Life is a Little Bit Overwhelming Right Now

Sorry SJ Fans and Followers for the delay in my blogging. It has been right at a month since my last post. Unacceptable, I know. But this whole building up a business thing can be a little bit overwhelming at times. Of course, I am very thankful for this "problem", it is definately a "good problem" to have.

If any of you know me personally, you will know that my main fault in life is piling too many things onto my plate, which also leads me to always answer "yes" instead of "no".

As SJ continues to build and grow, the work behind it is having to change a bit as well. SJ actually started as a business that focused on "customizing" jewelry for our customers. Now, with the growth in numbers of our clientel and the amount of inventory we turn around, these "custom" pieces really become tough. So, I have recently made the decision that SJ will only do "custom" pieces when multiple pieces are involved. I am still going to listen to "what the customers want" and keep those requests in mind when creating new pieces, carrying clothes, etc., but in order for SJ to grow and be able to focus on processing our online orders quickly, book and travel to shows, and stay on top of current fashion trends, this is what needs to happen. I guess this is me learning to say "No", in order to make SJ operate more efficiently.

Building a business from the ground up (and I mean 100% from the ground) is extremely rewarding to me, but at times can be very overwhelming. However, I know as SJ continues to grow, more team members will be incorporated, which will definately help! I guess today is just one of those days where I get discouraged because there is not a specific "list of rules to follow" on building your own business. Instead, I have had to learn everything through experience. But, a year ago when I decided to commit to SJ full time, I had no idea about payment gateways, secure online shopping, carrying apparel, customer efficiency, customer service, etc.

All in all, I love my job. SJ is truly a dream job for me. It allows me to share my sense of fashion, travel to many events, meet tons of intriguing people, still have flexibility to raise Brangus show cattle. Sometimes when things seem so overwhelming, it can be very refreshing to take a step back and see just how good they really are. With the help of family, friends, loved ones, mentors, and some pretty fabulous customers, I know SJ will be rockin' and rollin' so fast, that not only I will be able to LOVE my job, but I will get to share that with multiple team members in the future. It's just traveling the right roads, learning from the speed bumps I hit, listening to constructive criticism and researching other successful business along the way that will help make it all come together.

Moral of the story - realize that sometimes your "problems" are "good problems" to have. Remember the glass is 1/2 full! And enjoy what you do, who is in your life, and everyday that God blesses you with!

Until next time, stay fabulous, and keep those votes coming in for us at bestofthebrazos.com for "best accessories" and "best local online shopping!

Cowgirl Boot Heaven

For those of you who know me personally, then you know that I have a fetish for cowgirl boots. Specifically those by Old Gringo and Western Corral!

I recently made a trip to the University of Texas in Austin (boo I know, I definately bleed maroon) with my friend and roomate, Amy Hughes. She is a high school teacher in Franklin, TX, but her boyfriend is the cheeerleading coach at UT. Amy invited me to come along on a Friday to take some students to tour. Now even though this was completely dramatizing for me, because never have I ever seen so much burnt orange and horns, I soon learned to enjoy the day! I really began to enjoy the day whenever we left the University and started SHOPPING!

We went and visited South Congress Street, somewhat close to the infamous 6th street! The by far, hands down, absolute best stop of the day was at a Western Wear and Boot Store named "Allen Boots".

In this store was the largest selection of Old Gringo boots that I have ever seen altogether in one location. And keep in mind, I visit almost every major livestock show, both in the state of Texas and out, as well as Market. It was overwhelming to say the least! And then, to make things even better.....the lady who started to help us was the daughter of THE Old Gringo Designer! What a talented lady she is!

Needless to say, I was sure to ask if the staff would mind if I took some pictures (of course I explained I was only going to blog about them)! So, after lots of pictures of boots and even convincing Amy's foreign exchange student from Germany to purchase a pair, this blog now exists! Enjoy!

I love pink and brown together! I think it is an awesome color combo....so I obviously loved this boot!

Cowhides and Zebra hides are another infatuation of mine, so of course these were a favorite as well!

Turquoise, brown and cheetah...oh my!

These boots were fully crystallized up and down with wings! Swarovski crystal delight! My oh my, so stunning!

Brazos Valley Women's Show

Hello SJ Fans and Followers! Southern Jewlz just finished up with an outing this weekend. We went to the Brazos Valley Women's Show hosted by Elmore Productions. It was located right here in Bryan, TX at the Brazos Center. Our favorite (and only!) employee, Miss Ashleigh Sowell did a great job working the booth and promoting SJ. I had to go out of town for a friend's bachelorette party in New Braunsfels, but we still had a successful show. Here are some photos of our booth set up!






