Pick Up Sticks Retailers – Find Your Favorite

Just one example of the Pick Up Sticks necklaces jewelry you can create after locating your favorite Pick Up Sticks retailer.

We’re always telling you how much we love our Pick Up Sticks retailers, and we try to feature one of them in a blog post on a regular basis.  But have you found one near you?  Do you have a favorite Pick Up Sticks retailer of your own?

If you’re really going to go green and support your hometown economy, there’s nothing like shopping and buying locally.  Pick Up Sticks retailers already know how fabulous the line is, and they’ll show you their bestsellers as well as what’s new.

Probably one of the greatest advantages to buying from one of our retailers is that they’re happy to help you assemble your necklace and bracelets once you find the perfect combination of charms and trinkets.  They can keep you informed about when new designs arrive so that you can add to your collection.  Another benefit of buying from a local retailer is that  you don’t have to pay for shipping.

And if you are looking for a favorite charm from the past that might have been discontinued from our line, call around to a few brick and mortar Mom and Pop stores to see if they have it in stock. Often you can find special charms that aren’t available from an online store.

As you already know, getting your hands on Pick Up Sticks is a satisfying shopping experience – they’re even better in person than in these pictures!

You can always go to our website and find a store carrying Pick Up Sticks near you.  Or check out the links in the column on the left of this blog post – we’ve been pleased to link to several retailers who asked to be included here.

Happy shopping. If you already have a favorite Pick Up Sticks retail store, let us know who they are so we can give them a shout out on our Facebook page.

If all your best efforts to find a local retailer are unsuccessful, suggest to your favorite store owners that they carry the line.  And finally, if all else fails, or if you’re living in a remote area that only the UPS guy can find, you’re welcome to shop the Pick Up Sticks retail website.

Pick Up Sticks Employee’s Favorites – Treyla

This post is our “Welcome” piece for Treyla, the new girl in the Pick Up Sticks studio. She was born in Clovis but grew up in Eugene, Oregon.  After high school she decided she missed the eastern plains of New Mexico, and came home.

She has a daughter, two year-old Austyn, and is very happily married to Oran.  Besides her family, her favorite things in the world are her two Labs, Tiki and Daisy. She’s also a bit of a Modge Podge fanatic and a fan of the Oregon Ducks.

Best of all, Treyla is  full of energy and fun and loves working at Pick Up Sticks.  We asked her to choose her favorite Pick Up Sticks necklace combination, and here’s what she said:

“When I saw charms  Live the Life (LV051) and Life is Good (BB011), they instantly became my favorite! Everywhere I have been shopping recently, I have been drawn to anything with birds on it. The chain (NK001) has an adorable little bird that sits up higher on the necklace and it adds a unique look you don’t see in other jewelry.

I try to live my life with a very positive outlook, and these charms remind me every time I wear them, how truly blessed I am. I have a beautiful little girl, Austyn, and a wonderful husband, Oran, who are all healthy and very happy. I truly do “love the life” that I have been given, and try to always “look at the bright side”. Not to mention that these charms are extremely colorful, and match almost any item in my closet!”

We’d love to hear about your favorite Pick Up Sticks necklace.  Send us a photo and your own story at marketing@pickupsticks.net and you just might be featured in a future blog post!

Judy, Judy, Judy – Pick Up Sticks’ best sales tip

Pick Up Sticks.  We hope you associate the company name and this blog with our continuing search for ways to help you make your business a screaming success.  That’s why we do this – we want to give you ideas that help you sell, sell, sell.

And that’s why we now offer our loaded Judy in our catalog.  And why we throw in the mannequin for free.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zero.  Null.  Zilch.

We do ask that you pay for the charms and trinkets and necklaces she’s wearing.  But the mannequin and the ribbons that separate price points and the approximately 12 hours of studio labor to load her up?  Free.

“Who’s Judy?” some of you may ask.  Do a search of the term “Judy” in our blog archives and you’ll find several posts dedicated to her.  She’s our “loaded-with-Pick-Up-Sticks,” looking-gorgeous and selling-jewelry-like-crazy Mannequin. We introduced her about six years ago, dragging her to market all dressed up with every photo charm, trinket, and chain we create, as well as the top 12 of our initial charms. We thought she was a fun display.

And then customers started asking if they could take her home with them. Immediately.

What we found was that Judy was a sparkly-girl, catching the eyes of passersby and creating an entirely new kind of excitement in our market booth. And our retailers who bought her told us that she created a fun forum where customers could see a wide variety of jewelry, touching and turning Pick Up Sticks every which way, laughing with their friends at our designs, choosing two or three charms and trinkets and necklace combinations in the process.

What we found was that our Judy sells. In fact, a number of our current Judy orders are from retailers who ordered Judy in the past. She’s been so busy that she’s worn out and they need a replacement.

And the best news is that now you don’t have to wait until market to get your’s. She’s in our latest catalog, just waiting for your order.

