Hello again!

Christmas is in the air... can you 'smell' it? You are possibly already preparing things, even if only in the back of your mind!

Which reminds me, next week we need to decorate the shop window nicely, now that we are in a street with lots of passing traffic.

Last week I attended the Brisbane Quilt and Craft fair, with Rhonda, my long suffering friend, running a stall in the Bead section.
We enjoy the shows, despite tiredness and stress creeping up on us over the days. By the end, we are hobbling!
.... However, Brisbane has a great city centre, especially South Bank, where we strolled and relaxed on the Monday after the show, before returning to Adelaide.... to prepare for the next show in Adelaide, 6 to 9 November.

We took several of our new kits to Brisbane....

The Scorpion was very popular, and sold out quickly. The new Flower brooch also sold well.

We have more new kits, which I hope to have up on the website in a weeks time. A nice spacer / Swarovski pearl necklace, a Choker with 10 mm Swarovski bicones and very fine seed beads, and some new Crystal necklace design colours. The pale blue colour also proved popular at the Brisbane fair.

It is always great to meet our online customers. Tina was one of our very 1st customers online, so I'm glad she let me know who she was! It is good to put a face to a name. Hello again, Tina!

Anyway, don't forget to order your Christmas decoration kits early... get the children making them with you before Christmas.
And there are lots of other beautiful kits... necklaces, earrings, bookmarks etc. to give as a personal gift to a friend, family or work colleagues.

Not only do Cabeadle Bead Kits make quality gifts, they are also inexpensive... important in these uncertain times!

Beading tip: One I use daily.

To thread beads with doubled clear elastic (to make your bracelet double strong), take 10 cm of 30 gauge wire, fold in half. Leaving a small loop in the centre, twist the wire ends together.
Cut off uneven wire ends once the wire is twisted.
Thread your elastic through the small loop, and voila! A quick and easy, inexpensive needle for those awkward little jobs!

Bye for now. Back to the grindstone!

Rae

"About time!" I hear you say.

I was meant to keep you up to date with everything beady I found on my trip to Europe.... But what I did not anticipate was:

How few bead shops would exist in the places I visited!
How few Internet Cafes there are over most of Europe!

I spent most of my time in Milan, Italy, and in Ascona, Ticini, the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. My daughter is studying fashion in Milan, so I could lodge with her, and I stayed with a friend in Ascona ... only 1.5 hours by train from Milan.
I also made short trips to Rotterdam, Paris, and Stuttgart, and a whirlwind tour of central Zurich, because my train arrived too late, and I needed to get to the airport, where I finally languished for 3 hours, waiting for my 'delayed' flight back to Singapore.
( The original idea was to go via the airport by train, book my seat, offload my luggage, then take more time in Zurich.... but unfortunately my train did not stop at the airport).

I was driven by friends to 2 bead shops in Paris, but they were closed on Sundays..... C'est la vie! Both were fairly central, so I imagine they are busy.

On a trip in a typical Dutch area, visiting beautiful countryside and old towns south of Rotterdam, I finally found a bead shop open for business. Exciting!
It was great to find, and lovely to walk around.... but I saw nothing inspiring. I just wondered how they survive, in such a small town!

I found a tiny Bead Shop in central Milan ... too small for a serious income, but again a welcome sight! I was by then getting pretty desperate to see more bead shops!

What I did see, especially in Paris and Milan, were hundreds of shops selling good quality "ready made" beaded necklaces and bracelets. It means that beads are very much in fashion!

Also, it probably means that people in Europe are not prepared to make their own... or do not have the time, but do have the money.
Everything was very expensive, even with our high (at the time) dollar!

Talking about survival, just now... many small bead shops are closing their doors here in Australia. The economy is really taking its toll, even on micro businesses.

However, Cabeadle is staying open for business, as it has been for almost 15 years now!

Our new location is working well for us.
Although we have lost some small spontaneous sales, we have gained larger, more serious sales. The new position means people come to the shop intentionally.
We thus have more time for our regular customers.

I was very lucky to have Gerda to take over in the shop while I was away.

Must admit, the jet lag has taken it's toll, but not too badly, and I am almost ready for business as usual. I am still catching up on those inevitable bits and pieces which were waiting for my return.

I think Gerda is ready for a break!

Look out for the next Cabeadle Newsletter! There'll be some nice surprises!

You'll hear from me again, soon.

Rae @ Cabeadle

Hello again,

After a month of trading in Rundle Street, we are finally settling in.
Lots of you have visited us, and seem to like the new location. Thank you!
You've no idea how it makes us feel to see your smiling faces after so much disruption... and yes, the odd customer has told us our new position is no longer convenient, but they have come to tell us, which says something!

The winter weather this week has kept people off the street, but nothing stops a beader from buying beads and beading!

Our new gemstones and pearls are all on display.
The Swarovskis sparkle nicely in their new cabinet, and the glass beads are much easier to see on the wall.

We have all of our bead kits out on display again, and the worktable is functional.... room for you (and the children) to bead.

Don't forget, children love beading as much as you do... we have plenty of kits for kids!

Gradually we are finding everything without turning in too many circles, and the atmosphere in the shop is very pleasant... we even have music!