I also just got done designing some new belts! So, there are more choices to pick from. Be sure and get your order in while they are in stock at www.southernjewlz.mybigcommerce.com. We also have a nifty promotional for the month of May that allows you to win free store credit! Be sure and check it out on our facebook or on the store under "Recent News". Here are some pictures of the new belts!

Branching into the Team Roping world.....via Allen Bach Roping!

Well hello SJ fans and followers! If you follow me on FB or through my online store, you will know that I have been plenty busy bringing in and creating new designs for the spring time. This is a very exciting time for me, because I personally L-O-V-E all the bright colors and flowers that come along with spring time! Butttt.....back to the main reason that I am blogging....

Last Thursday evening, I received an unknown phone call. This of course is not unusual, especially since my customers are located all over the world, but this was a phone call that caught my attention. It was from a young lady named April. She is the daughter of Allen Bach. It's okay if you do not know who he is (I actually didn't realize who he was at first either)! But, here is a little information on Mr. Bach: He is a 4 time PRCA Champion and a 30 time qualifier to the National Finals Rodeo. He has won almost every Team Roping or Rodeo at least one time. But, his real fame might come from his gift and talent to teach and instruct ropers all over the world. He teaches roping clinics all over the country, as well as Canada, Brazil and Israel. So in my lingo........HE IS KIND OF A BIG DEAL!

Mr. Bach's daughter, April, works for him full time focusing on marketing and public relations. Allen Bach Roping hosts summer camps called "Camp of Champions". This camp is very prestigious and hard to get in to, as the ropers have to apply and be reviewed before accepted to attend. This year will be the first ever ALL GIRLS camp. So, this is where Southern Jewlz comes in! April called me asking if I was interested in being a sponsor. Of course with building up a business and trying to make SJ as well-known and prestigious as I want it to be, I said yes. But, little did I know, there would only be ONE jewelry sponsor for the girls camp. So, as soon as I realized what a huge deal this could be, I made sure to shoot April an offer she couldn't turn down, or at least what I thought was a pretty good deal. Needless to say.....IT WORKED!!! Straight from her email, here is what April said, "I am excited to say that you will be Allen Bach's Camp of Champions (girls only) jewelry sponsor for 2010! What sold us was you as a person and your story. I think all girls should feel like a princess too ;)"

So, the Southern Jewlz banner will now be hung in Mr. Allen Bach's arena! They are also going to use SJ items as prize give-a-ways to all the girls that attend the camp. Also, the SJ website and logo will be linked onto Mr. Bach's website at www.allenbachroping.com, the camp's website at www.forevercowboys.com, as well as Mr. Bach's personal facebook and the "Camp of Champions" facebook.

The camp is going to be May 23-27 in Graham, TX. I more than likely will be traveling down there one evening to give a presentation to the young ladies, not only on fashion, but more importantly about my personal story, life and overall success in general. Anyways, I am really excited about this opportunity and wanted to share it. I will conclude with a quote from April about her father.

"There are not many men in the world like my dad. He is faithful to his family, friends, and commitments and he always made time to spend with his children, even if he was really tired. I have never seen him give up, and he has always made me feel like I could do anything. No, he is not perfect, but I would say he has the most important things down. His priorities: God first, family second, and then everything else." - April Bach Patterson

So, here are a few pictures of the famous Mr. Allen Bach!

An Aggie Fun-Filled Weekend

Hello SJ Fans and Followers! This past weekend, April 17-18 was the Annual Parent's Weekend at Texas A&M University. It has almost been an entire year since I graduated from TAMU. It is still a bittersweet feeling, because those 4 years were honestly the best days of my life! The rewarding part about it all is the fact that I still live in College Station and play an active role in the Animal Science Department, The Beef Center and the Saddle and Sirloin Club (due to all of my fabulous friends and role models!)

So, I figured I should share a little bit about this past weekend and my career at Texas A&M in the blog this week. Saddle and Sirloin is the largest club at the University and its primary focus is the promotion of animal agriculture through meetings, career opportunities, socials, community service events and supporting the judging teams. I served as an officer for 3 years while I was a member of the club, those being Treasurer, Sweetheart and President.

