S. 700 E., Ste. 104
Sandy, UT 84070
801-553-2524
http://www.charminglifedesign.com

The Power of the Dragon

Representing supreme spiritual power, the dragon is the oldest symbol in Asian mythology. For centuries the Chinese dragon has symbolized wisdom and strength, power over the land, the water and the heavens. The dragon's magical powers were thought to bring wealth and good luck to the Chinese people and much needed rainfall to ensure plentiful crops. Today, the dragon is still a prominent figure of Chinese New Year, repelling evil spirits and safeguarding a prosperous New Year.

It seems symbols of mythology are gaining in popularity as people look to history for symbols of inspiration, wisdom, power and strength. Check out the Chinese dragon charm at www.charminglifedesigns.com. 

"Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours." Noela Evan

Namaste

You've been om-ing your way through yoga class for years, but have you ever wondered what the mantra really means? According to the Yajur-Veda, one of the earliest sacred texts of the yoga tradition, om represents the entire universe -- past, present, and future. The sound is actually a combination of four parts: a ("ah"), or wakefulness; u ("oh"), the dream state; m ("mmm"), the quietness of deep, dreamless sleep; and the silence that follows, which represents pure consciousness.

I recently returned from a visit to Tustin, CA where I was able to check out my cousin's new Wellness Retreat/Bookstore. She was promoting everything "zen." As I pondered the meaning behind many of the beautiful sanskrit symbols I realized how magical they truly are. In a world where there is so much chaos and confusion, it's nice to wear something close to your heart to help remind you of peace and happiness. Check out CLD's extensive selection of asian-inspired jewelry. Add a little calmness to your daily routine...I promise you won't regret it!

-Kris

Affordable Ways To Punctuate Yourself!

We are all individual novels. Some are like literary fiction, plot driven with predictable lives, appealing to the masses, weaving unique, creative characters into the plot, very character and human condition oriented. Others of us are like mysteries, thrillers, and horror novels, always with a problem that needs solving involving red herrings, and false leads and usually very exciting, with heros, and psychopathy and sociopathy. Some of us are romance, chick flick and fantasy novels, frequently involved in love and loss, possibly unrequited, always entertaining, emotional based, and intoxicating. Sometimes, humorous with a bent towards trysts and turns. Yet others of us are historical fiction, alluding to the past, exemplifying values and mores of so called "better times", giving an air of knowledgeable, fascinating, factual based pasts that somehow seem untouchable by today's standards. Some of us are simply science fiction, always looking towards the future, defying gravity and all logic, stretching the barriers of reality.

Wearing jewelry can be like putting an exclamation point in a sentence or simply a comma, or even some parenthesis. It can, finish a paragraph, create a whole chapter or define the novel that you are! Capture your imagination, create your image: austere, meek, balanced, eclectic or refined. What you choose to portray yourself as can be so easily accomplished with a simple pair of earrings. It can transport you back in time or catapult you into the future. It can bring serenity and peace to your soul. It can make a statement about who you are or who you are revolting against. It can convey your need for attention or your desire to remain mysterious.

Wearing jewelry is very telling, about who you really are or who you want to be! Are you obsessive or organized? Do you have a random or ADD personality? Do you have plenty of time to put yourself together, and match your outfits and accessories each day? Are you always in a hurry trying to beat the clock and maybe put one favorite pair of earrings on and wear them for a month? Are you quirky and odd? Cute and sweet? Immature or outspoken? Craving attention? Arrogant and showy? Married or single? Are you stylishly trendy, staunchly conservative or like to bling your brains out? Yeah, I dare you to ever consciously pick out a piece of jewelry to wear after reading this.

It is human nature to always be looking for something new. That innate desire fuels the trends that we seen in fashion. The nice thing about our fashion jewelry, is that you can afford to try on different trends and you can portray yourself in a variety of genres without going broke. We do research color and style trends and we know that in a fragile economy, people still want a little something to make them feel valued, noticed, or appreciated. There is always pleasure in getting something, however small, even a simple pair of earrings!

