The only way I keep track of my days is by writing lists and keeping notes. I haven’t got round to doing this on my phone yet as I like to see things on paper, I like the idea of crossing things off and being able to refer back to them.

Today’s list is quite long and I am getting on with it until my visitor arrives  to discuss Lello’s sales in the south of England.

Kettle boiled and chocolate biscuits at the ready!
The note books I usually buy are by Ryland Peters and Small, I just love them, www.rylandpeters.com  I have been buying them for over 10 years now and even have a back catalogue of used old ones, one I used back in 2001 contains all my wedding details, material samples and ideas, a lovely keepsake.
My latest one I bought last weekend at a lovely little interiors and gift shop on Mill Street in Oakham (the name escapes me but it is opposite Elizabeth Stanhope), if you like stationery have a look at the website attached. They also make great presents!

It’s not usual for me to sell Lello to everyshop I encounter but I happened to mention to the owner that she might like to look at our Lello site as our cards, albums and jewellery would sit well in her shop.

‘Lello’ she said, I know that name, I bought a chenille baby blanket from Lello at the Burghley Show about 5 years ago! ‘I still have it’.

Yes I said, that’s me! so she noted down our website with interest, it’s a small world…….

My wise words/quotes today are all about making something out of nothing.

“You come into the world with nothing, and the purpose of your life is to make something out of nothing”
Henry Louis Mencken quotes

“Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.”
Frank Zappa quotes (A

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
stuart Albert Einstein quotes

“If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”
Alan K. Simpson quotes

Lastley today I am dressed all in purple and wearing our very chunky bead necklace called Berry, £19.39, made from woodenm acrylic and glass beads.

More news tomorrow, Karen

What a productive day it has been today. Lot’s of little things completed, addressed, agreed so on and son on. No ‘what are we wearing at Lello today’ sorry about that, I will add something to my blog tomorrow.
Just one of the many things we have done today is designed a new tag to go on all our new jewellery lines from now on. Although our jewellery is sold through in our pretty yellow and pink voil bags we thought this new tag would give it more presence when customers see it on a self or in a cabinet in store.  Back tomorrow with Wednesday’s wise words/quotes and a an image of the Lello jewellery we are wearing.

What a beautiful day it is!

Out of the several premises Lello has occupied over the years this comes close to the top as the office is reasonably cool. Our windows are open wide and we have some shade so not like ‘times of old’ when it was almost unbareable in heat like this.

It is a quiet Monday morning, we have a young work experience girl in for the next 2 weeks called Mary from one of the local schools. I’ll see how she feels about having her picture taken in a few days. Generally busy today on all fronts.
Back tomorrow…..

It would appear that we will once again have a tidy office this afternoon now that all our samples for Aut/Wint have been sent off for manufacture, up until now our office has been covered in beads and scans and everything necessary for Fiona design new jewellery. ‘It’s the creative process I am told’. Full steam ahead now with the design of some new card ranges.
I think my day will be spent mostly on the phone and on my email, lots to do!

Below is a picture of one of our best selling bracelets ‘ Blackberry’ a metal cluster bead bracelet in an antique finish. A real statement, £8.50.

Have a Good weekend!

A question I am asked frequently.
We will have a lot of new lines at Lello in August, beautiful necklaces, bracelets and earrings for women and children. Our plan has always been to re-launch every Aut/Wint, Spr/Sum, August and February for our jewellery. Our cards and album designs are always re-invented and launched for February each new year but as time goes on we hope to introduce new card ranges more than once a year to offer variety.

Over the next couple months you will start seeing our Christmas cards for 2011 and our new spring season cards for Valentines, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day being loaded onto our website. If you would like to see what those ranges looked like for this year please click on cards and albums to view them. We have left this years ranges online so that customers both trade and public can see how lovely our designs were this year and to give them an insight into what they can expect from Lello for 2012.

Despite customers wanting new, we will always endevour to keep some best selling lines in stock whether they be jewellery lines or specific card titles, for example the Sweetheart earrings pictured below will remain in the jewellery range for at least another year as customers have ordered them time and time again. Made from metal effect embossed hearts with silver findings they are a staple of our range (approx £5). A classic never goes out of fashion!

My wise words or quotes today are all about relationships. I found so many I liked it was difficult to choose!

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. ~Swedish Proverb

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand. ~Emily Kimbrough

There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Don’t smother each other. No one can grow in the shade. ~Leo Buscaglia

Sometimes it is the person closest to us who must travel the furthest distance to be our friend. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Assumptions are the termites of relationships. ~Henry Winkler

Back tomorrow with more Lello news, meanwhile we are counting card stock this morning, organising our up and comming sale and designing (always designing) new ranges.

We are also sponsoring the Reta’s at The Dorchester on 13th July, our industries ‘Retailer of the Year’ awards, held by Progressive Greetings, so I/we  have 400 tiny Lello leaflets to fold to put in our bracelet give away bags, I think I’ll be doing them in my sleep!

I try to keep Tuesday’s aside to show you which Lello jewellery we are wearing. This morning it is Fiona’s turn.

Fiona is wearing matching set, ‘Pure and Organic’. Metal ball beads with flat beads inbetween with rounded square bead attachment in an antique metal finish. Very simple and understated, this set will compliment almost any outfit. Necklace £15.00 and bracelet £9.99.

Back tomorrow with some quotes of the day.

I am sat staring at my long list of ‘to do’s at the moment and about to cross off ‘blog update’. We have a lot of little things on today and for that matter all week. artwork to finish, orders to place etc. A great deal of following up to do.
Our corsages are going down a storm at the moment with it coming up to school proms time. In fact we have started to run very low on them, so if you want one order one quick. We hope to design a new version for next year. We have dark beige, red and black left in stock. Made from silk flowers on coordinating satin ribbon, they look beautiful round your wrist or even tied at the neck. They come packaged in a pretty cream box tied with ribbon. £15.00. (Back

We are all smiles this morning in the office, having a laugh. Our accountant is in working on some figures, poor guy! and has myself Fiona and our accounts lady all adding our 10p’s worth! I fear he is slightly out numbered but well used to us now.

Below is another image from our new Autumn Winter jewellery ranges. I have been wearing this necklace over the past week and recieved some lovely comments. A Short and chunky necklace made from antique metal beads with one large read bead, ‘Cherry’. It comes in 3 colourways, silver with red, black with silver and metalic brown with silver, thread on cord. I think it will be a real hit! to match all three necklaces is our new ‘Orb’ bracelet made from similar beads. Available in August.