Black Pearl Creation's Blog » Business Expansion

Wow! An Actual BPC Post!

Joede — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:49:33 +0000

Believe it or not, I have been working on Black Pearl Creations’ while kicking breast cancer’s ass. I am finishing out the pattern for the man’s scarf. The pattern will be available on Etsy and Ravelry shortly. I am also working on a silk mitered square ruana. Yeah, yeah! I just wanted to let you know business is still roaring forward!

Lead Time Changes

Joede — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:24:26 +0000

For those who follow my blog (and I do appreciate my 10 or so readers!) you know I am coming up to a difficult time. For Black Pearl Creations, this means I need to change my lead times on an order. I am now requesting a 4 week lead time from the usual 3 weeks. This change is effective immediately and will continue until at least April 2009. The quality and workmanship will be as high as always and will not suffer.

I appreciate your understanding.

Cee Cee Knew I Was Still Crying Over My “Lost” Interview!

Joede — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:45:28 +0000

I got my interview!! Yes, yes! Cee Cee Woolard, of Neosoul Essentials is also the moderator of the Womanpreneur website. She contacted me to put Black Pearl Creations up as a featured business. She added links, some photos and it’s awesome!

Cee Cee is the creator of Neosoulessentials, a natural body care line. She has some hair products in the works and her shea butter (especially in the Eternity scent) is heavenly!

See the complete interview here!

Thanks Cee Cee!

“Mom, Stop Hitting The Squirrels!”

Joede — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:25:15 +0000

Ahh, Canada. The beautiful landscape, friendly people, awesome food and animals. Lots of animals that are now stuck on the engine, tires and frame of my beloved truck. Yes, it does stink. No, the air freshener is not working.

After taking my children to Canada for some R&R, I came away inspired! I had already been thinking about streamlining my line and after seeing the gorgeous sweaters people sport in Canada, I know I am on the right track. Some may think, “Why add to an already saturated market?” The beauty is that there are few hand knitters that design and manufacture sweaters for the public and even fewer crocheters! So, I am not saturating the market, I am making the market! Very exciting times here at Black Pearl Creations!

The holiday season is upon us (at least if you are in retail) and I must warn you: ORDER EARLY! Some of my customers are heeding this advice and submitting their orders before the rush. I also offer gift certificates and I am establishing a layaway program as well. As soon as I have the details worked out, I will post it here.

Didn’t You Know? I AM Superwoman!

Joede — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:13:32 +0000

I remember years ago my mom telling me she could not do what I do. I told her “Yes, you could.” What few understand is that anyone can do what I do. The simple fact of the matter is no one WANTS to do what I do. Forced against a brick wall, it’s amazing what one can accomplish.
A girl at my job is pregnant and she came in to give me the mail and her, myself and my boss started chatting. My boss always has a “stupid” (as I call them) comment to make. This time, he wanted to extol the fact that I probably “whined” during my pregnancies. That touched a nerve. As I restrainingly told him, I had no choice but to be alone in my pregnancies and to raise my children. Unfortunately, I didn’t choose that “perfect” man to be my husband and father to my children. Yesterday, at the rally for Barack Obama, I saw an ex-girlfriend of mine (that’s another post in and of itself). She has one teenage son. No toddlers, no working 24/7, no daycare, no potty training, no crying. She could have had more than that one son but she “chose” not to. Jealous? Of course. I long to be able to just up and go, have extra money, have a clean house and car.
I’ve always been told that I am a super woman. I (now) have 2 children. I work a full time job. I attend an Ivy League school on a part time basis. I am also creating and maintaining a clothing line and the responsibilities that go with promoting and growing the line on the business side. Sometimes I feel like Black Pearl Creations is another child of mine.
Now with the holiday season staring me in the face, I have orders to complete, events to prepare for, programs to set up and I am now 5 days away from my self-initiated deadline for completing the Iola sweaters (notice the plural) for reviewing. I set a 4 week deadline for each order. With my son’s football, his school, crazy neighbors and more responsibilities at work, I am way behind schedule. I am now at a point where I have to reassess my priorities and obligations. However, if I don’t complete the tasks and accomplish the goals, no one else will.
Obviously, my first obligation is to my children. Their physical, mental and emotional well-being are paramount to my own peace of mind and sanity. After that, my obligation is my outside job. Right now, it pays the bills and I can’t afford to lose it. My next priority is Black Pearl Creations. I want to grow the company to the point of having a “signature” look. This will aid in making Black Pearl Creations so successful that I can actually pass it along to my children.
I want 2008 to be a breakthrough year for the company. The Alvirne Craft Fair is October 25th. The Holly Day Fair is December 6th. For both events, I want plenty of the Hat and Scarf Sets. Since my environmental awareness, all of my creations are made with more luxurious fibers. So cashmere, mohair, merino wool silk and other fibers will be staples of the Hat and Scarf Sets. I plan on having a couple of the Iola sweaters available at these events as well. I know how I want my booth set up but if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise would it? I just found out from Kim Beasley on Twitter about another option on getting my line in front of more people. It takes time to set up and it looks like a good non-date Friday (which is every Friday) night project.
Seeing my ideas/plans in writing and in public view now makes me accountable to get these goals accomplished. I guess I am against the brick wall again.