We have set out a craft bead section, so those of you who like making decorations etc, the faceted, rice and pearl beads are out in force.

Since we have opened the new shop, we have been creating lots of beautiful unique jewellery. We have already learned that many shoppers in Rundle Street like to buy ready made jewellery, not make their own.

Yesterday I created a mouth-watering bracelet for a bride: Swarovski (crystal and pearl), with freshwater pearls. She really loves it.
We all enjoy such commissions, so don't be shy about asking us to create wedding or formal, or any jewellery for you. It is not work for us, it is a pleasure. Though we have to charge you!

Thank you for your patience while we have been packing up, trying to keep the shop running in the Central Market, and finally moving across, the whole kit & caboodle, to 298 Rundle Street, Adelaide.

We are still in the city square mile, but at the north east corner, down by East Terrace.
We are on the doorstep of Rymill Park, the Botanic Garden, and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Parking is fairly easy along Rundle Street, in the parkland area opposite East Terrace. Weekend parking is FREE in the Car Parks off Rundle Street & Frome Road. Parkland parking costs 20c per 4 hours over the weekend.

Cabeadle is further surrounded by cinemas, coffee shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, and a variety of nice shops to browse in.
Sunday, there is a very popular street Market.

Try a coffee in Rundle Street without cars cruising past. It is wonderful!

The shop is working well, and looks good. More compact than the market shop was, but we have daylight and restful colours to compensate. Must admit, it is so much more pleasant to work in. A breath of fresh air, after years of being in the dark of Central Market/China Town.

Cabeadle trading hours have changed, to fall in line with the new location.
We open now:10am-6pm Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Saturday. 10am-9pm on Fridays. 11am-4pm on Sundays.

It has been great to have so many of our regular customers finding us already!

If you have not found time to visit us yet, see you soon!

Hello again everyone!

Just to let you know our move to the new premises has yet again been delayed.
I don't think any of those people making small decisions has any idea what it is like to relocate a bead shop!!

Officially, we start in the new premises on 1st March.

In reality, we'll be lucky to have a coat of paint on the walls by then!

Later today...

We went to check on the shop to see how things were progressing. Not only had the 'handymen' removed the furnishings we could not use, they also took our display sign, and the beautiful turquoise we had surrounding it.
The sign was in a much valued antique picture frame.

March 5th... we painted the walls over the weekend, then started to move in new furnishings today.

Hopefully we'll have the shop up and running in 2 weeks time.

In the meantime, the shop at 24, Market Plaza, Adelaide is still going strong.
We have half price discounts on many beads, and 10% on semi precious.
Lots of other discounts and really good specials.

Hello everyone!

It is a hectic time here at the Cabeadle shop.

Due to a 50% rise in rent at the end of our lease, we are being forced to relocate... after 13 years!

Can you imagine 13 years worth of beads etc accumulated in one small shop?

Nor can I... and I am one of those responsible for it all!

No time to waste!!

We should be up and running in our new shop by 1 March. (Hope to tell you where in a few days time)

We need you to make it easier for us to move....

..... So, in the meantime, and until the end of February, we are having a 1/2 price sale of loose beads.

Come along to the shop during our usual trading times, and take advantage of our fantastic sale.
(The sooner the better, because at a certain moment we'll need to transfer the beads over to the new shop)

Website kit sales are continuing as usual!

More beading tips etc. AFTER the move!

sincerely, Rae

Just a small newsletter.
We have added a new Necklace kit. Elegant, and great to wear in the summer! And very easy to make!...anyway, have a look.

A great big THANK YOU to all our customers who have helped us to get up and running online this year. It is going to get better, I promise!!

And, before it is too late to reach you, have a Happy & Safe Christmas Holiday.

We wish you a Very Healthy, Stress Free and Happy NEW YEAR!!!

The Girls @ Cabeadle

New Cabeadle Kits

Last minute rush coming up soon ... We are open until Christmas, and deliver quickly, so if there is anyone you've forgotten, we can help!!
Our (Sun)Glasses bead chains are popular for that person with just about everything.

We have beautiful Book Mark kits, now on the website. Even cute little Spider Earrings, and a Flower Brooch... all new.

There are also some new Specials to take advantage of at this time of year.

Those of you who received the last news know we have Scorpions... there are 5 in a kit, and they are very popular with the boys!

I have been busy writing beading articles - at present there's one about children and beads, so if you want to take a peek, go to:

http://www.cabeadle.com.au/xcart/home.php?cat=3/kids

... hopefully all you'll need to do is click the above link (I'm new to all this!).

Another article is being written for a beading magazine... which reminds me:
We have 10 EASY PATTERNS laid out for you in the latest Creative Beading magazine.
We have the bead kits also in the shop, and some already online.

BEADING TIP:

Try to do your bead work always in daylight, or under a "daylight" lamp.

Many people tell me they work at night while watching tele, or a video... but do it too often, you'll strain your eyes, and you'll not be able to concentrate on anything for very long! If you are simply threading beads you do not need to look at, (for instance, threading the beads for the dress of a figurine) there's no problem.

Happy beading... and don't fall over the kid's beads... let them work on a tray, that way everyone is happy!

Rae & Staff @ Cabeadle