My friend, Dustin Burke, who was also an S&S member and fellow livestock judging team member, headed out the the Little Southwestern Showmanship Contest, Cookoff and Ham Auction taking place at Louis Pearce Pavilion on Friday night. We had a fun time watching all the members compete in the showmanship competition, enjoyed the yummy food cooked by all the cook-off teams, and even bought a few items in the Auction. Burke and I split some brownies baked by Jeannie Smith, mother of Jennifer Ann Smith (Current S&S Officer and dear college friend of mine). I also bought a photo session from an officer who is starting up his own photography business, so look for those in the near future!

On Saturday morning, I headed over to the Washington County Fairgrounds in Brenham to judge a Texas Junior Brangus Show. For those followers who don't already know--I grew up actively showing Brangus cattle and am still a breeder raising show heifers. Tanner's mom and little sister came to watch me, since Tanner was busy working at the Beef Center preparing for the 1st Annual Production Sale. Also, Tanner's little sister, Emily, is a new Junior Brangus member and will be showing a "Royal Genetics" bred Brangus heifer this next year.

Saturday evening was the Spring Banquet, and even though this event takes sooooo long since there is so much business to cover, but I still went to support some dear friends, see old Animal Sciene Alumni and enjoy the Pork Loin prepared by the Meats Judging Team. Also, I am proud to say that Ashleigh Sowell (my brother's girlfriend) was selected as the Outstanding Freshman of the club and Emily Huskinson (a dear S&S friend and SJ model) was selected as the Outstanding Sophomore of the club! Yay!

After the banquet, the 2009 Livestock Judging Team dunked their rings together at Pearce Pavilion. This of course brought back memories from our ring dunk which was this same weekend a year ago. Some other members of my livestock judging team along with my favorite roomie Mandi McDaniel all dunked our rings together! But, it was fun to see a lot of old friends and parents at the ring dunk! And a shout out to Devin Felger (my favorite Rodeo Queen) for sharing her super awesome Peach Smoothie drink with me that night.

And the last event of the weekend was the 1st Annual TAMU Beef Center Production Sale. I was very proud to see Mr. Paul Maulsby (Beef Center Manager) pull off a very successful first sale. Tanner worked all weekend at the beef center preparing the cattle, keeping them nicely presented to be viewed, and working in the back during the week.

Now on to some pictures, rather than rambling....

This is Emily and I at the Little Southwestern Showmanship Contest watching Devin!

Below you will see the absolute cutest dressed rookie sheep showman: Miss Devin Felger!

This is my new favorite picture of Tanner and I. It was taken right after the S&S Ham Auction on Friday evening.

This is a picture of my family and I after the S&S Banquet last year. I was awarded as the Outstanding Senior and won the Brewer Award, which is awarded to the top senior in the Animal Science Department each spring.

This is a shot of us right before we dunked our rings last year. From left is Luke Neumayr (check out his blog at www.outlittleranchintexas.blogspot.com), Shelly, Mandi, myself, Burke, and Kari Bailes.

This is a shot of Dr. Hussey (Dean of College of Ag) and myself last year at Ag Convocation. I received a Senior Merit award.


But even after I shared all of this from my time at TAMU, I am soooo glad that I pursued Southern Jewlz full time, rather than taking any of job or staying in graduate school. Until the next blog........peace, love and jewlz!

Paying Attention to the SJ Facebook Pays Off!

Okay SJ fans and followers, this blog post will be a little bit short and rather boring, as there will be no pictures posted. I have been really busy managing the online store, shipping out orders, and scheduling shows for the rest of 2010, but I haven't forgotten about the blog.

This morning, I just had a regular 'ol "Monday morning feeling". You know, where you feel blah, not really too excited about the day, wishing you were still in bed, or that it was Sunday, etc. So, I decided to liven the day up just a bit. I went into my handy-dandy SJ online store (by the way, I am completely in love with it and would love to thank Catherine at the RHD office for leading me in the right direction) and I created my very first coupon code. It was a discount of 15% off any purchase made today, by midnight (that is right now, ahhhhh I should be in bed). And of course I named it the "Just Because It's Monday" discount. Needless to say, it was a very big success, both for SJ and our happy customers who saved a bit of money!

So, this is just me reminding all of our fans and followers out there to always be checking the SJ facebook page. You never know what kind of fun I will come up with and decide to share with the SJ fan club.

And while I'm on the subject of facebook, be sure to check out our April promotional. Anyone and everyone is welcome to nominate their mom as the "SJ mom of the month" by posting on our "Fan Wall." The really cool part about it all, is that YOU (that's right, the SJ fans and followers), will decide the winner! The post with the most activity (likes and comments) at the end of the month will win a $50 store credit just in time to be redeemed before Mother's Day. Even if you don't nominate your mom, please take some time out to read the other nominations. There are some pretty special moms out there!!!!

