saundra messinger-gram

2011-11-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

AUTUMN IN NEW YORK 2011

here we are again. it's autumn in new york. my favorite time of year in my favorite place. of course that little nor'easter we had last weekend wasn't on my list of favorites, but what are you going to do! as i sit at my desk, looking out over trees and the river beyond, i seem to focus on one beautiful red leaf gently blowing across our deck. every year since i moved to new york, in 1975, i have sent my mother a red leaf at this time of year, to show her how far into the season we are, compared with the season in memphis, where she lives -- now in a nursing home. this year, i think i will take the leaf and give it to her in person. chuck and i will be in memphis next week to visit with her and to do a couple of trunk shows at the store of my dear friend, cindy -- kittie kyle. two styles from our holiday collection are featured in the postcard for the trunk shows on nov 10 and 11. they are a blackened silver pendant (i call the finish 'moonglow') and a large double pendant, featuring our signature shimmering matte finish. both are sprinkled with diamonds and both pendants are circles, celebrating the never-ending cycle of life. as my mother's disease progresses, i find myself thinking a lot about how to make each day count. i think about what i can do to make a difference to her. next week i will get on a plane and spend some time with her and do all i can to let my mother know how much i love her. i invite you to do the same -- tell the important people in your life how you feel. hug them. it feels just as good to be the hugger as does to be the huggee :) here is a picture of my mother and chuck having just one of those moments. xs

2011-08-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 31, 1941

this beautiful picture of my parents was taken in 2008, about a year before my father died. today would have been their 70th anniversary. my mother is now in a nursing home and looks much the same -- as beautiful as ever.

somehow this is the way i will always remember them both -- together, smiling, loving being together, loving being with their daughters, loving life.

my sweet miracle of a husband, chuck irwin, took this picture with all the love he and my parents felt for each other.

it was a beatiful time and one that will live in my heart forever. thank you mother and daddy for being amazing parents, role models and friends. i love you always. saundra

2010-11-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

wow! how quickly time flies!!! it's been a year since we opened our little studio store in nyack! we're having a big celebration this weekend and you are invited!!! join us from noon to 8pm on friday and saturday, november 12 and 13 for refreshments and fun and a 20% discount on all jewelry that's in the store. while you're there, you can also take a look at our new hats, scarves and little sparkley bags. we're going to have a good time with lots of old and new friends. won't you join us?

thanks again for a great first year in retail! visit us when you are in nyack.

watch the blog next week -- we'll be posting some pix from the party.

August in New York

2010-08-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

hi. my husband, chuck irwin, took this photo while he was taking his morning walk a few days ago. lovely! even though this picture looks kind of lazy and cool, it's actually hot and steamy in new york right now, as it should be and always is, when we do our trade show marathon during the month of august in new york.

we are very excited as we prepare to do the New York International GIft Fair, beginning this saturday in new york, at the javits center. we will be in the new North Javits, booth 9572. there was a lot of jockeying for positon in this new hall, which features most of the handmade items at the show. Do you remember where the old pavilion was? that's where the North Javits is. we are looking forward to being in this brand new space, with our new and fabulous holiday collection. the show runs saturday, the 14th, through wednesday, the 18th.

we got a great response to the new collection at JA and the ENK Accessorie Circuit earlier this month. now we're ready to show it to you! let us know if you want to make an appointment -- you can email customerservice@saundramessinger.com. there are sparkling diamonds in some ways you haven't seen before, a holiday ice collection of delicious crystal quartz and a bit of holiday cheer, expressed in red garnets and sterling silver with our shimmering matte finish. but don't take my word for it, come and see us!!!

don't forget -- it may be hot and humid outside, but inside the javits, the temperature is very much like the season we'll be showing -- freezing!

y'all travel safely

shows, shows and more shows!!!

2010-07-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

we're about to set up the first of a three trade show marathon in new york this summer. the first show is the JANY show at the javits center. the show runs july 25 - 28 and we're in booth 961.then we have a day off and we set up for the ENK Accessorie Circuit, also at the javits and we're in booth 8202. the show runs august 1 - 3. after that -- whew! -- we get a few days off and then set up for the NY International Gift Fair, august 14 - 18. our booth is in the exciting new javits north, booth 9572.

we look forward to seeing our current accounts there and hope to meet lots of new, fabulous stores to work with!! if you are interested in selling our collections in your store(s) and won't be in new york this summer, please call our studio, 845.512.8862 or email us at sales@saundramessinger.com. let the games begin!!!