She comes shipped to your door looking very chic and  wearing one each of every single Pick Up  Sticks two-sided bubble, dot, candy, chicklet and photo charm, the top 12 initials in five styles, one each of all our trinkets, spacers and locket, and an assortment of necklace and bracelet chain.  She also comes ribboned – meaning that we separate the price categories so that you don’t have to. (Here’s a link to the catalog page – take a look at this beauty!  http://www.pickupsticks.net/US/CATALOG/packages/packages.html)

How good is the deal?  If you order a pre-pinned Judy right now, you’ll get the mannequin free (Yes, we’ve already said that, but it bears repeating.  She’d cost you $120 if you ordered her separately).  You’ll also get the expertise of the girls in the studio pinning and ribboning her so that she’s an eye-catching sales genius.  That alone takes 2 girls 6 hours, so in addition to the mannequin form, you’re getting 12 hours of free labor.  And you get our exclusive logo price tags showing the price for each separate category of jewelry.

Don’t want all the chain?  We can leave that off and you’ll be charged less.  Since we can’t really reveal our wholesale prices here, please feel free to contact the studio for prices.

One thing you don’t get?  All 26 initials, because we know that some of them are hard to sell.  We only send you the 12 top selling initials from each of our initial lines.

We know that getting customers to make a purchase is tougher now than ever.  That’s why we promote our Judy.  She sells, she adds interest to your retail space, and customers love her. What more could you ask of a pretty girl?

Facebook Giveaway a/k/a “Are You Feeling Lucky?”

St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday that gives you the excuse to wear green, drink green beer, try out your incredibly lame Irish accent, and brag about your very distant and possibly fabricated Irish lineage.

As you’ve probably gathered from our Halloween posts, we love ourselves a goofy holiday at Pick Up Sticks. So much, in fact, that we design jewelry that commemorates the alleged luck that comes with being Irish and St. Paddy’s Day in general.

And because of all that affection for green and the possibility of being pinched and luck in general, we decided a Facebook contest was in order. Did we say we also love a contest?

Here’s the scoop – if you’re not already following us on Facebook, we’d be quite pleased to have you as a fan.  Find our Facebook page here.  Check out this week’s post on our contest.  Share the post and then comment to let us know you’re shared it and you’re immediately in the running for the necklace shown here.

We’ll randomly draw a winner’s name on March 4.  So HURRY!  Get your name in the proverbial (cyber) hat.

Because we think luck isn’t just for the Irish and it isn’t just for St. Patrick’s Day.  We figure you’re probably a Lucky Girl every single day of the year.  And Lucky Girls need jewelry to show the world just how lucky they are.

Plus, if green isn’t necessarily your color, this necklace will ward off all pinching on the day in question.

Can’t wait to see you on Facebook. . .

Pick Up Sticks – Glena’s Favorites

When we started talking about favorite necklaces a few weeks ago, Glena, like Candace, was unable to narrow her choice to just one.  Like some of you out there, she wears Pick Up Sticks every day, mixing and matching various charms and trinkets.  But we did get photos of her favorite combinations – here’s what she had to say about them:

“My newest favorite charms is DT011. The saying on the front and back, “My child”, and “Born to Fly” is perfect for me since my son is a pilot. I wear the charm both front and back, with the Bali Spacers, PT167, and my son Cameron’s, initial, CWIOC.  This charm is ideal for all mothers to wear, because we all know that our children are born to fly and succeed – mine just choose to do it in a helicopter.  And of course I couldn’t be any prouder of him.”

“I love wearing a 36” stainless steel necklace with a collection of charms and trinkets added, because the long necklace goes perfectly with my winter sweaters.  My latest choice is ANO62, ANO64, PG147, PT185, and PT183.  I’m loving the bling of the new trinkets and the messages, “fly baby fly” and “it takes courage to become who you really are” remind me to do the best I can every day, and most of all—don’t sweat the small stuff. When I change my sweater and my mood, I use the “magical clip” and simply add different charms that match both.”

Like Glena, the rest of us find it tricky to narrow our Pick Up Sticks choices to just one or two necklaces, and given the versatility of our two-sided charms and the ease of using the magic clips, you don’t have to!

Pick Up Sticks Employee Favorites – Candace’s Choices

If you’re one of our retailers, we hope you’ve been fortunate enough to meet Candace, the Pick Up Sticks girl who enthusiastically greets you in the booth at market and takes your order when you phone or e-mail the office.  She’s indispensable as well as being our biggest fan.  We couldn’t do our job without her.

When we asked her to tell us about her favorite necklace, charm and trinket combination, she couldn’t limit her choice to just one.  So here are a couple. .

In Candace’s words:

“I love to wear the My Family charm (DT010) with the  You & Me 4 Ever (BB012). I wear the BB012 on the 4ever side because the wording on both of those charms side-by-side sums up the lifetime dream I have, which is that my family will be forever. Another great perk of wearing these two charms together is the fact that the colors match perfectly, and are sure to bring attention to them (just another excuse to brag about my family). I wear the Bee Necklace (NK004) with these two charms because it reminds me to always ‘Bee’ thankful for my family.”