Until my next blog, remember to stay fabulous. If you wake up feeling "blah", just throw on a big pair of earrings, a few more bracelets, and maybe some crystals or pearls around your neck (if you don't have any, I think we could hook you up), and then you will be rock-star ready to conquer the day!

SJ Home Party along with "My Vintage Baby"

Well hello SJ fans and followers! I of course have continued to stay extremely busy after Rodeo Austin. Between organizing inventory, working on orders to get shipped out, creating new designs, and hosting some home shows --- well, you can imagine, there is barely time to breath!

I had the pleasure of hosting a home show in Houston last Thursday at the home of Michelle Goss. Michelle and I actually just met through FB! She had ordered some items from me, but she sells "My Vintage Baby" and was going to be hosting a show to launch the new Spring Apparel line, so i joined in with her.

Michelle and her husband have a beautiful little girl, a beautiful house and what seems to be a fairy tale life. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet her and visit with her and her husband after our party.

So for all of my followers out there who have little ones (they also carry a boys line!), check out these adorable clothes. These were some of my personal favorites. And if you are interested in "My Vintage Baby", I will be glad to put you in contact with Michelle!

I mastered the Tutu!!!! And welcome to the "Royal Highness" Collection

Hello to all of my fabulous SJ fans and followers! For those of you who keep up with me on FB, this might be a bit repetitive, but still fun! While I was working the SJ booth at Rodeo Austin, a customer walked in wearing a "tutu". She was a girl close to my age, maybe just a few years younger, but obviously I fell in love with the idea. And I was fortunate enough to be able to buy one at the Rodeo!

Now, for some of my followers (for instance Cheramie or Catherine), I'm sure you might be thinking I'm a bit crazy. And believe me, I do not plan on wearing this thing everywhere. But, while working the booth I figure if I hear someone say, "There is no way I can wear that!", when referring to an SJ item, then I can reply with, "Mam, I am 22 and wearing a tutu. If I can wear this and pull it off, then you can definately wear that!" And, the pictures I posted on FB stimulated so much buyer interest, it won't be long until we are carrying tutu's for grown size girls here at SJ!

Now, on to some new SJ creations! We recently debuted the "Royal Highness" necklace collection! Not only are the necklaces very different, new, popular and fun, but check out that name! My friends, Jessica and Kaycie Carter, were visiting the booth (and picking up their new SJ belts) while at the Star of Texas for the steer show, and I was telling them how I wanted to start naming the similar groups of my designs to make things a little more organized and fun all at the same time. So of course, between the 3 of us (if you know each of us personally, you would understand), we agreed that it had to be "queen or princess" oriented. So Kaycie spit out, "How about Royal Highness!?"......needless to say history ever since! Plus the fact that Tanner and I recently named our cattle business "Royal Genetics", well it all totally fit!

So, be looking for many new color comibinations and designs that feed off of the "Royal Highness" collection. Also, Texas' very own Miss Rodeo Texas, Devin Felger, already wore one to a performance last week! I think these are going to be a huge hit, and hopefully each of you like them as much as I do. Check out the pics! Oh, and Anna Spencer, from The Grace Photography, and myself will be traveling together to Round Top to shop and meet up with some friendly competitors, so check back to the blog for posts on the trip! Until the next blog.....peace, love and jewlz!

And my apologies for not being able to make the pictures fit where they would look best, I am a necklace designer, not a graphic or print designer. I need help, I know!

The Miniature Hereford Show! Starring: Mason Leifeste and Aubrey Blissard

One of the funnest things about my job is traveling to livestock shows and rodeos. In my down time (which isn't much), there is alwasy a show to catch, a friend to visit with, a concert to attend, etc. But, one of my favorite events that I have attended while "working the SJ booth" was the 2010 Miniature Hereford Show at the Star of Texas in Austin.

For the blog members who are not cattle enthusiasts, you may wonder: What are Miniature Herefords? And what is their purpose? Well, as posted on their association website, at www.mhbaonline.org, there are many reasons to raise and exhibit miniature herefords. They are smaller in size, which means they are great for kids, take less feed to maintain, take less time to be market ready, and have more appropriate size steaks when harvested. But of co

urse, I focus on their purpose for the kids. I absolutely love children. And I am 100% sure when I have little ones, that I will help them exhibit miniature Herefords if they want to participate!

So, there were two special exhibitors yesterday that will be featured. They are Mister Mason Leifeste and Miss Aubrey Blissard.