Holly Russell Godard

Turn Off the Music and Listen to the Leaves

Today I heard holiday music in a store. Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-holiday music. In fact, I have a huge collection of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and the usual suspects and I enjoy listening to all of them, in December. However, on November 12th, I would much rather savor the last days of a gorgeous fall. I love the golden tones of the fallen leaves and the fresh crisp smell of those cool autumn mornings. I even look forward to embracing those chocolate brown sweaters and earth tone tops.

Charming Life has a great collection of jewelry to complement this season’s earthy colors. Our champagne golden pearls, art glass beads, and carnelian gemstones complement those rustic sweaters and wool jackets. And, don’t forget to take an additional 25% off your entire order when you enter CLDBLOG at checkout.

El Dia de los Muertos/Milagro

It is interesting to learn about the customs, holidays and folklore of different cultures. Given the Latino population in the United States is growing quickly, I think it's important to have a basic understanding of events that are important to their culture, just as it is important for Latino families to keep their culture alive so their children have an appreciation for where they came from.

El Dia de los Muertos is the most celebrated Holiday in Mexico. It is an occassion that gathers family and friends to remember those loved ones who have died and to pray for their souls. It is celebrated in Mexico and by Latinos in the United States. The five day holiday starts on October 28 and runs through November 2.  November 1^st is the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day is on November 2.  The celebration often includes building alters for the deceased, sugar skulls, marigolds and enjoying the favorite foods and beverages of the deceased.

Charming Life Designs offers a sterling silver charm necklace called Milagros Miracle. Milagro means miracle in spanish and are small charms which are believed to be endowed with spiritual powers. They are thought to have healing powers and contribute to an individual's well-being. They are also given in gratitude for prayers answered. I think we could all use a few milagro to help us through this life.

Lynn

Sometimes You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Admittedly, the world is changing at a much faster pace then I seem to be able to handle. My head spins every time I hear about a new trend in technology and my initial reaction to all this stuff is typically, "If I ignore it, it will go away". I don't really know if that strategy ever works, but it is clear it won't work in this case. The tidal wave has hit and I am struggling to keep afloat.

Thankfully, I have good and smart friends, like Maile Keone at www.lava7.com. Maile is always ahead of the curve and she has been gently coaching me along this bumpy road. Yesterday, in her attempt to teach this old dog new tricks, she invited me to attend a social media presentation held at Lava7. That was when I had one of the those "Ah ha" moments . . . It IS starting to make some sense to me. So, if you are at all interested in learning something about this relatively new phenomenon, you might want to take a look at this video clip. Let me know what you think.

Barb

PS: Here's the direct link to the Social Media Revolution

It’s autumn and it’s November. As you may know, each month has a stone or stones that are typically associated with that particular month. In addition to topaz, citrine is often referred to as the stone of November. A member of the quartz family, citrine gets its name from its color ranging from lemon yellow to a deeper brownish-red.

Interestingly, citrine is has been know historically as the “Merchants Stone”. Apparently, in the past, many merchants have placed a piece of citrine in their cash drawer believing that it would increase sales. Citrine has also been associated with increased self-esteem, clarity of thought as well as helping with digestion issues. With the Holiday season right around the corner, it may be worth a try. It may help to make Holiday sales more profitable or at least reduce heartburn if the sales piece doesn’t work out. At any rate, investing in a piece of citrine jewelry will allow you to carry around the beauty of the autumn season.

Lynn

CafeGive and Charming Life Partner to Raise Funds

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Sandra Morris, a Founder and CEO of CafeGive. Based in Portland, Oregon, Sandra and her talented team have launched an impressive website that helps individuals and communities raise money for non-profit agencies (they call them “Causes”). The idea is simple: You sign up as a member shopper of CafeGive , select the Cause of your choice, and then shop at any of the hundreds of on-line stores they partner with. The Cause and the Advocates then earn funds through CafeGive.