And for her second choice, Candace says:

“Here is another favorite family-related combo. I am wearing the  Two In Love (LV050) with the Bubble “J” (BBIOJ) and a Magnifier trinket (PT182)  on a 36” Stainless chain (SS036). I really like the 36″ chain because of its simplicity and perfect length, which allows me to layer it with my other favorite necklaces. The LV050 means so much to me because I have the best little girl I could have ever prayed for due to my husband and me falling in love. The BBI0J is my new favorite initial because of its bright eye-grabbing colors, and because it describes my life perfectly with my little Jemma in it -Jubilant! Lastly, I chose the magnifying glass because it symbolizes my love for my family. It magnifies with every new day. . .”

Do you have a favorite necklace combo?  We’d love to hear about and see it. . .just e-mail a description and images to us at marketing@pickupsticks.net and we may feature it on Facebook or right here.

Employee Favorite Necklaces – Leigh’s Favorites!

Leigh wearing her favorite Pick Up Sticks necklace

Leigh Spurling is one of our relatively new employees in the studio at Pick Up Sticks, but she’s no less a fan of our charms and trinkets than the rest of us.  We asked her to put together her favorite necklace and here’s what she chose:

“I love the Grow Strong charm (AN058), with Candy Initials “L” (CWI0L) and “S” (CWI0S), on a Stainless 20” chain (SS020).”

Leigh’s Favorite Necklace

“Grow Strong” is my favorite charm because that feels exactly like what I am doing with my life right now. In the past few years, I’ve endured some difficulty and hardship. Without going into detail, I can honestly say that, looking back, I see that I did in fact grow stronger despite some really  distressing times.  And I know without a doubt that I would never have wanted an easier path to where I am now.

This simple statement, “Grow Strong” alone says and means so much (probably to a lot of folks).  I will no longer underestimate myself nor others. I also hope to use this as almost an inspiration to others.

And, of course, I chose the initials for my first and last names.  I love how Pick Up Sticks has so many different initial lines so that we can use individual choice to find the perfect way to personalize our jewelry.”

Thanks, Leigh, for joining us at Pick Up Sticks.  We love your choice and your story!

Pick Up Sticks – Valentine’s Day Ideas

We’re exactly a month out from Valentine’s Day, and if you’re like most of our retailers, you know that this holiday is a sales opportunity you don’t want to miss.  According to a 2012 study by the National Retail Federation, “Love may not cost a thing, but consumers this year are set to spoil their friends, family and loved ones this Valentine’s Day in a very big way. According to NRF’s 2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGinsight, the average person celebrating the holiday will shell out $126.03.”

To help you steer your customers in the right direction,we’ve put together a collection of great ideas for anyone on your Valentine gift list.  At Pick Up Sticks, we believe in showing your love to your best girlfriends as well as the women in your family.  Check out our favorite charms for best friends. . .

As well as Mom. . .

And Grandmother. . .

And Sisters. . .

February 14 is an especially good time to catch the impulse buyer, the last-minute shopper who runs in the door looking for inspiration. It’s our suggestion that if you haven’t already, you add a display near your cash register or check out area with a few necklaces put together, or have your employees wear a fun necklace or two reflecting a very personalized “love you” message.  One of our floral retailers offers an initial charm tied with a ribbon around each vase that goes out with a dozen roses.

We’d love to hear your ideas for Valentine’s Day sales as well.  Feel free to comment here or send your photos to marketing@pickupsticks.net.

And of course, Happy Valentine’s Day from Pick Up Sticks Jewelry!

Make Easter Charming with Pick Up Sticks!

Easter offers us several things, depending on our viewpoints.  For some it’s a holiday devoted to a celebration of spirituality.  For others, it’s a  great excuse for gift-giving (we figure you’re never too old for an Easter basket).  It gives us a reason to dress in our absolute best finery (white shoes included).  For some of us, it’s the only time of year we wear a hat to church.

Whatever your inclination, Pick Up Sticks has charms to help you celebrate the Christian holiday, load up your best friend’s Easter basket AND accessorize that Easter bonnet.

Check out these combinations of Pick Up Sticks charms, trinkets and chains.  There’s still plenty of time to order for your retail customers and help them choose the perfect Easter necklace.  If you’re not a wholesale customer, check the Pick Up Sticks website for a retailer near you.

And Happy Easter from Pick Up Sticks!

Pick Up Sticks for Hip Moms!

Hip Pick Up Sticks Mom Raynee with Mason

You know them – the incredibly hip moms who make being a mother look totally fashionable.  These women aren’t showing up at the grocery store with rollers in their hair like our moms did in the 60’s – these moms know how to put a look together and make it work.

Hip Mom Candace (who also happens to work in the studio. . .)

We created our dot initials and numbers with Hip Moms in mind – by combining the charms with spacers, proud moms everywhere can display their children’s names, sports numbers, birthdays, even their ages.  Or treat yourself with your own initials and a special personal date, like your birthdate or anniversary.

Hip Mom Shelley wearing her initials and anniversary date

Find dot initials, dot numbers and spacers at your favorite Pick Up Sticks retailer or at the Pick Up Sticks Retail Website.   Give your inner Hip Mom the ultimate personal and unique gift this summer!