SHOWS AND THINGS

2010-03-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

happy spring! well sort of. i wouldn't say if it's 34 outside, with low hanging dark clouds and a brisk wind, that it feels too much like spring. but we know it's coming, right?

i absolutely know we are sooooo busy getting ready for the may accessorie circuit show at the piers in new york, may 3 - 5, and for our debut appearance at the couture show in las vegas at the wynn, june 3 - 7, booth NW15.

we are working on several exciting new collections for fall and holiday as well as hanging on to some of our most successful collections from spring, which we will continue to sell until we sell through the gorgeous saturated blue aquamarine and milky white moonstone.

do you know that you can now go on our website and look at our core collection and our spring collection? we've been getting great feedback about having this product online and i know we have sent some new retail customers to our retail partners and, in addition, have attracted some fabulous new stores to add to our retail family. we are enjoying the give and take from our presence online and we thank you for using the site and teaching us ways to use it that we hadn't even thought of! excellent!!! following the may accessorie circuit (where we will be officially celebrating our tenth anniversary!), we will add the fall collection to the website and, following couture, we will add holiday. check it out!

so -- what are we not doing on the site that you would like to see? help us serve you by giving us your feedback. we have received some great tips and advice already and are anxious to hear more. also, is the site helping you find what you need from saundra messinger? tell it all!

enjoy the rest of march and, soon, april will surely bring warmer weather, right?

xxxsaundra

2010-02-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

Did you ever ever see such a face? This is Tinka, after playing in the snow for a few minutes. You all know she can't see, but it doesn't stop her from enjoying the feel and smell and taste of a bit of snow. She pretty much does everything she used to, before she went blind last summer.

When i watch Tinka enjoying herself, playing in the snow, twirling when she's asked if she wants to go outside, savoring her peanut butter-filled kong, sitting on 'daddy's' lap and licking his bald head -- it sort of makes me stop
in my tracks. I learn all over again that being joyful is a choice.

We all have the option of approaching each day with a smile or a frown. Some people 'enjoy poor health' as my father used to say. Some people like having something to complain about and if they don't have anything handy, they will create it. They piss and moan and are really miserable. They are even miserable about good things. Everything is a problem. We all know people like that.

On the other side, you can find people who deal with the terrible things that happen to them, and while they may not be thrilled about it, they approach it differently -- they want to at least try to feel good. They want to enjoy life. They want to be ok. They want to succeed. They want to live! That's the kind of person i try to be. I don't always succeed, but i try and it usually works. It's hard not to smile if you think about smiling.

So, when i look at Tinka I think about the way that she makes the best of the deck that has been dealt her. She can't enjoy watching the snow fall, but she sure can enjoy the way it feels on her nose. I think I will try that myself!

Enjoy this day! Do it!
xs

WEBSITE GOES LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

good morning!!! it is 2.8 and a momentous day for our company! our long awaited website is live and we are so excited!!!!

i want to thank the brilliant, tireless team who made this project a reality --

jennifer elsner at viewers like you - my talented, creative, perfectionist - demanding (in a nice way) friend who designed the site and put up with me during the development process! go jennifer!!!

chelsea fullerton at viewers like you - who worked with jennifer and me to define all the details and make them beautiful (chelsea also shoots some of our images. see the fabulous heart shot we used for our valentine's day promo!)

gabriel sandoval who programmed the site with talent, precision and patience. you did it!!!

our devoted sm staff who worked with me to collect the elements and gently push me forward, over and over and over again..

lee marshall who shot most of the awesome images that appear on the site. lee has generously worked with me since day one to create the formula for our images and bring them to life.

whitney old who took the amazing home page shot of our wishbone cuff. bless you, whit!!

steve roberts who took the shot of me -- helping me feel comfortable in front of a camera, not an easy task.

and to my darling husband, chuck, who chimed in, gave his valuable opinions, and encouraged me to stick with it, when it seemed life kept getting in the way of getting this done.

much love
onward and upward
s :)))))))))))))))))))

2010-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Please join us in New York, January 30 - Feb 3 as we introduce our 10th Anniversary Collection and our Spring 2010 Collection at the New York International Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits Center, Handmade in the Galleria, Booth 500.

We will also have our CORE collection and our Organic Heart Collection at the show. Heart pendants ordered at the show will be instore in time for Valentine's Day selling.

We look forward to seeing our current accounts and hope to meet some new stores at the show!

If you are unable to attend the Gift Show and are interested in carrying our collection, please contact us at customerservice@saundramessinger.com.

All best

Saundra

2009-12-16T04:10:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

it's that time again and let me just make it clear that saying goodbye to 2009 does not feel sad - at all. we survived and now it's time to look towards the exciting year ahead!

the picture to the left is most of us -- that's andrea on the far left, mary ellen, chuck, karin, deb and me holding tinka. unfortunately jessica was at the hospital with her father that day and the good news is that he is much improved.

this is also the time of year when we usually post a picture on our web page of one of the styles from our spring collection and tell you all about the trade shows for january. our new website is about to go live (!!!!!) and so i took the shot of the ring that is the centerpiece of our 10th anniversary collection, which we will launch at ENK the first week of january. photography is not one of my talents, but you get the idea. our 10th year!!! it's amazing and heartwarming to be able to say that some of our very first accounts are still with us -- through thick and (really) thin. thanks to you and to our newer accounts -- we plan to celebrate the year with fabulous jewelry, and sales for all of us that will leave the last two years in the dust!!!