I’m happy to announce Charming Life has just joined the ranks of the CafeGive merchant partners, which include the likes of Banana Republic, The Westin Hotels, The Walking Store, Macy’s, PetSmart , etc, etc. The most exciting part about becoming a member of the CafeGive community is that EVERYONE gets to earn money for their favorite Causes. As a merchant partner, Charming Life Designs is committed to giving a percentage of every Charming Life Designs sale initiated from CafeGive to member non-profits. As a consumer, you get to buy the products you need (or want) AND a portion of those sales goes back to your favorite Cause.

CafeGive’s concept is simple, yet brilliant. Not only can you shop via the CafeGive website, you can actually become an advocate for your Cause and send little links (they call them “Widgets”) to all of your friends via email or twitter, or post them on your facebook page. When your friends make a purchase via your Widget, they are also contributing to your Cause.

In these tough economic times, it is refreshing to run across a business that bolsters the fundraising efforts of non-profits simply by connecting people, their products, and their causes. For more information about becoming a member shopper or a member Cause visit CafeGive’s website.

Gold Elephant In The Room

No one around here ever really wants to have to talk about 14 karat anything. Mostly because it is hard to explain and it’s confusing to decipher the difference between gold plated, gold filled and vermeil. The bulk of what we produce is sterling silver, but we are adding more 14K gold filled items every year so it would be helpful for everyone to know what the difference is. So, lets start with some basics!

Base metal is usually a metal that can easily oxidize or corrode and reacts easily to acids and oxygen. This is why some people break out, their body chemistry breaks down the iron, nickel, lead, zinc or copper in the metal which then causes an allergy or rash.

Precious metals are less reactive to outside influences, they have a high luster. Precious metals are generally used in fine jewelry and coins because of their rarity, value and stability. Precious metals include gold, silver and platinum. Platinum by the way, is it’s own metal, it’s not a created alloy, it is found naturally like silver and gold.

Pure gold is too soft and far to costly to be used in most jewelry. Pure gold starts out as 24K gold. For the purpose of making jewelry, this pure gold is mixed with an alloy that can be made up of copper, zinc, silicon, nickel, silver or boron. The mixture of metals is then referred to as 18K, 14K, 10K. The less gold there is the smaller the number gets. 18K is 75% gold, 14K is 58.5% gold and 10K is 41.7% gold. The larger the K number, the more pure gold is in the product. Different colored golds can be created by the type of alloy mix that is used. White gold, for instance is more likely to have more nickel in it which is good for nickel sensitive people to know! Rose gold would have more copper in it.

Gold plated items are cheap base metals which have a super thin coating, of 14K gold on them which is applied with a tiny bit of electrical energy. There are no laws which govern the creation of gold plating so you won’t ever know how thick the plating of 14kt gold is. It usually wears off quickly, exposing the base metal, which can make your skin vulnerable to breaking out. Personally, I would stay away from anything that says its plated.

The term gold filled doesn’t really make a lot of sense. It is also known as gold rolled. Gold filled means it is a sheet of 14kt gold “filled” with a stronger base metal. That base metal can be simply a mix of cheap metals or it can be sterling silver. At Charming Life Designs, we use gold filled that is over sterling silver. The layer of 14kt gold is mechanically bonded with heat and pressure to another metal. Think of it like frosting on a cake or a wetsuit on a diver. 14kt gold filled is used in fine jewelry whereas gold plated is more commonly found in costume jewelry. Gold filled metal has bout 100 times more 14kt gold than gold plated metal. Gold filled items won’t peel, flake or wear down to the base metal and won’t generally bother sensitive skin because it is like wearing regular 14kt metal. Gold filled jewelry is more affordable than 14kt solid gold but has the same durability and wearability. Some people are hesitant to buy anything less than 14Kt or 18Kt gold because they think it is going to tarnish or make their skin break out, but 14K gold filled is a high quality, fine jewelry material that is safe to wear for most people.

Gold vermeil is always solid .925 sterling silver that has been heavily plated with usually 22 kt gold which gives it a deeper, more golden color. Gold vermeil would still be considered fine jewelry because it is constructed of precious metals rather than base metal.

Any questions?

Holly Russell Godard