Iola To Be Reviewed!

Joede — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:13:11 +0000

I am so excited to announce that 2 bloggers are going to be reviewing my Iola sweater! This is such a great opportunity and I am honored that both of them WANTED to do this when I presented the request! Stay tuned in the next 10 days to see the sweaters before I ship them off!

Order Schedule for 2008 Fall Sweater!

Joede — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:40:45 +0000

Due to interest in the 2008 Fall Sweaters, I am making a order schedule. As this is a best estimate, production time could be off up to 10 days. To avoid this problem, only 5 orders are allowed in each time frame. Once those orders are placed, you have to look at another date. As we get closer to the holiday season, backorders will be inevitable. Please plan accordingly! See post below for available colors.

ORDER BETWEEN EXPECTED DELIVERY
7/07/08 – 8/02/08 9/06/08 ORDERS FILLED

8/03/08 – 8/09/08 9/13/08 4 Orders Left

8/10/08 – 8/16/08 9/20/08 5 Orders Allowed

8/17/08 – 8/23/08 9/27/08 5 Orders Allowed

8/24/08 – 8/30/08 10/04/08 5 Orders Allowed

8/31/08 – 9/06/08 10/11/08 5 Orders Allowed

9/07/08 – 9/13/08 10/18/08 5 Orders Allowed

9/14/08 – 9/20/08 10/25/08 5 Orders Allowed

9/21/08 – 9/27/08 11/01/08 5 Orders Allowed

9/28/08 – 10/04/08 11/08/08 5 Orders Allowed

10/05/08 – 10/11/08 11/15/08 7 Orders Allowed

10/12/08 – 10/18/08 11/22/08 7 Orders Allowed

10/19/08 – 10/25/08 11/29/08 7 Orders Allowed

10/26/08 – 11/01/08 12/06/08 7 Orders Allowed

11/02/08 – 11/08/08 12/13/08 Last 7 Orders for Guaranteed Holiday
Delivery

11/09/08 – 11/15/08 12/20/08 7 Orders Allowed but NOT Guaranteed
Holiday Delivery

Countdown Clock!

Joede — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:22:42 +0000

Countdown To American Express and Project Runway Submission!

What’s No Sleep For 10 Days? Ehh, I Can Handle It!

Joede — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:03:32 +0000

The studio has been chaotic the past few days. I have so many ideas that I hope my post makes sense! I will continue to be in a frenzied mode until next Thursday.

1. I am working on a business partnership with American Express. Deadline – 7/31/08

2. I am applying to Project Runway. (Thanks Solessence on Twitter for the Tweet!)
Deadline – Also 7/31/08. No pain, no gain!

3. I am looking to promote a few designs as the “hot” items for the 2008 Holiday season. Can you say soy/wool artistic coat, flashy over the knee legwarmers and cashmere cowl sweaters? Just thinking of them (and seeing the works in progress makes my heart all a-flutter!

Make sure you come back from time to time to stay updated!

Come See Me (And New Designs) At The Atlantic Antic!

Joede — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:15:25 +0000

Fall sweaters, crochet lessons, live models, food and drink. What is this, you ask? It’s Black Pearl Creations’ booth at the Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn on October 5th! Stop by, chat, see how I do what I do and get a lesson to do it yourself! See designs on models to get a feel of how that outfit would look on YOU! I enjoy meeting all prior, present and future clients. Please stop by and say hello! The Antic takes place between 4th and Hicks on Atlantic Ave. 10am to 6pm