Mason Leifeste is the son of Alan and Samantha Leifeste of Cameron, TX. Mason's d

ad, Alan, is a Brangus breeder (which is the same breed I raise and show). Mason's mom, Samantha, was the Junior Director for the IJBBA the two years that I served on the National Junior Brangu

s Breeder's Board of Directors. Now, this was a couple of years ago.......so, you guessed it! Sam was pregnant with Mason when I was

on the Jr. Board. I remember Mason in her belly, his first show that he attended w

ith his play pen set up next to the cattle

stalls, and now I get to watch him exhibit his own show cattle project. Mason is known by Brangus breeders all over the nation. He is famous for his cute little quotes. Oh, and if you don't know Mason........he dates a very famous singer. Her name is Taylor Swift. If you don't believe me, just ask him about it.

Tanner and I met Miss Aubrey just a few

months ago. We

worked for her grandparents, Bill and Delores Jenki

ns, at the 2010 Fort Worth Open Shorthorn Show. Aubrey's parents are also shorthorn breeders. The first memory I have of Aubrey is her miniature cattle blow dryer. She of course carted her "blow

er" with her around Fort Worth, and anytime anyone else would turn on a "big person" blower and blow out the cattle, well then, Miss Aubre

y would have to turn hers on. Now she might not necessarily have been blowing a heifer or a bull, but she was helping "work".

Mason had Champion Pre-Juni

or Prospec

t Steer yesterday, and he also won this

title a few days ago at the Houston Livestock Show. I didn't stay for the length o

f the heifer show, but I did watch class number 1, which had only 2 entries in it. And those two exhibitors were, Mister Mason and Miss Aubrey. I had to get back to work and relieve my "help" AKA Tanner, so he could be r

elieved from sitting and working the "girl booth". But here are so

me pictures I took at the show. I hope each of you enjoy them as much as I do.

We are here!!!! At Rodeo Austin that is.....

Okay, my apologies for not blogging sooner. Thus, it will all roll into one. But the good thing is, I have a lot of pictures for the blog, so it will be easier and more interesting to follow.

Last Thursday, Anna Spencer (our super awesome photographer from www.thegracephotography.com) and I came and set up the SJ booth at Rodeo Austin. The best part about it all was the fact that we parked front row (literally right in front of the door by our booth), got to keep the truck there the entire time, were very prompt about getting set up, and....(dum, dum, dum, dum)....WE HAVE A HUGE PINK CROWN AT THE TOP OF OUR BOOTH! Check this stuff out:

Friday was our first day to start selling, so I came that morning to move in all the goodies and finalize the set up. Now this had to be one of the craziest, busiest weekends of my life that required me to run up and down the roads. A good friend of mine from back home (Bremond, TX) was getting married. Therefore, I had to drive 2 hours to a rehearsal and dinner. Then on Saturday, I of course was in the wedding. She was a gorgeous bride, and I had a lot of fun seeing friends that I had grown up with and not seen in a very long time. Roslyn (the bride) was one of my friends that I spent many, many nights and weekends with growing up. I think thanks to her and her family, my gypsy like instincts were created. Her mom (in the picture with her) is also a very good friend to my mom!

Sunday morning, (still in Bremond, TX), I had to go check on some show pigs, stop in Hearne

to meet up with Amy's mom to get her dry cleaning and bring it back to Austin (so she could continue to look adorable while working the SJ booth), get to Tanner's house to get a show heifer prospect we got sold loaded up with her new owner, change into my SJ-attire, and come back to Austin to work! Whew, just typing all that made me tired!

But, after the crazy and fun-filled weekend, it has been time to focus my time and efforts back to SJ! Today (Monday), we debuted our very our line of belts. And boy, were they a hit. If you are interested in one, check them out on our Facebook page, the SJ online store or feel free to email us at randa@southernjewlz.com. But here are some awesome pictures of them! They already make the booth look better and have been selling very well. Not to mention, they are just simply fabulous and can make anyone look cute!

And the last bit of excitement that I will share before I go to bed (which is where

I should already be), is the fact that Mr. Kyle Park himself visited the SJ booth this evening. For those of you who do not know him, he is a very talented Texas Country Singer. so you should look him up. He is also very nice, personable, and appreciative for his fans. For those Kyle Park fans out there, be looking for him sporting a Southern Jewlz koozie the next time you see him, because of course we shared one with him. And ladies.....he is single!!!!

Don't forget about our March promotional! Create your customer account at the SJ online store and be automatically entered for a chance to win $50 store credit. Check it out at www.southernjewlz.mybigcommerce.com. Peace, love, jewlz and GOODNIGHT!