Please join us at the following shows

January 5 - 7

ENK Accessorie Circuit

The Show Piers, NYC

Pier 94 Booth 3812

January 30 - February 3

The NY International Gift Fair

Jacob Javits Center, NYC

The Galleria Booth 500

We look forward to seeing you there! Have a safe and happy holiday season.

PEACE AND LOVE
saundra

12.16.09

Giving Thanks

2009-11-24T07:18:00.000-08:00

thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. is it because my birthday often falls on the day? maybe that was the case when i was a child. my parents always had the whole family over for thanksgiving dinner and the big surprise every year was when they brought out the chocolate birthday cake with a candle marking each year of my life. i always knew there was going to be a cake -- the surprise would have been no cake!!

as i got older and moved to new york, thanksgiving became the one holiday when i would make sure to be back 'home.' there was still a cake, but, more than that, there was the constant, ever dependable, love of family and friends. i probably didn't appreciate the latter as much as i did once i was out on my own.

over the years, responsibilities would get in the way and there would be times when i just couldn't get back for the turkey and then, once i married, when chuck and i were stuck in new york for some reason. we would gather all the people we knew who didn't have a place to go (like us) and we'd all have thanksgiving together. what fine times those were! we all appreciated being somewhere, where the food may not have been 'mother's' but it was the right meal, with everyone's special family dish on the table.

this year feels particularly sentimental. for the first time i will not receive a call from my 'doo dad' on my birthday. my mother is in a nursing home with alzheimers. still, i am thankful. i am thankful for my wonderful husband, partner and friend - chuck - who makes my world turn and is there to catch me anytime i fall off. there are the amazing people we work with everyday -- karin, andrea, jessica, mary ellen, deborah -- who we love and adore. there are our families and friends in other cities -- memphis, jamestown, redlands, brooklyn, baltimore, bogota. we miss them and hold them in our hearts and hope they are safe and well. there is our dogchild, tinka, who makes our hearts sing. there are our customers and suppliers who make work feel like family. that's huge.

in a broader sense, i am thankful for president obama. i am thankful that the world is thinking about global warming. i am grateful that the economy is taking baby steps towards recovery. i feel saddened by the wars we are involved in, but heartened by the fact that our president wants to end them, even if it takes some time. i am extremely thankful to be living in the united states of america.

i will thank the universe on thanksgiving day for all that i have been given, which is a lot, and i will ask for help in remembering to feel the same way the other 364 days of the year.

be thankful.

peace

saundra

the studio store

2009-11-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

happy wednesday!

our big news is that we just opened our first retail store on saturday! we are calling it the studio store because some of our wholesale team also works in the space. we had a great opening day! i think the store will help me feel more in touch with our end customer and that will mean our collections will be better reflect what the retail customer wants from us.

it's very exciting and a lot of work! i couldn't have done it without the help of my husband, chuck, and our amazing wholesale team -- andrea, jessica, mary ellen and karin! our new retail sales associate, deb, is a fabulous addiiton. she's been wearing our jewelry for awhile and having her work with us feels like a natural progression.

i also just want to thank our amazing graphics team, jennifer and chelsea, our master craftsman, robert, and our dear friend, peter, who worked with us on the design of the store.

if you are in nyack, new york, or nearby -- come and see us in the store -- tuesday thru saturday from noon to 5, and sundays, noon to 5, between thanksgiving and christmas. we are featuring our entire collection, which has never been in one location before. there are also some cool one of a kind pieces and some special priced styles in the treasure chest!!

peace

Pamela

2009-11-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

today is my dear friend pamela's birthday.
pam is sailing somewhere on the high seas
with her husband, bill, and i can't reach her.
so, in lieu of wishing pam a happy birthday
directly, i will wish her one here and now and
hope that the universe can deliver.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR PAMELA!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
with love
saundra

The Little Bicycle Wheel Diamond Necklace

2009-11-12T09:35:00.001-08:00

Designed by SAUNDRA MESSINGER in memory of her father, Berny, whose real estate logo was a boy on a bicycle – a messenger boy. The sterling silver little bicycle wheel turns, so that the sprinkled diamond is always in a different position. The 17" necklace is on a sterling silver chain and features Saundra's signature shimmering matte finish.

The price of the necklace is $48, plus shipping. Please email us at customerservice@saundramessinger.com to request an order form.

Election Day

2009-11-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

Howdy. Don't forget to vote today. It's not only a duty, it's a privilege. xs